Verdugo Mountains

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.

Art in the Verdugo Mountains HILLSIDE DISTRICT -- The Nature's Artists Club begins at 11 a.m. today at Stough Canyon Nature Center. The club is open to people 10 and older interested in drawing, photographing, sculpting or painting in the peaceful and scenic Verdugo Mountains. "Oak trees and our sycamores are losing their leaves, but not a lot," Recreation Supervisor Carol Mercado said. "The oak tree is getting acorns, and the squirrels and scrub jays are going for the acorns."

Tim Willert and Karen S. Kim HILLSIDE DISTRICT -- After years of delays, the Stough Canyon Nature Center has finally opened its doors. Hundreds of people attended a Saturday morning ribbon-cutting ceremony in the canyon of the Verdugo Mountains north of the De Bell Municipal Golf course. Guests were treated to live animal presentations and nature hikes. "We had a tremendous response," said Carol Stiver Mercado, the center's recreation program coordinator.

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.

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.

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.

The Burbank Rose Float Assn. kicks off its first major fundraiser of the year with the annual Pancake Breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. at Tyerman?s parking lot, 1420 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank. Tickets for the Pancake Breakfast provided by Burbank Kiwanis for Fun are $5. There will be an opportunity drawing for two reserved seats to the Rose Parade. Opportunity drawing tickets are $5. For more information, call Isabel Adams at (818) 842-7359. Stough Canyon Nature Center is asking residents and people who spend leisure time or otherwise on the Verdugo Mountains trails to take a survey about their level of use. The form can be found online at www.ci.

Ryan Carter BURBANK -- The annual job of clearing brush from the foothills of the Verdugo Mountains is almost complete -- just in time for the end of fire season, officials said. In April, the department sent out letters to residents living north of Glenoaks Boulevard, reminding them to clear native vegetation, which burns readily, at least 100 feet away from structures, Burbank Fire Marshal Dave Starr said. Residents had until June to remove the brush, or else they could receive a citation.

Burbank Fire officials expect the areas scorched in the Verdugo Mountains fire to continue to hold heat for at least two weeks, requiring personnel to be ready to respond to any flare-ups such as the one doused Thursday. The main danger now is if the Santa Ana winds pick up and re-ignite the flames. "The fire is not active but it is alive out there," interim Burbank Fire Chief Tracy Pansini told the City Council Tuesday during an overview of the four-day fire.

Film festival coming to Woodbury The first Burbank International Film Festival will be from March 22 to 29 at Woodbury University, 7500 Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank. There will be an opening night inauguration ceremony and filmmaker press night, film screenings and seminars featuring industry professionals. The closing ceremony and award show, on March 29, will feature a live performance of movie themes, composed by Academy Award-nominated film composer John Debney, as well as a live acoustic performance by multi-platinum vocalist Mark Slaughter (from the band Slaughter)