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Sumner Danbury Elementary School students and staff, CUSD representatives, and U.S. Congresswoman Norma Torres christened the school’s newest resource, the Kindness Den, on May 8. “It is a place where [students] can get what they need, when they need it, without questions asked,” said Sumner Danbury sixth grade teacher Jennifer Ballesteros, who, along with students from San Antonio High School, created the project. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo
For the second consecutive year housing tops the list of the Courier’s biggest news stories, with a focus on making it more affordable. The city finally approved its long overdue update to the housing element, a document that clearly illustrates how the city will fulfill the state’s demand that Claremont plan for 1,711 new homes, including 1,163 affordable units. Courier photo/Steven Felschundneff
From highlighting history to welcoming new businesses to the Village, the Courier published a wide and informative array of feature stories in 2023 … At Claremont High, Mohammad Mangrio assumed full creative control of the theater program, which he took over from 27-year director Krista Elhai in 2021 … August saw Claremont Little League’s 11-and-under All-Star team win the Southern California 9-11-year-old Little League Baseball Tournament title, the city’s first state championship since CLL’s 1959 inception … In October, Webb student and former Courier intern Jenny Wang, 17, published her first book, “Universal Faith: Conversations with 15 Religious Leaders in Southern California” … Oh, and it snowed in Claremont. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo
Lately I’ve endeavored to produce a gratitude. My hope is writing it all down will serve as a kind of psychic reset, that recalling my blessings will propel me into the new year with gratitude despite much suffering here and elsewhere. So, in the optimistic spirit of the holidays, here is this year’s (partial) list.
I’m profoundly grateful for my family, my children, my wife, my relations, and friends. I include friends because as I careen into my golden years, I’ve found they’ve become as important as those to which I’m bound by blood. I’m lucky to have the best person in the world as my wife (fight me!). Over the past 10-plus years she’s walked with me through trauma, loss, depression, and somehow stuck around and dealt with a less than ideal version of me while I navigated my way through the morass. Things are different now. They’re better. I’ve learned to live with uncertainty and accept that there are things I can and cannot control. Now it seems she has entered her own season of loss and uncertainty, and it’s time for me to walk with her. I’m thankful to have had the best teacher, and grateful for the opportunity to reciprocate.
The Courier has a lot to be thankful for and 2023 proved that time and again. It also gave us building blocks on which to reflect so that we continue to evolve and better serve our readers and donors in 2024. The Courier had a healthy increase in nonprofit revenue in 2023, primarily due to sales of our new coffee table book of photography, “Timeless Claremont.” Based on the feedback we received after delivering the first copies of “Timeless Claremont,” the Courier hit a home run. The enthusiasm and heartfelt comments have been phenomenal. The book will also be used to help market other Courier products in 2024. Stay tuned!
From forgettable seasons, league titles, new records and athletes getting special recognition from the Courier, here’s a look back at our high school sports coverage from 2023. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo
The new year is almost here. Soon you’ll be inundated with emails and advertisements urging you to move up in the world: pursue a bigger paycheck, elevate your health, manifest your dreams.
by Pamala Nagler | Special to the Courier 1. Freeze Wild Ice Cream. California Botanic Garden and Bert & Rocky’s Cream Company teamed up this summer to feature artisan ice cream from endemic garden ingredients. 2. Vince Skelly at Claremont Lewis Museum of Art. Artist Skelly took to his chainsaw to fashion oxymoronic clunky/elegant […]
Claremont resident Samantha Bosco and other athletes from the United States’ Paralympics cycling team brought home numerous medals from last month’s 2023 Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile. The annual games are an international, multi-sport event for athletes with physical disabilities and are usually held a month after the Pan American Games. Photo/courtesy of U.S. Paralympic Committee
Claremont Courier event calendar: December 29, 2023 – January 6, 2024
On Tuesday, students and staff from Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Rose Float committees hitched their labor of love to the back of a semitruck: their 75th Rose Parade float, which will cruise down Pasadena streets come January 1, 2024. The float, “Shock and Roll, Powering the Musical Current,” features animatronic undersea life such as eels, a manta ray, and a clam surrounded by guitars and piano keys. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo
Two colorful rainbows quickly appeared out the sky in north Claremont during a light rain at sunset on Friday, December 22. For about 20 minutes they grew in intensity until the sun finally set, disappearing into the darkness. Courier video/Peter Weinberger
“Part of my meandering, yearslong mental health journey has included accepting that I am right where I am supposed to be. I am striving to be “present.” I’ve gotten a little better at this, but still have a ways to go. So this year I’m going to enjoy what we have, which is perfect. We’ve been pulled apart by forces internal and external, separated by geography and divorce. Our numbers are small, to be sure, and that’s okay. No matter what Christmas holds, it’s exactly what’s supposed to happen.”
Several current and former Claremont City Council members gathered Sunday at Council member Corey Calaycay’s home for a group photo. Read more for additional information and photos. Courier photo/Peter Weinberger
Bob Fass was installed board president at the final 2023 Claremont Unified School District Board of Education meeting on December 14. Fass, who represents CUSD’s Trustee Area 5, replaces outgoing Board President Kathy Archer, and will serve a one-year term. Archer will continue to serve as Trustee Area 2 representative. Trustee Area 1 representative Kathryn Dunn also changed jobs, moving from clerk to vice president, while Trustee Area 3 representative Richard O’Neill took over as clerk. Dr. Alex McDonald will continue in his current role as Trustee Area 4 representative. Photo/courtesy of CUSD
Claremont police were led on a multiple city pursuit on December 15 by a man who fled capture in his vehicle after allegedly attempting to force his way into a home. Arriving officers said the suspect, Ryan Screnar, 37, of Upland, was sitting in his vehicle in front of the residence he had earlier been trying to enter. Officers then attempted to coax Screnar out of his SUV, but he refused, leading to a standoff. Police say Screnar attempted to leave by driving his vehicle directly toward officers and ramming multiple police cruisers. Later, when attempts to get Screnar out of his car through negotiations failed, a tactical team deployed tear gas into the SUV and Screnar surrendered.
‘Tis the season to think that everyone else is happier than you, having more fun with less stress while eating less sugar, and gaining fewer extra pounds. Add another layer of not connecting with the family generations older or younger than you, and you have a perfect recipe for the holiday blues. Still, I recently came across an antidote that works exceptionally well on this last problem of intergenerational communication. So, if you don’t know your grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, and cousins, heck, if you don’t know your kids or your parents as well as you would like, read on.
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