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Page 8 July 13, 2017 City Council from front page he received a video from Police Chief Robert Fager that showed a panoramic view of the South Bay area on July 4. He said that Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach also had illegal fireworks going off. “The city of Hawthorne is not the only city that has this situation in regards to bottle rockets and all the illegal fireworks,” Vargas said. “If we’re going to take action on this, what we really need is a regional solution where all the cities in the area agree to some type of policy and policing in general.” Councilmember Olivia Valentine said she would bring the issue up for discussion with the South Bay Council of Governments, while Mayor Pro Tem Hadir Awad would address the matter with the Southern California Council of Governments. Valentine called the fireworks in Hawthorne “unprecedented” this year adding that “maybe some people need to be reminded that illegal fireworks are illegal for a reason. The kinds of flares that can been seen can also send off sparks that can catch fire. We’ve also heard a number of times how they can trigger panic attacks in those with PTSD, including many of our veterans.” “Trust me I woke up at three in the morning with these cherry bombs going off,” Vargas said. “It’s a nuisance and we understand.” Another issue Vargas addressed was in regards to the stands that sell fireworks for non-profit groups. “I’ve been hearing this and it’s been a recurrent theme. I have different people come up here who worked hard eight days,” Vargas said of firework stand workers who complained about their non-profit not making much money from firework sales. “For a small, small amount of fundraising that took place, it’s not worth it.” Vargas then called for the process of removing the permits for the fireworks stands in the city. “Honestly I think it’s an exploitation of our non-profit groups because they’re not making any money.” In short, the City of Hawthorne would simply have to amend the ordinance by a majority vote of three councilmembers. “It’s very important--we feel your pain and feel your frustration. We’re frustrated too,” Vargas said. Do you or a loved one struggle on the stairs? 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Don’t Blink, or Else You Could Miss History in the Making By Adam Serrao The Los Angeles Dodgers went into this year’s All-Star break as the hottest team in all of Major League Baseball. The key to the team’s success isn’t Clayton Kershaw. It isn’t Corey Seager or Justin Turner either. The key to the Dodgers being the hottest team in all of baseball is a next-man-up mentality. If one player on the roster isn’t getting the job done, then another assumed unlikely hero seems to step up out of nowhere and lift the team to a victory. The Dodgers are on pace to win well over 100 games this season. That fact alone begs the question: could this be the best Los Angeles Dodgers team Major League Baseball has ever seen? If you ever find yourself smack dab in the middle of watching a Dodgers game this season and L.A. happens to be trailing in the game, don’t change the channel. The Dodgers have the opposition precisely where they want them. This Los Angeles team is one that always believes that it has a chance and never thinks it is out of any game, no matter how big the deficit. That fact couldn’t have been any more evident than it was last Thursday when the Boys in Blue were down 4-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning at Chavez Ravine, but rallied to score four runs and win in walk-off fashion. “That was incredible,” Rich Hill, who started the game for the Dodgers, related. “I saw some people leaving the ballpark. You’ve gotta stay with this team.” The walk-off victory was the Dodgers’ fifth of the sort at just over halfway through the regular season. It was the 22nd come-frombehind Dodgers is if their All-Stars, plus every other player on the roster, represented the team at this year’s World Series. The way things are going right now, it certainly looks as if the Dodgers have a leg up on the rest of the competition. In a long baseball season, anything can happen. Bats can cool down, injuries can take place, or players can simply just lose their stuff. With the depth that the Dodgers have on the roster, though, it’s looking increasingly more like this is the team’s best chance at getting back to the World Series for the first time since 1988. – Asixlion@earthlink.net victory for a team that truly refuses to quit no matter what day of the week or what point in the season it happens to be. Sure, the Dodgers have won the past four NL West titles, but this season has a much different feel to it. At the All-Star break last year, for instance, Los Angeles was 51-40 and stood in second place in the NL West standings, 6.5 games behind the San Francisco Giants. Not only are the hated Giants the second worst team in all of baseball this season, but the Dodgers are now 32 games over .500 and are the best team in all of baseball at this year’s break. If the comeback victory against the Diamondbacks one week ago wasn’t enough, then the Dodgers did it again last Saturday night to remind you why they eventually got six players onto the All-Star team. Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning, one of those All-Stars, Cody Bellinger, belted a home run to tie the game and later drew a bases-loaded walk to win it. Bellinger had been slumping and was previously on an 11-game homerless streak before he saved the day for the Blue Crew. Despite that slump, he did what every Dodger does when the game is on the line. Not only did the home run leave Bellinger in second place in the National League in home runs (behind only Joey Votto), but he also became the second player in Major League history to hit 25 home runs in 69 or fewer games played. Jose Abreu accomplished the feat in 67 games. Last Saturday’s win at home against the Royals put the Dodgers ahead of the Houston Astros for best record in all of baseball for the first time this season. Since June 1, Los Angeles has won 28 of 36 games to boast a record that’s far and away the best in the Majors. The team’s pitching staff is first in ERA and WHIP and ranks second in strikeouts per nine innings over that span. Their overall team defense is the best in both the National League and American League rankings. The Dodgers have now won 26 of their last 30 games (as well as 18 of their last 19 at home) and 39 straight games in which they have taken a lead. They were the first team to 60 wins this season, reaching the mark before the All-Star break for the first time since 1974. With their win and sweep over the Royals last Sunday, the Dodgers officially put themselves on pace to win 109 games this year. That mark would beat the previous franchise win total held by both the 1962 and 1974 Dodgers (102 wins). It would also become the most games won by a team in the National league since the 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates (110-42). “Every night, it’s somebody different, and that’s the sign of a good team,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained. “It seems like I say depth every single night, but that’s probably been the biggest reason for our success.” The depth that Roberts speaks of has not only given the Dodgers the best record in the best division in baseball, but--together with high-end production from every position on the team—it has given the Dodgers the best record in all of baseball. Whether the team is blasting home runs over the wall, winning with walk-off walks, or scaring opposing pitchers into throwing wild pitches to score five runs, the Dodgers are getting the job done. Now Kershaw, Bellinger, Seager, Turner, Alex Wood and Kenley Jansen will represent the best team in baseball at the All-Star Game. The only thing that could be better for the


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