Historical background on plans to build a performing arts auditorium in Arcadia, starting in 1977-1978. The Arcadia Auditorium Foundation (AAF) was formed by Charles Gilb, Gloria Horstman and Joe Sargis. The building did not come to fruition but the money has supported music programs at Arcadia Unified School District over the years. Now that Measure I is funding a Performing Arts Center at Arcadia High School, the AAF will fund the ending expenses of the construction. Arcadia Mayor Gary Kovacic has been a long-time advocate of an auditorium. See hard copy in VF "Arcadia Performing Arts Center."
Guilty verdict delivered to Lawrence Joseph Farry, 25, who was convicted of gross vehicular manslaughter, in the death of former Arcadia resident Joan Milazzo in August last year. Farry struck Milazzo with his car in the Del Sur area of North County San Diego. Milazzo grew up in the San Gabriel Valley, graduated from Alverno High School in Sierra Madre and was a member of St. Rita Catholic Parish in Sierra Madre.
Arcadia Mayor's Breakfast / State of the City and Methodist Hospital update at Community Connections by Joan Schmidt. Mayor Peter Amundson was born and raised in Arcadia and spoke about what a great city it is to live, love, learn and leave a legacy. He spoke about the great Arcadia Public Library with its 42 high tech computers.
Arcadia Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast 2019: we are all Americans in a great city. Columnist Joan Schmidt recaps the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast and City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto’s State of the City Address. Pictured: Kari Helman, Jim Helms and his daughter.
Arcadians: "No" on Measure A, the repeal of Utility Users Tax (UUT) by Joan Schmidt. The utility tax is 12.5% of the city's $54.9 billion General Fund.
Singer Toni Braxton to entertain audience on November 2, in the infield during the Breeders' Cup. Also scheduled are Kristin Chenoweth, Babyface, Macy Gray, Joan Osborne, Dame and Jenny O.
Arcadia Unified School District celebrates grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony of the Compressed Natural Gas Station. It was made possible by nearly $500,000 in grants from California Energy Commission and Mobile Source Air Pollution Review Committee. The new CNG station is estimated to save the district up to $40,000 in fuel and maintenance costs per year.
Birth-tourism sites not easily detected.Terry Moore-Corse, a code enforcement officer in Arcadia has encountered three maternity homes in the past six years, most recently in 2009, when a resident reported "a lot of pregnant women" coming out of a house. Beyond building code and business license violations, there is nothing illegal about coming into this country to give birth, according to the U.S. State Department, which issues visas. Maternity tourism is a money-making cottage industry in which wealthy women from Asia pay anywhere from $25,000-35,000 to have American-born infants.
Arcadia city officials are cracking down on "maternity tourism" boarding houses by dedicating a full-time police detective to investigate the issue. Maternity or birth tourism is a phenomenon in which women, often from China, pay a handsome fee to have their babies in the United States, so the children can be citizens. While that is not illegal, at least five establishments have been shut down for violations, such as unlawfully operating boarding house businesses in residential zones.