The San Gabriel Valley Babe Ruth 16-to-18-year-old baseball team, featuring six locals and piloted by Crescenta Valley High Coach Phil Torres, also won the World Series on Friday, defeating Licking Country of Newark, Ohio, 7-4, in the title game to win the crown at the Babe Ruth National Complex at Don Edwards Park.
San Gabriel Valley also included locals Dustin Emmons, George Adrian, Micah Dunham, Kam Krise, Bryan Longpre and Zack Torres, along with assistant coaches Dave Mendoza and Brent Forsee.
NOTABLE QUOTABLES
"My mind came with this picture of them taping people's mouths so they could kill them without anyone hearing, and then bury them."
— Raad Ommar, founder of the Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce, on his five-day kidnapping ordeal.
"The other angle is, I'm about 130 pounds overweight. My goal is to lose 100 pounds between this summer and next summer…. So if nothing else happens, at least I'm going to do a lot of promotion for the neighborhoods I grew up in and lose all this weight. It's a matter of life and death, not the pocket change."
— Dan Wells, who grew up in Glendale and Burbank, on his pedicab business. Wells has been given the green light to operate along Brand Boulevard in Glendale, and is working with Burbank city officials to continue operating around the downtown area there.
"If I'm going to pay Cadillac money, I want Cadillac service. I don't want a Yugo. I want insurance designed to better protect and serve the outstanding employees of the Glendale schools."
— Glendale Unified School District board President Chuck Sambar on the 11% hike in health-insurance costs, which will cost the district an additional $2 million.
"I am disturbed that the achievement gap continues to be so wide. It is unacceptable, it is real and it must be addressed."
— State Department of Education Supt. Jack O'Connell on the 33% gap between the number of Caucasian students and Latino students who meet or exceed state test goals.
"I am very optimistic looking at this. I am positive something can be done, should be done and, from my perspective, will be done."
— City Atty. Scott Howard on the possibility of reopening Grand View Memorial Park to visitors on a limited basis.
