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The new year is almost here. Soon you’ll be inundated with emails and advertisements urging you to move up in the world: pursue a bigger paycheck, elevate your health, manifest your dreams.

by Pamala Nagler | Special to the Courier 1. Freeze Wild Ice Cream. California Botanic Garden and Bert & Rocky’s Cream Company teamed up this summer to feature artisan ice […]

Claremont resident Samantha Bosco and other athletes from the United States’ Paralympics cycling team brought home numerous medals from last month’s 2023 Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile. The annual games are an international, multi-sport event for athletes with physical disabilities and are usually held a month after the Pan American Games. Photo/courtesy of U.S. Paralympic Committee

Claremont Courier event calendar: December 29, 2023 – January 6, 2024

On Tuesday, students and staff from Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Rose Float committees hitched their labor of love to the back of a semitruck: their 75th Rose Parade float, which will cruise down Pasadena streets come January 1, 2024. The float, “Shock and Roll, Powering the Musical Current,” features animatronic undersea life such as eels, a manta ray, and a clam surrounded by guitars and piano keys. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo

Two colorful rainbows quickly appeared out the sky in north Claremont during a light rain at sunset on Friday, December 22. For about 20 minutes they grew in intensity until the sun finally set, disappearing into the darkness. Courier video/Peter Weinberger

“Part of my meandering, yearslong mental health journey has included accepting that I am right where I am supposed to be. I am striving to be “present.” I’ve gotten a little better at this, but still have a ways to go. So this year I’m going to enjoy what we have, which is perfect. We’ve been pulled apart by forces internal and external, separated by geography and divorce. Our numbers are small, to be sure, and that’s okay. No matter what Christmas holds, it’s exactly what’s supposed to happen.”

Several current and former Claremont City Council members gathered Sunday at Council member Corey Calaycay’s home for a group photo. Read more for additional information and photos. Courier photo/Peter Weinberger

Bob Fass was installed board president at the final 2023 Claremont Unified School District Board of Education meeting on December 14. Fass, who represents CUSD’s Trustee Area 5, replaces outgoing Board President Kathy Archer, and will serve a one-year term. Archer will continue to serve as Trustee Area 2 representative. Trustee Area 1 representative Kathryn Dunn also changed jobs, moving from clerk to vice president, while Trustee Area 3 representative Richard O’Neill took over as clerk. Dr. Alex McDonald will continue in his current role as Trustee Area 4 representative. Photo/courtesy of CUSD

Claremont police were led on a multiple city pursuit on December 15 by a man who fled capture in his vehicle after allegedly attempting to force his way into a home. Arriving officers said the suspect, Ryan Screnar, 37, of Upland, was sitting in his vehicle in front of the residence he had earlier been trying to enter. Officers then attempted to coax Screnar out of his SUV, but he refused, leading to a standoff. Police say Screnar attempted to leave by driving his vehicle directly toward officers and ramming multiple police cruisers. Later, when attempts to get Screnar out of his car through negotiations failed, a tactical team deployed tear gas into the SUV and Screnar surrendered.

‘Tis the season to think that everyone else is happier than you, having more fun with less stress while eating less sugar, and gaining fewer extra pounds. Add another layer of not connecting with the family generations older or younger than you, and you have a perfect recipe for the holiday blues. Still, I recently came across an antidote that works exceptionally well on this last problem of intergenerational communication. So, if you don’t know your grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, and cousins, heck, if you don’t know your kids or your parents as well as you would like, read on. 

The line of cars along the north side of Foothill Boulevard in Pomona starts forming early every Friday morning. The food bank at Pomona’s Newlife Church has been operating since 2009, a pet project of Zamar Alkiezar, one of the church’s pastors, along with his wife Anna. “I was homeless and living across the street,” volunteer Arthur Munoz said as he took a brief break from hefting large boxes of donated food into waiting cars. “This church saved me.” Courier photo/Steven Felschundneff

Claremont Courier event calendar: December 22 – 30, 2023

Though vibrant fall colors are in full swing at June Vail Park, rain is in the forecast through Friday. Partial clouds should prevail Saturday, followed by sunshine Sunday. High temperatures will remain seasonal for the next 10 days, mostly in the low 60s. Courier photo/Peter Weinberger

According to a 2021 study by the University of Birmingham, England, “Mature oak trees will increase their rate of photosynthesis by up to a third in response to the raised CO2 levels expected in 2050.”

Pomona-Pitzer’s men’s cross-country team continued its winning ways this fall, taking home three major titles, including its third straight Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship, its sixth consecutive National Collegiate Athletic Association West Region Championship, and the 2023 NCAA Division III men’s cross country national championship. Photo/courtesy of Pomona-Pitzer athletics