The 76 members of the Arcadia Fire Department raised $14,521 for victims of the Bay Area earthquake by giving up one shift of paid vacation time each. The money will be donated to Santa Cruz County through the Arcadia chapter of the American Red Cross.
An international businessman was abducted from his Arcadia home and later released the same evening after his abductors demanded he pay them $1 million. He was told that he would be contacted the next day with instructions about where to put the money, but no money has been paid. This is the first kidnapping of this type in Arcadia, although there have been four other kidnappings in the San Gabriel Valley since last October.
Mary Harvey was presented with a Certificate of Honor by the Board of Education for her volunteer work in the English as a second language program at First Avenue. An Arcadia resident since her childhood, Harvey attended First Avenue, taught there and had two of her three children graduate from there.
Four proposals have been received by the Arcadia Redevelopment Department for a development on Huntington Drive in east Arcadia, across the street from the proposed Target Store. All four meet the criteria set out by the Redevelopment Agency. The agency had requested builders to design either retail stores, a professional office building, or a fine restaurant.
The Noyes family may continue their fight for custody of the baby born by surrogate mother Nisa Bhimani despite the publicity over Bjorna Noyes being a transsexual. Bhimani's lawyer claimed the other would not have backed out of her deal with the Noyes had she been paid as agreed.
On February 27, 1979, James Hooper, an Arcadia mailman, entered an Arcadia residence through a window when he heard moaning inside. An elderly woman, living alone, had fallen and broken her hip. On February 26, 1981, Hooper again heard moaning sounds at the same residence and entered to find the same woman had again fallen. She was taken to the hospital.
Arcadia store specializes in goods made by Indians. When Thea Connolly opened her store on South First Avenue in Arcadia 20 years ago, she called it White Eyes Indian Shop, an Indian name of White Eyes bestowed on her by Chief Joe of the Hopi tribe.
Theresa Eskola, 63, head housekeeper at the 87-room Motel 6 across from the Santa Anita Park race track, is the first employee to work 25 years for the hotel chain. Her gifts included $2500 in $100 bills, a limousine ride and the day off. Photo.
H. Richard (Dick) Closson has been elected president of the Huntington Bank. Closson has been in the banking profession for more than 25 years and has resided in Arcadia for 30 years.
Janet S. Maynard was arrested for trying to raffle off her $250,000 home for $25 a ticket. She organized the raffle because she has been unable to sell the house and was facing foreclosure.
For the first time in the history of the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce, 2 women will receive the Citizen of the Year Award. Mrs. Dottie Burnett and Mrs. June Fee were chosen for the honor from among 10 nominees.
Janet Stephens, a special education instructional aide, has been honored by the Board of Education for her outstanding work with children who have learning disabilities.
Services were held Wednesday for George Robert Secrest, a retired police sergeant of the Arcadia Police Department, who died June 9. Secrest had been a law enforcement officer for 26 years. Recently he had been employed by Huntington Bank.
The Arcadia Chinese Association honored its new president Dr. Wayne Lin. The association, which began seven years ago with 25 families, represent 1300 today.
J. Lyle Cunningham, a resident of Arcadia for the past 25 years, has been elected president of the Arcadia Historical Society for the 1983-84 year to succeed William D. Long.