INSIDE SCOOP
OPINION
PARENTING
CHECK OUT THE INAUGURATION PAGE 3 MOVING BEYOND HYPHENS PAGE 4 QUACKERS GET A CUT PAGE 6
TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2009
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Volume 7 Issue 369
Santa Monica Daily Press IN HIS SIGHTS SEE PAGE 11
Since 2001: A news odyssey
THE MAKING HISTORY ISSUE
Realizing King’s dream
Cops need help finding vehicle in hit-and-run BY KEVIN HERRERA Editor in Chief
PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY Investigators with the Santa Monica Police Department are asking for the public’s help in locating a vehicle involved in a felony hit-and-run accident that seriously injured a bike rider. It was the 13th hit-and-run accident in Santa Monica so far this year, said SMPD Investigator Chris Dawson. There were 612 such accidents in 2008. Police said the latest hit-and-run occurred on Jan. 17 at about 12:30 a.m. A 33-year-old bicyclist was riding southbound on 20th Street at Arizona avenue when he was struck by an unknown vehicle. After striking the cyclist, the driver ran over the bicycle and the rider’s body and then left the scene without rendering assistance or calling the police. The victim was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. He suffered severe head trauma, multiple fractures to his torso and one of his legs was broken, Dawson said.
BY MELODY HANATANI Daily Press Staff Writer
WILSHIRE BLVD On the day before the inau-
SEE COPS PAGE 9
Meals on Wheels volunteers save life BY ASHLEY ARCHIBALD Special to the Daily Press
SUNSET PARK Meals on Wheels volunteers saved the life of an elderly Santa Monica resident whom they found in her home bleeding profusely from an open head wound. When Meals on Wheels volunteers Bob Sandler and his partner came to serve her lunch at noon on Jan. 5, Ruth Barkley, 82, was perched on the corner of her floral-patterned couch, drenched in blood that was spilling out of a two-inch gash in the back of her head. They immediately called 911 and the ambulance rushed Barkley to Kaiser Permanente where she received seven stitches. Barkley doesn’t remember much of what
Byron Kennerly news@smdp.com
guration of the nation’s first black president, hundreds of people gathered here to honor the life of a man whose activism more than 40 years ago helped make the historic election possible. The celebration on Monday of Martin Luther King Jr.’s 80th birthday focused on how the dreams of one civil rights leader were finally being realized through the installation today of President-elect Barack Obama and how his teachings still apply. “It’s more than coincidental the celebration of Martin occurs the day before the inauguration,” said Darlene Evans, who chairs the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Westside Coalition. The organization hosted its 24th annual tribute to the late activist at the SGI-USA World Headquarters Auditorium, featuring musical performances by the Angel City Chorale and The Rev. William H. Knight and recognizing two long-time volunteers who recently died. The celebration was the culmination of a week’s worth of events, including the Interfaith Prayer Breakfast on Jan. 15, which is King’s actual birthday, and a concert on Sunday featuring the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra. The finale focused on the theme of change, centering around Mahatma Gandhi’s quote, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” According to the speakers, change was imminent. “There is a spirit in the room and the spirit is at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. 24 hours from now,” Nat Trives, who co-founded the coalition, said. The keynote address was given by Anwarul Chowdhury, who is the former United Nations under secretary-general and high representative for the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, and small island developing states. Chowdhury was selected as a last-minute
SINGING LOUD AND PROUD: The Rev. William H. Knight sings during the 24th annual Dr.
SEE MEALS PAGE 9
Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration at the SGI Center on Monday.
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SEE KING PAGE 8