Articles from the April 24, 2014 edition


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  • Middle School Student Escapes Abduction

    Apr 24, 2014

    Culver City Police are seeking a suspect in the attempted abduction of a female student at Culver City Middle School. On Tuesday at about 2:50 pm the girl was walking near Culver City Middle School on Farragut Dr. east of Overland Ave. A green Ford Taurus pulled up to her, and the driver asked the girl for her name. He then leaned over, opened the passenger side door, and told her to get into the vehicle. Fearing for her safety, the girl ran west toward Overland Ave., and then reported the...

  • Police Nab 2 In Culver Burglary

    Apr 24, 2014

    With LAPD helicopters overhead, Culver City Police swarmed the Lindberg Park area near after a resident reported an attempted burglary in the residential neighborhood on Monday afternoon. The call came in at 12:30 in the afternoon on the 10900 block of Fairbanks Ave. CCPD quickly established a perimeter blocking off Pickford Way, Fairbanks Way and Westwood Blvd. from Kinston Ave. to Cota Street. Police then conducted a search of the area. Two of the three suspects were located with one taken int...

  • Council Salutes Police Chief Pedersen

    Lynne Bronstein|Apr 24, 2014

    By Lynne Bronstein Observer Reporter A line of uniformed Culver City police officers stood at the left side of the Mike Balkman Council Chambers; another line filled the back of the auditorium. The chamber was also packed with community residents who had come to salute Police Chief Don Pedersen. At its April 21 meeting, the City Council gave a commendation to Pedersen, who is retiring after serving for eight years. Pedersen has accepted a newly created position as Inspector General with the...

  • Discussing Race With Neighbors in Culver City

    Apr 24, 2014

    On May 2 at 7 p.m., for the first time in the Culver City community, Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum and the Common Peace for the Advancement of Nonviolence will host RACE RELAY, a theatrical production using drama, music, and video to discuss the current state of race relations in America. This free event will demonstrate the potential of multi-media theater as a tool for positive group sharing. Weaving together personal recollections of racial incidents, and incorporating visual images,...

  • The Best $500 A Potential Seller Could Ever Spend

    Mike King, The Partners Trust Brokerage|Apr 24, 2014

    In the home selling process there are many situations that can cause the seller/s to "lose money." The most common one is the home inspection. So your home has been listed and marketed for sale, you receive offers on the property and after some back and forth, you sign a purchase agreement with the best buyer. Now the fun begins. The standard purchase agreement allows the buyer/s to have some time (usually 17 days) to fully inspect the home so they can make sure they know what their buying,...

  • Last Chance for Fiesta Vendors Early Bird Deal

    Apr 24, 2014

    If you have not yet applied to be a vendor for Fiesta La Ballona 2014, the Early Bird deadline for applications is April 30. If you are interested in participating as a vendor please complete the appropriate application form and return with your payment. Completed applications with payment that are postmarked on or before April 30th will be eligible for the early bird discount rate. Applications sent after April 30 must pay the regular fee. Food Vendor applications submitted after July 31 will...

  • Easter Seals Presents 'Senate Leadership Award' To Holly Mitchell

    Apr 24, 2014

    Easter Seals Disability Services has awarded State Senator Holly Mitchell, 26th District, the "Senate Leadership Award" for 2014 in honor of her successful work as an advocate for those with disabilities and special needs. "Senator Mitchell has been a fantastic friend to Easter Seals," said Dee Prescott, vice president Easter Seals Southern California adult day services. "The results she has achieved as a legislative leader have made a tremendous difference in the lives of thousands of Easter...

  • Culver Residents Named to Dean's List

    Apr 24, 2014

    The following local residents were among 1,594 students named to Biola University's fall 2013 Dean's List for academic excellence: Nataleigh Maia, resident of Culver City Taylor Rapinchuk, resident of Culver City Lauren Tang, resident of Culver City Biola students are placed on the Deans' List to honor those with a grade point average of 3.6 or higher while enrolled in twelve of more credit units and whose cumulative grade point average is at least a 3.2. This past fall, 25% of Biola students...

  • Sebastian Ridley-Thomas Salutes Culver Academy of Visual and Performing Arts

    Apr 24, 2014

    Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas has commended the students and faculty members of the Culver City High Academy of Visual and Performing Arts (AVPA) for their dedication, instruction, skill and execution in the fields of music, theater, visual art, film and dance during the 2013-2014 school year. Sebastian Ridley-Thomas said, "Art, music, dance and theater performance are essential components in any well-rounded education. We need more centers of artistic learning, expression and mastery f...

  • Dear Observer

    Letters|Apr 24, 2014

    Dear Observer, We have seen your article by Lynne Bronstein about the recent Foreign Relations of the United States volume (“Documents Reveal Howard Hughes' Role in CIA Sub Retrieval”) and would just like to point out that readers need not wait for the book version to be published to read its contents. The volume is also available on-line, for free, right now, in PDF form at: http://static.history.state.gov/frus/frus1969-76v35/pdf/frus1969-76v35.pdf. In due course the Office of the His...

  • Noah Named Top Defensive Player

    Apr 24, 2014

    Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah, the centerpiece of a defense which held opponents to a league-low 91.8 ppg, is the recipient of the 2013-14 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, the NBA announced. Noah becomes the first Bulls player since Michael Jordan in 1987-88 to earn the honor. Noah received 555 of a possible 1,125 points, including 100 first-place votes, from a panel of 125 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Indiana’s Roy Hibbert (166 points, eight first-place votes) and the Los Angeles C...

  • Phil Jackson Makes Move, Lakers Don't Yet

    Mitch Chortkoff|Apr 24, 2014

    By Mitch Chortkoff Sports Editor The Lakers said they had no position for Phil Jackson, so he joined the New York Knicks and made his first move this week, firing Coach Mike Woodson. The Knicks didn’t make the playoffs and needed a change in direction. As the new man in charge Jackson acted quickly. Had he been given the same position with the Lakers Mike D’Antoni would most likely have been fired by now. Instead, the Knicks are moving toward hiring someone with a background in the Triangle Off...

  • Jeff Muir Hits The Mark

    Neil Rubenstein|Apr 24, 2014

    By Neil Rubenstein Observer Columnist I honestly don’t know what’s so fascinating watching someone trying for hours to outrun the highway patrol and the helicopter. Nowadays police use the pit maneuver or the spike strip or just follow until the bad guy runs out of gas. Has anyone ever escaped? To stop this craziness the British have an invention which uses radio waves to scramble the bandito’s electronic controls. The criminal’s getaway car stops dead in about 55 yards. Can someone please...

  • Prieto Plots Strategy for Baseball Playoffs

    Fred Altieri|Apr 24, 2014

    By Fred Altieri Observer Reporter The Culver City High baseball team took a ride east out to La Habra High last Saturday, April 19, for a rare mid-season doubleheader. The Centaurs used a forced break into their season schedule as an opportunity to keep the team sharp for this week's Ocean League series against Hawthorne. La Habra proved to be a good test as the teams split the daytime twinbill. Culver took the opener 6-4 and had the lead going into the sixth inning of the second game only to...

  • Culver Volleyball Hosts Tournament, Gains Experience

    Fred Altieri|Apr 24, 2014

    By Fred Altieri Observer Reporter The Culver City High boys volleyball program hosted an all-day, Varsity Classic, nine-team invitational tournament on Saturday, April 19 on a glistening newly refurbished, hardwood floor in Del Goodyear Gymnasium. There’s newly painted lines complete with a large Centaur logo at center court. When all was settled in the late afternoon Palisades Charter ended up with the championship gold by squeezing out a one-set seesaw thriller against Arrowhead Christian, 2...

  • Griffin Can Take Over, But Will He?

    Mitch Chortkoff|Apr 24, 2014

    By Mitch Chortkoff Sports Editor I saw two versions of Blake Griffin in the opening games of the current playoff series between the Clippers and Golden State Warriors. In Game One I was wondering why Griffin was committing useless fouls, scrapping too hard for rebounds even as the whistle was blowing. Get away, I thought. You don’t need this. Being competitive is good but, man, use your head. Griffin has been a star from the day he joined the Clippers but he took a significant leap this s...

  • Here's How Clippers Can Win:

    Bosmat Eynav|Apr 24, 2014

    By Bosmat Eynav Observer Columnist Clippers and the Warriors - two young teams that long to make history and bring championship to their club and fans After decades at the bottom of the league and not being a real threat, this year a big change is happening. In the first game we saw how the high pressure to win was paralyzing a number of Clippers players, and prevented the team from flowing freely and playing as naturally and joyfully as they know and can. The desire of both teams to make the ch...

  • Lindberg Park, a Community of Preparedness

    Apr 24, 2014

    It has been proven that neighborhoods and communities that prepare together are more likely to recover and survive a disaster then those that don’t. In celebration of Earthquake Preparedness Month, here’s an example of one community that is doing just that, Lindberg Park. About four years ago residents of Lindberg Park Neighborhood Watch decided that they needed to develop a community-based disaster program. They began by developing a disaster committee and then identifying what they thought would be most needed in their community. The fir...

  • Zoe Celine Fisch named to Dean's List

    Apr 24, 2014

    Zoe Celine Fisch of Culver City was named to the Dean's List for the fall 2013 semester at Washington University in St. Louis. Fisch is enrolled in the university's College of Arts & Sciences. To qualify for the Dean's List in the College of Arts & Sciences, students must earn a semester grade point average of 3.6 or above and be enrolled in at least 14 graded units. Washington University is counted among the world's leaders in teaching and research, and it draws students and faculty to St....

  • Former Culver Resident Buddy Lane Sr. Dies at 78

    Apr 24, 2014

    Former Culver City resident Buddy R. Lane Sr., 78, of Sioux City Iowa passed away Tuesday, April 15 at a Sioux City hospital due to a brief illness. Private memorial services will be held. The body has been cremated per his wishes. Arrangements are under the direction of Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel. Buddy was born on Jan. 29, 1936, to Jack and Eileen (Petrik) Lane Sr., in Yankton, S.D. He grew up in Yankton and attended Yankton area schools. He met and married June Ashcraft of Sioux City....

  • MOVIE REVIEW DOUBLE FEATURE: THE GUYS HAVE IT

    debbie lynn elias|Apr 24, 2014

    Intensity, intelligence, introspection. That’s what each of these films bring. Brimming with testosterone and sensitivity, our main men - Tom Hardy and John Turturro - in LOCKE and FADING GIGOLO, respectively, carry their film with a powerful dignity from under which unexpected understanding of those around them as well as themselves, emerge. Two very different films. Two very different men. Two cinematic levels of excellence. LOCKE When I first heard about LOCKE, I had no idea what to expect fr...

  • Documents Reveal Howard Hughes' Role in CIA Sub Retrieval

    Lynne Bronstein|Apr 24, 2014

    By Lynne Bronstein Observer Reporter The U.S. Department of State has released documents relating to a hitherto unknown story about Howard Hughes' involvement in a secret project to retrieve a sunken Soviet submarine. Known locally as “Mr. Culver City”, Hughes built the famous Spruce Goose aircraft in what is now know as Playa Vista. The hanger where the plane was built is all that remains of the Hughes Airport. On March 14, the State Department released Foreign Relations of the United Sta...

  • City Manager's Update

    John Nachbar|Apr 24, 2014

    City Manager’s Office • City Council Announces the Appointment of Assistant Chief Scott Bixby - as Interim Police Chief - At a Special City Council meeting on April 9 Mayor Jeff Cooper, speaking on behalf of the City Council, announced the City Council’s appointment of Assistant Police Chief Scott Bixby as Interim Chief of Police. “The City Council unanimously supported Assistant Chief Bixby’s appointment as Interim Chief”, said Mayor Cooper. “After growing up here in Culver City and decades o...

  • Women's Club Hosts Ice Cream Social

    Apr 24, 2014

    The Culver City Woman's Club is celebrating its flapper-era past with an Ice Cream Social on Saturday, April 26 from 2 pm to 4. The Club was founded in 1920. While going through the archives Club president Jane Thomey discovered a picture taken in 1929 of a luncheon where elegantly dressed members, some in cloche hats, posed around a Spring-themed table. To replicate the look of the of the bygone era decorations chairman Fabiola Hensley is constructing a six-foot Maypole with streamers and with...