Takeover Update: Great Western Financial took two...

Takeover Update: Great Western Financial took two steps Tuesday in an effort to thwart the hostile takeover bid by H.F. Ahmanson & Co. . . . Chatsworth-based Great Western delayed its annual meeting and adopted a generous employee severance package to be used in case of a takeover (D1).

The Sporting Life: Glendale has neither a sports arena nor major league team, but come next fall, expect the city to become a mecca for sports lovers. That’s when ESPN--The Store will premiere at the Glendale Galleria. . . . The sports cable channel hopes to mimic the success of its parent company, Disney, which launched its Disney Store chain with a Galleria outlet 10 years ago.

Death by Dump: County supervisors considering expansion of a Val Verde landfill were confronted Tuesday by protesters such as Maria Elvia Vega, her face painted like a skeleton to dramatize what she considers the dump’s potentially deadly health threats. . . . The supes were unmoved though. They voted 4 to 0 to OK the landfill expansion (B5).

Crime Fight: Pedro Banegas, the Northridge crime fighter fatally ambushed last week, will be memorialized this morning at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Canoga Park. . . . Police searching for his killer were given an assist Tuesday by the Los Angeles City Council, which approved a $25,000 reward for information leading to a conviction.