The ‘Great White Hope’ Boxer Lived in Verdugo Canyon For those who know their history, in either boxing or race issues, the term “Great White Hope” has inflammatory meaning. It comes from a period of overt racism, 1908 to 1915, when a Black man was the world champion heavyweight boxer. His name was Jack Johnson. […]
We Must Protect Social Security and Medicare Ever since supply chain problems drove prices higher around the world, I have worked hard to blunt the effects of inflation on the middle class and the most vulnerable among us – especially those on fixed incomes, like seniors and people living with disabilities. Most notably, in Congress […]
The Tragic Sinking of the Good Ship SS La Crescenta Besides being a fan of local history, I’m also a maritime history buff. In this column we turn away from local history to look at an anomaly, that anomaly being the sad fate of an English oil tanker, incongruously named “La Crescenta.” The SS […]
A Revised View of Kimball Sanitarium – Part 4 We now wrap up our fresh look at Kimball Sanitarium, a mental institution that operated from 1922 to 1962 and was located where our Ralphs is today. I interviewed Dave Kimball, the son of Merritt Kimball who owned and operated the sanitarium. We must remember how […]
Investing in Education Call it a modern renovation of the public education sector: California has budgeted to make meaningful investments to bridge the opportunity and achievement gaps, which means the future for our students will be getting much brighter. The most significant milestone is the funding of TK-12 public education to a historic $22,000 per […]
Sad Sendoff Angels walk amongst us – or maybe you haven’t noticed. We are so consumed with negativity that frequently we are blinded to the goodness that surrounds us. Our very own Crescenta Valley had a special Angel for decades. Whenever and wherever there was a need or a void our special Angel would find […]
A Revised View of Kimball Sanitarium – Part 3 I’ve been writing about the details of one of La Crescenta’s most storied mental institutions, Kimball Sanitarium, located where our Ralphs on Foothill Boulevard is today. I gained a whole new view of the place based on interviews and emails with David Kimball, who grew up […]
Goodbye September, Hello October! The Crescenta Valley Town Council/Streets and Transportation Committee has been working diligently with the CV Sheriff’s Station, CHP and the Dept. of Public Works, LA County to ensure our students have a clear and safe route to their schools. In August, the Council convened an emergency meeting with the GUSD superintendent, […]
It’s Time To Care About CAHSR What’s the old adage – “Government always has the solution to a problem that doesn’t exist?” Right. Since before the turn of the 21st century, people have been buzzing that California should have a robust rail system, one to rival those found in Europe or Asia. We used to […]
A Revised View of Kimball Sanitarium – Part 2 I’m continuing with a new view of Kimball Sanitarium, which was on Foothill Boulevard right where Ralphs is today. It was a mental institution and it ran from 1922 until 1960. I have written previously about its history, but I’m revisiting that history with new info […]