Hopefuls

Like its two cross-town counterparts, the Burroughs High football team has been dislodged from its home field this season. However, unlike Burbank High, the Indians also lost their practice facility, as Memorial Field continues to be under renovation. That means along with having to play all of their games on the road during the 2011 campaign, the Indians also have been forced to hold their practices off campus, spending the summer at Luther Burbank Middle School. Burroughs is also dealing with another loss, as more than 25 seniors from last season's co-Pacific League championship team graduated.

Candidates in the April 13 special primary election to fill a vacancy in the 43rd Assembly District will head to Burbank City Hall at 7 tonight for a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Glendale/Burbank. The following are brief descriptions of each of the four candidates, three of whom have never served in public office. If no candidate receives more than 50% of votes, the election will proceed to a runoff contest June 8 between the top vote-getters from each party.

Jim Riggio BURROUGHS HIGH -- Carolyn Brown doesn't like the idea of putting pressure and demands on herself. No stranger to the CIF Masters track and field meet, having raced in the 800-meter event the past two years, the Burroughs High junior is taking a relaxed approach as she attempts to return to the California State meet. Brown, who won the CIF Southern Section Division II title as a freshman, finished third last season, and was second in last weekend's final, when she finished in 2 minutes 15.71 seconds.

Irma Lemus MEDIA DISTRICT NORTH -- With maps of the city in hand, Burbank High School students set out to collect canned food and other items for needy families. About 100 students took part and within a couple of hours last week they collected more than 1,000 cans, said Rhendy Santosa, president of Burbank High School's Helping Other People Eat community service club. The HOPE group, in conjunction with the high school's student government and other campus clubs, has collected more than 5,000 cans since the beginning of December when the holiday basket project began.

With an $8.8-million budget gap looming over City Hall, candidates for City Council took a hard line this week against continuing merit-based bonuses for city employees. Last fiscal year, city workers got a combined $1 million in bonuses, even as City Hall worked to bridge a multimillion-dollar budget gap. Police Commissioner Robert Frutos and Landlord-Tenant Commissioner Jacqueline Waltman, both candidates for council, adamantly opposed any sort of bonus pay program at the election forum Wednesday hosted by the League of Women Voters Glendale/Burbank at City Hall.

Bob Hope Airport officials believe that if pictures are worth a thousand words, then they have plenty to say in their dispute with Lockheed Martin Corp. over groundwater contamination. The two parties are clashing in court over who must pay federally mandated cleanup costs related to toxins under the airport. Part of the dispute centers on a fire pit on the southwest portion of the airfield, where the Environmental Protection Agency believes residue contributed to soil contamination.

BURBANK — It was a record- breaking year last season for two of the local high school girls’ soccer programs. Burbank High had a successful campaign, making the CIF Southern Section playoffs for the first time in program history. Bellarmine-Jefferson also did well, winning a share of its first Santa Cruz League championship and advancing to the postseason for the first time. With their share of talented players, Burroughs and Providence are looking to improve, and hopefully enjoy their own postseason berths this year.

The Burroughs High football program has developed quite a reputation for churning out quality offensive lineman. Current Jacksonville Jaguars starting tackle Eben Brinton is a product of the Indians' program. The talented group of linemen have allowed a long list of Burroughs running backs to thrive. Last season, senior Dalton Williams earned All-CIF and All-Area accolades after carrying the ball 196 times for 1,529 yards (7.8 yards a carry) and 21 touchdowns. The yardage total put him fourth on the Indians' all-time single-season rushing list.

Passenger numbers at Bob Hope Airport took another nose dive in October, dropping 4.7% compared to the same period last year, officials said this week. The airport handled 363,684 passengers in October, down from 381,656 in October 2010, according to the latest figures. Though the impact to parking revenues was not available this week, the drop in passengers is almost sure to be a drag on those revenues. The confluence of declining figures was cited by the credit rating agency Fitch earlier this year when it warned that the AA- rating for the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority could be threatened in the future, especially as officials pursue a $90-million transit center.

Authorities this week finally dropped their misguided case against Nadine Hays, the woman who was effectively treated like a thug last year for insisting on carrying applesauce and other snacks aboard a flight at Bob Hope Airport for her 93-year-old mother. But after a yearlong debacle — which may carry on for months more as she seeks civil compensation for the ordeal — there were at least some lessons to be had for officials and future passengers. For plane passengers: Don't think even hiding behind your 93-year-old grandmother will fly with security agents.