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Dinner at Pieology


Dinner last night at the new Pieology, at the shopping area on the north side of Huntington at Fifth Ave. It's a build-your-own pizza place, but I got the pre-designed Hickory BBQ Chicken (with some jalapeƱos I couldn't resist adding)  for $7.95 and an iced tea for $1.75. Service was quick and friendly and the pizza was really excellent. 

- Brad Haugaard 

Monrovia Store to Stop Selling Confederate Flag

Monrovia Army-Navy store will stop selling Confederate flags. http://goo.gl/m4jFqF

- Brad Haugaard

Fire Danger Rising to 'Very High' in Monrovia Mountains

Starting tomorrow, June 26, the Forest Service is raising the fire danger in the mountains above Monrovia and throughout the region from "high" to "very high," because of fire activity and "drought starved vegetation."effective Friday, June 26. http://goo.gl/aY7ZTl

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Man Falls Off Bike; House TP'd And Burglarized; DUIs

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for June 22-24. - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 440 service events, resulting in 71 investigations.

Bicycle Accident
June 22 at 9:39 a.m., an officer responded with Monrovia Fire Department paramedics to the dirt fire road in the Angeles National Forest above Monrovia's Canyon Park. A male adult bicyclist reportedly fell off his bike on the trail. This incident was reported by a Park Ranger. The bicyclist suffered minor injuries and was treated by paramedics.

Driving Under the Influence – Suspect Arrested
June 22 at 11:43 a.m., a motorist reported a female driver in a vehicle traveling in front of him that he believed was intoxicated. Both vehicles stopped at Shamrock and Colorado. Officers arrived and detained the driver. Field sobriety tests were conducted and the driver was arrested for DUI. She was taken into custody and held for sobering. She was later released with a citation to appear in court.

Vehicle Burglary
June 23 at 12:23 p.m., a vehicle burglary was reported in the 100 block of South Madison Avenue. The rear window of a 2014 Chevy Tahoe was broken open and the suspect(s) stole the rear seat from the vehicle. Time of occurrence is unknown. The investigation is continuing.

Residential Burglary
June 24 at 6:03 a.m., a house sitter was staying at a residence in the 300 block of Highland Place and was asleep upstairs all night at the home. Sometime during the night, the house was toilet papered, and it appears that someone entered an unlocked side window and ransacked the house, stealing a computer tablet and a small amount of cash. The house sitter did not wake up during the incident. The investigation is continuing.

Driving Under the Influence/Possession of a Controlled Substance – Suspect Arrested
June 24 at 8:34 p.m., officers observed a male subject driving a motorcycle at night with the headlight off. He drove through the intersection of Colorado and Monterey at approximately 35 mile per hour, honking as he drove through, failing to stop for the stop sign, and swerving back and forth. The officers stopped the driver at Violet and Lime. The driver appeared to be intoxicated. Standard field sobriety tests were conducted and the driver was arrested for DUI. He was also found to be in possession of a controlled substance. The suspect was taken into to custody and held for sobering. He was later released with a citation to appear in court.

Example Of Transition To Low-Water Landscaping

An example of the transformation from grass to low-water landscaping on the 800 block of Wildrose Avenue. http://goo.gl/fsnVHf

- Brad Haugaard

Mayflower School Needs Votes to Get Money For Playground Equipment

Monrovia's Mayflower School has slipped to second place in its effort to win $20,000 for playground equipment by getting the community to vote, Carmen Martinez reports. If you'd like to help boost the school up to first place again, you can vote here: https://www.facebook.com/LetsPlay . For more info, see here: http://goo.gl/lJipTh

- Brad Haugaard

Papa Murphy's Pizza Opens In Monrovia

A Papa Murphy's pizza place has opened in Monrovia, next to the Walgreens at 456 W. Huntington. I wouldn't have noticed except they sent a flyer in the mail. The twist seems to be that they hand-prepare the pizza for you, but then you take it home and bake it. "Take 'N Bake," they call it.

- Brad Haugaard

Sidewalk Hole Goes To Abandoned Basement | Why Monrovia Washes Its Sidewalks in Drought | Tree Trimming | Used Batteries | Etc.

In his weekly report ( http://goo.gl/jEssHf ), City Manager Oliver Chi reports that ...

~ The city has discovered a "mystery hole" in the sidewalk at 135 W. Foothill (this appears to be near the veterinarian hospital between Stedman and Primrose) that leads to an abandoned basement. Closed signs will be posted on the sidewalk near the hole while the city figures out what to do.

~ The city has had a complaint about its roughly twice-monthly pressure-washing of downtown sidewalks. Chi said the "Health and Safety Codes supersedes the Water Conservation Order," and the washing only uses about 180 gallons.

~ For the past 7 years, Monrovia has been on a 6-year tree trimming rotation. Now it is switching back to a 4-year rotation, "which is an industry standard best practice."

~ You can now drop off used batteries at the Community Center (119 W Palm).

~ There will be a summer teen program on Friday nights at Library Park weekly, July 10 through August 21, from 7-9:30 p.m. Activities will include music, games, art, leadership opportunities, food, and more.

~ Monrovia's Gold Line Station dedication will take place on Saturday, September 12, 2015, at 10 a.m.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovians Win Player and Coach of the Year | High Speed Chase Through Town

~ Star-News names Monrovia High pitcher Brian McConnell as its Player of the Year, and Monrovia High Baseball Coach Brad Blackmore as Coach of the Year. http://goo.gl/JSBbIS

~ High speed chase goes through Monrovia, ends in Arcadia. http://goo.gl/jJqCp6

- Brad Haugaard

Water Running Down Street In North Monrovia



I saw water running down Oak Grove (in Gold Hills at the top of Myrtle) today. I was surprised to see it was full of algae, so I guess it's been running for some time. Due to the configuration of the homes up there, it's possible the owner doesn't even know about the problem.

- Brad Haugaard

Customers Rank Monrovia-Based Trader Joe's Among Top Four Companies

Monrovia-based Trader Joe's ranked number four in how positively customers feel about various companies.

Based on a study of 10,000 U.S consumers, H-E-B, Publix, Chick-fil-A, and Trader Joe's took the top four spots in the 2015 Temkin Emotion Ratings, which rates how customers feel about their interactions with 293 companies across 20 industries. http://goo.gl/AcybIS

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: From Jail to Jail; Burglary From School; Catalytic Converter Stolen; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for June 18-21. - Brad Haugaard]

Following are the weekend’s highlighted issues and events.

Non-Injury Traffic Collision
On June 18 at 7:02 p.m., officers were dispatched to a non-injury traffic collision in the area of Primrose and Huntington. The investigation revealed one of the drivers failed to yield and pulled out in front of on coming traffic. Both vehicles were damaged and a city owned traffic control sign.

Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance – Suspect Arrested
On June 18 at 10:03 p.m., officers responded to the 600 block of East Huntington regarding a male subject trying to get into parked cars. The officer arrived and located the subject. The investigation revealed the male was under the influence of a controlled substance and he was arrested.

Violation of Court Order – Suspect Arrested
On June 18 at 10:16 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 600 block of East Olive regarding a restraining order violation. The subject, who was released from County Jail earlier that day, took a cab to his parent’s house, where a valid restraining order is in force. A family member who feared for his safety called police and the violator was contacted and arrested.

Stolen/Vehicle Recovered
On June 19 at 8:04 a.m., an officer on routine patrol was driving through a parking lot in the 400 block of West Huntington Drive. He observed a 1998, gray Honda Civic parked in the parking stall near the rear alley. A computer check revealed the vehicle was a reported stolen out of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Walnut Station. There was no sign of forced entry and the owner was notified.

Burglary Commercial
On June 19 at 8:06 a.m., an officer was dispatched to a school in the 800 block of West Colorado regarding a burglary investigation. The reporting party was contacted and stated the shed was left locked and secured. Upon returning, he found the lock latch had been pried away from the shed and all their tools and gardening equipment were stolen. The investigation is continuing.

Vehicle Burglary
On June 19 at 2:46 p.m., a vehicle burglary was reported in the 200 block of West Lemon. The victim parked her vehicle and rolled up the windows, but unsure if she locked the doors. When she returned the following morning she saw that the interior appeared ransacked and her laptop computers, checkbook and vehicle registration were missing. The investigation is continuing.

Grand Theft
On June 19 at 3:09 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the northeast corner lot at Primrose and Pomona regarding a theft. The victim parked his vehicle on May 30 and returned to his vehicle 2 hours later. He turned his ignition on and immediately heard a loud sound. The victim exited his vehicle and examined the rear end, discovering his catalytic converter was stolen. The investigation is continuing.

Petty Theft – Suspect Arrested
On June 20 at 11:13 a.m., an officer responded to the 100 block of West Foothill regarding a theft. A male subject entered a grocery store and put a bag of disposable razors in his pocket. He ran out of the store without paying for the merchandise. Officers searched for the male and located him at the corner of Magnolia and Huntington. A field show-up was conducted and the male was positively identified as the shoplifter. He was placed under private person’s arrest, and transported to the Monrovia Jail, where he was booked. He was still in possession of the razors, which were returned to the store.

Possession of a Controlled Substance / Possession of Methamphetamine / Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – Suspect Arrested
On June 20 at 8:00 a.m., an officer stopped a vehicle and contacted the driver. Upon contacting the subject a strong smell of marijuana emitted from the vehicle. Further investigation revealed the subject is on probation for drug related violations. A search of the vehicle revealed a small amount of marijuana. The subject admitted to having syringes in his possession. Also found in his possession was Methamphetamine and Heroine. The suspect was arrested and taken into custody.

Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol – Suspect Arrested
On June 20 at 12:10 p.m., dispatch received a call reporting three subjects drinking in a vehicle at Shamrock/Huntington. The vehicle left before officers arrived. The vehicle was spotted and stopped on Huntington near Myrtle. The driver, a 19-year-old male, was determined to be driving under the influence of alcohol and was arrested and taken into custody.

Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol – Suspect Arrested
On June 21 at 4:00 a.m., officers stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation in the area of Central and Myrtle. The driver was determined to be driving under the influence of alcohol and was arrested and taken into custody.

Support Education Picnic at Monrovia's Shamrock Park

Twenty third annual family day picnic for HOPE (Helping Others Pursue Education) at Monrovia's Shamrock Park, June 27, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Details: http://goo.gl/Wwc88S

- Brad Haugaard

Help Monrovia's Mayflower School Win $20k for Playground Equipment

Jennifer Bray reports that the contest for Mayflower School to win $20,000 for new playground equipment ends on Friday, June 26, and "our lead has diminished - we need all the support we can to finish this strong!" You can vote to help Mayflower win,. here: https://www.facebook.com/LetsPlay . More detail here: http://goo.gl/lJipTh

- Brad Haugaard

Whole Foods to Compete Against Monrovia-Based Trader Joe's

Whole Foods is entering the high-quality/small-store market dominated by Monrovia-based Trader Joe's with a new store chain called 365. http://goo.gl/Jub6Oe

- Brad Haugaard

Forum About Serving Low-Income Families | More on Monrovia/Arcadia Street Fair

~ Community members with ideas or concerns about programs and services for local low-income families can share them at a public forum hosted by Foothill Unity Center on Wednesday, June 24, at the Center's Monrovia location, 415 W. Chestnut Ave. Your input helps to establish program priorities for the 2016/2017 Community Action Plan (CAP). For questions, call the Center at 358-3486.

~ More on the Monrovia/Arcadia street fair dust-up, from an Arcadia perspective ( http://goo.gl/vjJwpt ). Comment: The producer of the Monrovia street fair is moving to Arcadia; the Monrovia street fair is not.

- Brad Haugaard

Looking at the Sun in Library Park

New Monrovian Kristin Kyle looks at the sun in Library Park. Brad Hori has his solar telescope out as part of the Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project, a solar astronomy outreach project. http://www.solarastronomy.org/

- Brad Haugaard

Get a View of the Heavens Tonight at Myrtle and Lime in Monrovia

Monrovia's Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers will be at Myrtle and Lime from about 8-10 p.m.

"You might have seen that lovely show last night in the western sky put on by the crescent moon, Venus, and Jupiter. We'll get a repeat tonight with a slightly different arrangement. The nearby moon will make a significant move against the background of the distant planets.

"It should also be a great night for Saturn, which is putting on a fabulous show this year. The rings are tilted toward Earth, making it possible to see the Cassini division in Saturn's rings.

"It's going to be hot and clear. Drop by for a look if you can."

- Brad Haugaard

No, Monrovia Street Fair is NOT Moving to Arcadia

A lot of Monrovians on Facebook are really upset about a news article that appears to say that the Monrovia Street Fair is moving to Arcadia. http://goo.gl/7jRjoD

The second paragraph of the article says: "On June 2 the Arcadia City Council unanimously approved the new weekly event that has been in Monrovia for 23 years to now be staged from 5-9 p.m. on Fridays in Arcadia..."

Comment: Uh, no. The Monrovia Street Fair isn't going anywhere.

- Brad Haugaard

School Board: Roof Repair and 2015-16 Budget

At the June 24 Monrovia School Board meeting (agenda: http://goo.gl/2o6NrX ), the board will consider, among other things, ...

- spending $186,787 "for the roof repair, restoration, and replacement at Plymouth Elementary School, Mayflower Elementary School, Canyon Early Learning Center, Santa Fe Middle School, and Monrovia High School." http://goo.gl/ZbiC0M

- adopting the 2015-16 budget. http://goo.gl/g9sA69

- Brad Haugaard