Posts by Mark McDermott
MBUSD students ace state tests
Local students far exceeded their peers statewide in test results released by the California Department of Education last week. The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) was administered in the spring to more than 3 million students in grades 3 to 8 and 11. The tests have replaced the former pencil-and-dot standardized tests…
Read MoreMBUSD asbestos cleanup nearly complete, but mold problems arise at MBMS, MCHS
Asbestos disturbed by a construction project in August has been packed up and is awaiting final removal from the Mira Costa High School library, which will likely finally be cleared by public health officials by the end of this week. But a new public health problem has emerged at both MCHS and Manhattan Middle…
Read MoreAmerican Martyrs Parish Fair
The 48th American Martyrs Parish Fair takes place Oct. 20 and 21 and will include the “Lucky 21” raffle contest, which features a Fiat 128 Spider convertible, pictured here in front of the new Parish Welcome Center with Monsignor John Barry. Raffle tickets are $60 each and the winner takes either the car or $20…
Read MoreManhattan Beach About Town
State teacher of the year State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson this week named five educators as the 2019 California Teachers of the Year. Robinson Elementary’s Kim Holz, MBUSD’s Teacher of the Year, was one of those five. Torlakson, who began his career as a science teacher and coach, emphasized the impact…
Read MoreManhattan Beach Police Beat
Minor sting On Sept. 21, the Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and El Segundo Police Departments conducted a minor decoy sting throughout the three cities. A decoy was sent into 18 on-sale establishments within the three cities in an attempt to purchase alcoholic beverages. Sixteen establishments were successful in preventing this activity and two establishments were…
Read MoreScout House receives $1 million city backing
The City Council on Tuesday night pledged $1 million towards the construction of a new Scout House and senior community center, a move intended to spur fundraising for the public-private partnership the city has formed with the non-profit Friends of Senior & Scout Community Center. “Any time you get a brand new building —…
Read MoreDistinguished alumni speak to MCHS students
An educator, a journalist, a volleyball player, and a war hero were recognized as distinguished alumni at Mira Costa High School Sept. 21 in a daylong celebration that included a breakfast and luncheon, two student assemblies, and a cheer for the alums during halftime of the Mustang football game that night. The alumni inducted into…
Read MoreGeorge the Fourth
George Renfro, a fourth generation El Segundo native, hopes to keep his hometown true to itself through art and orneriness George Renfro Sr. arrived in El Segundo sometime in the 1910’s, not long after Standard Oil purchased 840 acres of the former Rancho Sausal Redondo and around the time the city incorporated in 1916.…
Read MoreNeptunian Woman’s Club destroys mural
Artist Dawn Whitney-Hall was attending an art show two weeks ago when an acquaintance told her the 200 square foot mermaid mural she’d done as a commission for the Neptunian Woman’s Club a dozen years ago had been destroyed. She laughed at such a notion. “That couldn’t happen,” she remembers telling the person.…
Read MoreManhattan Beach About Town
SB lawmakers try to save federal conservation fund A federal program responsible for more than $2 billion of investments in conservation and recreation projects in California — including the Strand bike path, locally — is up for reauthorization at the end of September. Two South Bay Congressional representatives, Nanette Diaz Barragan and Ted Lieu, are…
Read MoreChevron burn concerns N. Manhattan residents
A large flame and plume of smoke emanating from the Chevron El Segundo refinery early Monday resulted in more than 100 resident complaints to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, several of them from neighboring Manhattan Beach residents who were concerned for their safety and health. The Manhattan Beach Police Department issued a statement…
Read MoreAnti-camping ordinances aimed at homeless under scrutiny
The Manhattan Beach City Council, as part of an effort to address homelessness locally, earlier this month unanimously approved an urgency ordinance banning camping in all public places in the city. But on the same day the ordinance went into effect, Sept. 4, a federal appeals court ruled that city ordinances that ban the homeless…
Read MorePublic art sent back to drawing board
The City Council last October made some changes to the process for seeking submissions for the city’s sculpture gardens, reducing the number of artists used from six to three, increasing their stipend from $3,000 to $6,000 and the length of the artwork’s loan from one to two years. The intention behind the changes was to…
Read MoreSide to Side
Photographer Brent Broza’s new show delves into light and expands to paintings
Read MoreHermosa Beach About Town
Pancake breakfast The Hermosa Heroes Pancake Breakfast will take place at the Hermosa Fire Station Saturday morning. Organizers say the event is a chance for residents to show their appreciation of local police officers, firefighters, and lifeguards. The event is sponsored by the city of Hermosa Beach and the Hermosa View and Valley Parent-Teacher Organization.…
Read MoreManhattan Beach Police Beat
Vehicle break-ins and theft According to Manhattan Beach Police Department, a little after noon on Sept. 5, a Vespa scooter was reported stolen from the 1700 block of Marine Avenue. During the previous week, there were also four reports filed of vehicles that were burglarized. Sometime between noon on Sept. 3 and the following morning,…
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