San Gabriel Valley Tribune

High Gas Prices Spur Innovative Methods to Help Increase Mileage

MONTEBELLO - Ask a bunch of drivers filling up at any gas station how they're coping with weekly price spikes at the pump and you'll get an earful of anger. But a few also report trying to squeeze extra miles per gallon by making small adjustments in their usual driving habits - little things experts say can not only save you gas but could put a big dent in overall demand.

Fellow Named Fulbright Scholar

Tony Fellow, Arcadia resident and director of the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District, was recently selected as a Fulbright scholar for 2007. He will be a distinguished lecturer-chair at the University of Piemonte in Milan, Italy, and hold the Vercelli chair of Twentieth Century History of Communications.

Clark Picking Up Ious

LA CAADA FLINTRIDGE - Last week, retired Gen. Wesley Clark pledged to do his best to put Democrat Russ Warner into office in November. Come 2008, Clark may be asking Warner, a businessman from Rancho Cucamonga, to return the favor.

School Officials Urge Students to Attend Class

It will be business as usual Monday at area schools. School officials will be on alert for students walking out or boycotting class, but they aren't sure what, if anything, will happen.

Play Delves Into Immigration Issue

MONROVIA - A one-man, 14-character play is helping teenagers throughout the San Gabriel Valley understand the complexities of immigration, the nation's hottest of hot-button issues. Encompass, a nonprofit based in Monrovia, created a touring theater program that offers three plays, one of which is entitled "Wheels." It's a 40-minute performance in which 25-year-old Bernardo Badillo of Anaheim plays Oscar, 15, a teenager in the process of getting his driver license.

Street Closures Planned for L.A.

LOS ANGELES - Stretches of several major streets will be closed Monday because of immigrant rights demonstrations, the Department of Transportation announced. To accommodate Monday's first march, from Broadway and Olympic Boulevard to City Hall, Broadway will be closed from Temple Street to 11th Street, effectively prohibiting east-west cross traffic.

Star Theatre: The End

LA PUENTE - The Star Theatre, which since 1947 has screened everything from Spanish-subtitled family films to triple X adult films, has closed. After two years of conceiving plans to revitalize its business areas, La Puente's Redevelopment Agency finally got its wish.

[ After Years of Coming in Second Best, the El Monte Police Department has Finally Come Home a Winner. ]

After years of coming in second best, the El Monte Police Department has finally come home a winner. The department was awarded the 2006 James Q. Wilson Award for Excellence in Community Policing last week, city officials said.

Mahony Urges Limited Boycott

LOS ANGELES - Cardinal Roger Mahony on Sunday said it would be more productive if people went to work and school today and then participated in the national boycott to support immigrants' rights. A vocal advocate on behalf of immigrants' rights, Mahony said participation in the pro-immigrant boycott was a personal choice, but that he thought people should go to school and work.

Around the Valley

DIAMOND BAR - Nearly $22,000 in merchandise was stolen from a jewelry store Saturday in a robbery that involved as many as 15 people, authorities said. The crime took place at about 2 p.m., when the suspects came into Milan Jewelers, 23353 Golden Springs Drive in Diamond Bar in small groups, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Wilton of the Walnut/Diamond Bar station.

Medical Marijuana Fight Leaves Bitter Taste

In January, Tony Perry of La Verne stood on the steps of Pomona Superior Court with a big smile on his face, chatting on his cell phone with a friend about beating marijuana-cultivation charges. The Los Angeles County District Attorney dropped the charges because Perry used his marijuana under the care of a physician to treat his injured hand, back injuries and asthma.

Workers Weigh Boycott Risks

To boycott or not to boycott? That is the question Ofelia Mata of Baldwin Park carefully thought through.

Cannabis Co-Ops On Guard

The plainly labeled door on the second floor of a Studio City office gives no indication of the marijuana being sold inside. Valley Collective Care keeps the deadbolt locked. Inside sits an armed security guard; another watches over the stock. There is a surveillance TV in the lobby.

Ex-Chief of Child Agency Sues

WEST COVINA - The former director of Refugio Para Ni os is suing the now-closed Latino foster children's agency for $600,000, claiming he was fired without cause. Joseph Steinberg resigned in 2005 from the troubled agency after an audit by the county auditor/controller found the agency had misspent $800,000.

Asians Alter Local Malls

ROWLAND HEIGHTS - Convenience and plenty of parking draw customers to Pacific Plaza, which offers vegetarian food, red bean desserts, and acupressure under one roof - a roof that looks like it belongs atop a French chateau. It's one of several shopping centers that have cropped up during the last 15 years as part of the fast-changing, eclectic architectural face of this unincorporated community of 45,000 people.

Robberies Put Eateries On High Alert

PASADENA - Street traffic was light along South Arroyo Parkway on a recent evening, but police officers and local restaurant employees were on high alert. A serial robber has terrorized diners and staff in eateries along the strip four times in recent weeks. Privately hired security guards and police officials would not speak in detail about their response to the incidents. But they were visible about 10 p.m. Thursday night, as the restaurants bustled with customers.

Around the Valley

WALNUT - A woman who was walking along a horse trail fended off a suspected rapist and escaped uninjured Sunday afternoon, officials said. A 25-year-old Walnut resident was power-walking near Lemon Avenue and Creekside Drive when a man approached her and tried to take off her shorts while disrobing himself.

Swap Meet in Jeopardy

PICO RIVERA - Norteno music blares from a vendor booth selling compact discs for $4.99. Nearby, a young man playing the conga drums sells bird cages, ferns and pictures of the Virgin Mary. The Fiesta Swap Meet is a bustling spot, with about 600 vendors selling wares. Hundreds of shoppers browse through its stalls, looking for unique antiques, inexpensive flat-screen TVs or children's shoes.

Around Our Schools

Scott Wollam, principal of Cedargrove Elementary School in Charter Oak Unified School District, has been appointed as the new principal of Royal Oak Intermediate School effective July 1. Royal Oak Principal Barbara Aguilar will leave

'A' Team of Cheerleaders

LA PUENTE - After months of being dropped, bruised and scratched and the resultant loose teeth, black eyes and sprains, the 11 members of the Bassett High School Varsity Cheerleading Team can finally sit back and say their hard work has paid off. On April 22, the team competed in the stunt and cheer categories at the Sharp International cheerleading competition at the Sports Center in Las Vegas. The group won first place in their division and was named best overall high school cheerleading te...