Muir High School in Pasadena names alum Lance Mitchell as the football head coach. Mitchell has been assistant coach for Arcadia High School the past 5 seasons.
Robert Maxie, a successful offensive coordinator who helped Arcadia High School's football team play for a CIF Southern Section Division 8 championship in 2018, was named head coach for Baldwin Park's football team.
Arcadia High School badminton team completes a historic undefeated season with a perfect 22-0 record, winning their third CIF championship title in four years. Coach Mike Stiles formed the team nine years ago in 2016 and will be retiring at the end of this season.
Wrapping up spring season's biggest takeaways and outstanding efforts in high school sports. Recognized for his outstanding effort is Antoine Sims, Arcadia High School football coach who was hired during the pandemic.
San Gabriel Valley All-Star game ends season. The game was hosted by South Hills High School. Two longtime SGV coaches were inducted into the San Gabriel Valley Hall of Honor--Steve Gewecke of Alhambra and Dan Henley of Glendora. Gewecke had played for longtime Arcadia coach John Meiers.
Arcadia High School students see continued success in National Merit Scholarship Program. Twenty Arcadia High School students have earned a spot in the 2021 competition. Over the past 25 years, Arcadia High School has had more than 600 National Merit Scholar semifinalists.
Arcadia High School cancels season-opening football game against Muir High School after one of its players tested positive for COVID-19 and the school had to place the entire team in quarantine, confirmed athletic director Milica Protic.
Class of 2023 graduations happening in Arcadia include:
June 1-Arroyo Pacific Academy graduation at Arroyo Pacific Academy, 325 North Santa Anita Avenue.
June 8-Arcadia High School graduation at Santa Anita Park Racetrack, 285 West Huntington Drive.
Also, June 6-Gabrielino High School (located in San Gabriel) graduation will be held at Santa Anita Park Racetrack.
Arcadia Unified School District to reconsider Apaches as mascot amid online petition drive, officials say it is on agenda. It is a revival of a 20-year-old controversy to remove Apaches name and imagery amid a nationwide movement to erase offensive emblems. Shayan Farooq, a 2013 graduate of Arcadia High School, felt the issue needed to be addressed. Farooq started a petition at Change.org. AUSD spokesperson Ryan Foran said the issue will be addressed in its list of priorities after reopening schools during the coronavirus pandemic and recent sexual assault allegations involving current and former students who were video recorded, without consent, having sex. Controversy surrounding the Apaches mascot dates back two decades when Native American activists protested the Apache Joe mascot at Arcadia school board meetings in 1999. Then Principal Martin Plourde sought the White Mountain Apache Tribe's blessing to use the imagery and tribal leaders approved, but many students at Alchesay High School (Arcadia High School's sister school on Apache reservation) found the mascot offensive and urged Plourde to change it. 2018 Arcadia High School graduate Yumei Lin is leading a Facebook group to change the emblem.
Husband shot wife and himself. Deaths of Arcadia couple--Paul Thornton, 58, and his wife Maria Lockwood, 54--ruled murder-suicide. He died of a gunshot wound to the head and she died of a gunshot wound to the chest. They had been married a little over a year. They lived in the block of 600 West Huntington Drive.
High school football notes. Sierra Vista adds pair of nonleague games to schedule. The coronavirus-shortened high school football season begins today, giving teams a chance to play as many as 6 games this spring. But for most teams, especially those in San Gabriel Valley, schedules are still being finalized. Muir's Pacific League opener against Arcadia was scratched after Apaches had to shut down due to quarantine.
Former Arcadia man accused of lying, losing millions of investors' money. James Arthur McDonald, Jr. former CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Hercules Investments LLC and Index Strategy Advisors Inc. was charged with one count of securities fraud. Prosecutors claim McDonald lost clients of his Los Angeles-based firm Hercules millions of dollars in late 2020. He had been renting a home in Arcadia.
A statue to honor Anita M. Baldwin, daughter of Arcadia's founder Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin, will be built at the new Le Meridien Hotel, a luxury hotel in Arcadia. The artist/sculptor is Alfred Paredes, who also created the Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin statue.
Arcadia High School boys basketball team rolls to another Pacific League victory. Coach is Nick Wallace. Arcadia players pictured are Mansour Senneh and Bryan Ching.