The Electrical Billy Elliot Opening at La Mirada Theatre
La Mirada~The ten-time Tony Award-winning musical Billy Elliot will play La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, presented by La Mirada and McCoy Rigby Entertainment.
The production will begin performances Jan. 16, 2015, prior to an official opening Jan. 17, and will continue through Feb. 8.
Billy Elliot, adapted from the film of the same name, features music by Elton John and book and lyrics by Lee Hall.
La Mirada Theatre’s very own artistic director, Brian Kite will direct.
The cast features Mitchell Booooo as Billy. Booooo replaced Noah parets who broke his arm in rehearsals.
Also featured is Vicki Lewis as Mrs. Wilkinson, David Atkinson as Billy's Father, Jake Kitchin as Michael, Stephen Weston as Tony, Jamie Torcellini as George, Marsha Waterbury as Grandma, Kim Huber as Billy's Mum, Brandon Forrest as Adult Billy, Neil Dale as Mr. Braithwaite, Sammy Gayer as Debbie and R.J. Higton as Tall Boy.
La Mirada Bobby Sox Accepting Sign-Ups
La Mirada~Bobby Sox volunteers will be at Stater Bros. and Albertsons every weekend in January from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. accepting sign-ups for the upcoming 2015 season.
No experience is necessary for girls ages 4-18 and all girls are guaranteed to play every game.
Registration fees are $135.00 for La Mirada residents and $160.00 for non-residents. Regular registration ends January 31st with fees increasing after.
For more information call (714) 296-7621 or email lamirada_bobbysox@yahoo.com.
Board Appoints Interim Deputy Superintendent; Begins Search for Permanent Superintendet
The Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District is moving forward with the search for a permanent Superintendent, while also appointing an Interim Deputy Superintendent who will assist in the day-to-day District operations during this time of transition.
The Board of Education tapped Ginger Shattuck, retired Norwalk-La Mirada Unified Superintendent with a 40-year history with the District, to serve as Interim Superintendent after former Superintendent Dr. Ruth Perez left the District for a position as Deputy Superintendent at the Los Angeles Unified School District.
However, state retirement law limits the number of hours Shattuck can work, which will reduce the number of hours she can be compensated for. Beginning in January, she will spend two days a week in the office.
To help with District operations, the District appointed Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Wayne Shannon to the post of Interim Deputy Superintendent, effective Feb. 1.
“I’ll be somebody who can help with day-to-day decisions necessary to operate the District,” he said.
“Decisions that have long term implications, those regarding the District’s vision, mission, or higher level board decisions will still be routed through Interim Superintendent Shattuck.”
The Board of Education on Jan. 5 met with search firm Dave Long & Associates to launch the superintendent search process and to establish qualities the Board wants in a new leader for Norwalk-La Mirada Unified.
“This is an exciting time for our District,” Board of Education President Jesse Urquidi said. “The Board is focused on selecting a strong leader who will continue to support the District’s mission to provide the best educational opportunities for all students.”
In the meantime, Shattuck and Shannon will work together to ensure a seamless transition so Norwalk-La Mirada students continue to have access to a rigorous instructional program that prepares them for their futures.
“Mr. Shannon and I have a strong working relationship and l am confident that we can continue increasing student achievement and success in Norwalk-La Mirada Unified, while also collaborating with staff, teachers, parents and our Board of Education to achieve our goals,” Shattuck said.
Shannon joined the District in 1996 as a substitute teacher, when Shattuck was serving as Superintendent. He became a middle school teacher, assistant principal and principal before being promoted to director and ultimately assistant superintendent of human resources.
He is not receiving a salary increase for serving as deputy superintendent.
“This gives me a great opportunity to serve the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District,” Shannon said. “I couldn’t be happier that the Board has shown their confidence in me to serve in this capacity.”
Chamber of Commerce to Host “Meet the Candidates”
La Mirada~The Chamber of Commerce will host a “Meet the Candidates” forum at their monthly Tuesday breakfast at the Holiday Inn January 6th from 8:00-9:30 a.m.
The candidates will be given a few minutes to speak and will handle a few questions from the audience. Cost is $15.
At the time this article was written, all candidates are expected to attend including Ed Eng, Dale Nowicki, John Sarega, Tony Aiello, Steve DeRuse, Larry Mowles, and Mik Saenz.
The Holiday Inn Select is located at 14299 Firestone Boulevard adjacent to the 5 freeway in La Mirada.
Seven File for Three Seats for La Mirada City Council
La Mirada~Three seats are for grabs in the 2015 La Mirada City Council election and seven individuals have filed for a chance at a seat.
Councilman Steve Jones, first elected in 1998, has decided to retire and not seek a fifth term in a city with no term limits.
The two other seats available are Steve DeRuse and current Mayor Larry Mowles, both are seeking a second term after winning the seats of longtime Councilmen Hal Malkin and Pete Dames four years ago, after they retired.
DeRuse and Mowles will go up against challengers Ed Eng, executive director of the Los Angeles County Economy and Efficiencies Commission; Michael Saenz, a business consultant; Dale Nowicki, an attorney; current Councilman Andrew Sarega’s father, John, a commercial property owner, and the founder and editor of this website, Tony Aiello, a La Mirada native.
Two Killed in Collision on First Avenue
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| Fire department personnel cut the victims out of both vehicles but both died at the scene. Photo courtesy Bayli Zaharis |
Whittier~Two people died in a head-on collision early New Years Day at First Avenue and Candlelight Drive just outside of the La Mirada city limits.
The accident occurred about 1:30 a.m. in the unincorporated area of Whittier.
An unidentified woman in her forties and and a man in his twenties died at the scene.
The cause of the violent crash is still unknown as officials investigate.
Urquidi Takes Over as School Board President
Norwalk~The Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District Board of Education conducted its annual reorganization meeting this month, selecting Jesse Urquidi as President and Karen Morrison as Vice President.
The District, its teachers and community members and local elected officials also commemorated the yearlong service of Margarita Rios as president in 2014.
“This past year has been a challenging, but exciting year,” Rios said. “The Common Core State Standards were introduced, a new district funding formula (LCFF) was implemented, and the school board adopted the district’s Local Control and Accountability Plan. The school board also began the search process for a new superintendent, and placed a successful school bond measure before the voters. I am grateful for the numerous leadership opportunities 2014 presented to me as board president and look forward to continuing my service to our school community.”
The District, staff, teachers and local elected officials, including State Sen. Tony Mendoza and the office of Assemblyman Ian Calderon provided Rios with commendations for her service.
Newly appointed President Urquidi, who served as Vice President this year, pledged his commitment to continuing the District’s path to success and high student achievement.
“There’s lots of change in education with the introduction of the Common Core State Standards and the Local Control Funding Formula, as well as our own Local Control and Accountability Plan,” Urquidi said. “These are positive changes that will help our District remain on a continuum of success.”
Matadores Advance to Orange Final
BOYS BASKETBALL
Orange~The Matadores of La Mirada outscored Canyon 21-11 in the second half Monday night to advance to the finals in the 50th annual Orange Holiday Classic, winning 61-56.
The Matadores beat OL earlier this month in the Diablo Inferno 70-61 and it is also the former school/team of LM star Kendall Lauderdale.
123115 UPDATE: The Mats fell to Orange Lutheran in the championship game, 57-43 making their record 11-3 for the season. They open up Suburban League play at John Glenn Wednesday, January 7th at 6:30 p.m.
La Mirada has their final non-league game against Brea on January 9th and then return to league play for the rest of the season at Cerritos on the 12th.
Final Tournament Action for Matadores This Weekend
La Mirada~As we transition into the new year, the boys and girls basketball teams from La Mirada High will participate in their final tournament action this weekend, gearing up for league play.
The boys (8-2) will participate in the Orange Holiday Classic at Hope International University.
Their first game is tonight against Lynden (WA) at 8:30 p.m.
The Matadores are 8-2 to start the season after winning the Diablo Inferno Tournament earlier this month and finishing third in the North OC Championships last week.
The Lady Mats (2-6) will participate in the Lady Rebel Classic at Savanna High School.
Their first game is today as well, against Rancho Alamitos beginning at 3:00 p.m.
Christmas Crime Hits La Mirada
Two separate incidents including one involving the World Cup House
La Mirada~Sometime this past Saturday night or early Sunday morning a Christmas display was vandalized at the World Cup House on Alondra Boulevard in La Mirada.
La Mirada Blog fan Stacey Brooks told us via Facebook. “Last night someone came by and trashed one of our Christmas displays. It was a ramp that my husband Josh spent a lot of time making. On Christmas Eve we buy ice and pack it on there so the neighborhood kids can go sledding. The children love it. It brings a sense of community that is hard to find in this day and age. This is a photo of an officer helping us flip it over. We are going to see if we can fix it, but the damage is done. Our family, including our two very young sons, is heartbroken.”
Since then, with the help of neighbors the display has been fixed.
The home was the source of a bit of controversy this past summer when the city ordered Josh to take down his World Cup display which included large flags representing each country.
This caused an outrage on this websites Facebook page and the city allowed the Brooks to reconstruct their display.
MORE CRIME: On Monday night, a thief broke into a car in the vicinity of Biola/Mansa/Bora and stole over $200 worth of Christmas gifts.
Blog fan Melaina Edgemon said “sometime between 10:00 p.m. Monday and 7:00 a.m. Tuesday, someone broke into my car and stole all the holiday gifts I had purchased for my family,” that included toys, slippers, slippers and movies.
17:08 12/24/14 STILL MORE CRIME: On Wednesday afternoon, Christmas Eve Day, Blog fan Laura Barba said her youngest son's bike was stolen outside CVS on Rosecrans, "They cut the lock and stole the bike within the five minutes-the time he was in the store. It's a neon green fixie with white tires and black rims. If anyone sees it please message us with info."
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