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The Crosby Chronicles: the pros and cons of AP tests
Each May high school kids have a soft two-week vacation when Advanced Placement exams are administered.
Ron Kaye: Brains, talent, too much ambition
In the costliest and most vicious City Council race of the Los Angeles election season, the battle for Hollywood has shattered beliefs about Armenian solidarity, with Paul Krekorian's role seen as causing deep rifts in the community.
A Word, Please: Of adjectives and noun phrases
It's a billboard custom-tailored to grammar buffs. "Every day we help people get back to their everyday," proclaims the ad for Keck Medical Center of USC. In that single sentence, the copy writer does more to help people with grammar than I probably will in this whole column. But I'll give it a...
Ron Kaye: It's time for Burbank to think twice
Here we go again — at the first sign of recovery from the worst recession since the Great Depression, government officials are gearing up to line their pockets with taxpayer money.
Small Wonders: Where more than wild things are
Don't venture under the bed lightly. More than wild things await you there.
Intersections: A short visit to Fresno brings things full circle
I've been determined to go to Fresno for a long time. When I was younger, I used to browse through shipping labels at swap meets, and came across beautifully designed orange and peach labels from forever ago that hailed from the San Joaquin Valley.
Ron Kaye: An idea whose time hasn't come
My head spun when I heard Democrats with their super-majority in the state Assembly slammed through a bill that would make California the only state in the nation to let immigrants, legal ones, sit on juries.
A Word, Please: Going to the theatre, or the theater?
If it were possible to tally up all the moments of my life so far, the top activities would probably be watching "Simpsons" reruns, talking to computers over the telephone, and asking fellow diners, "Are you gonna eat that?"
On Education: James Ellroy enthralls GCC
If anyone worried James Ellroy might dumb down the salty language laced throughout his crime novels for an appearance at Glendale Community College this week, they wouldn't have been disappointed.
The Crosby Chronicles: Taking in a hockey game
A longtime diehard Los Angeles sports fan is one who roots for the Dodgers or the Lakers. Unfortunately, neither team is fun to watch these days. Laker fans are trying to obliterate from memory one of the worst years in franchise history, while the Dodgers are currently in last place. Both teams, by...
Verdugo Views: Kiefer makes a name for himself in mortuary business
A small notice in a 1916 edition of the Glendale Evening News informed readers, "Emil Kiefer, an employee at the White Store, is now working for Pulliam Undertaking Co. He intends to make this his life's work. He is a young man of great energy. He came here from Minnesota two years ago and has...
On Campus at GCC: Theater, art, music loom large on campus
New 10-minute plays performed in Studio Theatre
Ron Kaye: Standing up to the town bully
The sparse front page of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 18 website expresses exactly the message Brian D'Arcy wants his members to get: Rotating photos of protesting workers waving "A DEAL IS A DEAL" signs.
A Word, Please: Agreeing on subject/verb agreement
Pop quiz. Which is correct? "The dogs are outside" or "The dogs is outside."
Start the Presses: Burbank mechanic's amazing 'Shift It' commercial
Our reporters are hard at work nailing down the details of the deliciously ridiculous "Shift It" music video-slash-auto commercial-slash-Internet meme, but I couldn't let another second go by without embedding the video on our sites.
Intersections: Waiting for the ethnic identifier
Please don't let them be Muslim. Please don't let them be Hispanic. Please don't let them be Armenian.
Burb's Eye View: Checking in with Zonta's good works
Below the din and electric stress of last week's Burbank Literacy Spelling Bee, a little blue card floated my way.
The Crosby Chronicles: Zen and the art of lawn maintenance
Before I became a homeowner, I would frown down upon houses in my neighborhood whose front yards looked like a scene from a horror movie.
On Education: The price of a fun, safe prom night
If you are the parent of a current high school student, you will spend about $250,000 to raise that child to the age of 18, give or take a few thousand depending on family resources, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Start the Presses: Transparency in print and in life
On Tuesday evening, I had the chance to speak to a class at Glendale Community College run by the school's police chief, Gary Montecuollo. I have spoken to this class before, which focuses on law enforcement's interactions with the larger community, and enjoyed it each time.
A Word, Please: Better grammar means better jobs?
Creators of a software program called Grammarly recently conducted a study of the grammar used in LinkedIn member profiles. They found that people with fewer grammar errors in their profiles ascended to higher positions, got more promotions and changed jobs more often.
The Crosby Chronicles: Equal time for Little League players
Those of you with kids in little league right now are familiar with the usual to-do list: buying the gear, bringing the snacks, rushing to all the practices and games, and dealing with coaches who favor their own children over yours.
Verdugo Views: Created to age gracefully
Back in 1924, when Alexander Nibley and his partners began planning a new development, they targeted people who were, even then, seeking to leave the increasingly crowded city for a place with more greenery and less noise and congestion.
Start the Presses: Remembering the Armenian Genocide
Each year Armenians worldwide commemorate the murder of 1.5 million of their ancestors by what was then the Ottoman Empire in the time around World War I. Each year, the United States government – fearing the backlash of Turkish rulers – fails to officially recognize this atrocity as a...
A Word, Please: A would-be worry that isn't
An island nation you can't find on a map can threaten your retirement savings. Your health insurer could refuse to pay your medical bills by arguing you're covered only if someone drops a baby grand piano on your head, not an upright. On any given day, a celebrity might say mean things to a singer...
Small Wonders: It's the time and place for a Cracker Barrel
We Californians like to point out that we lack for nothing in our great state.
Ron Kaye: Zareh Sinanyan admits racist remarks, expresses regret
It was a week Zareh Sinanyan will never forget. The man who left the Soviet Republic of Armenia as a 14-year-old a quarter century ago took his seat as a Glendale City Councilman on Monday, faced harsh criticism from residents during public comment on Tuesday over hateful comments he posted...
Intersections: Increased demand for Armenian language skills
On a Saturday morning in a brightly lit classroom at the Burbank Adult School, a group of students are practicing their language skills.
The Crosby Chronicles: Jackie Robinson biopic worth seeing
You should consider going to the movies to see “42,” the new biographical film on baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson’s first year with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. The actual date of his major league debut, April 15, is commemorated in baseball by all players on all teams...
On Education: Turning high marks into high performance
Students go to college to earn high marks. Now Glendale Community College has a report card of its own.
A Word, Please: Who gets to make the language laws?
The Mid Devon District Council in southwestern England made headlines recently when it proposed to do away with apostrophes on street signs, changing King's Crescent into Kings Crescent and St. Paul's Square into St. Pauls Square.
Ron Kaye: Civic engagement and high expectations
It was the changing of the guard — Parcher Plaza at Glendale City Hall filled with people celebrating Mayor Frank Quintero with taquitos and cupcakes, a gathering of well-wishers that included Burbank Mayor Dave Golonski, who offered a framed memento in tribute.
Verdugo Views: How the Oakmont League helped show the way
Pat Mann was a loyal friend to many Glendale organizations. During the 1940s, she brought two groups together in a relationship that continues to this day.
The Crosby Chronicles: Make the most of life
The email was dutifully sent out to all school district employees. “Former Hoover High School Librarian Joyce Brace passed away Friday, March 29, 2013.”
Steve Greenberg: Ballad of "The Tonight Show"
Cartoonist Steve Greenberg gives his take on the departure of "The Tonight Show" from Burbank, its home since 1972. Jimmy Fallon will be taking the show to New York when he takes over hosting duties from Jay Leno in the spring of 2014.
Ron Kaye: Getting along to run the city
Everybody loves cops and firefighters who protect our lives and property so when you get a slate mailer in the middle of a heated election campaign that looks like these public servants are supporting candidates based on their personal merits, you probably take it seriously.
A Word, Please: Copy editing clues to excellence
These days, everyone's a writer. And a reporter. And an editor. Thanks to the Internet, you can report any "fact" you want, be it a UFO sighting in your rumpus room or incontrovertible evidence that Donald Trump has a full head of hair.
Small Wonders: Paying taxes on the American Dream
I'm pretty diligent when it comes to my taxes. And by diligent, I mean that in November, I make an appointment for February with my tax guy, which is unlike those co-workers in your office asking around in April if anyone knows a good accountant. That's like trying to get face-value Super Bowl...
Intersections: A memoir that's hard for the author to read
In January 1969, when Wendy Lawless and her sister were living in New York's famed Dakota building, their mother swallowed a bottle of pills and called her husband — their stepfather — at his hotel to say goodbye.
The Crosby Chronicles: Baseball and birthdays
Due to my son’s school being closed on Monday, I had to take a day off of work to be home with him. That day happened to be my birthday, so the stars were aligned when I found out that April 1 was also the Dodgers’ Opening Day. And it was an...
A Word, Please: Open yourself up to grammar
A reader named Roy sent me an e-mail recently. He had a question – not for himself but for a friend. And, heaven help me, I really believe it was for a friend. Here's what Roy wrote:
On Education: Time to be a little less polite
Glendale Unified school board candidates are a very polite bunch.
The Crosby Chronicles: Restaurant experiences sometimes lack
Going out to eat is supposed to be one of life's pleasures. You don't have to cook or clean up afterwards. Plus, servers take your order and bring your food. For just a little bit of money you can feel a lot of specialness - even if it's only for an hour or two.
Ron Kaye: Throwing rocks at the windows of power
What would your town be like if its harshest critic had a seat at the table of power?
Verdugo Views: The tangled story of the Webb family
For years, Webb’s department store was a fixture on Brand. But few knew the story behind Webb’s.
Intersections: Thoughts of regret, watermelon, coffee
At some point during my reporting adventures in Armenia, I found myself in a Yezidi Kurdish village thanks to a good friend, also a journalist, who had worked in the region for years.
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