Missing Arcadia man Julius ("Cotton") Tinsley, 81, was found dead down a ravine at a turnout on Highway 18, about 2 miles north of the Snow Valley Ski Area. Julius Tinsley trained race horses for 54 years before retiring in 2000.
A drainage problem forced the cancellation of horse racing at Santa Anita Park since three inches of rain fell yesterday. The track has had to cancel racing 12 times since the synthetic track was installed two years ago. In 2006, the California Horse Racing Board banned dirt surfaces from thoroughbred tracks. Santa Anita Park has tried two synthetic tracks but the surfaces have not worked out. Officials announced they will replace the synthetic surface before the Oak Tree Meet in the fall.
Six candidates are running for three seats on the Arcadia City Council. They are Bob Harbicht, Paul Cheng, Mickey Segal, Peter Amundson, Jason Lee, and Sho Tay. They each answer the questions, "What should be done to improve the city's fiscal situation?" and "How should the city handle the Caruso mall proposal at Santa Anita (Park)?" The election will be in April.
Santa Anita Park owner Frank Stronach met with about a dozen horse trainers to discuss the track's racing surface. Stronach announced that he would not replace the synthetic Pro-Ride track yet, but will stick with it until he gets the ability to run the track with less state regulations. He wants free enterprise, which he may never get. In the meantime, drainage problems and injuries persist on the synthetic track. Stronach said he'd be back in April to discuss the issue more.
Six candidates vying for three seats on the Arcadia City Council have raised more than $250,000 in campaign contributions. The candidates are Bob Harbicht, Paul Cheng, Mickey Segal, Peter Amundson, Jason J. Lee, and Sho Tay. The amounts raised for each candidate are given. The election will be on April 13, 2010.
Race horse Bourbon Bay became the first horse in 17 years to sweep Santa Anita Park's trio of marathon graded turf stakes races with a half-length victory in the $150,000 Grade 2 San Juan Capistrano Handicap on closing day of the track's 75th anniversary meeting. The jockey was Rafael Bejarano, the first jockey since Laffit Pincay, Jr. in 1978-1981 to win three consecutive Santa Anita Park riding titles.
Twelve citizens from Arcadia raised thousands of dollars to help a woman named Yessica Hernandez Millan, 31, of Whittier, who had to bury her three children. They died in a traffic accident in Newhall on April 12. Their funeral was on Thursday, April 29. The deceased are Cynthia Hernandez, 9, Edgar Hernandez, 8, and Xochitl Hernandez, 5.
Santa Anita Park's ownership changed hands on April 30 after Frank Stronach's Magna Entertainment Corp. (MEC) transferred many of its assets to Stronach's MI Developments (MID) (one of MEC's creditors), as part of a bankruptcy restructuring plan. Last week MI Developments, a real estate operating company, canceled its 2005 agreement with Caruso Affiliated to develop to the proposed mall known as The Shops at Santa Anita, but this week MI Developments hopes to work out a deal with developer Rick Caruso to build an upscale retail project in the track's parking lot.
Ron Charles, 61, who has been president of Santa Anita Park for 5 1/2 years, is resigning. His final day is today. General Manager George Haines will take over as interim president while MI Developments (MID) searches for a replacement.
The Breeders' Cup announced that its internationally recognized thoroughbred horse racing event will be hosted by the Churchill Downs race track in Louisville, KY in 2011 for the second consecutive year. Breeders' Cup spokesman Jim Gluckson said, "It became a difficult situation to select Santa Anita Park for 2011 with the problems that occurred with the cancellation of Oak Tree lease."
Frank Stronach, chairman of MI Developments, the owner of Santa Anita Park, says he is optimistic his company can work out a new deal with developer Rick Caruso to build an outdoor mall at Santa Anita Park, even though he voided a 2005 joint-venture agreement with Caruso in April to build the Shops at Santa Anita mall in the race track's parking lot.
Arcadia property owners voted to continue paying for a portion of their street lights under a new formula after lighting district funds expired in June. 66% of the vote was cast in favor of extending about $428,600 of annual funding to maintain and repair street lights. A similar proposal on the ballot failed less than 2 years ago.
A recent audit of fire department response times in 12 cities shows San Marino and Pasadena firefighters were the quickest in responding to emergency calls. The report covered April, May and June. San Marino's and Pasadena's average response times were 4:03 and 4:02, respectively. Arcadia's average, in comparison, was 4:21.
MI Developments, the parent company of Santa Anita Park, announced the formation of the Preakness 5.5 bonus program, which could mean an additional $5.5 million for the winning connections of the middle leg of horse racing's Triple Crown in 2011.
A federal investigation of a San Gabriel Valley-based Asian crime syndicate led to the arrests of 18 suspected Red Door gang members in several San Gabriel Valley cities, including Arcadia. The effort was dubbed "Operation Paint it Black." Authorities seized seven guns, 12,500 ecstasy pills, 2,230 marijuana plants and a Lamborghini. The 18 were indicted on drug trafficking and international marriage fraud charges.
Thirty-one finalists have made the cut for the 2011 Royal Court for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade. The girls from Arcadia are Jaslyn Elders, Giselle Hillier and Tatyane Berrios. The seven member Royal Court will be announced Monday, October 11, and the Rose Queen will be chosen from the final seven on October 19.
The final seven members of the 2011 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Royal Court were announced. The princesses are Tatyane Anaid Berrios of Arcadia High School, Sarah Frederickson of Maranatha High School, Evanne Friedmann of La Canada High School, Jessica Montoya of Flintridge Preparatory School, Tenaya Senzaki of Pasadena High School, Kathryn Thomson of Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy and Michelle Washington of Pasadena City College.
San Gabriel Mayor Albert Y. M. Huang announced he would resign from office after his arrest in a domestic violence case involving a confrontation with a woman (not his wife) outside New Taste Dupling House at 301 West Valley Boulevard. San Gabriel City Council accepted his resignation. He graduated from Arcadia High School in 1994.
HBO, the cable network will start filming the first episodes of a horse racing series starring Dustin Hoffman on October 31, at Santa Anita Park. The series is called "Luck," about the various players of horse racing. Filming for the first year's episodes is expected to run through mid-April.