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See's Candies Opens on Huntington Drive in Monrovia


A new See's Candies store has opened in the Huntington Oaks shopping center on Huntington Drive just in time for the holidays. Brad Hori writes that it is "conveniently sandwiched between Lindora  and Kirkland's Home." (Thanks, Brad!)

- Brad Haugaard

Rainy Days in Monrovia? | Home Gets Historic Status | Most Expensive Home

~ Good chance of rain during the next few days. 20% today, 60% tomorrow (Thursday), 30% Friday and 40% Saturday. http://goo.gl/j2jL1J

~ Home at 505 N. Alta Vista Ave. getting historic status. http://goo.gl/HWnCxN

~ Home listed for sale at almost $2 million, at 921 East Greystone. Looks like the most expensive home currently for sale in town. http://goo.gl/AfNoZi

- Brad Haugaard

Gravel Bags Available to Protect From Flooding

Gravel bags are now available to Monrovia residents impacted by the Madison Fire. Call the Public Works Department at 932-5575 to request gravel bags, which will be delivered upon request, Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m. After hours, on weekends and during holidays, bags may be picked up at Fire Station 101 (141 E. Lemon Avenue).

Residents will need to fill the bags with gravel, which will be available at two locations within the neighborhoods affected by the fire. Residents should bring eye protection, gloves and a shovel to scoop gravel into the bags. Gravel is available at 443 Highland Place and 839 Crescent Drive in Monrovia.

For more information, please contact the City of Monrovia Public Works Department at (626) 932-5575.

Source: City press release

- Brad Haugaard

Three New Monrovia Restaurants Coming on Huntington

New restaurants (at old Acapulco site) nearing completion: Panera Bread, SmashBurger and Chipotle. http://goo.gl/cZKfLz

- Brad Haugaard

Thoughts on Monrovia vs. Montebello | Xencor Delays IPO

~ The San Gabriel Valley Tribune sports writer Aram Tolegian gives his thoughts on the upcoming Monrovia vs. Montebello game. http://goo.gl/bFhznS

~ Monrovia based Xencor, a biotech firm, was planning to go public, but has delayed its initial public offering, citing poor market conditions. http://goo.gl/HyvQb2

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Attacking Grandma; Counterfeiting; Throwing Rocks at Car; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for Nov. 14-17. - Brad Haugaard]

Following are the weekend’s highlighted issues and events.

Hit and Run Traffic Collision – Vehicle vs. Pedestrian
November 14, 2013, at approximately 8:13 p.m., the Monrovia Police Department received a phone call reporting that a pedestrian had been struck by a vehicle near the intersection of Alta Vista and Cypress, and the suspect vehicle had fled the scene.

When officers arrived on scene, they located the victim and a witness.  The witness reported that a vehicle traveling west on Cypress Avenue made a left turn onto Alta Vista and failed to stop for the posted stop sign.  The driver of the vehicle lost control and made a wide left turn, drifting into the parking lane, where it struck a male adult who had been standing near a parked vehicle and was walking back to the sidewalk.  The victim was struck below the waist and fell onto the hood of the suspect vehicle.  The suspect abruptly stopped the vehicle at the west curb, ejecting the victim from the hood of the vehicle and onto the west sidewalk of Alta Vista.  The suspect put the vehicle in reverse and then sped away south on Alta Vista, out of sight.  The victim sustained minor lacerations to his upper and lower body, and his right ankle was fractured from the impact of the vehicle.

The suspect is described as a female Hispanic or African American in her mid-to-late 30s, and the vehicle is described as a newer-model, small-to-midsized, white, SUV-style vehicle.  The investigation is currently ongoing.  Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Monrovia Police Department Watch Commander.

Elder Abuse – Suspect Arrested
November 15 at 1:15 p.m., a 72-year-old female subject called police to report she was assaulted by her 22-year-old grandson.  He has been staying with her for the past 3 months.  The victim reported that she was choked and slapped by her grandson; she sustained visible injuries.  The grandson was arrested and an emergency protective order was issued for the victim.

Grand Theft Auto
November 15 at 5:07 p.m., a vehicle was reported stolen from the 1500 block of South Mayflower.  The victim parked and secured the vehicle in front of the location at 5:00 a.m.  The victim noticed his vehicle was missing at 4:30 p.m.  The vehicle is a grey, four-door, 1991 Honda Accord.  The investigation is continuing.

Driving Under the Influence / Traffic Collision
November 15 at 7:13 p.m., a witness observed a vehicle run a red light at Foothill and Magnolia.  The witness followed the vehicle and phoned the police reporting a possible drunk driver.  Officers responded and located the vehicle near Mountain and Huntington.  The officers observed the driver swerving, straddling lanes of traffic, and then the driver abruptly sped up to pass a vehicle.  An officer activated their lights, but the driver did not respond.  After approximately 50 yards with the lights on, the officer activated the siren.  The suspect then abruptly moved to the curb.  His vehicle went over the curb and struck a tree.  The driver was taken to a hospital for medical treatment.

Forgery / Counterfeiting / Burglary – Suspect Arrested
November 15 at 8:48 p.m., loss prevention personnel from a business in the 500 block of West Huntington called to report an adult female trying to pass counterfeit currency inside their store.  Officers responded, but the female had exited the store and ran when confronted by loss prevention.  Officers arrived, located the female and detained her.  Washed currency, counterfeit currency, and ink used to make currency were found in the suspect’s purse.  She was arrested and taken into custody.  The Secret Service was contacted and the investigation is continuing.

Injury Traffic Collision
November 15 at 11:42 p.m., a solo vehicle traffic collision occurred when a vehicle traveling west on Huntington Drive attempted to make a left turn onto Mountain Avenue and lost control.  The vehicle struck the curb on the west side of Mountain Avenue and flipped multiple times.  All four occupants sustained minor injuries; three of them were taken to a hospital for treatment.

Commercial Burglary – Suspect Arrested
November 16 at 5:30 p.m., a business in the 700 block of East Huntington called police to report a known subject who stole merchandise from their store.  When confronted outside the store, he returned the merchandise to employees and then ran.  Officers located and detained the suspect nearby.  The suspect was arrested and charged with burglary.

Grand Theft Auto – Suspect Arrested
November 16 at 10:02 a.m., an officer was on patrol in the area of Norumbega and Greystone when he passed a suspicious vehicle occupied by a male and female parked on the street in the 600 block of East Greystone.  After confirming that the vehicle had been reported stolen to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Temple Station, the officer immediately turned his car around, at which time he saw the occupants quickly exiting the vehicle.  The officer was able to detain both suspects until assistance arrived.  The male driver admitted to stealing the car, and was in possession of shaved keys.   The female was not aware the vehicle had been stolen.  The male suspect was arrested and the vehicle was returned to its owner.

Possession of Burglary Tools – Suspect Arrested
November 17 at 2:27 a.m., officers responded to a residence in the 700 block of Greystone regarding a suspicious person in the neighbor’s yard.  An officer arrived and detained the subject.  The subject stated he had gone into the yard to rewrap his foot. The subject was found to be in possession of a folding knife that included a window punch, a screwdriver, and a sparkplug tip.  He was arrested and charged with possession of burglary tools.

Vehicle Burglary
November 17 at 7:09 a.m., a vehicle burglary was reported to police.  The victim parked his vehicle in the public parking lot at Lemon and Myrtle in the evening.  When he returned to his vehicle in the morning, he noticed several items missing from his vehicle and called police.  The investigation is continuing.

Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance – Suspect Arrested
November 18 at 12:05 a.m., an officer was on patrol in the area of Highland and Foothill when he observed a suspicious person.  The officer contacted the subject and through investigation determined he was under the influence of methamphetamine.  The officer arrested the subject for being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Felony Vandalism – Suspects Arrested
November 18 at 2:23 a.m., an officer investigated a vandalism involving a vehicle that was damaged by large rocks being thrown at it.  The suspects were not known at the time of the initial investigation.

Several hours later, an officer responded to a vehicle tampering call in the area of Monterey and Huntington.  When the officer arrived, he located and detained a 14-year-old male at the scene and a second male juvenile ran from the officer.  The officer coordinated a search of the area, and the second juvenile was located and detained.

The investigation revealed the two boys were the vandalism suspects from the earlier call, and both juveniles were arrested.  Both juveniles are from the Victorville area and were joy-riding in their parent's vehicle until it ran out of gas in Monrovia.  The boys told the officer they did not know the victim, but they thought it would be fun to throw rocks at the victim's vehicle.  The juveniles were arrested and later released to their parents on citations.

New Bike Shop Opens in Monrovia

Empire Bikes, a new bicycling shop, opens on Myrtle. http://goo.gl/g0iz0i

- Brad Haugaard

Prolacta Moving from Monrovia to Industry

Prolacta - a company that provides breast milk to premature babies - is moving from Monrovia to a new, larger facility in the City of Industry. It will shut its Monrovia facility when everything is set in Industry. Source: Star-News article that does not appear to be online.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Seminar on Making Your Own TV Show

If you want to have your own TV show, you may want to attend "So You Want to Host a TV Show?" with TV and radio producer, Ron Stark, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 7-9 p.m. at the KGEM TV office at 847 E. Olive in Monrovia. Seminar will cover: Name of show, type of show, developing the show, creating an audience and making a profit, target audience, promotion, marketing and advertising tactics, tracking advertiser results. KGEM number is 357-4974.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Band and Colorguard Win | Collection for Philippines | Christmas Light Exchange

~ The Monrovia High Wildcats Band and Colorguard reports on Facebook that "with the best band score in Monrovia history, the Marching Wildcats win 1st place in division 2A Band, Color Guard, and Drum Line at the Savanna Field Tournament. - at Savanna Field Tournament." Here's a Facebook video: http://goo.gl/Ccsb9z

~ Today, First Presbyterian Church of Monrovia will collect an offering for the Philippines and the victims of Typhoon Haiyan. Source: Facebook posting.

~  At the Monrovia Street Fair on Nov. 22, the San Gabriel Valley Energy Wise Partnership will offer SCE customers a new ultra-efficient light string in exchange for an old incandescent Christmas light string.  Bring your SCE bill to show eligibility.  Each qualifying customer can exchange one string of lights per household, while supplies last. http://goo.gl/DTZXvl

- Brad Haugaard

Old-Toy Buyers Coming to Monrovia

If you have old toys (mid 1970s or earlier) that you would like to have priced, or possibly sell, there will be a toy-collectors gathering at the Courtyard Marriott at 700 W. Huntington Drive on Nov. 20 and 21, Wednesday and Thursday, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free admission and parking. Call 561 628-1990 for questions about the kinds of toys they are looking for. Source: Ad in Saturday Star-News.

- Brad Haugaard

Obamacare: What Monrovia's Congress Members Have Said About It

In light of the national discussion about the rollout of Obamacare (aka the Affordable Care Act), I thought I'd go back and see what our two members of Congress have had to say about it over the past few years by reviewing their press releases.

Neither Congress member representing Monrovia has issued a press release about Obamacare since the roll-out, and, interestingly, I cannot find any press releases on the topic at all from Grace Napolitano (D) - who represents most of Monrovia, south of Hillcrest/Grand/E. Greystone. In terms of press releases, at least, she seems to have been silent on the matter.

On the other hand, Judy Chu (D) - who represents the top slice of Monrovia - north of Hillcrest/Grand/E. Greystone - has had a lot to say.

On the critical side, she said she would have preferred Obamacare have "a stronger government plan with the power to better negotiate rates and help keep overall premiums down" and "I am also disappointed that under H.R. 3962, legal immigrants will still have to wait five years before being able to access Medicaid or Medicare benefits." http://goo.gl/f1B7RW

But Chu was mostly enthusiastic about Obamacare. Following the House passage of the bill she predicted: "I am confident that when the president signs this bill into law, and its effects begin to immediately be felt across the nation, even those who have vehemently opposed this bill will realize what hundreds of my constituents who have spoken out at town halls in my district already know: that this bill is a win-win for our seniors, for our families, for our doctors and for America.

"With today's House vote, we are just a few steps away from changing our health care system for the better and ensuring that America treats its people with the respect, dignity and compassion they deserve." http://goo.gl/GPw5z8

And, in another press release, she predicted that Obamacare "will provide coverage to 32 million more Americans, prevent insurance companies from discriminating against or dropping coverage for patients with catastrophic illness or preexisting conditions, and reduce the federal deficit by $138 billion over the next 10 years and $1.2 trillion the following 10 years." http://goo.gl/1lFcDe

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Walks Over Sierra Canyon | Photo Winner

~ Monrovia Rolls Over Sierra Canyon, 62-10, in the first round of the CIF-SS Mid-Valley Division. http://goo.gl/6Y44Mw

~ Monrovia resident Pajitno Hadinata received an honorable mention for this travel photo: http://goo.gl/yMfDQL

- Brad Haugaard

Broken Ankle in Monrovia Hit-and-Run | Tiles for Monrovia Train Station

~ Monrovian suffers broken ankle in hit-and-run Thursday night. http://goo.gl/UPXSoV

~ Monrovia train station artist Cha-Rie Tang visited the historic Santa Fe depot this week to collect molds of old tiles from inside the building. These tile samples, along with many other samples collected by Cha-Rie from around the community, will be featured in the design of the future Gold Line station in Monrovia. http://goo.gl/gicTVJ

- Brad Haugaard

Free Memory Screening at Monrovia Library - Don't Forget!

At 11 a.m. on Tuesday Nov. 19, the non-profit organization Family Peace will hold a free and confidential Memory Screening in Monrovia Community Center's Iris Room in honor of Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month. Contact Rebecca Romero (626-256-8232) for an appointment.

- Brad Haugaard

Pavilions Center Changes Signs


The Pavilions shopping center is changing its business signs. New style on the left, old on the right.

- Brad Haugaard

Chu Introduces Bill to Overrule State Regulations on Abortion

Congresswoman Judy Chu, who represents the top edge of Monrovia (from Hillcrest/Grand/E. Greystone north), has helped introduce a bill that would overrule "restrictive regulations and laws - such as those in place in states including Texas and Wisconsin" on abortions. http://goo.gl/vddsdb

- Brad Haugaard

Lunch at Subway


Lunch at Subway, in the Pavilions shopping area. Got a six-inch club sandwich on wheat bread ($6.95) and a small iced tea ($1.50). Plus tax. Subs are always good for a quick lunch. 

- Brad Haugaard

California and Duarte Intersection Closed Tomorrow

The California Ave. and Duarte Rd. intersection will be closed tomorrow, Nov, 16, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to allow crews to reconfigure the traffic lanes and re-stripe the road. California Ave. south of Duarte Road will remain closed through early-February 2014.

- Brad Haugaard

Free Seminar in Monrovia on Keeping Teens Safe on Facebook

Assemblymember Chris Holden is teaming up with Facebook and Assemblymembers Ed Chau and Roger Hernández for a free seminar called, "How to Keep Teens Safe on Facebook," Thursday, Nov. 21 at 6 p.m. at Mt. Sierra College Auditorium, 101 E. Huntington Drive, Monrovia. Facebook recently changed its privacy settings to allow teens more access. Parents, teens and community members will learn about reporting tools, new privacy settings and bullying prevention.

- Brad Haugaard