BRIEFLY : TEEN REPORTS RAPE; TWO MEN ARRESTED.

GLENDALE - A 14-year-old Burbank high school girl who cut school and smoked marijuana told police she was sexually assaulted by five men, a police spokesman said Wednesday.

Glendale police arrested two of the men the girl said took advantage of her on March 12, said St. Rick Young.

Haik Hakopian, 26, of Glendale was arrested March 18 on suspicion of rape. Andro Khodabakhsh, 25, of Burbank was arrested on suspicion of oral copulation with a minor, Young said.

Police are still investigating and interviewing additional suspects, he said.

The girl told police she and some girlfriends ditched school on March 18, met some men in their 20s at Burbank Library and drove toward Wildwood Canyon Park, Young said. They allegedly smoked marijuana and sexual activity ensued, he said.

From there, the group drove to Hakopian's house in the 400 block of West Lexington Drive where the girls ``partied'' with five men, Young said. The girl told police she knew only one of the men.

After drinking heavily, the girl passed out and could not stop all five men from having sexual relations with her, Young said.

Both Hakopian and Khodabakhsh were being held Wednesday in Glendale City Jail on $50,000 bail, Young said.

- Daily News

Day of Unity brings workers together

GLENDALE - Employees of the city of Glendale rallied for unity on Wednesday.

The purpose of the Day of Unity hosted by the city's Human Relations Committee was to come together to promote the value of positive human relations, Mayor Eileen Givens said at the lunchtime gathering at City Hall's Perkins Plaza.

The human relations committee creates programs and holds events throughout the year to promote unity, she said.

Frank Erickson, the executive scout for the Verdugo Hills chapter of the Boy Scouts of America, spoke at the gathering, saying it was time to develop a tradition of accepting and understanding each other.

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Groups aim to boost programmer ranks

GLENDALE - The Verdugo Private Industry Council and the Glendale office of the state Employment Development Department have launched a project to help alleviate a shortage of computer programmers in the area.

Using the Employment Development Department's database of unemployed state residents, the department searched for those with computer backgrounds and identified more than 500 programmers in Los Angeles County who were unemployed the past year.

Those programmers were sent letters telling them of training available to enhance their skills through local companies with programs funded by the Private Industry Council.

As a result, one company vendor, which supplies training in IBM-based AS 400, reported that his company received 115 responses within a week. Another company, which trains technicians in entertainment-related DVD production, reported another 60 responses in a week.

A Glendale-based company will begin linking unemployed programmers to numerous job openings in the entertainment field.

Additional companies are expected to provide training for other programmers who have responded to the mailing, Council officials said.

- Daily News