818 Roundup: Special Olympics athletes train in Burbank; water use down in Foothills
Good morning, 818! Today is Saturday, July 25, 2015. Temperatures for today are forecasted to reach a high of 90 and a low of 64, according to the National Weather Service.
Here are your local headlines:
Burbank hosted delegates from Zimbabwe and Botswana, neighboring countries in southern Africa, ahead of the Special Olympics World Games, which open today in Los Angeles. Many organizations and volunteers came together to welcome the delegations, including the YMCA, where athletes worked out in the cardio and strength-training rooms, played soccer in the gym and swam laps in the pool.
Water use among customers in Foothill Municipal Water District’s service area dropped to the lowest level in more than 21 years, according to a release issued earlier this week by the retail water agency.
After nearly 30 years at Glendale Community College, the scholars program is winning the focus of officials who want to expand it, in part because the students involved transfer at a much higher rate to four-year universities than those who don’t participate.
A proposed 20% raise in salaries for Burbank City Council members got a little sweeter this week when a council majority introduced an ordinance and approved a resolution outlining the pay hike and other changes to their benefits in a pair of 3-2 votes on Tuesday. It’s the first increase in council salary since 2007.
A national nonprofit helps connect military families navigating deployment with those willing to temporarily foster their animals.
An independent audit of the Burbank Police Department, which was reviewed by city officials this week, praised the agency for its transparency while also listing several recommendations to strengthen how officers respond to certain incidents.
Earlier this week, the La Cañada Flintridge City Council discussed increasing the cap on property tax reductions guaranteed by the Mills Act, a state incentives program designed to encourage the restoration and preservation of historic, privately owned properties.
- Los Angeles County Sheriff’s homicide detectives were investigating the suspicious death of a man on Friday in the 3000 block of Frances Avenue in La Crescenta, according to authorities.