The Arcadia Redevelopment Agency voted unanimously to begin condemnation proceedings of a property at 156 Santa Clara Street. The agency wants to claim the land for retail stores and office buildings. Eminent domain proceedings were begun since the city and the owners of the property have not been able to agree on the value of the property.
Jef Wheeler, 26, a jazz dance teacher at Arcadia Dance Arts for two years, is currently touring with "Heart Strings" an AIDS benefit sponsored by the Design Alliance to Combat AIDS and the Design Industries Foundation for AIDS. After the Los Angeles show, the troupe will move on to Houston, Miami, New York, Boston and Washington, D. C. Organizers hope to raise $4 million for AIDS research, community education programs and care and services for AIDS patients.
John Allsbury, 39, president and sole owner of Auto Marketing Concepts, faces 18 charges of grand theft and selling cars without a license. The transactions in question occurred between late 1987 and early 1989.
The Arcadia City Council will be asked to pass a resolution calling for an immediate halt to the recent malathion-laden helicopter assaults on the medfly. Many have expressed concerns about the repeated spraying, but health and agricultural officials insist that malathion is harmless to humans in the quantities being used.
Terrance M. Towner, former Pasadena resident and school superintendent in Los Gatos, will be next superintendent for the Arcadia Unified School District. The Arcadia Board of Education selected Towner after a 4-month search. He replaces Stephen Goldstone, who left in September to become superintendent with the Chino Unified School District. Mr. Towner will earn $91,000 per year.
Clyde Condon, Arcadia clinical psychologist, was recently named the 1989 Psychologist of the Year by Division 31 of the American Psychological Association. For the past 3 years, Condon has practiced at Arcadia Counseling and Psychiatric Associates, where about 1/3 of his patients are children.
Ten Arcadia High School students have been selected as National Merit finalists, placing them among 14,000 competing for the 6100 available Merit Scholarships. The seniors are Kenneth Branson, Sidney Chung, Enrique Colayco, Bonnie Flinn, Norbert Hsu, Jacqueline Luk, Douglas McCreary, Regina Momblanco, David Park and Henry Tseng.
Police have arrested nine people who are believed to be members of a San Gabriel Valley Asian gang that has been under investigation in recent months for terrorizing local Asian youths. Four adults and five juveniles were taken into custody after police linked them with a February 15 kidnapping, attempted extortion and assault.
James Domney, 49, is leaving his position as City Librarian after 11 years in this position and 18 years with the library. Kent Ross, 45, who started at the library at about the same time as Domney, was recently appointed as the new City Librarian.
Incumbent councilwoman Mary Young is scheduled to take the gavel as the new Mayor of Arcadia. In the election, about 22% of the city's 25,000 registered voters participated. Here are the final results: George Fasching, 27.2%, 3996, Roger Chandler, 14.7%, 2162, Joseph Ciraulo, 22.1%, 3242, Charles Chivetta, 9.4% 1368, Robert Harbicht, 19.8%, 2907, Eileen Stephan, 6.9% 1014
An anonymous donor apparently has withdrawn $225,000 in support of county botanical programs because of concerns about a proposed merger between the L.A. County Natural History Museum and the county Dept. of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens.
Test scores of Arcadia Unified School District's seniors rose this year. The reading score was 294 (up 19 points) while math score was 333 (up 20 points). Since 1987-88, students moved from the 77th to the 85th percentile in reading and from the 89th to the 96th percentile in math statewide.
Mary Bittner, 79, is retiring from the Arcadia Welfare and Thrift Shop after 33 years on the governing board and 4 years as welfare director. Ms. Bittner will move to a retirement community in San Luis Obispo.
Climaxing a 16-month battle, the state Board of Education in Sacramento voted 9-0 to deny a petition by a group of Sierra Madre parents to have the city join the Arcadia Unified School District.
The Arcadia City Council voted 4-0 in favor of the state-required plan submitted by Fountain Valley-based Rodeffer Investments that would create a landfill in an 85-acre gravel pit on the border between Arcadia and El Monte.
The City Council approved a drug and alcohol policy despite concerns voiced by police officers and fire fighters about the language used in the document concerning "designated standby or on-call status," normally used to describe around the clock periods.
Andrew Barney, 17, a senior at Arcadia Senior High School and future aeronautical engineer, recently participated in the 8-day U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, AL, where 50 students learned about the space shuttle, sampled astronaut training, and trained for a simulated space mission.
The Board of Education has approved a new after-school child care program to be conducted by the Santa Anita Family branch of the YMCA at the Holly Avenue Elementary School Youth Hut. About 20 children have been enrolled in the program, which can accommodate up to 35.