Michael Hastings

BURROUGHS HIGH ? Jay Gudzin remembers when Burroughs High?s Memorial Field was a showplace for athletics. As a football player for the Indians, Gudzin was proud to play in a facility that not only had a rich history, but was an impressive venue. ?When I left Burroughs in 1973, Memorial Field was still in great shape,? Gudzin said. ?It had nice paint and nothing was falling apart. It was still a very nice stadium. ?But nothing has been done to the place since the 1950s.

Roman Catholics revere St. Finbar as being God’s instrument for performing miraculous works and the establishment of a monastery and school, and St. Joseph for his eager willingness to carry out God’s will. This past weekend saw the Catholic community of St. Finbar and supporters of Providence St. Joseph Medical Center continue the work of these saints by raising funds to aid local families who are in need of tuition assistance for their children’s education, and to establish a new cancer center.

The Burbank Chamber of Commerce ushered in the St. Patrick's Day weekend with an Irish-themed fundraiser on Friday evening. Presented as "Monte O'Carlo Night," this annual gala gives participants the opportunity to tip their hats to the chamber's outgoing board of directors and formally welcome in the new board. Among those mingling at the pre-dinner cocktail party and silent auction were city officials along with community and business leaders including Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Gary Olson , his wife, Sharon , and son Kyle; City Manager Mary Alvord; former Mayor Bill Wiggins and his wife, Marilyn; and former Burbank city manager and now Deputy Los Angeles Mayor Bud Ovrom.

BURBANK — Developers of a proposed Whole Foods Market in the Rancho District have submitted a modified and scaled-back project that eliminates any need for variances to city codes and cuts nearly 8,000-square-feet from the building's original size. The project will be revisited at a public hearing on Tuesday, two weeks after the council asked the developer to return with a plan that would more closely match the character of the surrounding neighborhood. The revised project proposes an approximately 52,000-square-foot building that complies with city codes regarding requirements for setbacks, or the separation between the structure and the property line, said Michael Hastings, a consultant for developer Tom Davies.

Mark R. Madler The NBC Studios were never in "beautiful downtown Burbank," but that never stopped Tonight Show host Johnny Carson's good-natured ribbing of the city from where he broadcast. Carson died Sunday at his home in Malibu. He was 79. When Carson stepped down as the king of late-night talk shows in 1992, the city did its part to recognize how he brought Burbank to the world by renaming a park next to the studios in his honor. "That's why we name things for people," said Michael Hastings, who was mayor at the time of the park dedication in April 1992.

Mark R. Madler The union representing Burbank Police officers has kicked off a drive to raise money for a museum linked with a national memorial to officers killed in the line of duty. The first donation of $10,000 was given Friday from Crown Realty & Development Corp., owner of the Burbank Town Center mall, formerly known as the Media City Center Mall. The Burbank Police Officers Assn. has targeted $100,000 as its goal by next summer, said its president, Officer Mike Parrinello.

Joyce Rudolph Officials believe they made more than $20,000 at Saturday's concert starring Josh Kelley at the Starlight Bowl and say they already have other fundraisers in the works. There were 2,300 tickets sold, and between 1,500 and 2,000 people attended, said Michael Hastings, chairman of the Burbank Priority In Education Foundation. "We know we will probably net, all funds going directly to the schools, north of $20,000 after bills are paid," he said.

Jackson Bell Michael Hastings is one of those residents who want to help Burbank schools cope with financial insecurity. Hastings, a former Burbank mayor, is organizing a select group of parents, community members and former students intent on seeing students and teachers prosper. The group, which numbers about 40, recently attended the inaugural meeting of the Burbank Priority in Education Foundation, an organization created to raise additional funds and materials for classrooms affected by state and local budget cuts.

Josh Kleinbaum When Michael Hastings called the Hope family in New York late one night this week, he was not concerned about waking them. Sure, it was late, even later back East, and the Hopes had a busy week ahead -- Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade would honor their father, Bob, the late entertainer from Toluca Lake. But they wanted to know. Was it official? Was Burbank- Glendale-Pasadena Airport now known as Bob Hope Airport? "They didn't care what hour, they wanted to know," said Hastings, the former Burbank mayor who represents the Hope family.