Glendale mixed martial arts fighter Karen Darabedyan will fight for World Extreme Cagefighting when he debuts for the organization on Nov. 18 as part of WEC 44 in Las Vegas at the Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort.

Karen Darabedyan (Courtesy of Hyefighters.com)
Darabedyan (8-1) will make his debut against former WEC lightweight champion “Razor” Rob McCullough (17-5, 8-3 in WEC).
Much of the action from the Homenetmen Ararat Glendale Friendship Games will take place on Saturday and Sunday at various venues around Glendale.
Thirteen high school-age girls’ basketball teams will compete in a tournament at the Ararat Center on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 11a.m. to 2 p.m.
The volleyball tournament, featuring nine boys’ and girls’ squads, will take place at the Pacific Community Center Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Enrollment is still open for tennis, which will be Oct. 31-Nov. 2 at Glorietta Park
If you want to do something in the final week of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, here’s a chance to pitch in.
City of Hope is hosting a “Walk for Hope” this Sunday, a 5k run (or 2K walk, if you want to take a more leisurely route) in Duarte near the City of Hope campus. Their goal is to reach $1 million in fundraising.
As their website says:
Walk for Hope is a national breast cancer walk series that raises millions of dollars in support of breast cancer research, treatment and education programs at City of Hope.
Walk for Hope is about action. It is a statement from our community that no one will ever fight this disease alone. Our Walkers are advocates for those who turn to City of Hope for help when they need it most. The money raised saves lives. Join the fight against breast cancer and walk with us toward a world without breast cancer.
The start location is at the City of Hope’s campus (here). Free parking is at Santa Anita Park (here) with shuttles going to and from the starting/finishing line.
Parking opens at 7 a.m. Registration costs $40 and opens at 8 a.m. The race will start at 10 a.m.
From the Glendale News-Press:
A Massachusetts woman living with multiple sclerosis who has scaled six of the Seven Summits — and is attempting Mt. Everest in 2010 — will speak to patients in Burbank next week about her experiences living with and combating the disease through her climbs.
Wendy Booker, who was diagnosed in 1998, will be joined at Acapulco restaurant Monday by Dr. Regina Berkovich, an assistant professor of clinical neurology at the MS Comprehensive Care Center at USC’s Keck School of Medicine. They will give patient and physician perspectives, answer questions, discuss treatment and rehabilitation options and challenge other MS patients to follow through with their goals.
Click here for the full story.
The La Cañada High School homecoming parade marched through the streets of downtown La Cañada on Friday afternoon. The Spartans play their homecoming game against Blair High School Friday evening. (Photographs by Michael J. Arvizu/Valley Sun)

From the Glendale News-Press:
Local home foreclosure rates have continued to rise, led by a baffling eight-fold jump in La Crescenta filings during the month of September, compared with a year ago, according to experts and a report prepared for the Glendale News-Press by real estate tracking firm RealtyTrac.
A total of 133 La Crescenta homes last month entered into foreclosure, up from 55 in August and dwarfing the 16 from a year ago, according to the report.
One in 46 La Crescenta homes were foreclosed upon between July and September, more then triple the national average of one in 136 homes, according to the report.
The average foreclosure rate in California was one in every 53 housing units, the Irvine-based firm said.
Click here for the full story.
Singer, songwriter and instrumentalist Paul Tracey encourages children to learn by reading.

Kindergarten students listen closely to "The Wandering Minstrel" Paul Tracey during musical presentation by Tracey at Verdugo Woodlands Elementary School in Glendale on Friday, October 23, 2009. Tracey encourages children to read through his musical stories.(Raul Roa/News-Press)
The Monster Engine’s Dave DeVries showed 4th- and 5th-graders how to draw their fears and laugh at them at Emerson Elementary School in Burbank on Friday, October 22.

Illustrator/artist Dave DeVries puts the finishing touches on a blown-up rendition of a sketch by 5th grader Miguel Sardinos during assembly at Emerson Elementary School in Burbank on Friday, October 23, 2009. Devries, who has done artwork for Unviersal Studios and Marvel and D.C. Comics, showed students how to laugh at their fears by creating monsters with paint. (Raul Roa/Leader)