FR EE !
E D DITIO N E K E E N W
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Santa Monica Daily Press
July 10-11, 2004 DAILY LOTTERY
A newspaper with issues
Olympic H.S. taps Gates as new principal
Tréggae
FANTASY 5 2 5 8 21 38
DAILY 3 Daytime: Evening:
555 158
DAILY DERBY 1st: 2nd: 3rd:
12 Lucky Charms 02 Lucky Star 10 Solid Gold
RACE TIMES: 1:43.73
BY JOHN F. MULLER
NEWS OF THE WEIRD
Special to the Daily Press
BY CHUCK SHEPARD
■ Salem, Mass., police Sgt. David Connelly was finally arrested in January after an alleged two-year vandalism spree; according to police in nearby Lynnfield, Connelly had been angry at a 2001 court decision against him by Judge Howard Whitehead, who lives a few blocks away, and at least 90 times in two years had driven by Whitehead's house and tossed empty beer cans into the yard. ■ Adding to the list of stories that were formerly weird but which now occur with such frequency that they must be retired from circulation: (69) The civicminded drunk who recognizes the danger in trying to drive home but who instead puts his adolescent child behind the wheel, or, as Michael Johnston did in Peachtree City, Ga., in June, got a blind friend to drive (supposedly "guided" by Johnston's instructions). (70) And the construction worker who is accidentally shot in the head with a nail gun, but who survives just fine (and winds up with a souvenir X-ray, which also appears in newspapers around the world), as happened to Isidro Mejia in Los Angeles in May.
DANIELE HAMAMDJIAN Special to The Daily Press
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3
Surf 3
Opinion Mind his manners
4
Q-Line Responses Painted into a corner
7
State Clarke points finger
8
National Killer teen cites abuse
10
Crossword 4 Down? Anyone?
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Daniele Hamamdjian/Special to the Daily Press
Classifieds $3.50 a day
13-15
Sports Case of the Benz
16
See OLYMPIC, page 5
Taggers draw city’s ire
Local
Water temperature: 66°
See TAGGED, page 4
Nicky Five Aces/Special to the Daily Press
Horoscopes
Prescription for care
Over the past 40 years, graffiti vandals have drawn a fine line between tagging and artwork. What began as an attempt to boost morale in inner city neighborhoods around the world evolved into territorial marking by gangs. Santa Monica is certainly not immune to the practice — be it artistic or not — and has experienced a noticeable increase over the last 20 years. “Graffiti’s are not only from gang members, but from kids, as well as the homeless,” said Jaime Fiesco, a graffitiremoval technician who works for City Hall. While Fiesco considers graffiti a form of artistic expression, gang members have convinced people otherwise by increasingly vandalizing newspaper racks, trash bins, telephone polls, bus benches, trees and particularly sidewalks, he said. Removing graffiti costs Santa Monica $128,000 every year, including salaries,
LINCOLN BLVD. — Less than six months since its top administrator used a school board meeting to lash out at district officials, Olympic High School has a new principal in place. Janie Gates took the reins last week, replacing Suzanne Toyryla, who chose to leave the district rather than accept a reassignment to Malibu High and a pay cut. District Superintendent John Deasy refused to comment on the circumstances surrounding Toyryla’s departure. She had served as principal at the high school for the past seven years. A Santa Monica resident of 13 years, Gates has 28 years of administrative experience at the Los Angeles County Office of Education. She worked as a teacher in special education before serving as an administrator in the division of juvenile court and then the county’s alternative education division. Most recently, Gates worked to promote “No Child Left Behind” programs throughout southern California. She has also participated in the local PTSA alongside her husband. Gates and Deasy agree the new principal’s experience working with students with special needs would help her succeed at Olympic. Gates said she was drawn to the school as an educator devoted to alternative programs. Her immediate decision to apply for the position came out of a desire to shorten a commute that often sent her across the state. She was selected by a group of faculty, administrators, parents and students. A continuation school, Olympic traditionally strives to give its students the special attention its administrators believe they need. With just over 50 graduates this year, Olympic High’s student body never exceeded 145 students on campus for its seven teachers. Olympic students, who range in age from 15 to 20 years old, have typically had rough lives — about 30 percent of the students are on probation, more than 20 percent are special education students, and half of the students work to support families. Gates stressed that alternative education requires smaller class sizes, tailored assignments and one-on-one instruction — characteristics Olympic has been trying to build on. “There are a lot of great things that are currently in place,” said Gates. “(I’ll be) working with the staff to offer more and more options for students. We’ll see if there are areas to grow and build more and more support
The Wailing Souls, a reggae band, set the tone and the vibe for Thursday’s crowd at the Santa Monica Pier’s Twilight Dance Series. Ras Michael headlined the concert. The pier hosts live music each Thursday through September.
INDEX Be yourself tonight, Leo
Volume 3, Issue 206
A new type of graffiti made with acid, like this one on a business owner’s window at Lincoln Boulevard and Kensington Road, is becoming more prevalent.
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