February 18, 2010
Vol. 87 Issue 8
Long Beach to hold comic convention Saturday
THURSDAY
The Long Beach convention center will host a comic expo Feb. 20, which will feature over 50 entertainment and comic book professionals. NEWS, Page 3
Insensitive to show Olympic luge athlete’s death? OPINION, Page 4
Titan hockey forward heavy hitter on the ice SPORTS, Page 8
The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
Fullerton bank robbed By Donald c. stefanovich Daily Titan News Editor
and Juliana Campbell
Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
Photo courtesy FULLERTON POLICE DEPARTMENT Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying this man who was caught on surveillance cameras while robbing the bank.
The Wachovia Bank, located at 1901 N. Euclid in Fullerton, was robbed by an unidentified male Wednesday. According to Fullerton Police Sgt. Andrew Goodrich, the suspect entered the bank and handed a note to the teller and instructed the teller to stay calm.
The note demanded cash and claimed the suspect had a gun, according to police. The suspect, described as a Caucasian male in his early 30s and approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall with a medium build, thanked the teller after receiving an undisclosed amount of money, Goodrich said. He walked out the north door of the bank and was last seen running north through the parking lot. The suspect was wearing glasses at the time of the robbery
Construction to revamp arboretum main entrance By Carolina velazquez For The Daily Titan news@dailytitan.com
photo By Juan Jimenez/For the Daily Titan The new Arboretum entrance is an eight-week project that is expected to be completed in the first week of March.
and has a tattoo on the left side of his neck and another intricate tattoo on his left calf. Employees of nearby businesses claimed not to have seen anything unusual. Wachovia Bank officials refused to comment. Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspect. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Detective Jose Arana at the Fullerton Police Department, 714-738-3396.
Construction is currently underway at the Cal State Fullerton Arboretum in an effort to improve the main entrance. The goal of the project is to attract new visitors to the Arboretum. The new main entrance will be at the same location as the original. Despite the minor renovation, the arboretum is to continue on with its normal hours, as this new entrance is expected to further expand the appearance of the entry way. This is the first time, since the arboretum opened in 1976, that the main entrance is undergoing renovation. Construction started Jan. 18, and Arboretum Director Gregory Dyment said that the remodeling is scheduled to continue for another two months. “The old entrance was beginning to look overgrown,” Dyment said. “It was only a matter of time.” The idea to remodel the main entrance began almost three
years ago. Dyment said that all the money was donated by different arboretum supporters and the total cost of the new entrance was about “$200,000 or so.” This new entrance is designed to widen the space more and will allow an open view of the waterfall. An abundance of lights will also be added, a feature that wasn’t present before. These lights will be able to provide a brightly lit entry walkway after dark. No longer will the arboretum have to hassle with visible extension cords, an issue they have dealt with before. Plants will continue to be displayed throughout the main entrance. Most of these plants will be more drought tolerant, which will allow them to compliment the adjacent landscape of the entry way. A number of visitors, joggers and tours will be affected by the remodeling of the main entrance. However, many would say that they don’t seem to mind the construction. See ARBORETUM, Page 3
Volunteers offer free tax service for students news@dailytitan.com
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) group is offering free income-tax return preparation and filing on campus until March 27. VITA, an IRS-certified volunteer program, was started by professor of accounting Kathleen Wright, a certified public accountant and lawyer. “I started the program when I came to Cal State Fullerton four years ago from Cal State East Bay,” said Wright. “When I arrived, Cal State Fullerton didn’t have one and
INDEX
News .......................... page 2,3 Opinion ......................... page 4 Sound-Off ................... page 5,6 Classifieds ..................... page 7 Sports ........................... page 8
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at Cal State East Bay, the VITA program was very popular, so I asked the department chair if we could start it.” The program is offered to lowincome households and individuals. To qualify, annual incomes may not exceed $40,000 for an individual-filer, $45,000 for a family of three, and $50,000 for a family of four. “Most of the clients are from the Fullerton campus and are either students or staff,” said Wright. “But people from the community can come.” See TAXES, Page 3
photo By Jennifer Karmarkar/Daily Titan Staff Writer Max Bloom’s Café Noir in Fullerton showcases local talent Wednesday through Saturday nights.
By Jennifer Karmarkar Daily Titan Staff Writer soundoff@dailytitan.com
If you haven’t made it to Max Bloom’s Café Noir yet, there are now two great reasons to go: 89 cent coffee and the free Fullerton Acoustic Showcase, both of which drew an appreciative crowd to the cozy, 1940s-themed coffeehouse near downtown Fullerton Feb. 10. About three dozen music and coffee aficionados of all ages jammed the tiny space one block off Harbor Boulevard for the first of two planned showcases. The next one is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 7:30 p.m. Max Bloom’s owner Kevin Carter said he is testing the waters to see how many people were interested in coming to events like this. “Our objective is to try and channel as much art through here as possible,” Carter said, “and to give people a forum to do stuff that they don’t normally have other places.” Last week’s showcase featured three homegrown acts, each playing a 45 minute set. First to perform was 25-year-old Jesse MacLeod, a singer/songwriter whose heartfelt, blues-infused ballads captivated the audience. Aside from covers of Amos Lee’s “Keep it Loose, Keep it Tight” and Van Morrison’s “Brown-Eyed Girl,” the music was all original. Sarah Goodwin, 19, a Cal State Ful-Casey McCann lerton vocal pervocalist formance major, attended the event with two friends. “I really enjoyed the music. I liked the feel,” she said after MacLeod finished his set. “I liked his lyrics and I liked that he was really selling the music.” Goodwin discovered Max Bloom’s a week earlier and has been there four times since, proclaiming the food and the coffee “amazing.” She said she planned to perform the following night during open mike. Fullerton local Steve Macchia, 59, attended the Acoustic Showcase with his 14-year-old son, David, to watch his friend’s sons perform. “I like this place, it’s pretty laid back. I’m hoping the music picks up the pace a bit, though.” Macchia said, adding that he hoped his son, a budding musician, would pick up some pointers. The second act, Yeah, Brother!, awoke the rather sleepy audience with their toe-tapping, folksy sound, influenced, according to vocalist Casey McCann, by Coburn, Bob Dylan and ’80s Irish punk band, The Pogues. McCann, 25, who formed the duo six years ago with his older brother, banjo-player Max, liked the “cool vibe” of Max Bloom’s. See CAFÉ, Page 5
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It’s really hard for this type of place in this area because it’s surrounded by about 50 different bars.
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By Brenna Phillips
Daily Titan Staff Writer
Coffee shop survives amidst Fullerton bars
photo By Brenna Phillips/Daily Titan Staff Writer Student volunteers Mansi Shah and Gerald Yuen prepare income-tax forms for their clients at CSUF.
MULTIMEDIA Post-Valentine’s Day Ever wonder what happens after Valentine’s Day? Find out in this Daily Titan Multimedia exclusive at DailyTitan.com/ PostValentines
Tet Festival Experience the 2010 Tet Festival in Garden Grove at DailyTitan.com/ TetFestival2010