Two local fire safe councils, the Sierra Madre and Big Santa Anita councils, each received $1000 of a grant from Farmers Insurance Group. The grant will help residents protect their homes.
In response to concerns for traffic safety, students at Arcadia High School created an original traffic safety video entitled "Cars and Schools: Everybody's Business." The video will air on Arcadia's cable channel and on the school district's channel.
Bowen Du, 19, an Arcadia man who was charged with felony vehicular manslaughter in the death of 16-year-old Arcadia High School student Alice Zhang, has pleaded not guilty. Du faces up to 6 years in state prison for vehicular manslaughter and up to 3 more years for causing serious injury to Zhang's friend Priyanka Patel, 16, of Upland.
Bowen Du, 19, of Arcadia, has taken a plea deal in the death of Arcadia teen Alice Zhang. He has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors--vehicular manslaughter with simple negligence and reckless driving causing injury. Du faces a maximum of 18 months in jail when he is sentenced on December 20.
Bowen Du, 19, a Pasadena City College student, was charged with felony vehicular manslaughter in the death of 16-year-old Arcadia High School student Alice Zhang on April 10. In court, he said he was sorry and did not mean to do it. He was a graduate of Arcadia High School in 2010 and a private first class in the U.S. Army Reserve. His arraignment was continued until June 28. Du has no prior criminal record. Arcadia police have said the car's windshield was "excessively dirty" and that "this vision obstruction, combined with the setting sun at the time of the collision, played a major role in the cause of the collision." Du was driving about 30 mph when he struck Zhang and her friend on the 600 block of West Duarte Road.
Neighboring residents in Sierra Madre and Arcadia strive to solve traffic issues and pedestrian safety concerns near Sierra Vista Park at the intersection of Sierra Madre Boulevard and Monterey Lane in Sierra Madre.
The parents of Alice Zhang have filed a $5 million claim against the city of Arcadia, arguing the "dangerous" crosswalk on the 600 block of West Duarte Road should have been changed long ago. Alice Zhang was a pedestrian hit by a car there, driven by Bowen Du, and was killed. The parents are Ruixia "Nancy" Liang and Yongjian "Richard" Zhang. The crosswalk "has been known to be dangerous for a long time," said attorney David Casselman, who is representing the parents. The city reacted by putting in an experimental crossing signal (flashing yellow lights) that proved insufficient.
Bowen Du, the driver, who struck and Alice Zhang, 16, of Arcadia, as she walked across the 600 block of Duarte Road, will face the felony charge of one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. If convicted, he faces up to six years in prison. His arraignment is scheduled for August 11, 2011 in Pasadena Superior Court.
Yongjian "Richard" Zhang and Ruixia "Nancy" Zhang, the parents of Alice Zhang, have filed a lawsuit against the City of Arcadia and the driver who struck and killed Alice. The lawsuit, filed in August, alleges that "the dangerous condition" of the crosswalk on the 600 block of West Duarte Road was a significant factor in Alice's death. The Zhangs are asking for unspecified general and special damages. The complaint also alleges that driver Bowen Du's negligence was a "substantial factor" in the teen's death.
Experts who have analyzed the crash that killed Alice Zhang, 16, of Arcadia, say that Bowen Du, the driver, did not have enough time to react to avoid the fatal accident. This report given by Du's attorney failed to address how or why Du failed to stop after other cars had stopped at the crosswalk, which is required by California Vehicle Code.
Several Arcadia High School students implored Arcadia City Council to consider making changes to a crosswalk on the 600 block of West Duarte Road, where 11th grader Alice Zhang was struck and killed last month by a car. The students are members of the For Alice Movement and are pushing for changes to the pedestrian crossing. They argued that the crossing is problematic since cars often fail to stop there, even after pedestrians activate the flashing warning light system. The students asked the council to consider either removing the crosswalk, installing a traffic light at the crosswalk, which would turn yellow and then red only when activated by a pedestrian, or removing the crosswalk and installing a flashing pedestrian system at an existing crosswalk 400 feet east of Lovell Avenue. City Engineer Phil Wray said the pros and cons for each viable option need to be studied.
Arcadia is ranked 44th safest city in California this year, according to “50 Safest Cities in California for 2018,” a report recently released by SafeWise. In order to produce these rankings, analysts at SafeWise reviewed FBI’s crime statistics and population data for 2016. The criterion for a safe city was based on the number of reported violent crimes in each city per 1000 people. See also Mountain Views News, p. 6, October 20, 2018.
Arcadia City Council has accepted a federal grant of $125,000 to place a uniformed police officer on the campuses of the city's three middle schools. The program is called Youth and Educational Support (YES).
Arcadia police investigators have completed an inquiry into the April 10 crash, in the 600 block of West Duarte Road, that killed 16-year-old Arcadia High School student Alice Zhang. Detective Michael Hale said the driver was negligent in driving a car with a dirty windshield that blinded him as he drove toward a setting sun. Arcadia officials are recommending the driver of the 1997 Lexus sedan that struck Alice Zhang and her friend who survived, be charged with vehicular manslaughter, but the District Attorney's office will review the case and decide on whether to prosecute the driver and on what grounds.
How can you help the Arcadia Educational Foundation? The Arcadia Educational Foundation (AEF) is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1981 in response to substantially reduced federal and state funding for California public schools, administered by parent and community member trustees, to raise funds for Arcadia Unified School District. AEF runs the annual summer school program, offers $25000 in teacher grants each year, funds district-wide phone and text communication system, and has also funded teacher positions due to state-wide budget cuts.
Pink wall paints awareness for breast cancer at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena. Lanora Khoe of Arcadia is one of the painters and participants. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.