Santa Anita Park winning horse "I'll Have Another," ridden by jockey Mario Gutierrez, wins the 138th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY. Trainer is Doug O'Neill and owner is J. Paul Reddam.
Santa Anita Park: another horse dies; summary on its way. Death is fifth in month; The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) report on past meet is due in December. GQ Covergirl, a 6-year-old mare trained by Doug O'Neill injured her front legs Friday on Santa Anita's training track and was euthanized.
Santa Anita Park opens Friday September 27 for 23-day Autumn Meet. A team of equine veterinarians, including Dr. Dionne Benson and Dr. Dana Stead, will oversee every aspect of Santa Anita Park's training and racing operation.
Arcadia Mayor Peter Amundson defends his speaker of choice at next month's Mayor's Community Breakfast. He has invited H. B. London, of Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian group that opposes same-sex marriage. Residents and activists upset about this choice are organizing two counterevents of their own. Activists are planning a "peaceful" demonstration March 4 outside Arcadia Community Center and a bar-b-que at Pasadena's Unitarian Church for all families. Focus on the Family was founded in Arcadia by Dr. James C. Dobson and believes marriage is meant to be between a man and a woman. Amundson said the event is not about sexuality but about the Arcadia family.
H. B. London, Jr., of Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian group that opposes gay marriage, spoke at the 2011 Mayor's Community Breakfast, about the importance of compassion and unconditional love in the family. Outside there were some 90 protestors that support the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
Arcadia Mayor Peter Amundson's selection of Reverend H. B. London, Jr. to speak at the community breakfast on March 4, is drawing criticism from some residents and gay-rights activists. London is a vice president of ministry outreach at Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian group that opposes gay marriage. Some residents are asking Mayor Amundson to reconsider and they feel Focus on the Family delivers hateful messages. The city estimates it will pay between $5000 and $5500 for its contribution to the event, which will include the speaker's plane fare.
Joshua Parra-Davis, 23, of Arcadia, was allegedly found with a bomb after visiting Foothills Middle School on January 14, 2011. He will face four felony counts of possession of a destructive or explosive device. He is being held at Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic, and due back at Pasadena Superior Court on June 15 to enter a plea. If convicted of all four felony counts, he could face up to 19 years in prison.