City’s Annual Toy & Food Drive Ongoing Until December 16th
La Mirada~Help those in need this holiday season during La Mirada's annual Holiday Toy & Food Drive. Through Dec. 16, donations of new, unwrapped toys and nonperishable food items will be collected at the following City facilities: Activity Center, Resource Center, Community Gymnasium, Community Sheriff's Station, Splash! and at City Hall.
Donations will help provide holiday food boxes for La Mirada families in need this holiday season. Donated items will be distributed to the following local organizations: Beatitudes of Our Lord, La Mirada Volunteer Center, St. Paul of the Cross, and Interfaith Food Center.
For more information, call (562) 902-3160.
Keeping Tradition Alive; La Mirada Rotary Club Lends a Hand to Families During the Holidays
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ROTARY ASSISTS GOOD SAM PANTRY – La Mirada Rotary Club President Sean Bracey presents $700 worth of turkeys, canned goods and other items to Carmen Rawson of the Good Sam Pantry at Beatitudes Church in La Mirada. The donation was one of several Rotary activities during the holiday period to assist needy families in the local area. |
La Mirada~The Rotary Club of La Mirada has been serving the community for over 50 years, and this year is no exception as the club is conducting three activities during this holiday season to assist local needy families.
The first two projects were held in the days leading up to Thanksgiving and the third will be held prior to Christmas.
Rotarians donated $700 in turkeys, canned goods and other food items to the Good Sam Pantry at Beatitudes Church in La Mirada. Rotarians purchased the food at the new Walmart Neighborhood Market, located at Imperial Highway and La Mirada Boulevard, on the morning of Thursday, Nov. 21. The food was distributed to needy families that afternoon by volunteers at the Good Sam Pantry.
Rotarians also arranged for the purchase of $750 worth of turkey dinners from Polly’s Pies located at Beach Boulevard and Rosecrans Avenue in La Mirada. The food was served by youth volunteers to hundreds of local residents at the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner at Foster Road Elementary School. The project was a joint effort by La Mirada Rotary, Kiwanis, Living Faith Church, Calvary Chapel and Polly’s Pies.
WEEKEND READ: Office Manager of LM Meals on Wheels Marks 30 Years With Group
La Mirada~Family, friends, and colleagues gathered this past Saturday, on a beautiful La Mirada fall late afternoon, at the home of Gary & Diane Smith to celebrate Robin Miller’s 30 years of service as the office manager for La Mirada Meals on Wheels.
Guests were greeted by light entertainment, food & drinks, and picture-perfect weather.
After some volunteering for the City of La Mirada and the La Mirada Volunteer Center (then at Kling Center), it was 1983 when Miller was asked by then Meals on Wheels office manager Pat Blanford if she was interested in the job.
She became the office manager for the program in December of that year-and has been there ever since. She has been with Meals on Wheels for 30 of its 38 years
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| Marcy Mannan and Robin Miller are the office team for La Mirada Meals on Wheels which has been serving the community since 1975. Miller recently celebrated 30 years with the organization. Photo Tony Aiello |
of existence.
The Board of Directors presented her with a gift certificate to a RV resort and an engraved necklace as a show of appreciation.
The Meals on Wheels (MOW) program debuted in La Mirada on April 1, 1975 established and modeled after a similar program in Whittier. The program offers a daily hot meal delivery service to the elderly, disabled and temporary and chronically ill residents, along with maintaining a year-round relationship with them.
This assists in allowing them to remain self-sufficient in their own homes. Meals on Wheels also helps family members of clients have peace of mind in knowing that their loved ones are being looked after each day.
The meals were originally prepared at the old La Mirada Community Hospital. When the hospital closed, Whittier Hospital offered to prepare the meals. Then in 2009, Miller and others negotiated with Portofino Ristorante Italiano of La Habra to take over the preparation, offering a respite from “hospital food.” Special diet meals are also prepared.
The meals are driven to their destinations by a volunteer work force that uses their own vehicles and fuel. As part of her office duties, Miller organizes the volunteers and their routes.
Foster Road Hosts Thanksgiving Dinner for Community
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| THANKSGIVING MEALS – Hundreds of local residents enjoyed a early Thanksgiving meal at Foster Road Elementary School in La Mirada. The Rotary Club of La Mirada joined with several other organizations to provide funding for the dinner |
La Mirada~Foster Road Elementary School hosted a Thanksgiving dinner last Thursday, Nov. 21 for about 500 residents of La Mirada, including the school’s students and their families.
La Mirada Mayor Steve De Ruse, Mayor Pro Tem Lawrence Mowles, Councilman Steve Jones and City Manager Jeff Boynton were all on hand to welcome families to the 15th annual Thanksgiving Dinner. Principal Dr. Jean Maddox said the dinner is Foster Road’s way of saying “thank you” to the community that supports the elementary school year round.
“This dinner is really about thanking the community for supporting us,” Maddox said. “It also teaches students about service and modeling gratitude for what we really do have.”
Students from El Camino High School and Southeast Academy acted as servers to the guests, who dined on turkey, mashed potatoes and corn. The Foster Road PTA was also selling delectable desserts, such as pumpkin pie, as a fundraiser.
Maddox said the dinner started 15 years ago as a way for the school to recognize their students and parents. The event started to grow, however, when the students – who moved on to middle and high school – came back for the annual feast.
Victim of Alondra Bus Stop Shooting Identified
La Mirada~Authorities have identified a man apparently shot to death while sitting on a bus bench on Alondra Boulevard just east of Heron Avenue this past Sunday night.
The coroner’s office said yesterday Frank Mario Sainz, 46, of Norwalk was pronounced dead shortly after he was found lying in a pool of blood.
An autopsy performed indicated Sainz died from multiple gunshot wounds and the cause of death has been ruled a homicide, the office said.
There has been no suspect information or possible motive mentioned at this point of the investigation.
At this time, homicide officials believe the victim was seated at the bus bench, perhaps waiting for the next bus, when he was shot.
The victim was found by a Metro bus driver, laying in a pool of blood, about 6:10 p.m. The driver then called authorities.
See the brief interview with the driver moments after the discovery and other exclusive videos of the scene on our YouTube channel here.
The La Mirada Blog first reported the incident on its Twitter feed at 6:16 p.m.
If you have any info about the incident please contact the L.A. County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.
Dead Body Found by Bus Driver on Alondra Boulevard
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| EXCLUSIVE PHOTO: A man's body lays motionless moments after apparently being shot while near or sitting at the bus stop on the north side of Alondra Boulevard just east of Heron Avenue on Sunday evening in La Mirada. Photo Tony Aiello |
UPDATE: 16:15 112513: Officials are reporting victim was fatally shot. Sheriff's saying he may have been on bus bench when shot, but not ruling out body was dumped as reported here first. Name not released pending next of kin notification. Man in his 40's also suffered trauma to body.
If you have any info about the incident please contact the L.A. County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.
UPDATE 13:01 112513: Now confirmed, but it was reported here first, a Metro bus driver noticed the victim lying in a pool of blood in the gutter near a bus stop around 6:10 p.m. Although the driver wouldn't tell us at the time, see him on video moments after his call to police here.
UPDATE 21:50 112413: Sheriff's homicide investigators continue to work to determine the cause of death.
La Mirada~A male body has been found deceased along the 14300 block of Alondra Boulevard just east of Heron Avenue in La Mirada.
Victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Our Twitter feed was the first to report incident at 6:16 PM PT and we were onscene within ten minutes.
It is unclear how the person died. Deputies are looking for evidence on scene.
A Metro bus driver appears to be one who reported originally to police about the body on the street in a pool of blood directly in front of the bus stop on the north side of Alondra Boulevard just east of Heron.
Original call heard to police by La Mirada Blog was a dumped body.
Officials are waiting for the coroners office to determine identity and the cause of death. We are trying to obtain further details.
LASD Homicide detectives dispatched to scene.
See exclusive video footage of the incident as it unfolded on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/lamiradablog
©La Mirada Blog 2013
La Mirada Crime Report November 11-17
Robbery-An attempted robbery occurred at Imperial Hwy and La Mirada Blvd. The suspect attempted to snatch the victim's purse, but was scared off after a bystander that yelled at the suspect. The incident remains under investigation.
Vehicle Burglary-Three window smash burglaries were reported last week. An incident was reported on the 16000 block of Lorca Dr. A laptop computer, wallet, and other items were stolen from the vehicle. A wallet was reported stolen from a vehicle on the 14800 block of Springford Dr. A burglary occurred on the 14200 block of Firestone Blvd. A stereo and laptop computer was stolen from the vehicle.
Grand Theft-A shoplifting incident was reported on the 15700 block of Imperial Hwy. The suspect stole a large amount of cosmetics from the location.
Deputy Injured After Car Chase
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| Authorities and first responders appear at the scene of crash that trapped a deputy at the end of a high-speed chase in La Mirada on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013. (KABC Photo) Courtesy KABC/7 Los Angeles |
La Mirada~A Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy was temporarily trapped in his patrol car after a high speed chase ended at Imperial Highway and Meyer Road, along the border of La Mirada and unincorporated South Whittier.
The deputy was freed and is reported in stable condition.
On the La Mirada Blog Twitter feed, the incident was originally reported at 8:39 a.m. by @usc_mahboy.
The suspect driving the car that was being chased jumped out of his car after the crash and ran. He broke into a nearby apartment near Coteau Drive and Leffingwell Road by smashing a window.
The suspect was tracked down and arrested a short time later.
Also on Twitter @rubygonzales2 reported, “involved a man who originally ran from COPS deputies, ran into a house so the (sheriff) station thought they had a burglary suspect. He ran thru yards stole car keys from one house, took that car, tried to run over a deputy in the front yard."
She continued, "He led deputies on a chase, drove on the wrong side of the street, dumped that car, ran into a complex then broke into an apartment by smashing thru a window. Resident locked self and kid in bathroom. Deputies snagged the culprit. He's at a clinic being checked for the cuts he got breaking the apt. window. No name on him yet.”
Phantom Projects/La Mirada Presents California Premiere of The Watsons Go To Birmingham, 1963
La Mirada~September 15th marked the 50th Anniversary of the tragic bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Senators and members of Congress marked the recent anniversary with ceremonies and speeches, recalling the tragic event as a major turning point in the civil rights movement. The bombing, which killed 4 young girls, prompted calls to action from Martin Luther King, Jr, in his famous “What murdered these four girls” speech.
On November 21st, at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, this historical event will be commemorated with a one-day-only performance of THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM, 1963. The play, based on a popular book by Christopher Paul Curtis, will be performed for the first time in California.
The production, directed by Phantom Projects’ founder and Producing Artistic Director Steve Cisneros, will first be performed for 1,300 middle school students at 10AM, before a public 7pm performance. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students and can be obtained by calling the La Mirada Theatre Box Office at 714.994.6310 or visiting: www.PhantomProjects.com.
The show stars Moah Pollas as Kenny Watson, Matthieu Jean-Pierre as Byron Watson, Kiarah Pollas as Joetta "Joey" Watson, Danika Butler (NAACP Theatre Award Nominee) as Wilona Watson, Freddie De Grate as Daniel Watson, Jamason Coles as Buphead, Carla Eugenia Mitchell as Grandma Sands, Isaac Clay as Mr. Robert, Elijah Green as Rufus.
Weekend Closures Planned for I-5 in Santa Fe Springs/La Mirada Area
La Mirada/Santa Fe Springs~Motorists in Southern California, more particularly the La Mirada area, should allow for extra time this weekend as road closure plans could alter traveling plans.
Caltrans is advising northbound Santa Ana Freeway (Interstate 5) motorists from Orange County heading into Los Angeles County could expect delays of 60 to 90 during an extended closure from Valley View Avenue to Carmenita Road that begins Saturday, November 16 at 12:01 a.m. and continues through Monday, Nov. 18 at 5 a.m.
The northbound I-5 on-ramp at Valley View Avenue will be CLOSED beginning Friday November 15th at 8 p.m. and reopening at 5:00 a.m. Monday.
Also, CLOSED throughout the weekend will be one of three lanes on northbound I-5 from Valley View Avenue to Carmenita Road and the freeway connector transition from westbound State Route 91 to northbound I-5.
Also, two directional FULL FREEWAY CLOSURES on northbound I-5 only from Valley View Avenue to Carmenita Road will take place overnight Saturday (12:01 a.m. to 7 a.m.) and Sunday (1 a.m. to 5 a.m).
During the weekend all southbound I-5 lanes will remain OPEN for motorists throughout the weekend.
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