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Tickets are $15-$30 for Claremont Heritage’s “Navidad en la Plaza: Remembering the Mexican Players of Padua Hills Theatre,” from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday, December 11 at Padua Hills Theatre, 4467 Padua Ave., Claremont.
“It’s been incredibly gratifying to see the outpouring of generosity and support from our readers. Since my last column four weeks ago, in which I offered an honest look at our financial picture, we’ve received a steady stream of donations, pushing us past $87,000 toward our $100K Challenge match goal. We are so close!”
The City of Claremont and American Legion Keith Powell Post 78’s annual Veterans Day ceremony starts at 11 a.m. at Memorial Park, 840 N. Indian Hill Blvd. The keynote speaker is Captain Manuel Alvarado.
In 1890 the Rev. C.G. Baldwin was elected as the first president of the college. With his arrival the young institution took on new life. “Claremont the beautiful” woke from its boom-induced coma to become a college community. The Hotel Claremont became Claremont Hall when Pomona College moved in during the winter of 1888-89. Photo/courtesy of Claremont Heritage
“My kids and I have taken this ride on the A Line many times. It’s always a fun day. We spent a couple hours showing grandson Vincent some of the cool Japanese shops then had another great lunch at 53-year LA institution Oomasa, where he destroyed an entire plate of rainbow roll, some salmon sushi, and a bowl of rice. By then the sun, the walking, and the metric ton of food had done a number on the 10-year-old. It was time to go.” Photo/by Lu Rhodes
Congratulations to Gretchen Alspach, one of seven readers who correctly identified last week’s fabulous “Where am I?” as the historic 1903 A.J. Milne residence on Bonita Avenue in La Verne, which for Halloween was decorated with a shiver of massive great white sharks from the fictional New England town of Amity Island, home to everybody’s favorite man-eating predator, “Jaws.” Gretchen is now entered into the year-end drawing for a one-year subscription to everyone’s favorite award-winning local newspaper, the Claremont Courier. So, “Where am I” this week? Email your answer, full name, and city of residence — and suggestions for future mystery photos — to contest@claremont-courier.com for your chance to win. Courier Photo/by Ben Castro
“I didn’t go to the No Kings protest last month. Not because I didn’t care. Not because I didn’t agree with the protesters. It wasn’t because I’m not outraged by masked thugs and goons deputized as federal officers grabbing people who are of certain color, have accents, work at certain jobs — some of whom are citizens — and whisked away in unmarked vans to be detained and often deported. It wasn’t because I’m not alarmed by the dismantling of agencies to help the poor here and internationally and promote the rights of racial minorities and LGBTQ folks as well as cultural diversity.”
Friends and family of Diann Ring, the former mayor and City Council member who died in March 2024, gathered at the foot of Claremont Hills Wilderness Park October 27 for a plaque unveiling dedicated to her long-time goal of keeping the 2,600-acre park free from development. Son Robert H. Ring said the ceremony was a special moment for his family and the many people who have grown up near the park. “These hillsides are sacred to us,” he said. “There couldn’t be a more valuable investment a community can make, and it takes leaders like my mom and the many others involved to make that a reality. So, I’m proud of her, I’m proud of Claremont. It’s just a wonderful day.” Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo
On October 17 SCIL Executive Director Larry Grable received some bad news: Edison was terminating its funding for a program that supplied people in disaster prone areas with high wattage portable batteries. “They told us that because of the [California Public Utilities Commission’s] findings that they were not allowed to have our program because it was the same as what 211 was doing for them, plus their own battery program,” Grable said. “They think that we were ‘duplicative.’” Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo
California voters passed Proposition 50 resoundingly on Tuesday, voting 5,291,908 to 2,989,022 according to the latest numbers available from the Associated Press. The success of The Election Rigging Response Act means Norma Torres is Claremont’s new Representative on Congress, as the city moves from Judy Chu’s 28th Congressional District to Torres’ 35th. Photo/courtesy of Norma Torres
“‘Supporting our veterans’ has become too symbolic — a slogan rather than a promise lived through policy or compassion. Whether someone served one weekend a month or devoted decades to this country, each wrote a blank check payable to the United States. Really think about that.” Courier file photo
(L-R) Harvey Mudd College president Harriet B. Nembhard and Claremont Graduate University interim president Michelle Bligh embrace October 29 after CGU was honored for its century of contributions to Claremont. Courier photo/Peter Weinberger
A nearly 95% full waxing gibbous moon glows over Claremont along Padua Avenue on November 3, 2025. Just two days later — at 5:19 a.m. PST on November 5 — it will reach its peak as the full Beaver Moon, the last full moon before winter’s chill sets in. Weather will remain clear and cool with highs in the low 70s. A slight warmup is due for the weekend. Courier photo/Peter Weinberger
Tom Pathe’s “Happy Hour” will be on view at Whiskey Loves Basil, 111 Harvard Ave., during Saturday’s 6-9 p.m. Claremont Art Walk. Photo/courtesy of Claremont Art Walk
“Travel is indeed the cure for a closed mind, and a great way to clear the decks of the anxieties that accompany being engaged with the chaos of America. But it’s also expensive. So, this year we decided to dial it back a bit and wander around the great and beautiful state of California.”
“My mom once bought a satin robe at her favorite thrift store. A month later, she donated it. She could not divest the robe of its depressing vibes even though she washed it several times. Apparently water, detergent, and the washer’s agitation do not dispel strong emotions that can become trapped, haunting the material and threads that hold garments together.” Courier file photo