Murder and Mayhem in the Crescenta Valley “Murder and Mayhem in the Crescenta Valley” is the unlikely title of a new book, co-written by Gary Keyes and me. I say unlikely because CV is such a quiet, nice place – how could there have been murders here? Any community, no matter how nice, has its […]
Board Member in the News Joe Allen, CA Narcotic Officer Association, talked about “Molly” (for molecule), a dangerous club drug you knew as Ecstasy, on NBC4. www.nbclosangeles.com National Epidemic: The Medicine Abuse Project webinar: Ninety percent of addictions begin during teenage years. Twenty-five percent of teens report having misused or abused a prescription drug at […]
Chastises SCPH Southern California Presbyterian Homes, now being called the be.group, conveniently takes away the church front, removes the idea of charity, and deletes concept of love thy neighbor. It does not, however, take away the non-profit status, which seems to be forgotten. And I have just learned that this home for the elderly was […]
Helping Firefighters Keep Us Safe Wildfire season is upon us again and, as I am writing this, the news is focused on the massive Rim Fire burning in Yosemite National Park. As I see the smoke in the air from the Capitol, I am reminded of the 2009 Station Fire, which killed two firefighters and […]
Garageology, Pt. 1 For those following along at home, you’ll remember that we recently sold our old SUV. And yes, we did replace it with a new car. Now ideally, a new car should live in a garage, of course. But here’s the thing: since the vehicle we got rid of was 14 years old […]
Twelve Oaks – Built by Charity, Sold for Profit The story of Twelve Oaks Lodge has a beautiful beginning and a sad and angry end. Its origins lie in the altruistic views of James and Effie Fifield of Minneapolis. I picked up their story of generosity from several articles written by Katherine Yamada last year […]
CADCA Statement on DOJ Decision to Not Challenge State Laws that Legalize Marijuana Washington, D.C. – Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) chairman and CEO Gen. Arthur T. Dean released the following statement in response to the Department of Justice decision to not challenge laws that legalize marijuana use in Colorado and Washington: “The Department […]
Bikes 4 Orphans Inspires I want to express a big thank you to reporter Michael Yeghiayan for the in-depth report about the work of Sebouh (Seb) Bazikian and his friends through Bikes 4 Orphans (“Orphans are Riding High Thanks to Local Teenagers,” Aug. 22). I volunteer at Verdugo (oops) USC Verdugo Hills Hospital on Wednesdays […]
Famous Residents of Rockhaven Sanitarium Rockhaven Sanitarium on Honolulu Avenue just east of La Crescenta Avenue operated from 1923 to 2006 as a high-end “women only” sanitarium for the treatment of mental illness. The property is now owned by the City of Glendale and will someday open as a park and community center. The residents […]
Bare Feet, Bikinis & Balboa Bars I don’t do movie reviews, leaving that particular art form to folks who spend more time in the dark than I do. That said, I recently saw “The Way, Way Back,” a wonderful movie that has it all: a uniquely interesting story, unusually smart writing, a satisfying mix of […]