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MONDAY
09.05.16 Volume 15 Issue 244
@smdailypress
Big ‘Mac’ on campus Samohi to honor 1955 alumnus at alumni picnic BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN Daily Press Staff Writer
If there’s one event James “Mac” McPherson hates missing, it’s the annual alumni picnic at Santa Monica High School. The 1955 alumnus always looks forward to bumping into old friends, reminiscing about old times and supporting his old stomping grounds. And he’ll certainly be in attendance at this year’s edition Sept. 17, when he will receive the “Spirit of Samohi” award for his years of dedication to the high school. “It really means a lot,” McPherson said of the honor in a recent phone interview. “I don’t work for plaques, but it means a lot to me.” McPherson, 80, has supported
Samohi throughout his adult life. He’s met with principals, raised money for a variety of programs and attended numerous sporting events, even serving as a volunteer assistant coach on the Vikings baseball team over the years. His work with local youths has extended beyond the high school and into Santa Monica sports leagues, where he has mentored children in football and baseball throughout the last five decades. McPherson recalled a time he ran into a player who had challenged his authority some 20 years earlier. The player thanked him for teaching him a lesson. “I always wanted to be a coach,” the former football player said. “I like to teach. When I was teaching
WHAT’S UP WESTSIDE ..................PAGE 2 DEMOCRATIC ENDORSEMENTS PAGE 4 MY WRITE ........................................PAGE 4 EARTH TALK ....................................PAGE 5 KNOW BEFORE YOU GO ................PAGE 6
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Santa Monica Daily Press
smdp.com
Locks and serial numbers key to thwarting bike theft
SEE “MAC” PAGE 7
Advocacy from the top of his lung Local physician approaches 10 years since cancer diagnosis Marina Andalon
BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN
LOCKS AND RACKS: A sturdy lock can deter theft but it’s not a guarantee.
Daily Press Staff Writer
BY MATTHEW HALL Michael Weitz knew something was wrong. The longtime Santa Monica physician was sitting outside when he felt unusual pain in his chest after swallowing cold liquid, and he figured he probably had cancer. “I had this sixth sense,” he said, a bronchoscopy later confirming his dark suspicions. That was about 10 years ago. For Weitz, who now has one lung, it’s a marvel considering he was told he had no more than six months to live. The 59-year-old remains director of the emergency department at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, and he’s committed to the fight against one of the most common killers in the country. Weitz’s story is one piece in the mosaic of cancer’s devastating
Daily Press Editor
Tom Stratton is one of the many locals that use a bicycle to travel short distances within the City, and like many of those riders he has had the unfortunate experience of returning to a bike rack to find the bicycle missing. However, Stratton is among the rare riders that was able to recover his bike before it was lost to the wilds of Los Angeles. Bicycle theft is a consistent problem in Santa Monica. According to the Santa Monica Police Department, 597 bicycles were reported stolen in 2015 and 289 were reported stolen in the first eight months of this year. SMPD said the first step to preventing theft is to make sure the bike is properly locked and secured, preferably with a U-lock as they are
WEITZ
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SEE THEFT PAGE 7
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