Eight Arcadia High School students stood in front of the city police station waving signs at motorists to protest Arcadia's teen curfew after one of them was stopped for roller skating on the street at night. The curfew ordinance has been in effect for more than 20 years and prohibits people under the age of 18 from loitering on streets and in public places between 10 PM and sunrise.
Arcadia mail-in voters reject proposal for new lighting assessment districts. Under the proposal, the single-family homes on well-lit streets would pay up for $24 a year. Those with "sporadic" lighting would pay up to $10.12 a year, while homes on streets without lights would pay nothing. The current lighting assessment districts expire in 2010. Out of 14,600 ballots sent out, about 1/3 were returned. The proposal failed by 70 votes. 2,457 ballots voted yes and 2,530 voted no.
The Administration at Arcadia High School had to institute a new policy against freak dancing or "freaking" after students got too wild at the Homecoming Dance. Freaking is a kind of dancing in which dancers grind against each other's pelvises. Students who attended the Winter Casual dance had to sign a contract "to conduct themselves appropriately both on and off the dance floor."
Teen is killed and another was shot by off-duty Customs and Border Protection officer after the boys allegedly attacked and tried to rob him in Arcadia, at about 8:15 PM in the area of Colorado Boulevard and 1st Avenue, on May 26, 2017. A third teen that was involved ran away.
Art Wilson writes about some of the famous names in Santa Anita Park's 75 year history, including Charlie Whittingham, Bill Shoemaker, Laffit Pincay, Jr., Seabiscuit, Citation and John Henry.
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.
Hall of Fame jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. was awarded $2.7 million in a lawsuit against Huntington Ambulance Service. He claims that Huntington's treatment of him after a riding accident in which he broke two bones in his neck and a spinal injury, caused him to end his career. The Ambulance company is not affiliated with Huntington Hospital.
Arcadia city officials have approved across-the-board fee increases that are expected to generate $500,000 in revenue this year. Parking tickets will go up from an average of $40 to $50. Other fees going up include building permits, towing fees, business license fees, water, street, and engineering services.
DUI (driving under the influence) is suspected in fatal freeway crash. An allegedly drunk Tatsukiho Sakamoto, 37 of Arcadia, ignored signs and cones indicating the 10 Freeway was closed, and drove his Toyota RAV4 through the closure, fatally striking 21-year-old road worker Connor McDermott Penhall. Penhall is son of hall of fame motorcycle racer and actor Bruce Penhall.
Fifteen year old Omar Elmasri, a junior on the Arcadia High School soccer team, played an exceptional game against the Pasadena Bulldogs, scoring three goals.
Former Arcadia police lieutenant Kenneth Kuwahara, 40, entered his plea of guilty to false personation and identity theft, both felonies, and four misdemeanor counts of soliciting prostitution. The solicitations happened between January and May of 2005, while Kuwahara was on duty as watch commander. He faces up to 5 years in prison. The article includes Chief Bob Sanderson's comments.