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Arrest Logs
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Bikes and burglary.
First case in LA County.
Crime Watch
79 arrests in the past week.
West Nile Virus
WEEKEND EDITION
Volume 21 Issue 241
08.27.22 - 08.28.22
Two new buildings break ground at Samohi GRACE INEZ ADAMS SMDP Staff Writer
Construction of two new buildings on the Samohi campus will kick-off next week with a groundbreaking ceremony open to staff, students and members of the community. The buildings- the Gold gymnasium and the Exploration building- are being constructed as part of an ongoing plan to redevelop and renovate Samohi campus facilities. They are scheduled to open in fall 2024. Stretching two stories high, the Gold gymnasium will include multiple courts for different sports, 800-seat pull-out bleachers, yoga and fitness rooms, outdoor workout areas and a dance studio. Another gymnasium, the Blue gym, is also scheduled to be built to replace the North gym, the current competition gym on the campus, as part of a future phase of the project. The existing South gym will remain in use during construction of the Gold gym. “The new gym spaces will ensure that our physical education teachers and students feel valued as they enter their two new gymnasiums and additional spaces that will further our teaching about healthy lifestyles,” said Dr. Antonio Shelton, former Samohi Principal and the current director of secondary education for SMMUSD, in a press release from the district. “I believe
Church in Ocean Park to be celebrated for its history of local activism
Keith Coleman withdraws from School Board race
GRACE INEZ ADAMS
EMILY SAWICKI
The Santa Monica Conservancy is hosting an event this weekend highlighting the rich history of the Church in Ocean Park and delving into its role in many of the city’s progressive movements. The event is part of the Conservancy’s ongoing Santa Monica Mosaic virtual lecture series, which aims to tell the stories of the people and places that make up the community. The series was launched three years ago in response to the COVID 19 pandemic, Black Lives Matter and other social justice movements. “We shifted our emphasis to the make-up of Santa Monica,” said Libby Motika, a longtime volunteer with the conservancy who has
Unelected incumbent candidate Keith Coleman, who has sat on the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) Board of Education since January 2021, announced on Friday afternoon that he would be dropping out of the race to retain his seat. Coleman cited personal reasons for withdrawing his candidacy in an email shared with the Daily Press. “This morning, I made the painstaking decision to withdraw from the race for Santa MonicaMalibu School Board in this November’s election,” Coleman wrote. “As I am unexpectedly relocating an ailing, elderly relative to Santa Monica – and becoming their primary caregiver – my priority and focus at this time must be their health and wellbeing.” Coleman was appointed to the School Board early last year to fill a vacancy left by Oscar de la Torre, a longtime member who departed the School District’s governing board following a successful race for Santa Monica City Council. His appointment followed an unsuccessful bid for the seat in the November 2020 election, in which he came second runner up behind another candidate, Jason Feldman. The timing of Coleman’s departure from the race, coming after he qualified for the election, means his name will still appear on the November ballot, but he will not be campaigning. Coleman’s decision not to run to retain his school board seat
SMDP Staff Writer
SMDP Staff Writer
Courtesy Photo
CIOP: The Conservancy will celebrate the history of the church on Sunday. helped organize the events. “We’ve covered every single community that has had something to do with the history of Santa Monica, beginning with the Tongva — the
indigenous group — going through the rancho period, Jewish, Japanese, more contemporary Mexican. These SEE CIOP PAGE 6
Senior Sunrise
Photo by Jessica Brown
SENIORS: After two years of social distancing and isolation, is the class of 2023 ready to get back to
normal? The answer seems to be yes after this Wednesday, when around 200 Seniors gathered in the predawn dark of the Santa Monica beach with their classmates to watch the sunrise and kickoff their last year of high school. The event was organized by the ASB Senior Cabinet and generously sponsored by Yerba Mate and Bagel Nosh. Students played games, went in the ocean and enjoyed each others company before heading to school. The event was a great way to reintroduce school spirit at Samohi and has students excited for what is in store for the rest of the year.
SEE SAMOHI PAGE 6
SEE COLEMAN PAGE 7
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