- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia's STAAR Surgical - Waiting on the FDA
Profile on Monrovia's STAAR Surgical. It's new product has been approved for sale in Europe, but not in the U.S. Still waiting on word from the FDA. http://goo.gl/f8s4I
Gold Line Tightens Its Travel Reimbursement Requirements
The Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority Board of Directors is tightening its guidelines for out-of-state travel expenditures by Board members and Authority employees and clarifying reporting requirements for all expenses. Only reimbursement for business-class hotels; travelers should take public transportation when available; no reimbursement for first class or business class air fares; a $90 daily max for food and expenses; and no reimbursement for personal expenses, such as movie rentals.
Source: http://goo.gl/XPaI4
OPINION: Well... good. Rather bizarre that the Gold Line sent this out to the world as a press release, and it makes me wonder what prompted it, but still... good.
- Brad Haugaard
Portantino to Battle Liu to Represent Monrovia in State Senate
Democratic State Assemblyman Anthony Portantino will challenge Democrat Carol Liu for her seat in the State Senate, according to an informed source. Although Liu's district does not currently include Monrovia, with redistricting, it will.
According to the source, who prefers to remain nameless, Portantino - though he has not officially announced his candidacy - has been quite open about his intentions, attempting to secure endorsements from prominent Monrovians.
Portantino and Liu are both Democrats, and the one who wins would presumably face a Republican in the general election.
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia PD: Domestic Violence with Child Endangerment, Senior Citizen Scam, Shorts in the Rain, Vandalism, Etc.
[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for Nov. 10-16. - Brad Haugaard]
During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 509 service events, resulting in 97 investigations. Following are the highlighted issues and events. To see a complete listing of crimes reported, go to http://www.crimemapping.com/map/ca/monrovia for crime mapping.
Domestic Violence
On November 10 at 10:36 p.m., police responded to the 100 block of South Alta Vista regarding a domestic disturbance. The disturbance was between a male and female who have a four-year-old child together and are in the process of separating, but still live together at this time. The male subject was upset and pushed the female out the front door and down a small flight of stairs. When she hit the ground, she struck her head and sustained other visible injuries. The male subject disabled all of the phones so the female could not call police. He grabbed the small child and held her as he yelled threats to the victim, stating he would harm or kill her. The child was traumatized by the incident. Police arrived and arrested the suspect without further incident. He was booked for domestic violence, criminal threats, disabling the phones, and for child endangerment.
Grand Theft Auto
On November 12 at 1:01 a.m., a vehicle was reported stolen in the 200 block of Los Angeles. The vehicle was a white, 1994 Honda Civic. The vehicle was stolen some time between 11:00 p.m. on November 11 and 1:00 a.m. on November 12.
Mental Evaluation
On November 12 at 4:00 a.m., an officer on patrol in the 900 block of South Mountain saw a male subject walking in the rain wearing only shorts. The subject told officers he had not slept for three days, he had not taken his medication, and he did not know where he was or where he was going. He was taken to a hospital, where he was held for mental evaluation.
Residential Burglary - Senior Citizen Scam
On November 12 at 11:24 a.m., an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 300 block of North Magnolia regarding a theft report. The theft had occurred the day before at the home of a senior citizen couple in their late 80's. On November 11 at 5:00 p.m., the female victim answered her door to two male, White suspects in their late 20's. She recognized the suspects as two subjects who had come to their home a month prior, soliciting car service. The two suspects actually did minor repair work at the home on the couple's vehicle. The victim's husband was not home, so the suspects asked to leave their phone number. When the victim walked to her kitchen and told them to wait while she got a pen and paper, they followed her inside, uninvited. One suspect asked to use the restroom while the other distracted the woman, but instead of using the restroom, he went into her bedroom and stole money and all of her jewelry. The two suspects left and the victim did not discover the theft until later that evening. The suspects were driving a black, Ford F150 truck with chrome wheels.
Commercial Burglary
On November 12 at 11:46 a.m., police responded to a burglary that occurred in the 400 block of South Myrtle at a private business. The business is only accessible from the rear alley and one must walk up a flight of stairs. The suspect(s) forced a window open to gain entry and stole money and a laptop.
Attempt Armed Robbery
On November 12 at 6:06 p.m., a male subject in his late 20's approached a woman in a parking lot in the 600 block of West Huntington. The suspect displayed a black handgun and demanded the victim give him her purse. The victim refused to give up her purse and the suspect turned and fled on foot, heading east. The suspect is described at a male Hispanic, wearing blue jeans and a grey shirt with a graphic design on the shoulder. Officers responded and conducted an area search for the suspect, but were not able to locate him. There was no harm to the victim and no loss.
Vehicle Burglary
On November 14 at 7:45 p.m., police responded to the report of a window-smash vehicle burglary that occurred in a business parking lot in the 700 block of East Huntington. The crime occurred between 6:20 and 7:35 p.m. There was no loss. Investigation continuing.
Vehicle Burglary
On November 14 at 10:01 p.m., dispatch received a call reporting a window-smash vehicle burglary that occurred in a business parking lot in the 500 block of West Huntington. The crime occurred between 6:00 and 10:00 p.m. There was no loss. Investigation continuing.
Vehicle Burglary / Grand Theft Auto Recovery
On November 15 at 1:13 a.m., a 1993 Honda Accord was reported stolen from the front of a residence in the 1400 block of South Magnolia. The crime occurred between 9:30 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. The vehicle was found and recovered a short distance away. The GPS system and a toolbox had been stolen from the vehicle. Investigation continuing.
Possession of Narcotics / Possession of Narcotics Paraphernalia - Suspect Arrested
On November 16 at 7:05 p.m., police received a call reporting a suspicious vehicle parked at Greystone and Ivy. Officers arrived and found the male occupant was preparing to ingest heroin. He was arrested for possession of narcotics and narcotics paraphernalia and taken into custody.
Serial Vandalism - Suspects Arrested
On November 16 at 8:09 p.m., police received a call reporting a vandalism incident that had just occurred in the 300 block of East Colorado. Two male suspects were seen "tagging" a wall and fleeing on foot. Officers arrived and began a search of the area. A witness told an officer the suspects ran through an apartment complex. Officers entered the complex and were seen by the suspects, who immediately attempted to run away. They were detained quickly and positively identified by the witness. Through investigation, it was learned that these two suspects are responsible for an extensive series of recent vandalism. The suspects each confessed to other crimes and led officers to additional unreported vandalisms. Also discovered during the investigation, were the identities of two previously unknown suspects. These two have also been responsible for many recent vandalism incidents. The suspects, a male juvenile and male adult, were booked for vandalism. The juvenile was cited and released to his mother. The adult was booked for felony vandalism and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Other charges are pending on all four suspects.
Monrovia's AeroVironment on Cover of Time | Murder Trial | Huff 'Job Champ'
~ Monrovia's AeroVironment makes the cover of Time magazine for its hummingdrone: http://goo.gl/U3UCX
~ Opening statements in trial of Brian Lee Randone, charged with killing Monrovia woman. Prosecution: http://goo.gl/jFemB - Defense: http://goo.gl/GrTUY
~ Monrovia's state senator, Bob Huff, named "job champion." http://goo.gl/vwTuI
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Medical Device Company May Sell in Europe
Monrovia's STAAR Surgical has received permission to sell its inside-the-eye lens in Europe. http://goo.gl/lHDuI
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Christmas Tree Lighting and Home Decorating Contest
~ The annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony will take place on Thursday, Dec. 1, at 6 p.m. in Library Park, followed by the holiday parade - "Santa, Snowmen and Song" - at 7 p.m.
~ There will also be a holiday home decorating contest. Details here ( http://goo.gl/jx3ID ), at the bottom of the page, and here is the application form: http://goo.gl/LJq5I
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia's State Senator Backs Off High-Speed Rail
State Senator Bob Huff, who represents Monrovia, said he likes high-speed rail in concept, but with details of the LA-to-San Francisco plan now public, "I can no longer support this project as it is now framed." He said it costs too much ($98.5 billion), would not be finished until 2033, and early construction would be "far away from the state’s major population centers." He says the project needs to be scaled back or modified: http://goo.gl/0q13g
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia CEO is Entrepreneur of Year | Paintings by Cynthia Britain | Monrovia Hummingbird Wins Award
~ The CEO of Monrovia's Green Dot, Steve Streit, has been named Entrepreneur of the Year in the Financial Services sector by Ernst & Young. http://goo.gl/CbQmK
~ Works by oil painter Cynthia Britain now on display at Segil Fine Art, 110 W. Lime. Here's an article about her in American Art Collector Magazine: http://goo.gl/P88Ux
~ AeroVironment's nano hummingbird drone wins one of Popular Science's "Best of What's New" awards ( http://goo.gl/ITTWK ). And here's a write-up in Patch: http://goo.gl/U1g6h
- Brad Haugaard
The New Monrovia High School
At the ribbon-cutting tonight for the refurbished Monrovia High School, Board of Education President Ed Gililland called it "a world-class school for world-class students."Pictures show the computer lab in the new science building (that's Mayor Mary Ann Lutz looking on), the refurbished cafeteria, and the refurbished auditorium.
- Brad Haugaard
- Brad Haugaard
Portantino Says: I Told You So - Education is at Risk | Duarte City Council to Promote Monrovia
~ In a press release, Assemblymember Anthony Portantino, who represents part of Monrovia, writes that: "Today’s numbers from the well-respected Legislative Analyst’s Office confirm what I feared all along: education funding is at risk. Back in June, the budget was hastily adopted without vetting the impact on our students and schools. I thought then and feel the same way now, that it was more important to get the budget right than fast. Unfortunately, fast was the order of the day and I voted 'no'. I am hopeful that future projections are better but I am quite concerned that the risks facing our schools are too great to take without comprehensive public review."
UPDATE: From the other side of the aisle, State Senator Bob Huff, who represents Monrovia, said the budget shortfall "doesn’t come as a surprise to Senate Republicans." He said "Democrats are already seeking to sidestep the 'trigger reductions' they voted for and calling for new tax increases instead." http://goo.gl/WzjZf
~ The Duarte City Council will soon be wearing Monrovia t-shirts for a lunch or dinner engagement. (Our neighboring city council lost a friendly wager with the Monrovia City Council.) http://goo.gl/G95cY
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Cross Country Qualifier | Headhunter Firm to Find New City Manager
~ Max Armenta is Monrovia High's first Cross Country CIF Prelims qualifier in the last 10 years. He finished the course in 15:31.0, a personal record that placed him 34th out of 107 runners. http://goo.gl/ba4Su
~ The Monrovia City Council has selected the headhunter company, Bob Murray & Associates, to find a city manager to replace Scott Ochoa, who will be city manager in Glendale. http://goo.gl/o3YbJ
- Brad Haugaard
First Monrovia New Year's Eve Party
A band, a ball drop, beer and wine, at the First Annual New Year's Eve Party on Myrtle Avenue. http://goo.gl/Nel9q
- Brad Haugaard
Gold Line Bridge - Possible Partial Freeway Closures
Working on the Gold Line freeway bridge abutments.
Construction on the Gold Line bridge near Santa Anita Avenue may mean partial closures of the eastbound 210 between now and Nov. 26 (except for sure not on Nov. 24 and 25), between 10 p.m. and 1 p.m. the following day. The crew will be working on the east abutment (where the bridge hits ground), including digging 18 foundation holes. They may also get some work done on the west abutment and perhaps start pouring concrete for the three main columns.
- Brad Haugaard (from Gold Line press release)
Support Monrovia's Wild Rose School at Souplantation
Help Wild Rose Elementary by having dinner at the Arcadia Souplantation on Tuesday, Nov. 15, from 5-8 p.m. 20% of sales go to Wild Rose, but you gotta present this coupon: http://goo.gl/Esm6t
- Brad Haugaard
Cutting Down Monrovia Eucalyptus Trees | Holiday Parade | Reducing Pollution | Green Dot Emergency Prep
~ Fire crews from LA County Fire Camp 19 have been cutting down eucalyptus trees in Ruby Canyon, next to Monrovia homes. Monrovia Fire Department reports the trees "are notorious for their fire behavior, present a potential obstruction to flood control efforts, and having escaped cultivation and aggressively spread, they threatened to do significant damage to the diverse natural canyon wildlife habitat."
~ Monrovia's Holiday Parade is scheduled for Thursday, Dec, 1, starting with a tree lighting ceremony at 6 p.m. in Library Park. The parade begins at 7 p.m. at the corner of Myrtle and Chestnut Avenues, traveling north and ending at Myrtle and Palm. The parade is sponsored by Monrovia's Old Town merchants.
~ The City of Monrovia has again met the South Coast Air Quality Management District's requirement to reduce pollution caused by employee commuting. The weekly city manager's report says: "Monrovia has continuously exceeded its AVR [average vehicle ridership] target by a comfortable margin."
~ Seventeen Green Dot employees are currently halfway through Monrovia Fire Department emergency response training and will be graduating by the end of November.
Source: http://goo.gl/mh4AS
- Brad Haugaard
Star-News Cuts Paper Size
The Pasadena Star-News, which covers Monrovia, has announced that for its paper edition it will discontinue its weekly television listings on Nov. 27, instead offering subscribers a subscription to TV Weekly magazine "at a highly discounted rate off the cover price."
OPINION: Sad... again. A little while ago the Star-News dropped its Saturday editorial page, now it is dropping TV listings (which will save it from having to print four pages). This does not seem to be going in the right direction.
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Football | Profile of Green Dot CEO | Trial Starts for Killing of Monrovia Woman | Maryknoll Boutique
~ A look at the CIF-SS Mid-Valley Division football playoffs. http://goo.gl/EowKe
~ Profile of Steven W. Streit, founder and CEO of Monrovia's Green Dot. http://goo.gl/gcvru
~ Trial begins for suspect in slaying of Monrovia woman, Felicia Lee. http://goo.gl/7WIQt
~ Maryknoll Guild annual brunch and boutique. http://goo.gl/MP88p
- Brad Haugaard
Donate a Turkey for Free to Monrovia's Unity Center
Albertsons is offering a "buy one turkey and get another one free" deal. And if you don't need two turkeys, you can have the market donate the second turkey to Foothill Unity Center to give to a local, needy family. http://goo.gl/VijeN
- Brad Haugaard
Portantino vs. Liu?
Will Anthony Portantino (who represents part of Monrovia in the state Assembly) challenge State Senator Carol Liu? http://goo.gl/TXV55
- Brad Haugaard
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