Gold Line 'Substantially' Complete - On Time And On Budget

The Foothill Gold Line from Pasadena to Azusa is now "substantially" complete and will now undergo testing and pre-revenue service. The project, which includes 11.5 miles of light rail, 24 bridges, 14 at-grade rail crossings, six new stations and a 24-acre operations campus, was led by the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority and was built on time and on budget with an "exceptional safety record thanks to a strong collaboration with Kiewit, Parsons and the corridor cities," said Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority CEO Habib F. Balian.

- Brad Haugaard

Coming Up in October in Monrovia

Coming up in October in Monrovia (Thanks to Becky Shevlin for allowing me to draw from her excellent calendar):

- Monrovia Historian Steve Baker will lead two tours of Live Oak Memorial Cemetery (200 E. Duarte Rd.), with stories about the first settlers who now rest in the cemetery. Fee includes tour and dinner by La Adelita. Reservations close on October 5 or when filled. Tours are on Thursday, October 15, and Thursday, October 22, both from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Cost is $12, which includes food/beverages.

- Monrovia Chamber of Commerce is looking for nominees for its annual awards: The Iris Award, equivalent to Citizen of the Year; the Monroe Award for Business Person of the year; and the Dick Lord Award for outstanding service to the Chamber of Commerce. To nominate someone, contact the Chamber at 358-1159 for information and forms. Nominations close on Thursday, October 15.

- Sunday, Oct. 11 - Celebration of Life Open House for Kristin Mariconda at the Historic Museum 742 E. Lemon Ave, 2-6 p.m.. Special Address at approximately 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made in memory of Kris to the Monrovia Historical Museum or Monrovia Reads; PO Box 1033, Monrovia, CA 91017.

- Thursday, Oct. 15 - Monrovia Providers Group Care Cafe at Monrovia Community Center, 119 W Palm Ave. For people with disabilities or memory loss and their care partners; $5; 9:30 am.-1 p.m. For information contact Rebecca at the Community Center, 256-8232 or http://www.monroviaproviders.org

- Sunday, Oct. 18 - Monrovia Kiwanis Presents "A Taste of Old Town" in Old Town Monrovia. 5-8 pm; $50 in advance; $60 at the door. Go to http://www.TasteMonrovia.com for more information.

- Saturday, Oct. 24 - Volunteer Center of San Gabriel Valley presents the 25th Annual "Make a Difference Day, A National Day of Doing Good," beginning at 8 a.m. at Library Park Band Shell. For more information, call 256-8187 or go here: http://goo.gl/jd6xQy

- Saturday, Oct. 31, Halloween - The City of Monrovia Department of Community Services hosts a "Halloween Bash" in Library Park from 3-6 p.m. Free costume contest. Costume Contest registration begins at 3 pm. For more information, call the Public Services Dept. at 256-8246.

- Brad Haugaard

Mayflower School Installing New Playground

A newspaper story about Mayflower Elementary School building a new playground this Saturday. http://goo.gl/HWZqVl

- Brad Haugaard

Breast Cancer Film at Action on Film Festival in Monrovia

Happygram, a film on breast cancer to be shown at Action on Film Festival in Krikorian Theater. http://goo.gl/40S7dF

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Home on New Reality TV Show; Etc.

From City Manager Oliver Chi's weekly report ( http://goo.gl/TsLjrq ):

- A 1920s Spanish Revival cottage in Monrovia, by Jessie and Tina Rodriguez, will be featured in a new reality show called "Vintage Flip," in which a "creative couple will find, buy, restore, and market a vintage home." City staff members, including Craig Jimenez, Planning Manager, and Ili Lobaco, Associate Planner, will be featured in the episode.

- The Monrovia Legacy Project is compiling historical materials about the city, starting with City Historian Steve Baker's collection. If you have historic Monrovia materials you would like to share, contact Sandy Burud (sandy.burud@gmail.com or 256-3423) or Tina Cherry (tcherry@ci.monrovia.ca.us or 256-8226)

- Pro-Active Tutoring will provide free tutoring on Mondays and Tuesdays from 4-5 p.m. during the school year for students in Kindergarten through 8th grade. Tutors are college age students and Monrovia High honor students.

- Monrovia has sent two fire engine teams to help fight fires near Murphyville in Northern California.

- The city briefly stopped representatives of Huntington Plaza Shopping Center (the shopping center anchored by Sprouts Farmers Market and Walgreens) from reconstructing the center's parking lot. City staff inspected the work and reviewed the plans to ensure proper drainage so the contractor could quickly get back to work.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Providers Group Hosts 'Up' Movie

Monrovia Providers Group will host a free screening of "UP," the 2010 Academy Award winner for Best Animated Film, on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015 from 10 a.m. to 12:30p.m at the Monrovia Library. Light refreshments provided and free community aging resources will be available. For free tickets, call 205-4308 or email movie@monroviaproviders.org. Monrovia Providers Group is a group of agencies that seeks to provide information, resources and assistance to Foothills seniors and their families.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Restaurant Burglary; Bike Hits Car; Car Hits Bike; Burglary; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for September 17-20. - Brad Haugaard]

Following are the weekend’s highlighted issues and events.

Burglary
September 18 at 5:39 a.m., an officer responded to the 1100 block of East Huntington on the report of a possible burglary. A neighbor heard a window breaking at a restaurant. Officers found a broken window to the kitchen area. The officers checked the location, but no suspect(s) were located. Cash was taken from two registers and bottles of liquor were found placed near the doors. The investigation is continuing.

Grand Theft Auto
September 19 at 7:00 a.m., a vehicle was reported stolen from the 800 block of Anita Avenue. The vehicle stolen is a grey, Kia Optima. The vehicle was taken from in front of the victim’s residence sometime during the night. The investigation is continuing.

Warrants – Suspect Arrested
September 20 at 7:00 a.m., a suspicious person was reported in the 600 block of West Duarte Road. An officer arrived in the area and located a male subject matching the description who was sleeping on a bus bench. The subject was found to have several outstanding warrants. He was arrested and taken into custody for the warrants.

Injury Traffic Collision
September 20 at 9:56 a.m., officers responded to the report of a female subject injured on a bicycle. When they arrived, they discovered the bicyclist had been in a traffic collision with a vehicle. The female made a left turn from the center of the road and ran into a vehicle that was making a left turn onto the same street. The female struck the front of the vehicle and sustained minor injuries. She was treated by Monrovia Fire Department and taken to a hospital for treatment.

Petty Theft
September 20 at 1:25 p.m., a petty theft was reported at a restaurant in the 600 block of West Huntington. The female victim’s purse was stolen while she was eating at the restaurant. She was seated near a door and did not see anyone take the purse. The investigation was continuing.

Injury Traffic Collision
September 20 at 1:37 p.m., officers responded to a vehicle versus bicyclist traffic collision at the intersection of Foothill and Alta Vista. The bicyclist was riding against traffic and entered the intersection. The vehicle was looking for traffic approaching from the west and struck the bicyclist. The bicyclist was treated by Monrovia Fire Department paramedics, but refused to be taken to a hospital and left the scene.

Residential Burglary
September 20 at 8:45 p.m., a residential burglary was reported in the 300 block of Encinitas. The suspect(s) appear to have entered through an open window. Two rooms were ransacked while the homeowner was on vacation. The investigation is continuing.

International Observe the Moon Night in Monrovia

Tonight is "International Observe the Moon Night," and Monrovia's Sidewalk Astronomers will be glad to give you a magnified view through their telescopes between 7-9 p.m. at the corner of Myrtle and Lime Street (that's the southeast corner of Library Park).

Also, on Sunday night, Sept. 27, there will be a total lunar eclipse and some Sidewalk Astronomers will be at Myrtle and Lime. "By the time the moon rises above the nearby buildings and trees, the total lunar eclipse phase will have started, but you'll get expert commentary and some views too. Head on down 7:30 - 9:30 p.m."

- Brad Haugaard

Fellowship Monrovia Expands to Four Services Each Sunday

Fellowship Monrovia, the 2,000-attendance church that meets in the Monrovia High School Auditorium, has announced that, "starting October 11 we will be offering 3 morning services at Monrovia High School and 1 evening service at The Fellowship Center. We are in awe of the growth we have seen over the last 3 1/2 years and are excited to add an additional service!" The morning services are at 8:30, 10, and 11:30 a.m. and the evening service is a 5 p.m. at 401 E Huntington.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovians Helping the Homeless

A group of Monrovians has started a Facebook group called Uplifting Homelessness, "a group where citizens of Monrovia and local residents can work together to offer help and compassion to the homeless people in our community." There are currently 112 members in the group. To see the group page you need to have a Facebook account and you need to request to join the group: https://goo.gl/VWGcm1

- Brad Haugaard

Kids in Concert Music Workshop

Kids in Concert, a 7-week music workshop presented by San Gabriel Valley Choral Company, helps students in grades 1-8 improve memory, critical thinking, cooperation, concentration, rhythmic coordination, and music literacy skills. $35 and need-based financial assistance is available. Space is limited to the first 30 students. The workshop culminates in a performance with SGVCC at its annual Holiday Concert, held at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Monrovia on December 12 at 7:30 p.m. For more information contact Zanaida Robles 487-9862 or znrobles@gmail.com

- Brad Haugaard

St. Francis Over Monrovia :-( | Blue Collar Boys | Book Festival

~ St. Francis over Monrovia in football. http://goo.gl/EfpT4G

~ Blue Collar Boys, a self-financed independent film written and directed by New Jersey small business owner Mark Nistico has been selected to screen at the Action on Film International Film Festival at 2 p.m. on September 24 at Monrovia's Krikorian theater as part of the Action on Film International Film Festival. It has been nominated Blue Collar Boys for Best Drama Feature, Best Produced Screenplay, and Outstanding Cast Performance in a Feature Film. For the trailer, and for more information on the film, visit bluecollarboysthemovie.com.

~ A musicologist, a Mah Jongg maven, a former Chasid and a rock star are among the authors who will be featured at the Monrovia-based Jewish Federation's 17th Annual Jewish Book Festival, from October through December, at synagogues and other venues in the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys. For reservations and information contact Jewish Federation at 626-445-0810 or federation@jewishsgpv.org

- Brad Haugaard

Rain for Monrovia on Tuesday?

50% chance of rain predicted for Tuesday: http://goo.gl/VnR5SB

- Brad Haugaard

Dinner at Applebee's

Dinner last night at Applebee's, on Hintington Drove. Got the 9 ounce house steak ($14.99) and a beer ($6.49). Nice service and nice, juicy steak. 

- Brad Haugaard

Domestic Violence Campaign Launches in Monrovia

Congresswomen Judy Chu and Grace Napolitano will join the kickoff press conference for the Annual Domestic Violence Campaign hosted by Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park at the Monrovia Community Center on Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 10-11 a.m. The campaign, a drive to benefit survivors of domestic violence, will collect gently used women's and children's clothing, household cleaning products, toiletry items, and children's school supplies - no breakable items - for domestic violence survivors served by shelters throughout the San Gabriel Valley. Source: press release

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Hit and Run; Credit Card Theft; Copter Tracks Stolen Bike; Intoxication

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for September 14-16. - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 406 service events, resulting in 76 investigations.

Shoplifting – Suspect Arrested
September 14 at 2:38 p.m., and officer responded to a business in the 500 block of West Huntington Drive regarding a shoplifter in custody. Store loss prevention observed two suspects leaving the store with merchandise they had not paid for and stopped them. The officer contacted the suspects and, after investigation, one subject was arrested and taken into custody.

Public Intoxication – Suspect Arrested
September 14 at 3:01 p.m., police received several calls reporting a male subject acting suspicious and disturbing pedestrians in the area of Myrtle and Colorado. Officers conducted an area search and the subject was located in a business parking lot in the 100 block of West Foothill. After speaking with the subject, it was determined he was drunk in public and unable to care for himself. He was arrested, taken into custody, and held for a sobering period.

Vehicle Burglary
September 14 at 4:06 p.m., officers responded to the report of a vehicle burglary in the 300 block of Genoa Street. The victim’s vehicle had several windows broken out and property was stolen. The investigation is continuing.

Hit & Run Traffic Collision – Suspect Arrested
September 14 at 10:05 p.m., a hit and run traffic collision was reported in the 200 block of Heliotrope. An officer responded to handle the investigation. The officer located a possible suspect and his vehicle in the 400 block of South Heliotrope. The suspect admitted to being involved in the traffic collision and leaving the scene. The suspect was arrested and received a citation to appear in court on hit and run charges.

Vandalism
September 15 at 7:31 a.m., a vehicle vandalism was reported in the 300 block of West Chestnut Avenue. The victim reported that he had parked and locked his vehicle at the location and that one of the windows had been shattered over the past 10 hours. Nothing was missing from the vehicle. The investigation is continuing.

Vandalism
September 15 at 9:15 a.m., officers responded to the report of a vehicle vandalism in the 300 block of West Chestnut. The victim parked and locked the vehicle in the carport at the location. The victim returned to the vehicle to find one of the windows shattered. Nothing inside the vehicle was disturbed or missing. The investigation is continuing.

Fraudulent Use of Access Card
September 15 at 11:55 a.m., a victim of fraud reported he lost his credit card at an auto dealership. The victim was notified by his credit card company that his card had been used twice at a business in the 1600 block of South Mountain in Monrovia. The card had been used to purchase tools, which were paid for at an automated teller. The investigation is continuing.

Grand Theft/Stolen Bicycle – Suspect Arrest
September 15 at 4:42 p.m., a male suspect stole a bicycle that had been locked on the street at Myrtle and Evergreen. Officers responded while dispatch notified El Monte Police Department and the Foothill Air Support helicopter to assist in locating the suspect. Several minutes later El Monte Police Department advised they had located and detained the suspect and the bike. Monrovia officers arrived and arrested the suspect for grand theft and took him into custody.

Public Intoxication – Suspect Arrested
September 15 at 10:30 p.m., an officer was driving in the 1300 block of South Magnolia when he saw a male subject who appeared to be intoxicated. The subject was lying on the ground next to his parked vehicle with the driver's door open. After contacting the subject, the officer determined he was too intoxicated to care for his own safety. The subject was arrested for public intoxication, taken into custody, and held for sobering.

Man Denies Killing Monrovian Lajoya McCoy

Pasadena man denies he killed Monrovia girlfriend, Lajoya McCoy. http://goo.gl/gXOYVH

- Brad Haugaard

Mexican American Community in Monrovia

Article on the Mexican American community in Monrovia history: http://goo.gl/MLB3Tr

- Brad Haugaard

More Rain for Monrovia?

60% chance of rain next Tuesday and Wednesday. http://goo.gl/VnR5SB

- Brad Haugaard

More Rain? | Breathe Walk at Monrovia Library Park

~ 60% chance of a bit more rain tonight. Drops to 20% tomorrow. http://goo.gl/VnR5SB

~ The first annual Monrovia O2 breathe Walk will be held on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Monrovia Library Park to raise funds to fight Pulmonary Hypertension. Details: http://goo.gl/ca7URp