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Lots of residents showed up Saturday to protest the addition of a 775-apartment complex in Rowland Heights. The protesters said the huge complex will add a lot of traffic congestion as well as other problems.
What do you think?
Safe Communities Week will be observed in the Rowland Unified School District from March 30 -- April 4.
Schools will celebrate with speakers and activities. The week concludes with the Safe Communities Week Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 4, at Rowland Heights County Park, 1500 Banida Ave.
The festival will feature school, community and public service groups, whose booths will provide delicious food, entertainment and information about safety promotion. There will also be several prominent speakers.
Those serving on planning committee include personnel from Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor Don Knabe's field office, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department, Rowland Unified School District Safety and Drug Alcohol Tobacco Education Program (DATE), and Operation Safe Community, a non-profit community coalition.
The Safe Communities Festival is chaired by Nancy Ballantyne and Heidi Gallegos. Plan to attend this annual community observance.
Author Denise Hamilton will visit the Rowland Heights Library on Saturday, March 28, from 3 to 4 p.m.
The Los Angeles crime and mystery novelist will discuss her novel "Jasmine Trade," which takes place in the Chinese-American community in the San Gabriel Valley.
Hamilton will also bring her other novels for the book signing. There will also be a question and answer session.
The library is at 1850 Nogales St. For details, call Rama Shah at (626) 912-5348.
Residents in Rowland Heights will be protesting a massive apartment complex on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
A 775-unit apartment complex is proposed for the site of Southlands Christian School and Church.
The protest will be at the school located at 1920 S. Brea Canyon Cutoff Road.
For more information contact Him Djuhana at himd1@yahoo.com.
To celebrate Lent, St. John Vianney Catholic Church will present the play "People of the Passion" by Mary Betten at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 3, in the church at 1345 Turnbull Canyon Road. The production is free and open to the public.
The play presents the personal stories of Gospel characters who witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus and were changed by the experience.
It is staged in a reader's theater style. Susan Boulanger is the director.
The children's choir will perform, along with some audience participation on other songs. Christine Brydges leads the children's choir, while Michael Gribshaw is the accompanist.
The actors include Manny Carrillo, Patrick Flanagan, Letycia Gomez, Veronica Lopez, Carlos Pacheco, Celia Rios, David Shephard and Jeannie Shephard.
The Homestead Museum's very popular Curator Camp returns on March 28 and April 18.
Children in the fourth through sixth grades can spend the day working behind the scenes with curators on fun projects. Participants will also investigate corners of the museum that are not usually accessible to the public.
The camp will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Museum, located at 15415 Don Julian Road.
The $20 fee includes a Junior Curator T-shirt, a take-home conservation kit, lunch and more. Class size is limited.
For information or to secure an application, call (626) 968-8492 or visit www. homesteadmuseum.org.
The Rowland Heights Library will be hold a book sale on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the lobby.
They will have children's fiction and non-fiction books, young adult books, adult fiction and non-fiction books, books on tape, and VHS movies.
The American Red Cross and Rowland Heights Library will also offer community disaster education from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.
The free program will teach families how to make a emergency kit with food, water and other vital supplies, as well as an emergency plan for the whole family.
The library is at 1850 Nogales St. For more information, call (626) 912-5348.
The Hacienda Heights Library will hold a Spring Art Spectacular for families on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
Art materials for a variety of spring-themed projects will be available in the meeting room at the library. Kids ages 3 and up can come and make one project or several.
Light refreshments will be available. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Hacienda Heights Library.
The library is at 16010 La Monde St. For information, call Paula Vannucci at (626) 968-9356.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Rowland Heights will host a Jog-a-thon from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 21.
This annual fundraising campaign takes place at Alvarado Intermediate School and is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and the Office of Religious Education.
Ten percent of all donations will be given to charitable organizations. The remaining funds will be used to pay for operating expenses of the Religious Education Center.
Those wishing to support this effort can contact the church at (626) 964-3629.
Christopher Kakimi makes a good point in his letter to the editor in today's San Gabriel Valley Tribune. His is just one of the many ideas for the proposed Hillgrove Community Center in Hacienda Heights. Here's his letter:
"It is fitting that the meeting to receive input for the Hillgrove Community Center in Hacienda Heights be at a high school.
"All four high schools in the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District have one thing lacking: a decent auditorium for performances by fine arts groups. Hacienda La Puente USD can brag about having some of the finest bands, dance teams and choirs but have no place for them to perform. I watched at least two plays take place outdoors in the quad at Los Altos High School.
I hope that the new community center will contain such an auditorium that the community can use for school performances and plays."
Christopher Kakimi
Hacienda Heights
What's your suggestions for the new community center? Leave us a comment.
The American Red Cross and Rowland Heights Library will offer community disaster education from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 21.
The free program will teach families how to make a emergency kit with food, water and other vital supplies, as well as an emergency plan for the whole family.
The library is at 1850 Nogales St. For more information, call (626) 912-5348.
A community workshop for Hacienda Heights residents will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, March 21, to discuss the master plan for the Hillgrove Community Center.
The meeting will be held in the gym at Los Altos High School, 15325 Los Robles Ave., Hacienda Heights.
The new community center will be built from landfill tipping fees. Community input is sought before a design can be completed.
The Hacienda Heights Chapter City of Hope will hold its annual "Day at the Races" on Sunday, March 22, at Santa Anita Race Track in Arcadia.
The day begins at 11 a.m. The $45 ticket price covers admission, valet parking, racing program, buffet and prizes.
All money raised by this chapter benefits the City of Hope in its cancer research.
For information, call Terri Thayer at (626) 339-0323, or write to territhayer@verizon.net.
The Hacienda Heights Improvement Association will meet 7 p.m. on Monday, March 16, in the board room of the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District, at 15959 Gale Ave.
The agenda includes reports from representatives of local elected officials and law enforcement.
Two community workshops will be held for Hacienda Heights to discuss the master plan for the new Hillgrove Community Center. The community center will be built from landfill tipping fees.
The meetings are 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 16, and 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 21, in the gym at Los Altos High School, 15325 Los Robles Ave., Hacienda Heights.
Residents will decide priorities for the center's use. Hillgrove Community Center will be built on the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District site at 1234 Valencia.
WWCOT Architects will present the two workshops. This firm has extensive experience in designing public buildings and developing community consensus.
Residents will be asked to indicate their top priorities for facilities and programs.
Translation in Mandarin and Spanish will be available at the events.
For more information, visit www.Knabe.com, then "Finding your Community" for Hacienda Heights and Hillgrove announcements and community survey.
During these difficult financial times, many school districts are struggling to meet their budget without laying off teachers. That leaves little money for extras.
So when Los Molinos Elementary wanted to remodel its library, the Hacienda Heights school decided to do it on its own.
For the past three years, the K-5 school has scrimped and saved for the new library. And thanks to the generosity of parents and area businesses, the beautiful new library has opened its doors to more than 300 students.
"It's just amazing in this economy that community members, PTA and businesses have worked so hard for our new library," said Principal Angela Lin, pictured reading a book to students. "They've proven we're all here for our kids. If the kids need something, then we'll all do it together."
Read the whole story in the Hacienda Heights Highlander.
The Michael Rayner Comedy Show will come to the Rowland Heights Library on Wednesday, March 11, at 4 p.m. Enjoy the show as Rayner performs such feats as balancing a wheelbarrow on his chin.
The library is at 1850 Nogales St. For information call Adrian Romero at (626) 912-5348.
Who's the fastest texter in Hacienda Heights? Find out in our first Teen Tech Week Text Off at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 10, in the Hacienda Heights Library!
Interested teens should arrive 15 - 20 minutes early for contest rules and brackets. The competition is for people ages 10 and above.
The library is at 16010 La Monde St. For information, call (626) 968-9356
The Rowland Heights Library will hold a laser beam show at 4 p.m. on Monday, March 9, to celebrate Teen Tech Week.
The show will include a demonstration and a hands-on activity. It is recommended for students in sixth grade and above.
The library is at 1850 Nogales St. For information call Adrian Romero at (626) 912-5348.
The Homestead Museum will present a program on Pio Pico, the last governor of Mexican California.
Dr. Ivan Login and Jessica Login will discuss their research into 1850s photographs that show Pio Pico with highly exaggerated facial features.
Dr. Login is a neurologist who suspects that Pico had a benign tumor of the pituitary gland, causing distorted features.
A light reception will follow their presentation, which takes place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 8. Admission is free. Seating is limited.
Call (626) 968-8492 to make a reservation. The Homestead is located at 15415 E. Don Julian Road in the City of Industry.
The Rowland Heights Community Coordinating Council will meet 7 p.m. Monday, March 9, at the Pathfinder Park Community Center, located on the corner of Pathfinder and Fullerton roads.
The guest speaker will Rowland Superintendent Maria Ott. She will discuss the state budget and its effects on our school system. On Tuesday, the school board issued layoff notices for 88 teachers to offset some of the deficit.
There will also be reports from elected officials' representatives and law enforcement. The council is Rowland Heights' liaison with elected officials regarding matters of concern to the area. For information, visit www.rhccc.netfirms.com.
Don't miss a musical salute to rock n roll with more than 700 choral students from across Rowland Unified Schools on Friday beginning at 7 p.m. in the Nogales High School gym.
The Nogales and Rowland High School Choirs will join choirs from Alvarado, Giano and Rincon Intermediate Schools. There will also be 300 Honor Choir students from every elementary school in the district.
Come enjoy such songs as "You Can't Stop the Beat" from Hairspray, "At the Hop" and "You Love Me." They will also perform classics from the Beatles, Elvis and more!
Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children. Kids under 2 years old are free!
Teacher Valerie Mayanosik, left, Leonard McLaren and Mary Lugo join a candlelight vigil in front of the Rowland Unified School District offices on Tuesday. (Mike Mullen / Correspondent)
Teachers in the Rowland Unified School District held a candlelight vigil Tuesday outside a special board meeting. Inside, the school board planned to issue pink slips to 88 teachers and administrators.
"The message the teachers are striving to deliver is put the students first," said Christine Zukowski, president of the Association of Rowland Educators. "Giving notices to teachers is not following the strategic plan."
Superintendent Maria Ott called the cuts "heart breaking." "It so hard to make these decisions but we're facing a large deficit because of the state budget," Ott said.
The East San Gabriel Valley Coalition for the Homeless Winter Shelter program will be at Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Rowland Heights through March 15.
Committee Chairperson Dave Klocksbien estimates that 520 volunteers will serve more than 8,600 meals at this site.
In additional to parish ministries, many churches and groups from surrounding communities will provide volunteers, food, toiletries and other items.
They include: Los Angeles Millenium Lions Club, St. Denis Church of Diamond Bar, Chaparral Middle School teachers and students, Couples for Christ, Bukas Loob sa Diyos Community, Covina Assembly of God Church, Holy Name of Mary Parish of San Dimas, and Mudika Indonesian Community.