GIGA GRANADA HILLS

Mike Spasoff is a tireless servant to this community -- at least for a few months out of the year -- and that's good enough for me. It's also more than good enough for the 600 trick-or-treaters he delights and terrifies with the elaborate, Disney-rivaling, pirate-themed yard display at his house on San Fernando Mission Boulevard (near Shoshone). When I was a kid, I used to always wish someone in the neighborhood would do something beyond carving a pumpkin. Fortunately, kids in Mike's neighborhood will never have to cope with that same unfulfilled sense of longing that I always had. What makes you want to invest the time, money, and resources into such an elaborate production? I can remember the magic of walking the streets of our neighborhood each Halloween and the excitement of finding a house that did something more than just a jack-o-lantern or a cardboard skeleton. My parents and I always made a special effort to do something extra but it wasn't until we moved to...

Rumors have been swirling around the future of the former How's Grocery store in Knollwood Plaza, from the more racial fear-tinged tales ("I heard it's going to be a Super-A!" or "It's going to be a Vallarta!") to the more generally speculative but hopeful expressed desire for a Fresh & Easy, the supermarket for people who aren't excessively fond of cooking. The GigaGranadaHills inbox has seen a number of "certain" and "confirmed" emails with news tips that the new site will definitely be a Fresh & Easy. Definitely. If that's true, Fresh & Easy is surprisingly publicity-shy. Brendan Wonnacott, Fresh & Easy's Communications Director yesterday told GigaGranadaHills that "We’re looking at a number of sites in the Valley, but can’t confirm any specifics at this point." So settle down, people. The good people of Balboa Highlands must be desperate for a convenient shopping location, to be sure, but ...

Sunday, Sept. 25 from 3-5pm, North Valley Aikikai offers a self defense and anti-bullying class for children ages 5-12. Fee: $20 North Valley Aikikai 16901 San Fernando Mission Blvd. Granada Hills 8188-652-5025

A message from Kim Thompson, President of Granada Hills North Neighborhood Council: Please join Granada Hills North Neighborhood Council as we welcome our new City Councilman, Mitch Englander at our board meeting this Monday, September 26th at 6:30 PM. Our meetings are held at the Rinaldi Adult School located at 17450 Rinaldi Street. Mitch will be speaking and then answering questions from the audience. If you have questions for the Councilman, please have them written down so that if there are any that we don’t have time to get answered, he can take them with him. Agendas will be online at ghnnc.org on Friday after 6:30 PM. We serve dinner at every meeting. Please come, listen to the Councilman discuss issues that most affect CD 12 and the City, eat dinner and stay to hear what YOUR neighborhood council is doing for you here in Granada Hills! Thank you and we hope to see you there. Kim Thompson President, GHNNC

Yesterday at the Granada Hills Target, shoppers were lining up before 8am to get their hands on goodies from the stores new line from Italian design house Missoni. Read the full story here .