Town Hall meeting on health care reform

Expect a lively debate tomorrow night in the Padua Room at the Hughes Center. A panel of local politicians will be debating national health care reform. Panel members include Russ Warner, democratic candidate for congress in the 26th district, Sally Stevens of the League of Women Voters, John Cobb of Progressive Christians Uniting, Sandy Hester of AARP, Mark Ramos of United Food and Commercial Workers and Gar Byrum, speaking for Health Care Co-ops.

Organizers say Congressman David Dreier, who opposes the reforms, was invited. I'm guessing he will be a no-show.

Although I would be interested in attending, I will also be a no-show for the meeting. The COURIER will have another reporter cover the debate.

I will be on vacation for the next 2 weeks. I'm flying today to Vienna and will be traveling around Austria to visit some friends and family. I may post a few photos or tidbits while I'm away but for Claremont news, you'll have to wait till I get back.

City Council back in action

Just an early reminder; the city council will end its summer break next week with a September 1 meeting. Council meetings are normally held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month but the city manager will be on vacation the week of September 8.

City Manager Jeff Parker mentioned to me that the Mansionization ordinance will be among the topics discussed next Tuesday evening. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m.

City council members and all commissioners will also be meeting tomorrow at city hall for a workshop entitled "Brown Act, Conflict of Interest and Parliamentary Procedure training." That meeting will begin at 5 p.m.

Music tonight at the Village Attic

For those looking for some live music tonight be sure to stop by the Village Attic, located on First Street in the Village. The small vintage clothing and hats shop has a large yard area, good for hosting gatherings and performances.

Tonight 2 local acts will perform, including Post Xposure, a cover band playing classic rock. Later in the evening Pitzer College grad Sebastian will be spinning his vinyl records. The event runs from 6 p.m. until about midnight at 211 W. First St.

Comedy at the Kitty

The Hip Kitty in the Packing House is known for great live music acts and steaming bowls of fondue. Now their latest attraction will be comedy acts once a month.

The Hip Kitty Comedy Cabaret Show on the first Sunday of the month begins September 6th at 7:30 p.m. According to their publicist, the shows will consist of established comedians that have been seen on Comedy Central, and most major television networks as well as some up and coming comedians. Sounds like a good time!

Hip Kitty Comedy Cabaret-First Sunday of Every Month
502 W. First St., Claremont, CA 91711
Starting Sunday Sept 6th 2009
7:30 pm- 9:30pm
Tickets $10.00 /$8.00 with Pre-Purchase at www.ComedyCasting.com

Bike Claremont

This morning outside of city hall, I ran into Larry Scheetz and Joan Presecan, 2 proud members of the Claremont Senior Bike Group. They'd just completed a ride around Puddingstone Lake in San Dimas.

The group has rides every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. You don't have to be a senior or a great cyclist to join them. You just need a bike!

For beginner riders looking to test the waters, some members of the group do a light ride every Tuesday around the Claremont Colleges.

For more information about the group and their adventures, visit their website here.

Sobriety checkpoint Saturday night

The Claremont Police Department will hold a sobriety checkpoint at an undisclosed location within the city on Saturday. The checkpoint will begin at 6 p.m. and conclude at 2 a.m. Drivers will be stopped long enough to ensure they are not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Officers will also check for valid driver licenses and ensure drivers are wearing seat belts.

Claremont on the Same Page

Steve Lopez will be in Claremont for a discussion on his book, The Soloist. The book was chosen by the Friends of the Claremont Library and similar groups in cities like Philadelphia and Cincinnati for the "On the Same Page" program.

Mr. Lopez will be speaking at Little Bridges on Sunday, October 4th from 2 to 4 .m. After the discussion, Mr. Lopez will be available to sign copies of his book and meet members of the audience.

Weekend activities

It should be a good night for a visit to the Claremont Village. It's the first Friday event, meaning plenty of music and free entrance to all Claremont museums. Be sure to stop by the Claremont Museum of Art for an up close look at the student art graffiti exhibition beginning at 5 p.m.

Tomorrow, there will be a concert at the Folk Music Center featuring Tom Doughty and Ernest Troost. Doors open at 7 p.m. and tickets cost $10.

Tom Doughty plays a unique style of acoustic lap guitar. He discovered how to return to music after a traffic accident in 1974 left him disabled. Tom has developed an absolutely new and unique technique for playing slide guitar with a sensitive touch full of feeling. His music is admired by many people including slide guitarists, Bob Brozman, Debashish Bhattachyra, and Kevin Brown.

Ernest Troost is an Emmy-winning and multi-Emmy-nominated composer for more than one hundred scores for films and television. In his latest album, All the Boats Are Gonna Rise, he returned to his musical roots by mixing the traditional country blues and ragtime influences of Blind Blake, Tampa Red and Mississippi Fred McDowell with the literate lyrics of contemporary songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson, and John Hiatt.

Paul Darrow

I was lucky enough to spend Wednesday with Paul Darrow at his home in Laguna Beach. Darrow has a dedicated following among COURIER readers for his popular cartoons. He's a real Claremont man, who studied, taught and raised a family here.

Despite his age (87), he's as sharp as ever and spends most of his days drawing and creating art. To read all about the man behind the cartoons, be sure to pick up a copy of the Saturday, August 8 issue.

Update: You can also find the article by clicking here.