Featured Articles from the Burbank Leader

Unless you have gone through the grueling training and taken the oath to uphold the law, you can never know what it's like to carry a gun and be licensed to shoot to kill. That's why cops are different from the rest us — men and women who are part of a cult of law enforcement where there are unspoken rules of conduct that sometimes become a code of silence. It is a very thin blue line that separates civilized people from the barbarians among us. Inevitably, a few cops cross that line; sometimes whole departments become infected in a way that makes officers blind to the abuses going on around them — patterns of conduct that are supported, even honored, by the community as a whole.

WOODLAND HILLS — The point guard matchup was clearly the most anticipated when the Providence High and Campbell Hall boys' basketball teams squared off in the War on the Floor Extravaganza. Both the Pioneers and Vikings freshman guards — Marcus Lovett, Jr. and Aaron Holiday, respectively, were asked to take a picture together by the tournament directors before Saturday's game at Taft High, which was standing room only. The game lived up to the billing, as it came down to the last second.

Two new retailers will soon move into the Burbank Town Center, filling large voids left by Circuit City and Mervyns after the two stores filed for bankruptcy in 2008. Burlington Coat Factory will take over the former Mervyns space, while an Ashley Furniture HomeStore will occupy the former Circuit City storefront. Burlington Coat Factory, a national chain specializing in brand-name clothing and housewares, is slated to open the first week in November, said Tom Kelly, regional vice president for the company.

BURBANK HIGH — After watching the Crescenta Valley High boys' and girls' swimming teams perform Thursday afternoon in a Pacific League dual meet, Burbank first-year Coach Chris Goldberg figured out how he'd like to pattern his teams for the future. "We want to be like they are, and a meet like this is a good motivational tool," Goldberg said after Crescenta Valley posted a 115-54 win in the boys' portion of the meet and a 124-46 win in the girls' meet at Burbank. "It's good to have a type of meet like this because it's a barometer to see where you are. " While the Bulldogs have an eye toward the future, the Falcons showed why they presently have two strong teams geared toward winning league championships.

Three Burbank men and a Burbank boy placed one another under citizen's arrest following a fight that broke out during a recent anti-war rally outside of the Media City Center, authorities said. Tim Behunin, 43, got out of his 2003 Range Rover and allegedly punched protester William Nelson, 30, several times after a heated argument between the two and another protester, 19-year-old Piero Giunti, about 6 p.m. May 7 at Burbank and San Fernando boulevards, Burbank Police Sgt. Jay Jette said.

One of the things the city of Burbank does a very good job at is graffiti removal. If you ever see graffiti around town, all you have to do is call a hotline, leave the specific location of it, and within a couple of days the graffiti has been removed. It is one area in which the city provides an outstanding service to the community. One of the things Burbank does not do a very good job at is synchronizing traffic lights. For example, have you ever traveled down Magnolia Boulevard, going from downtown toward Victory, or vice versa?

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has set the trial date for the man accused of stabbing a Burbank resident at his home in February 2008. Jorge Ernesto Villalobos is accused of stabbing Glen Giles, 47, at his home in the 3000 block of Joaquin Drive. Giles' body was discovered Feb. 24, 2008, on a neighbor's doorstep across the street. Villalobos remains at Men's Central Jail in Los Angeles in lieu of $1.02-million bail.

Alecia Foster BURBANK -- It may have taken some time, but those charged with finding Calvary Bible Church's next pastor met their goal. Pastor Jack Hughes has been named the church's next spiritual leader. "He had a tremendous background," said Lew Stone, a member of Calvary's congregation and member of the search committee. Until recently, Hughes, who was bor in Lompoc and raised in Ventura County, had been and preaching to a congregation in Boise, Idaho.

Happy with the job Gatto's done so far I read your article titled "GOP says 'L.A. is in play.'" (Oct. 2) I was particularly interested in the comments of Republican Chairwoman Jane Barnett that "a large percentage of voters are not happy" with Rep. Adam Schiff and Assemblyman Mike Gatto. Really? Gatto just won election in June and has been in the Assembly for only a few months. As a registered Republican myself, I am very happy with his performance so far, including his sponsorship of legislation designed to address abuses of the public pension system like those that took place in Bell.

Disney star Selena Gomez has obtained a restraining order against a 46-year-old convicted stalker who allegedly planned to kill her based on conversations he said he had with God. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge William Stewart last week ordered Thomas Brodnicki, who is listed in court documents as staying at the America Motel in Los Angeles, to stay at least 100 yards away from Gomez, her parents and an assistant. In court documents, Gomez said she feared Brodnicki “will harm them in his attempts to see me or to harm or kill me.” The 19-year-old girlfriend of teen heartthrob Justin Bieber told the court, which issued the temporary restraining order Oct. 13, that Brodnicki visited her workplace at least three times.

Mark Kulkis went undercover for a little industrial espionage before launching his gleaming new specialty salad bar, the Chop Stop, on San Fernando Road in Burbank last week. Kulkis was hired on at an entry-level job at a nearby chain restaurant that he declined to name. He took the job because he wanted a minimum-wage worker's eye view of restaurant operations. "I wanted franchise experience, because that's what I hope to do," Kulkis said. The Chop Stop serves up chopped salads with a variety of toppings and flavors, offering a health-conscious and price-conscious choice for customers.

A Los Angeles woman was arrested after she offered sexual favors in exchange for chicken McNuggets, Burbank police said. Khadijah Baseer of Los Angeles reportedly opened customers' car doors in the drive-thru of McDonald's on the 1700 block of Olive Avenue about 11 p.m. Wednesday, asking for free chicken McNuggets in exchange for sexual favors, Officer Joshua Kendrick said.  A man told police Baseer approached him but he refused the offer.  Baseer was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of prostitution.