Santa Anita Park race track will unveil a 1000-pound bronze statue of popular race horse John Henry and a historical marker covering 75 years of the race track's history, as part of its 75th anniversary this Saturday. The bronze statue cost more than $100,000. The marker was done by the Arcadia Historical Society.
Arcadia High School juniors Catrina McAlister and Ammar Moussa are the Pasadena Star News girls and boys Runners of the Year, and Arcadia High School coach Jim O'Brien is the Boys Coach of the Year.
Many San Gabriel Valley cities are seeing an increase in property tax revenues in the 2009-2010 fiscal year, namely San Marino, Arcadia, Bradbury, Alhambra and South Pasadena. Arcadia's property tax revenue is expected to be $3,359,282.80 compared to $3,294,314.77 in 2008-2009. Other cities' figures are given. In the average city, property taxes make up 11% of the city budget.
Gold Line Foothill Extension Authority officials unveiled a San Gabriel Valley-themed design for a rail bridge honoring local wildlife and native cultures. The span of the 739-foot bridge will stretch diagonally across the 210 Freeway to Santa Anita Avenue in Arcadia. It will be adorned by four basket-shaped columns and the bridge itself will have individual grooves resembling the scales of a snake. Andrew Leicester is the artist and designer.
Arcadia city officials adopt a 5-year redevelopment plan. The major goals are the expansion of the Rusnak Mercedes Benz auto dealership, development around the future Gold Line station and several affordable housing programs. The city demolished the Church of Arcadia's old building at 21 Morlan Place in September to make room for a parking lot that could be used by Rusnak.
Measure R, by which voters approved a half-cent sales tax last November, was to fund dozens of new transportation projects across Los Angeles County. However, rather than launch new projects, several San Gabriel Valley cities plan to use the windfall to keep municipal bus routes and Dial-a-Ride shuttles in operation. Arcadia may store up some of the funding it is due to receive, 290,000 this year and $496,000 next year, for a larger project down the line, said Transportation Services Manager Linda Hui. Possible projects include funding part of a grade separation at a future Gold Line station in Arcadia, or funding other Gold Line station enhancements, such as shuttle services. Street improvements are also a possibility for Arcadia.
The unemployment rate in every city in the San Gabriel Valley either went down or stayed flat last month, for the first time in several months, according to state numbers. Still, economists say many people are out of work now compared to this time last year. A chart shows Arcadia has 2000, or 7.3% unemployment. A chart shows numbers for nearby cities.
Arcadia officials project a $1.2 million budget deficit and have approved a combination of using reserve funds, hiring freezes, and other budget mechanisms to offset it. In order to avoid deep cuts in city services, the City Council has approved a plan to defer the city's slurry sealing program (street surface maintenance) for one year.
A new exhibit at the Ruth and Charles Gilb Arcadia Historical Museum is about the Santa Anita Assembly Center, a temporary facility at Santa Anita Park that held Japanese Americans before they were sent to more permanent internment camps during World War II. The opening reception will feature speakers Osamu Miyamoto, Akkiko Nomura and others. Dana Dunn is the curator.
World War II pilot Walter "Pat" Hollywood, a longtime Arcadia resident, celebrated Veterans Day and his 90th birthday yesterday. He was born in Pasadena in 1919 and served as an Army C-46 Commando pilot during World War II. He works out at the Fortanesce and Associates Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Center in Arcadia and walks for an hour at the Los Angeles County Arboretum every day.
Two articles describe the Breeders' Cup XXVI, 2009, and the race horse Zenyatta. The Breeders' Cup drew a 2-day total of 96,496 attendees, but the 41st Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita Park showed significant declines in attendance and handle when its 31 days of racing ended yesterday.
Arcadia High School junior cross-country runner Ammar Moussa wins the boys Division 1 and 2 sweepstakes at the Mt. San Antonio College Cross Country Invitational. Also included is a photo of Arcadia High School junior Catrina McAlister.