El Monte man gets 21 years for killing boss at newspaper's office. Zhong Qi Chen, 64, of El Monte, was sentenced. He pleaded guilty in March to the voluntary manslaughter of Yining Xie, of Arcadia, at The China Press in Alhambra at 2121 W. Mission Road, Alhambra, CA.
El Monte man pleads guilty to killing boss in office. Zhong Qi Chen, 63, pleaded guilty to fatally shooting his boss Yining Xie, 58, of Arcadia, at a newspaper office in Alhambra in 2018, at The China Press, 2121 W. Mission Road, Alhambra, CA.
Diners line up to get last meal at Rod's Grill in Arcadia. Restaurant that has served generations of people closes on Sunday (yesterday). Hundreds of diners made a final pilgrimage to Rod's Grill in Arcadia at 41 W. Huntington Drive, along Historic Route 66. Rod Wellman started the restaurant in 1946 in Alhambra. The Arcadia location opened in 1957 offering 10 cent coffees and 40 cent slices of pie a la mode. Wellman's sons Barry and Brian took over years later, then Manny Romero bought it about 25 years ago and kept its vintage vibe. Romero was an immigrant from Mexico. He died in 2021. Television shows such as This is Us, Mad Men, Last Man Standing, and Luck, had filmed episodes there. See hard copy in VF. See also Pasadena Star News, p. A3, A4, February 9, 2023.
Interior view of Rod's Grill showing customers eating at counter and at tables in booths. Also pictured are some waitresses and cooks, as well as two of the historic photos that the restaurant displayed on its walls. Rod's was located at 41 W. Huntington Drive in Arcadia, along Historic Route 66, from 1957 through February 2023.
Interior view of Rod's Grill showing customers eating at the counter, sitting in colorful turquoise seats. Waitresses and cooks can be seen in the kitchen area, as well as a portion of two of the historic photos that the restaurant displayed on its walls. Rod's was located at 41 W. Huntington Drive in Arcadia, along Historic Route 66, from 1957 through February 2023.
Exterior view of Rod's Grill showing the west side of restaurant, its sign, customers waiting outside, and the street signs where it was located, the corner of Huntington Drive and Morlan Place. Rod's was located at 41 W. Huntington Drive in Arcadia, along Historic Route 66, from 1957 through February 2023.
Exterior view of Rod's Grill showing the south side of restaurant with its rock mosaic wall and both the sign on the front of the building and the pole sign bearing its name that stands on the west side. Customers can be seen waiting outside. Rod's was located at 41 W. Huntington Drive in Arcadia, along Historic Route 66, from 1957 through February 2023.
Monrovia man Yi Chen gets 4 years in prison for fraud in a student visa scheme to get Chinese immigrants into the U.S. unlawfully. From June 2015-February 2021, Chen was the CEO and owner of two so-called educational consulting companies in Alhambra and Arcadia that charged foreign students thousands of dollars for "guaranteed" admission to a college that would lead to the issuance of an F-1 student visa. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 2, October 6, 2022.
Housing grades. Every city and county in California is required to plan for adequate housing across income levels. This newspaper grades each jurisdiction in the state by looking at lower-income housing permits. Arcadia got an F.
Arcadia Library presents Japanese Artist's Journey. The life and legacy of artist J.T. Sata will be the subject of a virtual program on October 10, presented by Arcadia Public Library in partnership with Japanese American National Museum. The book J.T. Sata: a Japanese Immigrant in Search of Western Art will be discussed by authors Frank Sata (son of J.T. Sata) and Naomi Hirahara. (J.T. Sata and family were imprisoned at Santa Anita Assembly Center during World War II).
Taking the A Train: Metro nixing colors. Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority is getting rid of the colored names of the train lines and switching to letter names. The transition period will begin in about nine months, during which both colors and letters would be used, then the colors will be phased out. The revamped Blue Line to Long Beach will become the A Line. The Red Line subway will become the B Line. Parts of the Green Line will become the C Line. The Purple Line will become the D Line. The Orange Line bus rapid transit in the San Fernando Valley will be the F Line. The Silver Line rapid busway will become the G Line. The Gold Line light rail from Azusa to Los Angeles will be renamed once the downtown Regional Connector is completed at the end of 2021 or early 2022.
Arcadia brothers Eric and Richard Dong (they attend San Marino High School) receive Outstanding Young Philanthropists award. They offered piano lessons to kids at the Union Station family center. They gave money and talked to the kids about investing in the stock market. With profits they made from their investments, they established the Richard and Eric Dong Endowment Fund for Union Station to provide scholarships for children in sports, music and the arts, leadership, and human rights promotion, to buy books for the family library; to fund staff appreciation and recognition and to finance the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights educational programs.
Why are fewer migratory birds visiting Arcadia’s Baldwin Lake at the Arboretum? The lake could see great benefit from Proposition 3 and Measure W. Audobon Society birders say there used to be approximately 330 species of migratory birds landing each winter at Baldwin Lake. In recent years that number has dwindled to about 200 species, such that the lake, which is in dire need of dredging and major ecological rehabilitation, is the focus of much debate. The lake has a low algae problem in the winter, not enough oxygen, and lots of sediment. The silt and organic matter has contributed to the shallow levels.
Arcadia brothers Richard and Eric Dong (they attend San Marino High School) give endowment to Union Station Homeless Services. The fund will provide scholarships for children, to purchase books for the family library, to fund staff appreciation, and to finance the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights educational programs.
Suspect in Arcadia murder-suicide leaves son a note. Couple was going through contentious divorce. Couple was identified as Mel Liu, 49, and Cherry Liu, 50 year old. Mel Liu left a letter to their 14 year old son trying to explain the fatal steps he took. Cherry Liu was well known through her work at Arcadia Chamber of Commerce and Sierra Madre Senior Services.
Food critic Merrill Shindler favorably reviews Izakaya Tonchinkan, a Japanese restaurant at Arcadia Plaza, a mini-mall at 713 W. Duarte Road, just off Baldwin Avenue.
Obituary/death notice. James W. Robinson, also known as John W. Robinson, author of hiking guide Trails of the Angeles: 100 Hikes in the San Gabriels, has died at age 88.
