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THURSDAY, JANUARY 7 - JANUARY 13, 2010 VOLUME 15, NO.01
Sierra Madre’s Entry to Rose Parade Breaks Down Mid-Parade BY BILL PETERS
The City of Sierra Madre’s proud all-citizen-volunteer float was awarded the Governor’s Trophy for its entry, “California Girls” in the 2010 Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena, Ca. on New Years Day. In spite of the fact
that the colorful float received applause all along the parade route, the float developed brake problems that halted the parade for over 10 minutes. It all started, according to Sierra Madre Rose Float Association Construction Committee chair, Dick Sappington,
when the front braking system began to seize up early on. “We knew there was minor difficulty as we came down the hill,” Sappington said, referring to the incline of Colorado Blvd. after turning the corner at Orange Grove Blvd. and Colorado. The right
front brake began to act up. There never was any danger of brake failure, Sappington noted, since this float, and all parade floats, are required to have a duplicate system on the rear wheels of the float body for safety. About half way through
the parade trouble began ahead of the Sierra Madre float when the City of Torrance entry broke down and needed to be towed. At that time, the entire procession came to a complete halt for 20 minutes. The delay was
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Santa and Gang Types and Bears. Oh My! Marathon Monrovia City Council Meeting Ends with No Action BY SUSAN MOTANDER
Temple City resident Jeffrey Briggs collapsed Tuesday evening at the bi-weekly meeting of City Council where he had come to offer his judgment on council member Judy Wong during the meeting’s public comment period. Wong has pleaded not guilty to a litany of felony charges including bribery and perjury, all of which arose from accusations that she accepted bribes in return for supporting Randy Wang’s $75
In a meeting that lasted until midnight, the Monrovia City Council discussed many topics including an increase in bear encounters and an update on the recently approved preliminary gang injunction. The meeting started on a positive note with the Council recognizing Santa Claus for his presence in Old Town throughout the holiday season. After that, the council meeting took a much more controversial turn, garnering widespread media attention from a variety of local television news outlets. The controversy began after a report from Capt. Rick Meglia of the Police Department on the methods used by other communities to curb human encounters with bears. And things really heated up when Police Chief Roger Johnson gave the council an overview of the progress on the recently approved preliminary gang injunction. The report by the chief reviewed how the ordinance was being implemented including the fact that it could not be enforced until those subject to the injunction had been formally served with notice of it. Johnson explained that the restrictions applied only to those specifically named in the injunction. He also said that there were steps which individuals named could take to have their names removed from the list and therefore would no longer be subject to its restrictions. After the recap by the Chief, there were comments and questions from the public. Samella Sibley complained that “The injunction is very vague” and Gendolyn Jones asked “What does it mean to be included?” Jones, who repeatedly identified herself as representing the Pasadena NAACP, also questioned how the injunction had been drawn up, saying, “We weren’t informed” and arguing that the city had failed to “bring the little people to the table.” Later, in response to these
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Dancers from the “Better City, Better Life” entry, sponsored by Shanghai World Expo / Roundtable of Southern California, perform at the corner of Orange Grove and Colorado New Year’s Day during the 121st Rose Parade in Pasadena. For more images of the parade see page 3. Photo by Terry Miller
Bird’s Eye Highlights of the 2010 Rose Parade BY TERRY MILLER
Standing perched above the action on scaffolding at the corner of Orange Grove and Colorado on Friday last, I felt a little like one of those delightful birds who greets the sunrise each day. A great view of the floats and almost perfect lighting on yet another picture postcard Pasadena day…specially ordered by the Tournament of Roses. My morning song however, along with scores of other photographers from all over the world as well as local shooters was that of a whirling motor-drive announcing the
advance of yet another digital image captured. The clicks were loud, fast and furious. We all wanted to get that one shot that stood out from the veritable sea of flora images produced on January 1 each year in Pasadena. As we shot each and every entry, a few of us asked what, if anything, that particular float we had just made an image of had to do with this year’s theme - A Cut Above the Rest. Of course, it isn’t really important- but the point was made several times that some builders were oblivious to
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Bigger Gym, Smaller Waistlines More Drama In Temple Sierra Fitness Expansion Means More Weights, More Spinning Space BY JOHN STEPHENS
Last week we told you about Sierra Madre fitness mogul Sandy Lewis-Duval and her newest business venture, The Shabby Dog. And while Lewis-Duvall is certainly branching out into new business areas with her highend dog leashes sold online and at her Montecito Ave. boutique, she’s not leaving the fitness business anytime soon. In fact, she’s expanding. Much like starting The Shabby Dog boutique, LewisDuvall’s decision to expand
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-Photo by Terry Miller
City Council Chambers Man Collapses While Demanding Indicted Council Member’s Resignation