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.
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.
Alan Weeks, a retiree who rode the last Pacific Electric Red Car that went through this area in 1951, visits the Arcadia Gold Line Station at North First Avenue and Santa Clara Street.
Arcadia certifies city council election victories for John Wuo and Gary A. Kovacic. The results were certified this week after election officials were able to verify and count 661 of the remaining 681 ballots of the April 10 election. There were 105 ballots that had to be disqualified because voters selected more than 2 candidates in the all-mail election. At least some of those were caused by an error in the ballots' Chinese-language instructions that directed voters to select no more than 3 instead of 2 candidates, prompting the city to send out correction notices. Gene Glasco was elected City Clerk. Measure D, the hotel room tax, passed.
Arcadia City Council today will once more reconsider whether to allow customer-requested address changes in light of concerns about a Chinese superstition involving the number four. Since the number four sounds like the word for death in Mandarin and is considered unlucky, some realtors and residents have argued that addresses that end in the number four are more difficult to sell and affect home prices. The cost of processing an address change would be about $2600.
Arcadia firefighter Mike Herdman died instantly after falling from a cliff in the Sespe Wilderness of the Los Padres National Forest. The Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office said Herdman died in a fall from the edge of the mountain or cliff. It was ruled an accidental death. See also Arcadia Weekly, July 3, 2014, p. 1, 20.
Arcadia. Is horse racing addicted to drugs? Medication use is widespread, and critics say it contributes to deaths like those at Santa Anita Park. Half of the three dozen horses that died at Santa Anita Park in the 12 months before the current meet were on at least one anti-inflammatory medication, a major focal point in the investigation into equine deaths at the racetrack. Critics argue overuse of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, or NSAIDs, masks the injuries of horses and increases the chances of a fatal breakdown. The California Horse Racing Board’s research indicates 90% of breaks stem from preexisting injuries. Animal rights organizations say these medications likely contributed to the deaths of 23 horses at Santa Anita Park since the season began December 26, 2018.
Arcadia jet fighter pilot Richard Norton killed in Twentynine Palms crash. He was a U.S. Marine and a major. He died in the F/A-18C Hornet crash on July 28, during a training exercise.
Arcadia man Larry Roger Beck, 66 years old, was sentenced to 5 years in prison for killing his girlfriend's toddler son in Louisville, Kentucky 43 years ago. He admitted to shaking the 20-month old Michael Sanders, which was a factor that caused the child's death.
Arcadia resident in the 700 block of Camino Grove Avenue finds the body of a stranger in his swimming pool. The dead man is 35-year old Greg Tser-Ming Chen of Arcadia. Foul play was not initially suspected in the death. Chen's dog, a golden retriever, which was not on a leash, was found in the backyard too. Chen leaves behind a wife Maggie, who is pregnant with the couple's second child, and a toddler-aged son. See also Pasadena Star News, p. A3, August 9, 2013.
As horse deaths mount at Santa Anita Park, racing fans and foes say the sport faces an uncertain future. Pressure grows to abolish industry, but there’s no inexpensive, clear-cut path to finish line.
Authorities identify dead woman found slain at her home in Arcadia as 76-year-old Chyong Jen Tsai. Detectives are still looking for whoever killed the Arcadia grandmother and stole a white Lexus RX300 from the home in the 300 block of East Forest Avenue. Three weeks before the killing, her home had been burglarized. Detectives are not ruling out this connection to the homicide.
Bowen Du, 19, an Arcadia man who was charged with felony vehicular manslaughter in the death of 16-year-old Arcadia High School student Alice Zhang, has pleaded not guilty. Du faces up to 6 years in state prison for vehicular manslaughter and up to 3 more years for causing serious injury to Zhang's friend Priyanka Patel, 16, of Upland.
Bowen Du, 19, a Pasadena City College student, was charged with felony vehicular manslaughter in the death of 16-year-old Arcadia High School student Alice Zhang on April 10. In court, he said he was sorry and did not mean to do it. He was a graduate of Arcadia High School in 2010 and a private first class in the U.S. Army Reserve. His arraignment was continued until June 28. Du has no prior criminal record. Arcadia police have said the car's windshield was "excessively dirty" and that "this vision obstruction, combined with the setting sun at the time of the collision, played a major role in the cause of the collision." Du was driving about 30 mph when he struck Zhang and her friend on the 600 block of West Duarte Road.
Bowen Du, 19, of Arcadia, has taken a plea deal in the death of Arcadia teen Alice Zhang. He has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors--vehicular manslaughter with simple negligence and reckless driving causing injury. Du faces a maximum of 18 months in jail when he is sentenced on December 20.
California Horse Racing Board (CHRB): ban more drugs, release tests. The CHRB wants California Governor Gavin Newsom to pursue changes to state law that would allow the agency to immediately release results of a positive horse drug test and permit more stakeholders, including jockeys and track veterinarians, to access a horse's medical history. Currently, drug test results are confidential. The changes are part of an effort to curb equine deaths and improve safety at California race tracks. Nearly 40 horses have died at Santa Anita Park in the last year.
Charges filed in the deaths of teenagers, slain brothers Anthony Lin and William Lin. Deyun Shi, 44, the uncle of the Lin brothers, is accused of beating his two teenage nephews with a bolt cutter.
Commemorating the 85th anniversary of the death of Arcadia Police Department officer Albert Edward Matthies, the Arcadia Police and Fire departments will have a service at Live Oak Memorial Park, where he is interred and a commemorative monument will be unveiled at his grave site.
The coroner's spokesperson Craig Harvey, says an autopsy has confirmed that Li Zhu died of asphyxia, and the death was ruled a suicide. Li Zhu was a 68-year-old Arcadia man found hanging in his jail cell on January 8. He was arrested on suspicion of fatally stabbing his daughter-in-law, Xiaolin Li, in the 900 block of Arcadia Avenue.