Opinion

12th Street water woes Dear Editor: We are delighted that the residents of Tulane Road will soon have their water leaks fixed. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for those of us who live on 12th Street. We are the homeowners at the corner of 12th Street and Oxford Avenue, whose ongoing water leak was […]

Oftentimes, when I’m thinking about something, or in a conversation or when something happens, a song title or lyric pops into my head. So, I am researching the history of Claremont Heritage for its 40th, and Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” pops into my consciousness:   “Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t […]

It came right on time. Like clockwork. Not only that, but the rain waited until we were ready. Or at least until it wasn’t too much of a damper. It didn’t come on New Year’s Day. The sky was left picture-perfect clear for the Rose Parade, just as it should be and everyone expects. And […]

Lex to the rescue Dear Editor: In my line of work, I regularly respond to collisions involving bicycles. They can be traumatic. On a recent solo bicycle collision (rider vs. pavement), the rider sustained significant facial injuries. Upon my arrival, Mellissa Martinez (Lex in the City) was providing support and basic first aid to the […]

Last year, continuing news of the Sony hack and the salacious Ashley Madison hack served as the background to a steady stream of online suggestions: “Life Hacks for Happiness,” “Success Hacks from Forbes,” “Hacks to Make You More Productive” and “Brain Hacks to Improve your Health.” The attempt to squeeze “hack” into just about every […]

Claremont’s history Dear Editor: I want to commend the COURIER for the column by John Neiuber, “The railways that made Claremont.” I found the article to be one of the best quick histories I have seen of the connection between our city and the railways that “opened up” this part of California. Might I suggest […]

“It takes a Village.” It really does. It not only took the Claremont Community Foundation, the Claremont Village Marketing Group, the Claremont Chamber of Commerce and Wheeler & Wheeler Architects, as well as RKA Consulting Group, MC Alyea Construction, Holliday Rock, STL Landscaping and Anglemyer Crane Rentals. It also took Joan Bunte, the Burgis Family […]

It seems people of southern California still have a love affair with snow. It’s always been this way. Growing up in Claremont, I remember people driving up Baldy Road to not only play in the cold white stuff but also to fill up truck beds with snow to take back down the mountain. Fast-forward to […]

Naming names again Dear Editor: I was surprised to read the Editor’s note in response to Sarah Barnes’ letter concerning the possibility of allowing some folks to remain anonymous in your reporting. You stated the need to be “steadfast on our policies or the exceptions become the norm” and the need to “treat everyone the […]

I attended Wednesday’s inaugural meeting of Mayor Corey Calaycay’s police facility ad hoc committee, conceived to resurrect some plan for an improvement to the police station from the ashes of Measure PS. It seemed to me that the committee is going to have to wrest control of this project from city staff to be at […]

  A costly awareness campaign Dear Editor: After Claremont residents overwhelmingly rejected Measure PS, supporters of the measure, including our city council, were claiming Measure PS a success! Really? Where else but in politics can victory be claimed at the hands of a 3-1 drubbing? We live in a time where up is down, black […]

by John Pixley RuPaul isn’t on the list. But Arianna Huffington and Desmond Tutu are on the list. So are Ken Kesey, Anderson Cooper, William F. Buckley, Bono and Spike Lee. Mitt Romney, Jonathan Frazen and Anita Hill are on the list, as are Oliver Sachs, Tony Kushner, Elie Wiesel and Karl Rove. Others on […]

By Peter Weinberger With so much negativity in the world in 2015, it’s easy to feel frustrated, afraid and even intimidated when listening to a constant barrage of bad news. Even our political process has served to exclude and alienate those who make our country great. Clearly, many Amercians are in a mood to build […]

Thanks for giving Dear Editor: As the year draws to a close and my six years on the board of directors concludes, I wanted to share the possibilities that exist through your support of your community foundation. During the past year, the Claremont Community Foundation and the California Community Foundation entered into an affiliation agreement […]

It was the fall of 1963 when I flew in to Tel Aviv, Israel from Lagos, Nigeria. I carried robes made of brightly-colored Dutch Wax-printed fabric covered in cheerful sayings such as, “Keep On” and “Be Happy,” as well as a selection of spears from villages I had visited.  My bags were filled with lovely […]

by John Pixley She said she had to buy more lights. Her family had gotten their Christmas tree, and it turned out that one of their strands of lights was not working. So she had to go out and buy a new string of lights to put on the tree. That’s what we always do. […]