Rio Hondo School's American flag, which once flew at American bases in Iraq, will be deployed with troops in Afghanistan. Students Johnny Luong and Stephanie Li fold the flag before presenting it to Army Major Williams Darwin.
Santa Anita Park's main track to undergo major renovation beginning July 11. Track is transitioning to a single source material consisting of highly coveted El Segundo Sand, a natural soil that will ensure balanced drainage during periods of wet weather and uniform, safe cushion year round. Dennis Moore is Track Superintendent.
Dwight Chang of Arcadia is owner of a house on the 1300 block of South Palm Avenue in San Gabriel. The building has been operating as a makeshift maternity ward with 10 newborns and about 12 Chinese nationals, crammed into an illegally converted townhouse. Chang has been warned twice before for operating a business that primarily caters to Asian "maternity tourists." Chang denied any wrongdoing and was fined $800 for building code violations. Children born on American soil automatically become United States citizens, under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. Maternity tourism caters to wealthy Taiwanese, Chinese and Koreans. Throughout the past decade, similar set-ups have been uncovered in Rowland Heights, Hacienda Heights, New York, and Quebec.
First Avenue Middle School welcomes new principal Semeen Issa. Dr. Issa had been assistant principal at the school for the past 6 years and this will be her 17th year at First Avenue Middle School.
Arcadia company Gemcoin, a digital currency or "cryptocurrency," has been using Arcadia City Councilman John Wuo's image on its website and marketing materials. John Wuo denies any endorsement of Gemcoin.
Caltech graduate Tyler Johnson, who had been identified as a suspect in the firebombing and vandalism of more than 130 sport utility vehicles (SUVs) at automobile dealerships in the San Gabriel Valley in 2003, has died in an avalanche while hiking in the Corsian mountains in France on December 26, 2009. Johnson has been a fugitive for the past six years. Surveillance cameras captured Johnson and William ("Billy") Cottrell spray painting environmental slogans on the cars at Rusnak Mercedes Benz in Arcadia in 2003. Cottrell was convicted.
The changing face of Arcadia: from Super Chief to Gold Line. Major construction for the Gold Line and demolition of one block of old shops on Santa Anita Avenue to make way for Rusnak Mercedes Benz's expansion and showroom are the projects changing the appearance of Arcadia. Businessman George Fasching says in the late 1930s to the 1950s, Hollywood industry people used the "Super Chief," a Santa Fe Railway train, as their main mode of travel between New York and Los Angeles, and it used to pass through Arcadia.
Nadia Lanyi celebrated her 105th birthday. She lives at Arcadia's Vista Cove. She is originally from Lithuania and lived in New York for most of her life. She has lived in this area for 14 months.
Arcadia City Council approves Rusnak Mercedes-Benz land sale. The automobile dealership plans $10 million in new construction on its six acres. It will include a new 25,000 s.f. showroom on Santa Anita Avenue.
On September 8, 2011, Arcadia Mayor Gary Kovacic had an emergency procedure to put a stent in one of his 3 major heart arteries. His Left Anterior Descending (LAD) artery was 90-95% blocked. He was released from Arcadia Methodist Hospital (AMH) the following day and was back at AMH 24 hours later for a dedication ceremony of the new patient tower that has been under construction for some time now.
San Gabriel Valley child prodigies get to play Carnegie Hall in New York City. The orchestra of the Alhambra-based Classical European Music Academy of Los Angeles will play Carnegie Hall on June 18. Eisen Hy and Sunny Jong are from Arcadia.
New season began at Santa Anita Park on December 26. This season's opening day drew 41,000 fans, a significant increase over last year's turnout and a morale boost for the iconic venue that has been protected by National Registry of Historic Sites since 2006. In order to appeal to a younger crowd, the clubhouse space has been reconfigured, and the strictly reinforced dress code of yesteryear has been eliminated, along with the private Turf Club--now called Turf Terrace and is open to the public. The decor of the Chandelier Room has gone mid-century modern and the Directors' Room can be rented out for private parties. Gene Simmons of rock band KISS is a marketing advisor and the new management policy seems to be "anything goes." (Photos)
Arcadia City Council voted to weed private properties. The motion allowed the Council to direct the Los Angeles County Agricultural Commission to remove "weeds, brush, rubbish and refuse from various private properties" within Arcadia. The council's aim was to remove flammable and noxious material. It is a fire prevention method and a way to fight blight.
Matt Denny's: past and future success. Matt McSweeny talks about his early days owning Matt Denny's restaurant at 145 E. Huntington Drive, opened in 1997 and thanks the people who supported it for 19 years. He has sold it to new owner Long Nguyen.
Hong Kong Supermarket, a New York-based company, will open a 25,000 square feet market at 935 W. Duarte Road, at the Mon-Arc Retail Shopping Center. It is the fifth Hong Kong Supermarket in the San Gabriel Valley, specializing in imported Asian groceries. It will serve customers from both Monrovia and Arcadia. Asians account for 10.9% of Monrovia's total population while Arcadia's Asian population is at 58.9%.
Mass transit riders take preview run on 11.5 mile Gold Line Foothill extension from is current terminus at Sierra Madre Villa Station (in Pasadena) to the six new stations to the east, including Arcadia Station, Monrovia Station, Duarte Station, Irwindale Station, Downtown Azusa Station, and Azusa Pacific University/Citrus College Station. The new rail cars are stainless steel, made by Kinkisharyo, Model P3010.
Six years ago after severe winter rains, Cal FEMA gave several grants to cities responsible for the maintenance of the road to Chantry Flats north into the foothills from Arcadia. Monrovia is responsible for a small segment of that road, but it has not yet been repaired. Monrovia City Manager Scott Ochoa explained that the initial grant was insufficient to pay for the repairs.
Adams’ Pack Station in the Angeles National Forest for sale. It’s the last animal-assisted goods delivery system in SoCal. Pack donkeys carry 130 pounds of roofing material, flooring, food, tools, wood, whatever the cabin owners or renters need for their stays in Big Santa Anita Canyon, above Sierra Madre and Arcadia. Deb Burgess has owned it since 2006.
Shock of brothers' deaths still lingers. John Ziska is trying to find ways to cope with the deaths of his sons JD and Brian Ziska, two former star quarterbacks at Arcadia High School, whose deaths in the past year have left many in their hometown of Arcadia reeling. This fall, the Arcadia High School football program has ceremonies planned to honor them. Last summer JD Ziska died of a stroke at age 35. Brian Ziska had a massive heart attack.