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Thursday, SEPTEMBER 29 - OCTOBER 5, 2011
Weekly
Community News, Arts & Opinions Since 1996
sierramadreweekly.com
Advertise your business here. Call 626.301.1010 Volume XVI, No. XXXIX
The Road Less Repaired Santa Anita’s Fall Meet Opens Friday By Susan Motander and Terry MilleR Six years ago after severe winter rains, Cal FEMA gave several grants to cities responsible for the maintenance of the road to Chantry Flats north into the foothills from Arcadia. Monrovia is responsible for a small segment of that road, but it has not yet been repaired. The stretch of road in question is where the road becomes a single lane due to the problem. Even with stop signs alerting drivers of the situation, the problem is that not many drivers pay attention to the stop sign at all. Our photographer was shooting the erosion at the site Monday and witnessed two cars traveling directly through the stop sign without so much as a pause. Vehicles approaching from the opposite direction had to swerve accordingly to miss the oncoming traffic. On a busy weekend, the traffic increases significantly, raising more concerns. Questions have been asked why repairs have been made to other areas of the road but not to the area Monrovia actually owns and maintains.
The Chantry Flat road is juristictionally part County of Los Angeles, part Arcadia and part Monrovia’s responsibility - the county is responsible for upgrades according to Mike Kaspar of Los Angeles County Public Works. City Manager Scott Ochoa said the explanation is basic, but not simple. The initial grant was insufficient to pay for the required repairs. The city council and staff felt that the use of general road repair funds was not justified under the circumstances. Additional funds were requested. Ochoa further explained that once additional FEMA funds became available engineers needed to come up with exact plans for the design. This was when the problems arose. “We are only responsible for a small elbow of the road, but it has a steep drop off,: Ochoa said. “It is less than half a mile in length; I think it is closer to 1/4 mile. At first, the engineers could not agree on what was required.”
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The excitement is back with live horse racing starting at Santa Anita this Friday. The Autum meeting runs through November 6. - Photo by Terry Miller
Unzip Me, a four-time stakes winner over Santa Anita’s unique downhill turf course, will be solidly favored to annex the Grade III, $100,000 Senator Ken Maddy Stakes on Friday when live racing returns to Santa Anita with the 2011 Autumn Meet, which runs 24 days through Nov. 6. The Autumn Meet, which will feature racing on Thursdays through Sundays with the addition of Colum-
bus Day on Monday, Oct. 10, will be highlighted by a stakes roster that includes 13 graded stakes and a day of state-bred racing on Oct. 29, the California Cup. This year marks the 21st running of the Cal Cup which will include five stakes, headed by the $150,000 Cal Cup Classic at 1 1/8 miles. Saturday, Oct. 1 has been designated as Breeders’ Cup Challenge Day and will be highlighted by
four Grade I stakes events. This year’s Breeders’ Cup will be hosted by Churchill Downs on Nov. 4 & 5 while Santa Anita intersperses live racing into its simulcast of the two-day championships. Blind Luck, who has succeeded Zenyatta as America’s most compelling Thoroughbred attraction, will gear up for the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic in Saturday’s Grade I, $250,000 Lady’s Secret at
Santa Anita. Unzip Me will face five opponents in Friday’s opening day feature for fillies and mares at 6 ½ furlongs on turf. The 5-year-old mare, coowned and bred by Harris Farms has become a paragon of consistency, finishing in the money in her last 15 starts, winning 10 of them. The defending champion in the Maddy, Unzip Me won
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Charges Filed Against State Assemblyman Two Suspects in Pasadena Anthony Portantino’s Local and Capitol Staff to Barber’s Murder be Laid-Off for Six Weeks
This stretch of Chantry Flat road, owned by Monrovia, hasn’t been repaired for six years - Photo by Terry Miller
Anthony Portantino’s office is being forced to close and all the staff laidoff for six weeks beginning October 21 – Nov. 30. The punitive action by Assembly Speaker Perez is apparenently in retaliation for the state Assemblyman’s “no” vote on the budget. 11 employees and 2 interns are directly affected by this action and the state has advised those employees that they should apply
for unemployment insurance. The medical benefits will remain intact according to Wendy Gordon at Portantino’s Pasadena office. The initial warnings about the layoffs arrived in July. Assembly leaders have accused Portantino of being over budget and subsequently ordered his offices in both the district and
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On September 23rd Pasadena Police filed charges against two suspects for the murder of King King a 43 year old Pasadena resident. King was found dead behind the businesses in the 900 block of E. Washington Blvd. Later this same day four individuals were detained and arrested for suspicion of murder. Upon further investigation it was determined that the murder occurred in conjunction with the robbery of Mr. King.
Today the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed Murder with special circumstances in the commission of Robbery against, Devon Westley Moore a 22 year old Los Angeles Resident and Sabrina King (No relation to the victim) an 18 year old Compton resident. Both are being held without bail. The District Attorney’s Office rejected the charges against the other individuals and they have been released.