PASADENA
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 - SEPTEMBER 23, 2009 VOLUME 14, NO. 38
ARCADIA BUDGET Council Votes to Adjust Pasadena Water WORSE THAN EXPECTED Fees for City Services Bills Escalate to
Joshua Schery, 6th grade, and his brother David, 8th grade were the first two area kids to receive computers in the Beacon Media/Priceless Computer Back to School Computer Giveaway. On Monday the delighted boys came to Beacon’s offices in Monrovia to claim their prize
Two Brothers Start School Year with Digital Upgrade BY JOHN STEPHENS & TERRY MILLER
When Fidel Schery told his two sons last week that they had won our first essay
contest, they thought he was kidding. And when he went on to say that they had each won a computer and monitor to keep as their own, Schery said
that was when they “knew” he was lying. “When we got the call, we were completely shocked”
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Ramadan Event Features Talks on METHODIST CELEBRATES Diversity, Healthcare, Immigration 20TH YEAR OF NEONATAL Rep. Judy Chu Visits San Gabriel Mosque There was a flurry of activity in the parking lot of the San Gabriel Mosque as the clock neared seven p.m. on Saturday. Table settings were laid out in four rows on the floor where mosque members and friends sat, prepared to end the day of fasting during the Islamic month of Ramadan. As a call to prayer marked the time to break the fast, guests began feasting on plates filled with dates, fruit and garbanzo beans topped with onions, tomatoes and spices, for appetizers. Though the mosque provides meals to break the fast daily throughout the thirty days
Facing $400K Deficit, Council Looks at Options for Further Cuts
Penman Calls Updates Necessary to Reflect Current Costs
BY SAMEEA KAMAL
BY SAMEEA KAMAL
An updated projection and discussion of the 20092010 fiscal year budget presented to the Mayor and City Council at the meeting on September 15 showed that the city budget was worse off than expected, some councilmembers say. Part of the budget problem was due to the decrease of some revenue sources, including the sales tax, transient occupancy tax, building permits and plan check fees. Though the staff originally reported that the sales tax decreased by about 9.8 percent between January and March, the report for the April through June sales tax showed an additional drop
A city ordinance passed at the August 18 council meeting will raise fees for some city services in an effort to recover costs, the city reports. Some established fees and some new user fees had not been updated to reflect current costs, said City Manager Don Penman. The increased fees apply to permits and applications, library fines, and parking fees for which the state has imposed an additional amount on each ticket and parking citation written, he said. T he a d m i n i st r a t ive procedures involve processing forms and registrations, lengthy computer reporting, and criminal checks, among
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BY BILL PETERS
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Pasadena Plinther Ponders Pottery, Poetry and Pigeons Across the Pond Federal Funds
Flow to Valley Water Program
BY TERRY MILLER
of Ramadan, the guests that day included many members from outside the Muslim community there to celebrate an interfaith dinner – including Congresswoman Judy Chu. Following the prayer and
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The City of Pasadena water rates have been set to go to all-time highs since the Pasadena City Council approved rate increases in its basic water rates of 35% and changed its tiered usage system to tighter levels which will result in higher charges for water usage. Management of the municipallyrun utility held several public hearings and the Council deliberated about rates and their affect on residents. But finally, increased fixed costs, a massive increase in charges by the Metropolitan Water District, and MWD’s cut in the city’s allocation of water to be received in the coming year, made the decision unassailable. The basic charge is listed on billings as D&C and FPS, standing for Distribution and Customer Charge and Fire Protection Surcharge. These charges cover the utility’s “fixed-costs”; the second is for fire protection and possible excess water usage.
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INTENSIVE CARE UNIT
Smiling healthy children and adults who once were very sick patients at Methodist Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit mingled with doctors and nurses at the Arcadia Community Center on Sunday a f ter noon. T he i n fa nt s, children and adults, who attended with their families, took the event as an opportunity to show how t hey had beat t he odds and are thriving today. The expressions on the parents’ faces said it all: This was a time for joy for everyone who had experienced difficult and emotional days in the Methodist NICU. Over
BY SAMEEA KAMAL
All-time Highs
Dreier Continues Push to Fund Decontamination BY NINA HAUPTMAN
asked people to occupy the empty Fourth Plinth located at Trafalgar Square in London, a space that is normally
On July 17th, Congressman David Drier (R - San Dimas) voted to provide $4 million in federal funding to the San Gabriel Basin Restoration Fund. The fund, which is run by the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority (WQA) together with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, finances decontamination of drinking water in the San Gabriel and Central Groundwater Basins.
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Frank Gallagher is pictured outside his studio in San Marino where he is preparing for his London debut on the fourth Plinth in Photos by Terry Miller Trafalgar Square.
BY TERRY MILLER
This summer, sculptor Antony Gormley invited people in the UK to help create unique living monument. He
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