Verdugo Mountains

Authorities have stopped actively combing local mountains and hillsides for an FBI agent who went missing from his Burbank home nearly two weeks ago, instead basing their search on tips from the public, a police official said Wednesday. The decision came after a search carried out Saturday by teams from the Ventura and Los Angeles County sheriff's departments turned up empty, Burbank Police Sgt. Darin Ryburn said. In the days after the May 11 disappearance of 35-year-old FBI agent Stephen Ivens from his Burbank home in the 1700 block of Scott Road, authorities from several agencies mounted a massive search - initially focused on the nearby Verdugo Mountains - using helicopters, dogs and foot patrols.

Gretchen Hoffman Residents were breathing a little easier Tuesday night as flames receded in a 1,100 acre fire that had threatened their homes the day before. The blaze that has burned mostly on the Glendale side of the Verdugo Mountains was about 70% contained on Tuesday night, Glendale Fire officials said. The fire, which at its peak early Tuesday was being battled by more than 600 firefighters and water-carrying helicopters and airplanes, is considered suspicious in origin.

BURBANK — The city of Los Angeles purchased 80 acres of park land in the Verdugo Mountains above Burbank from a private developer, further expanding the fourth-largest wildlife refuge in the San Fernando Valley. Verdugo Mountain Park, a more than 500-acre refuge located northeast of the Bob Hope Airport, provides a dense haven of brush and chaparral plants for everything from lizards to snakes to bobcats and mountain lions, said John Kirk Mukri, general manager of Los Angeles' Department of Recreation and Parks.

Gary Moskowitz NORTHWEST DISTRICT -- Burbank and Glendale residents will have an opportunity to discover their "other backyard" in the Verdugo Mountains next week. The Verdugo Mountains community hike will be from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 3 and will take place from three different starting points. Interested hikers can begin at La Tuna Canyon, at the intersection of La Tuna Canyon and the Foothill (210) Freeway; the Stough Canyon Nature Center, 2300 Walnut Ave. in Burbank; or Brand Park, 1601 W. Mountain St. in Glendale.

Native American heritage - especially that of the Verdugo Mountains and the Los Angeles area - was celebrated Sunday at an event in Burbank. The Tongva Nation Dancers from the Gabrielino/Tongva Tribal Council performed. And the Stough Canyon Woodcarvers Show, featuring the Smoky Hollow Woodcarvers, was also part of the event, which was organized by the Burbank Park, Recreation and Community Services Department. -- Maria Hsin, Times Community News Twitter: @mariahsin  

Jackson Bell State and local officials, prompted by a mountain lion sighting in the Verdugo Mountains last month, are warning hikers and cyclists to be more aware of their surroundings. There has been a threefold increase in reported sightings around the state since two bicyclists were attacked by a mountain lion in Orange County on Jan. 8, officials from the state Department of Fish and Game said. "There have been more reports because awareness is sky high," department spokesman Steve Martarano said.

Nature day camps planned for break The Burbank Park, Recreation and Community Services Department is offering spring break nature camps for children ages 6 to 10 years and ages 3 to 5 years. Participants will learn about the Verdugo Mountains and what creatures live there by exploring and doing experiments. The camp for 6- to 10-year-olds will be today and Friday and cost is $33. The camp for 3- to 5-year-olds will be Thursday and the cost is $27. Both camps are from 9 a.m. to noon at the Stough Canyon Nature Center, 2300 Walnut Ave., Burbank.

Gary Moskowitz HILLSIDE DISTRICT -- Burbank's Park, Recreation and Community Services Dept. will celebrate the passing of another year Monday by hosting a full moon hike in the Verdugo Mountains. The hike will be from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at the Stough Canyon Nature Center, 2300 Walnut Ave. in Burbank. Reservations to participate in the hike must be made by today. The cost of the event is $5 per person. The event will include a hike, noisemaker crafts and other activities for the whole family.

Tim Willert HILLSIDE DISTRICT -- The public is invited to help celebrate the grand opening of the Stough Canyon Nature Center, at 2300 Walnut Ave., from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 24 and 25. The Burbank Park, Recreation and Community Services Department, along with the Burbank Nature Docents, will help welcome visitors to the center with interactive and nature displays, hikes, live animal presentations, ...

Molly Shore Long before the white man pushed west, the area was inhabited by the Gabrielinos, members of the Tongva Nation. In celebration of that heritage, Stough Canyon Nature Center hosted a daylong event Sunday featuring native foods, music and games. Adults and children of the Tongva Nation Dancers, in full ceremonial garb, performed a series of dances, including one in honor of women as procreators. Dana Bleitz, a part-time recreation leader at the center, said that a ceremony using white sage was performed to bless the nature center.

Los Angeles-based Champion Real Estate Company recently purchased a 62-unit apartment building in Burbank that features a penthouse with a private pool for more than $15.5 million, according to a commercial real estate services firm. The building, called Villa 600, is located at 600 E. Olive Ave. and includes another common area pool. The apartments were built by August Bacchetta in 1973 and were owned by his family until their recent sale, said Craig Stevens, a principal with Lee & Associates - L.A. North/Ventura Inc., who handled the sale along with Tyler Stevens, an associate.

Good morning, readers. Today is Saturday, June 30, 2012. Happy Orange Line expansion Day! You can now ride the line all the way to the Chatsworth Metrolink Station. What else is happening in the Valley? Most teenagers would create a personal online blog if they needed to release their frustrations. But Amit Dodani, 14, created a community website where anyone can submit a story they want to share . Teens and adults contribute to his site now, where they write about the challenges of being bullied, getting a divorce and overcoming health issues, among other topics.  Daily News Are you an amateur botanist who knows your way around the Verdugo Mountains?

Native American heritage - especially that of the Verdugo Mountains and the Los Angeles area - was celebrated Sunday at an event in Burbank. The Tongva Nation Dancers from the Gabrielino/Tongva Tribal Council performed. And the Stough Canyon Woodcarvers Show, featuring the Smoky Hollow Woodcarvers, was also part of the event, which was organized by the Burbank Park, Recreation and Community Services Department. -- Maria Hsin, Times Community News Twitter: @mariahsin  

More than 30 people volunteered this past weekend to join in the ongoing search for FBI Special Agent Stephen Ivens, who disappeared from his Burbank home more than a month ago. The volunteers were “mostly strangers who cared enough to help us out,” said his wife, Thea Ivens. The group left McCambridge Park in Burbank at about 7:30 a.m. Saturday and split into two groups, focusing on either the Verdugo Mountains or bus routes. On Saturday, 15 people from the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team also helped search Mount La Tuna, La Tuna Canyon, Grotto Foot Trail, Hoftetter Trail and areas that the FBI, Burbank Police Department and other agencies didn't cover, Thea Ivens said.

The family of an FBI agent who disappeared from his Burbank home more than a month ago made an emotional plea on Wednesday for the public's help in preventing the case from going cold. It was the second time the family of Special Agent Stephen Ivens appealed for help in tracking down Ivens' whereabouts since he went missing May 11, seemingly vanishing despite a massive manhunt by foot and air in the days after his disappearance. The active, on-the-ground searches have long been called off, and authorities say few, if any, leads have come in. The family has since launched its own search effort, aided in large part by social media websites and campaigns.

Authorities have stopped actively combing local mountains and hillsides for an FBI agent who went missing from his Burbank home nearly two weeks ago, instead basing their search on tips from the public, a police official said Wednesday. The decision came after a search carried out Saturday by teams from the Ventura and Los Angeles County sheriff's departments turned up empty, Burbank Police Sgt. Darin Ryburn said. In the days after the May 11 disappearance of 35-year-old FBI agent Stephen Ivens from his Burbank home in the 1700 block of Scott Road, authorities from several agencies mounted a massive search - initially focused on the nearby Verdugo Mountains - using helicopters, dogs and foot patrols.

Police are looking for a missing 35-year-old Burbank man who is possibly suicidal. Stephen Ivens was last seen by family members Thursday night and was reported missing Friday morning from his home in the 1700 block of Scott Road, according to Burbank police. Ivens is an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Los Angeles division, according to police. A Burbank police investigation revealed that he may be suicidal. A handgun was also reported unaccounted for in his home.

More than 150 law enforcement personnel, about 100 of them from the FBI, are searching for a missing FBI agent from Burbank who is believed to be suicidal and possibly armed. Stephen Ivens, 35, a Los Angeles-based agent specializing in national security affairs, was last seen Friday at his home on the 1700 Block of Scott Road in Burbank, where he lived with his wife and one-year-old son, officials said at a multi-agency press conference Saturday afternoon at the Burbank Police Department.

Burbank is moving ahead with a $13-million project to build two new reservoirs at the base of the Verdugo Mountains that will expand Burbank's water storage capacity by 2.6 million gallons. The Burbank Water and Power project is needed to replace a 1928-era reservoir that doesn't meet current design standards and state public health criteria. It was emptied to allow contract bidders to review the structure. Need for significant maintenance of the reservoir, repair of the roof structure and leaks in the floor were found during routine inspection, according to a report to the City Council.

The good news first: Last week I had the great fortune to be offered a reporting gig here at the Times Community News chain. As you read this, I'll be breaking in a new beat at the Foothill Boulevard offices of the Leader's sister paper, the La Cañada Valley Sun. Now, the bad news: Perhaps for good, or maybe only for a while, this means an end to my column here. In addition to myriad La Cañada Flintridge issues, I'll also be covering issues of regional importance. To not blur the lines of reporter and opinion writer, I'm going to have to step back for now and see how things play out. Learning so much about Burbank and its residents has been a gift, and being able to throw my 2-cents-worth into city affairs has been a unique privilege.