Fourteen-year-old Ron Cheney earned $1,000 for the Arcadia Presbyterian Church's youth fund by eating chicken. In a contest sponsored by the Market Basket food chain, Ron ate 1.28 pounds of chicken in 10 minutes.
The Juvenile Diversion Program, a Federally funded group of which Arcadia is a part, seeks to divert students who have been in minor problems from the courts and sent them to counseling and treatment. The program has come in for heavy criticism recently due to high administrative costs.
Report on the case of Fire Department member Richard Defer, who was originally awarded a sum of $11,000 in Worker's Compensation benefits as the result of a softball game injury. The Worker's Compensation Appeals Board overturned the decision as it was not a city-sponsored game.
The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1974 is being challenged in the Supreme Court. It would prohibit employees from accumulating overtime past a 40 hour week, and it would require state and local governments to pay time and a half for overtime.
Public participation in City Council meetings has been set for the middle of the meeting. People may speak on agenda items as they occur up to a 5 minute time limit.
Two articles on the fire which damaged First Avenue Junior High School. The longer discusses the arson investigation, the second discusses the general fire investigation, seeking the beginning point for the fire.
Annexation by Arcadia of the unincorporated area in the northern part of the city (of which Anoakia is the largest piece) is closer to reality than at anytime in the past.
Fire Chief Gene Mahoney, with City Council approval, is instituting an apprentice fireman program, in which the men will take training classes at PCC while actually employees of the Arcadia Fire Department.
"San Gabriel County will come into being within the life-time of many of you here", Attorney James Helms told a group meeting. He feels that the State Legislature holds the key to future secession efforts.
With the passage of the Rodda Bill, teachers must be represented by a single bargaining agent. Undoubtedly, unions will merge. The Rodda Bill allows bargaining on: wages, hours and working conditions which take some jurisdiction from the School Board.
The ever-present philosophic differences among School Board members over whether or not to accept Federal funds has come up again. It appears that a May-Horstman-Frempter coalition, which is against accepting Federal funds could block Title I applications.
The Planning Commission and ultimately the City Council are going to have a very difficult time prohibiting further lot splits in areas where splits were OK'd before the present laws limiting this practice.
A new office building is being constructed on the corner of Huntington and Indiana. It will occupy the site of the old service station run for man years by William Stockman, but which has been closed for some time.
Yom Kippur (September 15 this year) falling on the opening day of school has caused extreme consternation on the part of the Jewish community, which has tried to get the School Board to reconsider and change the opening date, but to no avail.
The Arcadia Police Department has decided against a strike at this time, but vowed to fight City Hall over a contract dispute. A 5% salary increase was approved, but not the extensive retirement benefits which were sought.
For the first time ever, there is a proficiency examination, which if passed successfully, would permit a student to leave school at 16. A certificate issued by the State will be legally equivalent to a diploma. The student must also have parental approval.
A new defensive weapon which shoots darts capable of inflicting 50,000 volts of electricity lasting about a micro-second is being manufactured in Arcadia. It is being marketed by Glen Mead and is called the Taser Gun.
The Arcadia Teachers' Association and the Arcadia School Board have tentatively agreed to resolve unfair labor practices complaints following an informal hearing at the Los Angeles office of the Public Employees Relations Board.