THE FOOTHILLS PAPER by David DeMulle' - April 12, 2013

I N S I D E :

D E P A R T M E N T S

What Folks Are Doing ................... 2

View from the Rock....................... 3

Letters and Perspectives ................ 3

Our Representatives Speak ........... 4

Auntie Gail’s Pet Corner ................ 8

Take My Card ............................... 9

Laura on Life .............................. 10

Obituaries .................................. 10

FRIDAY • APRIL 12, 2013 THE PAPER WITH AN ATTITUDE! VOLUME 9 • NUMBER 7

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BOLTON HALL CELEBRATES CENTENNIAL!See page 10

What’s New Thriftique

..................... 2Fire-safe Landscaping

..................... 4Edge of Reality!

..........4, 10Perspective: A Good Job

..................... 5Verdugo Hills Women’s Chorus

..................... 6Local Writer’s First Novel

..................... 7Pot Shop Diaries

..................... 7Bark for Life

................. 10CV Country Fair

................. 12

Easter Sunday On McGroarty Peak

Metrolink Train Strikes Truck

By Dr. DaviD DeMullé

Thirteen people were hurt Sunday afternoon when a Metrolink commuter train struck a gravel truck crossing

the intersection. It is not known at this time how the vehicle got past the crossing guard rails. The truck driver and 12 passen-gers in the Metrolink train were injured and transported to local

hospitals. There were approximate-ly 130 passengers on the train and 135 on the train after the collision. Watching people run across the street from the ad-

joining building and sitting down in the train was of inter-est to us. The remaining pas-sengers and the two damaged railroad cars were driven to the Sylmar station.

LAFD mobilized 6 Engine Companies and 8 Rescue Ambulances to care for victims. inset: Gravel truck after being hit by Metrolink train

Easter Sunday in Tujunga was a special event for the more than 100 participants at McGroarty Peak. With low clouds covering part of McGroarty Peak a surreal atmosphere gave a feeling of expectation that could be

physically felt. What has become a tradition for local residents, the Easter Sunrise Ceremony was held as a reminder of Jesus the Christ’s coming resurrection. Started at the site of the Cross of San Ysidro in Tujunga, Christians have been making this

a family event since the 1920’s. It could possibly be the first Easter Sunrise event ever held in Southern California. At the moment of sunrise, the band broke out with music that wafted across the foothills, sharing the moment with all

who were awake at the moment. Members of the Ministerial Alliance, local leaders like past neighborhood council president Dan McManus, and friends and neighbors, celebrated the event together. This is one tradition that won’t be moved to Pasadena.

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www.thefoothillspaper.com • VOLUME 9 • NUMBER 72 — FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2013 • THE FOOTHILLS PAPER

Tujunga student on Honor Roll at Loomis Chaffee

Danielle Comorre, a sopho-more from Tujunga, has re-cently been named to the Honor Roll for the winter term at The Loomis Chaffee School.

Buffalo, Venison, Elk, Wild Boar, Antelope,

Kangaroo and Alligator

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818-248-3068

This really cute store is owned and operated by Lisa Perez, and she gives personal attention to each visitor. It’s lo-cated on the corner of Sunland and Wheatland. The boutique receives new merchandise almost daily. “We make sure all items are in working order and if that is not possible we offer a 24 hr ex-change. “We try to have the most af-fordable prices.” said Lisa. “For example all clothing is $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00, excluding certain coats and specialtyitems. Books are 50¢ for pa-perbacks and $1.00 for hard cover. With a few exceptions. DVDs are $3 each or 2 for $5.

CDs are $2 each or 3 for $5.” What’s New Thriftique glad-ly accepts donations. They are located at 9751 Wheatland Ave. in Sunland. The store’s hours are Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Saturday,

10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Make a morning of it starting at the Rise & Shine, and mosey on over to see what Lisa has to offer. See the video on http://face-book.com/thefoothillspaper.

What’s New Thriftique

Steel Pit Sports Grill ESteel Pit Sports Grill Est. 2003st. 2003

Steel Pit has been in business almost a decade coming up inSteel Pit has been in business almost a decade coming up inNovember, I’d like to thank all of my success to theNovember, I’d like to thank all of my success to the

employees that I have, especially those like Rosey Harding,employees that I have, especially those like Rosey Harding,Jaime McCormack, Heather Hartman, Britney Khapart,Jaime McCormack, Heather Hartman, Britney Khapart,Christina Hair, Elizabeth Clayton, Celso Arrellano andChristina Hair, Elizabeth Clayton, Celso Arrellano and

Manuel Fuentes, these 8 employees have been with me mostManuel Fuentes, these 8 employees have been with me mostof this time I had the Steel Pit during theof this time I had the Steel Pit during the ups and downs ups and downs

they stuck by me and knowing that they have been with methey stuck by me and knowing that they have been with mefor so long shows me that I am keeping them happy and thatfor so long shows me that I am keeping them happy and thatmakes me feel great. makes me feel great. Thank you! I always believed that theThank you! I always believed that the

key to a great business is the team that runs it and we got itkey to a great business is the team that runs it and we got it..Let’s have another 10 years together as a team and family.Let’s have another 10 years together as a team and family.

Go Pit Go!Go Pit Go!

RIVERBANK, CA—Nacel Open Door (NOD) is a non-profit high school student ex-change organization headquar-tered in St. Paul, Minn. Each year the Academic Year Pro-gram places about 500 students with volunteer American host families for an academic year or semester. Nacel Open Door is a J-1 exchange program sponsor under the designation of the U.S. Department of State and has a full listing with the Council on Standards for Inter-

national Education Travel (CSIET). Local Representatives act as the primary link between our exchange students, host fami-lies, and local high schools. Lo-cal Representatives serve as the exchange student’s advocate and support system while they are in the United States. Local Representatives are required to maintain monthly contact with each of the students and fami-lies and to address problems

Local Rep for Int’l Students

What’s New Thriftique on the corner of Sunland and Wheatland.

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VOLUME 9 • NUMBER 7 • www.thefoothillspaper.com THE FOOTHILLS PAPER • FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2013 — 3

THE FOOTHILLS PAPER

is published bi-weekly. All contents are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without written consent of the publisher. All submissions to this newspaper become property of THE FOOTHILLS PAPER and may not be republished in whole or in part. The opinions expressed by contributing writers do not necessarily express the views of the publisher nor staff of this newspaper. TFP is available free of charge. No person may, without prior written permission from TFP, take more than one copy of each edition (stated value: $1). Only authorized TFP distributors may distribute THE FOOTHILLS PAPER. THE FOOTHILLS PAPER has terminated its Non-Profit status so that it can more effectively address political and social problems within our community!

EXECUTIVE EDITOR/PUBLISHERDr. David DeMullé

[email protected]

PRODUCTION and DESIGNRandall [email protected]

WITH THANKS TO Claudia Holloway

THE FOOTHILLS PAPER TheFooth i l l sPaper .COM

6470 Foothill Blvd.Tujunga CA 91042

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I’m getting concerned about the amount of construction that is go-ing on in our commu-nity. We keep talking about sustainability, but I don’t see anyone banging on City Hall’s doors, demanding a moratorium. I’m not an anti-growth person. I just have to wonder about all the ap-proved projects on Day Street, Samoa and oth-ers. Projects that will tax our already over-burdened sewer systems and our roadways. Sure, they are being promoted to the citizens as “pro-viding low cost hous-ing for those in need.” But what about the myr-iad Section-8 proj-ects we already have in place? Doesn’t any-

one else feel that we are becoming the dumping grounds for people that other communities don’t want? Gang-bangers are running the streets. Crime is up 200% from last year. Our Land Use Com-mittee, with all its inter-nal problems, is still ad-vocating more and more construction and re-modeling projects. How come they’ve forgot-ten the Commerce hous-es that went awry? Re-member the developer Robert Hall that got ev-eryone upset not too long ago? His houses are still thumbing their noses at us. And no one cares? If you look at what we have, and what you see coming, doesn’t it make you feel over-run with people that don’t do much to con-tribute to our commu-nity? In looking back, I remember the Vision 20-20 people and how we drove them out of town. I look back on the “No To Home De-pot” and wonder if maybe we did some-thing wrong? We seem

to have had a lot of peo-ple that have come into our community with big promises and nothing to back them up. Remem-ber Mission College? Or how about the Com-merce Center? What re-ally went wrong there? I see the neighborhood council being so inces-tuous, that nothing real-ly is going to happen to help the local business-es. Doesn’t anyone no-tice that there are still “GRAND OPENING” signs on business build-ings that failed with-in 3-4 months? Doesn’t that embarrass anyone? And if not, maybe it should. I’m not alone in my concerns about what is happening here, but for the most part, our lo-cal business owners are so afraid of speak-ing up for fear of hurt-ing someone’s feel-ings, that they just fester away until they die. People call or write The Paper wondering why things aren’t happening here the way they think they should. But when I say, “You need to start a grass-roots movement

to let your thoughts be known,” they back down. They are afraid of retaliation from the chamber of commerce—and their minions. Not too long ago, there was an upheav-al about the week-ly food trucks. More than 30 people started out and week by week, more and more peo-ple got tired of the end-less meetings, and noth-ing being accomplished. So it died, and the food trucks are still here. Good or bad, they’re

still here. But the voice of the people was sold out by those with vested interests. Sunland-Tujunga is special. The people who made it special have left, leaving the “Good Old Girls’ Network.” I’m not going to fight it. But I will make you aware of what is hap-pening, and maybe, just maybe, some will won-der what went wrong with our communi-ty. Who knows, maybe someone will say: “It’s The Water!”

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6470 Foothill Blvd., Tujunga CA 91042 • 818-653-9626

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EDGE OF REALITY

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Residential Fire On Woodward Avenue

Firefighters from LAFD Engine Company 24 & 74 battle a residential fire in the 10000 block of Woodward Ave. The fire was started by an electrical malfunction in the walls of a garage

office. The owner stated “I went into the kitchen and my dog came running out barking, then I saw the smoke!” Estimated damage is $210.000

Fire-safe Landscaping

By John a. larocca

Living in the brush-covered mountain areas poses two ma-jor threats to life and property. The first is the devastation from fire. The other, usually the direct result of a fire, is from flooding and soil erosion. To provide relative safety re-quires certain accommodations to the environment and the re-sponsibility to provide ample protection for yourself and your neighbors. The fire department recom-mends a “Green Belt,” a land-scaped and irrigated zone de-signed to provide an adequate firebreak between your home and the surrounding native vegetation. Green Belt plants should be low growing, deep-rooted, drought resistant with low fuel volume. The most fire resistive are succulents (Ice-plants, Aloe or Sedum). The next best would be Herbaceous or non-woody plants (Periwin-kle, Gazania, Africa Daisy and Ajuga, etc.). The third best are low growing shrubs with thick leathery leaves (Dwarf Coyote Bush, English and Algerian Ivy, Rockrose, etc.). These are easily maintained at a height of 18 to 24 inches. Check with your local nurs-ery for information about what plants grow best in your partic-ular area and what can be mixed with the native shrubs since they have different water requirements. Regardless of what plants you choose there are some ba-sics about reducing the fire hazard. Keep landscape clean. Re-move litter under trees and scrubs; prune out dead wood.

Remove dead and dried out portions of ground covers and succulents. Plant lawns, succulent ground covers or other low-growing plants around all structures, and water regularly. Do not allow continuous tree or brush canopy next to build-ings. After a fire the main concern is erosion. The use of jute mat-ting or straw mulch and the seeding of quickly growing grasses or ground covers for temporary protection can pre-vent this. Grasses for tempo-rary protection are Bromus mollis (soft chess), Hordeum vulgare (barley) and Lolium multiflorum (annual ryegrass). Regard these hazards as part of the nature of the foothills. The cost must be viewed as part of the price and privilege of mountain living. Whether you own a home or are buying a home in a high fire risk area, it will be your responsibility to verify proper fire safe landscaping. It is not part of a standard real estate inspection. However, all the information you need is avail-able free from your local fire department or on their website at www.lafd.org. Also, upon request, someone from your local fire department would come out to help you under-stand how this applies to you and your property. John A. LaRocca. Inspector Member of the California Real Estate Inspection Association (CREIA) and a licensed gener-al contractor. For other ques-tions he can be contacted at (818) 951-1795 or www.LaRoccaInspect.com.

Example of UN-safe landscaping in Tujunga.

Wires Down Warning!

With the high winds blowing across S-T, readers should know that when the wires come down, either by themselves or by a tree branch taking them down, there is the possibility of electrocution if touched. Even if you think that they are harmless cable or telephone lines,

STAY AWAY FROM THEM AND CALL 911. Seemingly harmless wires could be touching the high voltage wires above and become electrified.


Having your own (studio) space where you can work is a benefit for creating. It doesn’t have to a big space, just a place where you feel comfort-able and at peace; free from possible interruption, free from noise or outside visual stimulation.Some artists like lots of clut-ter, the feeling of having stuff near and handy. Supplies nearby, easy to get to and use. Others like the pristine atmo-sphere clutter free where there is room to move around unfet-tered; an austere space that only contains the essentials for the task at hand. Whatever the dynamic, it is what works for you that is important in any space no matter the size. The space I now occupy can best be described as organized clutter. When I enter this space it’s like coming into a room of old friends. My pic-tures, books, supplies sta-tioned around on shelves, warm my heart where I get a feeling of excitement. My ea-sel, at the center of it all, waits to securely hold the next potential masterpiece. Whenever I start a new work, my habit is always to clean up. I don’t mean vacu-um and wash windows. I clean up the materials from any previous work. This pre-vents my mind from wander-ing back to something previ-ously worked on. I want my mind to be free from any pre-viously completed work to fully concentrate on the new piece I am starting. Experience has taught me that every studio will be dif-

ferent and I believe it should be. If your work habits are such that you paint frequently, whatever your space, it will take on your own personality and your items will find their place based on your need for them. I place a tray table for my pallet in front of me. This also holds my brushes, turps, oils and pallet knives. I have a large table to my left (being left handed), above that are supplies i.e. extra brushes, knives, paper towel, pencils, DVD player. Things I use. I keep all my paints (which I use in large caulking tubes) hung on the wall behind to the left. I also use a large mirror directly over my right shoul-der about two feet away. I use this to see my canvas and the model for reference on my progress as I paint. You will need to see what works for you but keep what-ever you are not using some-where else. Use the immediate space for painting. There are pictures I’ve seen in magazines of famous art-ist’s studios that give me a sense of envy and want, but I know the space isn’t the cen-tral thing for creativity. When I am working, space actually disappears. I go into my mind and any semblance of place isn’t a factor anymore. True, in the back of my mind, the initial coming in affected my attitude and manner, but after I start working, the space melts away and there is only me, the canvas, my thoughts and the process.

The Studio

SPEAKINGb y R i c k R o t a n t e

ArtfullyA Good Job. Really?By GreG allen

“Finding a good job now-adays is like winning the lottery” proclaimed a wait-ress recently. She was a show girl in Vegas, but got too old for the routines so her and her husband moved to Los Angeles. Her hus-band had a lucrative job there, but lost it. He was un-employed for 18 months; she couldn’t find work ei-ther. After the couple burnt through their savings they eventually lost their home. Then they decided to relocate to a suburb of Indianapo-lis. In their early 60s, both are too young to draw So-cial Security yet. Their plight is a familiar one for many. The current U.S. unem-ployment rate is 7.7%. 12 million people are unem-ployed - a figure far greater than that of the population of America’s largest city - New York New York has a population of a little over 8 million. 7.1% of adult men, 7% of adult wom-en, 13.8 % of Blacks, 9.6% of Hispanics, and 25.1 % of Teenagers are out of work. Teenagers are experi-encing their own Great Depression these days be-cause the unemployment rate during that arduous 10 years of lack was at 25% also. Teens are expe-riencing an elevated loss because adults who can’t find work are resorting to taking minimum-wage jobs, thus displacing the young at a disproportionate rate. Currently, California & Rhode Island lead the nation with unemployment rates of 9.8%. North Dakota has the lowest unemployment rate in America at 3.3%. Oil & Natural Gas exploration on

private land in that state is a contributing factor in that state’s robust economy. In a recent interview with hiring managers in Central Indiana one said they had a position open for a construc-tion project manager job within their company and they received 1,100 resumes for that one job. Another Hu-man Resource Director stated his company had three avail-able positions open and “We got hundreds, and hundreds, and hundreds of resumes. We were shocked by how many we got. We had no idea how bad the job market was. It’ll take days to sort em’ all out!” The unemployed are fighting an uphill battle because there are literal-ly more people looking for work than jobs available. Many feel like salmon swim-ming upstream and those carnivorous circumstanc-es of life have devoured their chance for success. In another recent inter-view with a Resume Expert, she claimed employers are being inundated with so many resumes that, on av-erage, they only look at the top of the front page and give less than 10 seconds of contemplation on each be-fore deciding to discard it or look at it again later. An Administrative Law Judge in the upper Mid-west said: “A record number of unemployed are run-ning out of benefits and they then sign up for dis-ability. The system used to be tough to get benefits, but now it’s not that way at all. Claims are pretty much rub-ber stamped for many who aren’t really disabled at all.” There is a horde of discour-aged workers in America. Discouraged workers are

people who aren’t looking for work because they be-lieve no jobs are available for them. Currently, 1.7 mil-lion people have not searched for work in the last 4 weeks. And, there are another 6.8 million people who said they wanted a job but weren’t even looking - they, too, are discouraged - but those peo-ple aren’t factored into the current rate of 7.7%. If they were the unemployment rate would approach 15%. The plight of the unem-ployed will intensify because due to automatic federal spending cuts, known as se-questration, weekly payments of Federally Extended Unem-ployment Insurance benefits, also known as FEUI, will be reduced by 10.7% beginning Monday, April 8, 2013, as mandated by the U.S. Depart-ment of Labor. The reduction will remain in effect until the end of September 2013. 4,213,000 private-sec-tor jobs have been lost since President Obama was first in-augurated, yet only 102,000 Government jobs have been lost. 4.6 million more Ameri-cans are in poverty under the lackadaisical eye of this ad-ministration. There’s been a 46% increase in food stamp consumption and gas pric-es have went up 106% since Mr. Obama won in 2008. No doubt many of you know someone unemployed. Drawing an unemployment check isn’t a decent liv-ing at all, it’s miniscule at best, comparable to earn-ing minimum wage, until those benefits expire and desperation sets in. The un-employment rate isn’t just a bunch of stats, it’s real pain-and-suffering, great loss, it’s people, it’s our fellow Amer-icans we all too often ignore.

PersPectives

www.thefoothillspaper.com • VOLUME 9 • NUMBER 56 — APRIL FOOLS DAY • THE FOOTHILLS PAPER

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Cheese and Mushroom Crepes

I’ll bet you think crepes originated in France. Being of Scottish and Irish descent, I must tell you that crepes first originated in Brittany, a for-mer Celtic kingdom, which is now a northwest region of France. Today, crepes are con-sidered a national dish in all of France and are very pop-ular here in the “States”. This is a very tasty dish, es-pecially if you like cheese. Be warned: it is not a “heart-smart” dish by any means. The good news is that it is an easy dish to prepare and assemble. If you re-ally like cheese, consider using 2 cups of Gruyère in-stead of the 1½ in my recipe.

Ingredients:Crepe Batter:3/4 cup milk3/4 cup water¼ teaspoon salt2 tablespoons melted butter3 eggs1 cup whole wheat flour

Filling:1 ½ pounds fresh mush-rooms (cleaned & sliced) ½ cup green onions (chopped)½ cup butter1 ¼ tablespoons fresh ba-sil (chopped fine)1teaspoon Better than Bouil-lon Vegetable Base1 ½ cups water¼ cup unbleached white flour

Kick-off to 44th Annual CWC Convention The Verdugo Hills Wom-en’s Chorus will be on hand as the California Women’s Chorus, Inc. (CWC), a non-profit organization, kicks off the organization’s 44th annu-al convention on Friday April 26, 2013 at the Embassy Suites in Downey, CA. Over 200 members of the CWC from throughout the state of Cali-fornia will meet for the three day convention. Verdugo Hills Women’s Chorus (VHWC) is a local chorus of 25-30 women who enjoy singing together in their community. Under the di-rection of Sharon Schlarb since 1999 and along with accompa-nist Diana Tyson, the singers gather to rehearse and present musical programs to churches, civic groups and senior facil-ities throughout the Foothill communities including Glen-dale and Pasadena. VHWC strives to bring joy to the com-munity in the form of Christmas Holiday and Spring concerts. Like many choruses in the CWC, VHWC began as part of the PTA Mothersingers and later became members of the CWC. They are no strang-ers to CWC conventions and hosted the 42nd annual con-vention in Glendale in 2011. They welcome and encourage any woman interested in sing-ing to come and sing with the friendliest group in the Foot-hills. Contact Sharon Schlarb 626 403-5622 or HYPERLINK “mailto:[email protected]” [email protected] for rehears-al schedule time and location. This year, the musical week-end is a combined effort of the 13 choruses in California and is being chaired by Kath-leen King, Kathy Moshenko and Susan Pieper, affiliates of

the Santa Barbara Treble Clef chorus. Each CWC mem-ber chorus the CWC goals by encouraging choral singing among women and by rais-ing funds for scholarships for vocal students in addition to at-tending the CWC convention and participating in the annu-al public scholarship concert. Registration for the conven-tion will begin Friday April 26 and will continue through-out most of the day. This is the time for CWC members to greet and catch up with friends they haven’t seen since last year’s convention. The Burbank Singers, with Director and ac-companist Diana Tyson, will host the Friday Night Activities. The evening will begin with a light meal followed by fun, en-tertainment and lots of music. In view of the theme for this year’s convention and concert, “Sophisticated Ladies-A Trib-ute to Women Then and Now”, the CWC members will be en-tertained by a fashion show full of surprises. Coordinator for Friday night’s festivities, Dawn Jackson, announced that models have been chosen for the show which will highlight fashions from the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. CWC members are encour-aged to dress in that mode also. Several hours of rehearsal are

in store for the CWC members on Saturday April 27. Sing-ers who have traveled from Northern and Southern Cali-fornia will meet in Downey to put finishing touches on mu-sic they have been practicing for some months. Director Rob Blaney will ready the baton and the 200+ women will be ac-companied by Christine Lecce. The banquet that evening will be an invitation to dress to the 9’s and will feature entertain-ment by Rob Blaney in addition to some special performances by individual CWC choruses. The convention will con-clude with the scholarship concert to which the public is invited Sunday April 28 at 2:00pm at the Downey Civ-ic Theatre 8435 Firestone Blvd in Downey. Tickets are avail-able for a $20 donation at the theatre box office 562 861-8211 or online HYPERLINK “http://www.downeytheatre.com” www.downeytheatre.com Everyone is invited to come hear the Sophisticated Ladies sing! This is a pro-gram for the entire family. To place an ad in the CWC program or donate to the scholarship fund, please con-tact Katherine King at (541) 450-0276 or online at [email protected].

see Crepes, page 8

VOLUME 9 • NUMBER 5 • www.thefoothillspaper.com THE FOOTHILLS PAPER • APRIL FOOLS DAY — 7

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Local Writer Williams Publishes First Novel

By Jay Brown

Local producer and writer DJ Wil-liams recently published his first nov-el, The Disillusioned (WestBow Press) and has a May 1 release date. The book is a story of family dy-namics mixed with the worldly shady business of human trafficking. When asked to give the briefest of synopsis, DJ stated, truth is one thing, but sometimes reality is something com-pletely different, and that family se-crets can lead to different conclu-sions. At the end of the day, DJ wants to entertain the reader but wants there to be a significant message about something which means a great deal to a man whose parents were mission-aries in his early life. Human traffick-ing is a serious problem worldwide and many of the victims are children. DJ’s conviction for this issue has pushed him to donate a percentage of his sales to helping restore the lives of those affected by human traffick-ing. This is a book with a deeper pur-pose, one which will educate the reader along with entertain. It is a fast moving novel, with brevity in chapter lengths and lends itself well to quick

reading. Backed with a host of fantas-tic reviews from industry profession-als, this book will not disappoint readers. DJ, born in Hong Kong but raised here in the area, lives is Tujunga with his wife of 22 years. He is a partner with GivCause Productions, a writer, a di-rector, e Hand currently the producer of “Restoration Road,” based out of Indiana. ‘Restoration Road,’ is a faith based program with an interesting twist of cars and life. He has several irons in the fire, pitching program ideas, working with non-profit organi-zations, writing a sequel to The Disil-lusioned, and producing a program, however, his passion for writing isn’t a passing fancy. The reviews from sev-eral industry insiders are proof his writing passes the litmus test of good writing. “A fast-paced mystery…you won’t put it down until you’ve un-locked the secrets and lies to find the truth.” Judith McCreary, co-executive producer, Law & Order: SVU.DJ’s book can be purchased online through Barnes & Noble or Amazon as an e-book, or an autographed copy through his page www.djwilliams-books.com.

This woman became distracted, hit the center divider and crashed.

Taking too much of the double yellow line on a curve isn’t a good idea.


Who saves whom?Who saves whom—or do they save each other? Often I have

written in this column about how dogs and humans were meant for each other. Like music as a universal language, we seem to have also a universal language that we speak with our pets.

This sweet music was brought to my attention again when I was recently awed by two stories. Both were of a pet sensing danger with their pet parent and going the extra mile or bark.

In New York Janelle’s dog Louie gave her the best birthday present: her baby. According, Janelle was 26 weeks pregnant when she began to suffer seizures from a previously undetected condition.

The year-old goldendoodle, affectionately known as Louie the Leaper, is not typically a barker. Husband Richard heard him barking incessantly from the bedroom where his wife was rest-ing after her 28th birthday party, so he went to see what the problem was.

“I heard the dog barking like crazy, like I’ve never heard him bark before,” he told a CBS reporter.

Richard found Louie atop the bed where Janelle was seizing and foaming at the mouth. He quickly called 911 and his wife was taken to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with ec-lampsia. For centuries women died in labor of eclampsia. But quick Caesarean section helped saved the baby.

If not for the dog barking, she could have had one seizure af-ter another, after another ... and possibly died. Louie is a hero.

Another story is when a similar situation happened with my parents and their newly adopted dog. From my father, Paul, in his own words here is the story.

“It was the middle of the afternoon and I was sitting in a chair in my bedroom putting on my shoes. The bedroom door to the hall was slightly ajar. Sammy, our Papillon-mix dog that we had adopted after being rescued from a dog shelter 6 months before, was sleeping in the hallway. He often stations himself somewhere half way between wherever we are in the house. My wife was working in the kitchen, out of earshot.

Quite suddenly severe pains started in my abdomen and I started moaning. The pains continued, becoming worse. Sam-my pushed the door open with his snout, then came over to me and seemed to be trying to comfort me. He came close to me and touched my leg with his nose. He looked up intently at me. He had a worried look on his face.

I cried out for my wife to come and assist me, but she could not hear me.

The sharp pains increased and it was too painful to get up. Sammy sensed my helplessness and suddenly sped out of the room, down the hall and found my wife.

He started barking loudly, circling her, looking back in the di-rection of our bedroom. My wife followed him and arrived to help me get onto our bed and then went to get some medica-tions and a glass of water. All is well now.”

It seems Sammy and Louie along with millions of other dogs have a special sense when their people are in danger. Do our pets have a connection with us like ESP, an extraordinarily spe-cial pet?

These and other dogs are our heros. Countless others never forget that we saved them from their dire situation at the dog pound.

These stories and many others are touching and we never for-get them. They are one of the reasons why we get so connected and attached to our childlike pets, and love each other for as long as we both shall live.

• • •Auntie Gail has a B.A. in Philosophy, is a certified vet-erinarian assistant and has a pet sitting and dog walk-ing service in the area. She can be reached for appoint-ments at 818-605-9675, or at her website: www.aun-tiegailspetsitting.com.

This is the third of three parts.

By Shari alBert

The owner and managers of this particular collective were truly good people, treating em-ployees as well as patients with respect and gratitude. We had regular morning meetings about what our “intentions” were for the day, and about how we could better and more creatively help patients. They also made sure their employ-ees were happy and well fed — and stoners love their food. And although getting a bunch of medicated people to decide on what to eat for lunch oc-casionally took until dinner, all meals were on them, and I gained about seven pounds over the year and a half that I worked there. I also got to in-troduce my new coworkers, who were of multiple ethnici-ties, to the joys of Jewish Deli, which resulted in several se-rious knish addictions. In LA, you can go entire days without talking to another human, but this job forced me to get out of the house, interact with people whose lives were very differ-ent than mine, and learn, in the process, to let go of a lot of judgment I didn’t even knew I carried with me.On the flip side, I was smok-ing WAY too much weed. I realized this when hanging out

with a friend, hitting the bong about three times more than he did, and not even getting high. At five feet tall, my tolerance felt like a football player’s. He was concerned, as was I. And although working at a dis-pensary made me popular at parties, it wasn’t doing great things for my motivation. More than a year had passed, and I was in the exact same place, both physically and emotional-ly. Plus, around this time, the Feds were cracking down on the Medical Marijuana Dispen-saries, busting them randomly. We were instructed on what to do if the Feds came in and ar-rested us: Jump onto the other side of the counter, sit down on the floor, and claim we were patients. What? Jump over the counter? So I quit or, more ac-curately, stopped showing up. I supported the cause but not enough to risk calling my par-ents for “bail money.” I knew I had to change my life, and part of that was giving up smoking pot and trying to get on stage again. I needed to remember

what brought me to LA in the first place … and it wasn’t to sell “medicine.” So I did.The past six years have brought a lot of change and growth, personally as well as national-ly: Marijuana is now legal for recreational use in Washing-ton and Colorado. Federally, however, marijuana policy is disparate to not only state law but also the American idea that we of take care of our own cit-izens. The result is a sort of bi-polar justice system that can result in tragic circumstanc-es in which innocent people are arrested and others stranded without one of the only things that help them battle illness and disease.I’ve since moved back to New York and am making my living as an actor and writer again. I also decided that it was time to share my stories about the Col-lective with the world, so I’m co-writing a web series with Erik Jensen and Jessica Blank (of The Exonerated, both the play and film) called “Good Medicine.

My Experience Working at a Marijuana Dispensary

½ cup dry white wine1 cup heavy creamSalt & pepper to taste1 ½ cups Gruyère cheese (grated)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

The Crepes: Combine all bat-ter ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Refriger-ate for at least one hour prior to making crepes. Cook eight to nine 8-inch crepes (they should resemble thin pancakes) and set aside. Wrap them in

plastic or put in a baggie to keep them from drying out. The Filling: Sauté mush-rooms and green onions in ¼ cup of the butter. Add basil and cook until mushrooms are limp. Set aside. Mix bullion in the water. Melt the remain-ing ¼ cup butter in saucepan. Add flour and cook approxi-mately 2 minutes. Slowly add bouillon mixture, wine and cream. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat, stir-ring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Do not allow to boil. When the sauce is ready, pour 1/3 over the mushroom mix-

ture and allow to cool slightly. Reserve remaining sauce. Assembly: Fill crepes with mushroom mixture and fold, seam down, in a greased, oven-proof serving dish. I like to fold them in-to squares but folding them into roles (like enchiladas) works well too. Pour remain-ing sauce over the completed crepes and top with cheese. Bake for approximate-ly 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Serve with crois-sants and a fresh garden salad with vinaigrette dressing. Bon apetit!

Crepes, from pg 6

they bring to your attention. Duties of a Local Representa-tive include: recruiting new host families and helping them through the completion of their host family application, match students as best as possible with the host families you have re-cruited, obtain school accep-

tance for students, conduct home interviews with potential host families, and conduct ori-entations and monthly contact with their students and host families. A qualified candidate should be interested in cross-culture education, be outgoing, and have a flexible and positive at-titude. Local Representatives

must feel comfortable ap-proaching schools, churches, organizations, and individuals in order to identify hosts. The ideal candidate is highly orga-nized, resourceful, is a good judge of character, connected to the community, and has ex-perience working with students. Local Representatives do re-ceived a stipend.

Students, from pg 2

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EDGE OF REALITY

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Bolton Hall Corner-stone Celebration Bolton Hall in was con-structed in 1913 to serve as a Clubhouse for the newly estab-lished Little Landers Colony in Tujunga, CA. The cornerstone was placed and dedicated in April, 1913 with many of the Little Landers and surrounding community members viewing the ceremony. A re-enactment of the Laying of the Corner-stone is scheduled for April 13, 2013 on the lawn adjacent to Bolton Hall Museum. The de-

signer and builder of Bolton Hall will be represented at the April program and will “speak” to the assembly about his ideas on construction and life in general. This is the first of several Bolton Hall Centennial Cele-bration events this year and promises to be an educational and entertaining experience with some surprise guests and events planned. This event is free and open

to the public. Saturday, April 13 at 1:00 p.m. at Bolton Hall Muse-um, 10110 Commerce Avenue, Tujunga, CA 91042 Parking is available a few doors uphill at the Elks Lodge. Additional information is available from Little Landers Historical Society via tele-phone (818) 352-3420, at www.littlelandershistorical-society.org or via e-mail at [email protected].

Bark for Life Brings People Together

The American Cancer Society “Bark For Life” was created to honor the caregiving qualities of canine companions. It is a non-competitive walk event for dogs and their owners to raise funds and awareness in the fight against cancer. Last Saturdays woof walk was held at Stonehurst park in Sun Valley with more than 75 participants bringing their furry friends for a morning of fun and frolic. “By supporting Bark For Life, you help the American Cancer Society save lives and help us move closer to a world with less cancer and more birthdays,” stated a American Cancer

Society rep. The yearly event provides an empowerment through canine companion partnerships, and to contribute to cancer cures through the American Cancer Society. Canine Caregivers are Canine Companions, Guide Dogs, Service Dogs, Rescue Dogs, Therapy Dogs, Police Dogs, Cancer Survivor Dogs and Diagnostic Dogs, who with their owners, joined as Relay Teams. Everyone had a great time. There will be another one Sunday, April 21 from 10:00 am to 2:00 at Lemon Park, 3700 Avenida, Simi, California.

Three Bark For Life Participants and their “mommies.”

Another Assault

Local Resident Chaz Salie was another victim of an unprovoked assault. He had gone to a local food bank and was assaulted in the parking lot. He tried to get back home, but

had to call paramedics because of the intense pain.

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ince

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anus

Statue Stolen

The bronze statue (left) was stolen from a neighbor’s front yard and might be going to the scrap metal yard. The

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Sunland-Tujunga Historical Home Tour Little Landers Historical So-ciety announces the first Sun-land-Tujunga community His-torical Home Tour in five years. On May 11, 2013, five beautiful, historic and unique homes and Bolton Hall Muse-um will be open to ticketed Home Tour visitors. Two of the featured homes and Bolton Hall have achieved City of Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Monument status. In addition to in-home visits

to the featured locations, Home Tour visitors will receive a list of over one dozen other histor-ic locations in our community that are available for drive-by viewing at any time. Home Tour tickets will be available for purchase starting on April 13 for a $20 per per-son pre-tour donation. Tickets will be placed on will-call for pick up at Bolton Hall on May 11 along with home location information and maps. Tickets

purchased on the day of the Tour will be $25. Saturday, May 11 from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The start location is Bolton Hall Museum, 10110 Commerce Avenue, Tujunga, CA 91042. Additional information is available from Little Landers Historical Society via tele-phone (818) 352-3420, at www.littlelandershistorical-society.org or via e-mail at [email protected].

Parishioners Protest Being Brainwashed Members of the World Mis-sion Society Church of God lo-cated on Odell St. in Sunland, felt that they had been taken advantage of and misled about the churches actual beliefs. Taking to the streets, the mem-bers carried posters and marched in an orderly manner. The church officials reacted by calling the LAPD stating “It is a misdemeanor to picket in residential neighborhoods.....” ignoring the fact that the church is in the middle of a residential area. Upset parishioners carry protest pickets.

Practice Makes LAFD 74 Perfect

“We practice today so we can save lives tomorrow!” appears to be the motto for LAFD Engine Company 74. The “C” Shift members practiced ladder techniques at the Tivoli Garden

apartments last Saturday. Using their truck mounted 100’ ladder as well as the wooden extension ladders, firefighters scaled the walls and checked out the flat roof structure.

Sunland Skate Park Closed?

L.A. Recreation & Parks contractors were at the Sun-land Skate Park yesterday morning trying to decide the best way to stop skaters from using the park which was the scene of a skateboard accident 2 years ago. It is the sixth such facility in the city of Los Angeles. Others like it include Pedlow Skate Park in Van Nuys, Hollenbeck Skate Park in Boyle Heights, Lincoln Skate Park in East Los Ange-les and Gilbert Lindsay and Wilmington skate parks in South Los Angeles. The whole idea of the Skate Parks was to keep skaters off the streets. And now we have them back on the streets and sidewalks because the City can’t decide what to do to make it safer. The $300,000 Skate Park is

10,000 square feet and has four quarter-pipes and several smaller ramps and rails. All skaters at the park are re-quired to wear helmets, and knee and elbow pads. Kids under 18 must get their par-ents’ permission to skate at the park. Before the SINGLE acci-dent, it was open from noon to sunset Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to sunset Saturdays and 9 a.m. to sun-set Sundays, giving the local teens a place to play and hang out. Now are we going to com-plain that the teens are run-ning amok on the sidewalks? This is what the neighbor-hood council should be work-ing on instead of buying ex-pensive equipment to reward their cronies.

Where have all the children gone - Long Time Passing


It was a really nice day last Saturday as hundreds of residents attended the 6th annual Hometown Coun-try fair at the crescent Valley Park. Co-sponsored with L.A. County Parks and Rec-reation and about 30 other businesses throughout La Crescenta, Glendale and Los Angeles. The Crescenta Val-ley Chamber of Commerce, which put together other suc-cessful events as the Taste of the Foothills, did it again. There was live entertain-ment from the Working Stiffs, the CV High School Jazz Band and the St. Francis drumline.” The grassy area was filled with booths of organizations and lo-cal businesses The Montrose Search and Rescue, Califor-nia Highway Patrol, the L.A. County Sheriffs and the Amer-ican Legion. There rides and attractions provided by Kems-ley Productions that included a Ferris wheel, super slide, and other rides that thrilled the kids and parents alike. Further across the bridge, there was the Crescenta Val-ley Annual Car Show with “something for everybody” with more than 30 classic cars, face painting and even a dog show. This was a coun-try Fair to write home about!

Crescenta Valley Country Fair a Success

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THE FOOTHILLS PAPER by David DeMulle' - April 12, 2013