La Canada's 2008 Year in Review

January

•?“Rainforest Fiesta,” La Cañada Flintridge’s entry in the 2008 Rose Parade, garnered the Animation Trophy. It was this city’s 30th year of participation in the world-renowned parade. That afternoon, USC beat Illinois in the Rose Bowl.

•?A series of three storms swept through the area, dropping some 6.36 inches of rain on La Cañada, the most rain recorded here in a single month since 2004. No flooding or serious damages were sustained, although some boulders washed down a hillside on Corona Drive and the Community Center saw “buckets of water” come through the roof and flood the ceramics area.

•?Students at La Cañada Elementary School were preparing to say good-bye to their prinicpal, Ivette Ellis, who had served at the campus for five years. Ellis was moving to the East Coast with her husband, who had accepted a new job with ITT Corp.

•?Barbara Marshall was installed chairman of the board of the La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce and Taylor Segal was named Miss La Cañada Flintridge when the chamber held its annual installation dinner at Oakmont Country Club.

•?Three La Cañada High School alumni, all members of the Class of 2001, were inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame. They were Lonnie Dietz, Lauren Guza and Nicole Bonino.

•?Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in marking its 50th anniversary, invited educators to its campus for a weekend conference to learn about the history of JPL and its Explorer 1.

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February

•?Larry Naeve, the longtime boys’ varsity water polo coach at La Cañada High, announced his retirement after a 21-year career studded with 30 All-Americans and five CIF Coach of the Year awards.

•?La Cañada High sophomore Kate Hansen outraced the entire women’s singles field to capture the gold at the Junior World Luge Championships in Lake Placid.

•?Coach Tom Hofman got league win No. 200 with his LCHS boys’ varsity basketball team when the Spartans beat the So. Pas Tigers. “I love this job,” Hofman said.

•?A fowl-friendly revised animal ordinance was before the LCF Planning Commission after months of clucking between residents, city council and city staff over what should, or should not, be included. Limitations were to be placed on ducks, chickens and geese; roosters were restricted.