Temple City Tribune - 2009_10_05

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“Conspiring with world leaders to control the weather”

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Temple City Considers Collaboration with Habitat for Humanity

By Sameea Kamal After attending a recent presentation for the housing improvement group, council

member Cynthia Sternquist proposed that the city look into collaborating with Habitat for Humanity as a pos-

TCUSD Honors Teachers of the Year

sible avenue to address the state mandate for affordable housing. The nonprofit, which

was founded in 1976 and has built thousands of homes worldwide, has had a San Gabriel Valley local affiliate

Arcadia Officials Call Caruso EIR City’s “Most Thorough” Ever

Oak Tree Opens at Santa Anita

An edition of the

Monrovia Weekly &

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Monday, October 5 - October 11, 2009 Volume 2, No. 40

Workers wave to the camera from atop a new home in construction on Sherman Ave. in Monrovia last year. SGV Habitat provides low cost housing for area families in need. The new home they construct are often a boon to otherwise blighted, low-income areas.

Monday Edition

for 16 years. The group aims to eliminate substandard housing and help families who live in areas like Southern California where it is getting more difficult for families to afford to improve their homes, according to a presentation at the meeting. T he proposed pa r t nership would require the city to pay anywhere from $60,000 to $150,000 per unit depending on a city’s density goals and city requirements, with Habitat for Humanity providing the rest of the money. Aside from elect ric, plumbing, a nd ot her licensed t rades, all ot her work for the projects is done by volunteers, which dramatically reduces the cost, officials from the organization said. A selection committee would choose families who demonstrate both need and ability to afford mortgages, as well as 50 0 hours of “sweat equity,” or volunteer hours on either their own home or another project, said Damien Allen, Director of Corporate & Community Sponsorships for Habitat for

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City Hall to Stay Open Five Days a Week By Sameea Kamal Beginning in January 2010, city hall will stay open five days a week, approved at the city council’s special meeting on Monday. The council voted unanimously to approve the changes in response to comments from citizens who wanted to have five days to take advantage of what the city offers, said Council member Tom Chavez. Despite the changes, city staff will maintain their work schedule of four days a week, ten hours a day. The days on which some of the staff work will simply be shifted, Chavez said. “Our staff felt that they were okay with that, they were in favor of that,” he said. “We went with what they wanted as well, not only what the residents wanted.” T he approved pla n would have full service every day, with less people working on Friday. The city anticipates Mondays would be busier days, and that certain city departments may keep more staff work on days that would

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Week Three Winner!

41st Season Highlighted by Breeders’ Cup

Westfield Proxy “Arcadia First” Blocked Report’s The Oak Tree Racing Passage, Prompting New Association kicked off its 41st Suit from Caruso racing season on Wednesday

ten teacher, Sandy Johnson. Sixth grade teacher, Samantha Jennings, is Longden Elementary School’s top teacher. Oak Avenue Intermediate School recognizes Mary McGuinness as their teacher

T he civ i l ca se f i led against the City of Arcadia and Westfield by Caruso Property Management, Inc. will proceed to litigation after the parties were unable to reach a settlement in a discussion period, city officials said. The lawsuit, which was filed in August, alleged that the city’s environmental impact report was insufficient for Westfield’s conversion of retail space into restaurant

at the Santa Anita Racetrack in Arcadia. The highlight of the meeting will no doubt be the 26th running of the twoday Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which will be hosted by Oak Tree for an unprecedented second consecutive year on Nov. 6 and 7. Oak Tree will also be offering a full menu of “Free Fridays” throughout the six week meet, which will feature free General Admission, free box seats and $1 hot dogs, beer, popcorn, sodas and coffee. Special first post time on these Fridays will be at 2 p.m. The only “Free Friday” ex-

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By Sameea Kamal

Left to right: Mary McGuinness, Sandy Johnson, Pat Wenzel, Wendy Van Thiel, Samantha Jennings - Photo by Jerry Jambazian, Temple City Chamber of Commerce

The Temple City Unified School District 2009-2010 Teachers of the Year were recently recognized by the Board of Education for their outstanding dedication and service to the District and its students. Emperor Elementary School celebrates kindergar-

This week's winner of the Beacon Media/Priceless Computer Back to School Giveaway was Jacky Kwok, a seventh grader from First Avenue Middle School in Arcadia. Jacky's essay was one of the most creative - and downright fun to read - that we've received since the contest began in early Au-

gust. You can read Jacky's essay online at www.arcadiaweekly.com. Jack's parents were happy to learn about the preinstalled OpenOffice software suite, saying that their son needed to prepare presentations for school and did not have the right soft-

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