Friday, October 2, 2009
Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove —Burbank Police and Fire Headquarters. In a recent Los Angeles Times story about the FBI probe and those lawsuits filed by former and current members of the Burbank Police Force, Burbank City Attorney Dennis Barlow had very little to say. City Attorney Barlow is quoted as saying he “… was unable to comment on the FBI investigation or […]
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank Mayor Gary Bric read a statement at last night’s council meeting. Finally, after weeks and months of mostly silence or as some folks have described it stonewalling, the Burbank City Council spoke out last night about the controversial and very messy situation surrounding the police department. Back on May 13, I wrote a post about the alleged problems in the BPD and called on the city […]
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank Police Vehicle The legal problems for the city of Burbank and its embattled police department got a whole lot worse this past week. On Tuesday, well-respected Ex-Deputy Police Chief Bill Taylor filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging that he was demoted to captain for drawing attention to several serious incidents in the department, including discrimination […]
Friday, September 18, 2009
Some grim economic news out today from the federal government about the number of Americans out of work. The federal data shows the unemployment rate continues to rise despite reports from some experts that the recovery from this dreaded recession is underway. The California jobless rate rose from 11.9% to a record high of 12.2% in August, according to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics. […]
Friday, September 11, 2009
Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank Burbank officials have hammered residents with new water restrictions, penalties, and higher rates recently. We’re in a water crisis they insist. Well, you’d think if the shortage is as serious as they say, the first order of business would be to make the city as water efficient as possible. There are indications this has not been a high priority or the […]
Monday, September 7, 2009
Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank I have some mixed feelings on this Labor Day. Nationally, unemployment is at a 26-year high of 9.7%. In California, the jobless rate has soared to 11.9%. There is evidence the recession-battered economy is making a slow recovery, an encouraging sign. Still with so many people out of work it’s hard to cheer the upturn […]
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
File Photo: April 2008 Adam Hunger/Reuters One of the most powerful figures in American politics is being remembered today. U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy died last night at the family compound in Hannis Port, Massachusetts at the age of 77 after a valiant battle with brain cancer. Since the assassination of his brothers, President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert Kennedy in the […]
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank City Hall Now that the Burbank City Council has filled the vacant seat on the police commission, hopefully, that body can move forward with a busy agenda. Last night, real estate consultant and long time Burbank business owner, Raymond Gerald Adams, was the top vote getter out of a field of six contenders. Adams received […]
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Photo: Chuck Kennedy/White House A special ceremony at the White House last night honored 16 super achievers with the nation’s highest civilian award, the Medal of Freedom. In the photo above, former President of Ireland Mary Robinson congratulates fellow medal recipient, Actor Sidney Poitier. The other medal winners included Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Scientist Stephen Hawking, Tennis Star Billie Jean King, Entertainer Chita Rivera, […]