Hawthorne Press Tribune
The Weekly Newspaper of Hawthorne
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 61, No. 42 - October 17, 2019
Hawthorne City Hall Unveils
Water Bottle Filling Station
West Basin Municipal Water District Board member Donald Dear and Hawthorne Mayor Pro Tem Olivia Valentine celebrate installation of a new water bottle filling station at City Hall funded through grant monies Since launching the program in 2017, West Basin has installed
21 water bottle filling stations throughout its service area. These 21 stations have prevented the use of approximately 110,000 plastic water bottles annually, potentially decreasing the harmful environmental impacts of single-use plastics while also providing access to free,
high-quality water at local schools, community centers and parks. Photo: City of Hawthorne
Huber’s Hiccups
Wiseburn Meeting
Is a Quick One
By Duane Plank
The Wiseburn Unified School District
had been around in one form or another
since 1896, and veteran observers and participants
would be hard-pressed to remember
a briefer meeting of the Board of Trustees
than last Wednesday evening’s 23-minute
gathering. With only three Board members
able to attend due to conflicts, the meeting
had been bumped up a day from its normal
Thursday spot on the calendar because
Superintendent Dr. Blake Silvers had a
prior commitment.
The only reason the meeting ran as long as
it did was because Board President JoAnne
Kaneda graciously allowed a passionate
member of the public, identified as Don
Burkholder, to voice his opinions for longer
than the norm. Burkholder spoke for nearly
15 minutes; the norm is three minutes.
Burkholder, who lives in front of the entrance
to Peter Burnett Elementary School,
spoke regarding the perilous, in his opinion,
pick-up and drop-off conditions at the school,
noting the scofflaw behavior of some drivers
during those times. He was very adamant
about mentioning the daily weekday logjam
that occurs on Isis Avenue, and how there
could be grave consequences involving the
pick-up and drop-off area, including the lack
of pathways for emergency vehicles and how
those consequences could be dire for the
District and local citizens.
During his time at the podium, Burkholder
also railed against what was, in his opinion,
the inadequate fencing around the Burnett
school site, saying that the fencing was very
vulnerable and should have upward-facing
spikes. He spoke about his longtime observations
of the comings-and-goings at the
Burnett campus, and his prior efforts to keep
the peace and maintain a safe environment
on and around the campus. He concluded, “I
need some help on this traffic thing.”
In response,, Kaneda said, “Thank you for
alerting us to these issues. It is a new school
year and we need to refresh everybody on
what the parking rules are.” She mentioned
to Silvers of the need to take some action
to address Burkholder’s concerns.
There were no special presentations on the
agenda, so the meeting then proceeded with
Board member and administration reports,
which were very brief. Silvers spoke of
the success of the recent Hackathon event,
as well as the District’s involvement in the
Read-Across-America program.
The Hackathon that Silvers spoke about
took place at R.H. Dana Middle School on
Oct. 5 and involved around 150 students from
the Wiseburn and Hawthorne Unified School
districts. Dana science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics guru (STEM) Andy de Seriere
helped guide the efforts of the Wiseburn students.
The Hackathon competition challenged
News for the City of Good
Neighbors from an Old Guy
Named Norb Huber
Could Not Have
Been Any Better
What more could we ask for? We
had perfect weather, the electrical
power was on, our friends and family all
showed up, there were no hiccups, and
the bride and groom made it through the
ceremony without fainting or collapsing.
So, my youngest tied the knot with her
best friend last Saturday and we are so
happy for her and happy that we now have
added a son to our family. There are always
things to be thankful for but when something
special like this happens, we just have to
smile and enjoy the moment. We all want
the best for our kids and when they find a
great mate to spend the rest of their lives
with we can be super happy. I didn’t cry
as much as I thought I was going to, but the
happiness was most certainly there. They
say, all good things must come to an end,
but I say why not just let good things continue.
God is good, we should enjoy every
blessing he gives us.
Toast
Our two daughter’s weddings were ten
years apart so I was a little rusty when it
came time to give my speech/toast at the
reception. I was given strict orders by my
boss, aka the OL (Ol’ Lady) to keep my
speech short. She gave me three directives:
Don’t say anything stupid, don’t make
a fool of myself, and keep it short.
Well, I failed in all three. Once a
politician, always a politician. After
ten minutes my dear wife was giving
me the cut sign, so I finally shut up.
Nobody really remembers any of this
junk any way. I told the newly weds
that we were happy for them and I’m sure
whatever problem comes their way that there
is an app on their phone that can solve any
marital disagreement or hiccup. Since neither
the bride nor the groom drink, I couldn’t
encourage them to have a cold one, relax,
and try to enjoy their wedding night. Some
how, in some way, they are going to have
to face life’s challenges without any cold
ones. Wow! Good luck with that one. We
know that God will show mercy on them no
matter what life throws at them. God loves
us if we are a tea drinker or a beer drinker.
It don’t matter if we are a sober snob or
a drunken bum, God still loves us. I now
propose a toast to a long, healthy, happy,
fruitful marriage of Katie and Paul and the
same for all those happily married couples
who choose to love and cherish their spouses.
After all is said and done, why not have a
cold one, relax, and love the one God has
given to you?
Empty Nest
Our house seems empty. No one is living
with us for the first time in 36 years. I’m
going to miss not being the father of the house.
See Huber’s Hiccups, page 7 See Wiseburn, page 7