Burbank Unified School District

When doctors 10 years ago diagnosed Mary Strauss with breast cancer, the retired bookkeeper was forced to confront a condition that for much of her life went unnamed. "Growing up, we never talked about cancer," said Strauss, 76, of La Cañada. "It was the big C. You didn't tell people you had the big C, this dreadful, terrible disease. Who tells people about a looming death sentence?" This weekend she joined more than 1,000 survivors, their supporters and people who lost loved ones to cancer at American Cancer Society Relay for Life events in La Crescenta and Burbank.

CITY HALL ? Burbank officials this week distributed funding to more than a dozen local nonprofits as part of an annual scrum for dollars exacerbated by a slow-moving economy and increased demand for services. The City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to dispense roughly $200,000 to 18 public service projects. The annual awarding of state and federal dollars pits revered programs against each other in a process that requires an unusual level of give and take on the dais, officials said.

It has been my honor to serve as mayor of the city of Burbank. I am grateful for the support of family, friends and the community during this past year and will always treasure this amazing opportunity. During the last year, I have attended important meetings, special events and celebrations. Whether it was presenting the State of the City address or throwing out the first pitch at Burbank Dodger night, representing our great city has been a privilege. There were so many memorable occasions.

Burbank on Parade officials promise Saturday’s event will be packed with all the pageantry that’s created when the circus comes to town — including the big top itself. When deciding on this year’s theme — “Burbank on Parade Celebrates the Big Top” — organizers wanted something colorful and easy for people to come up with ideas for their entries, said parade President Linda Barnes. “The beginning of the parade will be spectacular, starting out with the letters spelling out Burbank, and we are actually going to have a big top tent,” Barnes said.

CITY HALL — A counseling program serving thousands of troubled youths is expected to receive crucial funding for the 2010-11 fiscal year under a proposal approved this week by the City Council. On Tuesday, the council voted unanimously to set aside $250,000 for youth programming, with most of it expected to go to school-based counseling and support services offered through the Family Service Agency of Burbank. Parents, counselors and Burbank Unified School District officials lobbied on behalf of the school-based programs designed to address self-esteem, anger management, substance abuse and family issues.

Opinions. Everyone has them and thinks theirs are right. Otherwise, they’d get new ones. And when a scandal like the alleged sexual affair between a 33-year-old female teacher and a 14-year-old male student comes along, the opinions blossom like spring flowers — abundant, colorful and fleeting. I am of course referring to the Amy Beck case currently rocking the Burbank Unified School District. We don’t know yet the motives and emotions behind the events that led to Beck turning herself in for allegedly having sexual relations with a minor.

When Jordan Middle School teacher Amy Beck turned herself in for allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old student last year, the hammer of public and media scrutiny was harsh and swift. The story was picked up nationally as the public wondered how a seemingly well-liked and -respected teacher could stray so far off the legal and ethical path. Nevermind the very real impacts to student and teacher life at Burbank Unified School District, which, combined with impending layoff notices and the death of a 7-year-old student at home this week, has seen its share of battering.

[DEVELOPING] A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Wednesday postponed the arraignment of a Burbank Unified teacher accused of having sex with a 14-year-old student so that she can continue to work with authorities, her attorney said. Amy Beck, a 33-year-old teacher at Jordan Middle School, will remain in jail and is working with authorities as they investigate allegations that she had a sexual relationship with a student who was 14 at the time, her attorney, Michael Williamson, said.

A Burbank Unified School District teacher turned herself in Monday for having sex with a 14-year-old student from March to September last year, police said. Amy Beck, 33, a sixth-grade teacher at Jordan Middle School, surrendered Monday afternoon to Burbank police with her lawyer, and was being held on $400,000 bail, Burbank Police Sgt. Robert Quesada said. “We’re still trying to piece everything together, what happened, where, what kind of sex acts, how many, and how long it’s been going on,” he said.