Opinion

When it comes to the word ‘leap,’ English has no shortage of expressions. We can leap for joy, grow by leaps and bounds, take a leap of faith or leap at an opportunity. This week, we take a different kind of leap altogether. Every four years, we tag on an extra day to the end […]

A fond farewell Dear Editor: My name is Martin Ramiro Gomez Lomeli. I am the last descendent of the Marcelino Gomez family left in Claremont. My grandparents, Marcelino and Marie Gomez, emigrated from Mexico to Claremont in 1929, settling in a small house on Blanchard Place. Their daughter Esperanza, my mother, was 12 at the […]

by Ludd A. Trozpek Imagine the Village if the Metro Gold Line people have their way: There will be a 30-foot-high train overpass at Indian Hill. This will be constructed on 30-foot concrete-walled berm abutments that will extend west to the townhouses and east to the Depot. Atop this edifice will be 20-foot steel towers […]

She asked, in so many words, how CMC could be more inclusive and more welcoming to students of different racial backgrounds, when the students there were basically trained to “go out and make money off of brown people.” Yep, something, as Eric Clapton sung, is happening. I was hearing the Clapton song in my head […]

The kindness of strangers Dear Editor: I experienced an act of kindness and love by a stranger on Valentine’s Day. On Valentine’s Day morning, I decided to go for a run. Just before I set out, I told a family member, “I better take my driver license because if something bad happens to me, I […]

The first people I loved were my mom and dad. I don’t remember this, but home movies and plenty of black-and-white pictures attest to the genuine devotion with which I toddled towards their open arms. And then my sister was born.  We are 19 months apart. Her presence ended my brief tenure as an only […]

12th Street water woes Dear Editor: We are delighted that the residents of Tulane Road will soon have their water leaks fixed. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for those of us who live on 12th Street. We are the homeowners at the corner of 12th Street and Oxford Avenue, whose ongoing water leak was […]

Oftentimes, when I’m thinking about something, or in a conversation or when something happens, a song title or lyric pops into my head. So, I am researching the history of Claremont Heritage for its 40th, and Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” pops into my consciousness:   “Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t […]

It came right on time. Like clockwork. Not only that, but the rain waited until we were ready. Or at least until it wasn’t too much of a damper. It didn’t come on New Year’s Day. The sky was left picture-perfect clear for the Rose Parade, just as it should be and everyone expects. And […]

Lex to the rescue Dear Editor: In my line of work, I regularly respond to collisions involving bicycles. They can be traumatic. On a recent solo bicycle collision (rider vs. pavement), the rider sustained significant facial injuries. Upon my arrival, Mellissa Martinez (Lex in the City) was providing support and basic first aid to the […]

Last year, continuing news of the Sony hack and the salacious Ashley Madison hack served as the background to a steady stream of online suggestions: “Life Hacks for Happiness,” “Success Hacks from Forbes,” “Hacks to Make You More Productive” and “Brain Hacks to Improve your Health.” The attempt to squeeze “hack” into just about every […]

Claremont’s history Dear Editor: I want to commend the COURIER for the column by John Neiuber, “The railways that made Claremont.” I found the article to be one of the best quick histories I have seen of the connection between our city and the railways that “opened up” this part of California. Might I suggest […]

“It takes a Village.” It really does. It not only took the Claremont Community Foundation, the Claremont Village Marketing Group, the Claremont Chamber of Commerce and Wheeler & Wheeler Architects, as well as RKA Consulting Group, MC Alyea Construction, Holliday Rock, STL Landscaping and Anglemyer Crane Rentals. It also took Joan Bunte, the Burgis Family […]

It seems people of southern California still have a love affair with snow. It’s always been this way. Growing up in Claremont, I remember people driving up Baldy Road to not only play in the cold white stuff but also to fill up truck beds with snow to take back down the mountain. Fast-forward to […]

Naming names again Dear Editor: I was surprised to read the Editor’s note in response to Sarah Barnes’ letter concerning the possibility of allowing some folks to remain anonymous in your reporting. You stated the need to be “steadfast on our policies or the exceptions become the norm” and the need to “treat everyone the […]

I attended Wednesday’s inaugural meeting of Mayor Corey Calaycay’s police facility ad hoc committee, conceived to resurrect some plan for an improvement to the police station from the ashes of Measure PS. It seemed to me that the committee is going to have to wrest control of this project from city staff to be at […]