San Fernando Road

Send DATEBOOK items to The Leader, 111 W. Wilson Ave., Suite 200, Glendale, CA, 91203 or fax to (818) 241-1975. Submissions must be received two weeks before publication. TODAY Norman Krasna's romantic comedy "John Loves Mary" opens at 8 p.m. today at the Glendale Centre Theatre, 324 N. Orange St., Glendale. Tickets range from $16 to $19. For reservations, call (818) 244-8481. THURSDAY Renaissance Academy's Talent Show is at 7 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m., at the Lanterman Auditorium, 4491 Cornishon Ave., La Canada Flintridge.

Walking could be faster than driving I live on the west end of Burbank, near Magnolia Boulevard and Evergreen Street, and I commute five times a week to train at a tae kwon do studio on San Fernando Road by McCambridge Park. I used to leave my house five minutes before my class started and make it on time. Now I have to leave 20 minutes before class starts, figuring on not making the traffic lights at Hollywood Way, Buena Vista Street and Victory Boulevard along with traffic signals at Burbank Boulevard and San Fernando.

GLENDALE ? An administrative judge demanded a public meeting be held near the proposed Flower Street railroad crossing to discuss the dispute between the city and the state over the controversial project. Judge Maribeth Bushey will come to Glendale on June 12 to take testimony during the meeting, for which she asked city officials and California Public Utilities Commission staff members to agree on a location. And she instructed city officials to send Public Utilities Commission staffers a copy of an environmental impact report prepared for a development associated with the crossing.

Karen S. Kim RANCHO DISTRICT -- When Karen Ross heard her parents were considering selling their restaurant Tallyrand about 12 years ago, she couldn't bear the thought of it. "There was a part of me in my heart that just wanted to continue it with them," said Ross, 38, who grew up in Burbank. "They put 30 years into it. I don't know how serious they might have been about selling it, but just the thought of not being able to carry on something they started made me want to give it a shot."

Send DATEBOOK items to Burbank Leader, 221 N. Brand Blvd., 2nd Floor, Glendale, CA 91203 or fax to (818) 241-1975. Submissions must be received two weeks before publication. TODAY The Falcon Theatre continues preview performances of "Where's Poppa?" at 8 p.m. at the theater, 4252 Riverside Drive, Burbank. The dark comedy is about a middle-age son and his overly possessive and jealous mother. Gordon Hunt ("Mad About You") directs the stage adaptation of Robert Klane's novel.

Mark R. Madler and Fred Ortega City officials met this week to lay the groundwork for a new bus or rail service through Glendale and Burbank to connect the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Gold Line trains in Pasadena with the Red Line trains stopping in North Hollywood. Glendale, Burbank and Pasadena city officials began discussions Tuesday with the goal of improving public transit. The three cities agreed Tuesday to jointly fund a $90,000 feasibility study.

Robert Chacon One could argue that Walt Disney, the famed creator of Disneyland theme parks, had a hand in the fate of Photo-Sonics Inc. The Burbank-based company that specializes in photo technology was named the U.S. Small Business Administration's Prime Contractor of the Year last month for its work with the military. But while it specializes in high-speed film, tracking systems, and display and digital cameras, the company took off when Disney visited it almost 80 years ago. Walt Disney walked in to the company, which was then a machine shop, and asked if someone could modify a motion-picture camera to make it take still shots of animation.

This letter is in response to Joe Camicia's (Charter's public relations representative) letter regarding wire service plan for customers. As always the case with Charter Communications, it addresses the good it sometimes does, as opposed to the bad and the ugly, which seems to occur more often than not. Many months ago, before the Leader and City Council became involved in questioning the wire charge, I noticed the 95 cent charge on my bill an called Charter Communications to inquire about it. I ascertained it was not mandatory to be charged for this service so I immediately had them cancel it. The point I want to make here is that Charter Communications never articulated on their bill or insert that this charge would be forthcoming.

Metrolink train slams into vehicle at Buena Vista Street and San Fernando Road three years to the day of previous fatal accident.MEDIA DISTRICT NORTH -- A 76-year-old Burbank woman was killed Friday morning when a Metrolink train struck her car at the Buena Vista Street and San Fernando Road crossing. Burbank Police are still investigating why the southbound train slammed into the four-door Toyota sedan during the morning rush hour although one witness said the car either stopped or stalled on the tracks.