Obituary/death notice. Victor Vener, Cal Phil and Pasadena Pops founder, dies at 78. Vener brought outdoor concerts to the Santa Anita Park Race Track, The Arboretum, Descanso Gardens, Rose Bowl, and others.
Pasadena parents speak on tirade of San Rafael Elementary School (in Pasadena) Principal Rudy Ramirez, an Arcadia resident. Pasadena Unified School District trustees meet in closed session but take no action; rant over janitor's arrest by Pasadena police videotaped. See also "Mayor Gordo defends critical letter," Pasadena Star News, p. A1, A6, August 20, 2022.
Santa Anita Park officials hail dramatic drop in horse fatalities. Officials called the safety record a 62.5% improvement over the previous year and 74% improvement since spring of 2019, when 42 horses died, sparking debate about safety issues at the track and about horse racing in general.
Santa Anita Park modifiest rack after horse deaths. It is the first significant change in 67 years. Horses running 6 and 6 1/2 furlongs will instead start on a new turf chute under construction at the racetrack's northeast corner, near the Gate 5 entrance. Santa Anita Park will host a short meet September 19-October 25, still without spectators due to the coronavirus. The racing board delayed the start of the meet to give the horses time to rest and to ensure its COVID-19 protocols were in place. County officials recorded 38 coronavirus cases at Santa Anita Park by the end of its previous meet in June.
Gusty Santa Ana winds wreak havoc to local business and residents in Arcadia. The patio outside the restaurant Matt Denny's Ale House was destroyed by the heavy winds.
Ringing in the Rose Queen. Camille Kennedy of La Salle High School is crowned 2020 Rose Queen of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses. One woman on the Royal Court of princesses is Rukan Saif of Arcadia High School. The others are Mia Thorsen of Marshall Fundamental School, Emilie Risha of Flintridge Sacred Heart, Reese Saporito of Marshall Fundamental School, Michael Wilkins of Marantha High School and Cole Fox of South Pasadena High School. Laura Farber is the Tournament of Roses President.
Jockey Victor Espinoza, pictured at Santa Anita Park, was honored at Edwin Janss Gregson Foundation's annual dinner. He is a Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Triple Crown jockey.
Arcadia's iconic Santa Anita Park hires consultant Dennis Moore to work on the condition of the one mile training track, in the wake of 21 horse deaths since December 2018.
Denny’s colorful windmill lights up Arcadia’s holiday spirits. The blades have been carefully fabricated and the official “turn-on” took place Friday, November 30. It now runs counterclockwise, 24-hours a day with LED lights. The restaurant used to be Van De Kamp’s.
Iconic windmill spins once more at Denny’s. Less than a year after it detached and crashed into the restaurant, the windmill atop the Arcadia Denny’s is spinning again at the northeast corner of Huntington Drive and Santa Anita Avenue. One new addition to the windmill is LED lighting capable of changing colors. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 1, 11, November 29, 2018.