MONDAY, JULY 2, 2012
Volume 11 Issue 198
Santa Monica Daily Press
‘TED’ CLEANS UP SEE PAGE 3
We have you covered
THE FESTIVE WEEK AHEAD ISSUE
COMMUNITY PROFILES
RON THEILE
THEILE
Teacher steers students toward London Olympics BY SEAN FITZ-GERALD Special to the Daily Press
already appear to be having an effect. Although he could not provide a specific number, county fire department spokesman Quvondo Johnson said there have been twice as many fires in the first six months of 2012 as compared to last year. The last major blaze in Malibu was the 2007 Corral Canyon Fire. That inferno destroyed 53 homes, damaged 35 residences and burned 4,900 acres. Davis said fire season used to be considered “toward back end of the year to, say, January,” but now it is recognized all year. He said on any hot, dry, and windy day there are fire concerns in urban interface
WALGROVE AVE He thought the phone call was a scam, a travel outfit scouring the country for performers like a vulture. After hanging up, Santa Monica resident Ron Theile was convinced that he wouldn’t hear from KIconcerts again, and he’d go back to Walgrove Avenue for a regular day of teaching. They must be canvassing choirs and schools, he thought. They’ve probably called dozens of others. But it wasn’t a scam. The agent from KIconcerts was calling to invite Theile and the Mark Twain Ringers to perform at five venues for the 2012 Olympics. After the phone call, he received a follow-up e-mail from the Greater London Authority, confirming the offer and asking for Theile and his ensemble to perform at Exhibition Road, the Weymouth Bayside Festival, Southwark Cathedral, London Live (Victoria Park) and Potters Fields Park. Born in Chicago, he grew up hungry for music. He started ringing English handbells at 10, and after corporate stints, began a teaching career at Chester W. Nimitz Middle School in 1994. Five years later, at Mark Twain Middle School, he embarked on a musical journey that would lead to his astounding accomplishment. Theile has worked with children for years, getting his start in church choirs and as a Little League coach in Santa Monica. At mid-
SEE FIRE PAGE 11
SEE CP PAGE 9
BIG SMILES
Ray Solano news@smdp.com Children take in the sights of fireworks at Santa Monica College on Saturday. Thousands gathered for the Santa Monica tradition.
Emergency officials prepare for fire season BY MCKENZIE JACKSON Special to the Daily Press
MALIBU As fire season approaches, emergency officials are warning of an increased potential for wildfires this summer due to dry weather and an abundance of brush. That brush has grown in recent years, as Malibu has dodged major wildfires, said Brad Davis, emergency services coordinator for the city of Malibu. “Every time a season goes by and the brush doesn’t burn that means there is more brush for the following season, so this season is one to be concerned about,” Davis said. “Not necessarily one to panic about or anything, but it is a concern.”
Representatives from all the major firefighting authorities in the Southland held a press conference June 18 and warned that dry weather this summer increases the danger of brush fires this year. Rainfall has been below normal so far this year, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Daryl Osby said. That means there is dead grass, trees, bushes and other plants from 2011 and this year still present in wooded areas that could help ignite fires. It could be more problematic if weather predictions for the rest of the summer hold true. “This year our projection for the fire season is that we’re going to have a warmer, drier summer,” Osby said. The dry weather and available fuel
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