MB Soroptimists celebrate 70 years helping women
by Elka Worner and Blake Burrell For the past 70 years, the Manhattan Beach Soroptimists have mentored high school girls, provided grants to single moms, and made charitable contributions ranging from breast cancer comfort bags to sanitary kits for girls in Africa. The local club, founded in 1953 by professional women – doctors, lawyers, teachers, […]
Fitness for the distance – Denise Austin with daughter Katie
Fit over 50 After pioneering female fitness 40 years ago, Denise Austin is leading the fitness movement for an aging population by Elka Worner At 66, fitness legend Denise Austin still wants us to squeeze our butts and move our muscles as she has for the past forty years. “Feel my tummy. Come on. Feel […]
Librarian Monique Sugimoto looking back 100 years
True to founder’s vision – The 100th anniversary of Frank Vanderlip’s vision will be celebrated across the Peninsula by Elka Worner In 1923, visionary banker Frank Vanderlip, Sr. and the Palos Verdes Project held a car rally in Malaga Cove to entice potential property buyers to an area covered in coastal sagebrush and agricultural fields. […]
Swans’ ways
Dancers Samantha Striplin, and Cammi Malicse bring personal interpretations to Swan Lake by Elka Worner Award winning Peninsula dancers Samantha Striplin, 14, and Campbelle “Cammi” Malicse, 16, will perform in the lead roles of Odette and Odile in the Peninsula School of Performing Arts’ upcoming production of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. “Samantha and Cammi are two […]
Historical home approval nears
by Elka Worner A 1913 craftsman home in North Hermosa Beach may become the first residential property in the city’s history to receive a historic landmark designation. “We’re going to recommend approval,” Hermosa Beach Senior Planner James Atkins said of the three-bedroom property located at 2204 Monterey Blvd. The city council will address the nomination […]
No women, but smoking OK when these guys joined Kiwanis
by Elka Worner When they joined the Kiwanis Club, ash trays lined the bingo tables, the Greatest Generation ran the show and women weren’t allowed. The next four decades changed all of that. Two weeks ago, at the Hermosa Kiwanis hall, four Kiwanians were honored for more than four decades of service in the Hermosa […]
The relatable reverend – St. Francis Episcopal’s new pastor wants people to be ‘comfortable with Jesus’
by Elka Worner In his first sermon at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Palos Verdes Estates, Rev. Jason Shelby invoked Biblical passages and an account of his first visit to Costco, a store the Mississippi transplant had never been to. “How can I impart to people that I love Jesus as I’m walking through Costco?” […]
Porta potties substitute for Opening Day
by Elka Worner After a yearlong delay, construction has resumed on a new restroom at Clark Field, but the project will not be completed, as had been anticipated, in time for the Hermosa Little League opening day on Saturday. “Our players, their families and friends have been anxiously awaiting the completion of the bathroom at […]
Age of experimentation must end, fentanyl panel says
by Elka Worner “People want to know, ‘Is it really that bad or is it something that happens in back alleys?’ I hate to say it, but no. It’s extremely prevalent right here in our Beach Cities and in the South Bay,” Hermosa Beach Police Chief Paul LeBaron said at a Beach Cities Health District […]
Hatano Farms – The Flower of the Peninsula
Doug Hatano recalls growing flowers with his father, James, who leased land on the Peninsula after spending three years at the WWII Poston Relocation Center in Arizona by Elka Worner As Doug Hatano walks the weed-covered fields that were once his father’s farm, he thinks of the rich legacy left by his father, and generations […]
Scholars’ scholar
President Biden appoints former professor Dr. Carmen Estrada Schaye to Fulbright Scholarship Board by Elka Worner On any given day, Dr. Carmen Estrada Schaye receives about 200 emails. The former professor, political activist and businesswoman usually responds to her messages within minutes. But an email she received last December gave her pause. It said she […]
HBPD blue goes green
by Elka Worner The Hermosa Beach Police Department is nearly halfway to its goal of a zero-emission fleet. The fleet includes two Teslas and two Ford Hybrid SUVs for patrol. Of the police department’s 39 vehicles, 17 are hybrid or electric, and comply with Hermosa’s Green Fleet Action Plan, adopted in 2013. The plan calls […]
Holidays on the Hill – January Peninsula Event Calendar 2023
Skating in the park in Rancho PV Starts December 17th through January 8th Ice skating with a view of the ocean will be offered at the Ken Dyda Civic Center in Rancho Palos Verdes, on Friday, December 16 at 5:30 p.m. Food, and crafts will be offered and the city’s annual holiday tree lighting ceremony […]
Goal setting firefighter Erin Regan
Former professional soccer player Erin Regan has made it her goal to increase the number of female firefighters by Elka Worner After Tiger Woods crashed his SUV traveling 85 mph down Hawthorne Boulevard last year, firefighters from Rolling Hills Estates Fire Station 106 were credited with saving his life. They smashed the SUV’s windshield with […]
Dining decks deck Hermosa Lock and Safe Shop, it’s closing in December
by Elka Worner After 47 years in downtown Hermosa Beach, Hermosa Lock and Safe Shop is closing in December because of lack of parking. Owner Frank Hallstein said business is down 80 percent because of the outdoor dining decks installed at the beginning of the pandemic in the parking spaces near his Pier Avenue store. […]
Fun at work – Former Mattel designer Derek Gable is being honored for teaching kids that fun at work is part of the job
by Elka Worner Derek Gable came up with his first invention when he was seven years old – a warning system to trick his parents into thinking he was asleep while he read comic books late into the night. He looped a fishing line around the light switch in his room and ran it down […]