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Victor Rios Jr., whose brother Diego died November 28, 2025 following a traffic stop by Claremont Department officers, speaks at a January 10 rally for transparency outside city hall. The city announced Tuesday it will release records regarding the death of Diego Rios by January 27. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo
A small aircraft crashed while taking off from Cable Airport Sunday morning, killing all three people on board. The aircraft, a single-engine Beechcraft P35, had just taken off about 6:30 a.m. with a full tank of fuel when it banked left for some reason and crashed into a hangar at the far southwest end of the runway, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department. Because of the fuel, the fire was intense. Courier photo/Peter Weinberger
C. Dean Freudenberger died quietly on July 2 at age 93 with family present at home, Pilgrim Place.
Dean was born in Los Angeles on March 9, 1930 to Carl and Minerva Freudenberger. He attended LA schools, graduating from Dorsey High School in 1948. Though he entered Occidental College that fall, “history of civilization” was not for him, and he transferred to then all men’s Cal Poly, San Louis Obispo, where he majored in landscape design and crops, graduating in 1953.
Alex McDonald appears to have won election to the Claremont Unified School District’s Board of Education. Results from Los Angeles County as of 9:29 p.m. show McDonald well ahead of Aaron Peterson, 1,170 to 512, with 1,717 votes counted. There are 4,834 remaining eligible voters in Trustee Area 4, but if the trend holds, McDonald will win easily. Courier photo/Steven Felschundneff
Claremont resident and former mayor Joe Lyons died Thursday, December 8, 2022 at the age of 77. A celebration of life service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, July 22 at La Verne Church of the Brethren, 2425 E St., La Verne, CA 91750. It will be recorded and livestreamed on YouTube at youtube.com/live/5h0zxaNNALI?feature=share.
When Sonja Stump Photography closed its doors last year at 135 W. First St., many wondered what would take its place in the historic building it had occupied for 23 years. We need wonder no longer: wine tasting room and restaurant Grafted Cellars Winery is set to open soon at the Village location.
Pomona College’s Sontag Greek Theatre was illuminated Thursday night for Ophelia’s Jump’s Midsummer Shakespeare Festival. “Measure for Measure” runs through July 23. Curtain is at 8 p.m., with pre-show entertainment starting at 7. More photos as OJP is honored for 10 years of live performances. Courier photo/Peter Weinberger
Ballots are due Tuesday, July 25 in the special election for the Trustee Area 4 seat on Claremont Unified School District’s Board of Education.
This early morning view from Claremont’s California Botanic Garden was taken last week. Temperatures have been in the 90s for the past week and are expected to break 100 this weekend.
“Iron Horse Road: a Tale from Gold Mountain” is the story behind the construction of the transcontinental connecting railroad. Built by some 20,000 Chinese and other East Asian immigrants from 1863 to 1869 and stretching 690 miles from Sacramento through Promontory Summit in Utah, the project claimed the lives of more than 3,000 workers.
“To borrow a line from the great Ron Sexsmith, music is a “forever endeavour.” It’s something you “practice” throughout your life. There’s no “arrival,” at least for me. It’s a constantly fascinating, maddening, exhilarating, frustrating, and never-ending journey.”
With temperatures approaching triple digits this weekend, the City of Claremont is opening several cooling centers to offer air conditioned oases to those in need.
Joslyn Center, 660 N. Mountain Ave., will be open Friday, July 14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Blaisdell Community Center, at 440 S College Ave., will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, July 14.
The Alexander Hughes Community Center, 1700 Danbury Rd., opens at 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday, July 14-15, and 10 a.m. Sunday, July 16. The Claremont Helen Renwick Library, 208 N. Harvard Ave., is open Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
It’s fitting in a way that it took nearly eight hours to get the job done, but early Wednesday morning the Claremont City Council finally approved an update to the city’s housing element, ending a 20-month saga to bring the city back into compliance with state law.
Ophelia’s Jump Productions annual Midsummer Shakespeare Festival kicked off July 13 at Pomona College’s Sontag Greek Theater, with “Measure for Measure” running through July 23. Ophelia’s Jump founding artistic director Beatrice Casagran helps secure set walls after they were toppled by a windstorm during load-in. Courier photo/Peter Weinberger
Early Wednesday morning the Claremont City Council approved the long overdue housing element, ending a monthslong effort to update this important part of the city’s general plan.
Claremont High School cross-country athletes raised $3,175 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training at the team’s annual 24-hour relay on July 7 and 8. More info is at tinyurl.com/cxcp24hourrelay2023.
Last July 8, on the occasion of being named the Courier’s seventh editor in its then 114-year history, I wrote, “I will stumble. I will make mistakes. I will likely make you angry once in a while. Again, that’s life, and that’s journalism. I know I don’t have to tell our readers that letters to the editor are always welcome here at the Courier.” Well, y’all have certainly responded with gusto. I’m thankful our Readers’ Comments section continues to offer a vibrant public forum. And I’ve certainly made mistakes.