Honoring Black History Month BUSINESS PROFILE: The Book Rack
ENTERTAINMENT: ‘Sweet Judy Blue Eyes’ Opens The Rose Page 8
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Page 9 SPORTS: El Monte National Little League Try-Outs Page 22
PasadenaIndependent Pasadena Independent
pasadenaindependent.com
Thursday, February 18, 2016 - February 24, 2016
Your Voice, Your Community
29-Year-Old Father Killed Tuesday Detectives Ask for Public’s Assistance in the Cty’s First Homicide of the Year
Since 1996
COMPLIMENTARY COPY VOLUME 20, NO. 7
City Council Brief on State of Pasadena’s Education BY GUS HERRERA Last week the Pasadena City Council held a special joint meeting with the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) in order to update the council on several ongoing and recently completed projects. Three major topics of concern included Collaborate PASadena, the Youth Master Plan, and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Pasadena Police Department (PPD) and the city’s schools. After roll call and the Pledge of Allegiance, Mayor Tornek took the time to thank last year’s Rose Court for their service to the community, presenting each member with a special certificate of recognition. It was a nice gesture as the mayor turned the page from last year, appropriately highlighting some of the
area’s brightest products on a night when the council asked the PUSD give an update on how Pasadena will look to improve conditions for its youth in the future. Collaborate PASadena was adopted unanimously on Feb. 19, 2013, during a similar joint meeting between the city council and PUSD. Originally known as the School/City/Community Work Plan, Collaborate PASadena is a multijurisdictional effort led by “youth, non-profits, higher education, businesses, and parents, in partnerships with the Town of Altadena, City of Sierra Madre, City of Pasadena and the PUSD” to provide a “new way of doing business across multiple sectors to ensure desired outcomes for all children,” according to the city’s staff report. SEE PAGE 13
DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint this Weekend
James R. Rucker was shot and killed Tuesday night in Pasadena.
BY TERRY MILLER A 29-year-old man died from gunshot wounds in the Washington Square area of north Pasadena Tuesday night. At about 9:44 pm, Pasadena Police responded to the area of Palm Terrace and
Claremont Street regarding multiple reports of gunshots being heard. Responding officers found James Rucker, 29, suffering from gunshot wounds. Pasadena Fire Department paramedics arrived and transported Rucker to Huntington hospital where he later succumbed
to his injuries. On Wednesday morning detectives from Pasadena PD were searching the area for any clues into this homicide. Tuesday night’s shooting was in close proximity to a Monday night attack which left one victim in critical condition.
– Photo Courtey of Victim’s Family
This is Pasadena’s first homicide of 2016 and one that has affected the extended family at Beacon Media. James Rucker was Pasadena Independent’s CEO, Jesse Dillon’s nephew. Detectives are on scene SEE PAGE 13
Pasadena Police Department Traffic Unit will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint on Friday, Feb. 26, at an undisclosed location within the city limits between the hours of 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. The deterrent effect of DUI checkpoints is a proven resource in reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol or drug involved crashes. Research shows that crashes involving an impaired driver can be reduced by up to 20 percent when well-publicized DUI checkpoints and proactive DUI patrols are conducted routinely. In California, this deadly crime led to 802 deaths and nearly 24,000 serious injuries in 2012 because
someone failed to designate a sober driver. Nationally, the latest data shows nearly 10,000 were killed by an impaired driver. "Over the course of the past three years, DUI collisions have claimed 6 lives and resulted in 90 injury crashes harming 154 of our friends and neighbors," said Pasadena Police Chief, Phillip L. Sanchez. Officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment with officers checking drivers for proper licensing delaying motorists only momentarily. When possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired SEE PAGE 12