Saturday, March 2, 2013
Two artists' works on display at San Dimas gallery
The San Dimas Festival of Arts gallery will be open March 8-9 and 15-16 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Walker House is at 121 N. San Dimas Ave. Onen of the artists, Eric M. Davis, is influenced by the landscapes and colors of Southern California. Some of his works have been used on sets for television programs and motion pictures. Terry Swanson works in pencil, oils and watercolors. She specializes in canine and equine subjects. There is no admission to the gallery. Wine and hors d'oeuvres are served on both Fridays. Information: 909-599-5374 or www.sandimasarts.org.
Citrus College, APU to Lose Federal Funding
The organization put out a 116-page report Monday with projections on how much the schools’ Federal Work Study and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant programs will be affected, showing some colleges losing tens of millions of dollars in Title IV financial aid funds from the federal government.
According to the data, Citrus College will lose $22,798 in opportunity grants and $17,474 in federal work study. Azusa Pacific University will lose $34,276 in grants, while federal work study will take a $83,689 hit.
The government’s tentative allocation for financial aid programs nationwide is $1.7 trillion, according to the report.
The NASFAA compiled the report using U.S. Department of Education data for 2013-14 campus-based allocations and applied a speculative cut of 5.1 percent, showing a decrease of more than $65 million to the financial aid programs, according to the organization. Actual budget reduction figures have not yet been released by the Office of Management and Budget.
According to the Department of Education, the sequester would also have real consequences for teachers, young children in low-income families, and special-needs students.
The Obama administration on Sunday released a detailed report with information on how the sequester would affect each state. According to the report, California schools will lose about $87.6 million in federal funding, putting some 1,210 teachers and aides out of work. Financial aid would no longer be available for 9,600 low-income college students; some 3,690 work-study jobs would be eliminated and 8,200 children would be without early education, according to the White House.
The looming budget cuts were part of a deal struck between the White House and Congress in 2011 on the raising of the national debt limit. Democrats were in favor of voting to raise the debt ceiling, but Republicans wanted spending cuts in return. Sequestration will end in 2021 and is projected to lower the deficit by $1.2 trillion.
Part of President Obama’s plan to reduce the deficit calls for an increase in taxes on the wealthiest 1 percent in addition to spending cuts. Republicans oppose the plan, accusing the president of trying to replace the sequester with a bill that increases the deficit.
Going Green: Dump Your E-Waste For Free Saturday
Dispose of Household Hazardous Waste and E-Waste the right way! Brought to you by the County of Los Angeles and presented by the Department of Public Works and the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Myrtle Ave. Park and Ride Lot
Corner of S. Myrtle Ave. and Pomona Ave.
Monrovia, CA 91016
9:00 am -3:00 pm
For more information call 800-238-0172
Parkhouse To Take Advantage of Opportunity With Reign
In fact, the Los Osos High School graduate only had four shifts on the ice Friday night in his professional hockey debut with the Ontario Reign.
But he’s planning to make the most of it.
The Rancho Cucamonga native who grew up a fan of Tomas Sandstrom – and switched allegiances from the Los Angeles Kings to the Anaheim Ducks growing up because of it – had an assist during one of those four shifts, as the Reign defeated the Colorado Eagles 4-2 at Citizens Business Bank Arena.
“To be honest, I’m going to take whatever I can get here, and then I’m going to move forward.,” Parkhouse said after the game. “Not only are they helping me out by giving me the mentorship and being able to play, but they’re also helping me build a future and a resume. Like a big hockey resume. If I’m not here next week, I can thank these guys and turn around and they’ve helped me out. Or I’ll part ways, and I’ll be back at the camp next year.”
The opening on the Reign roster came earlier this week when C.J. Stretch was called up to the American Hockey League’s Houston Aeros – his first call-up of the year. Stretch became the sixth player from the Ontario roster on an AHL team at the start of action Friday.
Coach Jason Christie limited Parkhouse’s time on the ice, and paired him up with veteran players, including NHL veteran D.J. King during his limited action.
“He’s getting his feet wet,” Christie said of Parkhouse. “It’s a big step, coming from the school to here. It’s an opportunity with us being short-handed, and an opportunity to do it.”
Parkhouse took his first shift about midway through the first period, as the Reign spent early parts of the period killing penalties. Sitting there on the bench was tough, he said. And getting out on the ice … well, it could have been worse.
“It was real nerve-wracking waiting for the first one,” he said. “And once I got the first one, I actually went out there, and my heart rate was going so fast, that I toe-picked myself. I went to go to lay down to block a shot and I ended up going face first. Luckily the guy didn’t get it right in my chops.”
His assist came on the team’s fourth goal, a tally by Brady Calla that came from a play started from the Reign zone.
“Actually it started with a good breakout,” he said. “We talked about that we wanted to get the pucks in deep and charge in there hard, and that’s exactly what I did. I just went hard after the puck, and it ended up finding a couple of more sticks and in the back of the net.”
Parkhouse left home after graduating from Los Osos to play for the Helena Bighorns in Montana. From there, he went to Becker College, an NCAA Division III school in Leicester, Mass. At Becker, Parkhouse finished his senior year with 23 goals and 17 assists, and was named second-team All-Eastern College Athletic Conference. He left the school its all-time leader in goals (49), assists (66) and points (115).
He grew up playing hockey at rinks in Southern California, starting at Ontario Ice Center, then moving to Center Ice in Ontario. He played for the Anaheim Junior Ducks and the Junior Bombers before heading to Montana.
“No, I was ready (to leave home),” Parkhouse said. “It’s tough to leave such a warm and nice place, especially when you’re going to cold places. The transition was easy, because it’s what I wanted to do.”
Parkhouse grew up around hockey, as well. The family has season tickets to the Kings. And his father and brother are part of the off-ice officials crew for the Reign, something Branden did four times during his Christmas break.
But now, he’s on the ice, for the Reign. And he hopes that the rest of the weekend – the Reign play Stockton tonight at 6 p.m., then turnaround for a game at Stockton at 4 p.m. Sunday – will get a little easier.
“I’m going to be more comfortable,” Parkhouse said. “I’ll be feeling more comfortable with the guys, and them feeling more comfortable with me. Just that level of comfort now is going to be there, even tomorrow morning at practice.”
PARKHOUSE ADD: His professional debut brought phone calls for tickets from family and friends, he said. Though, mostly to his parents.
“My phone didn’t ring that much, but my mom and dad’s did,” Parkhouse said. “They gave out a couple of tickets that they could, and I gave out a couple that I could. But a lot of friends came, a lot of family friends, not my friends, but family friends, but they had to buy tickets.”
Including one fan that held up a sign congratulating him during warm-ups.
“I saw that, too,” he said. “It was a little bit of a surprise. It caught me off guard.”
CALL-UP SHUFFLE: While Stretch was heading up to the AHL this week, the Reign did get a little bit of help back, as goaltender Chris Carrozzi was returned from St. John’s. He started in goal Friday night, and was backed up by Dustin Carlson.
With all the moves, it’s led Christie to change up the Reign’s game-plan a little.
“Our schedule the way it’s been, we’re just coming out and simplifying our game,” he said. “Obviously we lost a lot of scoring recently. We’ve got to come out and change our style.”
The results have been there for Ontario, who has won four out of five since a four-game winless streak. And, as for all the call-ups, he is trying to remain focused on the players he has now, especially with the back-to-back with a rested Stockton team.
“The only thing we can control is how we play each and every shift,” Christie said. “We just have to make sure to tighten up. Stockton is a good team, and we realize that.”
'Wildcats in Space' Science Expo Coming Saturday
The Monrovia High School Math & Science Academy will host a community-wide Science Showcase on Saturday, March 2, 2013, to kick off “WildCats in Space”. This event will provide fun for all ages! There will be an FTC Robotics Tournament; a Science Expo with booths staffed by JPL scientists for “Ask a Scientist” and “Ask an Engineer”; ITT Exelis, NASA’s Deep Space Network, will have a display; Aquarius Project Chief Scientist Amet Sen will talk about the importance of observing Earth from Space; and much more. The day’s events will conclude with an Evening Star Party. Click here for further information.
First Phase of Gold Line Project on Track to Completion
The $48.7 million design build contract went to Webcor builders for the intermodal parking facilities and enhancements project.
According to GLCA authorities, the contract keeps the project on budget and on schedule for delivering the light rail to Metro in 2015.
The alignment contractor recently completed the first of 24 bridges and is constructing numerous others in Azusa and Arcadia.
Ground has been broken on the first at-grade crossing at Highland Avenue in Duarte and Dalton Avenue in Azusa. Work is in progress on the Duarte station and the Operations Campus.
While construction remains on track to the Azusa/Glendora border, representatives are working to secure $600 million in funding for the next phase of construction from Azusa to Montclair.
In an effort to maintain Washington support for the Gold Line extension, GLCA Vice-Chair and Glendora City Councilmember Doug Tessitor said he and Habib Balian, CEO of the Gold Line Construction Authority, recently traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with U.S. representatives. The two met with representatives Ed Royce, Gloria Negrete McLeod, Judy Chu and Grace Napolitano and their constituents, as well as senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer.
“We wanted to educate them and bring them up to speed with [this project],” said Tessitor during Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
While officials continue to lobby to secure a major shortfall, the GLCA is optimistic that work can progress in the second phase of construction, while also moving forward on preliminary work for construction to Ontario Airport.
“Hopefully we’ll find roughly a million-and-a-half dollars to provide some studies and alignment and route selection out of the San Bernardino area to the Ontario airport,” said Tessitor.
Los Angeles County Economy Facing Uncertain Future if Sequester Shrinks Budgets
The sequester will mandate significant cuts to the federal budget, with few if any government agencies immune to reductions in funding. Defense and domestic spending will be evenly slashed, and the impacts on local economies are far from clear.
Los Angeles County has some 76,300 federal employees and retirees, according to Eye on Washington, and their fate could include furloughs or worse. Media reports include warnings on delays in air travel and tax refunds. Civilians employed by the Department of Defense face the possibility of furloughs.
“The possibility exists for a 22-day furlough of Federal employees,” said Brian O’Rourke, spokesman for Navy Region Southwest.
To see which local businesses have defense contracts that will be affected by the cuts, search the Congressional District Reports at For the Common Defense.org.
Downloadable spreadsheets show the contract dollar amount, contractor business name, address and phone number, the contractor industry classification, and whether the business is a small or disadvantaged business, woman-owned, minority-owned or veteran-owned, according to the website.
The Obama administration released on Sunday a report for each state detailing the impacts of the sequester’s budget cuts, and Republicans have accused the president of using scare tactics for political gain.
The seven-page report for California paints a grim picture for education, environmental protections, the military, law enforcement, child care, public health and government services. The report is attached to this article in the PDF section.
The nation has been through this drill before. The sequester was set to begin on Jan. 1, 2013, if lawmakers weren’t able to reduce the budget deficit. That deadline came and went, but they were able to agree on postponing the sequester for two months. That time is running out.
Huff Proposes Bill to Delay Teacher Pink Slips
Huff, who represents Diamond Bar and Walnut, wants the deadlines for the pink slips extended so that school districts can have more information about the state budget before issuing the notices, he said.
Under current law, districts statewide must send preliminary layoff notices by March 15. Permanent layoff notices must be issued by May 15. Huff’s proposed Senate Bill 559 would move those dates to June 1 and Aug. 1 respectively.
The early deadlines cause districts to overestimate the amount of layoff notices they send to teachers, Huff said.
“We have to put an end to the practice of causing teachers to think they are going to lose their job, then turning around and telling them ‘never mind,’” Huff said in a news release. “It’s cruel. Everyone thinks their job is in jeopardy, which creates anxiety for the teachers’ families, students and communities.”
Huff recalled one year that Elk Grove Unified, one of California’s larger school districts, issued 445 pink slips, only to rescind them a couple of months later when officials had more information about the state budget.
In March, the Walnut Valley Unified School District issued 24 preliminary layoff notices. The district rescinded all of them in May.
Frank Wells, a California Teachers Association spokesman, said by email that his organization has not had a chance to review Huff’s bill and has not taken a formal position.
“However, we have opposed other attempts to move the deadline in the past as we do not believe it is ‘cruel’ to give teachers advance notice about the possibility of losing their jobs, and that it would be more cruel to lay teachers off with less notice and little time to seek employment in another district before the school year starts,” he said.
Huff said the proposal in his bill is a change the Legislative Analyst’s Office, an independent department, tasked with making fiscal policy suggestions to the governor, recommends.
In 2010, Ed Trust West reported that three of state’s largest districts rescinded 78 percent of the layoff notices issued, Huff said. The Legislative Analyst Office estimates that the notices cost the districts $706 per teacher, he added.
Dennis Meyers, the California School Boards Association’s assistant executive director of governmental relations, said his group has not studied Huff’s bill but generally favors pushing back the dates for layoff notices.
School districts tend to over notice at the March 15 preliminary date because they have to prepare, but they do so with virtually no information on the state budget, Meyers said.
By the May 15 date, districts know a bit more about the budget, but that is followed by the governor’s revise, he said.
Meyers added that he feels moving the deadlines is more teacher friendly than the way it is done now and would enable districts to make decisions based on a clearer budget picture.
“It causes so much turmoil in the lives of teachers and their families,” he said of the pink slips. “Your life is turned upside down”
Sharks Get State Protection
"While targeted sport and commercial fishing for a white shark has been banned in waters off California since the mid 1990s, there were some exceptions that allowed for incidental take and take associated with research activities," said Marci Yaremko, the fisheries manager for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
"The department now will consider exceptions only on a case-by-case basis and will authorize take only under permits..."
State law defines taking as hunting, pursuing, catching, capturing or killing an animal or trying to do any of those things.
The state Fish and Game Commission agreed in February to list the top- feeding predator as a candidate for state protection, but its inclusion as a threatened or endangered species does not become official until the panel's action is published in California Regulatory Notice Register, which is expected today.
Now that the great white shark is a candidate for state protection, fish and wildlife official will began an exhaustive study of white shark populations off the California Coast. That report is expected to be done early next year.
Great whites -- they are technically Carcharodon carcharias -- are typically found near large pinniped populations.
Partial protections are afforded along the East Coast of the United States.
New Zealand, the site of the most recent fatal attack on a human, is the only nation that affords them full protection within 200 miles of its coast. Partial protections are afforded in South Africa and Australia, where there are large populations.
Friday, March 1, 2013
History of Puddingstone Lake
According to Mrs. Harry Walker, our first Historian, its name was suggested when a group of friends walked from Grand Ave. (now Damien) to the Falls about 1888 for a picnic. Some of the (conglomerate) rocks in the area seemed to them to resemble raisins in a pudding, so they decided to call the place Puddingstone Falls. (You can still see these rocks in places near the Lake - notably on the hill just to the SW of Brackett Field and near the present Hot Tubs.)
In 1890, when surveying the meadow where Saturnino Carrion had grazed his cattle, William Mount identified this as an ideal site for a natural reservoir. (He called the place �Pudding Hole.) J. H. Adams of Covina, claimed that God almighty has built this reservoir for the people, that this valley may become luxuriant and match the glory of the sunshine. However, it was not until 1928 that Puddingstone Dam was dedicated and the Lake filled from the stream that ran down from San Dimas Canyon.
The Park surrounding the Lake was also known as Puddingstone until County Supervisor Frank Bonelli retired, when the name was changed in his honor to its present identification as �Bonelli Park.
Patch reader Kelly Campbell captured the good-sized bears crossing the street in the 500 block of North Alta Vista and sent Patch her video.
One of the bears sniffed around a garbage can in front of a home for a bit before following its furry friend, who eventually disappeared from sight.
Claremont Announces Winners of City Contest
The city invited elementary, junior high, and high school students living or attending school in Claremont to honor civil rights leaders, by submitting letters, poems, essays, or artistic works related to the cause.
The 23rd annual contest was designed to increase awareness among Claremont youth of the contributions made by human rights champions, city officials said.
Entries were judged based on their originality, how effectively they demonstrated the students' understanding of human rights and equality and how well they incorporated the students' personal insight or experience, officials said.
Winners and their entries were recognized during a special reception at the Alexander Hughes Community Center on Feb. 27.
The individual winners from Claremont Unified School District schools are:
- Rohan Shivaram, Grade 3
- Chaparral Elementary School, teacher Mrs. Andrade
- Miles Patten, Grade 4
- Chaparral Elementary School, teacher Mrs. Thomas
- Citlamina Mejia, Grade 5
- Sumner Elementary School, teacher Mrs. Magallanes
- Abby Boon, Grade 6
- Sycamore Elementary School, teacher Mrs. Bowman
- Alyson Comia, Grade 7-8
- El Roble Intermediate School, teacher Mrs. Lyn
- Amanda Deal, Grade 9-10
- Claremont High School, teacher Ms. Evans
- Samuel Liu, Grade 11-12
- Claremont High School, teacher Mrs. Dixson
- Mrs. Reed's Kindergarten Class
- Chaparral Elementary School
- Mrs. Byers' 1st Grade Class
- Sumner Elementary School
- Mrs. O'Connor's 2nd/3rd Grade Class
- Sycamore Elementary School
- Anna Bella Cleere, Marcel Demidov, Julian Garcia, and Joseph Rogers, Grade 7th/8th
- El Roble Intermediate School
- Sarah Tran and Hyeonji Shim, 9th/10th Grade
- Claremont High School
Damien Wins First Ever CIF Title, Dispatches Santa Margarita 54-40
The Spartans were able to only make it to the semifinals the past three seasons, but this year would be different.
Senior Ayo Adedeji led the way for the Spartans, chalking up a double-double (18 points, 13 rebounds) while sophomore Jeremy Hemsley added 17 points and four assists, including a stretch of six unanswered points in the fourth quarter as the Spartans pulled away from the Eagles, outscoring them 18-6.
“I didn’t want our seniors to leave this season without winning,” Hemsley said of the victory. “Our goal was to win it for the seniors.”
Hemsley had to sit out a stretch in the second quarter because of foul trouble. The Eagles took advantage, outscoring Damien 12-8 to take a 23-21 lead going into halftime.
“We hung in there, but it wasn’t too pretty,” Damien Coach Matt Dunn said. “We didn’t score too well in the second quarter. He’s a great competitor. And you know what, he’s an even better kid than he is a basketball player.”
Devonte Klines finished with 16 points for Santa Margarita as the Spartans were able to neutralize the Eagle’s big man Joe Furstinger to only eight points, five rebounds and three blocked shots. The Eagles finish 16-15.
“We knew that they were going into #23 (Furstinger) so we tried to keep him out of the game as best we can,” Hemsley said. “Their point guard #10 (Klines), however did a good job of keeping his team in the game.”
Damien is 25-6 and will most likely receive a bid into the state tournament, which will be announced Sunday.
“It feels good for the kids,” Dunn said. “Not even the current players, but even past players say that they feel a part of this and they are. It takes a little bit of luck and luck was on our side tonight.”
BOX SCORE
| School | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
| Damien | 13 | 8 | 15 | 18 | 54 |
| Santa Margarita | 11 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 40 |
Citrus College, APU to Lose Federal Funding
The organization put out a 116-page report Monday with projections on how much the schools’ Federal Work Study and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant programs will be affected, showing some colleges losing tens of millions of dollars in Title IV financial aid funds from the federal government.
According to the data, Citrus College will lose $22,798 in opportunity grants and $17,474 in federal work study. Azusa Pacific University will lose $34,276 in grants, while federal work study will take a $83,689 hit.
The government’s tentative allocation for financial aid programs nationwide is $1.7 trillion, according to the report.
The NASFAA compiled the report using U.S. Department of Education data for 2013-14 campus-based allocations and applied a speculative cut of 5.1 percent, showing a decrease of more than $65 million to the financial aid programs, according to the organization. Actual budget reduction figures have not yet been released by the Office of Management and Budget.
According to the Department of Education, the sequester would also have real consequences for teachers, young children in low-income families, and special-needs students.
The Obama administration on Sunday released a detailed report with information on how the sequester would affect each state. According to the report, California schools will lose about $87.6 million in federal funding, putting some 1,210 teachers and aides out of work. Financial aid would no longer be available for 9,600 low-income college students; some 3,690 work-study jobs would be eliminated and 8,200 children would be without early education, according to the White House.
The looming budget cuts were part of a deal struck between the White House and Congress in 2011 on the raising of the national debt limit. Democrats were in favor of voting to raise the debt ceiling, but Republicans wanted spending cuts in return. Sequestration will end in 2021 and is projected to lower the deficit by $1.2 trillion.
Part of President Obama’s plan to reduce the deficit calls for an increase in taxes on the wealthiest 1 percent in addition to spending cuts. Republicans oppose the plan, accusing the president of trying to replace the sequester with a bill that increases the deficit.
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