Arcadia Firefighters fold the American Flag carefully which draped the coffin of Andy Michael Troncale.

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”
Wonderful husband, father, son and friend, Andy Michael Troncale lost his valiant battle with cancer on January 23, 2012 at the age of 52.
Funeral services were held Monday, January 30, 2012, at 10:00 am at Holy Angels Catholic Church. Interment followed at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier
Born to parents Steve and Evelyn Troncale and raised in Covina, CA, Andy graduated from Covina High School in 1977 and attended Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, CA, where he studied fire science. Andy later earned his Bachelor Degree from Cal State Long Beach.

Andy developed an interest in the fire service early in life and began his career as an explorer with Los Angeles County Fire Department at the age of 16. He worked for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for a brief time before being hired by the Arcadia Fire Department in 1979. Andy received several awards during his career, including the City of Arcadia Exceptional Service Award and Arcadia Fire Department Firefighter of the Year. As a senior Captain, he embodied the finest qualities of a true firefighter. Andy served the citizens of Arcadia with honor and distinction for nearly 30 years, retiring from the Arcadia Fire Department in 2009 after being diagnosed with advanced stage colon cancer.

Andy’s smile and sense of humor endeared him quickly to all who crossed his path. His greatest love was his family. He married the love of his life, Debbie (Clark) in 1986 and had three sons, Clark, Chad and Clint. He also loved animals, especially his dogs Cocoa and Gigi. Andy’s interests included model trains, fishing, baseball, football, hockey, weightlifting and bicycle riding. Andy enjoyed cooking Italian food using family recipes and was a barbeque expert.

Andy is predeceased by his mother, Evelyn, and his brother, Steven. He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Debbie, and their three sons, Clark (22), Chad (20), and Clint (17), his father, Steve, sister, Paula, in-laws Robert and Diane Clark, brothers-in law, nieces and nephews.
Andy Michael Troncale
4/8/1959 – 1/23/2012

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or to the Andy Troncale Benevolent Fund by mail through the Los Angeles Firemen’s Credit Union, 815 W Colorado Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041 or online at www.firefamilyfoundation.org.

The fallen firefighter leaves Holy Angels on Monday. -Photos by Jamie Nicholson

Working with the Justice Department’s Tax Division and local U.S. Attorneys’ offices, the nationwide effort targeted 105 people in 23 states. The coast-to-coast effort took place over the last week and included indictments, arrests and the execution of search warrants involving the potential theft of thousands of identities and taxpayer refunds. In all, 939 criminal charges are included in the 69 indictments and informations related to identity theft.

“This unprecedented effort against identity theft sends a strong, unmistakable message to anyone considering participating in a refund fraud scheme this tax season,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “We are aggressively pursuing cases across the nation with the Justice Department, and people will be going to jail. This is part of a much wider effort underway at the IRS to help protect taxpayers.”

“The Justice Department is working closely with the IRS to investigate, prosecute, and punish tax refund crimes committed through the theft of identities,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General John A. DiCicco of the Tax Division. “Now, more than ever, we must remain vigilant against the unauthorized use of identification information to defraud the U.S. government.”

Taxpayers looking for additional information can consult the Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft or the IRS Identity Theft Protection page on the IRS website.

An angry and frustrated resident demands the PUC and SCE be honest with residents as South Pasadena Police Chief Joe Paybe looks on. -Photos by Terry Miller

By Terry Miller
The December 1 windstorm may have seemed mild by comparison to some of the anger vented by San Gabriel Valley residents in Temple City last Thursday night.
250 people attended the Public Utilities Commision hearing at Temple City High School hall Thursday night as part of the agency’s investigation into SC Edison’s response to the Nov.30 and Dec.1 major windstorms which wreaked havock to the San Gabriel Valley.
At one point, a resident so distraught over the lack of information and the time involved, refused to accept thje PUC’s decision to take a break and demanded that they get on with the business at hand. The unnamed resident was asked by Marcis Nixon , a PUC employee, to settle down and eventually the Los Angeles Sheriff’s deputies were called to control the situation. The resident said ” am I under arrest for being upset about this?” To which the officer said ” no sir.” The tense moment lasted but a few minutes but illustrated the extreme frustration many residents have with Edison regarding not only the lack on information but also the time involved in getting power back.
Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-Pasadena, said that “a lack of reliable information was the single biggest” complaint he heard from residents facing windstorm outages.
Without outages over a week in some areas it was easy to see why residents wanted answers to why their claims have fallen on deaf ears.
” I’ve been very reliable about paying my bill every month, very reliable; and when I need you the most, after 50 years, you’re not there,” said Temple City resident Giovanna Billotti. Billotti’s son was forced to go to hospital after he received no help or information from Edison.
PUC President Michael R. Peevey said the commission is “deadly serious about this service breakdown” and wanted to hear from impacted customers.
The PUC reported earlier this month that as many as one-third of the Edison poles that went down during the windstorm were heavily overloaded with cables and equipment – this could bring potential fines of up to $50,000 per day for Edison.
Temple City Mayor Tom Chavez , who was listening intently to the meeting was advised by Malibu resident Hans Laetz to “watch out” as Edison still hasn’t settled claims from 2 years ago .
Many residents’ frustration was simply with the fact that Edison did not keep them informed about the progress of the repairs.
PUC Commissioners and a Judge listen to neighbors’ concerns. -Photo by Terry Miller

The Community Center in Monrovia was a buzz Monday afternoon with some serious workout. The teacher, the youngest 95 year old we’ve ever seen was not only celebrating her birthday but also leading a class in senior exercise, a class she is obviously good at, very good.
Taking about 25 students through some paces with humor but also a firm knowledge of the body, Clare Moruay clearly held everyone’s attention as she went through the various stretching and other exercises. Happy Birthday Clare.

-Photos by Terry Miller

The San Marino Guild of Huntington Memorial Hospital announces the 44th season of entertainment with its 2012 San Marino Celebrity Series. The popular Dr. Elliot Engel opens the lineup of events with “Happy 200th Birthday Charles Dickens” on Sunday, February 12 at 4:00 at the San Marino Center, 1800 Huntington Drive, San Marino.
Returning for his 19th season and back by popular demand, this favorite professor, author, scholar and lecturer always delights his audiences as he entertains and educates using anecdotes and humor to illustrate new insights into the lives of his subjects. Dr. Engel will explore the world of Dickens, his unique imagination, and why he is recognized as the greatest novelist in the English language. Engel’s mini-lecture series on Dickens appeared on PBS-TV stations across the country. He is a gifted speaker who enjoys chatting with his audience after the presentation.
Elliot Engel earned his B.A. at Indiana University and his M.A. and Ph.D. as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow at UCLA, where he won the Outstanding Teacher Award. He has written ten books, and lectured all over the world. For over 30 years Dr. Engel has been President of the Dickens Fellowship of North Carolina. His promotion of Charles Dickens during this period has led to his recent induction into the Royal Society of Arts in England.
The Celebrity Series continues with the 2nd event, “Touched by an Angel’s Inspiration” presented by Martha Williamson, the executive producer and head writer of the TV show, “Touched by an Angel.” Her uplifting talk will illustrate the power of positive strength and encouragement. This program will be held on Sunday, March 18th at 4:00 at the San Marino Center.
San Marino’s own Margie Lowe-Francis of Margie’s Apparel will present her “Dazzling Designs” at a fashion show and luncheon on Thursday, April 19th at the San Gabriel Country Club. Margie’s boutique is a popular shop for unique, eye-catching outfits.
The final program of the Celebrity Series will be a one-woman play presented by Lissa Layng of the Fremont Center Theater in South Pasadena. After enjoying afternoon tea, guests will be treated to Lissa’s performance of “A Woman of Independent Means” on Saturday, May 12 at 2:00. The story depicts the triumphs and trials in the life of Bess, a woman of the 1900s with an indomitable spirit.
Season tickets for the four events are $125. Single tickets are $30 each for Engle and Williamson (or both for $50) and $50 each for the fashion show or play. For ticket information or a brochure, call 626.441.1465 or 626.793.1333 or email sanmarinocelebrityseries@gmail.com.
The San Marino Celebrity Series is the primary fundraiser of the San Marino Guild. According to President Mimi Gerhardt, all proceeds will benefit the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of the Huntington Hospital.

Applications can be downloaded from the Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District website at http://openspacedistrict.lacounty.info or for more information, call (213) 738-2981.

The new system affects only customers that utilize dumpster/roll-off trash collection services such as commercial and apartment/condo properties that are within County unincorporated areas, but outside of County Garbage Disposal Districts.

The non-exclusive franchise system will replace the current open-market system to enable the Department to meet recent changes in State law and provide enhanced trash collection services. Under the system, all waste haulers will be able to continue service in unincorporated areas provided they meet minimum performance and customer service standards.

The community meeting will provide customers an opportunity to ask questions and comment about the proposal. For further information, please call Pat Proano at (626) 458- 3500.

For more information, please contact Festival Director Nanette Fish at
626-285-2171, Extension 2350 or nfish@templecity.us
-Courtesy Photo

A trio of our favorite professionals will share specialized photography tips and techniques in three of hands-on workshops in February designed to address specific interests. Working with your own camera or phone/camera, you will follow our experts and learn to maximize effect in various situations. Each workshop will take place on location and is limited to 12 participants; workshops are suitable for all skill levels; no children under 14. In case of rain, the individual workshop/s affected will be re-scheduled for a later date. This series is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Southern California’s Evolving Landscape: The Photography of Helen Lukens Gaut (1872-1955), which is on display at PMH through Feburary 26, 2012.

-Courtesy Photo

Tickets & Reservations: Museum Members, $25 per session; Non-Members, $30 per session; Museum Members, $60 for all three workshops; Non-Members, $75 for all three workshops. Reservations are required by the Tuesday prior to the Saturday workshop. Please call 626.577.1660, ext. 10.

Saturday, February 4, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm: Working the Angles with James Staub, Photo Services Specialist, California Institute of Technology
Learn to work with your camera effectively to bring your own perspective to subjects and situations often not considered. With Pasadena City Hall and the adjoining urban landscape as our subjects, we’ll focus on:
“Moving the furniture around” — methods to enliven a photograph through simple changes to your camera, and yourself!
Framing the scene… it’s a good thing.
Dealing with lighting to your advantage.
Color balance – true or false? it’s your call.
Participants will meet at the Information Kiosk in the East entrance of Pasadena City Hall.
Saturday, February 18, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm: The Basics of Composition with Ibarionex Perello, author of the bestselling book, Chasing the Light: Improving Your Photography with Available Light
An adjunct professor at Art Center College of Design, Perello has designed this workshop to teach students to improve their photographic compositions. You will learn how to carefully consider what to include and exclude from the frame as well as how visual qualities such as brightness, contrast, sharpness, patterns, and color saturation shape how we create and see photographs.
This workshop will take place in Curtin House at Pasadena Museum of History.

Saturday, February 25, 3:00 to 5:00 pm: Phoneshots with Eliot Crowley, Santa Barbara-based commercial photographer

What is the best camera to use? There is one camera most of us already have and rarely consider… our cellular telephones; most have a camera built in. Somehow we think if it is just a phone camera it can’t be that good. Eliot Crowley will prove otherwise. The best camera is the one you have with you. As Eliot says, “It’s not the camera, it is the photographer.” In just a couple of hours you will learn some of the capabilities of your phone camera. Be ready at a moment’s notice to make the image, set up the composition and lighting to flatter your subject the most just by pulling your phone out of your pocket. Equipment needed: Cellular phone with camera.

This workshop will take place on the Colorado Street Bridge. Participants should park on Grand Avenue and meet at the East entrance to the Bridge.

TICKETS & INFORMATION: www.pasadenahistory.org | 626.577.1660, ext. 10.

Coach Eric LeClair and Team CrossFit Academy will be returning for their seventh year to provide free Saturday morning training runs for this challenging event for any interested trail runner. The training is a 16-week program designed with three different ability groups.: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. The first training session will begin Saturday morning, February 4th at 7:00A in Kersting Court. It is recommended that all interested runners begin their training on this date; each Saturday morning will feature a different training run.
From the beginning trail runner to the experienced veteran racer, all will be welcomed into this fun group and will be assisted in accomplishing his or her desired goal. To contact Coach Eric LeClair or Team CrossFit Academy directly, please call 626-437-8739 or search for either on Facebook.
Registration for the 2012 Mount Wilson Trail Race will begin on Monday, March 5 at 9:00am. Registration is available online at www.cityofsierramadre.com/onlineregistration. Runners are encouraged to register as soon as possible as space is limited. The MWTR sells out on an annual basis, be sure to reserve your spot for 2012! For more information please visit www.mountwilsontrailrace.com or contact the Community Services Office at 626.355.5278.