- Photo by Terry Miller, Beacon Media

A bank robbery this morning at the Citizens Bank branch in Monrovia at the corner of Huntington Drive and Myrtle Avenue that turned into a bomb threat, with bank employees an patrons having been evacuated, has ended with the suspect being apprehended by Glendora and West Covina SWAT units.

According to police, the suspect wrote a note which said there is an explosive device somewhere inside the bank. According to correspondence on the Sheriffs Department radio frequency, that note is now in the possession of the authorities.

The Citizens Bank branch is located at 100 East Huntington Drive, Monrovia. Myrtle Avenue was closed off by police for 4-5 hours this morning from Huntington Drive to the north and East Central Ave. to the south, just north of the I-210 freeway.

A spokeswoman for the Monrovia Police Department refused to comment on the situation, saying she had no information as of 11:58 a.m.

Last week we told you about Sierra Madre fitness mogul Sandy Lewis-Duval and her newest business venture, The Shabby Dog. And while Lewis-Duvall is certainly branching out into new business areas with her high-end dog leashes sold online and at her Montecito Ave. boutique, she’s not leaving the fitness business anytime soon. In fact, she’s expanding.

Much like starting The Shabby Dog boutique, Lewis-Duvall’s decision to expand Sierra Fitness during the worst financial downturn since the Great Depression is in keeping with her smiling philosophy of being “crazy” enough to take a risk when the opportunity presents itself.

“My philosophy was that a lot of these other gyms are struggling right now and cutting amenities and trimming their class offerings. So I figured that I would invest in my business and my clients. We’re not going to take away, we’re going to give!”

And give she has. Advertising itself as a place born out of a “hype-free philosophy” and providing a “non-intimidating environment,” since 1994 Sierra Fitness has been a small community gym where everybody knows your name as well as your workout routine. But the space constraints of the gym have provided some limitations to the amount of equipment and types of classes they offer. But after their recent expansion, space limitations are an issue no more.

With their new space, Sierra Fitness now has a larger weight room with more free weights and a larger cardio room as well as a new spinning studio and class studio upstairs.
The response to the expansion has been extremely positive.

“I knew it was a risk at the time, but the mood among our members is just great now,” said Lewis-Duvall.

Sandy told us that, in the past, many of her members have been women and that the lack of amenities such as a larger free-weight area may have been keeping some of the men clinging to their Gold’s Gym memberships.

“With the free weights addition, a lot of our female client’s husbands are now starting to come in and take memberships. I think that’s an aspect that we were kind of missing,” said Lewis-Duvall.

Even more popular than the free weights, however, is the wide variety of workout classes Sierra Fitness offers all of its members, all of which are included with their monthly membership dues. Classes such as Spinning, Yoga, Pilates Mat, Core Fitness, Ballet Barre, Step Aerobics, Toning Plus, Easy Does It are scheduled throughout the week, everyday from open to close. A full schedule is available on the gym’s website, sierrafit.com. And of course, the widely popular Sierra Fitness “Original” Bootcamp class is still offered. The next session starts Monday, January 11 and the eight-week session meets every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5 and 6 a.m.

All this and more are just a few of the ways Sierra Fitness is celebrating their 15th year in the community. So tie up your pup outside with that brand new Shabby Dog hand-free leash and stop by to see what all the fuss is about. All those fit, smiling faces surely can’t be wrong.

In the words of Tom Gammill, long-time Sierra Fitness member and artist behind the Doozies comic strip, “Without Sierra Fitness, I’d be a fat, pathetic mess. Thanks to them, I’m only a slightly overweight, pathetic mess.”

The Youth Committee will act in an advisory capacity, providing the City Council with valuable insight regarding youth and teen issues in the community. Any Temple City resident, between the ages of 12 and 18 years of age, is encouraged to submit an application.

The deadline to submit an application is 6 p.m. on January 15, 2010. All applicants meeting the minimum requirements will be scheduled for an interview. Applications are available at City Hall, Live Oak Park Annex or on the City’s website. An informational meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 12th at 6 p.m. in the Annex building at Live Oak Park. For further information, please contact Frances Manzo-Pimentel at (626) 285-2171 ext. 2362.

The Temple City High School students will tour sites in the Hawkesbury and the capitol of Canberra. They will attend high school with their host sibling and visit some of the local elementary schools. There will be a tour of Sydney, including the famous Opera House, the Harbor Bridge, and Centerpoint Tower. The students will see Bondi Beach and Manley Beach. This is just a sampling of the activities planned for the Temple City exchange students. The six students selected are Christine Nowak, Kasey Sickles, Kelsey Sih, Carrington Taylor, Dana Tran and Tyler Yung.

Christine Nowak is a member of the Girls’ Water Polo team, the Track team, and Choreo. She is a Girl Scout. Her interests include photography and cooking. Kasey Sickles is a member of the high school Drum line and plays baseball. He plans to attend either Arizona State University or California State University of Fullerton. Kelsey Sih is involved with ASB, as the Sophomore Vice-President. She plans to become a teacher or a veterinarian. Carrington Taylor is active in school sports, ASB, club soccer, and church activities. She plans to become a pharmacist or to go into business. Dana Tran is a member of ASB, as the Sophomore President. She is a member of the Track team. She plans to become a family practitioner or pediatrician. Tyler Yung plays the cello in the Advanced Orchestra. He is a member of Key Club, Chess Club, and History Club. He can solve the Rubik’s cube in less than four minutes.

The alternate is Winnie Chung. Chung is a member of the Sophomore Student Class Council, JSA, and Model U.N. She is also a volunteer in the Temple City School District.

The first activity for the six exchange students will be to ride in the Camellia Parade in February. They will be introduced at an upcoming City Council meeting and at an upcoming TCUSD School Board meeting. They will help at the City sponsored Rabies Clinic in July and the Concerts in the Park during the summer.

So far, only two members of the six-member court have been found, including King Craig Potter and Princess Loretta Chavez, Lewis.
Members of the golden anniversary Royalty Court yet to be located include Queen Sandra Galvan (DeBoard), Prince James Stuart, Prince Bruce Owens and Princess Signe Melinda (Malm).

If anyone has any information regarding any of these Royal Court members,the Festival office has asked to be contacted via telephone at (626) 285-2171 ext. 2350 or via E-mail at nfish@templecity.us.

The City needs volunteers from the community who are qualified to understand the best way to reach the various populations in the community.  These volunteers will serve on the Committee with Mayor Vizcarra, Councilmember Wong, various City Commissioners, and a Staff liaison.

If you are interested in serving on the Complete Count Committee, contact Community Development Manager Joe Lambert by December 31, 2009.  E-mail Joe at JLambert@templecity.us or call Joe at City Hall: (626) 285-2171.

Tina Cunningham is the new Assistant Principal for Longden Elementary

12-year school district veteran Tina Cunningham has been selected to fill the vacant Assistant Principal position at Longden Elementary School.
“I’m very pleased that Mrs. Cunningham will be the new part-time Assistant Principal at Longden while continuing her work in Instructional Services at the District Office.   Her instructional strengths and leadership abilities will be a great addition to the Longden team,” commented Superintendent Chelsea Kang-Smith.

Mrs. Cunningham first came to Temple City Unified as a fourth grade teacher at Emperor Elementary in 1997.  Since 2002, she has been a liaison and administrator for the Temple City/Duarte Beginning Teacher and Support Assessment Program.

Cunningham received her Bachelor of Arts from California State University at Los Angeles, as well as a Masters in Education in Language and Literacy Development from Azusa Pacific University.  She is also currently an adjunct professor for Point Loma Nazarene University.

“With great joy and excitement, I look forward to the opportunity to serve as Assistant Principal of Longden Elementary School,” said Cunningham.  “TCUSD has been my home and family for over 12 years and I now look forward to building new relationships with all of the families, students, and staff members at Longden.”

Mrs. Cunningham began her new assignment on December 10.

Visits with Santa, as well as a variety of crafts and entertainers also kept the little ones busy. Free cookies, hot cocoa and coffee were also available for the hundreds of residents in attendance.

The Temple City High School Brighter Side Singers were on hand to perform plenty of holiday favorites and a mini parade was held along Las Tunas Drive where Santa made his grand entrance into Temple City Park for the lighting of the city’s 100-foot redwood tree.

The Temple City High School Brighter Side Singers will perform many of your holiday favorites at 6 p.m. Line up along the parade route on Las Tunas Drive for the mini-parade at 7 p.m. and watch as Santa makes his grand entrance into Temple City Park for the lighting of the city’s 100-foot redwood tree. Children can visit Santa from 5 – 6 p.m. or after the parade from 7:30 – 8:30 p.m.  Everyone is invited to attend this wonderful community event.