Students Busy Even Before School Year Begins
La Mirada High School Senior, Itzy Alardcon, will be providing updates from LMHS throughout the school year for us. Let's welcome her to the La Mirada Blog.You go Itzy! Thanks!
La Mirada~Hey La Mirada students, school is just around the corner, and there are many things already happening at LMHS.
The first Varsity football game will be Friday September 4th vs. St. Paul at St. Paul. Also, many of the clubs and organizations have been very busy as well, preparing for the upcoming school year.
ASB has been spending countless hours planning class registration days, back to school rallies, and the 9/11 memorial. Link Crew has also been spending many long hours planning for the new incoming freshman. Link Crew leaders had to attend two, day-long training sessions to properly teach and assist the new freshman class.
The Positive Alternatives Outreach program was unfortunately discontinued by the school district because of the budget cuts. Thankfully, the City of La Mirada decided that the program was too good to let be thrown away, and has in fact adopted the program. Therefore, PAO is starting a new chapter, and hoping to bring even more positive attention to the group.
Positive Alternatives, along with many other clubs such as Key Club, have been spending many hours at back-to-school registration with sign-up booths, in hope that more and more people will join and make this upcoming school year even better.
So, this school year, don’t let the year pass you by without joining a club, participating in an event, or going to a game to cheer on your Matadore athletes!!!
Suburban League Preview-Week 0
Mayfair: The Monsoons have been everyone’s perennial pick to win the Suburban League and there is ample reason for that. As the consensus pick, they have won 8 league titles in a row. Well, it all starts this week for them against a tough Chino Hills team. I look for Mayfair to get the ground game working early and let Hunko take his shots deep off of play action. The Monsoons will be on the road at Chino Hills Friday September 4th, 2009. Kick-off is 7pm.
Week 0 Prediction: Mayfair 28 Chino Hills 24
Norwalk: The Lancers look to be firing on all cylinders as they gear up for a showdown with South El Monte. The Lancers will need to get their running attack led by wing-back Adrian Gonzales to get going if they are going to be successful. I look for this to be a battle early, but expect the double wing attack to smother and run through, over, and around the Eagles of South El Monte. The game will be at South El Monte. Kick-off is slated for 7pm.
Norwalk 46 South El Monte 21
Artesia: The Pioneers are a small group but they are used to playing iron man football as they did it all of last season. They will be looking to get coach Aaron Craver his first win of the season when they travel to take on the Chargers of Edison High School in Huntington Beach. This will be more than a challenge for the Pioneers. The Chargers have several highly ranked prospects including center Roman Sapolu who has orally committed to Oregon State.
Edison 48 Artesia 14
La Mirada: The Matadores are back and they are hungry for the season to start. The atmosphere around the program is different this year; the kids are buying in that they have the athletes to compete. One of the most anxious Matadores to get out there and play is Matt Haltom he has not played in a varsity game since his sophomore year. I look for the Mats to come out throwing and give St. Paul a run for their money. This will be a clash of two different offensive philosophies when these teams take the field for battle on Friday. The Mats will look to throw, while the Swordsmen will look to pound the ball on the ground. I see the St. Paul ground game being the factor they will eat up some clock and keep the talented Mats offense on the sidelines
St Paul 28 La Mirada 24
John Glenn: The Eagles travel to the Santa Ana Bowl on Saturday at 1pm to take on the Santa Ana Valley Falcons who are led by the diminutive Running back, Darius Nacoste. He has run for almost 3,000 yards and he will look to pad that total against the Eagles. But the Eagles, I hear, have an answer in the form of 6’3’’ 245-pound middle linebacker Nu’a Niumataevalu, who is hungry to destroy ball carriers after being out for a year. This one should be an offensive shoot-out and whichever team’s defense can get the most stops in this one, wins. I look for the Eagles to clip the Falcons wings in a close one.
Glenn 35 Santa Ana Valley 31
Bellflower: The Buccaneers are rolling full steam ahead and they are really looking to start the season off on the right note. They will have the advantage of the confines of their home stadium when they battle the Oilers of Montebello on Friday at 7pm. They have a good mix of Veteran players, and they are also counting on the influx of their sophomores to help them be successful. Look for the Buccaneers to spoil Head Coach Pete Gonzales’ first game with the Oilers. Look for sophomore Travis Newberry to run all over the Oilers in a route.
Bellflower 42 Montebello 14
Cerritos: The Dons look to start their season off on the right foot, however they are traveling to Beckman of Irvine, a team that will be tough to beat. The Dons are hoping that they can get their offense unhitched as they try and make use of ultra talented sophomore Marquis Moss. I think that Beckman will be too much for the Dons, as they extend their losing streak.
Beckman 49 Cerritos 6
Final Thoughts: This should be a good weekend of football and it will definitely be a lot of fun to watch as we gear up for the long haul. Good luck this week to all of the players. I wish you all much success; and stay injury free.
Station Fire Update
Angeles National Forest~The Station Fire has burned 226 square miles of land within the Angeles National Forest and near surrounding foothill communities of La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Acton, Soledad Canyon, Pasadena, Glendale and Sierra Madre.
The goals of the firefighters are to keep the fire west of Highway 39 and Angeles Crest Highway, east of Interstate 5, south of Highway 14, Pearblossom Highway, and Highway 138, and north of the foothill communities and the Angeles National Forest Boundary.
The fire is moving into areas of the forest with no recorded fire history. To date, helicopters have dropped 1.7 million gallons of water and 18,000 gallons of retardant. Air tankers have dropped 670,000 gallons of retardant and gel.
24/7 fire information is available by calling (626) 821-6700 or you can reference the Station Fire at www.inciweb.org. On Twitter, fire info can be found at www.twitter/AngelesNF and on www.facebook.com you can reference TheStationFire.
Construction Project Continues; Chokes Imperial
Imperial/Valley View intersection to be a mess through early October
La Mirada/LA County~There is some good news and bad news involving the ongoing LA County Sewer Project on Imperial Highway, that has been with us nearly all year.
The project is not officially in La Mirada (south side of Imperial is La Mirada, north side is LA County), but La Miradians are clearly affected.
The good news is that phase one of the project is completed; Imperial is back to three lanes westbound from La Mirada Blvd.
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| Construction project is causing excessive delays Imperial westbound at Valley View |
The bad news is that phase two of the project has started.
John Schiller of Steve Bubalo Construction told us, "Phase two should go through early October. The current detour is smaller at Valley View than phase one, 300 feet both ways on Imperial Highway. We still need to construct a tunnel under Valley View."
The detour may be smaller in scope , but the impact is far greater. Starting westbound at Burgess Avenue, the smaller detour temporarily has taken away left turns at Valley View, both east and westbound. Westbound Imperial has clearly been affected more however, creating huge delays, at all hours.
Residents are encouraged to use alternate routes until construction is complete.
Deadly Station Fire Providing Spectactular Views for LM
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A plume of smoke from the Station Fire in the Angeles Forest can be seen from Marquardt Avenue in La Mirada on Sunday |
La Mirada~If you have lived in Southern California long enough, you must have wondered at one time or another; what if the Angeles Forest really caught on fire some day.
That day seems to have arrived, let's just be thankful that so far, wind has not been a factor.
The deadly-still out of control-Station Fire, which originated in La Canada on Wednesday, has now consumed more than 85,000 acres, as it continues to travel wildly, in all directions.
Two LA County firefighters lost their lives Sunday, and 21 homes have burned. Another 10,000 homes are currently in danger, including homes in the Sunland and Tujunga areas.
The fire continues to threaten Mt. Wilson, which can be seen from La Mirada, year-round on a clear day. Mt. Wilson is the home of radio, TV, and emergency transmission towers, communication equipment, and the Mt. Wilson Observatory.
This fire has provided La Miradians with a sight few have seen.
"I have lived here for 55 years", said La Mirada resident Edgar Macias, "And I have never seen a fire like this one. Yesterday, it looked like a volcano erupted."
With little wind in the Southern California area the last few days, La Mirada has not been affected with smoke by this fire, so far. Officials continue to advise residents to stay indoors however, and avoid outdoor activity, if possible.
Matadores Have Busy Week; Showdown with St. Paul Friday
La Mirada~You can tell the regulsr season is almost here as the La Mirada High School varsity football team held it's annual picture day recently and a offense/defense scrimmage was played this past Friday.
Picture Day was the usual chaos, with a little heat wave mixed in to make things interesting. Also, registration for school seniors was Friday, and the team also finished up 'two-a-days' on Thursday, making for a busy week.
A scrimmage on Friday proved interesting when a group from St. Paul High School was seen in the stands videotaping the practice. Athletic Director Kim Brooks apparently gave the OK for the taping.
La Mirada opens this Friday in Week 0 at St. Paul beginning at 7:00 p.m. Like many other teams playing in Week 0, La Mirada will not have the advantage of playing a scrimmage against another opponent, besides itself, before the season begins. However, this means the Mats will have a bye week during the season; with extra time to rest and prepare for their next opponent.
100 on-field tickets for this Friday's game are available for $10. Contact Diane Gramajo to purchase your on-field tickets at 562-569-1432.
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City Announces Photo Contest Winners
La Mirada~This past Tuesday at the La Mirada City Council meeting, Mayor Susan Tripp, on behalf of the city council, presented awards to this years winners of the city's annual Photo Contest.
Photographers of all ages were invited to submit photographs for the La Mirada Photo Contest. 94 photo entries from 51 participants were submitted in three categories: People/Families, Nature, and Public Places.
Driving Checkpoint Scheduled for La Mirada
La Mirada~The City of La Mirada, in conjunction with the California Office of Traffic Safety, has scheduled a DUI/Drivers Licence Checkpoint for Saturday August 29, 2009 from 6:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. on westbound Imperial Highway at Santa Gertrudes Avenue in La Mirada.
For more information contact the La Mirada Sheriff's station at (562) 902-2960.
City Council Meeting Highlights
La Mirada~Let's catch up on some recent City Council activity:
July 14
-Presented David and MaryJo Harbaugh with a 50th Wedding Anniversary certificate and two tickets to the La Mirada Theatre.
-Adopted ordinance adopting water conservation requirements and amended Titile 6 of the La Mirada Municipal Code (Which means you will be busted for wasting water. We will show new "water laws" soon on the LM Blog).
July 28
-Recognized and presented former advisory board members Randy Grisham, Sylvia Grotz, Kathy Keithly, Chris Pflanzer, and Jennifer Zwish with a plaque for their years of dedicated service to the La Mirada community.
August 11
-Recognized and presented Carmen Martinez, La Mirada, a certificate for her 100th birthday.
-Recognized and presented Ginny and Lynn Fairbrother with a 50th Anniversary certificate and two tickets to the La Mirada Theatre.
-Adopted resolution authorizing traffic improvements on Heflin Drive adjacent to Gardenhill Elementary School to accomodate a new school exit gate.
August 25
-Recognized and presented awards to the winners of the La Mirada Photo Contest (see story).
-Conducted a public hearing and adopted resolution amending the current licensing fee schedule to include cats, and increase licensing fees for dogs.
Special Half-Price Offers for Advertising on the La Mirada Blog
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| Tony Aiello, La Mirada Baseball Assc.- circa 1972 |
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