Spring in the San Gabriel Valley Is Filled With Arts P. 7 Thursday, March 12, 2015 - March 18, 2015
LOCAL NEWS
40 th Annual Americanism Parade P. 17
Students Participate in Read Across America 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
elmonteexaminer.com
Volume 19, No. 11
Community News, Arts & Opinions Since 1996
No Matter How You Spell It - Sierra Madre’s Wistaria Festival Is This Sunday By terry miller 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
El Monte Police Discover 500 Pot Plants in Residential Home; Woman Arrested by nick kipley On Monday, Detectives from a Special Investigative Team of the El Monte Police Department uncovered a marijuana grow operation at 4322 Huddart Avenue, a residence roughly two blocks east of the El Monte Airport. A Ms. Guan Jiao Liao was the only one on the scene when officers arrived. She was taken into custody as detectives worked all afternoon to consolidate approximately 800 marijuana plants, hydroponic gardening supplies, and other evidence from the inconspicuous one-story house. Lieutenant Christopher SEE PG. 17
- Courtesy Photo El Monte PD
El Monte Community Leaders Inspire Young Women at Annual Conference The City of El Monte hosted its third annual Inspire: A Young Women’s Leadership Day on Saturday, March 7 in the Grace T. Black Auditorium. The conference was developed to inspire young women to dream big and follow their goals, using local successful community leaders to serve as role models. “This conference continues to have a positive impact on our community, reaching our young women at an impressionable stage in their lives,” El Monte City Councilwoman Victoria SEE PG. 16
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