Opinion

by Karen Sapio, Pastor, Claremont Presbyterian Church   In 2018 Cigna, one of the country’s largest health insurance companies, conducted a study that revealed a growing epidemic threatening the health of the American people. This epidemic is related to high risk for heart disease, diabetes and obesity. It is correlated to increased rates of opioid […]

Front page news Dear Editor: It is very rare that I have an issue with anything I see or read in the COURIER, but today I must express my thoughts regarding the placement of a remarkable story in last week’s edition. Having been a subscriber for more than a decade, and one who enthusiastically reads […]

by Mellissa Martinez   When two languages share a word that is similar in sound and meaning, it’s likely that those languages are either related, or, at some point in history, they intermingled so that one language borrowed from the other. There is one word, however, shared by hundreds of unrelated languages that did not derive […]

Homeless services in Claremont Dear Editor: Thank you, Connor Gaskin, for writing last week to inquire about what Claremont is doing to combat and prevent homelessness. I am writing to tell you about several new developments in this field. Last year, Claremont applied for Measure H funding, in conjunction with Pomona and La Verne, and […]

by John Neiuber May is Preservation Month. The California Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) has invited all California communities and preservation enthusiasts to make the month of May an opportunity for discovering/re-discovering, honoring and sharing the unique heritage of the local region and city. Each year Claremont Heritage selects a theme that guides activities and […]

Disappointing development Dear Editor: Last week, I attended the architectural commission meeting in which our city was being asked to extend, for a fifth time, a plan approved 12 years ago to build an additional 96 high-density townhomes in the northwest parking areas at Foothill and Indian Hill. I was appalled to watch how our […]

The word “downsizing” has never appealed to me. I suppose it was from my many years of working in the corporate world and watching my dear friend and human resources director give pink slips to hundreds of people as our company “downsized.”  Whenever I think of downsizing, I think of loss, people losing their jobs, […]

I moved to Claremont in 1964. Even having lived elsewhere during the passing years, I still consider this city my home. Living here for so many years has given me a chance to watch Claremont expand in size, crawl up into the hills and eliminate many of the groves and open areas that surrounded our […]

Police station costs plummet Dear Editor: Now it appears to be absolutely clear that Claremont voters were right to reject the $50,000,000 Measure PS and its sequel, last year’s $24,000,000 Measure SC. These earlier police station funding measures were so far out of the bounds of reality in so many ways. In fact, we now […]

I thought I’d seen everything after 43 years in the newspaper business. But this came as a total surprise. So much so, it still gives me goosebumps when thinking about it. No, the COURIER did not win the lottery, although this feels a lot like it. About a week ago I received a letter—typed using […]

Talk about grief Dear Editor: My deepest condolences go to the friends and family of Victor Ojeda, the Claremont High School student who passed away last week. And to the parents of all other Claremont High School students, whether your child knew Victor or not, they will see the deep pain in their teachers’ faces, […]

by Reverend John Wolfersberger   Pope Francis reminds us in his Encyclical Laudato Si, the earth is our common home. All Earth’s inhabitants are brothers and sisters, an interconnected family, and this relationship extends to future generations. In the last half century, we have experienced amazing technological advance. But, along with this great advance, a […]

What makes a citizen? Dear Editor: On March 28, Joe Lyons, the former mayor of Claremont, advocated for ignoring any and all opinions regarding city matters from non-Claremont residents. In response, I have to say what I hope is on all our minds—that this is unacceptable. To put it plainly, no one wakes up and […]

By Peter Weinberger   When my son Matthew first asked if I wanted to go to Hollywood and sign up as a television extra (background actor), I was all ears. Even though acting has never been in my blood, my grandfather Henry Weinberger made a living as an assistant director for MGM decades ago. But […]

Thank you, Claremont Methodist Dear Editor: I just want to say thank you to the Claremont United Methodist Church. Thank you for spreading your message through the COURIER. Your advertisement entitled, “God does not discriminate,” is such an important message that not enough churches preach today. I have not been back inside a church since […]

by Jan Wheatcroft   My friend, Susanna, came to visit with me for two weeks. She is Swedish from Upsalla and has visited me many times before. We met on the Greek Island of Skyros in the early ’90s and I found her an interesting and compassionate woman.  I usually spend a few weeks with […]