Renovation Project Completed On Time And On Budget
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Staff Reports
Pomona/Phillips Ranch/ Diamond Bar -- Especially during a severe recession, the sight and sounds of bulldozers, cement mixers, hammers, and saws have been welcome at almost half of all Pomona Unified schools, which are undergoing renovation work this summer.
This summer’s work is the second round of renovation and modernization projects taking place under Measure PS, a $235 million school-improvement bond approved by 75 percent of voters November 2008.
Last summer’s work included safety and “curb-appeal” projects at 11 schools. This year’s work is taking place at 21 schools. Almost all projects should be completed before the first day of school.
“This is the last year that work will take place only in summer,” explained Superintendent Richard Martinez. “Projects will be coming online faster now, so we’ll have crews out at various schools through the school year. But we know how to do it in ways that won’t disrupt the learning environment.”
Work is now being wrapped up at the following schools: Decker Elementary; Diamond Point Elementary; Emerson Middle School; Fremont Academy of Engineering and Design; Garey Village (moving to Garey High campus); Garey High; Kellogg Polytechnic Elementary; Kingsley Elementary; Lexington Elementary; Lincoln Elementary; Lorbeer Middle School; Madison Elementary; Mendoza Elementary; Montvue Elementary; Palomares Academy of Health Sciences; Park West High; Philadelphia Elementary; Pomona High; Roosevelt Elementary; San Jose Elementary; and Washington Elementary.
Projects included new lighting, fencing, fire alarm systems and other safety improvements, new restrooms, new classrooms, roofing, paving, striping, painting and cleaning, and landscaping improvements, including new irrigation systems.
Work still to come from Measure PS will include renovations and modernizations to support changing academic needs at the district’s new small high schools (Fremont and Palomares academies), and its five newest Pre-K-8 schools.
“I hope our community is noticing all the improvements being made at our schools,” said School Board President Richard Rodriguez. “They were very generous with their tax money and we want to show them that we’re being good stewards of that investment.”
The community can follow all Measure PS projects and progress on the PUSD website at www.pusd.org/measureps.
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By Genesis Miranda
Walnut -- What better way to start your morning than with a hot coffee and warm bagel from Clear Water Bagel?
Gina Yoon, manager of Clear Water Bagel, said that she has been working there for about six years. Yoon comes in each morning, brews the coffee and makes the bagels herself to guarantee freshness. She cleans up at the end of the day to make sure everything is ready to go the next morning.
Clear Water Bagel carries a variety of bagels including onion, plain and wheat bagels. They also have a variety of cream cheeses including salmon and vegetable flavors.
Clear Water Bagel’s philosophy is, "Everything made fresh on the premises daily" and guarantees that they never steam their bagels. It is also a main goal of Clear Water Bagel to ensure 100 percent customer satisfaction.
You can try their fresh bagels and cream cheese for a special price found in this issue of the Weekly News.
For more information, you can call them at (909) 598-4332. You can visit Clear Water Bagel at 2747Amar Suite #1 in Walnut for a delicious bagel and hot coffee made fresh daily!
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Walnut Weight Loss Challenge
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By Shannon Higgins
Walnut – The Biggest Loser is coming to Walnut on a smaller and slightly different scale.
Personal trainer and fitness expert Eric Bonilla is organizing the 12-week Walnut Weight Loss Challenge for local residents to join in an effort to lose weight and win cash prizes.
“I wanted to give people a goal,” Bonilla said. “This challenge is a way for the community to be healthier and begin thinking towards a healthier lifestyle.”
Those who join will compete in teams of four members each to lose the highest percentage of body weight by the end of the 12 weeks. Each participant will weigh-in during a private weigh-in session every Monday beginning Sept. 13 to keep track of their progress.
“I wanted to make it a team competition to keep people accountable,” Bonilla said.
There is no entry fee to join and the cost is only $5 per week to participate, but to add extra incentive to lose weight and keep it off, there is a penalty for gaining weight during the challenge.
For every pound or fraction of a pound that is gained during the 12 weeks, the participant is charged an extra $2.
Any individual (both adults and youths with parental permission), business, organization or four-person team can join, and everyone decides their own diet and exercise plan to adhere to during the challenge.
The team with the highest percentage of weight loss, as well as the individual with the highest percentage of weight loss, will win cash at the end of the 12 weeks. The final weigh-in will be Dec. 18.
Taking part in the team weight loss challenge provides additional motivation to stay focused on losing weight and getting healthy. It also kick starts a healthy lifestyle, establishes camaraderie and accountability, and provides encouragement.
Teams are forming now! The deadline to register is Sept. 6.
For more details and rules and regulations, visit www.walnutweightlosschallenge.com or e-mail eric_bonilla1@msn.com. Call (909) 595-2670 to register now!
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Local Community Icon Joe Dunn Passes Away
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By Michael Armijo
Walnut -- Walnut Channel 56 Production Assistant and former Adelphia/Time Warner production manager Joe Dunn died Aug. 31 from complications of a massive stroke he suffered on Aug. 21. He was 46.
“We’re extremely devastated with his loss,” said Walnut Deputy City Manager Chuck Robinson. “We’re a small, tight-knit staff and Joe was a major party of the family here.”
Dunn worked for Adelphia/Time Warner for 19 years, from 1987 to 2006, and played a key role in the network's High School Game of the Week broadcasts in the Diamond Bar/Walnut/Rowland Heights area. He then worked for the City of Walnut and interviewed small businesses and covered local events. He also ran a production company he developed and filmed with his daughter, Stephanie.
For those of you who are his “friend” on Facebook, you could see the hundreds of well wishes and support for Joe and his family; a testimony of his undying support and good nature he practiced each day.
“Joe was an icon within the community,” said Heidi Gallegos, Rowland Unified School Board Member. “His gentle sprit and willingness to care for others will be deeply missed.”
Dunn, who lived in Ontario, is survived by his wife Cathy, daughter Stephanie and son Jonathan. Stephanie attends Mt. San Antonio College while Jonathan is a freshman at Diamond Bar High.
Dunn had been hospitalized at Kaiser Permanente in Fontana after suffering a stroke. He wasn't able to speak or move, and took a turn for the worse before passing away.
There will be a viewing on Sept. 7, from 7-9 p.m. at Funeraria Del Angel Pierce, 13002 Central Ave. in Chino, 91710. The funeral home can be reached at (909) 628-2329.
Services will be on Sept. 8 at 10 a.m. at Saint Margaret Mary Church, 12686 Central Ave. in Chino, CA 91710. The church can be reached at (909) 591-7400. Cards and flowers may be sent to the Dunn Family care of Saint Margaret Mary Church.
A fund for his children and their education has been established. You can send checks made payable to: Education Fund For The Children of Joe Dunn, F&A Federal Credit Union, 2625 Corporate Place, Monterey Park, CA 91754, 800 222-1226. Or you can drop off checks at the City of Walnut, 21201 La Puente Road, Walnut, CA 91789.
“We will definitely miss him and never forget him here at the city. He was just an all around great guy,” added Robinson.
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Man Shot By Sheriff's Deputy
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Staff Reports
Chino Hills – A man was shot by a sheriff’s deputy on Aug. 23 after allegedly assaulting his estranged wife and rushing at officers.
Aaron Kim, 46, of Chino Hills was hit once and was flown to a hospital where he received treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.
Deputies responded to a house in the 13200 block of Whispering Creek around 10:40 p.m. after a panic alarm was set off. When officers arrived, they found a woman and a 13-year-old boy outside of their house. Kim was located naked inside the house.
The woman told deputies that she had been assaulted by her estranged husband, and when officers tried to approach Kim, he became uncooperative and threw an object at them.
A deputy fired his Taser but it was ineffective. Kim then picked up a dining room chair and allegedly charged at the deputy who shot him with his service weapon.
Kim was medically cleared on Aug. 24 and booked on suspicion of attempted rape and assault on a peace officer.
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High-Speed Rail Line Divides Norco, Corona
By Gus Ugalde
Corona/Norco – A proposed high-speed rail line from Los Angeles to San Diego traveling through the Inland Empire has caused a rift between Corona and Norco.
With the 2008 passing of Proposition 1A, the California High-Speed Rail Authority has begun the process of creating a 220 mph high-speed train system that will join all the major cities in the state.
Judge Quentin L. Kopp, chairman of the authority, said at the time of that vote, California voters had put a 21st Century spike into the ground to deliver a pioneering transportation system that will accommodate residents by 2030.
The rail line will be separated into two projects. Phase I, currently undergoing an Environmental Impact Study, will connect Los Angeles with San Francisco.
Phase II will link Los Angeles and San Diego via the Inland Empire with a proposed station located in Corona. This line and station are causing the disagreement between Corona and Norco.
The proposed local route will go through the Hamner Avenue business district in Norco, which is unacceptable, according to Norco Mayor Pro-Tem Berwin Hanna.
“I have a real strong feeling that this line could kill our business district if it is allowed to go through Hamner,” said Hanna. “It would limit access to the existing businesses and we feel that there are other routes that could be used that won’t have such a negative effect on our businesses.”
It would also go against the image that Norco has cultivated as Horse Town USA in recent years, according to Hanna.
“A high-speed rail line simply does not go with our image,” said Hanna.
The proposed station in Corona is to be located near The Promenade and The Crossings retail centers near Interstate 15, according to Kip Field, director of public works for Corona.
“So far we’ve worked well with the High-Speed Rail Authority representatives,” said Field. “One of the (routes) that is being considered does go through Hamner Avenue, but there are others being considered. Nothing is set at this time.”
Construction for Phase I is set to begin in 2012 and is expected to be completed by 2020.
Phase II will include a Sacramento to San Francisco connection, along with the L.A. to San Diego route.
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Hotel Construction Delayed
By Shannon Higgins
Anaheim – The City Council voted 4-0 on Aug. 24 to delay the construction of two luxury hotels near Disneyland.
Developers were granted a two-year delay, meaning construction is not required to start until May 26, 2013. According to an agenda report, the agreement before the amendment was approved required construction to begin May 26, 2011.
The city also extended a financial agreement, allowing developers to receive tax incentives to build a more upscale hotel.
This is the second time the project has been delayed this year because of the struggling economy. In March, developers requested a delay in building 500 time-share units to be built atop the existing GardenWalk parking structure.
The hotel project would cost about $242 million and consist of two hotels to be built on 5.16 acres at the Anaheim GardenWalk. There will be 866 guest rooms, 400 of which are an All Suites Hotel.
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Walnut/Diamond Bar Weather
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Sat. Sept. 4
Sunny (Clear)
Hi: 95º Lo: 65º
Sun. Sept. 5
Sunny (Clear)
Hi: 88º Lo: 63º
Mon. Sept. 6
Sunny (Clear)
Hi: 83º Lo: 61º
Tues. Sept. 7
Sunny (Clear)
Hi: 81º Lo: 53º
Wed. Sept. 8
Sunny (Clear)
Hi: 74º Lo: 56º
Thurs. Sept. 9
Rain
Hi: 80º Lo: 69º
Fri. Sept. 10
Rain
Hi: 84º Lo: 73º
weather.msn.com
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