The free Meet the Candidates Forum will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 7, in the auditorium of the Arcadia Public Library. Seating for 175 attendees will be on a first-come, first-served basis, so please arrive early to ensure a seat. Light refreshments will be provided by the AAR.

Although election day is technically April 10, for the first time there will be no polls open on that date or any other. Mail-in ballots will be mailed to voters March 12 and must be returned and received no later than April 10. With voters having the option of completing and returning their ballots in mid-March, AAR and the Chamber feel it is very important to hold the forum early in the process.
AAR and the Chamber teamed up for a similar forum in 2010 that was standing-room only at the Woman’s Club of Arcadia, and for several elections over the past years.

All five candidates have already agreed to attend to the forum: former Mayor John Wuo, Sho Tay, Henry Nunez, incumbent current Mayor Gary Kovacic, and Mary Dougherty.

Chamber Executive Director Scott Hettrick and AAR Board of Director member Andy Bencosme will co-moderate the forum, with each asking questions of the candidates after initial self-introductions by each candidate. Written questions will be accepted from the audience, with as many as possible being asked of the candidates.

– by Scott Hettrick and Andrew Cooper

Ed owned the Arco Service Station at Foothill and Santa Anita from 1971 – 1984. He spent a decade as a float mechanic for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses and most recently worked for the Arcadia School District.

Dedicated to the Arcadia High School music program and known as Mr. Fix-it, Ed fabricated customized instrument and uniform racks, furnished his personal trailer for transporting equipment, and extensively supported the percussion section, serving on the pit crew and traveling to regional and national competitions.
For many years during the holidays Ed delivered donated items collected from Arcadia Unified School District families to the White Mountain Apache Tribe in Arizona, building goodwill, and ultimately developing a bond with Apache people who welcomed him, sharing special ceremonies and cultural traditions.

Ed was born on June 5, 1943 at St. Luke’s Hospital in Altadena and spent his entire life in Arcadia raising a family, working, owning businesses, and volunteering his time and skills to the community.
Ed served in the Army National Guard and later graduated from the Rio Hondo Police Academy, serving as an Arcadia Police Reserve Officer from 1983-1991.
As a businessman and Reserve Officer, he was involved with the Youth Safety Run sponsored by the Police Advisory Council for Car Clubs (PACCC).

Ed is survived by his wife of 45 years, Terry, daughters Anne (Michelle Hoy), Sandra, Carol (Rick Brandt) and Sarah, granddaughters Deanna, Samantha and Sara Gelfand, his sister Deborah Lee Schmidt, and his loyal dog, Duke, along with many relatives and friends.

A celebration of Ed’s life will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12 in the Arcadia High School North Gym. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Arcadia High School and designated for the Ed Schreiner Percussion Scholarship.

The event at the Methodist Hospital Wound Healing Center, 300 W. Huntington Drive, at which hospital physicians and hyperbaric oxygen center staff will be on hand along with Chris McGuire, VP of programs and director of the Foundation, will celebrate the opening of the new hyperbaric oxygen center and its lifesaving possibilities for patients.

Through a generous gift from the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation, Methodist Hospital has established a cutting-edge hyperbaric treatment center where patients with a wide range of serious medical conditions can receive lifesaving treatment.

The grant enabled the hospital to purchase and install a state-of-the-art hyperbaric (high-pressure oxygen) chamber in the hospital’s Wound Healing Center.

“We strongly support Methodist Hospital’s mission of compassionate care,” said Chris McGuire, vice president of programs and director of the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation. “It is our belief that this new center will provide the finest care for patients long into the future.”

In addition to benefiting the San Gabriel Valley’s growing population of diabetic patients suffering with chronic wounds, the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation Hyperbaric Oxygen Center will also enable clinicians to treat wounds resulting from immune deficiencies as well as patients suffering from decompression sickness, or the “bends,” as a result of diving accidents. Other serious conditions also will be treated using the new hyperbaric chamber.

“The Berger Foundation has been an ardent supporter of Methodist Hospital for a long time, and we’re very grateful for their generosity,” said Dan Ausman, Methodist Hospital president and CEO.

Continuing improvements to hyperbaric chamber technology will enable patients to sit upright or recline in comfort as they watch movies and listen to music while undergoing hyperbaric therapy, according to Janet Dugan, director of therapy services. Those with conditions such as ulcers, carbon monoxide poisoning, crush injuries, air or gas embolisms, bone infections that do not respond to antibiotics, and even flesh-eating bacteria also will benefit from this advanced technology.

“Our chamber is a large acrylic tube where the patient slides in on a long gurney,” Dugan said. “We pump in 100 percent oxygen under pressure, and the average patient remains inside for about 90 minutes.”

With relatively few hyperbaric centers operating in the San Gabriel Valley, Dugan believes the new chamber will support Methodist Hospital’s continued efforts to provide “The Next Generation of Care” exceptional patient experience.

– By Scott Hettrick

County representatives will provide an overview of the new non-exclusive franchise trash collection system that takes effect on July 1 and replaces the current open-market system to enable the Department to meet recent changes in State law and provide enhanced trash collection services. Under the system, all waste haulers will be able to continue service in unincorporated areas provided they meet minimum performance and customer service standards.

The community meeting will provide customers an opportunity to ask questions and comment about the proposal. For further information, please call Pat Proano at (626) 458- 3500.

– By Scott Hettrick

After a disappointing viewing audience of only 1.1 million viewers of the show’s sneak preview in December, the total gross audience for multiple showings of the pilot, including Sunday’s much-publicized broadcast, more than 3.3 million viewers have watched the program to date, according to Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming.

Production is slated to begin in late February to take advantage of the crowds and live racing during Santa Anita’s regular season. The second season would debut in January 2013. Much of the production of the first season had to be filmed when there was no racing in the fall of 2010 when Oak Tree Racing unexpectedly moved to Hollywood Park and there was no fall meet at Santa Anita for the first time in decades. The original pilot had been filmed during Santa Anita’s regular winter/spring meet in 2010.

HBO’s second season order is for 10 episodes, one more than this season’s nine episodes, the second of which will premiere this weekend on the same day as the Super Bowl.

“Luck,” from director Michael Mann and “Deadwood” creator David Milch, both executive producers on the show, is a behind-the-track look at the world of horse racing and gambling’s denizens – owners, trainers, jockeys and gamblers, whose cast is led by Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte.

Season one regulars included Dennis Farina, John Ortiz, Richard Kind, Kevin Dunn, Ian Hart, Ritchie Coster, Jason Gedrick, Kerry Condon, Gary Stevens, Tom Payne, and Jill Hennessy.

– By Scott Hettrick