A recent court ruling that prohibits school districts from charging for bus service could prompt a restructuring of student transportation programs in Arcadia.
Jef Wheeler, 26, a jazz dance teacher at Arcadia Dance Arts for two years, is currently touring with "Heart Strings" an AIDS benefit sponsored by the Design Alliance to Combat AIDS and the Design Industries Foundation for AIDS. After the Los Angeles show, the troupe will move on to Houston, Miami, New York, Boston and Washington, D. C. Organizers hope to raise $4 million for AIDS research, community education programs and care and services for AIDS patients.
23 Arcadia High School students capped third-place honors in the California State Finals of the National Bicentennial Competition. The students, in Ron Morris' advanced placement government class, last month won first place in the 22nd Congressional District contest, which included five local schools. Photo.
Terrance M. Towner, former Pasadena resident and school superintendent in Los Gatos, will be next superintendent for the Arcadia Unified School District. The Arcadia Board of Education selected Towner after a 4-month search. He replaces Stephen Goldstone, who left in September to become superintendent with the Chino Unified School District. Mr. Towner will earn $91,000 per year.
Ten Arcadia High School students have been selected as National Merit finalists, placing them among 14,000 competing for the 6100 available Merit Scholarships. The seniors are Kenneth Branson, Sidney Chung, Enrique Colayco, Bonnie Flinn, Norbert Hsu, Jacqueline Luk, Douglas McCreary, Regina Momblanco, David Park and Henry Tseng.
Police have arrested nine people who are believed to be members of a San Gabriel Valley Asian gang that has been under investigation in recent months for terrorizing local Asian youths. Four adults and five juveniles were taken into custody after police linked them with a February 15 kidnapping, attempted extortion and assault.
James Domney, 49, is leaving his position as City Librarian after 11 years in this position and 18 years with the library. Kent Ross, 45, who started at the library at about the same time as Domney, was recently appointed as the new City Librarian.
Kiewit Pacific Company, a construction firm formerly based in Arcadia and now located in Santa Fe Springs was fined $50,000 for burying 50 industrial drums, of which 2 contained hazardous liquid, on its Arcadia property between 1982 and 1985.
Rebecca Switzer, a math instructor at Arcadia High School, was one of 10 Los Angeles County teachers selected as a finalist in the Jaime Escalante Mathematics Teacher Awards program.
An anonymous donor apparently has withdrawn $225,000 in support of county botanical programs because of concerns about a proposed merger between the L.A. County Natural History Museum and the county Dept. of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens.
David Park, 17, a senior at Arcadia High School, is one of only 6 San Gabriel Valley students to receive a $2000 National Merit Scholarship, on of 1800 nationwide winners. Park is one of only 2 students in California to also be honored in the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, where he is one of 500 national finalists competing for 141 scholar awards.
Gerald A. Parker, last years's City Employee of the Year, has been appointed director of finance. Parker replaces Alan Murphy, who died earlier this month after a long battle with cancer.
111 City Hall employees may earn an extra $50-110 a month by walking, bicycling, carpooling, or using public transportation to work. The City Council approved the plan to satisfy South Coast Air Quality Management District regulations requiring worksites to provide incentives to employees who reduce vehicle trips to work.
A new or improved public library could become a reality in the near future. The current library is bursting at the seams with increasing amounts of books, computer equipment and an increasing number of people using the 28-year-old library.
Vons Market, which operates 328 grocery stores in Southern California, has moved its corporate headquarters from El Monte to Michillinda Avenue, between Sunset Boulevard and Huntington Drive. The 240,000 square foot building, a former May Co. store that closed in January 1989, will house 950 Vons employees.
A federal judge has ordered Peter Kiewit and its subsidiary, Kiewit Pacific Co., now located in Santa Fe Springs, to pay the city of Arcadia the cost of cleaning up contaminated soil at the Santa Clara Street property it sold to the Arcadia Redevelopment Agency in 1985. The hazardous waste has put a new office building project on hold for more than a year and a half.
Bill Connolly, 67, has closed his White Eyes Indian Shop, located south of Huntington Drive on First Avenue. First opened in 1964, the property was sold to Don Ta of Alhambra, who plans to open a real estate office.
The Arcadia Police Dept. will receive $1,227,823 of a total of $12 million for its part in the largest drug bust in history at a Sylmar warehouse last September. The money will be used to step up drug enforcement, as well as for community programs in drug prevention and awareness. The undercover work was by officer Dean Caputo.
The Arcadia Post 247 American Legion members will be leaving their home of 69 years to move to a new meeting place sometime in the next few months. Faced with dwindling funds to finance much-needed repairs for their 2-story hall, the group has sold their property to a development firm that wants to build 40 homes in the area.
Climaxing a 16-month battle, the state Board of Education in Sacramento voted 9-0 to deny a petition by a group of Sierra Madre parents to have the city join the Arcadia Unified School District.