2 articles. 1. Racing returns at Santa Anita. The historic Santa Anita racetrack reopened Friday for racing amid concerns for horse safety and the future of the track and the industry. There were no deaths in eight races Friday, which had been closed for racing since March 5.
2. Back in the saddle: racing resumes without incident after 26-day closure.
20-year-old man Jason Scott Gustin found guilty of attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend in Arcadia. On August 22, 2016, according to testimony at trial, Gustin met near Arcadia and sat in his car to talk when he pulled out a knife and slashed her throat and then began strangling her. As the victim tried to escape, he stabbed her multiple times. She ran away to a nearby convalescent home. He was arrested a short time later after he showed up at his mother’s workplace in Arcadia.
$24 million winning lottery ticket purchased at Golden Donuts Place, 104 E. Foothill Blvd in Arcadia. It is unclaimed so far. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 1, December 25, 2014.
57-year-old Richard Henry Solis of Arcadia faces two felony counts of grand theft from elder and six counts of petty theft from elder. The alleged crimes involved Solis claiming the victims had injured him with their vehicles and then asking for money for medical expenses or stealing their belongings, reportedly stealing $100,000 from the victims.
A 61-year-old construction worker who died after being run over by a bulldozer while working to level a vacant residential lot in Arcadia last month was identified as Sirpriano Dorame-Martinez of South Gate. The accident took place April 15 in the 900 block of Monte Verde Drive.
210 Freeway sound wall is finished. The Metro project, which started in 2009, consists of 2 miles of sound walls along westbound and eastbound lanes of the 210 Freeway between Santa Anita Avenue and California Avenue in Arcadia and Monrovia, paid with Measure R funds. The sound walls provide at least 5 decibels of noise reduction. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held. Several Arcadia residents near Victory Chapel on N. First Avenue, where the sound wall ends, are disappointed the barrier doesn't extend farther west.
The 2001 murder of grocer Adel Karas, a 48-year old Egyptian man from Arcadia, a few days after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, was initially thought to have been a hate crime. He was shot at his store International Market at 1381 E. Last Tunas in San Gabriel. Now police suspect Adel Karas was the victim of extortion. The suspects are two Latinos in their mid-20s.
2011 Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) scores show a majority of area schools are progressing. California's STAR program assesses public school students' knowledge of the math, English and science in grades 2 through 11. At Arcadia Unified School District, these are the percentage of students who scored proficient or advanced in core subjects: English-Language Arts 83.9%; History 76%; Mathematics 82.4%; Science 84.7%; Science end of course 80.4%. STAR scores from other area schools are given.
Actor and activist George Takei, 75, famous for his portrayal of Sulu on television series Star Trek, will talk about gay rights and a childhood spent in internment camps at Santa Anita Park (assembly center), Tule Lake and Rohwer, Arkansas, during World War II. He will be speaking at Cal Poly Pomona on Tuesday.
Actor George Takei, discusses social media, justice, and his family's internment, which started at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia. He spoke at Cal Poly Pomona.
Actress and model Bo Derek has photographed jockey Chantal Sutherland nude, inside Santa Anita Park's elegant Turf Club Chandelier Room, for June's Vanity Fair magazine.
The ad (open letter to the Arcadia community) that was paid for by the three members of the Arcadia Unified School District Board of Education who are targeted for recall--Cung Nguyen, lori Phillipi, and Kay Kinsler--was printed in the Pasadena Star News August 11, 2013. Fired Arcadia High School cross country coach James O'Brien and his supporters say the letter was a public relations bid to derail the recall effort. See hard copy of the letter in VF "Arcadia High School." See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 1 and 27, August 15, 2013.
After a five-year hiatus, Arcadia City Council is considering reinstating a policy that would let property owners pay to be assigned a more auspicious house number, which some believe would improve the value of their home. The number 4 in a street address is considered a bad omen in many Asian cultures. In Mandarin language, the word "four" sounds like the word for death, while the number eight is considered lucky, because it sounds like the word for prosper. Arcadia's Asian population is approaching 60% and most potential buyers will be Asian. In a 3-2 vote, Arcadia City Council endorsed the move in principle and directed staff to report back on the costs involved.
After a two-year suspension, the Arcadia City Council will reinstate a coyote trapping program, after residents complained that the animals are attacking pets and showing aggressive behavior. The city has contracted with Animal Pest Management of Chino, California, to trap coyotes and euthanize them.
After competing in the Olympics in London, 16-year-old table tennis star, Erica Wu, an Arcadia resident, returns to Westridge School to start her junior year.