818 Roundup: Burbank police officers, citizens honored and Habitat for Humanity to dedicate new Glendale homes

Good morning, 818. Today is Saturday, March 12, 2016. Temperatures for today are forecasted to reach a high of 66 and a low of 50 with mostly sunny skies, according to the National Weather Service.

Here are your local headlines:

Crime and Public Safety

Honoring officers

The Burbank Police Foundation held its second annual police awards luncheon, honoring several police officers for their bravery, heroism and professionalism. Burbank Leader

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Civic News and Politics

“Beacon” losing some of its brightness

The lights in the two-year-old transportation center at Bob Hope Airport are being dimmed at various times of the day and night in response to residents’ concerns. Some residents have expressed criticism of the transportation center, which has been open since July 2014, to the Burbank City Council for its bright lights being “a beacon that is on for 24 hours a day.” Burbank Leader

Bricks to get better play

Bob Hope Airport officials are looking to better display bricks that commemorate Lockheed Corp. and aviation heritage for the facility’s millions of passengers. The operations and development committee of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority on Monday approved relocating more than 220 commemorative bricks to three pillars near the south side of the airfield’s tower. Burbank Leader

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Education

Enter Styroman

For the past few months, students at La Cañada Elementary School have been seeing a new face on campus as the unforgettable “Styroman” makes occasional appearances in the cafeteria or at school assemblies. The giant figure composed almost entirely of used Styrofoam trays is on a mission to encourage better recycling habits throughout La Cañada schools. La Cañada Valley Sun

Low turnout for GUSD mapping meeting

Shortly after a meeting was slated to start on Thursday night about Glendale Unified’s shift to a voting-district system for elections, the only people in attendance were the few school officials facilitating the meeting as well as three language translators and the school district’s demographer, Douglas Johnson. Glendale News-Press

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In the Community

Helping hands craft new homes

Three Glendale families will soon be first-time homeowners, thanks to a big helping hand — or rather, thousands of them. Habitat for Humanity and its volunteers are putting the finishing touches on a trio of new south Glendale houses right next to each other. Glendale News-Press

Residents take part in eco-friendly workshop

Burbank residents interested in improving their recycling skills had a chance to learn about home composting and water harvesting at a “Droughtbusters” workshop last weekend. About 35 people gathered in the garden of the Community Day School to learn tips and ask questions about how to best reuse their food and yard waste as well as other compost ingredients for their gardens and lawns. Burbank Leader

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Ryan Fonseca, ryan.fonseca@latimes.com

Twitter: @RyFons