The Daily Beast online ranked the top 25 “Amazing But Overlooked” colleges in the nation. Claremont McKenna College landed on their list of schools “You Haven’t Considered But Should.” The single greatest overlooked quality at CMC? A debtless degree.

Like Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, the Daily Beast notes, is CMC has a “penchant for helping in-need students.” CMC was the third “small” school—those with an endowment below $600 million—to make the no-loan pledge to students. According to their report, Princeton University initiated the trend in the late 1990s and currently about two-fifths of schools with billion-dollar-range endowments have followed suit, according to FinAid.

AN UNNECESSARY SWITCH-A-ROO

A recent city newsletter outlined a number of critical changes to be made to the local Fourth of July celebration. The report notes that “All references from Independence Day Celebration [shall now be] the 4th of July Celebration. Conversely, the committee name has been changed from the 4th of July Committee to the Independence Day Committee.”

AN EGREGIOUS CHARGE

A story out of Florida recently sparked sympathy for Darren Kersey, a 28-year-old homeless man. After hitting a rough patch financially, Mr. Kersey made a point of keeping a working cellphone, which he could charge from an outlet at a nearby public picnic shelter in Sarasota’s Gillespie Park. That is until he was jailed for theft of a public utility.

Of particular note is that for citizens wealthy enough to own electric cars, the city provides several free charging stations, including one at city hall.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

Councilmember Corey Calaycay, one of many city leaders who utilizes Facebook from time-to-time, recently cleared up some confusion for his constituents in a post.

“I need to dispel a rumor that I have heard several times now around the community. I do not own Corey Nursery. My friend, Gene Corey, is the owner of Corey Nursery. I do have to say that it is one of the better rumors about myself that I have heard around town, and, hopefully, it is having a positive impact on his sales.”

Corey Nursery is located at 1650 Monte Vista Ave. They can be reached by calling 621-6886.

WHAT YOU’RE SAYING ABOUT THE COURIER

“I love Lex in the City. And—oh dear—I’m at an age, or have been around long enough, to be grateful for the long, well-written obituaries. News of the city is very important. Thanks for the Haiku! Keep up the great work!”

“We look forward to the crime blotter and the features on local Claremont businesses. The calendar items are useful also.”

“Strong, interesting writing on ‘Mom and Pop’ stories and good quality obits. Features do the COURIER proud. Pics are much, much better than in the year just past. Classified columns invaluable. The Darrow cartoons are just filler—reduce in size and/or frequency—devote space to copy or pics.”

“The major thing to me is it’s a Claremont paper, about Claremont, its people, buildings, clubs, parks, etc. etc.! I do like what you are running now…Don’t forget the little shops on Foothill Boulevard. Don’t forget the little people who volunteer…One of the reasons that I personally like Claremont is the fantastic amount of unsung volunteers in this town. They don’t get the honors, but they are there, happily helping.”

“Most favorite: Almost everything. Least favorite: Legal notices.”

“Favorites: Obits, local economic news, Police Blotter, letters that are only 3 paragraphs long. Least favorite: Letters that are more than 3 paragraphs.”

“In recent years, the Police Blotter seems to be written by a frustrated comedian. Police reports are not supposed to be funny, cute or clever. This inappropriate style interferes with processing the content of these reports. Please tame the style of the Police Blotter. Everything else is just great. Thanks.”

“Congratulations on a great paper.”

“My concerns: 1. When I go online to check the newspaper, I seem to need to remember my password every time! 2. Since our mail is delivered late in the day (after 4 p.m.), I like to read it earlier and it is difficult to do so as I can’t easily access if on my computer.”

“I like the letters to the editor, Pixley and local reporting, especially regarding water and Rose Institute and pictures.”

“Would love more extensive analysis on the water issues. Let’s attack the water issue by some very gritty rate analysis and demonstrate how La Verne is managing their own water. We have a very well-heeled corporation that does not want to lose its cash cow.”

“I have been a resident of Claremont for 51 years and my parents gave me a gift subscription to the COURIER when I went off to college (loved it!). We consider the COURIER invaluable on local issues and a great service to the citizens of Claremont. Don’t like partisan politics—very interested in non-partisan analysis to benefit all citizens. This is the best use of the paper.”

Until next time,

Sammy

sammy@claremont-courier.com