Community

Filmmaker Loni Ding, best known in the Japanese American community for her 1980s documentaries “Nisei Soldier” and “The Color of Honor,” has died at the age of 78.

Ding was one of the founders of the National Asian American Telecommunications Association (NAATA), now known as Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), the presenter of the annual San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival and sponsor of Asian American programming on PBS. She also taught Asian American studies at UC Berkeley.

SAN JOSE — With Census Day quickly approaching on April 1, the U.S. Census Bureau is preparing to notify households of what to expect in the upcoming weeks, and the community is asked to respond by carefully reading all census-related materials sent to their households and seeking help if they have any questions about Census 2010.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on March 5 announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key administration post:

David Mineta, deputy director for demand reduction, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Executive Office of the President.

Obama also announced his intent to appoint several individuals to serve on the Recovery Independent Advisory Panel.

"These impressive individuals will be valued additions to our team as we work to confront the challenges facing our nation,” he said. “I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come."

Kimochi Inc., a senior service agency based in San Francisco Japantown, will host its first-time-ever fundraising telethon on Saturday, March 27, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on KTSF, the Bay Area’s foremost Asian-language TV station.

SAN JOSE — The San Jose City Council has voted unanimously to designate a restaurant building a historic landmark in the city’s Japantown district.

The Historic Landmarks Commission recommended the designation of the Ken Ying Low building at 625 N. 6th St. as Historic Landmark No. 180. Japantown, located just north of the city center, evolved from one of San Jose’s six Chinatown settlements in the late 19th century.

WASHINGTON — The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) announces that David Lin has been appointed to the JACL National Board of Directors as vice president of membership.

Lin is a life member of the JACL and a Millennium Club member. He has worked closely with the JACL in developing a strong corporate partnership with AT&T.

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — As the first decade of the new century closed, the St. Cloud Times posed a question: Who has been most influential locally in the past 10 years?

Dr. Roy H. Saigo was selected by online public polling as one of those people, along with the mayor, two legislators, and other community leaders. The results were announced in the Times’ Feb. 14 issue.

The San Francisco Board of Education on Feb. 23 voted unanimously to adopt the name Ruth Asawa San Francisco High School for the Arts.

Board member Jill Wynns has been working on persuading the local artist, known for her sculptures throughout the city, to accept an honor from the San Francisco Unified School District for many years. Asawa is one of the school’s founders.

By GERRYE WONG
Special to the Hokubei

For two nights in San Francisco this month, patrons at fundraising events were given the opportunity to reminisce and/or learn about the “Swinging Chinatown Days: The Golden Age of Chinese Nightclubs,” the title of an exhibit being shown at The Old Mint, 88 Fifth St. in San Francisco.

To start down memory lane, Cynthia Yee and her Grant Avenue Follies ladies presented their night of nostalgia at the Four Seas Restaurant in the middle of Chinatown before a sell-out dinner crowd of over 200.

The deadline to apply for the 2010 Nikkei Youth Cultural Heritage (NYCH) Program is Friday, March 5.

Partial scholarships of $500 are available for students applying for the program through the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC).