Story by Sam Grotenstein Staff Writer Photo courtesy of SPY4PR Contributor South Pasadena Youth for Police Reform (SPY4PR) organized a protest at Garfield Park on Sunday, Aug. 9 to raise awareness of SPPD misconduct. Speakers talked about officer mishandling of Joe Richcreek’s targeted assault of Black Lives Matter protestors and demanded that city officials hold the SPPD […]
SPHS students set to receive schedules on Aug. 12
Story by Kahlen Miao Staff Writer Photo by Ella Jayasekera Photography Editor SPHS principal Janet Anderson announced distance learning guidelines and additional information for the upcoming school year in an email sent out Monday, Aug. 10. Students will learn their schedules on Wednesday, Aug. 12 via the Aeries portal, and technology support and teacher instruction on how […]
D.A.’s office to investigate fake, online identities
Story by Haelee Kim Staff Writer Photo by Katelyn Hernandez Staff Photographer The South Pasadena Police Department (SPPD) announced that the L.A. County District Attorney will investigate two unknown identities accused of sending defamatory and threatening emails and public comments on Thursday, Aug. 6. The informant, resident Chris Bray, sent an email to city officials, SPPD officers, […]
Teachers voice concern over adopted learning models
Story by Charlie Betts Staff Writer Photo by Oscar Walsh Staff Photographer The Teachers Association of South Pasadena (TASP) voiced concern about the proposed SPUSD instructional models for the upcoming school year and have called for an emergency SPUSD school board meeting to address the problems. In June, teachers were given a variety of instructional models to […]
Community may get a chance to vote on raising building height maximums to create mandated affordable housing
Story by Zoe Schlaak Staff Writer Photo by Katelyn Hernandez Staff Photographer The city council will decide whether to put a proposal raising the city’s 45-foot building height limit on the November ballot, at its meeting on Wednesday Aug. 5. The South Pasadena Planning Commission did not recommend that the height maximum increase be placed on the […]
SPUSD outlines plans for distance learning during the upcoming school year
Story by Lilian Zhu Staff Writer Photo by Ella Jayasekera Photo Editor South Pasadena Unified School District (SPUSD) explained its planned hybrid and distance learning models for the 2020-2021 academic year on July 29. Administrators also answered questions from parents and students through a live webinar and FAQ. The 100 percent total distance learning model will […]
LARPing: an activity to experience the game beyond the board
Story by Sofia AlvaStaff Writer Illustration by David SohnStaff Illustrator As the live action role-players move across the field, the only thing on their mind is winning. In order to succeed they must work together to defeat the enemy and come out on top. Live action role-playing (LARPing) has become widely popularized in the past […]
Residents voice encounters with the SPPD at virtual community forum
Story by Georgia Parsons Staff Writer Photo by Richard Gomez Contributor South Pasadena community members shared their experiences with the SPPD in an effort to improve policing and public safety in the city at a storytelling forum on Thursday, July 16. The forum is the first event organized by the city council’s new Future of Policing […]
Why affirmative action is necessary
Story by Charlie BettsStaff Writer Illustration by Nicholas FormanStaff Illustrator The California State Senate recently passed Proposition 16 (previously known as Assembly Constitutional Amendment 5), a bill to repeal Proposition 209 and re-establish affirmative action. Proposition 16 will appear on voters’ ballots this November, and will end gender and race-blind admissions in public college and […]
Sophie Garcia: creating with imagination and compassion
Story by Aanji SinContributor Photos Courtesy of Sophie GarciaContributor Sophie Garcia has a habit of selling herself short. The humble SPHS alumna has been thoroughly invested in visual arts as well as SPHS’ track and field team, though many of her accomplishments go unnoticed by her peers. From the neon green dragon painted on her […]
School board recommends total distance learning to begin, passes hybrid models for future implementation
Story by Kahlen Miao Staff Writer Photo by Ella Jayasekera Photography Editor The South Pasadena School Board advised Superintendent Geoff Yantz to begin the 2020-2021 school year with 100 percent distance learning at its meeting on Thursday, Jul. 16. The board also approved hybrid instructional models for both the elementary and secondary levels that will be utilized when […]
Tournament of Roses 2021 Parade cancelled over coronavirus concerns
Story by Zoe Schlaak Staff Writer Photo by Oscar Walsh Staff Photographer The 132nd Tournament of Roses New Year’s Day Parade was cancelled on Wednesday, July 14, due to safety concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. After discussing with the USC Keck School of Medicine, parade officials concluded that there is no plausible way to operate the […]
Coronavirus case increase prompts statewide reclosing of businesses
Story by Eddie Zhou Staff Writer Photo by Oscar Walsh Staff Photographer California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a revised order requiring the immediate closure of moderate-risk businesses after a recent uptake in coronavirus cases — effective Monday, Jul. 13. Additionally, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) announced its plans to hold instruction strictly online come August in […]
SPUSD announces suspension of all athletics programs
Story by Kimberly Hsueh Staff Writer Photo by Sarah LeeStaff Photographer South Pasadena Unified School District (SPUSD) announced the indefinite suspension of athletic programs until further notice in its special school board meeting on Thursday, July 9. On the following day, SPUSD sent emails informing parents and guardians about the district’s current health guidelines and education codes. […]
D.U.D.E.S. performances and outdoor community artwork replace traditional Fourth of July parade and fireworks
Story by Quinn Manzo Staff Writer Photo by Oscar Walsh Staff Photographer Dads Uniting Dads in Education and Service (D.U.D.E.S) is bringing the Fourth of July festivities to South Pas residents in light of the cancellation of the annual parade and fireworks show. In addition, the South Pasadena Recreation Department and the South Pasadena Arts […]
City faces $20 million civil rights lawsuit in Vanessa Marquez officer-involved shooting
Story by Kahlen Miao Staff Writer Reporting by Noah Kuhn News Editor Photo by Patrick Baca Contributor The family of late actress Vanessa Marquez announced that a civil rights lawsuit was filed over her 2018 killing by SPPD officers on Wednesday, June 24. The family demanded that the police officers involved be reinvestigated and held accountable for […]