Arcadia Unified Launches Mental Health Mondays. As May is Mental Health Awareness Month, the Arcadia Unified School Districts (AUSD) has decided to launch Mental Health Mondays. Each Monday, for the remainder of the school year, AUSD will provide mental health resources to help support everyone navigating the coronavirus pandemic and school closures simultaneously. In addition to helping support students, these resources are also available to AUSD parents, staff, and community.
Officials urge students to seek out new program that addresses mental health crisis in Los Angeles County schools. Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn urges students to take advantage of the county's School Threat Assessment Response Team (START) program, which helps assess and respond to potential school threats. The campaign's tagline, "If it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't" was developed through focus groups at Saugus and Arcadia High Schools. People can access START by telephone at 213-739-5565 or email: START@dmh.lacounty.gov to connect with a mental health professional.
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.
New York's Carnegie Hall hosts young musicians from San Gabriel Valley's Classical European Music Academy Los Angeles (CEMALA). A list of young people who performed include a few from Arcadia--Allen Chen, Andrea Li, Evan Girard-Sun, Farrah Chan, Halley Wang, Ngai Zou, and Sunny Xu.
Arcadia firefighters raise funds to help fight pediatric cancer. Arcadia firefighters have been involved with Saint Baldrick's Foundation for over 15 years, said Arcadia Fire Chief Chen Suen. Arcadia firefighters are shown in photo.
Arcadia native Eileen Chen, a UCSB student, hosts global day of letter writing to senior citizens isolated by COVID-19. See also Pasadena Star News, p. A3, A4, February 16, 2021.
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.
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.
Worker rescued after falling 22 feet into underground vault (hole). Firefighters rescued him at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia on Thursday. The man suffered moderate injuries and was taken to Huntington Hospital in Pasadena according to Chen Suen, Deputy Fire Chief for Arcadia Fire Department.
Local officials launch West San Gabriel Valley vaccination hubs in Monterey Park, Arcadia, Temple City and Rosemead. COVID-19 vaccinations of the Moderna vaccine presented by Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger and Herald Christian Health Center. See also "Individuals with underlying health conditions now eligible for COVID-19 vaccine" Arcadia Weekly, p. 3, March 18, 2021.
Arcadia Methodist Hospital set to announce partnership with USC. Bryan Green (or Brian Green) will discuss the hospital's new partnership with USC at the Arcadia Community Coordinating Council meeting on April 4. Includes biographical information on Green.
Arcadia Gem Coin mastermind Steve Chen sentenced to 10 years in prison. One of Arcadia’s largest
financial scandals in 2015 involved cryptocurrency and a host of well-known public officials,
including a former Arcadia mayor, for involvement in a Ponzi scheme that ultimately shut down the
operations of the Arcadia business known as U.S. Fine Investment Arts, Inc. (USFIA).
Bradbury man Steve Chen, CEO of U.S. Fine Investment Arts, Inc. Gem Coin, and other companies, allegedly conspired to commit fraud with his Arcadia-based marketing company, to plead guilty. He promised potential investors gemstones from their mines along with valuable digital currency. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 4, February 27, 2020.
Arcadia assisted living facility Arcadia Retirement Village is under investigation by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health for alleged COVID-19 health violations including the timeliness in reporting Coronavirus-related deaths and not giving staff new, sanitary supplies.
Chen Suen becomes first Asian American fire chief in Arcadia. He takes over from Barry Spriggs who retired November 8, after 29 years of service. Suen is an Arcadia resident. He emigrated from Taiwan. He graduated from Arcadia High School, and attended Loyola Law School, UC Irvine, and Santa Ana College, before spending the last 18 years with Arcadia Fire Department.
Los Angeles County easing indoor mask rules. Health officials say business customers who are fully vaccinated will not need face coverings starting Friday.
Businesses rejoice as Coronavirus restrictions are relaxed. On Friday, California met the vaccine equity goal that allowed public health jurisdictions in Los Angeles County, including Pasadena, to move into the less restrictive red tier of the state’s reopening roadmap on Monday. As Los Angeles County geared up for some semblance of familiarity after an extraordinary 12 months of lockdown, the defining red tier reached is a delineating moment for better days ahead. The staggering loss of life, political turmoil and concerns of becoming another statistic weigh heavily on the minds of Southern Californians as we enter into the next phase of reopening businesses which we used to take for granted. As of Monday, indoor dining, movie theatres and other businesses were allowed to reopen with limited capacity — restaurants at 25% for example.