Opinion

by Mellissa Martinez Last weekend I attended my 30-year high school reunion where dozens of almost-50-year-olds reconnected. Most of the small talk began with a polite “Hello! Remind me of your name.” Once names were revealed, the conversation typically jumped to a boisterous “Wow! It’s so good to see you.” The revelation of each name […]

What is free speech? Dear Editor: In regard to “CMC issues sanctions to Athenaeum student protestors,” by Marc Rod, published in the COURIER on July 21: First off, I compliment the mature response of CMC. This phenomenon of left-wing aggressiveness is not, however, restricted to Claremont. College campuses around the country, and in fact around […]

Death of the heritage groves Dear Editor: Although Claremont is proud to be called a “City of Trees,” we don’t have any ordinances that would protect them, and, indeed, only have two groups of trees identified as “heritage groves”—the elms on Indian Hill and the eucalyptus on College Avenue. The dead tree in last week’s […]

By Rev. Jennifer Strickland and Rev. Jacob Buchholz, Claremont United Church of Christ In the United Church of Christ, we have a designation for churches that have publically declared their full inclusion of the LGBTQ community that is known as being “Open and Affirming” (ONA). Usually congregations will gather together at a congregational meeting and […]

by Debbie Carini In the spring of 1966 I received my First Holy Communion, a Catholic rite that allowed me to dress somewhat like a bride in a white veil and dress. As a special treat for this momentous occasion, I was given a choice to go with my parents and sister to one of […]

Voter suppression Dear Editor: Voting brings us together as Americans—it is the one time we are all equal. But a new national task force, created to justify President Donald Trump’s false claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2016 elections, is laying the groundwork for dangerous voter suppression across the country. Don’t let a few […]

Indian Hill bridge Dear Editor: It seems there is even less ‘public’ in the Public Utilities Commission, than even we in Claremont had come to believe. Douglas Lyon Claremont   From the Turtle Guy Dear Editor: Owing to a mix up beyond my control and which I do not understand, I could not appear with […]

by Mellissa Martinez With the recent death of my dear friend, I have struggled to find even a moment of peace in my heart. This morning, as I carefully consider my emotions, I return to the one thing that has brought me solace in these difficult days—music. Music has graciously provided a magic bridge back […]

Publishers love to complain about Facebook. They make changes without telling anyone, their news feed has too many errors, customer service is non-existent or it takes away from smaller websites trying to earn a living publishing local news. Whatever it may be, Facebook takes a lot of hits from customers, many rightly so. But there’s […]

by Jan Wheatcroft We returned to Claremont after about a year in Arkansas. The summer heat killed everything and the winter cold finished the job. Jobs were scarce, outsiders were treated in an unfriendly manner, we were often covered in ticks, the rabbits froze and my sons hated being there. We raised pigs and goats […]

Dear Dr. Starr [The following letter was sent to Pomona College President G. Gabrielle Starr, with an edited version published here. —KD] Dear President Starr: You arrive at Pomona College at a propitious time. The college is about to construct a new art museum and, although it has legally prevailed against a neighborhood group supporting […]

Proper tree trimming keeps trees healthy Dear Editor: The city of Claremont is well known for our abundant trees and beautiful landscaping. The city places great importance on maintaining our urban forest, which has been recognized in our Arbor Day Foundation Tree City designation for 30 years. The city has two arborists that continually monitor […]

You hear assorted terms tossed around relating to the provenance of plants and animals, but what do they mean? “Native” means the organism evolved in the area where it is residing. But of course, some areas are bigger than others. Giant sequoia trees and Tule elk are native to California, but not to Claremont. Even […]

by Ron White, president of the La Verne California Stake, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Amid the tumult of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation designating April 30, 1863 as “a day of national humiliation, fasting and prayer.” The last paragraph of the proclamation states: “All this being done, […]

Solar schools [The following letter was sent to Claremont Unified School District Board President  David Nemer, with a copy forwarded to the COURIER for publication. —KD] Dear Editor: As a Claremont resident and CUSD parent, I read with dismay the June 9 article in the Claremont COURIER stating that the Claremont Unified School District has […]

by Mick Rhodes The first time I heard “Your grandson is so cute!” I was in the Village, at Wells Fargo with my newborn son. I was peeved. Couldn’t the teller see that my little toe-headed mini-me was mine? Nowadays? Meh. I take it as a supreme, albeit backhanded compliment that a man of a […]