Spring in the San Gabriel Valley Is Filled With Arts P. 7 Thursday, March 12, 2015 - March 18, 2015
LOCAL NEWS
American Cancer Society’s “Bark For Life!” P. 17
arcadiaweekly.com Community News, Arts & Opinions Since 1996
Volume 19, No. 11
No Matter How You Spell It - Sierra Madre’s Wistaria Festival Is This Sunday By terry miller
Arcadia Hosts Trinidad and Kyrgyz Republic Special Olympics Teams P.16
SPORTS
Maranatha Boys’ Basketball Clinches First Ever CIF Championship P. 25
Monrovia Boys Soccer, Advances to Second Round of CIF State Tournament P. 24
ENTERTAINMENT Figaro: An Old Tale for Today’s Common Man P. 10 Restaurant Review: ARO in South Pasadena P. 14
BUSINESS
Celebrate Women’s History Month By Taking The L.E.A.D. P. 21
Class-Action Lawsuit Against Lumber Liquidators Filed P. 21
EDUCATION
Max Bhatti to Compete in State Geography Bee P. 26
State Superintendent Starts New Era of Student Assessment P. 31
FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2015 6–10 PM
This Sunday, the city of Sierra Madre holds its annual Wistaria Festival, during which the public is invited view the massive Wistaria vine that’s grown so big it is in the Guinness Book of World Records. Additionally there will be music and vendors downtown along Sierra Madre Blvd. and Baldwin Ave. on Sunday. But the real star of the show is the vine, which attracts thousands from all over California each spring. The vine started in 1894 and now covers an acre of land in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Wisteria is a famously hardy plant. It originally came from Asia, where it is prized for its beautiful hanging mauve or purple flowers and ability to live for decades. This particular beauty started as a young vine bought and planted by Alice Brugman
SEE PG. 15
The local media was invited to a sneak preview Monday of the Wistaria Vine, which is in full bloom just in time for the Festival Sunday- Pictured is artist Elizabeth Converse painting the famous vine – Photo by Terry Miller
Legal Analyses Illuminate Arcadia Government's Reasoning for China Trip by joe taglieri Written correspondence between the Arcadia city attorney and the Fair Political Practices Commission and an internal city document reveal key aspects of the reasoning behind a now cancelled trip by city officials to China and Taiwan. In response to concerns of residents and government transparency advocates expressed at Arcadia City Council meetings and in press reports, officials pulled the plug on plans for a sizable delegation of council members, department heads and relatives to tour various Chinese and Taiwanese locales. The controversy stemmed mainly from Mayor John Wuo's solicitation of three $10,000 doSEE PG. 17
The controversy stemmed mainly from Mayor John Wuo's solicitation of three $10,000 donations from private donors. Pictured are Wuo and City Attorney Stephen Deitsch. – Photo by Terry Miller
Enjoy a free evening of art, music and entertainment as Pasadena’s most prominent arts and cultural institutions swing open their doors.
FREE SHUTTLES Free shuttles, running 6–10 p.m., will loop throughout the evening with stops at each venue. Park at any venue and ride to the others.
PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS Armory Center for the Arts / Art Center College of Design / artWORKS Teen Center / City of Pasadena–City Hall / Jackie Robinson Community Center / Kidspace Children’s Museum / Light Bringer Project at Day One / Lineage Performing Arts Center / MUSE/IQUE / Offramp Gallery / Pasadena Conservatory of Music / Pasadena Museum of California Art / Pasadena Museum of History / PUSD at The Shops on Lake / Shumei Arts Council / Side Street Projects / USC Pacific Asia Museum
ARTS BUS Pasadena ARTS Route 10 runs along Colorado Boulevard and Green Street until 8 p.m. Information at cityofpasadena.net/artsbus. METRO GOLD LINE Take the Gold Line to Memorial Park Station in Pasadena. More info at metro.net. artnightpasadena.org facebook.com/artnightpasadena