Evanne Elizabeth Friedmann was crowned the 93rd Rose Queen by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses President Jeffrey Throop. She is a seventeen year old La Canada High School senior and will reign over the 122nd Rose Parade. Rose Princesses on the Royal Court are Tatyane Anaid Berrios of Arcadia High School, Sarah Frederickson of Maranatha High School, Jessica Montoya of Flintridge Preparatory School, Tenaya Senzaki of Pasadena High School, Kathryn Thomson of Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy and Michelle Washington of Pasadena City College.
Thirty-one finalists have made the cut for the 2011 Royal Court for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade. The girls from Arcadia are Jaslyn Elders, Giselle Hillier and Tatyane Berrios. The seven member Royal Court will be announced Monday, October 11, and the Rose Queen will be chosen from the final seven on October 19.
Seventeen year old La Canada High School student Evanne Elizabeth Friedmann was crowned the 93rd Rose Queen. The 2011 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Royal Court includes Friedmann, Tatyane Anaid Berrios of Arcadia High School, Sarah Frederickson of Maranatha High School, Jessica Montoya of Flintridge Preparatory School, Tenaya Senzaki of Pasadena High School, Kathryn Thomson of Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy and Michelle Washington of Pasadena City College.
The final seven members of the 2011 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Royal Court were announced. The princesses are Tatyane Anaid Berrios of Arcadia High School, Sarah Frederickson of Maranatha High School, Evanne Friedmann of La Canada High School, Jessica Montoya of Flintridge Preparatory School, Tenaya Senzaki of Pasadena High School, Kathryn Thomson of Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy and Michelle Washington of Pasadena City College.
Individual students and the Arcadia Educational Foundation (AEF) raised about $840,000 for the Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) during its annual appeal last year, enabling the district to reinstate 12 teaching positions. Budget cuts from the state have created "serious challenges" for Arcadia schools over the past 4 years, said AUSD superintendent Joel Shawn.
With about a dozen Southern California cities, including Arcadia, potentially seeking new city managers this fall, some local officials are worried demand could drive up the salaries. Arcadia City Councilman Roger Chandler, whose city manager Don Penman is retiring in October, after 3 years as top administrator, said the opportunity to work for certain cities will outweigh the competitive market. He said this will not create a bidding war for city managers. Penman's annual salary is $214,032 plus $4000 in deferred compensation. He receives $14,076/year in medical benefits, 4 weeks vacation, 2 weeks management leave, and use of a car and BlackBerry.
Sonia Maljian, Director of Laboratory Services at Arcadia Methodist Hospital, was invited to be one of 16 U.S. delegates to go to Egypt and help standardize their laboratory procedures. She will take part in the People to People Ambassador Program, hosted by the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science.
Federal legislation aimed at bringing more teachers back in the classroom is providing Pasadena-area school districts with more than $12.3 million, according to the California Department of Education's preliminary figures. Many district officials are wary of immediately using the money to hire teachers, saying they will likely have to lay off the teachers next year. The money comes from President Obama's $26 billion Jobs Bill for teachers and other government jobs. A chart shows preliminary allocations to San Gabriel Valley school districts. Arcadia Unified School District is scheduled to receive $1,667,871.
The trial for Isaac Campbell, charged with the murder of Liya "Jessie" Lu, has been delayed to give the Public Defender Jim Duffy time to transcribe a set of tapes from follow-up witness interviews from August. Lu went missing August 11, 2007 and her body was discovered a month later in the trash can of Campbell's friend's house in Arcadia.
Area hospitals are rated on their earthquake safety and readiness. Arcadia Methodist Hospital received a 2 out of 5 rating for all buildings. This hospital has been granted a waiver and won't have to be at a rating of 3 until 2030. See related article on p. A1.
Arcadia police arrested 3 burglary suspects after a high-speed chase on the 210 Freeway ended in a crash in Azusa yesterday. The suspects are Dominic Bertirotti, 23, of Monrovia, Salim Alayache, 23 of Pasadena and Salvador Esparza, Jr., 18 of Azusa. No one was injured seriously.
Thousands of San Gabriel Valley customers will be receiving refunds from Golden State Water Company after state regulators ruled the San Dimas-based company failed to properly oversee contracts that led to overcharging customers. The CPUC ruled that Golden State must refund Northern California and Southern California customers $9.5 million over the next 3 years and/or lower rates. About $400,000 in refunds will be given to 100,000 Southern California customers, including customers in Charter Oak, Claremont, Covina, Glendora, La Verne, San Dimas, Walnut, San Gabriel, Arcadia, El Monte, Irwindale, Monrovia, Monterey Park, Rosemead and Temple City.
Southern California Edison (SCE) works to restore power to crisis areas after a destructive 70 mph windstorm hit yesterday early morning, and caused power outages in Pasadena, San Gabriel, Alhambra, Arcadia, Altadena, Monrovia, El Monte, Sierra Madre, Temple City, and San Marino.
Arcadia Methodist Hospital's new wing, a $140 million, 184-bed tower, that opened last month, largely replaces 2 hospital buildings built in 1957 and 1967. This new building helps as Arcadia Methodist Hospital (AMH) plans to address the risks of buildings collapsing during an earthquake. Joe La Brie, a structural engineer said AMH has addressed utility line hazards. Acute services are being relocated to the new tower. See related story about earthquake preparedness at other hospitals in the San Gabriel Valley (see same page).
Los Angeles County home prices and sales continue to decline. The median price of a Los Angeles County home fell in October to $339,910, down 2.6% from September's price of $349,040. However, Arcadia led all California cities with a 40% jump from last year's median price. Currently the median home price in Arcadia is $856,000. Other San Gabriel Valley area median home prices are given.