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.
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.
One found dead in apartment fire on Genoa Street near First Avenue on Sunday, April 7. Arcadia police Lieutenant Kollin Cieadlo said there were no signs of foul play so far. Charlie Tuggle, a battalion chief with Arcadia Fire Department estimated damages to the structure at $10,000 and $1,000 to the contents. Arcadia fire Captain Drew Pryor said the call came in at 9:18 P.M. and the bathroom of the apartment was on fire. By 9:37 P.M. the fire was out. The dead man's identity has not been released.
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.
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.
New app Sound Mind provides music and visual therapy with a focus on meditation and mental health. A veteran Brian Femminella and an Arcadia resident Travis Chen created the app.
Fire Chief Michael Lang is leaving Arcadia Fire Department to be Fire Chief at Manhattan Beach. He was with Arcadia Fire Department for 21 years, including 5 as chief. He starts at Manhattan Beach Fire Department on June 21.
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.
Arcadia will have a Patriotic Reverse Parade and Food Drive. People will drive on the parade route and wave to the "Stars of the parade" who are stationed on the sidewalk on July 2, 2021, 9-11 AM. The "stars" include firefighters, medical and police who have helped the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Canned food donations will be accepted by Foothill Unity Center.
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.
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.
Bobcat Fire continues to wreak havoc. Nearly 24,000 acres burned above foothill communities, north of Monrovia, and still spreading out of control yesterday as firefighters contended with powerful winds. The fire has burned 23,890 acres of pristine forest lands. It was 6% contained. Evacuation warnings are still in effect in Monrovia, Arcadia, Azusa, Sierra Madre, Duarte, Pasadena, Altadena & Bradbury.
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.
Every 10 minutes, someone in Los Angeles County dies from the effects of COVID-19. Melody Stark of Monrovia is shown in photo displaying a photo of her husband Dr. William Stark who was a resident of Huntington Drive Health and Rehabilitation Center in Arcadia. He died on November 22, 2020. Since March, 2020, 10,056 people have died from the coronavirus.
Arcadia to suspend large events for seniors due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) concerns. Out of an abundance of caution, the City of Arcadia is suspending all large scale public events (100 or more in attendance) featuring a high concentration of older adults (55 and over) in order to help slow the transmission of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). This is in response to guidance received from the California Department of Public Health. The suspension will initially be in effect through April 15, 2020, but may need to be extended further.
Arcadia residents, city officials grapple with homeless issue at a public forum at Arcadia Performing Arts Center. City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto said easing the homeless crisis comes down to two major areas--enforcement and services. Police Chief Roy Nakamura said the number of calls to Arcadia Police Department related to the homeless increased from 1493 in 2019, to 2067 in 2020.
Taste of Arcadia Has Been Canceled. Last Thursday afternoon, the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce announced the cancellation of Taste of Arcadia 2020, which would have been held on Sept. 28.
The Taste of Arcadia is an annual event which showcases local food vendors and other businesses in a festive atmosphere at the L.A. County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. Normally, the event sees over 1,500 members of the public attend to sip and sample food, wine and distilled liquors. This might be the first time the event has been canceled in its nearly 40 year history.
Effort underway by Arcadia resident and environmentalist Cameron Stone to save historic Adams Pack Station after Bobcat Fire destroyed 15 of the 100-year-old cabins in Big Santa Anita Canyon above Arcadia.