1. The killing of Adam Smith.
In one of the most shocking events in Burbank in years, the first murder on a Burbank school campus occurred July 10 when Adam Ely Smith, a 17-year-old John Burroughs High School student, was stabbed to death in a parking lot at Burbank High School. His accused killer, Erik Favela, 17, of Burbank, was arrested the day of the murder near the high school. He is awaiting trial as an adult in Pasadena Superior Court on first-degree murder charges. Adam's friends and classmates erected a touching makeshift memorial of flowers, balloons and letters at the site where he was slain. Later, 200 people gathered at Burroughs to share thoughts and listen to music played in Smith's memory, including his favorite song, "Time of Your Life" by Green Day.
2. Airport wars continue
The litigious battle over the proposed replacement terminal continued unabated for another year, with small gains made by both the city and the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority but with no real end in sight. On the legal front, the city fired off a new lawsuit in May charging the conceptual terminal design violates zoning laws. In November, a state appeals court ruling resurrected a city lawsuit alleging the Airport Authority violated its joint governance agreement. In December, a state appeals court rejected a bid by the city of Los Angeles challenging the adequacy of the airport's environmental impact report. An August visit by Federal Aviation Administration chief Jane Garvey has come to naught, and attempts by the city to become a full partner in a federal noise study being conducted by the authority that could lead to stricter noise rules has not been resolved. Partnership talks -- as well as the entire terminal battle -- appear to be at an impasse.
3. New home for Police and Fire departments.
After years of planning and more than 30 months of construction, the $30 million Police and Fire Headquartersd amid much hoopla in January. The state-of-the-art facility houses administrative offices for both agencies, a police communications center, a fire station and a 70-bed jail. A dedication ceremony for the facility was a who's who of Burbank past and present, drawing current City Council members, former police and fire chiefs and others. The 120,000-square-foot building replaces the two headquarters the Police and Fire departments occupied for more than 30 years.
4. Water plant re
. The city's groundwater treatment plant, which supplies about 40% of Burbank's water, finally red in December. The plant, which ran for one week in June, spent the rest of 1998 offline and at the center of a permitting tangle. The state Department of Health Services refused to issue the city a permit to distribute the water until Lockheed Martin Corp., which operates the plant under the oversight of the Environmental Protection Agency, changed the way it filtered water from a tank where contaminants were known to exist. Water from the plant was never unsafe and the permitting issue was eventually worked out, but it remains to be seen if rates will rise because of the lengthy closure.
5. Congressman James Rogan re-elected, votes to impeach president.
By a margin of less than 4%, Republican
| | James E. Rogan was returned to office over Democratic challenger Barry Gordon in the Nov. 2 election for the 29th Congressional District seat. Rogan, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, has remained in the news ever since, voting in committee and then on the House floor for all four articles of impeachment against President Clinton. If there is an impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate, the former judge and prosecutor will be one of 12 case managers.
6. Demise of Serendipity Theatre
The city discovered in March that Serendipity Theatre, a children's theater company, was $49,500 behind in rent payments. Under its 1995 contract, Serendipity was required to pay $1,600 for monthly rent and maintenance at the city-owned Burbank Little Theater, which it had occupied for nine years. Facing eviction proceedings, the theater company moved out July 12 and closed up shop. The city and the theater are in court to work out debt repayment. How the theater could have racked up such a huge debt undetected by the city is still under investigation. A city-commissioned report in May was hampered by Serendipity's haphazard recordkeeping.
7. Senior housing project hits snag.
Months after construction began, the Media Village Senior Complex in Burbank Village learned in October it could no longer accept applications from prospective tenants younger than 62. Gangi Development Co. intended the 147-unit complex for people 55 and older. It was accepting applications from prospective tenants when the state Fair Employment and Housing Department determined that under state law the complex needed 150 units to house people younger than 62. Gangi is awaiting city approval to add the three additional units, as are about 22 people under 62 who hope to move in.
8. Alternative school controversy
. Swayed by protests from local residents, the Burbank Unified School District apologized and reversed a decision to relocate an alternative school program to their Northwest District neighborhood. Residents had criticized school officials for failing to consult them regarding plans to move Brighton Community School to the Monterey High School campus. The school district is now working with the city to find a new location for the alternative school program.
9.Council won't bail out Civic Light Opera.
At its final meeting of the year, the City Council decided against loaning $40,000 to the Burbank Civic Light Opera. The opera went to the city in July for help in paying off its mounting debts. The council considered various proposals to loan the opera the money, but, in the end, was unable to muster the four votes needed for approval. An official called the action a "tough blow" but said the group will work hard to keep the 50-year-old opera alive.
10. Vencor Hospital closes.
Vencor Hospital, a long-term care facility that moved to Burbank when troubled Thompson Memorial Medical Center shut down in 1997, closed its doors in October. Vencor officials cited lengthy delays in getting approval to participate in Medicare programs and cuts in reimbursements as reasons for the closure. The hospital never housed more than five patients at one time. The closure dashed hopes by some city officials that Vencor wouldan emergency room.
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