Michael Hastings

Darleene Barrientos Jean Minniear was not about to miss the open house at John Burroughs High School where she, her husband and her son are all proud to be alma maters. The Burroughs High School that Minniear graduated from in 1976 was a lot more shabby than the school she visited Saturday. "It's a really good thing they decided to [renovate it]," she said. "There were a lot of things that were really run down." Burroughs is now a modern haven for learning.

Roughly $12,000 was raised on Sunday to help support an annual relay and to possibly reignite the Burbank Police Citizens Academy Program. The Burbank Police Officers Assn. and the Burbank Police Department Baker to Vegas Committee raised the money during its first Cool Blue Bocce Ball Tournament on Sunday at Lakeside Country Club. Burbank Police run the annual Baker to Vegas relay race in April in memory of Burbank Police officers Matthew Pavelka, who was killed in the line of duty, and Danny Crawford.

"When our children hear us say, 'Now, look at what you've done,' it's not because they have done something good," laughed former Burbank Mayor Michael Hastings . "But when it comes to the Cusumanos, when we say, 'Now, look at what you've done,' it is said because of all the very good and positive contributions they have made to our community over the years. " Thus began the accolades bestowed upon the Cusumano family, the recipients of Woodbury University's 2010 Movers & Shapers Award presented Thursday at a luncheon held on the school's Glenoaks Boulevard campus.

For the ninth year, parishioners and supporters of the Saint Finbar Parish School gathered to bestow the Harvester of Faith Awards at their Harvest Ball fundraiser held at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center this past Friday evening. This annual event, that raises funds to help the families and children of Saint Finbar Parish School who are in need of tuition assistance, also recognizes individuals who have shown extraordinary leadership, inspiration, motivation, compassion and dedication to the school and the parish community.

Two exceptional individuals were lauded Saturday for their passion and care for the betterment of our community. The Zonta Club of Burbank honored Burbank City Manager Mary Alvord as its Woman of the Year, while the late Mike Tawdy was remembered for his outstanding career as a tennis instructor during the Burbank Tennis Center’s 10th anniversary celebration. Since 1949, the Zonta Club of Burbank has honored exemplary women who have made significant contributions to the community.

Stepping into the spotlight on the Colony Theatre's stage, Toni Bua thanked the venue's capacity-plus crowd for coming out to honor her late husband, Gene Bua, this past Wednesday evening. “It means the world to me that you are here tonight, sharing and enjoying Gene's life through what he loved so much - creating music and entertaining audiences with joy, delight, and his outrageous sense of humor,” said Toni. Gene Bua, who died in November after a 13-year battle with Parkinson's disease, may be remembered by some as the lead singer of Gene Bua and the Cardinals, who recorded the 1950's hit song “Golly Gee,” or from his starring role in the Broadway revival of “The Boys from Syracuse.” Many more knew him for his work in the 1960s as Bill Prentiss on the long-running CBS daytime drama, “Love of Life.” Since the early-1980s, Burbankers best knew Gene for his establishment of the Gene Bua Acting For Life Theatre on Magnolia Boulevard in which he mentored thousands of singers and actors - not just on how to hone their craft, but their very lives.

AIRPORT DISTRICT ? Executives at Bob Hope Airport are calling on commissioners to extend a long-term lease with its concessionaire, citing a potential drop in revenue among their reasons not to take new bids. Executive Director Dan Feger maintained that Paradies Shops, which has operated gift shops at the airport since 1994, has ?done a very good job of providing concessions,? and that the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority has ?a good deal right now.? He added that entering into a contract with at least one competing firm posed a possible conflict of interest.

Laura Sturza When mayors meet, topics turn familiar: streets, transit, buildings and city hall watchdogs. Sitting onstage Monday at the Colony Theatre in the shopping center that the former officials were instrumental in approving, the six reflected on their place in Burbank's history, and others who helped shape it. City Hall picketer Jules Kimmett was an active gadfly when Leland Ayers was in office from...

Molly Shore RANCHO DISTRICT -- Budget woes at the Burbank Unified School District are apparently going to hit the guidance counseling program the hardest. The Budget Action Committee and the school board met Thursday to discuss nearly $2 million in proposed cuts for the 2002-2003 school year. Although such cuts had been previously discussed, the meeting was the committee's formal presentation of recommended reductions. When the groups meet again, members will have to work on taking off the final $1 million of the district's $3 million shortfall.

BURBANK — As the line for Sunday night’s Starlight Bowl concert snaked around the asphalt path, Kevin Collier was sitting pretty. Collier was second in line, counting the minutes till California Transit Authority took the stage. Collier came out to see the band because of its famed member, Danny Seraphine, the original drummer for Chicago. “I was a huge fan of Chicago in the early days and went to many of their concerts in the ’70s, so I was very excited when I heard California Transit Authority was coming,” Collier said as he leaned back in his lawn chair.