A View from the Heights

The Puente Hills Corridor Native Habitat Preservation Authority invites local residents to participate in a leisurely guided hike in the Puente Hills from 8 to 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 29.

The tour begins at the Arroyo Pescadero Trailhead, 7531 S. Colima Road in Whittier.

Participants will be guided on a leisurely hike and learn about the plants, wildlife, history and restoration of the Preserve. This is open to all ages.

For information, call Helen Cohen at (562) 945-9003 or email hcohen@habitatauthority.org.

Posted by Richard Irwin at 5:17 PM | Permalink

Photo by Leo Jarzomb / Staff Photographer
Mark Hughes, science chairman at Los Altos High School, discusses new science labs with Joseph Chang and Anita Perez, the president and vice president of the Hacienda La Puente Unified School Board. Looking on is biology teacher Sean Kane, who will enjoy a new lab.

Read all about the new science laboratories in the Hacienda Heights Highlander.

Posted by Richard Irwin at 10:53 AM | Permalink

Got the end-of-summer blues? The Hacienda Heights Library will help kids get psyched up for school at 1 p.m. Thursday.

A double-feature afternoon will feature two funny school-themed movies guaranteed to make kids want to grab their backpack and break out the books.
Light refreshments will be provided.

The library is at 16010 La Monde St. For information, call Karen Noyes at (626) 968-9356.

Posted by Richard Irwin at 10:04 AM | Permalink

For one morning last week, the courtyard of Giano Intermediate School in West Covina was transformed into a shoe store, the kind of shoe store some women dream about.

Shoes that usually grace the shelves of high-end boutiques were handed out for free to the waiting arms of elementary and middle school girls in the Rowland Unified School District.

They sat on cement benches trying them on, delighting in the colors and designs, and planning what they would wear with them on the first day of school on Aug. 24.

For many, they will be the only shoes they get this year. And for their parents, the gift provided much-needed relief in tough economic times.

The giveaway was part of a movement by a pair of West Covina sisters and shoe designers to provide shoes to children across the country living in poverty.

Posted by Richard Irwin at 2:40 PM | Permalink

The Steinmetz Senior Center in Hacienda Heights has a new walking club that meets from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The class began in late July and welcomes new walkers at any time. Participants should bring a water bottle.

In addition to starting or continuing a healthy lifestyle, walkers can earn milestone incentives, set personal goals, and participate in weekly raffles.

Posted by Richard Irwin at 7:00 AM | Permalink

Clean out that toxic garage!

Residents will get the chance to dipose of household hazardous waste and e-waste from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22, at at Rowland High School.

This is a great chance to safely dispose of used motor oil, paint, turpentine, acid or lye-based cleaners. Residents can also get rid of household and car batteries, as well as pesticides and herbicides that can damage the environment if poured down a sink or tossed in the trash.

Please leave the waste in their original containers, then place them in a cardboard box, and drive up to the high school. The process takes only a few minutes, without having to leave the car.

The e-waste event is sponsored by the County of Los Angeles and the Department of Public Works and Sanitation Districts. For information, call (800) 238-0172 or visit www.lacsd.org.

Posted by Richard Irwin at 9:38 AM | Permalink

Hacienda Heights Youth Softball's age 8 and under All-Star team captured the state championship July 19 in San Diego. The team finished its season with a 25-0 record.
Team members, pictured from left, include: bottom row, Janelle Meono, Sarah Duran, Danielle Michaels, Victoria Ochoa, Samantha Torres and Emily Bracamonte; middle row, Cynthia Perez, Faye Ruiz, Melanie Garcia, Savannah Diederich, Brianna Santos and Midajah Ochoa; top row, coaches Bianca Mejia, Angelo Michaels, Tony Bracamonte, Manuel Ruiz and Jessica Bracamonte.

Posted by Richard Irwin at 3:49 PM | Permalink

Liz Mohler, a career coach and corporate management consultant, will discuss job hunting techniques and resume writing from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25, in the Rowland Heights Library.

If any one needs help, she will also review resumes individually.

The library will also hold a book sale in the lobby from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22.
They will have children's fiction and non-fiction books, young adult, adult fiction and non-fiction books, books on tape and VHS movies.

The Rowland library is at 1850 Nogales St. For more information, call Rama Shat at (626) 912-5348.

Posted by Richard Irwin at 6:00 AM | Permalink

Emergency officials from throughout the San Gabriel Valley gathered on Aug. 6 at Pacific Palms Resort in Industry to explore this scenario, a table top exercise that they hoped would help them prepare their cities for such mass evacuations.

"More than 100 people showed up for this exercise. This will give us a huge start in planning for such a large disaster," said Ken Kondo, spokesman for Los Angeles County Chief Executive Office's Office of Emergency Management.

Wes Elder, a battalion chief with L.A. County Fire, said the Los Angeles Operational Area Alliance received a FEMA grant to begin working on large-scale exercises. Elder noted that coordinating the area's 88 cities required lots of planning and cooperation.

He pointed to the many problems that occurred in the mass evacuation of New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina. Los Angeles hopes to avoid such a disaster by pre-planning emergency response.

Read about this important meeting in our story in the Highlanders.

Posted by Richard Irwin at 12:20 PM | Permalink

Plan to enjoy the next Puente Hills free summer Concert in the Park at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 11 at Schabarum Park, 17250 Colima Road in Rowland Heights.
The Bobby Perino Orchestra will perform Big Band Music.

Posted by Richard Irwin at 5:34 PM | Permalink

Rowland Heights residents are invited to the next Rowland Heights Community Coordinating Council meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 10, at Pathfinder Park Community center, located on the corner of Pathfinder and Fullerton Roads.
The agenda will include reports from law enforcement personnel and representatives of elected officials.
The new fiscal year just began for RHCCC. Congratulations to the Board members for the coming year. They are: Beth Hojnacke, president; Mike Popovec, immediate past president; John Bellah, treasurer; Henry Woo, corresponding secretary; James Tung, historian; and Vice Presidents Ingrid Bernabe, Teri Watanabe and Ted Ebenkamp.
For information, visit www.rhccc.netfirms.com.

Posted by Richard Irwin at 1:32 PM | Permalink

More than 100 police, fire and city officials attended the mass evacuation workshop held this morning at the Pacific Palm Resort in Industry.

"We were very pleased with the turnout. And the participants worked very hard in the exercise to identify problems and issues we might have in a mass evacuation of the San Gabriel Valley," said Ken Kondo, a public information officer with the L.A. County Office of Emergency Management.

Area hospitals and school districts also sent representatives including one from the Rowland Unified School District. Participants evaluated current evacuation planning and capabilities during a natural disaster scenario that had a massive firestorm threatening the Valley.

Read all about the exercise in an upcoming story.

Posted by Richard Irwin at 2:22 PM | Permalink

The Youth Science Center in Hacienda Heights received a major grant of $10,000 from Southern California Edison recently.

Science Center President and CEO Ling-Ling Chang said the money will be used to support programs. This is the fourth year Edison awarded a grant to the local center.

Rick Meza of Edison sponsored the Hacienda Heights group, while Teri Malkin wrote the grant application. The Youth Science Center is a non-profit organization that helps kids adults to discover the excitement of science and technology.

The group just finished its popular summer science classes, which were held at Wedgeworth Elementary School in Hacienda Heights, and at Fairgrove Academy and Del Valle Elementary School in La Puente.

Read all about the great summer classes in our story on the Hacienda Heights Highlander. For information, visit www.youthsciencecenter.org.

Posted by Richard Irwin at 9:05 AM | Permalink

"Hot August Night" presents a tribute to Neil Diamond in tonight's performance at the Puente Hills Concert in the Park.

The show begins at 7 p.m. at Schabarum Regional Park. Sponsors for this concert are Jim and Geri Kleinpell, as well as Southern California Edison.

Series sponsors include Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Puente Hills Mall and Valley Vista Services.

Posted by Richard Irwin at 12:08 PM | Permalink

Congratulations to Father Peter Tsang, Associate Pastor Emeritus at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Rowland Heights, on his 50th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood.

He marked the milestone with a special liturgy and banquet with parish members on July 11.

Posted by Richard Irwin at 8:21 AM | Permalink

Hacienda Heights resident Helene Moore has has taken on a local project and has succeeded because of her determination.

For several years, her street and nearby streets were the site of used cars parked on weekends to attract buyers. The constant congestion and crowd made access difficult for homeowners and left lots of trash.

Supervisor Don Knabe's field deputy Dickie Simmons came to view the problem, then advised Moore of the steps needed for resolution.

She secured the signatures of all affected residents on petitions prior to the county's approval for "Two Hour Parking Only" signs. This was done and the problem was solved.

Supervisor Gloria Molina is asking the county to consider a ban on selling cars in public streets - a practice she says creates impromptu used car lots that are a nuisance for neighbors.

Molina says the practice allows people to conduct business without a license and without any oversight as to whether they are acting legally.

Posted by Richard Irwin at 5:07 PM | Permalink