Toys

Firefighters across the region have kicked their Christmas toy drives into high gear in advance of Metrolink's Holiday Toy Express tour of 32 cities through mid-December. Organizers are encouraging the public to drop new, unwrapped toys off at local fire stations and at Metrolink platforms as a specially decorated train decked out in 50,000 Christmas lights makes its rounds. And of course, Santa will be riding the locomotive. The campaign typically collects thousands of toys that are distributed to local needy families ahead of Christmas.

A distant land was introduced to the fifth and sixth graders of Cameo Draper's class at Crescenta Valley Adventist School Wednesday morning when the students played with a box of toys and games that had been shipped from Taiwan. The La Crescenta school was one of more than 1,000 Adventist schools across North America that received such a box to encourage children to celebrate the centennial of Taiwan - officially known as the Republic of China. The official name of China is the People's Republic of China.

CENTRAL GLENDALE — Police on Tuesday arrested a homeless man who pointed a toy assault rifle at passing vehicles near Glendale Memorial Hospital, officials said. Witness reports began coming in at 6:25 a.m. that the man, later identified as 57-year-old John Schwartz, was pointing an AK-47 assault rifle at passing vehicles at Los Feliz Road and Brand Boulevard, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. Fearing that Schwartz would fire what they thought was a real gun, Lorenz said several motorists swerved to avoid his aim. A dozen police units arrived within two minutes and surrounded Schwartz, Lorenz said, shutting down the intersection.

The Walt Disney Co. on Thursday said it was looking into claims that a line of reusable bags that bear images from "Toy Story" and "Cars" contain 15 times the level of lead allowed in children's products. Charles Margulis, a spokesman for the Center for Environmental Health, which monitors lead levels in children's products and sues firms that allegedly violate the law, said his agency bought the bags at a Safeway store and had them tested at an independent laboratory. "The hazardous lead levels in Disney-themed products from a major retailer like Safeway are especially disappointing now that it has been almost three years since federal legislation banned lead in children's products," center executive director Michael Green said in a statement.

The presents were so numerous they all but filled the tiny one-room apartment on Wilson Avenue in Glendale. In one corner was a bicycle and helmet, in another, a set of plastic building blocks. Five children danced around, arranging and rearranging the piles. "They woke at 7 a.m. and already wanted to bathe and get ready," their mother, Aida Cardenas, said. "They are so happy. " It was a joyful moment in an otherwise difficult year for the family, which has struggled with prolonged unemployment.

SOUTH GLENDALE—Hundreds of poor families stood in the pouring rain for up to three hours Saturday morning for a chance to receive free toys for Christmas. Glendale resident Rosa Nogueda was one of the first in line outside New Horizons Family Center at 5 a.m. in the hopes of receiving a box of canned goods and toys for her children. Despite the weather, Nogueda said she was determined to make this holiday special for her children. So like the past few years, Nogueda made a trip to the center on the 700 block of South Glendale Avenue for its annual toy giveaway.

Harley-Davidsons bearing Barbie dolls and stuffed animals idled Sunday morning in south Glendale at the starting point of the 23rd annual L.A. Toy Ride. Event coordinator Richard Wagner said more than 1,000 riders would roar to the Fred Jordan Mission on L.A.'s Skid Row to hand out toys to homeless children. "The toys the kids get today might be the only ones they get this year," Wagner said. Many of the riders are the same ones who gathered at Harley-Davidson of Glendale last month for the Love Ride — a party on two wheels and fundraiser for children's charities — founded by shop owner Oliver Shokouh.

Hundreds of people packed the Glendale and Burbank Metrolink station platforms Saturday for the first stops of Metrolink's Holiday Toy Express — a 450-foot train decked out in sparkling lights and festive holiday ornaments. Many in attendance came clutching an unwrapped toy for the event, where the agency partners with member cities to collect toys to distribute to needy local families. "It's definitely an important event for the agency," said Sherita Coffelt, a Metrolink spokeswoman.

Movies and movie-themed products were bright spots for Burbank-based Walt Disney Co. in a quarter that saw an overall decline in profits, according to figures released Friday. The diverse company — which owns theme parks, television networks and newly acquired assets, including Marvel Comics and video game developers — reported a profit of $835 million in the quarter ending Oct. 2. That figure was down 6.7% from $895 million for the same period last year. Revenues were down 1%, from $9.9 billion to $9.7 billion, the company reported.

I t was all work for Ben McShane's Lego Robotics class last week as students prepared for competition. McShane's Lincoln Elementary GATE students were preparing for a Lego robotics competition in the Roosevelt Middle School auditorium. Preparations have been intense, with students spending at least eight hours over the last couple of weeks preparing for a full day of competition with students from throughout the district. Points were earned for traversing the obstacle course successfully, not crashing into barriers and collecting plastic hoops and returning them to the starting point.