Burbank

I regard Burbank as a cutting-edge and progressive city. However, I was extremely disheartened to find that the city is behind the curve in the national effort to ban the sale of puppies and kittens in pet stores. Puppies for sale in pet stores usually come from puppy mills, which breed dogs for profit only, keeping puppies and dogs in cruel and inhumane conditions. These puppies are often abused and quite ill. People looking for a lovable companion will find an abundance of loving puppies and dogs in the Burbank and Los Angeles animal shelters, desperately waiting for a home.

Actor and musician Ed Helms, best known for his roles on the NBC sitcom “The Office” and the hit movie “The Hangover,” took his star power to Providencia Elementary School on Tuesday where he performed for students as part of a bluegrass trio. The visit came after the school community won a Facebook contest in which they notched the most “likes” for the Education through Music - Los Angeles program, a nonprofit launched in 2006 to support the integration of music into core curriculum at disadvantaged schools.

The giant tent for Cavalia's latest equine show has risen in Burbank ahead of its Feb. 27 premiere. The show, Odysseo, will feature 67 horses and 45 acrobats, riders and musicians under a tent that organizers say is as tall as a 10-story building with a footprint larger than a football field. Performances at the site in the 700 block of North Front Street will be set against a video screen backdrop the size of three IMAX screens. Cavalia, created by one of the founders of Cirque du Soleil, was last in Burbank in 2011.

A vehicle collided with a Burbank police car Friday night, sending one officer to a hospital. The driver of the vehicle was apparently traveling southbound on Victory Boulevard and struck the police car while making a left turn into a driveway. The police officer was taken to Saint Joseph Medical Center to be evaluated. The accident is under investigation. Police said at the scene that it appeared alcohol was not involved. -- Ross A. Benson, For Times Community News

Burbank's new City Attorney Amy Albano received the oath of office from City Clerk Margarita Compos during her first city council meeting Tuesday evening. Albano joked with the audience and City Council Members that it was her second day on the job, and she still is enjoying it. Albano replaces former City Attorney Dennis Barlow who retired after 14 years of service. RELATED: Burbank names new city attorney -- Ross A. Benson, for Times Community News Photo: Amy Albano is sworn into her new position as Burbank city attorney on Tuesday, October 18, 2011.

A 76-year-old Burbank resident was sent to a local hospital after he was found at the bottom of a wash on Alameda Avenue Friday afternoon. Burbank firefighters arrived at the scene after receiving reports of an injured person laying in the wash east of Victory Boulevard. He was transported to Los Angeles County USC Trauma Center with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to authorities. Police are unsure if the man jumped or fell. The incident is under investigation.

San Marino National thought the umpires were great in Sunday's Little League Junior Baseball All-Stars Section 2 second-round game. Burbank wholeheartedly disagreed. While San Marino National was left satisfied with the judgment calls of the umpires and ultimately the result of the game, Burbank was left fuming. After Burbank Coach Mike Lockheimer and his son Conner Lockheimer, one of the District 16 champs' top players, were ejected in the bottom of the seventh inning during a tie game, San Marino National's JT McDonnell scored on an error by the catcher, allowing the District 17 representatives to come away with a 7-6 victory in eight innings at Northridge Little League fields.

A transient was arrested Saturday morning after stealing an unlocked bike from a Burbank street, police said. A witness reported seeing two men take two bikes around 10:50 a.m. in the 200 block of West Tujunga Avenue and police found one of the suspects a short time later, said Burbank police Sgt. Scott Meadows. Leonel Gomez, 34, was arrested for receiving stolen property. The second suspect is still at large. Police do not have a description of him. ALSO: Woman drives car off road, into Burbank church parking lot Burbank opts to appeal police detective verdict -- Tiffany Kelly, Times Community News Twitter: @LATiffanyKelly

After a six- to eight-week lull, catalytic converter thieves struck again over the weekend in Burbank, police said. Two catalytic converters were unscrewed from two trucks between Friday and Monday, Sgt. Darin Ryburn said, marking the first such thefts police have seen in about two months. A catalytic converter was stolen from a 2002 Nissan Frontier that was parked on the street in the 300 block of North Sparks. while another taken from a 1989 Toyota pick up that was parked in the 400 block of South Mariposa, Ryburn said.

Burbank police briefly evacuated homes in 2000 block of Riverside Drive this morning after a relative reported finding 11 hand grenades while cleaning out a family garage. A Los Angeles County Sheriff's bomb squad, which responded to the scene about 9:38 a.m., determined that the hand grenades and small artillery shells were inert and disposed of the items, according to Burbank police. Residents were allowed to return to their homes a short time later. ALSO: Impaired driver allegedly hit police cars Brother-sister duo accused of stabbing dog to death will stand trial -- Jason Wells, Times Community News Twitter: @JasonBretWells