New Development Coming to Crossroads Center
La Mirada~Something is finally happening at the Crossroads Center in La Mirada.
No, really.
After what seems like a hundred years, partial development will happen at the site with a new 13,650 square foot Walgreen's retail pharmacy opening, maybe by Christmas of this year.
"I'm excited about this", says Jeanette Garcia who live across the street on Goldendale Dr.
In recent years, parts of the property have been described by some as a "dumping ground."
"Look for grading to begin this summer", says Tab Johnson, partner, associated with Rich Development, who owns the property.
VIDEO: http://youtu.be/T16xIwdpAK8
UPDATED: Power Line Falls, Catches Tree on Fire
La Mirada~An aging power line fell from its pole early evening tonight, about 5:50 p.m., in the backyard of a home at 14626 Hardaway Drive in La Mirada.
After a brief tree fire, power was disrupted in the area. No injuries reported.
Officer Sanchez of the La Mirada Sheriff's Station told us, "we received a report of a power line down, and Edison is on the scene to fix the problem."
We are getting reports electricity has been restored, however residents can expect sporadic outages as Edison continues repairs through the night.
Here is our video with a couple of residents who witnessed the incident: Watch Video
UPDATE: From Lauren Bartlett, Southern California Edison spokeswoman, "187 customers in La Mirada are without power in La Mirada at this time. The cause is under investigation and crews cannot estimate at this time when power will be restored. The area affected by the outage is Gardenhill Drive to the north; Mansa Drive to the south; Biola Avenue to the east; and Estero Drive as the western boundary"
Council Establishes Two New Speed Lmits in La Mirada
La Mirada~After a recent city traffic and engineering survey, and a recommendation from the City's Public Safety Commission, the La Mirada City Council adopted a resolution with an ordinance that will change the speed limits for two streets in La Mirada.
A 35 mile per hour speed limit is now set for Alicante Road, between Santa Gertrudes and Hillsborough Drive. Previously at 40 miles per hour, neighborhood and pedestrian activity justify the decrease, according to a city report.
Also, 35 miles per hour limit will now be the set limit on Phoebe Avenue (also down five), between Alondra Boulevard and Firestone Boulevard, this decrease attributed to the collision rate reflected in the study, and increased traffic exiting from driveways at slower speeds (trucks).
5 Freeway Project Closures To Begin This Week
UPDATE: Inclement weather have forced the closures to this week May 6-10
Santa Fe Springs~Caltrans will close up to two lanes on both sides of the 5 Freeway between Carmenita Avenue and Valley View Avenue from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Friday this coming week
Motorists are urged to exit at Rosecrans Avenue or Valley View Avenue to avoid delays.
The work is part of the $110 million I-5 Widening and Alondra Boulevard Bridge Project.
The overnight work involves placing concrete median barriers and re-striping the lanes.
Caltrans is constructing one carpool lane and one general purpose lane in each direction from North Fork Coyote Creek Bridge to Marquardt Avenue, reconstructing the Alondra Boulevard and North Fork Coyote Creek overcrossings, and realigning and upgrading adjacent frontage roads.
Also this week, the southbound Carmenita Road off-ramp will be closed from 7 p.m. Wednesday to 5 p.m. Thursday for work involving the $380 million Carmenita Road Bridge Project which eventually, will be widened from its existing two lanes to ten.
All this work is part of the 5 Freeway South Corridor Improvement Projects from the Los Angeles/Orange County line to I-605.
For more information call (855) 454-6335 or visit www.I-5info.com
Fundraiser To Assist Families Experiencing Childhood Cancer
Whittier~Have your dinner at the From Maddi's Closet-KFC Fundraiser, which will be held Tuesday, April 24th between 4 and 9 p.m. at KFC, 16161 Leffingwell Road in Whittier (Leffingwell & First Ave).
From Maddi's Closet will receive 20% of all Pre-Tax Sales when presented with a flyer to a store salesperson. Please come and help From Maddi's Closet raise money to spread love, hope and joy to families fighting childhood cancer.
The flyer can be downloaded online at www.frommaddiscloset.org or at ww.facebook.com/kfcwhittier. For additional information contact Lori Bliss at nicsroom@verizon.net or Richard Hopkins KFC Whittier at (562) 943-1818 or rhopkins03@verizon.net.
From Maddi's Closet is a 501 (c)(3) Nonprofit Public Charity for the benefit of children with cancer at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and beyond; bringing love, hope, and joy into their lives and their families through special projects, providing funds for hospital staff for children with special needs not being met by other assistance programs, raising public awareness, and supporting pediatric cancer research.
La Mirada Carnival This Weekend at Benton
La Mirada~A weekend of rides, tasty carnival food, and entertainment is approaching at the annual "4 La Mirada Kids" Carnival April 20 through 22 at Benton Middle School. The fun filled weekend features a variety of activities for the entire family. A Battle of the Bands contest will also be held on Friday and Saturday evening beginning at 7 p.m.
Pre-sale ride tickets are available for $10 at the La Mirada Resource Center. A percentage of the proceeds are returned to local schools and organizations that sell the pre-sale tickets.
The Community Foundation sponsors the carnival to raise funds for youth groups and community organizations that provide a variety of educational, cultural and extracurricular opportunities. Volunteers donate thousands of hours each year to make the carnival a success.
An all-new Battle of the Bands will take place Friday and Saturday from 7-10 p.m.
For more information, call Community Services at (562) 943-7277.
Easter Events This Saturday in La Mirada
La Mirada~The Easter Event will be held Saturday, April 7 from 9 to 11 a.m. at La Mirada Regional Park.
Bring your family and enjoy games, crafts, music, balloon artists, bounce houses, a petting zoo, and an Easter egg hunt. Special photos with the Easter Bunny will be available for a nominal fee.
The Easter Egg Hunt for children ages 10 and under will begin promptly at 10:15 a.m. Participants should arrive at their designated sections 15 minutes prior to the event.
Children and parents can enjoy a pancake breakfast provide by the Kiwanis Club of La Mirada for a nominal fee.beginning at 9 a.m.
Then, at 11 a.m., The Kiwanis Club of La Mirada will be the host for the 5th annual "Going Quackers For Kids" rubber duck race at Splash! La Mirada Regional Aquatics Center.
Anyone can adopt a duck for $5 and win up to $2500-and a variety of other cash prizes and merchandise. This fun-filled family event serves as a fundraiser for La Mirada Kiwanis and other non-profit organizations in the La Mirada area who participate as selling groups.
Come out and see your friends and neighbors at Splash!
For more information, call the Community Services at (562) 943-7277
Disney Purchases La Mirada Regional Park
La Mirada~Walt Disney Co. officials announced today that they have purchased La Mirada Regional Park in La Mirada.
City Hall was flooded with calls earlier, so we were unable to get confirmation from city officials, however, while on hold, “It’s a Small World” played in the background.
Later, reached by telephone, City Manager Jeff Boynton confirmed the deal, “We are excited to have Disney aboard. Even though Regional is a county park, we have ensured this deal will benefit us. For one, the pirate statue at the entrance of Splash! will be replaced by one of Mickey Mouse.”
Plans have already been approved for the park to be converted to a Disneyland spinoff-a smaller, more affordable amusement park.
When asked about the parking concerns for adjacent residential neighborhoods, Boynton said, “We will worry about that later.”
Disney officials have refused to comment, instead waiting for the press conference to be held by Donald Duck at the La Mirada Kiwanis Duck Race Saturday at Splash!
3rd Annual Visual and Performing Arts Show
Visual and Performing Arts Academy at LMHS Continues to Provide Students Opportunities; Event Moved to La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts This Year
La Mirada~While the arts continue to diminish in neighboring schools and districts, the visual and performing arts at La Mirada High School are achieving and growing at record levels.
In the Spring of 2009, La Mirada High School acquired a limited state grant to officially establish the Visual and Performing Arts Academy. The purpose of this academy is to preparestudents for a career pathway in the areas of art, dance, music, or theatre and to foster these talents to make a difference in the community and our world. In the first year of the program, a new dance studio and dance program was created with grant funds and funding from the Lucerne Art of Dairy Cow Contest.
A guitar program was started, and the first annual VAPA (Visual and Performing Arts) Extravaganza was held. This event was the first showcase of its kind to present the best of students' art, dance, music, and theatre combined in one fabulous evening. It was held in the gym, free of charge with an attendance of over 350 people. It was the highlight of the year for students in the Academy and the arts, as they performed and exhibited their talents and also shared in the achievements of their peers. Since one goal of the VAPA Academy is to prepare students to enter the fields of Media Arts and Entertainment as professionals, it seemed logical to move the VAPA Extravaganza from the gym to the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts the following year.
Garcia Takes Over the Helm as Mayor of La Mirada
La Mirada's First Family
From the La Mirada Lamplighter Newspaper!
La Mirada~Gabe Garcia took over tonight as mayor of La Mirada replacing outgoing mayor Steve Jones after one year.
Garcia was joined by many family, friends and others, to congratulate and wish him well.
Garcia was elected to the city council in March 2009. Previously, he was elected to the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District's Board of Education for three consecutive terms from 1993-2005.
Garcia becomes the first Latino mayor in the city's 52-year history.
In La Mirada, mayor's serve one-year terms on a rotating basis, with council members basically, taking "turns" as mayor. So, the evening was mostly a ceremonial, nominating and voting process, with Garcia beginning his first stint at the helm.
Officially, the vote was 5-0.
Councilman Steve DeRuse was voted in as mayor pro tem.
Norwalk-La Mirada School Board of Education President, Darryl Adams presented a certificate of recognition to outgoing Mayor Steve Jones, thanking him for his contributions to the school district and the community saying, "You have been an exemplary model of what a leader is all about-leading with consistency."
Captain Pat Maxwell of the Norwalk Sheriff's Station also thanked Jones for his support on behalf of all the men and women at the station, and presented him with a $250 check for the charity of his choice. Jones said he would donate the money to the California School Project organization.
After the meeting, we asked Garcia if he has any priorities for his first term as mayor.
"First, the fiscal health of the city, second, would be the strategies in dealing with the loss of redevelopment, and attracting new businesses to our shopping centers with new incentives," he said.
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