Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/6609
6 LIVEMAGS.NET FEBRUARY>>10 Former Huntington Beach mayor Harriet Wieder died on January 11 at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach at age 89. Wieder's legacy is significant; she worked for women's rights and health care issues. Harriet Wieder served on the Huntington Beach City Council in the mid 1970s and was then elected mayor of Huntington Beach in 1976. In 1978 Wieder was elected to serve as second district Supervisor on the Orange County Board of Supervisors and became the first woman to hold that office. She was Supervisor from 1979 to 1995. There are two recreational parks in Huntington Beach named after her: Wieder Park on Lynn St. and the Harriet M. Wieder Regional Park on Seapoint Avenue. NATIONAL Writer>>Tova Morrison Mayor Bob Foster spoke to an audience of about 1400 people at the Terrace Theatre on January 12. This State of the City address was free for the second consecutive year. Mayor Foster voiced how proud he was of the city's recent achievement in being named the most business-friendly city in Los Angeles County. He also indicated that the state's leaders in Sacramento were "raiding" the general fund, causing serious financial cuts in funding for city projects. Comparing the atmosphere of last year to this year, Foster said, "Things look much brighter today. We have much to do but we have a better spirit and optimism about the future." Anaheim Retirement Home Fire First Woman Supervisor, Harriet Wieder, Dies Southern California Snow Dog Races Watch Out Paparazzi Race to the Top Education Reforms Haiti's Earthquake The Urban Mushing group gathered at Fairview Park in Costa Mesa for the "(not so) Great Serum Run and Barbeque" on January 9. A good portion of dogs were Siberian Huskies, who instinctually love to pull and run. Sponsored by San Clemente's natural dog food kitchen, Three Dog Bakery, the racing began on the trails at 8 am and ended with an awards ceremony and potluck. The races included the 3k canicross, where dogs and owners were harnessed together to compete as teams; the bikejoring race where dog(s) were attached to a bicycle towline to aid the pedaling; and the scooter races where 1 to 3 dogs pulled a person on a dog-equipped kick bike. LOCAL A new law against paparazzi photographers went into effect on January 1. Heralded by Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the edict in October of 2009 and it was passed quickly by California lawmakers. The anti-paparazzi law enables those affected by paparazzi activity to press charges against photographers who breach an individual's privacy. Illegal video footage and photographs that are bought and sold by paparazzi and mass media channels, such as television, magazines and the internet, can be prosecuted with civil penalties. This law was propelled by testimony to California legislators from Jennifer Aniston and other celebrities on the harassing and intrusive nature of members of the paparazzi. California joined the federal Race to the Top program for schools under President Obama's education reform laws. The laws, which were implemented by governors across the nation, enable individual states to be eligible for hundreds of millions in federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Education. Funds will be awarded if student test scores remain high and if principals' and teachers' performance evaluations excel, based on their students' academic achievements. The reform calls for an unlimited amount of high-performance charter schools; closing charters that are failing; allowing parents to pull their children from badly performing schools and register them in a school of their choice; and allowing state intervention for the lowest performing schools. A 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Tuesday January 12, the largest for the Caribbean island in 200 years. The quake's epicenter was less than 10 miles from Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, which was totally devastated. In the aftermath over 50 aftershocks, some registering 5.5 magnitudes, rocked the land. Buildings crumbled to the ground which crushed, killed and injured hundreds of thousands of Haitians. Impromptu mass graves were filled with thousands of dead quake victims. the International Red Cross announced that 3 million people were affected; many are left homeless. The United States was given control of Haiti's airport to facilitate search and rescue teams and humanitarian aid flights from countries all over the world. IN REVIEW THEMONTH