The 13-member MTA board voted to leave the Gold Line Extension off a critical funding list. This delays the construction of the $1.4 billion project , a 24-mile rail link between Pasadena and Montclair, until at least the end of 2009.
A 13-year-old female was critically injured after a motorist lost control of a vehicle and struck her in front of Dana Middle School. A surgical team decided to amputate the lower portion of her right leg 5 inches below knee.
A $30 million plan to provide standardized breathing equipment for every fire department in Los Angeles County has been suspended after a lawsuit alleged the contract process was mishandled and firefighters complained about the quality of the equipment. Arcadia-based Allstar Fire Equipment is suing the city and county of Los Angeles, contending the contract process was improperly handled in a manner that ignored firefighter input and unfairly favored the winning bidder, L.N. Curtis and sons.
A 30-year old man was shot in an apparent robbery in the parking lot of 99 Ranch Market on Wednesday, April 13, 2005. He was pronounced dead at Huntington Memorial Hospital. The suspect got away.
After a 13-hour meeting, Arcadia City Council voted unanimously to approve the outdoor mall to be built on the Santa Anita Park race track parking lot, a development known as The Shops at Santa Anita. Opponents may push a referendum and possibly file lawsuits to block the project.
An Arcadia man, David Frederick Thornton, pleaded guilty to two counts of mail fraud, two counts of wire fraud and one count of impersonating a federal officer. Charges included his defrauding donors to his Thornton Kidney Research Foundation.
Arcadia Planning Commission voted 5-0 to reject a proposal for a crematory to be built on First Avenue, next to Arcadia Mortuary at 500 S. First Avenue. The application came from Jim Larkin, who operates Arcadia Mortuary. The proposal drew criticism from neighbors and other Arcadia residents, with pickets.
Arcadia Public Library will have a new conference room constructed and will remodel the existing room into offices and a work area. An office will be created for the Friends of the Library. This is the first phase and the contract was awarded to K & S Design for $106,500. Phase 2 of the project, to be completed at a later date, will include a teen center and an enlarged international language area.
Arcadia resident David Frederick Thornton, charged with wire and mail fraud and embezzling money from the Thornton Kidney Research Foundation, was sentenced to eight years in federal prison.
Arcadia's new city government first formed in 1903 and its first meeting took place at Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin's Oakwood Hotel, located at First Avenue and Santa Clara Road. Baldwin's hotel featured gambling and fine dining along with city government. The Oakwood Hotel burned down in 1911, and the city government moved to the McCoy Building at First Avenue and St. Joseph Street. Two years later, City Hall moved across the street to the Hibbard Building. In 1917, the first building was constructed as a City Hall at Huntington Drive and Second Avenue (?). A two-story colonial building was built for $18,000. This City Hall opened on July 13, 1918. City Hall moved in 1949 to a 13-acre parcel between Huntington Drive and the Pacific Electric railroad tracks.
Arcadia Weekly columnists:Donna Baker reports on real estate, p. 18; John Luke writes on sports, p. 14; Billy McLellan writes movie reviews, p. 11; Dawn Mueller writes theatre reviews, p. 7; Bill Peters writes music reviews, p. 13; Vince Pirolli is the wine guy, p. 7; Jack Von Bulow, D.D.S. reports on dental news, p. 21; Kelvin Wong writes about real estate, p. 19.
As part of Arcadia's 2003 centennial celebration, each council member has served as mayor for a three-month period of time. Mickey Segal will lead the city for the last three months until after the April 13 City Council election.
Assemblywoman Carol Liu has moved her campaign headquarters to 921 S. Baldwin Avenue, Unit D, in her bid for re-election in the 44th Assembly District. Liu's district stretches from LaCanada to Duarte, including all of Pasadena, and Eagle Rock in Los Angeles.
Baldwin Stocker Elementary School Principal John S. Pisula, Jr. will be leaving his job at the end of the school year. The article provides biographical information.