News: brad.haugaard@gmail.com   •  Restaurants   •  Library Catalog   •  Library Activities  •  History   •  Facebook / X/Twitter / RSS

Park Victoria, Monrovia?


Curious. The Apple map of Monrovia in the iPhone and iPad reveal whole sections of Monrovia I've never heard of. I wonder if this is even correct. Have you heard of these districts - underlined in red - in Monrovia? I've heard of Canyon Park, but as a park, not as a district just north of Huntington and east of California. Park Victoria? Lyric Place? Hamby Park? Click image to enlarge.

- Brad Haugaard

Man Shot in Monrovia County Area

Man injured in shooting in Monrovia county area. http://goo.gl/oxyuyK

- Brad Haugaard

Volunteer for 'Back to School' Distribution

Foothill Unity Center of Monrovia wrote on Facebook that it "is still signing up volunteers for our Back to School Distribution next Monday and Tuesday. Morning and afternoon shifts both days, plus an evening shift Tuesday. Email raina@foothillunitycenter.org to check what's open."

- Brad Haugaard

Film Fest in Monrovia

Action on Film International Film Festival will be held in Monrovia starting August 16-24. Dozens of independent films in many genres. Details: http://goo.gl/C0EDmy

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police Bugged by Court Decision That Could Release Convicts

Monrovia Police Department is apparently bothered by a Supreme Court decision it says would release up to 10,000 convicts onto California streets.

In its Neighborhood Watch Report, the department quotes California Police Chiefs Association President, Covina Police Chief Kim Raney:

"Despite the requests of the Governor, the California State Sheriffs, and the California Police Chiefs, all who are still dealing with the early impacts of Realignment on California's criminal justice system and rising crime rates in California, the Court majority apparently decided to place convicted criminals' concerns over the safety of California's communities and citizens. The Court refused to consider the improvements made in California's prisons and the already reduced population figures and chose instead to allow for the release of more felons into already overburdened communities."

The CPCA represents the state's municipal police chiefs, whose agencies protect over 78 percent of the citizens of California.

Source: Monrovia Police Department

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Pistol Robbery on West Lime; Designated Driver Is Not Enough; Pedestrian Succeeds in Getting Hurt; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for August 1-4. - Brad Haugaard]
 
Following are the weekend's highlighted issues and events.  
 
Robbery
On August 1 at 12:03 p.m., officers responded to the 300 block of West Lime regarding a robbery.  The victim was standing in front of his residence when he was approached by a male, Black, early 20's, 6-03, 190 lbs, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black pants.  The victim was on his cell phone and believed the suspect may have been a friend, when he turned to look at the suspect he realized that he did not recognize him.  The suspect pulled out a black and silver semi-auto pistol and pushed the barrel against the victim's shoulder and told him to empty his pockets.  The victim retrieved $30.00 from his pockets and gave it to the suspect.  The suspect was last seen heading west on Lime.  The investigation is continuing.
 
Injury Traffic Collision / Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol
On August 2 at 1:09 a.m., police responded to Primrose and Chestnut regarding a traffic collision.  The suspect was being driven home by a friend because he had too much to drink. The suspect told his friend they had reached his home and she handed him the keys.   The friend got into another vehicle and was driving away, when she noticed the suspect get back into his vehicle and begin to drive away.  The friend followed the suspect as he drove at a high rate of speed until he collided with a legally parked car.  The impact caused the vehicle to roll over onto the roof. An officer arrived and found the driver still strapped in by his seatbelt.  Upon contacting the driver, he noticed signs and symptoms of alcohol use.  The suspect was taken by ambulance to a hospital.  While at the hospital, the suspect refused to submit to a blood test.  The officer will be requesting a subpoena for lab results and charges pending further investigation.
 
Warrant – Suspect Arrested
On August 3 at 12:19 a.m., an officer was contacted by a concerned citizen who pointed out a suspicious person in a vehicle in the 200 block of North Shamrock.  The officer contacted the subject who claimed to be waiting for a friend who lives in the area. A computer check revealed he was on probation and had an outstanding, felony no-bail warrant.  The officer also located an air-soft, semi-auto, pistol beneath the right front passenger seat.  The suspect claimed he confiscated the pistol from his son.  The suspect was arrested for the warrant.
 
Ex-Felon in Possession of a Firearm / Carrying a Concealed Firearm / Suspended License - Suspects Arrested
On August 3 at 5:25 p.m., Special Enforcement Officers conducted a traffic stop on a motorist for a vehicle code violation.  Upon contacting the two occupants, the officers discovered the occupants are gang members and both on probation.  The occupants appeared unusually nervous and the driver did not have valid identification.  Both occupants were asked to exit the vehicle. A pat-down search on the passenger recovered a revolver concealed in his waistband, the weapon was not loaded.  The passenger was arrested for the weapons violation and the driver was arrested for a vehicle code violation pending verification of his identity. Both suspects were booked and served with the gang injunction court order.
 
Injury Traffic Collision – Vehicle vs. Pedestrian / Mental Evaluation Hold
On August 4 at 7:00 a.m., a pedestrian wanted to harm himself and intentionally darted into traffic in the 400 block of East Duarte.  The pedestrian was struck by a motorist and sustained minor injuries.  The pedestrian was taken by ambulance to the hospital where he was treated and placed under a 72 hour hold for mental evaluation.
 
Theft From a Vehicle
On August 5 at 5:03 a.m. an officer responded to the 100 block of El Nido regarding a theft from a vehicle.  The victim's laptop computer was taken from her unlocked vehicle that was parked in the driveway.  The investigation is continuing.

Principal Letourneau to Glendora | Music Man Article

~ On Facebook, School Board member Alex Zucco thanks and congratulates Santa Fe Middle School Principal, Ron Letourneau, who has been selected to be principal of the Glendora Unified School District Continuation High School and Alternative Education Program.

~ An article in the Star-News about the professional production of The Music Man at Monrovia High.
http://goo.gl/yDRnti

- Brad Haugaard

Mariachi Music in the Park | E-Waste Recycling

~ Summer concert at the bandshell in Library Park, this Sunday, August 4, 7-8:30 p.m. Mariachi Divas (Mariachi).

~ Just saw a sign saying there will be an electronic waste recycling event at Monrovia Home Depot on August 10.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Y Announces Its Honorees

On Facebook, the Santa Anita Family YMCA in Monrovia has announced its honorees for its Red Envelope Gala on September 26. They are:

- Sandra Mejia - Cathy Hotchkin Humanitarian Award
- Monrovia Memorial Hospital - Business of the Year
- Terry Hotchkin - Volunteer of the Year

- Brad Haugaard

Lunch at Rudy's Mexican Food


Lunch at Rudy's Mexican Food at Myrtle and Colorado. Got the Carne Asada Plate ($8.65) with an iced tea. Very good. Cut up the steak and made tacos. 
- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Council: New Fire Training Tower; Report Crimes Online; Etc.

At its August 6 meeting (agenda: http://goo.gl/ECJC1x ), the Monrovia City Council will ...

~ Consider replacing the existing three-story training tower at fire station 102 with a new four-story tower. The new tower will cost $716,765 and its associated equipment $153,228. Monrovia would split operational costs with Arcadia and the thing would be paid for by a Homeland Security grant. http://goo.gl/9yywwn

~ Consider spending $25,110 to buy an online reporting system so residents can file lower priority police reports from their home or business computers, thereby reducing the time officers spend preparing these types of reports and allowing officers to remain in the field to handle higher priority calls. http://goo.gl/tIJU1O

~ Consider spending $79,862 to buy two firefighter survival mobil props. Paid for by a Homeland Security grant. http://goo.gl/qD5qNK

~ Consider spending $122,055.00 to replace bad sewer line on Ridgeside Drive. http://goo.gl/uE1K2z

~ Consider paying Karen Warner Associates $46,015 for an update of the city's Housing Element, part of Monrovia's General Plan. http://goo.gl/seujuC

~ Have another closed session meeting about police and fire negotiations.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Unveils New Interim Website


The City of Monrovia launched an interim website on August 1, 2013 as part of a larger redesign process approved by the City Council in July 2013.

The interim site serves as the first step in the design process.  The site currently features most of the content from the old site, with some pages are still under construction.  All website content will be uploaded to the interim site over the next few weeks.

The redesign process allows for the City to offer information on programs, services and access to public information in a way that is more streamlined for residents, visitors and businesses logging on to www.cityofmonrovia.org

The new, customized design will be incorporated into the site September 2013.  Once completed, it will feature micro-sites for each City Department, a mobile-specific site for those accessing the website on a smartphone or tablet, email subscriptions, an emergency alert ticker, a Google-optimized search engine, social networking integration, rotating banner images, photo album slideshows, and the customized design for branding and marketing.

Aha Consulting, an Oregon-based website firm that specializes in government websites, is hosting the interim site and designing the new website.

Source: City of Monrovia press release

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Petty Thefts, Delusions, Burglary

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for July 29–31. - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 449 service events, resulting in 72 investigations.

Commercial Burglary / Petty Theft with Prior - Suspect Arrested

On July 29, at 4:29 p.m., officers were dispatched to a business in the 1600 block of South Mountain regarding a shoplifter in custody. A male suspect was being detained for stealing over $500 worth of merchandise and using a booster bag. A computer check revealed he had several prior thefts with convictions. The suspect was arrested and charged with burglary and petty theft with a prior.

Mental Evaluation / Warrant – Suspect Arrested

On July 31 at 4:00 p.m., an officer stopped a male in the 100 block of East Lemon, who had been reportedly bothering several store owners by walking in and out of their stores behaving oddly. A computer check revealed the subject had minor warrants out of Los Angeles. While the subject was being booked he was having delusional thoughts and began banging his body against the wall and the bars of the jail. The subject was taken to a hospital, where he was held for mental evaluation.

Residential Burglary

On July 31 at 8:21 p.m., an officer responded to the 500 block of West Foothill regarding a residential burglary. The victim went home after work and noticed someone had been in the home. She was unable to say what was taken. The suspect (s) entered through a front unlocked window. There were no signs of forced entry found.

Scout Gathers Food for Unity Center

The Star-News supplement, The Weekly Star, has a nice article today about Boy Scout Garrett Coombs, who organized a pancake breakfast held at the Monrovia Knights of Columbus building, for his Eagle Scout project. Coombs accepted non-perishable foods as payment for breakfast. The food is being donated to the Foothill Unity Center.

-Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Basketball Camp

Santa Anita Family Y reports on Facebook that it still has spaces for its Basketball Camp, August 5-8, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The camp is taught by Isaiah Fox and Bertram Hall. Isaiah played at the University of Arizona and professionally overseas. Bertram is a Y staff member and plays for Azusa Pacific.
 
- Brad Haugaard

Who to Call If You Dig Up Mastodon Bones

Here's an interesting Monrovia company. Its website says Paleo Solutions is "an environmental consulting firm specializing in paleontological and archaeological resources management." I guess they help if you dig up saber-tooth tiger bones while grading a road or something. http://goo.gl/KWpdwt

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's STAAR Surgical Reports Strong Earnings

STAAR Surgical of Monrovia, which makes replacement eye lenses, today reported revenue of $18.2 million for the second quarter of 2013, up 14 percent compared to $15.9 million for the second quarter of 2012. http://goo.gl/gHXeFn

- Brad Haugaard

Will Feds Mess With Monrovia's Water? | Shooting at the Repo Man

~ Might the federal government interfere with Monrovia's supply of water from the mountains? http://goo.gl/U62uYu

~ Man arrested in Monrovia county area. Suspected of shooting at the car repo man. http://goo.gl/3kjWcj

- Brad Haugaard

Produce in the Park | Monrovia PD Looks for Robber

~ Produce in the Park this Saturday, August 3, 9-11 a.m. in Library Park at the corner of Lime and Myrtle. See what's been growing in your neighbor's gardens.

~ Monrovia Police look for armed robber who robbed Duarte store. http://goo.gl/87tunc

- Brad Haugaard

Virtual Public School Info Meeting In Monrovia

Capistrano Connections Academy, a tuition-free virtual public school chartered through the Capistrano Unified School District and available to students in grades K-12 , will host a free information session in Monrovia for families interested in learning about its online program. The session will take place on August 13 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Courtyard Monrovia - 700 W. Huntington Dr. In Monrovia. 
 
- Brad Haugaard