A $1,040 gift was presented to the Arcadia Unified School District by the Lions Club for the Lions-Quest Skills for Growing Program designed to help steer students away from alcohol and drug use.
A $7,500 grant from the Arcadia Auditorium Foundation will provide performing arts opportunities for students of all grade levels in the Arcadia Unified School District.
A 13-year-old girl named Susan Wiley was reportedly a prisoner in her home for all of her life until a social worker discovered the child abuse. Susan's parents Clark Wiley and Irene Wiley were arrested. The family home is at 6722 Golden West Avenue, in a county area of Arcadia. Susan Wiley was living in an environment of total isolation and deprivation and was malnourished. She cannot talk, is deformed, barely able to walk and is not toilet trained. She has been placed in the care of Children's Hospital. The child has come to be known by the alias "Genie." See hard copy in VF Wiley, Susan aka "Genie"
A 19-year-old man who was killed in a house fire in Arcadia was identified as Cheng Ming Dai of San Gabriel. A 16-year-old remains in critical condition and may be arrested and charged with arson. The house was located at 130 West Longden Avenue.
A 21-year-old woman was the third person raped at gunpoint this year, and police suspect that they may be by the same person. All three women were accosted by an African American man in his 20's or 30's wearing a black cap. They were accosted in the early morning with a gun while alone in their cars.
The 22nd annual Baldwin Bonanza begins tomorrow, including a barbecue, live and silent auctions, and plant sale. The arboretum's finances and budget are discussed.
23 "heroes and heroines" in the Arcadia Unified School District were honored by the Board of Education in the first "Profiles in Excellence" awards. The awards were presented to "individuals who maintain a standard of excellence in their work and who represent those values and qualities which make Arcadia a special place for students." Names and positions of winners are given.
The 25-year-old City Council chambers will undergo its first major renovation, a project that will relocate meetings for the next few months to the Arcadia Public Library. Renovations will be completed in February.
25-year-old entrepreneurs Dustin Nicolarsen and Michael Thomas co-own The Derby, the historic Arcadia steakhouse. The two give back to their community by hosting a fundraiser to benefit their high school.
28 year old Arcadian Davy Lin, who seriously injured his spine in a motorcycle accident 4 1/2 years ago, will be one of about 60 disabled athletes from all over the state playing in the second annual City of Roses Wheel-Chair Tennis Tournament.
The 50,000 square foot property on the northeast corner of Wheeler and First has been sold for $215,000. The former owners were Robert and Phyllis Walker. The site will be used for the corporate headquarters for HTL Industries and a two story office building to be built by Jeff Jons and Jim Kuhn. Hoy an Kehler's Arcadia Van Lives, presently on the site, will relocate.
A 51-year-old Monrovia man died on Santa Anita Avenue when his pickup truck hit a tree, just south of Colorado Boulevard. His name has not been released yet.
56-year-old Arcadia resident Dragica Grabovac has opened a European-style restaurant that offers a touch of Croatia. It is called Cafe LuMar at 136 E. Colorado Boulevard in Monrovia.
69-year-old Arcadia resident David Tran is the owner of Huy Fong Foods, the maker of Sriracha hot sauce. Huy Fong Foods should be operational in a new $50 million, 650,000 s.f. factory in Irwindale, by September. The factory is moving from Rosemead.
The 70th annual Arcadia Festival of Bands set for Saturday, November 18. It has grown into one of the most popular marching band reviews in Southern California and is the longest-running event of its kind in the state. Photo of Arcadia High School Band and Color Guard. Kevin Sherrill is the Band and Percussion director at Arcadia High School. The parade's grand marshal is retired Arcadia Fire Department Captain Neil Conrad.
81 percent of area schools met their growth targets on the California state Academic Performance Index (API). However, 35 percent of West San Gabriel Valley schools failed to meet the federal accountability targets determined by Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. See chart on page A6 for Arcadia Unified School District progress.