Altadena community opposes proposed Poly sports complex

Share: In what is likely to be one of the biggest LA County land disputes in 25 years, the community of Altadena and Pasadena private school Polytechnic, are at odds over a 78-acre property. The property has been owned by world famous Nuccio’s Nursery, for almost ninety years and is now where Polytechnic has publicly presented plans to build a sports complex and environmental facilities. Local Altadena group, AltadenaWILD, began in early 2023. As the community that lives closest to the disputed property, they rallied …

New grant strives to make enrollment easier for PCC students

Share: Pasadena City College’s enrollment services has recently been awarded a $50,000 grant to streamline its current enrollment process and remove some of the barriers that many students face while trying to enroll at PCC.   The current enrollment process requires students to keep track of many different dates and deadlines that are easy to miss with the current system. “The current process is convoluted, we ask our students to do a lot of tasks on their way to starting studies and also continuing their studies …

The haunted history of Pasadena’s infamous bridge

Share: At a time or another, Angelenos have been privileged enough to set eyes upon the grandiose Pasadena Colorado Street Bridge while driving, walking, or in a print edition of a magazine. Sitting beautifully on Colorado Blvd, the bridge captures the historic pride of Pasadena and displays an exclusively classic ambiance of early Los Angeles.  While the bridge is a precious characteristic of Pasadena, it has gained a remarkably morbid reputation and has piqued nationwide interest for its dark past and rumored hauntings.  The bridge’s …

‘The Secret Conversations’ does more for McGovern than it does for Ava Gardner

Share: Some 34 years after she was dubbed “The Most Beautiful Animal Alive,” a financially struggling, physically ailing Ava Gardner contracted a journalist to ghostwrite her memoir as the less humiliating alternative to pawning off her old jewels. So began the working relationship between writer Peter Evans and Gardner. The relationship would span across a year and ultimately culminated with Gardner abruptly withdrawing her permission to publish. This didn’t stop Evans’s estate from posthumously publishing “Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations,” in 2013. The book was …

Israeli politics looks a lot like American politics if you’re paying attention

Share: The conflict between Israel and its neighbors will enter its 75th year next month. That is roughly the average lifespan of the American male. Like many people around the world, and in Israel, I too grew numb to the repetitive cycles of fighting and ceasefire that have broken out every other summer for as long as I can remember. I grew fatigued by the endless bloodshed caused by greedy leaders and extremists. Nonetheless, the current exchange of fire has my attention because it is …

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Something for everyone in late maestro’s music

Share: Rarely do artists of any discipline have the privilege to explore their interests with as much international attention and critical acclaim as Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. Ever since the world first met Sakamoto as a member of the electronic trio Yellow Magic Orchestra, he routinely reinvented himself without losing sight of what made him an exciting and multifaceted talent. Last month, after his third fight against cancer, Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away at 71. When the news broke out, multiple publications and news outlets had …

Fentanyl crisis continues as PCC plays catch up

Share: Since 2019, the United States has seen a massive influx in fentanyl overdoses resulting in rapid death rates with over 71,000 people dying from a synthetic opioid-related drug overdose in 2021, leaving questions about what PCC is doing to enforce harm reduction. Illicitly manufactured fentanyl has become popular in the illegal drug market in the last half a decade due to its incredibly high potency and low cost, as well as its heroin-like effect. Fentanyl is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and …

Moviegoers refuse to pay admission and attention

Share: When theaters reopened after quarantine put a pause on the movie industry, there was uncertainty as to whether or not audiences would return. Three years after the shutdown, box office numbers are slowly climbing back to how they were. So much so that the 3-hour-long “Avatar: The Way of the Water” crossed a billion dollars within two weeks and became the third highest-grossing movie of all time. But with the ever-growing rise of streaming services providing entertainment without ever having to leave one’s home, …

Queer Alliance’s Promapalooza: ‘It’s always a good idea to have a party’

Share: Lady Gaga and Britney Spears’ music cloud the hallways at PCC’s Promapalooza. The Queer Alliance at PCC held a Promapalooza Thursday March 23, 2023 at Pasadena City College. “In general it’s always a good idea to have a party” Jaren Rhodes (he/him/his) pre law major says. A common theme among those who graduated in 2020 and 2021 was not being able to attend prom at all regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity due to Covid-19. Rainbow balloons and pride flags covered the Creveling …

Academic Senate president fires back at ‘unauthorized’ faculty newsletter

Share: The Academic Senate (AS) at Pasadena City College rebuked a group of faculty members for sharing an “unauthorized” newsletter that was not approved by the AS Executive Board, in what they called a newsletter full of myths, lies, and opinions that lacked “collegiality.”  “Please be advised that this newsletter does not represent, nor has it been authorized by the 40+ members of the Academic Senate board,” the email said. “The ‘newsletter’ in question is full of misinformation, untruths and the opinion of one (or …