An 8-foot tall bronze tribute to Arcadia's official bird, the peacock, will be unveiled August 5, as part of the city's centennial celebration. The statue will be located in the fountain at Peacock Corner, in the front of Arcadia County Park, at the southwest corner of Huntington Drive and Santa Anita Avenue. The sculptor of the peacock is Dave Chapple and the sculpture cost $30,000.
The Arcadia City Council has adopted an ordinance with rules for using Bonita Park's Skateboard Park. The city will follow state requirements that skateboarders must wear a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads. Hours are 8 A.M. to 10 P.M. Alcohol, drugs, and smoking are forbidden, as are graffiti and reckless skating.
Arcadia High School to celebrate its 50th anniversary. See related stories Arcadia Weekly, p. 25 on September 27, 2001 and Arcadia Weekly, p. 8 on September 20, 2001.
Arcadia police shot a mountain lion, or cougar, at 8 PM in the backyard of a home in the 2200 block of Canyon Road. The mountain lion had just mauled a dog to death and was charging at police when police shot the cat with an assault weapon.
Arcadia Weekly columnists:Jake Armstrong writes general news, p. 1; Patrick Basham provide commentary, p. 3; Charles Cooper reports on Arcadia news, p. 1, 18; John LaRocca reports on real estate, p. 20; Bill Lee reports on real estate, p. 20; Eph Konigsberg reports on fruits, p. 24; Julia MacKenzie-Miller and Terry Miller write restaurant reviews, p. 8; and Luis Romero writes general news, p. 1.
Billy Cottrell, a Cal Tech graduate student who took part in a fire bombing spree that caused millions of dollars in damage to SUV dealerships in the San Gabriel Valley, was sentenced to more than 8 years in prison. See inset for chronology of ecoterror events.
British food giant Tesco is going to open Fresh and Easy Neighborhood Markets in West Covina and Arcadia on November 8, 2007. Fresh and Easy stores are relatively small and lean heavily on fresh food offerings, including prepared meals and sushi.
The California Highway Patrol freeway pursuit of suspected drunk driver Alexander Contreras led to the death of an innocent bystander, Michael Kim, 20, of Arcadia.
A chart shows school enrollment numbers from 1998 to 2004. More than 40 percent of the public school districts in California are experiencing declining enrollment. Experts say it is due to a decline in the birth rate and families' migration patterns.
The City Council decided to ask voters to approve $8 million in bond funding for a bridge at Santa Anita Avenue. If 2/3 of voters support this bond, Arcadia would be the only city on the Gold Line extension route to finance its own grade separation.
The city has taken a second pumper truck out of service following a July 4 incident in which a water pump failed to engage on a fire truck. The two engines that malfunctioned were bought from Kovatch Mobile Equipment Fire Apparatus. David Contreras died in the July 4 incident. See related story, Arcadia Weekly, July 11, 2002, p. 8.
County home prices were up slightly in April after more than 1.5 years of declines, according to the California Association of Realtors. Arcadia's median home price was $689,090 in April, down 8% from a year ago. A chart shows figures from other local cities.
Debra Amos, Food Services Director for the Arcadia Unified School District for the last 20 years, recently earned the Silver Special Achievement Award from the National Food Service Achievement Management Excellence program. She discusses her job and how tastes have changed over the years.
First Avenue Middle School celebrated the 26th birthday and life of teacher Jennifer Castillo with a ceremony and the release of over 900 balloons. She taught 6th grade Algebra and introductory Spanish. She died February 8 of heart failure.
Former Arcadia High School baseball coach Mike Parisi was arrested June 8 on suspicion of cocaine possession and of being under the influence of the drug. The Arcadia school board dismissed him. He will begin a 2-week trial period in drug court on August 7, where he will undergo counseling, drug testing, and a 12-step program.