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.
A 2-year-old legal battle between the city of Arcadia and Taboo Gentlemen's Club, a strip club, will most likely result in the club being closed or sold off by April, 2009. The federal court case started when the city revoked Taboo Gentlemen's Club's business license for breaking the city's adult business codes. The club's owners Bill Badi Gammoh and Chawkat Jajieh sued in response, claiming city and police had obstructed business and violated their civil rights. The city's adult business ordinance prohibits lap dances, sexual contact, private dance booths and direct tipping. It requires licensed dancers to perform on an elevated stage.
The 11.5 mile light rail Gold Line extension from Pasadena to Azusa was awarded to Foothill Transit Constructors. Kiewit-Parsons, a joint venture company, will design and build the project. Funding comes from Measure R.
$12 million headquarters of the Angeles National Forest Service was dedicated yesterday. It is an environmentaly energy efficient 24,000 square feet administrative facility at 701 N. Santa Anita Avenue. Mary McGrath, of Mary McGrath Architects, was the executive architect on the project.
17 students at Arcadia Alternative High School signed up as owner/operators of Medi-Kit Company, part of a 13-week Junior Achievement program sponsored by the Arcadia Rotary Club. The Medi-Kit auto safety first-aid kits sell for $8.
A 20-year old baby sitter from mainland China testified about the events she said led to her enslavement by Arcadia couple Dianyi Zhia and Hua Jiang. See also Pasadena Star News, July 23, 1997, p. A1.
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.
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.
The 38th annual Arcadia Invitational began yesterday with developmental field events and several types of relay races that high school athletes rarely get to compete in. Kiani Profit of Muir High School is shown in a picture.
A 38-year-old Los Angeles man, accused of setting four arson fires in Arcadia and of carjacking a woman trying to move her car away from one of the fires, is arrested. The first fire was in a rear corridor on the second floor of The Shops at Santa Anita mall, at 400 South Baldwin Avenue at 11:40 A.M. on Friday. The other three fires were in the vicinity of the 900 block of Arcadia Avenue.
45th Annual Arcadia Invitational track and field event took place at Arcadia High School yesterday. The Arcadia High School girls team of Laura Guidolin, Isabel Annino, Veronica Yamane (photo) and Glyndyll Mancia finished fifth with the ninth fastest time in the nation at 9:22.09 in the 4X800 relay. The Arcadia High School boys team of Ryan Vargas, Francis Lee, Juan DeLaRosa and Tony Moseley ran the nation's fourth fastest time, 7:48.66. Yamane ran her personal best in the 3,200-meter race.
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.
62-year-old Gary J. DiSano of San Juan Capistrano, formerly of Arcadia, is the new Tournament of Roses president. He unveiled the theme for next year's parade: "2010: a cut above the rest." He has been a Tournament of Roses volunteer since 1972.
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 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.
73-year-old Jesus Plasencia Lopez from El Monte has been arrested for a fatal hit-and-run. He allegedly drove a Saturn that hit Guey-Ying Wu and her husband Chia Wu at Santa Anita Avenue and Camino Real Avenue in Arcadia. Lopez is being held at Los Angeles County Jail on $50,000 bail.