Spring in the San Gabriel Valley Is Filled With Arts P. 7 Thursday, March 12, 2015 - March 18, 2015
LOCAL NEWS
Norooz in Pasadena P. 16
pasadenaindependent.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
Instruments Stolen From Marshall Recovered P. 17
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
Pasadena Election Leads to Run-Offs in April by nick kipley Entering the Pasadena City Council Chambers on Tuesday night, the Mayor poses with his hands on his hips and greets smiling supporters. He is one of the only politicians in the room not wearing a suit. Instead, he is dressed casually. Loafers and jeans with the cuffs rolled up. Up on the four flat-screen T.V.’s are the lists of names of those who are running for various offices. The screens change from the Mayoral Race to the District One Councilmember Race to the School Board Race to show who has gained the most votes for what. Sitting around the dais are groups of volunteers feeding ballots into machines. At 8:30 p.m., there are no results yet. On the first Monday of May SEE PG. 17
Jacque Robinson was pleased with early results Tuesday at City Hall - Photo By Terry Miller
Attorneys Seek Fees From Pasadena RE: McDade The attorneys suing the City of Pasadena over release of the McDade shooting report Monday filed a motion seeking more than $123,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs from the City for their prosecution of claims against the City for initially refusing to release the report. Gronemeier & Associates attorneys Elbie J. Hickambottom and Dale Gronemeier have represented Kendric McDade’s mother Anya Slaughter, the Pasadena NAACP, ACT, the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance and ACLU activist Kris Ockershauser in Public Records Act litigation over the report. When the Pasadena Police Officers Association (“PPOA”) sued 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