La Mirada Blog
Articles by Tony Aiello
La Mirada Rotary Club Hosts Annual Holiday Shopping Spree for Kids
La Mirada~The spirit of giving was in the air as the La Mirada Rotary Club hosted their annual Holiday Shopping Spree recently at Marshall's in La Mirada.
For over 20 years, the service club has sponsored the event, assisting less fortunate La Mirada families at Christmastime by providing a few clothing essentials.
Rotary secretary Eileen Wade explained to us that all nine La Mirada public elementary and/or middle schools are represented. The club, in coordination with the schools, chooses the children to participate by utilizing teacher suggestions from the various schools, with the club ultimately picking about five from each school. This year 43 children attended the event.
The kids are chaperoned individually around the store to purchase items they need, with one exception-no toys. Chaperones consist of Rotary and other community members including local police, fire and city officials, to which Wade called our "friends and helpers." They are each allowed to spend up to $75.00.
A huge crowd gathered in front of the store around 8 a.m. as it opened an hour early to accommodate the shoppers.
La Mirada Rotary Club Hosts Annual Holiday Shopping Spree for Kids
La Mirada~The spirit of giving was in the air as the La Mirada Rotary Club hosted their annual Holiday Shopping Spree recently at Marshall's in La Mirada.
For over 20 years, the service club has sponsored the event, assisting less fortunate La Mirada families at Christmastime by providing a few clothing essentials.
Rotary secretary Eileen Wade explained to us that all nine La Mirada public elementary and/or middle schools are represented. The club, in coordination with the schools, chooses the children to participate by utilizing teacher suggestions from the various schools, with the club ultimately picking about five from each school. This year 43 children attended the event.
The kids are chaperoned individually around the store to purchase items they need, with one exception-no toys. Chaperones consist of Rotary and other community members including local police, fire and city officials, to which Wade called our "friends and helpers." They are each allowed to spend up to $75.00.
A huge crowd gathered in front of the store around 8 a.m. as it opened an hour early to accommodate the shoppers.
Standoff Ends at La Mirada Home With Fatality
We have been providing continuous updates, with La Mirada residents reporting, via our Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/lamiradablog
We have exclusive video featuring Police Captain Pat Maxwell press statement here: tinyurl.com7z7veu5
La Mirada~A barricade that started in the early morning hours, in a La Mirada neighborhood ended about twelve hours later, resulting in a ex-felon dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
At about 7:30 a.m. deputies responded to reports of shots fired at the home on Algeciras Avenue, adjacent to Rosecrans Avenue. Family members from inside the home told officials that a man inside the home may want to harm himself. A woman claiming to be the man's girlfriend said he shot himself in the foot, and blood was observed at the scene by a sheriff's helicopter overhead.
After orders to surrender by the SWAT team were ignored, the man fired several rounds out of the house, around 11 a.m. No one was struck.
Stuff Going On Around La Mirada
>Members of La Mirada Kiwanis sold parade programs at the Hollywood Christmas Parade Sunday November 27th. The telecast of the parade is December 12th on the Hallmark Channel.
>La Mirada High football returns to CIF semifinals Friday December 2nd against West Covina.
>The deadline to submit entries for new La Mirada novel about La Mirada memories has been extended to March 1, 2012. Submit your stories to: cantrellglen50@yahoo.com.
>La Mirada High boys basketball opens their season vs. La Serna Wednesday night at 6:00 at Matadore Gym.
>Phantom Projects Theatre Group presents "The Crucible" Wednesday at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. Tickets: (562) 944-9801
>Check out this new Christmas music video from Biola students Spencer Alfonso and Evan Schneider. Spencer plays all his own instruments and the music is all recorded in his dorm room-Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
>La Mirada Rotary will have their annual holiday shopping spree December 7th
>Check out this book from La Mirada author with La Mirada connections-Think and Live: Challenging Believers to Think and Thinkers to Believe
>La Mirada Kiwanis will have their annual holiday shopping spree December 6th at Sears (Whitwood)
>Food Trucks for LMHS fundraiser Thursday Dec. 1- Surfer Taco, Chunk N Chip, Calbi, Brats Berlin,Pie N Burger, Curb A Peel-www.twitter.com/curbsidebites
Williams Makes Surprise Appearance at Alumni Game
La Mirada~Derrick Williams, the number two pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, made a surprse appearance at the annual La Mirada High Boys Basketball Alumni Game this past Tuesday night.
The game features La Mirada basketball stars of yesterday against the current varsity team of today.
Since the NBA was still in lockout mode, the gym was a buzz as to whether or not Williams would show up. Rumors were flying since Williams was apparently tweeting during the course of the day, hinting at an appearance.
Williams lead the Matadores to the CIF-2A semifinals against Loyola in 2009, before heading to Arizona where he led the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament Elite Eight this past March.
At halftime, Williams walked into the gym, and was welcomed by teammates and fans.
With an apparent very successful NBA career ahead of him, this was probably the last oppoortunity to see him compete on the La Mirada High floor.
In the second half, Williams entertained the crowd with a few attempted dunks, connecting on a couple, and also had a very nice spin-move, no-look assist to 2006 graduate Casey James.
Photos, Above, Williams enters the game. Also pictured, from left to right, Mike Estrada, Sammy Piazza, Josh Siemens, Casey James, former coach Larry Kaupang, Miles Aiello, Stephen Kaupang, Steve Kaupang, Williams, Ryan Kaupang, and Taylor Siemens. Below, 2011 game participants.
Biola University to Lease Old Rancho School Site
News from recent City Study Session
La Mirada~Biola University has leased the former Rancho Elementary School site from the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District to house the University's home school K-12 operations.
The city will partner with Biola to allow continued access to the four-acre playing fields by youth sports organizations such as the La Mirada Girls Softball Association and the La Mirada Soccer Association.
As part of the agreement, the city will provide mowing services, with Biola providing all other general maintenance.
In other news, after a few years of an estranged relationship, the city and the La Mirada Chamber of Commerce may be entering into a new partnership. The city is exploring the idea of providing in-kind services to the Chamber such as office space for monthly meetings.
The city eliminated its subsidy to the Chamber in recent years.
New Chamber President, Debra Ellis told the La Mirada Blog that the Chamber has become all-volunteer, recently eliminating the salaried Director position and is "just dealing with obligations at this time."
Elderly Woman Struck and Killed by Vehicle in La Mirada
La Mirada~An elderly woman was struck and killed by a vehicle this morning around 9:45 a.m. at the corner of Imperial Highway and La Mirada Blvd.
Lieutenant Rivera of the Norwalk Sheriff's Station said the accident occurred as the vehicle was exiting a driveway near the Shell gas station. He indicated the woman was traveling on the sidewalk when she was struck. No arrests were made at the scene and the accident remains under investigation.
La Mirada Blog Facebook fan, Monica Vasquez-Ashley reported that the lady was using a walker at the time of the incident, but that has not been confirmed. Also, another fan, Rhonda Halstead seemed to indicate that the vehicle involved was actually a truck-again not verified.
Rivera did not release the name of the victim, only saying she was in her 80's. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Gourmet Food Trucks Come to La Mirada
La Mirada~The gourmet food truck craze has now come to La Mirada.
La Mirada High School that is.
Every Thursday night from 5:30-9:00 p.m. the school site will host a gourmet food truck event with 6-8 vendors offering up creative street cuisine.
The event will serve as a fundraiser for the athletics department and will be held in the administration building parking lot.
Gourmet-on-the-go such as Los Angeles' famous Kogi taco trucks, have exploded in Southern California in recent years-creating a multi-million dollar industry. The recipe? Sophisticated food at reasonable prices.
"We have really seen a positive response from the different schools we have visited", said Danielle Murcia, booking manager for Curbside Bites, "The schools can always use extra funds. It helps them out and it's a fun event for the community. It's really a win-win for everyone."
This Thursday's merchants include: Nom Nom Truck, Cheeseball Wagon, Crazy Creole Cafe, Naan Stop, Don Chow Tacos and Chunk N Chip.
The line-up of trucks will change weekly which you can find on our Twitter badge or by visiting us at www.twitter.com/lamiradablog.
La Mirada High School is located at 13520 Adelfa Drive in La Mirada, across the street from La Mirada County Regional Park.
New Non-Profit Hopes to Let Kids Dance
Whittier~A new non-profit organization, the Whittier Youth Ballet, will hold its Premier Performance Fundraiser on Saturday, October 8th at the Whittier Community Theater, 7630 S. Washington Ave. in Whittier.
The goal of the WYB is to grant scholarships to help expose the underprivileged to dance as well as provide advanced training to youth in Whittier and the surrounding communities-giving kids more opportunities to study and appreciate the art of dance.
The free event begins at 5 p.m. with appetizers and refreshments, followed by a brief dance performance at 6:00. Door prizes will also be part of the festivities.
Donations will be accepted, but the main purpose of this event is to introduce WYB to the community.
For more information, to RSVP, or to make a donation, please contact Kathleen Diaz at (562) 533-0671.
New Board Takes Over Helm for La Mirada Kiwanis
La Mirada~This past Wednesday evening, the new Officers and Board for the Kiwanis Club of La Mirada were installed for the 2011-12 term year.
The new incoming cabinet includes Alan Morrison as President; Tom Thornton as President Elect; Ginger Shattuck as Vice-President (Evening Club); Amy Scheibel as Secretary; and Bill Dawson as Treasurer.
The Kiwanis Chronicles reported outgoing President Steve Forrester gave out awards to Dave Constantine for Rookie of the Year and to Scheibel for Kiwanian of the Year.
La Mirada Kiwanis Club has a long and extensive history serving the La Mirada community. Some of the service club's sponsorship and participation include such events as The Kiwanis Duck Race, the Knabe Katch Fishing Derby and other La Mirada community events. At many of these events, the club offers up its famous pancake breakfasts.
Longtime services to the community from the club include hosting weekly bingo games at local convalescent hospitals and the giving of annual scholarships to the area's youth.
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