World War II veteran Joe Sciarra, 95, makes history come alive at Holy Angels School in Arcadia during a Veterans Day assembly. Other veterans in attendance were Julian Andrews, 86 of Temple City (a veteran of the Korean War) and Darren Parsons, 45, a former U.S. Marine.
None of the three Chinese-American candidates received enough votes to win one of the three open seats in Tuesday's Arcadia City Council elections. With the departure of Mayor John Wuo, who was the second Chinese-American to be elected to the council, Arcadia, an ethnically diverse city, is reverting to an all Caucasian council for the first time in 12 years. Many in the Chinese community prefer to relay a concern to someone of their own race and culture "because this person understands what they say, what their concern is based on," former council member Dr. Sheng Chang said. Councilman Roger Chandler, however, believes that the city has enough volunteers, associations and resources to facilitate communication and to aptly handle any issue that could come up.
Arcadia was a finalist for the most business friendly city award from Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation but did not win. Winners are decided based on their demonstrated commitment to economic development, what programs they had to facilitate business, how they developed their economy over the last 3 years, business tax rates, fee structures, economic incentives, and communication with business clients.
Mentally ill man Gerardo Cortez, 26, of Monrovia, is arrested for allegedly making telephone threats to shoot adults and children at a hospital, a mall, and schools in Arcadia and Monrovia.
More than 12,000 expected at 48th Annual Arcadia Invitational Track and Field Meet April 10 and April 11. This event brings together the best high school athletes from around the country and around the globe.
Historic victory for Arcadia American Little League, age 9-10 All-Stars. They won the first District 17 Championship in the long history of the league.
Two of four "tree-sitters" that were arrested while protesting the destruction of an 11-acre Arcadia oak woodland in January appeared in Alhambra Superior Court on Thursday and had their arraignment postponed until February 18. They are John Quigley, 50, of Glendale, and Julia Jaye Posin, 23 of Venice Beach. Travis Jochimsen, 28, of Lancaster and Andrea Bowers, 45 of Los Angeles, were also arrested but did not appear for arraignment.
Hollywood actors Ed Begley, Jr. and Daryl Hannah called on prosecutors to drop a trespassing case against the group of tree-sitters who have become known as the "Arcadia 4." The four climbed into oak trees on January 12, 2011 while Los Angeles County bulldozers destroyed an 11-acre woodland around them. Begley rallied with supporters outside Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley's downtown headquarters. The four are John Quigley of Glendale, Julia Jaye Posin of Venice Beach, Travis Jochimsen of Lancaster and Andrea Bowers of Los Angeles. The trees were cleared to make room for a sediment site.
Deqiang Song, 26, of Monterey Park, gets life in prison without possibility of parole, for the crime of kidnapping for ransom, and a second sentence of life in prison plus four years, for the attempted murder of his then 21-year-old victim. Song met his victim through a mutual friend and took her to Westfield Santa Anita mall in Arcadia on September 8, 2010. Then he took her to a remote area of desert in San Bernardino County. He strangled the woman and slit her throat. He called her father for ransom. She survived.
Work continues on Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension project. Workers installed a 130-foot-high steel cage that will make up a portion of a rapid transit bridge spanning the eastbound 210 Freeway between Baldwin Avenue and Santa Anita Avenue. When complete, the 584-foot-long, $18.6 million Metro Gold Line bridge will be buttressed by columns designed to resemble Native American baskets. The bridge work is expected to be completed in the summer of 2012, while the entire 11.5-mile extension is due to be finished 2015. The bridge contractor is Skanska USA Civil. Construction of the rest of the line may be delayed due to problems with Monrovia's Redevelopment Agency.
City of Arcadia honors Arcadia American Little League Minor Orioles for their District 17 Tournament of Champions title. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 17, July 11, 2013.
Living without power. Wind troubles linger. Residents frustrated; damage costs elusive. Southern California Edison's (SCE) hardest hit areas include Arcadia, Monrovia and Templa City, where more than 2,800, 1,600, and 1,700 residents, respectively, are still without power. Arcadia's City manager Don Penman said he wouldn't be surprised if the public costs for recovery efforts exceeded $2 million.
An ancient Chinese maternity tradition, from the Sung Dynasty (960-1275 AD), known as "Zuo Yue Zi," is translated as "doing the month."It refers to the care of a Chinese woman during the first month after giving birth. The practice is explained here by Wei-Chen Tung, a former registered nurse at Arcadia Methodist Hospital and now an assistant professor of nursing at University of Nevada, Reno. The practice requires new mothers to follow a strict diet and rest for 3-4 weeks following a pregnancy. Tung says a lot of Chinese women still practice this, so hospitals should be aware of this part of Chinese culture. Maternity tourists--women who want to come to the United States to give birth to a full-fledged American citizen, have given rise to businesses that cater to them, such as the maternity home that was shut down in the 1300 block of South Palm Avenue in San Gabriel on March 8. It had been 5 townhomes illegally converted into a maternity home.
The arraignment of Gerardo Cortez, of Monrovia, has been postponed to October 25, 2013. He allegedly made a series of telephone threats to several San Gabriel Valley locations, including a shopping mall, a medical center, and several schools, including Arcadia High School. The caller said he had an AK-47 gun and threatened to shoot people. The joint police forces from Arcadia, Covina and Monrovia, the FBI, and the Los Angeles County Sheriffs had investigated.
New Arcadia city housing standards approved, new zoning codes effective as law May 20, 2016. Included in Arcadia's new standards is a sliding-scale floor-area ratio (FAR) for the first time in the city's history. The FAR is a development tool that helps determine how large a home can be built on any given lot based on a percentage of the land.