United States of America
I recently returned to the U.S. after working in China since 2005, teaching English, Journalism, Business and Western Culture-related courses at three Chinese Universities, while immersing myself in the language and culture.
Previously, I worked for six years as a staff reporter at the Pasadena Star-News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Whittier Daily News and affiliated weekly newspapers in the suburbs of Los Angeles. I juggled a handful of different city beats, covering both breaking news and features, in addition to spending time on the business desk. My beats included everything from profiles of up-and-coming local musicians to the opaque dealings of secretive city councils. I parsed business earnings reports of major corporations and dug into the impact of the skyrocketing housing prices on local people. From an in-depth look at the behind-the-scenes development of a local high school musical from casting to curtain calls to quirky profiles of one-armed jugglers and a deaf pianist, I love finding the human story at the heart of every decision. In addition to daily deadlines, I frequently contributed photographs, video and social media presence.
I have a bachelor's degree in print journalism and a master's degree in intercultural studies. I have a passion for helping people to gain a better understanding of the world and one another.
Junk from military suppliers -- from the rockets that first launched Americans into space to nuts and bolts -- is treasure for Jerome Oxman. After 55 years in the military surplus business, the owner of Oxman's Surplus in Santa Fe Springs will celebrate his 90th birthday today. But quitting isn't in Oxman's vocabulary. He still works six days a week.
PASADENA - Using Pasadena City Hall as a backdrop, Safeway Inc. officials Thursday announced plans to convert the company's entire U.S. truck fleet to cleaner-burning biodiesel fuel. "By doing this, it will take the equivalent of 7,500 passenger vehicles off the road each year," said Daymond Rice, director of government relations for Arcadia-based Vons supermarkets, a division of Safeway.
Five out of six households can't afford to buy a home.
ARCADIA - While other area hospitals have closed their doors in recent years, Arcadia Methodist Hospital is expanding, receiving a go-ahead this week from city officials to procure $280 million in state bonds for ongoing expansion and seismic retrofitting work.
ARCADIA - Homeowners adding a bedroom or otherwise expanding the square footage of their dwellings could end up paying thousands of dollars in city fees, money that will be used to pay for parks and recreational services, City Council members decided last week.
MONTEBELLO - The city's municipal golf course is again causing a stir. The City Council this week considered increasing the service fee it pays Thomas A. Camacho to run the golf course, a proposal that would hike the fee by nearly 30 percent.
High school musicals are a rite of passage for teenagers, especially for the students at Temple City High. Reporter Kevin Felt follows the cast of the spring musical - from the auditions to opening night. ACT I, SCENE I: AUDITIONS For the past four days, hundreds of Temple City High School students have anxiously auditioned for roles in the school's legacy.
Ever since staging "L'il Abner" in 1965, students from Temple City High School have performed a full-fledged musical every spring. Since then, it's become an annual tradition, and the school has made a name for itself with high-quality performances of perennial favorites such as "Oklahoma," "The Sound of Music" and "Annie Get Your Gun."
PASADENA - Mirai Nagasu floats around the rink effortlessly executing Salchow jumps and eye-blurring pirouettes in front of the teenage girls sharing the ice. Even to the untrained eye, something about the 10-year-old Arcadia resident's skating is different. It's smoother, more graceful. As the 4-foot, 60 pound figure skater glides through her long program, which she will perform at the U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships this week in Scottsdale, Ariz., she demonstrates...
PASADENA - An ex-Marine was ordered Tuesday to spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty to the murder of his wife, son and father-in-law. In front of more than two dozen somber family members, Murray Smith Sr., 59, admitted in Pasadena Superior Court to killing his 51-year-old wife Wanda Smith, his 32-year-old son Murray Smith Jr.