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Thursday, March 2, 2017 - March 8, 2017
Since 1996
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Mayflower School Student Receives Gift of Stand Up Wheelchair
COMPLIMENTARY COPY VOLUME 21, NO. 9
Old Town Report
Community pulls together to help Cerebral Palsy pupil BY PAM FITZPATRICK
STORY AND PHOTOS BY TERRY MILLER A third-grader was amazed with a gift of a mobile standing wheelchair made by Rifton in front of his classmates and friends at Mayflower Elementary School on Tuesday - thanks to the community and especially the Police officers of Monrovia through the Monrovia Police Officers Association. 8-year-old Jose Elias Pla Deanda waved to his fellow students as he pulled up in his conventional wheelchair to the deafening cheers and applause as his class mates yelled “Jose, Jose, Jose!” Mayor Tom Adams, council members as well as school Board officials witnessed the excitement Tuesday afternoon as well as the entire school and the police and fire departments. Members of the MPOA raised money for the Rifton Dynamic Stander chair with the help of members of the Monrovia PD, Fire, staff and officials from the city, the Kiwanis and other community members. Brent McClure, MPOA Association Board Rep. was also on hand for the SEE PAGE 10
Jose Elias Pla Deanda, 8, is all smiles as he greets his classmates Tuesday in his new standing wheelchair. - Photo by Terry Miller / Beacon Media News
Monrovia’s Strawberry King BY SUSIE LING Mary Yoshie Uyeda Sakatani, 93 years old, asked me several times when I moved into our house on Colorado Blvd. Mary lives just a couple of blocks south of me and she said, “But they didn’t let Asians move north of Walnut.” Racial covenants existed in Monrovia and many other communities through the 1960s. But because of Mary’s generation - and the genera-
tion before that - much has improved. Mary has lived in Monrovia all her life – except for the years she was in a Wyoming concentration camp during World War II. She was born near the old Monrovia Airport. Her father, Yutaro Uyeda (1877-1949) originated from Fukuoka and went to Hawaii in SEE PAGE 11
Forum for Monrovia City Council Candidates The Monrovia Chamber of Commerce will hold a forum for the three candidates running for City Council. The March 6, 2017 Forum will be facilitated by the League of Women Voters. It will begin at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Monrovia City Hall, 415 S. Ivy Avenue. Members of the League of Women Voters will moderate the forum; a
panel will screen questions before asked by the moderator. The Audience may participate by submitting questions to the panel during the forum, and phone-in questions will be accepted at (626) 932-5550. The forum will be aired live by Community Media of the Foothills SEE PAGE 11
Hello sunshine – so glad to see you back! Allergies aside, this weather is just beautiful, and Friday is actually going to be warm enough for a great Street Fair. March 3rd will be a “First Friday,” which means an extra focus on kids and family, so come on down and bring the kiddies for story time, camel rides, lots of great food and vendor booths. Oh, and we adults are welcome, too…. Coming up soon at Street Fair, we will have the St. Baldrick’s Day FUZZ FEST. This year the head shaving event will be located on the street during the Fair at the intersection of Colorado and Myrtle (east side between the Monrovian and Rudy’s). I’m told Chris Shevlin will be dying his silver grey locks a bright green since this 2nd Annual Monrovia event is once again on St. Patrick’s Day. Chris, along with at least one Monrovia High School instructor and countless others will be allowing their heads to be shaved to show support for Childhood Cancer Research. Yes, you can come and watch, cheer them on, and donate at the event. Moving on to a few merchant details: As a long-time retailer, I’m always interested in spending patterns – not only the dollar amount, but the choice of payment. For years my family owned only one retail shop, and methods of payment have changed drastically over the last 26 years. Almost no one writes checks anymore, and in my gift-toy-music shop, the payment method of choice is mostly via debit/credit cards
SEE PAGE 11