Rio Hondo College

A 20-year-old college student collapsed during a wrestling tournament at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut on Saturday and later died, officials said. Jesus Cruz, a student at Rio Hondo College in Whittier, was on the mat with an opponent when he collapsed. He was treated by a Mt. San Antonio athletic trainer and paramedics and taken to San Dimas Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a statement released by Rio Hondo President Ted Martinez Jr. The remainder of the all-day tournament was canceled.

Classes have been suspended at Rio Hondo College's police academy and officials are being forced to rewrite questions on officer tests used statewide after someone obtained those test materials and put them in a study guide. The state Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training ordered that all future classes of trainees at the Rio Hondo academy in Whittier be suspended until it completes an investigation into a breach of test security. Officials say that of the 122 trainees at the academy, 22 were being sponsored by regional police departments, which they were expected to join as officers.

Photographs and memorabilia highlighting the life of child actor-turned-U.S.-ambassador Shirley Temple are on view through Dec. 15 at the Rio Hondo College Library. The exhibition was assembled by Delmar Watson, a childhood friend of Temple's and a fellow former child actor. The college is located at 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. The exhibition is open for viewing Mondays through Thursdays, from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Information: (310) 908-3417.

A 20-year-old college student collapsed during a wrestling tournament at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut on Saturday and later died, officials said. Jesus Cruz, a student at Rio Hondo College in Whittier, was on the mat with an opponent when he collapsed. He was treated by a Mt. San Antonio athletic trainer and paramedics and taken to San Dimas Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a statement released by Rio Hondo President Ted Martinez Jr. The remainder of the all-day tournament was canceled.

Administrators and teachers at Rio Hondo College have reached an impasse in their contract negotiations, mostly because of disagreements over salary, and have requested that the state send in a mediator to help solve the differences. The talks, which had been going on since last spring, are expected to resume when a negotiator is assigned in two weeks. Meanwhile, the teachers are continuing to work under the terms of their old three-year contract, which expired in July.

Administrators and teachers at Rio Hondo College have reached an impasse in their contract negotiations, mostly because of disagreements over salary, and have requested that the state send in a mediator to help solve the differences. The talks, which had been going on since last spring, are expected to resume when a negotiator is assigned in two weeks. Meanwhile, the teachers are continuing to work under the terms of their old three-year contract, which expired in July.

Rio Hondo College improved its record to 2-2-1 with a 28-20 victory last week over College of the Desert, which had been 3-0 in the Foothill League. But football at Rio Hondo appears to be in a depressed state. The better players from the high schools in Rio Hondo's area surrounding Whittier, El Rancho and Santa Fe, tend to attend Cerritos or Fullerton colleges. "I thought we had a good program but (apparently) we don't provide a program they're interested in," said Rio Hondo Coach Clint South.

Rio Hondo Community College is one of five community colleges in the nation that will receive a national study grant. The college will receive $24,290 to research the causes of student drop-out, as well as to examine possible solutions to the problem. The award is part of the Community College Awards for Institutional Self-Study Program; funding for this project is provided by the Metropolitan Life Foundation.

Rio Hondo Community College, Whittier, won the grand prize last month at "Chautauqua 85," a student design competition held at Cal Poly Pomona under the sponsorship of the American Society of Engineers and Architects. The theme for this year's competiton was "Fun, Fantasy and Folly" and Rio Hondo's prize-winning structure resembled a South Sea island hideaway and took six hours and about $1,000 to build.

John Francis, a veteran actor and director, has had a long run at Rio Hondo College. One of its first students 27 years ago, he is now a theater professor who for the past two weeks has been directing the musical "42nd Street." "I just kind of latched on, and it's been a big love affair ever since," said Francis, who was the 20th student to enroll at the college when it opened in 1964 at the old Little Lake Elementary School in Santa Fe Springs.

Re "Abortion Issue Sets Off Dispute at L.A. College," May 7: As a college professor at a community college where Latino students are in the majority, I applaud Mount St. Mary's College for inviting Reps. Loretta and Linda Sanchez to be the commencement speakers. They will, I am sure, inspire the graduates, for whom there are too few Latina leaders in government, business and the private sector today. For all of us in higher education, the goals are the same: to foster students' critical thinking skills so that, guided by conscience and aware of social needs, they will think for themselves and make a contribution to their communities and to their country.

An 18-year-old woman was being held Monday in the slaying of a 20-year-old college student whose body was found last month in the trunk of his burning car in a remote area of Irvine, authorities said. Helen Mo, a management student at Rio Hondo College in Whittier, was arrested Thursday at her Monterey Park home, police said. Mo has two burglary convictions, meaning that a conviction in the latest case would be a third strike.

Pitching and defense define some baseball teams. Hitting and sloppy fielding is more like it for Rio Hondo College. Rio Hondo peppered Pierce pitching for 16 hits but committed eight errors and allowed the Brahmas to rally for a 12-11 victory in pool play of the Rio Hondo tournament Thursday at Pierce. Pierce's Jared Hertz lofted a two-run single to cap a four-run eighth inning and reliever Derek Morse pitched a perfect ninth to log his first save.

When Eva Cabral, 35, stepped foot in her English classroom at Rio Hondo College in Whittier earlier this month, she began what she hopes will be a family tradition. Cabral moved here at age 10 with her family of eight from the northern state of Zacatecas in Mexico. After she graduated from Garfield High in East Los Angeles in 1978 she juggled secretarial jobs. There was little question of going further in school.

Three years after taking over as president of Ventura College, Jesus Carreon will leave the post for a similar job at another community college in the Los Angeles area, officials said Thursday. Carreon will vacate the presidency at the end of June, just 36 months after moving to Ventura from El Camino College in Torrance.

Photographs and memorabilia highlighting the life of child actor-turned-U.S.-ambassador Shirley Temple are on view through Dec. 15 at the Rio Hondo College Library. The exhibition was assembled by Delmar Watson, a childhood friend of Temple's and a fellow former child actor. The college is located at 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. The exhibition is open for viewing Mondays through Thursdays, from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Information: (310) 908-3417.

The West Los Angeles College basketball team, 6-7 as the week began, will begin its Southern California Athletic Conference schedule when it plays host to Rio Hondo at 2 p.m. Jan. 7 at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Overland Avenue and Culver Boulevard, Culver City. Forward LaVar Ball is leading the Oilers in scoring and rebounding, averaging 20.3 points and 12.7 rebounds, and freshman guard Doyle Balthazar was averaging 12 points and 6.3 assists.

Three years after taking over as president of Ventura College, Jesus Carreon will leave the post for a similar job at another community college in the Los Angeles area, officials said Thursday. Carreon will vacate the presidency at the end of June, just 36 months after moving to Ventura from El Camino College in Torrance.

Rio Hondo Community College President Alex Sanchez will leave in June to take the top post at the Albuquerque Technical and Vocational Institute in New Mexico. Sanchez, who recently received a two-year contract extension, made the announcement at last week's college board meeting. Sanchez has been president of the Whittier community college since 1989, and had been active on state accreditation panels.

Like most public schools, community colleges have been feeling the pinch of hard times. With money dwindling and enrollment dropping, fiscal responsibility and trust have become the most important issues in board elections for Compton, Cerritos and Rio Hondo community colleges. This is especially true in the race for two seats on the Compton Community College board.