Halloween at the Library | Monrovia High Grad Wins Architecture Award

~ Coming up for kids at the library: Halloween Spooktacular, Saturday, Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. in the Storytime Room, and Halloween Stories and Giveaways, Thursday, Oct. 31 at 3 p.m. in the Library Community Room.

~ Former Monrovia High student wins state architecture award. http://goo.gl/hqgKur

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Driving Under the Influence; Vehicle Burglary; Shoplifting

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for Oct. 10-16. - Brad Haugaard]
 
During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 421 service events, resulting in 64 investigations.n, visit our website and follow us on Twitter for police notifications.
 
Warrants - Suspect Arrested
October 12 at 11:58 a.m., an officer on patrol recognized a male subject who had outstanding warrants walking south on Buena Vista from Huntington.  A computer check confirmed the male subject did have three outstanding warrants for his arrest.  The subject was stopped and arrested for the warrants.
 
Driving Under the Influence - Suspect Arrested
October 13 at 2:01 a.m., and officer stopped a vehicle at Myrtle and the 210 Freeway.  The driver was speeding and swerved over the dividing line, straddling the line for approximately 40 feet.  Through investigation, the officer determined the driver was driving under the influence and he was arrested.

Vehicle Burglary
October 15 at 5:58 a.m., a vehicle burglary was reported in the 400 block of Monrovista.  The victim believes his vehicle was locked when he parked it.  There were no signs of forced entry.  Unknown suspect(s) entered the vehicle and took new clothing in boxes that was left in the vehicle.  The investigation is continuing.
 
Shoplifting - Suspect Arrested
October 15 at 12:12 p.m., loss prevention personnel at a business in the 1600 block of South Mountain detained a female suspect for shoplifting.  The suspect was seen by loss prevention putting items into her purse and then exiting the store without paying for the merchandise.  She was arrested and taken into custody.
  

Monrovia Beer at Weekend Festival

Monrovia's Pacific Plate Brewing Co. will be serving its organic beer at this weekend's A Taste of Old Town Monrovia, according to the Chamber of Commerce. Advance tickets $50, at the door $60. Oct. 20, 5–8 p.m. on Myrtle Ave. Food by local restaurants, wines, spirits, live music. http://goo.gl/KpO4Rk

- Brad Haugaard

Tiger Mosquitoes Getting Close to Monrovia - Spraying Tonight

Tiger mosquitoes are getting close to Monrovia. Early tomorrow (Friday, Oct. 18), the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District will be spraying neighborhoods (dark blue on this map) just south of Mayflower Village, below Live Oak where Myrtle turns into Peck Road). Spraying will be from 1-3 a.m. from a truck, which is targeting immature mosquitoes in hidden standing water sources. The EPA has determined the chemicals are "non-toxic with no or minimal potential risk to people and other animals."

What they look like: The Asian tiger mosquito can be identified by its unique size, color, and feeding habits. The mosquito is approximately 1⁄4 inch long and has distinctive black and white stripes across its body and legs. This is an aggressive day-time biting mosquito that can transmit the viruses that cause dengue, chikungunya, and encephalitis.

What to do: If you see any small, black and white mosquitoes or if you are being bitten by mosquitoes during the day, call SGVMVCD at 626-814-9466.

Keep them from breeding:

- Search for and discard any containers, cans, buckets, old tires, and trash around the home. Store items in a covered area or indoors to prevent water from accumulating.

- Drill drain-holes in tubs, containers, trash cans, and tire swings that must be kept outdoors.

- Look closely under all bushes and behind walls for trash, plastic bags, tarps or children's toys that may collect water. Discard or store them indoors.

- Store recyclables inside covered trashcans or sealed plastic bagsRemove any water saucers from beneath potted plants and drill drain holes in all decorative flower pots.

- Do not store water in uncovered buckets or rain barrels. Ensure rain barrels are completely sealed to prevent mosquitoes from entering.

- Empty bird baths and small fountains completely or clean them thoroughly every 3 days. Request FREE mosquitofish for ponds or larger fountains.

- Clean out rain gutters and lawn drains to ensure water does not collect.

- Water plants at the soil level. Water that collects in the leaves and axils of plants will breed mosquitoes.

- Spread the word! Talk to your neighbors about preventing mosquitoes from breeding

Source: http://goo.gl/0kQQ54 and http://goo.gl/Gh4gXQ

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia vs. South Pas | Trader Joe's Comes to Town

~ Monrovia football against South Pas tomorrow (Friday) at 7 p.m. at Monrovia High.

~ Thought this was fun. A Tonawanda (near Niagara Falls, NY) newspaper columnist wonders what the fuss is about when a Trader Joe's moves to town. She finds out. Trader Joe's, of course, is based in Monrovia. http://goo.gl/kXVs4A

- Brad Haugaard

See What is Planned for Monrovia Station Square Project

Station Square Open House set for next Tuesday, Oct. 22, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall at 130 West Pomona Avenue, Monrovia. Come and learn about the Public Improvements planned for Monrovia's Station Square or visit http://goo.gl/bc9BBE.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Fundraisers, Health Expo

~ Buy a pie, support Foothill Unity Center. Get a pie voucher for a Marie Calendar pie from the Center's auxiliary: http://goo.gl/H6FIPX

~ Another Unity Center fundraiser, on Oct. 17. Paco's, at 200 E. Foothill in Arcadia, will donate 10 percent of all dining proceeds between 3-9 p.m. to Foothill Unity Center Auxiliary.

~ Set for Life Health Expo on Oct. 19 at Second Baptist Church, 925 S. Shamrock. Health screenings, workshops, healthy food choices, get-fit class, vendors and more. Free mammograms for low-income women, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. For information email patricia@setforlifenews.org; call 386-8071 or go to www.setforlifenews.org

~ Centre Stage music school has partnered with Goodwill for a charitable fundraiser on Oct. 26. You can donate gently used clothing, accessories, electronic, e-media, household items and more from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church. For info and pick-up call 297-4758.

Source: Becky Shevlin (thanks!)

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia - Home to Major Ink Cartridge Provider

Who knew Monrovia had a prominent ink cartridge provider?

Everlert, Inc., of Monrovia is "one of the most prominent providers of quality ink cartridges in the US postage meter industry." It makes cartridges for Pitney Bowes, Neopost/Hasler, FP and others. http://goo.gl/jqqnyW

- Brad Haugaard

Church Building at Palm and Primrose Bought

International Full Gospel Fellowship, located at 301 E. Foothill (about a block into Arcadia on the north side of the street) has purchased the church building at the corner of Palm and Primrose in Monrovia, next to Library Park, according to Bob Gollihugh, a member of Restored Life Fellowship, which meets in the building. He said IFGF, an Indonesian group, has asked Restored Life to stay and work with IFGF, which it has agreed to do.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's California Wine and Cheese Going Out of Business

California Wine and Cheese, on Foothill just west of Myrtle, is going out of business and will close no later than November 2. All goods are now being offered at 25 percent off.

In a newsletter announcement, the owners said the company has never been profitable, and that while wealth was not the object - introducing people to new wines and cheeses was - the company had to at least break even.

They write: "We renewed our lease in the midst of the economic downturn in 2008 confident the economy would bounce back, but, as many people understand who are still struggling to regain their own past stability, the turn-around we had hoped for has not materialized."

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's Ward Service 90th Year Anniversary Party - Old Cars, Raffle, Etc.

Longtime Monrovia automotive business, Ward Service, will celebrate 90 years of business on November 2nd, 2013, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with classic cars on display, celebrity guests, and live music at 130 Railroad Avenue in Monrovia. The event is open to the public and parking will be available at the Park & Ride lot on S. Myrtle Avenue.

 

The celebratory event celebrates Ward Service's longevity as a family-owned, family-run business from its 1923 inception through economic recessions, gasoline wars, war-time rationing, and a forced relocation to build the 210 freeway in Pasadena. Now run by the fourth generation, Ward Service is one of the oldest family-run automotive businesses in California.

 

"Ward Service has outlasted many of its competitors by holding fast to its family values and strong work ethic," notes Tom Ward, 3rd generation owner of the business. "When other service stations and tow companies closed at night, our service stations and tow trucks were operating, helping thousands of stranded motorists to get home safely. When you employ your family to run a business, you get an extra level of commitment that you can't always expect from employees."

 

The 90th anniversary party will showcase Ward Service's 'preferred status' as classic and antique car mechanics with customers and celebrity media displaying their prized classic cars. "We will have a classic rock band entertaining our guests, a taco truck, cupcakes, popcorn and snow cones," states Office Manager Melanie Ward. "We want to create an old-time feel for our event to celebrate and honor our 90-year heritage."

 

On display will be classic motorcycles, Hot Rods from the 20s to the 70s, antique cars, muscle cars, NHRA race cars, rare and unusual vehicles, and a high-wheeler bicycle for the public to view. Owner Jim Ward says, "Many of the vehicles are owned by our customers and we are proud to include them as part of our 90th Anniversary gala. To entertain our guests, we will be doing an engine blow with the local Fire Department. Later, we will hold a raffle with some large gift prizes that auto fans are sure to enjoy. All proceeds from the raffle will go to the Monrovia Fire Department to help them restore one of their antique fire trucks."

 

During Ward Service's long history (78 years of those years in Pasadena and 12 in Monrovia), the Wards have served as civic and auto industry leaders giving back to their community. Organizations they have served in leadership include Pasadena's lauded Tournament of Roses, the Pasadena Lions Club, Pasadena Optimists Club, Pasadena Junior Chamber and Pasadena Quarterbacks Club. Additionally, they have led their industry with fourth generation owners Mike and Tom Ward serving terms as president of the local chapter of the Automotive Service Council and the California Tow Truck Association. Today, fourth generation owner Jim Ward continues that heritage as president of ASCCA, after serving as president of the Rotary Club's Monrovia chapter and on the board member of the Santa Anita Family YMCA.

 

"We've built a heritage of community service throughout the generations of automotive business," says Jim Ward. "We look forward to keeping that tradition alive with the same family values that have served us through the past 90 years."

  

For more information on the Ward Service's 90th Anniversary event, please contact Melanie Ward at: (626) 357-8080 or email: jim@wardservice.com.  For more information on Ward Service, please go to: www.wardservice.com.

 

Source: Ward Service press release

 

- Brad Haugaard

Friends of Monrovia Library Has Great Fundraiser

Friends of the Monrovia Library report on Facebook that its weekend book sale "was a blowout fundraiser for the Library. The. BEST. sale. EVER."

- Brad Haugaard

'Songs in Darkness' at Monrovia's Aztec Hotel

San Gabriel Valley Choral Company will perform Songs in Darkness, "a supernatural evening of music" at Monrovia's Aztec Hotel on Saturday, October 26 at 7:30 p.m. Music includes selections from Mozart's Requiem, along with "Sure on this Shining Night" by Lauridsen, "Daemon Irrepit Callidus" by Orbán, works by Ramirez, Bach, Schubert, and more. Details: http://www.sgvccsingers.org/

- Brad Haugaard

Dog Rescued on Freeway in Monrovia

Good Samaritan rescues dog with broken leg on 210 Freeway in Monrovia. http://goo.gl/udpYHJ

- Brad Haugaard

Sign Up for Monrovia Christmas Parade | VFW Needs Nominees for Teacher of the Year

~ If you'd like to be in the Monrovia Christmas parade (Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.), here's an application form. You need to get it filled and returned by Nov. 8. http://goo.gl/ldohE3

~ Monrovia VFW is looking for nominees for its teacher of the year award. http://goo.gl/ks1ZkG

- Brad Haugaard

Will AOL Sell Its Patch News Sites?

AOL, the owner of the Patch local-news websites, including the Monrovia Patch, may be considering selling them, or finding a partner for them. http://goo.gl/SlnLe8

- Brad Haugaard

Watch for New Stop Sign! | Monrovia Over Temple City

Brad Hori writes: "There is a new stop sign at the corner of Magnolia and Evergreen, just south of the freeway. (it is now a 4-way stop). It popped up yesterday. The police have been pulling over cars that are driving through without stopping (a lot of them!)."

~ Monrovia over Temple City 54-0. http://goo.gl/jWB2DB

- Brad Haugaard

Lunch at Peach Cafe

Lunch at Peach Cafe yesterday. On Colorado almost at Ivy. Got the Philly Steak Wrap ($11.95) with vegetable beef soup and an iced tea ($2.75). Plus tax and tip. I'm no Philly expert but it was pretty tasty. 

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Company Plans IPO | Biker Against Trafficking | Art Festival | Unity Volunteer Dies

~ Monrovia's Xencor, Inc. announced today that is registering with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering of shares of its common stock. http://goo.gl/fGujeX

~ Garrett Zambrows will speak at First Baptist Church (223 S. Encinitas) on his planned five-month, circumnavigating the country bike ride against human trafficking. http://goo.gl/kGbPDn

~ Monrovia Association of Fine Arts will hold an art festival tomorrow and Sunday (Oct. 12, 13), 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Library Park. Art for sale, demonstrations, entertainment, refreshments. Also, at 10 a.m. Der Kleiner Panzers Volkswagen Club will display custom built high performance Volkswagens.

~ Foothill Unity Center reports that "one of our most faithful volunteers, Henry Thedinga, recently passed away peacefully at 96 after a stroke. Henry and his wife, Lou, volunteered with and supported us for 14 years."

- Brad Haugaard

Thoughts on Monrovia School Board Candidates Forum

From left: Terrence Williams, Alex Zucco, Ruhhiyyih Yuille, Scott Pomrehn.

Thoughts on the Monrovia School Board Candidates Forum tonight. You get to vote for two of these folks on Nov. 5:

- Terrence Williams emphasized his lengthy involvement with schools and youth in town and spoke of his desire to get local businesses to contribute to the schools. His work with gangs gave a lot of credence to his answer to a question about bullying (he said it needs to be dealt with directly with the bully and the bully's parents) and his answer to a question about the importance of counselors (he said they are as important as teachers and that kids will tell counselors things they'd never tell their parents). He said the most important issue facing the district is the board's cohesiveness.

- As the incumbent, Alex Zucco emphasized her experience, and her knowledge of the district came through regularly in her answers. She said the biggest problem facing the district is the state of its facilities, that while Monrovia High has had a nice upgrade, the other schools need work as well. The problem with implementing the Core Curriculum, she said, is that the district is only getting about $1 million to implement a $3 million project.

- Ruhhiyyih Yuille spoke of her broad experience as a teacher and that her family has lived in Monrovia since the 1950s. She was easily the best public speaker of the crew and had a nicely prepared opening statement which she delivered very well. Everyone else ad libed. Oddly, she then ad libed her closing statement. She shined best when questioned on general educational questions, such as her opinion of the Common Core curriculum. She said standards have been adopted, but no curriculum. If the district gets more money, she said her priorities would be: 1. Teacher training, 2. Class size reduction, 3. Excellent curriculum - and she'd like to negotiate a raise for the teachers.

- Scott Pomrehn emphasized his long experience in local government and that he now has time that he can devote to board work. I think he had the most interesting idea of the night, which is that Monrovia should introduce on-line classes and maybe round up students from outside the district. He emphasized local control and said that "If Sacramento and Washington would let us use our money the way we want, we'd be a lot better off." I'm with him on that.

Someone asked if the district would consider issuing a bond "to fund programs." Now this "to fund programs" phrase set off alarm bells in my head. In my view, issuing a bond (which is basically taking out a loan) should ONLY be for specific and occasional big-ticket expenses, never for day-to-day expenses. You take out a loan to buy a car or a house, not to pay the rent. So, anyway, I was very surprised that Pomrehn - whom I thought was a numbers kinda guy and thought would nail that question - said he would consider that as an option if necessary. I thought that was a peculiar answer, though maybe he understood the question differently than I did or maybe there are methods of using bonds I'm not aware of.

Best answers of the evening were to the question, "Are you an independent thinker?" To which each of the candidates unanimously responded, Yes, yes, yes, and yes.

UPDATE: Scott Pomrehn responds: Thank you for covering the forum. To clarify, I completely agree with you on the use of bond funds, or as you correctly stated, "a loan", for on-going operational costs. I made an assumption and should have had the moderator clarify the question. Again, thank you for informing Monrovians about the upcoming election.

- Brad Haugaard