DUI checkpoint this Sunday

The Claremont Police Department will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint this Sunday at an undisclosed location within the city. The checkpoint will run from 6 p.m. and end at 2 a.m.

Drivers will be stopped long enough for officers to verify they are not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Motorists will also be checked for valid driver licenses and ensure they are wearing their safety belts.

The Claremont Police Department has already run 2 sobriety checkpoints earlier this month.

Catherine Shelton will be missed

Photo from Facebook

Catherine Shelton, 42, was the woman involved in Wednesday morning's tragic traffic collision in Village West. She did not survive her injuries.

Shelton was loved by many in the community and is described as a caring person who made everyone around her feel comfortable. She was very social and had a wide circle of friends.

A 13-year Claremont resident, Shelton was a former member of the Disaster Response Team of the local chapter of the American Red Cross and served as a board member of Claremont school's PFA.

Shelton was also very active in the business community. She worked as a realtor for Coldwell Banker Town & Country and was an active member of the Claremont Chamber of Commerce.

She was also a mother of a 19-year-old son who recently graduated from Claremont High School.

She will be greatly missed by those who were lucky enough to get to know her.

Village pedestrian accident update

Claremont police have confirmed in a press release that the woman who was struck by a vehicle in the Village today did not survive her injuries.

According to the release, police were called at 10:40 a.m. regarding a traffic collision. When police arrived, they found a badly injured female who had been run over by a vehicle. The woman was transported to Pomona Valley Medical Center where she succumbed to her injuries at 11:21 a.m.

According to police, the driver of the vehicle is Brenda Monahan of Claremont. She was interviewed by police and later released at the scene.

According to witnesses, Monahan dropped off a friend on the south side of First Street near 21 Choices. Shortly thereafter, the vehicle accelerated forward up onto the sidewalk, hitting the victim, witnesses said.

Tire marks along First Street show that the vehicle continued to travel on the sidewalk, coming to a halt about 100 feet away. The vehicle finally crashed near the entrance to Bua Thai Cuisine.

The name of the victim has not been released by police, pending notification of the next of kin. The Claremont Police Department Traffic Bureau is investigating the incident.

Monahan is the owner of Three French Hens in the Village. She recently signed a lease with the city to move her business into a location on First Street, near where the accident happened. As part of the lease, Monahan agreed to be Claremont's business "concierge," handing out information to visitors about businesses in the city.

Pedestrian hit on First Street in Village West

A female pedestrian was struck by a motorist on the 400 block of West First Street in Village West.

Police have blocked off traffic between Indian Hill Boulevard and Oberlin Avenue for several hours while investigating the collision. The accident was first reported at 10:40 a.m.

Claremont Police Lieutenant Karlan Bennett said information was not available about the victim or her condition, pending further investigation.

"My guys are out there right now trying to figure out what happened," Lt. Bennett said.

The CCB will post an update to this story as soon as new information comes in.

South Claremont power outage expected to be fixed soon

A power outage in south Claremont is expected to be fixed this afternoon. The outage has affected homes near Arrow Highway and Indian Hill Boulevard since yesterday at 2:22 p.m. According to Southern California Edison's power outage center, the outage is due to equipment failure and repair crews are working to get it fixed. Their estimated time of restored power is 3 p.m. today.

Pet Licensing & low-cost vaccination programs

Attention dog owners. The city of Claremont and the Inland Valley Human Society have launched an amnesty program to encourage residents to bring their pet licenses into compliance without a penalty.

From September 13 to September 27, penalty fees will be waived for pet owners licensing their animals at the Humane Society, located at 500 Humane Society Way in Pomona.

In order to license a pet, Claremont residents will need a copy of the pet’s current rabies certificate as well as spay/neuter certificate if applicable. Licenses range from $40 for unaltered dogs to $20 for altered dogs. Seniors receive a discounted fee of $5 for altered dogs.

Many dog owners purchase I.D. tags for their animals and believe this is the only form of identification needed. While an I.D. tag is optional, it is required by city and state mandates that each dog be issued and wear a valid license. Unlike an I.D. tag, a license has the number of the local humane society where the dog is registered, and a numbered code.

If your dog is reported lost, the humane society can look up the information in the computer and determine all important contact information for the owner including address, phone number and whether the dog has a current rabies vaccination.

The Inland Valley Humane Society assists dog owners with getting a reduced fee rabies vaccine for their pets by holding vaccination clinics on the shelter premises.

On September 14, from 7 to 8:00 p.m., the Humane Society will hold a low cost vaccination clinic at College Park in Claremont. The clinic will be held on a first-come-first-served basis and there is an 8:00 p.m. cut-off time. Humane Society staff will also be on hand to license your pet.

For more information, please contact the Humane Society Licensing Department at (909) 623-9777 extension 652 or 653.

Claremont's community heroes for the Fair

It's that time of year again. The Los Angeles County Fair opens its doors Saturday, September 4. Claremont Day at the fair will be on Thursday, September 23, where residents can get a discounted entrance to the fair.

Fair officials have announced Claremont's community heroes to be honored this year. Junior hero Langston Coleman-Brown, a Claremont High School student, has contributed more than 1,300 hours of volunteer service in the past two years for the city’s Human Services Department.

Adult Hero Rosemary Henderson is also a very active volunteer. She is involved with many senior issues and serves on the Claremont Committee on Aging, co-chaired the development and implementation of the Postal Alert Program, participated in the development of the Senior Master Plan for Claremont, is a member of the Senior Finance Committee and chairs the Claremont Senior Foundation.

Chuck Farritor is being honored with the senior Community Hero award for his many years of community service. Farritor served on the board for Pomona Valley Workshop, which helped children with special needs. Active in Democratic politics, Farritor served as president of the Claremont Democractic Club. Farritor also volunteered with the Claremont Police Department in the citizen’s patrol program.

Claremont salaries compared to Bell

The story of the summer has been the outrageous salaries being pulled in by city staff and council members in the city of Bell near downtown Los Angeles.

Bell City Manager Robert Rizzo was earning nearly $800,000 per year, their police chief Randy Adams earned $457,000 a year and Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia was earning $376,288 annually. All resigned after their salaries were exposed by the Los Angeles Times.

In addition, 4 out of 5 Bell city council members were raking in about $100,000 per year.

In reaction, Claremont City Manager Jeff Parker added an item on his most recent weekly report about salaries for top city staff and council members in Claremont. Here's what he wrote:

As the media reports on the City of Bell's salaries for council and administrative staff, residents across the country are discussing the compensation of their own City officials. In accordance with the City of Claremont's open communication philosophy, the City of Claremont makes this information readily available to the public.

Each member of the City Council receives $400 per month compensation and an additional $30 per Redevelopment Agency meeting. The City Council does not receive retirement benefits and during the 2010-12 budget process, medical benefits were eliminated from council's budget. City commissioners are appointed by the City Council and receive no compensation.

As detailed in the budget, the City Manager's annual salary is $211,000 and the Assistant City Manager's annual salary is $165,000. The Police Chief's annual salary is $174,000. These salaries are based on surveys of comparable cities with similar services and populations to Claremont's 37,000 residents. Cities surveyed include Upland, Brea, La Verne, Glendora, Arcadia, Azusa, Covina, Rialto, Montclair, Monrovia, and Chino.

A complete list of salary ranges for each City position is available upon request through the City Clerk's office. For additional information, please call the City Manager's Office at 909-399-5441.