By DIVYA SUBRAHMANYAM Palisadian-Post Intern ” The fourth “4 Paws for a Cure” walk will be held this Sunday, October 9, at 10 a.m. along Temescal Canyon Road. All proceeds will benefit CureSearch, The National Childhood Cancer Foundation. ”Event registration begins at 9 a.m. and is open to all walkers, for $25, with or without a dog. Participants will gather in the playground area of Temescal Canyon Park, just north of PCH on the East side of Temescal. ”A dog agility demonstration will begin at 9:15, and contests with prizes and free treats for all dogs entered will follow at about 9:30. People can also register on the Web at www.pawswalk.org for $20, and receive pledges for their efforts. ”The two-mile hike, along the sidewalk from PCH to Sunset and back, was started by Palisades residents Steve Gordon and Jaime Wolffe in honor of their daughter, Carlye, who gained complete recovery from cancer diagnosed when she was four years old. She is now 13, and attends St. Matthew’s School. ”Gordon developed this walk as one of the many activities he consults for in his capacity as Senior Advisor for CureSearch, which is part of the National Childhood Cancer Foundation, based in Bethesda, Maryland. In 2004, the organization raised about 65 million dollars, and only 6 percent of the money goes to fundraising expenses, among the lowest of all cancer charities, according to Gordon. ”Once Executive Vice President of Creative Affairs at Viacom Productions, Gordon left the television business last September to pursue this track. In an interview Monday, Gordon told the Palisadian-Post that his “passion to help find a cure for childhood cancer had been a part of my life since Carlye recovered and, as time went on, I realized this was the cause that I wanted to devote my energy to.” ”He recently traveled to Washington, D.C., as he does four to six times a year, to lobby senators and congressmen (such as Henry Waxman, Diane Feinstein, and Barbara Boxer) for more federal funding to support the fight against childhood cancer. These petitions are also supported by Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, and Congresswoman Deborah Price of Ohio, who lost a daughter to cancer. ”During his visit, Gordon says, “I tell our legislators our story and the story of others less fortunate, and I tell them about the incredible collaborative research effort that CureSearch is undertaking in more than 240 member hospitals in North America.” ”In addition to special trips (such as this visit to the nation’s capital), Gordon plans fundraising and marketing activities for CureSearch in order to support important research projects. He visits CureSearch’s west coast headquarters in Arcadia, California, at least once a week. Also, since CureSearch is an official charity of both the National Hockey League (as well as Major League Baseball), Gordon hopes to attend a hockey game on a “CureSearch Night,” in an official role. ”The inspiration for “4 Paws for a Cure” was born when Carlye was fighting her cancer and received a rescued pound puppy named Lucky. A terrier mix, Lucky has since “provided a great deal of love and comfort to her,” according to Gordon, and Carlye agrees: “I thought everyone with cancer should have a dog, since I could understand what my dog Lucky did for me.” Carlye’s extracurricular activities include dance, soccer, and volleyball, and she participates in as many events as she can that support childhood cancer research, but especially in the upcoming dogwalk. ””4 Paws for a Cure is an amazing event,” she says. “I was a victim of cancer once and I know how it feels. It is very hard to know that you have something that could cause your life to end. I’m proud to be a part of [the walk], knowing that I’m giving others a hope that life will go on.” ”Carlye has an older sister, Evanne, age 15, who attends Palisades High School, and a younger brother Eli, 7, who attends Marquez Elementary. ””With the war in Iraq and, now, [Hurricane] Katrina, both Federal dollars and public donations are becoming harder and harder to obtain,” Gordon says. “That is why events such as ‘4 Paws’ are so important.” ” (Editor’s note: The author recently took part in an L.A. Times high school journalism competition with other members of the Tideline staff at Palisades High. She placed third in news writing.)

In response to complaints from several citizens that Paul Revere Middle School students were riding in unsafe conditions due to overcrowding on city buses, I received an interesting assignment last Tuesday afternoon: take my notebook and ride the bus home from Revere. ”Three Metro buses line up in front of Revere, on Allenford Avenue, after school. Upon leaving the parking lot, one bus goes east on Sunset towards Brentwood while the other two head west on Sunset towards the Palisades. Now there are three westbound buses and, based on my personal experience, I am grateful. ”I arrived on campus shortly before the final bell. As school let out, a long line of students stood in front of the first “Palisades” bus. An assistant principal kept order as the bus filled to over capacity. I counted close to 80 students boarding. By the time the doors were closed, not only was every seat occupied but the aisles were jam-packed with standing children. ”I walked over to the second bus and got in line, then paid $1.25 for the one-way ride. Although parked in front of the school, these MTA buses welcome any paying passengers, including adults. They will also stop for passengers along Sunset. ”After boarding the bus I noticed that all of the seats were taken. Some of them had three or four kids squeezed together. As I pressed my way down the aisle, I stumbled over several large backpacks that had been placed on the floor, and bumped against others still attached to kids. I stopped counting passengers at 80 when I reached the rear of the bus, next to the exit door. I couldn’t find anything to hold on to. ”I noticed two kids standing on the steps by the rear door because of the crowded conditions. Although it was hard to make an accurate count of the people standing in the aisle because I couldn’t move, there were easily 30 within my obstructed view. ”It was also hot and extremely uncomfortable because the bus wasn’t running and there was no air circulating until some students managed to open several windows. Although I boarded the bus at 3:05, it didn’t pull away from the curb until 3:19. ”The bus had difficulty merging into traffic along Allenford due to double parking by carpooling parents and LAUSD buses. ”Once the bus turned onto Sunset, the breeze through the windows helped make the ride tolerable. But as we rounded corners, I started to worry about the students standing in the stairwell. If the door had suddenly flown open, they would have fallen into the street. ”At 3:23 the bus reached the corner of Sunset and Almalfi, at which point it stopped and the motor went off. The bus driver, a short young woman, stood up and shouted something. In the rear seats, we couldn’t hear what she was saying, but word filtered back that the bus was broken and we were supposed to get off. ”Outside, I asked the driver what happened. “I can’t start the bus,” she said. “I think it’s the transmission.” ”The students all milled around the corner of Almalfi and Sunset. Several pulled out cell phones and called for a parent or friend to come get them. Others ran across Sunset. Still others started walking on the north side of Sunset towards the Palisades. They hadn’t gotten very far before realizing there are no sidewalks along that side of the street’just a steep hillside right next to a sharp, blind curve. ”Cars going west on Sunset started piling up behind the bus, unable to get around it. Then a police car pulled up. Officer Ward stepped out and talked with the bus driver. As he started to get back in his car, I asked him what he was going to do. “Nothing I can do,” he said. “The driver is getting another bus and a tow.” He drove off. ”Before long, cars began arriving from the Palisades, making the left turn onto Almalfi. Each driver took as many kids as safely possible. ”At 3:45, another bus regularly assigned to this route stopped to pick up the 30 or so students left. I got on the bus with them. ””I take this bus every day and it’s already had two problems this year,” student Lache Pelle said. Eighth-grader Jonathon Dobson, who also rides it every day, added: “Friday’s the worst. That’s usually the day it’s the most crowded.” ”I contacted the MTA the next day, September 28, to inquire about the situation. ” “On a regular bus, no one should be standing beyond the yellow limit lines,” said David Armijo, general manager for the Westside Central Service Factor. “Buses should also have a working intercom system.” ””Now that I’m aware of the problem,” he continued, “I’ll take a look at all the options.” ”Two days later, on Friday, Armijo had a third westbound bus added at Revere. He said that since school had just started, MTA had kept everything the same as it had been last year. This year, service demand and ridership were suddenly higher (though the school’s enrollment is down by nearly 100 students). “It seemed prudent to add another bus,” Armijo said. “Whether it will be become permanent, we will have to monitor.” ”Armijo also said he would communicate to the school that a third bus had been added so that students will know it exists and not try to squeeze into one of the first two buses. ”Yesterday morning, I contacted Ken Haker, assistant principal in charge of transportation at Paul Revere, about the additional bus. “I’m happy there’s a third bus coming,” he said. “But I haven’t been informed of it yet.”

First Federal Bank of California, located at Sunset and PCH, was robbed last Thursday when a lone suspect, known as the “Armed Old Man” bandit, entered the building at about 3:30 p.m. with a handgun. ”The suspect, described as a white male with sandy blonde hair, 6 ft. tall, 180 lbs., and 50-60 years of age, demanded currency from the victim teller and “everyone complied with his order,” according to FBI Detective Daniel Jaranillo. The amount of money stolen was not revealed. ”A police report stated that one shot was fired after a dye pack exploded while the bandit was still inside the bank. The shot did not hit anyone. (A dye pack, which is used by banks as an anti-robbery device, explodes within the stolen money and renders it worthless.) ”According to FBI spokesperson Laura Eimiller, the bandit fired a round from his 45-caliber semi-automatic handgun. “We’re very concerned that the violence has the potential to escalate further,” Eimiller said. ”The “Armed Old Man” bandit has been connected to four prior bank robberies this year: Bank of the West in Sherman Oaks (March 17), Manufacturer’s Bank in Encino (May 13), Bank of Orange County in Glendale (August 17), and Washington Mutual in Pacific Palisades (August 22). ”At Washington Mutual, the bandit entered the bank with a handgun at about 5:35 p.m. He “victimized multiple tellers and asked for large bills,” Eimiller told the Palisadian-Post at the time. He also threatened to detonate what appeared to be an explosive device in the shape of a pipe bomb. The employees were evacuated, the area was sealed off for public safety, and the LAPD bomb squad responded with a remote-controlled robot used to handle and move suspicious devices. The device was subsequently detonated with a secondary device in a protected zone, said Officer Chris Ragsdale, who was on the scene. He said he believed the bandit’s device was not a charged device.

Palisades resident Steve Ghysels, director of Wells Fargo Private Client Services in Brentwood, holds the winner’s trophy after his team from the Will Rogers Polo Club won last Sunday’s Chamber of Commerce tournament for the second year in a row.