A 3-year-old boy died when the car he was riding in was struck by a stolen vehicle being chased by Arcadia Police. The suspect that stole the car has been identified as Sara Bravo, 26, of La Puente.
The $16 million Arcadia Police Station building, built with bond money and city and CRA funds, is on target for completion in July. WWM Associates designed the building. Mallcraft of Altadena is the contractor and Construction Control Group is the manager of the project. The station is the first civic project constructed with bond funding.
The 35th annual Public Schools luncheon was held at the Masonic Center to honor 26 National Merit Scholarship students. The Foothills Middle School Sixth Grade Chorus performed.
The 72nd $1 million Santa Anita Handicap is running today. Some of the top contenders are named Colonel John, Einstein, Cowboy Cal, Court Vision, and Matto Mondo. Helen Pitts is Einstein's trainer. Einstein is the son of horse Spend a Buck.
The 75th anniversary of Santa Anita Park was celebrated with festivities including a parade of Budweiser Clydesdales and the unveiling of sculptor Nina Kaiser's life-size bronze statue of the race horse John Henry. The article includes a list of people in attendance at the party in the Directors' Room.
About 95% of the more than 2,700 security alarms the Arcadia Police Department responded to last year turned out to be false alarms. Arcadia police Chief Bob Sanderson is asking the City Council to implement a $100 fine for a third false alarm issued in a 365-day period. A $200 fine for the fourth false alarm and $300 for the fifth and all subsequent false alarms would be part of the new ordinance that City Council will consider next month.
The Administration at Arcadia High School had to institute a new policy against freak dancing or "freaking" after students got too wild at the Homecoming Dance. Freaking is a kind of dancing in which dancers grind against each other's pelvises. Students who attended the Winter Casual dance had to sign a contract "to conduct themselves appropriately both on and off the dance floor."
All sworn officers of the Arcadia Police Department have been specially trained and certified in the use of Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs). Each officer on patrol is equipped with an AED.
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.
An Arcadia woman's life was saved when her neighbor's carbon monoxide alarm went off. Neighbors alerted authorities who then broke into her apartment to find her unconscious. She was rushed to the hospital and is now in good condition.
The Arcadia and Monrovia police departments have been forced to increase overtime spending and reduce dayside patrol staffing because of the recent transfer of criminal cases from the Santa Anita Courthouse to Alhambra.
Arcadia badges pay tribute to history. Arcadia Police Department employees will wear old-fashioned badges made to look like those that local lawmen pinned to their uniforms 100 years ago. The special Centennial badge will be worn during 2003.
Arcadia Battalion Chief Don Shawver received a request to report for special duty at the Pentagon six hours after the first terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. He went to help as a safety officer.
Arcadia celebrated 100 years of cityhood with a cameo appearance by Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin, portrayed by John Reuter. Activities included a scavenger hunt, author book signing for Visions of Arcadia, and the unveiling of the bronze peacock topping the fountain. The peacock was sculpted by Dave Chapple.
Arcadia City Clerk June Alford, who has served in the elective office since 1988, will retire at the end of her current term in April. City Council approved the creation of a new job of Chief Deputy City Clark with a salary of $5600/month.