The Claremont COURIER newspaper has been the leading source of information on Claremont, CA for over 100 years. City reporter Beth Hartnett will continue that tradition by offering news as it happens with interviews and opinions from the people in our town. The blog will be updated as news happens in our community.
Emergency workers carry an injured cyclist in Johnson's Pasture. The teen was airlifted due to head injuries. (photo courtesy of Michael Balchunas)
A teenager lost control of his bicycle and crashed while riding in Johnson's Pasture yesterday. He was airlifted to Los Angeles with injuries to his legs and head, according to a witness.
Police were called around 10:30 a.m. about the accident. The 15-year-old and 2 friends were riding on a steep section of a trail in Johnson's Pasture when he lost of his bicycle, witness Michael Balchunas said.
Paramedics responded and requested the airlift due to head trauma from the fall.
"He had some bruising on his legs and cheekbone," Mr. Balchunas said. "But it didn't look too bad."
The helicopter from Los Angeles County landed in the Claremont Wilderness Park, just northwest of the condominiums on High Point in Claraboya. The teenager was carried by paramedics to the helicopter.
There's no official word yet on the nature of his injuries.
Claremont will celebrate its annual community-wide Earth Day this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Village.
Among the activities will be speakers and presentations on the environment, alternative transportation and sustainability, tips on how to "Green" your home or business and save money, music and entertainment, fun and educational activities for kids Educational workshops and displays and exhibits by "Green" organizations.
Activities will take place along Sceond Street from Village Square to City Hall. For more information about Claremont's Earth Day celebration, call Chris Veirs, Senior planner/Sustainability Coordinator at (909) 399-5486.
Also on Saturday, Uncommon Good will have a groundbreaking for the first public superadobe building in the United States. The ceremony will take place at the Claremont United Methodist Church at 211 W. Foothill Blvd. beginning at 10 a.m.
Superadobe is a construction method used to create a unique ecological form of building that uses onsite earth for 90 percent of its construction material, eliminating the pollution associated with standard building materials. The technique produces visually beautiful, cost effective, and zero carbon footprint structures through its passive heating and cooling systems in harmony with both the best of age old architectural wisdom and today's greenest technology.
The dome will be the home of Uncommon Good, from which it will carry on its charitable activities, and also will function as an environmental education center for the public.
If you're looking for an appropriate Earth Day gift, consider Claremonter Mark Bedol's water-powered alarm clock. It was featured this week on Live with Regis and Kelly.
Tickets are still available for the 3rd annual 5 Second Film Festival to take place tomorrow night at the Laemmle Theater in Village West.
According to their website, the festival honors and celebrates the short format as a creative entity in its own right. Films range in length from 5 seconds to 15 minutes. The festival begins at 7 p.m.
The Claremont Police Department will hold a sobriety checkpoint this Friday at an undisclosed location in the city. The checkpoint will started at 6 p.m. and run until 2 a.m.
Drivers will be stopped long enough to ensure they are not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. They will also be checked for safety belts and valid driver licenses. Funding for the checkpoint was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Got a tasty dessert recipe that everyone raves about? Sign up for the Candlelight Pavilion's dessert contest and see how it stacks up to the competition.
The event will promote the Pavilion's upcoming show, Church Basement Ladies, a musical comedy about 4 women who run a church kitchen in Minnesota.
The winning recipe will be featured on the Candlelight Pavilion's menu while the show is running from May 20 to June 19. The top dessert will also be in the Pavilion's new recipe book. The winner gets 4 complementary tickets to opening night of the show.
Time is running out as the contest takes place on Wednesday night beginning at 7 p.m. There are already nearly 30 entries.
For more information, contact the Candlelight Pavilion's box office at (909) 626-1254.
For those who enjoy a good burger and a cold craft beer, Eureka! Burger is a must try. The restaurant officially opened to the public last week and has been packed ever since.
I stopped in for lunch the other day and ordered the Pearl Street Blues burger ($9.95). Topped with grilled onions, shallots and mushrooms and blue cheese crumbles, the burger was juicy and flavorful. It comes with a side of fries and the chipotle ketchup gives it just the right amount of kick.
The soft menu will soon expand to include items like homemade potato chips with a white cheddar dipping sauce, fries tossed in truffle oil with some melted Havarti cheese and a wider variety of main dishes.
All their menu items are around $10 or less.
The restaurant also has a full liquor license with a wide array of specialty drinks to tempt beer and whiskey connoisseurs.
Eureka! Burger is located in the Packing House. It took over the space vacated by The Forks.
A fire broke out at a residential property in the 1000 block of East Baseline Road early this morning. Although the residents were home at the time of the fire, nobody was injured.
The 911 call came in at about 5:19 a.m. Firefighters responded to the home and put out the fire in about 30 minutes. The blaze was ignited in the garage and quickly spread throughout the home. No word yet on the cause of the fire or extent of the damage.
The city council will discuss plans by the city to expand the parking lot for the Claremont Wilderness Park. The city secured a $150,000 grant from the Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District for the expansion project.
The expansion could include the installation of parking meters. According to a city staff report, there are over 310,000 park visitors each year. About 75 percent of park users are not residents of Claremont.
Also at the meeting, the council will consider amending the city's municipal code on city parks. Apparently, the police department does not have the authority to enforce park closure hours and residents in parks after hours can simply refuse to comply with police. The code amendment will change that. The council will also be asked to approved an amendment to allow dogs on leashes at Padua Park's walking trails.
The meeting takes place in the city council chambers on Tuesday night beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are now on sale for the second annual Blues and Brews event to be held on Friday, May 6. The event features live music and beer sampling throughout the Village. It will run from 5 to 9 p.m.
The event is sponsored by the Village Marketing Group, the Claremont Chamber of Commerce and Eureka Burgers.
More than 35 Village businesses will serve as food and beverage tasting sites, including several non-alcohol sites, during the evening of Blues and Brews.
Tickets are available for purchase at the Claremont Chamber of Commerce, Aromatique Skin and Body Care, Bert & Rocky’s Cream Co., Colors 91711, Isabella Dee, On A Mission, Rhino Records, Sonja Stump Photography, Stamp Your Heart Out, Tattle Tails and Three French Hens.
Tickets are $30 per person in advance and $35 the day of the event.
As the city news reporter of the Claremont COURIER newspaper and website, my priority is to keep residents up-to-date on the latest happenings around town. With almost 20 years of news experience, investigating the facts and sharing the story has become my passion and I hope to bring some insight into the issues, events and people that make Claremont such a unique place to live. I’m thrilled to be a part of the Claremont COURIER family and can’t wait to share the stories of this involved and well-informed community. Please feel free to email me with story ideas or comments any time at news@claremont-courier.com
