Pet Adoptions at Roxbury Park, Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
BEVERLY HILLS VOLUME XXXXVI NUMBER 47 $135 PER YEAR - $1.25 PER COPY •
THIS ISSUE
Beverly High Newspaper Wins Awards At National Convention. 4
Gran Fondo Set To Come To Beverly Hills In 2012. 4
AYSO soccer team wins Jamboree. 5
Pressman Academy’s student designed billboard unveiled. 5
Residents honored at Chai Lifeline dinner. 12 •Fashion •Health & Wellness •Arts & Entertainment •Birthdays
8 12 16 20
George Christy, Page 6 How Often Do We Find A Restaurant Without A Freezer! So Declare Mara Acampo And Chef Massimo Denardo About Their Sfixio In Beverly Hills Editorial from Rabbi Pressman AND MORE
CLASSIFIEDS • Announcements • Real Estate • Rentals • Sales • and More
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Local Philanthropists Save The Big Cats By Marla Schevker Stephanie Dolrenry lives in a three-story tree house in Kenya outside Amboeseli National Park. Equipped with electricity, a living room and her own bedroom, Dolrenry specifically noted that the views are spectacular, “you can see forever; it’s beautiful,” she says. Dolrenry main goal in life is working to save the lions in Kenya. She estimated that there are about 1,800 lions left in all of Kenya. Dolrenry works as the biology director for Lion Guardians, an organization started in January 2007 that got native Masai warriors involved in protecting, tracking and learning about the Kenyan lions. The Lion Guardians work in unprotected areas to collect data
and protect the lions. Masai warriors once hunted the lions for sport and for retaliation when livestock was killed. When Dolrenry first began working in Kenya, she found they were “extremely talented” at tracking the lions. It was these warriors she ultimately hired as the first Lion Guardians. When they first started working with Dolrenry, she said 98 percent of them, ages 19 to 31, had never been to school in their lives. “(I had to) teach them how to hold a pencil and write their names,” Dolrenry said. “We designed data sheets mostly focused on using pictures and taught (the Guardians) how to fill them out.” She also gives them cell phones and GPS units and
Above/Right: Stephanie Dolrenry and the Masai Guardians check this lioness’ radio collar and do a brief check for wounds. Photos By Philip J Briggs Left: Olubi Tracking. Photo By Seamus Maclennan
(see ‘LION GUARDIANS,’ page 19)
Margie Petersen Passes At 76 Rodeo Drive Honored By US By John L. Seitz News And World Report Services will be held at 1 p.m. today in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City for noted philanthropist Margie Petersen who died last Friday in her Beverly Hills home at age 76 from complications of breast cancer. The widow of the late publishing giant Robert Petersen cofounded Petersen Automotive Museum with him in 1994 and remained a member of its board (see ‘PETERSEN,’ page 15)
Rodeo Drive was named one of the best shopping streets in America by US News and World Report yesterday. It was named along with other famous streets throughout the nation including Newbury Street in
Margie Petersen
Promoter Admits, ‘2011 LA Times Taste’ In City A Flop Apparently the combination of The Los Angeles Times plus “burgers 'n beer in Beverly Hills” left a sour taste. Promoter Jeffrey Best of Best Events admitted as much at the City Council Holiday and Special Event Liaison
Committee meeting Monday. He complained that The Timessponsored event this year failed to match the success of the “90210 Taste of Beverly Hills” restaurant event sponsored by (see ‘TASTE,’ page 19)
New Board of Education To Be Installed On Tuesday By Krystal Leach de Amante As the Beverly Hills Unified School District’s Board of Education elections have concluded, members prepare themselves for the official “change of the guard” or installation and election of officers to take place during their
next meeting Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. As Boardmembers Steven Fenton and Myra Lurie step down, Noah Margo and Lewis Hall step up as newly elected members, and reelected boardmember Brian Goldberg will be (see ‘INSTALLATION,’ page 9)
Boston, Filmore Street in San Francisco and Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas. “Once you get past the fact that Christmas lights hang atop palm trees instead of pine ones, (see ‘RODEO DRIVE,’ page 15)
Roxbury Bids May Doom Project: Council Kept In Dark By Staff By Courier Staff Bids for the proposed new Roxbury Park and Community Center dramatically exceeded budget projections, forcing the city council to decide what to do
with the project. Without consulting the council, city staff deleted parts of the project in an effort to cut the cost. The deletions included the (see ‘ROXBURY,’ page 21)
S A N TA B A B Y, COME AND TRIM MY CHRISTMAS TREE—Latoya Jackson congratulated Santa Claus on his Hollywood Walk Of Fame star, joining Mickey Mouse and Godzilla, among hundreds of other Hollywood stars. They were at the 80th annual Christmas Parade in Hollywood. More photos in George Christy’s column on page 6. Photo by Scott Downie /Celebrity Photo