Tuesday, December 31, 2013

How to get to the Tournament of Roses and the Rose Bowl game on Metro

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First, a warm welcome to our everyday riders, new riders and visitors from out-of-town and a Happy New Year’s to everyone!
I know that many of you will be attending the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena on New Year’s Day or the Rose Bowl game between Stanford and Michigan State. As we’ve done in the past, here are some tips for using the Metro system to reach the parade and game:
•I happen to live very close to the Rose Parade route. If you’re thinking about driving to the parade, please keep in mind that street and paid parking is somewhat limited near the parade route and traffic is usually extremely congested after the parade when tens of thousands of cars try to flee Pasadena as many thousands of cars are simultaneously entering Pasadena for the Rose Bowl game. That’s why many people take the Gold Line to the parade and game.
•Metro is running all-night service on New Year’s Eve and into New Year’s Day for those going to the Parade early; the Parade begins at 8 a.m. on New Year’s Day. All-night service will be provided on the Red, Purple, Blue, Expo, Green, Gold, Orange and Silver Lines in addition to bus lines which normally operate late-night owl service. Trains will run at 20-minute intervals from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. 

•As both maps show, there is parking available at many Metro Rail stations, including Gold Line stations. Parking at most stations is free; it’s six dollars a day to park at Los Angeles Union Station. There are also many paid parking in lots in downtown Los Angeles that are near the Red/Purple Line subway that can be used to connect with the Gold Line at Union Station. 
•The Gold Line’s Del Mar, Memorial Park, Lake and Allen stations are just a short walk from the parade route:
  • Del Mar Station (walk 2 blocks north to the Parade route)
  • Memorial Park Station (walk 2 blocks south of the Parade route)
  • Lake Station (walk 4 blocks south to Parade route)
  • Allen Station (walk 4 blocks south to Parade route)
Due to the large crowds expected to come out for the Rose Parade, oversize items such as umbrellas, chairs and coolers will not be permitted on the trains that day.
•Fares on Metro Rail are purchased on reloadable plastic TAP cards, which can be purchased from ticket machines aboard Metro Bus lines and all Metro Rail stations for $1; the ticket machines at Metro Rail stations accept cash or credit cards. Fares are $1.50 per ride on a bus or train; there are no transfers available. If you need to transfer, please purchase a $5 day pass that allows for unlimited travel that day. More fare information here.
Avoid long walks and the high cost of parking at the Rose Bowl — it’s $40 per car. Take the Metro Gold Line to Memorial Park Station in Pasadena; then take a short walk to the Parsons Parking Lot B and ride a shuttle in comfort past the traffic, right up to the gate. Shuttle service to the Rose Bowl is free and begins at 10 am on January 1. If you are riding a Metro bus after the game, please check the individual timetables for last bus times leaving Pasadena.
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Jan 24, 2014 - 26, 2014

65th Grand National Roadster Show

Location: Fairplex
The Grand National Roadster Show roars into town with the finest roadsters in the country, vying for the coveted America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award. This show is huge, filling eight Fairplex Expo halls and portions of the campus with more than 500 roadsters, customs, hot rods and motorcycles competing for top awards. Hundreds more roll in for the 7th annual Drive-In for additional prizes on Saturday and Sunday.
The 65th Annual Grand National Roadster Show celebrates the 100th anniversary of Bonneville. Expo Hall 9 will feature the Past, Present and the Future of Bonneville. Visit the suede palace, hear bands all weekend long, see the trophy girl contest and join the model cars contest and rub elbows with today’s hottest celebrities!  This is an event you don’t want to miss!
Friday - Noon - 8 p.m.
Saturday - 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday - 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
General Admission: $25 (13 years and up)
Children (6-12) $10
5 & under free.
Pre-Sale Tickets Adults $23; ages 6-12  $8, available at participating Southern California O’Reilly Auto Parts Stores. Redeemable at Fairplex main gate
For more information please visit rodshows.com

 


Jan 19, 2014

05:00 AM - 02:00 PM

Pomona Swap Meet & Classic Car Show

Location: Main lot

Sponsored by George Cross & Sons, Inc., each of the seven events per year you will find hundreds of vendors in over 2,500 vendor spaces selling tons of hard to find car parts and accessories at low swap meet prices.  Thousands of original and restored classic vehicles will be on display and for sale in six distinct ‘Cars for Show and Sale’ areas:  Pre 1985 Classics, Corvettes, Porsches, Pre 1959 Street Rods, Pre 1985 Volkswagens and Imports.
Since 1975, millions of auto car enthusiasts have come from across the nation and around the world to the West Coast’s Largest Automotive Event – The Pomona Swap Meet & Classic Car Show. Car parts, accessories, automobilia, customs and classics are all available to those who come to buy, come to sell and come to look.
General admission is $10, children 12 and younger admitted FREE.
Parking is through Gate 17 off Fairplex Drive. (Fairplex charges a $10 parking fee)
For more information please call (714) 538-7091 or visit our website.
For Vendor information click here.
For Showing/selling your vehicle information click here.

DECEMBER 31, 2013 – NEW YEARS EVE – NATIONAL CHAMPAGNE DAY


Celebrate New Years Eve, safely, with family and friends in anticipation and hope for “peace, health and happiness” throughout the upcoming 2014 New Year, along with your own personal wishes.  You may want to be at large celebration with lots of people, party hats and loud music or you may like to be at home by yourself, with a spouse, the kids, or with a friend or two, watching movies and eating popcorn, but either way can be a way to welcome in the New Year.
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           NATIONAL CHAMPAGNE DAY

Ringing in the New Year is the perfect opportunity each year to celebrate National Champagne Day.

Cal Poly Pomona to Give Rose Float Sneak Peak Today



The following news release is courtesy of Cal Poly Pomona.
Come see the latest in the long line of Rose Float innovations designed by the Cal Poly Universities.
Students from the Pomona and San Luis Obispo campuses are attempting to break ground with their 2014 float, “Bedtime Buccaneers,” by animating some of the floral decorations and making them ripple like waves across water. It’s believed to be the first float to use animation in this way.
They will demonstrate the animation today after California Secretary of Food & Agriculture Karen Ross certifies the float as “California Grown” for having at least 85 percent of its floral decorations grown in state. The Cal Poly Universities’ float is the only one to earn that distinction this year.
The year 2014 marks the 66th consecutive time that the Cal Poly Universities have had a float in the Rose Parade. It is the only student-designed and built float in the annual procession.
Cal Poly students have long designed and built floats that have won awards at the Rose Parade for their imagination and innovation. They were among the first – if not the first – to use hydraulics and computer-controlled animation.
Who: The Cal Poly Universities Rose Float
           University representatives
           California Cut Flower Commission
           California Secretary of Food & Agriculture Karen Ross
What: Secretary Ross will certify the float as “California Grown,” and Cal Poly students will demonstrate innovative animation floral decorations on their float.
When: noon to 2 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 31
Where: Lot I, Rose Bowl, 1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena, CA

Monday, December 30, 2013

Warmup Expected

 
                                                    Forecast for Dec. 30 to Jan. 3, 2014.

This mild winter is continuing strong this week with some warm temperatures lined up into the new year.

Monday
Sunny with a high near 76 degrees. That weekend breeze will continue, although more subdued, with winds from the north at around 5 to 10 miles per hour. Gusts could be as high as 15 miles per hour. Night will be mostly clear with a low around 50 degrees.

Tuesday
Mostly sunny with a high near 74. Night will be mostly clear with a low around 52 degrees.

Wednesday
Temps will start to warmup again for the new year after having dipped slightly the past few days. The high will be around 76 degrees. The low will be around 53.

Thursday
Thursday is forecast to be the hottest day of the week, with a high around 79 degrees. Night will be mostly clear with a low of 54.

Friday
The high will dip slightly, but the day will still be plenty warm at 77 degrees.

Information courtesy of weather.gov

Wood-Burning Fireplaces Prohibited on New Years Eve in Diamond Bar and Walnut



By City News Service
Wood-fired heating will be prohibited starting at midnight tonight, and lasting 24 hours into New Years Eve, because of high smog levels and stagnant air.
The "no burn day" order will be in effect in Los Angeles and Orange counties, and much of the Inland Empire, with a few exceptions, said officials at the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
Persons who have wood as their sole source of hear, or those living above the 3,000-foot elevation, are exempt. Also exempt are persons with low income.
The no-burn order is also not effect in the Coachella Valley. Persons seeking information about the order can look at www.airalerts.org and entering their zip codes.

Pomona T.V. Movie

Royce Officials Say Candidate Never Filed in Wrong District



The Sacramento Bee cited a statement of candidacy form that was reportedly filed for Royce for the 40th District, but the Congressman said the error was not on financial form.

U.S. Rep. Ed Royce is responding to a story that recently ran in the Sacramento Bee regarding his filing for re-election in the wrong district, calling the report "erroneous."

Royce, R-Fullerton, last week filed a "statement of candidacy" for the seat in the 40th Congressional District of California, which is mostly in Orange County, according to the Sacramento Bee newspaper. Royce's district includes Diamond Bar and Walnut. A spokesman for Royce originally attributed the error to a typo.
The 40th was redrawn in 2010 into Los Angeles County, is held by incumbent Democrat Lucille Roybal-Allard, and has a 47 percent Democratic registration advantage.
Royce has represented the 39th District since winning that seat in 2012, after the district lines were redrawn in California. Before that, Royce was the Congressman from the 40th, but before the latest reapportionment, he was elected from the 39th, The Bee reported.
In a statement released today, Royce campaign officials said that the paperwork the newspaper cited was not related to a candidate's filing for office. A screenshot of the document the newspaper cited is attached to this story.

“It is impossible for a federal candidate to file for reelection in any California district until February 10 when the Secretary of State opens the period for declarations of candidacy. The document mentioned was not, and could not be, an official declaration of candidacy but was instead a routine, financial disclosure statement for a fundraising committee based in Virginia in which a staff member made a typographical error. Representative Royce looks forward to filing his official declaration of candidacy in the 39th district.”

---City News Service

1950 Studebaker







 
A friend is keeping this here for a couple of months, then it will go up north to Reno.



Metrolink Riders Save $3 Off Regular Ticket Price

​Now Through March 9, 2014

Discover the secret world of SPY: The Secret World of Espionage as it make its West Coast premiere at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.  With a four-and-a-half month engagement, experience an up-close look at recently declassified CIA, FBI and KGB secrets and artifacts including items that inspired the academy award-winning film, Argo.  Navigate through an actual laser field, create your own spy disguises and come face-to-face with the gadgets, tools and actual techniques used by real-life spies.
SPY tickets include admission to the entire Reagan Library and Museum. Touch an actual part of the Berlin Wall and climb aboard Air Force One. The museum is open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  For more information, visit reaganlibrary.com.
There are two ways you can purchase tickets and SAVE! 
1. Present your Metrolink ticket or pass at the Reagan Library admissions desk
2. Visit reaganlibrary.com/spies and use discount code Metrolink 
Cannot be combined with any other offers.  Offer expires Feb. 28, 2014.


Getting There
L.A. Union Station to Simi Valley
1. Take Amtrak 761 to the Simi Valley Station. Metrolink riders with any ticket type can ride Amtrak 761 for no additional charge.  
Or
2. Take Metrolink train 101 to the Simi Valley Station.  
3. Transfer for free to the Simi Valley Transit Route B bus departing the Metrolink station at 8:24 a.m. or 9:09 a.m. to the Civic Center.  
4. Transfer to the Route D bus ($1.25 regular or $.50 senior/special) from the Civic Center at 10:14 a.m. and arrive at the Reagan Library and Museum by 11 a.m.

Metrolink Weekday train schedule  (Monday-Friday only)

L.A. Union Station to Simi Valley                  Train 101               Amtrak 761*
L.A. Union Station                                            6:52 a.m.               7:35 a.m.
Glendale                                                            7:01 a.m.               7:48 a.m.
Downtown Burbank                                         7:07 a.m.                     
Burbank-Bob Hope Airport                             7:12 a.m.               8:00 a.m.
Van Nuys                                                           •7:23 a.m.             8:10 a.m.
Northridge                                                         •7:31 a.m.              8:19 a.m.
Chatsworth                                                       •7:38 a.m.               8:32 a.m.
Simi Valley                                                         7:52 a.m.               8:45 a.m.
* Metrolink riders can board Amtrak 761 for no additional charge

Return to Simi Valley Station

1. Transfer to the Simi Valley Transit Route D bus ($1.25 regular or $.50 senior/special) from the Reagan Library and Museum at 1:53 p.m. to the Civic Center.  
2. Request a free transfer to the Route B bus (with your valid Metrolink ticket) departing 2:54 p.m. to the Metrolink station.
3. Take Metrolink train 118 departing at 5:10 p.m. back to downtown L. A. and stations along the route.

Simi Valley to L.A. Union Station                  Train 118
Simi Valley                                                        5:10 p.m.
Chatsworth                                                       5:27 p.m.
Northridge                                                         5:32 p.m.
Van Nuys                                                           5:45 p.m.
Burbank-Bob Hope Airport                             5:53 p.m.
Downtown Burbank                                        •5:59 p.m.
Glendale                                                           •6:06 p.m.
L.A. Union Station                                             6:20 p.m.


For train schedule information, visit metrolinktrains.com.
For Simi Valley bus schedules, click


It’s Time. The Clippers have their sight set on a second straight Pacific Division title this season.  With Doc Rivers at the helm, and returning starters - Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan – the Clippers are looking at reaching the playoffs again in 2014
 
Special Metrolink Discount:
Metrolink riders can save 10% on official merchandise at the TEAM LA Store by showing your Metrolink and at Clipperstore.com. 
Use code METRO10 at checkout. Some restrictions may apply. Not valid with any other offer. See store for details. Expires 4/12/14.
 
Take Metrolink to the STAPLES Center:
Metrolink offers late-night service Monday through Saturday on its San Bernardino Line so you can get to hockey game and back without the hassles of driving to downtown L.A. and finding parking.  There is Metrolink train service on the weekends from Orange, Antelope Valley and San Bernardino  to downtown L.A.  For train schedule information, visit metrolinktrains.com.
 
Directions from L.A. Union Station to STAPLES Center:
Follow the signs and walk toward the Metro Red or Purple lines.
When connecting to Metro Rail, you must tap your ticket at the turnstile or validator for a valid transfer.
Take Metro Red Line toward North Hollywood or Metro Purple Line toward Wilshire/Western (Trains leave every five minutes; travel time is also 5 minutes)
Exit at 7th St/Metro Center Station. You will need to tap your ticket at the turnstile or validator for a valid transfer on the Expo Line.
From 7th St/Metro Center Station, take the Blue or Expo Line toward Culver City. Exit at the first stop – Pico/Chick Hearn Station located across the street from the STAPLES Center.  
To view the Metro Rail system, go to metro.net 
 
Click here for the L.A. Clippers game schedule. 
For more information visit http://www.nba.com/clippers
 

UPDATE: Mission Family Restaurant



 
Well I thought I would stop by the restaurant and see how it was doing since it's closing early this month, well it looks like their still serving food but at another location.
 And also they fenced in the restaurant as you can see, what you can't see is all the graffiti on the windows, can't blame them from putting up the fence. 
I guess the A can also mean Adios.

This week’s menu at Inland Valley-area senior centers



Hot meals for seniors 60 and older are provided by Oldtimers Foundation from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday at area senior centers. A donation of $3 is requested. Meals are served at the following centers:Bloomington: 18317 Valley Blvd., 909-877-4310.Chino: 13170 Central Ave., 909 628-0071.Ontario: 225 B St., 909-395-2021.Rancho Cucamonga: 11200 Base Line Road, 909-477-2780.Rialto: 1411 S. Riverside Ave., 909-877-9706.Upland: 250 N. Third...

DECEMBER 30, 2013 – NATIONAL BICARBONATE OF SODA SODA

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           National Bicarbonate of Soda Day

Congressman Royce Files for Re-Election in Wrong District



By City News Service
A veteran California Congressman filed re-election campaign documents for the wrong district, it was reported today, but a spokesman blames the mistake on a typo.
Rep. Ed Royce, R-Fullerton, last week filed a "statement of candidacy" for the seat in the 40th Congressional District of California, which is mostly in Orange County, according to the Sacramento Bee newspaper. Royce's district includes Diamond Bar and Walnut.
The 40th was redrawn in 2010 into Los Angeles County, is held by incumbent Democrat Lucille Roybal-Allard, and has a 47 percent Democratic registration advantage.
Royce has represented the 39th District since winning that seat in 2012, after the district lines were redrawn in California. Before that, Royce was the Congressman from the 40th, but before the latest reapportionment, he was elected from the 39th, The Bee reported.
A consultant to Royce told the newspaper "he's running in the 39th," and the statement was corrected late Friday, The Bee reported.

County Posts Economic Gains, But Lags in Jail and Child Welfare Reforms



City News Service
The county also expects changes to the Board of Supervisors in the new year, with Walnut representative Gloria Molina to be termed out in 2014.
Los Angeles County's enviable revenue gains boosted its credit rating and funded pay increases for county workers for the first time in nearly five years in 2013, but the county came under harsh criticism over violence in county jails and dealt with a late-year strike by social workers.
After five years of deficits -- reaching nearly a half-billion dollars in 2010-11 -- and cuts averaging 15 percent across all departments, Chief Executive Officer William Fujioka presented a $25.3 billion balanced budget. Increasing property and sales tax revenues allowed the county to begin to restore its "rainy day" and other reserve funds, even as other municipalities faced bankruptcy.
"In some cities, they can't even fill the potholes and pave the streets," Supervisor Don Knabe said.
Rating agency Standard & Poor's upgraded Los Angeles County's long-term credit rating from AA to AA-plus, the highest rating it has ever assigned to the county.
Employees were given a 6 percent raise, phased in between contract signing and April 2015. But the financial bounty did not prevent one union, Service Employees International Union Local 721, from calling a strike that lasted six days before officials returned to the bargaining table to hammer out a deal.
Negotiations included such non-economic issues as social worker caseloads, cited as too high for employees to effectively juggle.
The widely reported fatal beating of Gabriel Fernandez -- an 8-year-old Palmdale boy allegedly tortured by his mother's boyfriend despite multiple reports of abuse to the county Department of Children and Family Services -- was a stark example of the need for changes. The county moved to fire four employees in the wake of the boy's death.
DCFS Director Philip Browning said new hires would result in lower caseloads come January and pointed to more intensive training and streamlined policies as critical changes. But a commission on child welfare appointed by the board has yet to publish its findings.
DCFS hardly stood alone in its troubles. Eighteen current and former sheriff's deputies were indicted in a federal probe of alleged abuse of jail inmates and visitors. The charges include allegations that deputies altered records in an attempt to hide a jailed FBI informant from his federal contacts.
Those indictments followed a raft of reforms recommended by the Citizens' Commission on Jail Violence, millions of dollars in legal settlements paid on behalf of the Sheriff's Department and the establishment of an Office of Inspector General to provide a check on the department.
Sheriff Lee Baca hired Assistant Sheriff Terri McDonald to oversee the jail system, and several senior leaders, including Undersheriff Paul Tanaka, retired, resigned or otherwise left the department.
Jail overcrowding was another issue dogging the department, due, in part, to state law that shifts responsibility for thousands of non-violent, non- serious, non-sexual offenders to county jails rather than state prisons.
The board is working with an outside consultant to develop a plan for construction and modernization of county jail space that could cost up to $1.6 billion, while civil rights advocates urged the supervisors to consider alternatives to more cells, like pretrial release, electronic monitoring and more community resources to reduce recidivism.
Health-care reform offered a win for the county this year, as its Department of Health Services enrolled roughly 290,000 of the county's neediest residents in an expanded Medi-Cal program taking effect Jan. 1.
DHS Director Dr. Mitchell Katz also announced that he expects the department to run a surplus of $11.5 million for the year ending June 30, 2014, and more than $150 million for the following year.
As a new year dawns, the Board of Supervisors is preparing for dramatic change. Gloria Molina, the first Latino member of the board, and Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky will both give up their seats due to term limits. It will be the first significant turnover of the board in years, as incumbents are rarely challenged. Molina was first elected in 1991 and Yaroslavsky will have represented the 3rd District for 20 years when he cedes his spot.
Both races have already attracted political heavyweights. Former Labor Secretary Hilda Solis has garnered the backing of SEIU Local 721 and seems to have little competition in her bid to succeed Molina.
The race for Yaroslavsky's seat is likely to be much more competitive. Former state Sen. Sheila Kuehl and West Hollywood City Councilman John Duran have declared their candidacy, while former Los Angeles Controller and failed mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel and former Santa Monica Councilman Bobby Shriver are each mulling a run.
Another two board seats will turn over in 2016, when Knabe and the board's longest-serving member, Supervisor Michael Antonovich, are termed out.
That will leave only one member of this year's board, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, still in office, assuming he wins re-election in 2016.


Sunday, December 29, 2013

Pomona T.V. Movie

384 E. 6th St. Pomona built in 1897


263 S. White Ave. Pomona built in 1896


 


 

Jan 04, 2014 - 05, 2014

Reptile Super Show

Location: Fairplex Expo Hall 4

Welome to the world's largest reptile show with more than 500 tables of rare & unique animals including lizards, turtles, frogs, supplies and more

Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Admission for adults $14; ages 12 & younger $9.

Parking at Gate 17 on Fairplex Dr. at prevailing rates

Visit reptilesupershow.com for more information

Check this out

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Goddess of Pomona at Thomas Plaza


The Naked Lady in the Window


 
I was at the Mayfair Hotel and I remember the picture of the Naked Lady in the Window. That's what some people call the first picture, I thought I had the right window, must of been the one next to it and of course I couldn't find a naked lady that would look out the window. But I did the best that I could, maybe I should of stripped down and do a male version of Naked Man Looking out the Window. Hmm still not to late....B^)

This use to be at the Fairplex in Pomona



Dec26, 2013 - Jan 05, 2014

10:00 AM - 07:00 PM

Southern California Winter RV Show

Location: Fairplex
Southern California Winter RV Show is presented by McMahon's RV.
Hundreds of RV’s to choose from with special factory buy backs and huge retail incentives.
FREE ADMISSION
Parking at Gate 9 on White Ave..at prevailing rates.
For more information visit www.mcmahonrv.com


Dec 18, 2013 - 31, 2013

Fairplex Holiday Sale

Save big this holiday season on tickets to your favorite Fairplex events in 2014!
Use promo code FAIRPLEXHOLIDAYS to save 20%.  Hurry, offer ends December 31.
Click here to buy your tickets today!
Discount may not be combined with any other offer.  Offer is valid on regular-priced 2014 L.A. County Fair, Street Machine and Muscle Car Nationals, Upland Lemon Festival and Oktoberfest products.  Not valid on Limited Time Bundles.  Offer expires December 31, 2013 at 11:59 p.m.




Goldenvoice
YG & Friends
Choose either GA Floor (standing) or GA Balcony (unreserved seats). GA Balcony tickets ($35) do not include access to the Floor or Pit areas. Pit wristbands are given out on a first-come first serve basis to GA Floor ticket holders based on capacity.
Dec 31
Doors open: 09:00pm
Show Starts: 10:00pm
Genre: Hip Hop
Ages: All Ages
Tickets Onsale: Friday, 11/22 at 10am
Ticket Price: $25-45 GA adv / $50 dos

DECEMBER 28, 2013 – NATIONAL CHOCOLATE CANDY DAY – NATIONAL CARD PLAYING DAY

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NATIONAL CHOCOLATE CANDY DAY

Almost everyone craves chocolate candy at one time or another.  December 28th of each year celebrates every kind of chocolate candy on National Chocolate Candy Day.
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NATIONAL CARD PLAYING DAY

National Card Playing Day is annually celebrated, across the United States. on December 28.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Ren's Wayback Jan. 29, 2011

Ren's Wayback May 12, 2009

Ren's Wayback July 1, 2010 Taking the Fox Sign down to be restored

DECEMBER 27, 2013 – NATIONAL FRUITCAKE DAY



Across the United States, fruitcake lovers young and old, celebrate National Fruitcake Day each year on December 27.
Made with chopped candied or dried fruit, nuts and spices and sometimes soaked in “spirits”, fruitcake has been a holiday gift-giving tradition for many years.
Rome is believed to be the creator of fruitcake and one of the earliest recipes known comes from ancient Rome listing pomegranate seeds, pine nuts and raisins that were mixed into barley mash.  Records indicate that in the Middle Ages, honey, spices and preserved fruits were added.  Recipes for fruitcake vary from country to country depending on available ingredients and tradition.
Sugar from the American Colonies along with the discovery that high concentrations of sugar could preserve fruits, created an excess of candied fruit hence making fruitcakes more affordable and much more popular starting in the 16th century.
  • Typically, American fruitcakes are rich in fruits and in nuts. 
  • In America, mail-order fruitcake began in 1913. 
  • Commercial fruitcakes are often times sold, from catalogs, by charities as a fund raising event. 
  • In 1935, the expression “nutty as a fruitcake” was coined during the time Southern bakeries, Collin Street and Claxton, had access to cheap nuts. 
  • Most mass-produced fruitcakes in America are alcohol-free.
  • Some traditional recipes include liqueurs or brandy and then complete the fruitcake by covering it in powdered sugar.
  • Brandy soaked linens have been used to store fruitcakes as some people believe that they improve with age. 

Happy National Fruitcake Day

AB 109 Task Force Makes 40 Arrests in Multi-City Sweep




From the Pomona Police Department
The holiday season typically brings an increase in a variety of crimes. Many of those crimes are committed by repeat offenders who realize that citizens will tend to have more money and property with them during the holiday season. In addition, criminals who are on probation or parole, or have absconded, tend to return home for the holidays to be with their families.

On December 9, 2013, the San Gabriel Valley East AB109 Task Force (operated out of the Pomona Police Department) conducted a series of one-day one-city operations titled “Home for the Holidays”.

The goal of the operation was to conduct probation and parole compliance checks on persons being supervised by the Los Angeles County Probation Department’s Chief of Police Regional Support Unit (COPRS), State Parole (parolees) and sex registrants (Penal Code 290).

The operation resulted in the following:

-215 parole/probation compliance checks conducted.
-40 arrests consisting of 12 AB109 violations, 17 parole violations, 7 sex offender violations and 4 other arrest for felony or misdemeanor warrants.
-15 firearms seized/confiscated.
-Narcotics and narcotic paraphernalia seized as evidence.

The San Gabriel Valley East AB109 Task Force is a multi-agency team comprised of officers from seven cities including the LA County Probation Department. Their primary responsibility is to conduct compliance checks on those individuals who have been released from prison under AB109 to ensure that they are complying with their terms of release. The Task Force is responsible for enforcement in the cities of Azusa, Baldwin Park, Claremont, Covina, Glendora, Irwindale, Pomona, La Verne, West Covina and Whittier. Agents from the California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation’s (CDCR) Parole Division and the Department of Children and Family Services Multi- Agency Response Team (MART) also assisted with the two week operation.

Holiday DUI Arrests Up From Last Year in L.A. County



Drunken or drugged driving arrests from Dec. 13 through Christmas day have increased by about 100 arrests since last year.

Law enforcement officers have made 1,520 drunken or drugged driving arrests from Dec. 13 through Christmas Day. The total comes from 100 L.A. County jurisdictions and has increased from last year’s total of 1,425 during the same period last year.
No traffic deaths were reported during the first 30 hours of the Christmas holiday, from 6:01 p.m. Tuesday through 12:59 p.m. Wednesday, according to a department statement. Last year, three deaths were reported during this time period. During this period statewide, there were 115 DUI arrests, fewer than last year’s 337 arrests.
The anti-DUI effort that includes checkpoint and directed patrols will continue through New Years Day.
City News Service