Opinion
“I never saw a bear in the nearly three years I lived in Tahoe. They seemed to want nothing to do with humans back then. They were certainly around; we reported on sightings and reminded folks to keep their exterior trash bins locked up, especially during fall when our ursine friends were bulking up for their winter nap. But while their potential for mayhem was certainly respected and well established, aside from a few knocked over trash cans or the occasional midday stroll across State Route 28 they were regarded as peaceful symbols of the nearby wilderness, almost loveable mascots. But that was 30 years ago. Tahoe has changed.”
“I want to be the guy in the ad strolling down a wintery city sidewalk, bundled up and smiling, with an armful of beautifully wrapped packages. But, I’m the sweaty guy in his pajamas hunched over his laptop in the wee hours illuminated by the sickly glow, overcompensating again for falling short on holiday cheer and gratitude, frantically filling my Amazon cart with kids’ gifts. I’m that guy.”
“The first time I saw Eddie Neville was at a party in Glendora in 1982. My punk band Human Therapy was playing, and he and his group, Red Brigade, walked in like they owned the place. From a faraway land called Ontario, they were dressed to the nines with spiked hair, engineer boots, torn jeans, leather jackets, and studded wristbands. I was in awe.”
By John Neiuber | Special to the Courier The Claremont Courier has been chronicling the culture of Claremont for going on 117 years, and I am fortunate to have been granted access to the newspaper’s archives. In 2022, when I was researching the 100th anniversary of the Claremont Chamber of Commerce for this column — […]
“The etymology of the moniker ‘deviled eggs’ has to do with 18th century Europeans’ laughably low bar for spicy food. Apparently mustard and pepper were exotic flavors back then, hence the ‘deviled’ bit. I’ve also learned some modern religious Southern Americans prefer not to conjure the antichrist during the holidays, and refer to them as ‘angel eggs’ as a safeguard. Never can be too careful I guess.”
“‘This hue and cry about, we can’t lose our movie theater, it kind of rings false,’ said Laemmle Theatres President and CEO Greg Laemmle. And who could argue? Claremont audiences still haven’t returned to the Claremont 5 at anywhere near pre-pandemic levels, no doubt due in part to the comparatively opulent AMC Dine-In Montclair Place 12 theater, which opened in 2021. ‘ … well, if that’s the case and the people in the community prefer to spend their money in Montclair to see movies, then … does Claremont need a movie theater?’ Ah, the $1.2 million question …”
Part II: the Wall Street empire strikes back By Donald Gould | Special to the Courier This is the second in a three-part series of reflections on changes in the investment industry in the 25 years since I started Gould Asset Management in Claremont. In part one of this series, I described how core investment […]
“When you’re young and work in a restaurant, your co-workers become family. There’s something about the physically demanding, high stress environment that brings people together. I had co-workers who were not so secretly in love with one another, others who were rivals, some were destined for greatness, others tragic ends.”
“How would Claremont get local fact-based information without the Courier? Our town would be a news desert. We provide a vital public service, all for the price of a large latte at Starbucks. Each contribution we receive, big or small, makes a difference. They all keep our little newspaper printing and posting, for you. Please consider being part of our 117-year mission to keep Claremont informed.”
“Many on the left will want to blame someone, but today I’m not feeling like there is anyone to blame. Kamala Harris couldn’t have made her position and her character any clearer. Neither could Donald Trump. There is much that both sides don’t want to see or understand about the other. The people have spoken; the Republicans won and now we have to figure out how to move forward, how to live with one another, how to find what’s good in one another, how to be the United States.”
by Russ Binder At nearly every City Council meeting, Claremont Tenants United urges the council to create a rental registry, which is typically a system maintained and administered by the city government intended to track rental properties and their landlords. Goals include ensuring compliance with housing regulations and protecting tenants’ rights. Landlords would be required to […]
“There’s no getting the genie back in the bottle. John McCain is dead. Add our brutal, broken politics to the long list of shameful remnants our kids are going to have to deal with after we’ve joined him. I’d like to think there’s a better world out there in which the old white guys (like me) who run our two-party system call a timeout and reckon with their mess, but let’s face it, that ain’t happening.”
“It was like my dad had another, secret life. His field of study was a very high level of algebra, far above the algebra II that I struggled through in high school to get a grade adequate to get into the University of California. In this rarefied math world, my dad was something of a rock star. After his death, we received e-mails from mathematicians and former students from all over the world offering condolences and singing his praises.”
“Driving home on Lake Tahoe’s Highway 89 after one of those late nights at the office, I was struck by a sound emanating from my AM car radio. It’s impossible, I thought. Could it be? It was Vin Scully, that reassuring voice from home, calling a Dodgers game. I pulled over, thinking I must be hallucinating. I was 500 miles from LA. How could I be picking up a Dodgers broadcast?”
“Over a year has passed since Jan Wheatcroft last blessed us with her rambunctious way of living life. On Sunday, people who had not seen each other in years, even decades gathered to remember her. That was especially true for me, where keeping in touch is not a strength. But the distance really didn’t matter because we all had a strong connection: we knew Jan Wheatcroft.” Photo/by Genaro Molina
“I’ve come to realize these holidays are about more than exploring other countries and decompressing from our professional and familial obligations. What’s really happening is a sort of extreme relationship test. The good news is the marriage is still going strong, despite my sometimes adolescent chimp-like behavior and tendency to shift from jovial to sullen as my blood sugar levels drop.”