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Water and Sewer Rates Going Up; Police vs. Fire for Charity; Monrovia Finalist as 'Business Friendly' City; Etc.

Festival of Trees will benefit Boys and Girls Club of the Foothills.

In his latest report (https://goo.gl/aOqX7O) City Manager Oliver Chi reports:

~  Monrovia Police Department and Fire Department will face off in a charity basketball game to benefit the American Cancer Society. The game is on Friday, Nov. 30, at 6:30 p.m., at the Monrovia High School Basketball Gym. Tickets are $5 (children 12 and under free) and can be purchased at the Police and Fire Departments. Also, there will be grand prize drawing for a 65-inch TV.

~ Water and sewer rates are going up. If you have a typical single-family house your water rate will increase by $7.57 a month, to $65.28 a month, from $57.71 now. And, your sewer rate will increase by $0.24 a month, to $9.29 a month. from $9.05.

~  While the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation named our neighbor, Azusa as the Most Business Friendly City with a population under 50,000 (congrats, Azusa!), Monrovia was named - for the second year in a row - as one of five finalists.

~  Youth Services has set up a Letter Writing Station at the Library for boys and girls write a letter to Santa, a U.S. soldier, or a favorite book character. If the child includes a return address, Santa - or the book character - will write back (thanks to the postal and Youth Services staff). Letters to soldiers will be included in care packages to them. Letter supplies are at the Youth Reference Desk. For questions, call 256-8274. Letters must be completed and in the mailbox (on the Youth Reference Desk) by Saturday, Dec. 8.

~ During the next few months trees in city parkways north of Foothill will be trimmed, going from west to east. Questions? Call Public Works Division at 932-5575.

~  The Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony and Holiday Parade will take place Thursday, Dec. 6 at 6 p.m. with the Tree Lighting Ceremony in Library Park, followed by the Holiday Parade at 7 p.m. It will travel north on Myrtle from Chestnut to Palm.

~  The eighth Annual Festival of Trees event, to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of the Foothills, will be held on Saturday, Dec. 1, from 6 to 10 p.m. Details: http://foothillsfestivaloftrees.com/

- Brad Haugaard

WWII Vet Gets Replacement Medals at Vets Day Celebration

At the Veterans Day celebration in Library Park World War II Battle of the Bulge veteran Antonio Sanchez, 94, gets replacement medals he lost in a house fire. https://goo.gl/hqgBep

- Brad Haugaard

Veterans Day Celebration at Library Park



Celebrating Veterans Day today in front of the library 

- Brad Haugaard 

Wrought Iron Fence Planned for Bradoaks School

At its next meeting (https://goo.gl/aYBPV9) the Monrovia Board of Education will consider  installing wrought iron fencing at Bradoaks School, installed by Charlie's Fence Company, for $34,500.  https://goo.gl/aJDDcz

- Brad Haugaard

Watch Out for this 'Sextortion' Email Scam

A reader writes to say her household recently received this email extortion scam.

Here's how it works: You receive an email from a person who has somehow obtained the password to your email, possibly through a data breach at some company. The writer claims to have proof that you've been watching pornography (it says the porn site you went to downloaded software that recorded both you and what you were looking at) and demands payment be made using Bitcoin otherwise the images or video will be sent to everyone on your contact list - friends, family, coworkers, etc. Don't be faked out by this. Here is an article about it: https://goo.gl/sVndWr

- Brad Haugaard

Bear, Would Love the Great Outdoors With You


Bear (A468293) loves the great outdoors and just can’t wait to go out and sniff the world. She gets so excited when she sees the leash that her tail starts wagging and begs to go out. Treat motivated and already trained to know sit, shake, down and stay, Bear is a 3-year-old black Labrador Retriever mix who would love to be your outdoorsy partner!

The adoption fee for dogs is $130. All dogs are spayed or neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated before going to their new home.

New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA Animal Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for your pet.

View photos of adoptable pets at pasadenahumane.org. Adoption hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by phone calls or email.

- Brad Haugaard

Happy Veterans Day

Happy Veterans Day, Monrovia vets. 

- Brad Haugaard 

Production of Messiah at St. Luke

On Saturday, December 15, at 7:30pm,  the San Gabriel Valley Choral Company will perform an “historically informed” production of MessiahGeorge Frideric Handel’s masterpiece, under the baton of Visiting Artistic Director Dr. David Rentz. The performance will be held at Monrovia’s St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and will include excerpts from Messiahfeaturing soloists, and chamber musicians. 


- Brad Haugaard .

Dinner at Mahan Indian Food


Dinner at Mahan Indian Food. This is the former Noor's, near the southeast corner of Foothill and Myrtle. Got the Chicken Tikka Masala for $15, naan bread ($3.50), rice ($3), and a big beer ($9). I liked it ... a LOT. And it was enough for both my wife and me. It was served family style so what you see in the picture is just my first helping. Very friendly service as well. 


- Brad Haugaard 

The Big Country Movie This Saturday at the Library


For Classic Movie Afternoon, The Big Country, Saturday Nov. 10, from 2-4 p.m. in the library Community Room. Details: https://goo.gl/HYxD3U

- Brad Haugaard

Community Prayer Breakfast,

Community Prayer Breakfast, "Finding Inner Peace in a Troubled World" Nov. 16, 8-9:30 a.m. at Courtyard by Marriott. $30 per person. Details: https://goo.gl/4pMRCf

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's AeroVironment Wins $3.2 Million Drone Contract for 'Allied Nation'

Monrovia's drone-maker, AeroVironment, has won a $3.2 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to provide its small, hand-launched Puma drone "to an allied nation in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command." https://goo.gl/j64eNZ

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Scammer Holds Computer for Ransom; Fake Home Rental Fraud; Car Hits Pedestrian; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for Highlighted Activity for November 1–7. - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 421 service events, resulting in 97 investigations.

Petty Theft
November 1 at 11:07 a.m., a resident in the 1200 block of S. Alta Vista walked outside her home to go to work and discovered someone had rummaged through her unlocked vehicle sometime during the night. Several items were taken from the glovebox. This investigation is continuing.

Injury Traffic Collisions
November 1 at 12:13 p.m., two traffic collisions were reported to police, one in the 700 block of W. Foothill and the other in the 100 block of W. Duarte. Officers responded to both collisions and found three of the involved parties had sustained minor injuries. The parties at fault were issued citations for the driving violations.

Residential Burglary
November 1 at 5:05 p.m., a resident in the 300 block of N. Primrose arrived home and discovered her front door had been forced open. Officers responded and searched the house, however, no one was found inside. The house had been ransacked, which made it difficult to determine what had been stolen. This investigation is continuing.

Injury Traffic Collision
November 1 at 5:41 p.m., a caller reported two motorists had collided at the intersection of Mayflower and Colorado. Officers arrived and found the drivers were complaining of pain, however, did not sustain visible injuries. The party at fault was issued a citation.

Shoplifting
November 1 at 8:10 p.m., an employee of a store in the 500 block of W. Huntington reported that a male subject had just run out of the store with merchandise without paying. The suspect fled in a vehicle. Officers responded and searched the area for the fleeing vehicle, but did not locate it. This investigation is continuing.

Shoplifting
November 1 at 9:26 p.m., an employee of a grocery store in the 200 block of E. Foothill reported a male subject had just grabbed several bottles of expensive alcohol and ran out of the store without paying. The subject got into a car and drove out of the parking lot. Officers searched the area for the suspect, but were unable to locate him. This investigation is continuing.

Attempt Petty Theft/Trespassing – Suspect Arrested
November 2 at 2:16 p.m., a security guard at a business in the 3300 block of S. Peck called to report a male subject trespassing inside their gated yard, which contains car parts. Officers responded and located the subject hiding in the yard. The subject was arrested.

Vehicle Burglary
November 2 at 9:41 p.m., an employee of a business in the 100 block of E. Chestnut went to their vehicle after getting off work and discovered someone had shattered one of the car windows. A purse was taken from inside the vehicle. This investigation is continuing.

DUI – Suspect Arrested
November 3 at 1:54 a.m., an officer was on patrol in the 100 block of W. Lemon when he saw a motorist commit a driving violation. The officer stopped the vehicle and approached the driver, who was found to be intoxicated. After field sobriety tests were conducted, the driver was arrested for DUI.

Driving Under the Influence/Hit & Run Traffic Collision – Suspect Arrested
November 3 at 2:28 a.m., a caller reported two motorists collided in the 1400 block of S. Magnolia and one of the motorists drove away. Officers responded and located the fleeing vehicle. They contacted the driver and found him to be intoxicated. After field tests were conducted, the driver was arrested for DUI and Hit & Run.

Commercial Burglary
November 3 at 7:17 a.m., the owner of a business in the 200 block of W. Duarte arrived to work and found the front door open and a ladder propped up against an open window. Officers responded and searched the building, but did not find anyone inside. Money had been taken from one of the offices. This investigation is continuing.

Traffic Collision
November 3 at 10:37 a.m., a caller reported a traffic collision in the 600 block of S. Myrtle. Officers responded and found that no one was injured. The party at fault was issued a citation for the driving violation.

Fraud
November 3 at 11:06 a.m., a resident in the 1100 block of E. Royal Oaks sent $1,500 in Apple gift cards to an unknown person she had spoken to over the telephone who advised they would scan her computer for viruses. She allowed this person remote access to her computer. After providing the information to the caller, she was immediately locked from accessing her computer. This investigation is continuing.

Driving Under the Influence/Warrant – Suspect Arrested
November 4 at 3:46 p.m., a caller reported a possible DUI motorist driving erratically in the 400 block of S. Myrtle. Officers responded and located the motorist, who was stopped and found to be intoxicated. After field sobriety tests were conducted, the driver was arrested for DUI. A computer check revealed the subject had a warrant for his arrest, as well.

Public Intoxication/Warrants – Suspect Arrested
November 4 at 5:11 p.m., a caller reported a male subject walking in the middle of the street in the 400 block of W. Duarte that appeared to be drunk. Officers responded and located the subject, who was found to be too intoxicated to care for his own safety. He was arrested and taken into custody. A computer check revealed he also had a warrant for his arrest.

Delaying and Obstructing a Police Officer – Suspect Arrested
November 5 at 2:07 p.m., a caller reported three male subjects fist fighting in the 100 block of W. Foothill. Officers responded and located all three subjects, who had stopped fighting before officers arrived. Two of the subjects were identified, however, the third was dishonest about his identity, delaying and obstructing officers, so he was arrested and taken into custody. The other two were released after refusing to prosecute one another.

Residential Burglary – Suspect Arrested
November 6 at 1:50 a.m., a resident in the 400 block of S. Ivy reported a male subject attempting to break into her apartment through a front window. Officers arrived and located the subject inside the apartment. The caller ran out of her apartment after the subject had gained entry. The subject was arrested.

Vehicle Burglary
November 6 at 8:45 a.m., an employee of a business in the 900 block of S. Primrose arrived to work and discovered several of their company vehicles had been burglarized sometime during the night. Two of the vehicles had their windows shattered and a third had been left unlocked. All three vehicles had been ransacked. This investigation is continuing.

Vehicle Burglary
November 6 at 2:52 p.m., a customer of a business in the 700 block of E. Huntington walked outside to her car and discovered it had been burglarized while she was inside the building. One of the windows had been shattered and her purse was missing from the front seat. This investigation is continuing.

Fraud
November 6 at 8:44 p.m., a caller reported he paid $2,000 to rent a house in the 200 block of E. Atara, but when he went to the house, the owners were inside and said their house was not for rent. The person he paid had been found on a common advertisement website. This investigation is continuing.

Fraud/Warrant – Suspect Arrested
November 7 at 10:00 a.m., an officer was patrolling the 700 block of E. Huntington when he saw a subject he recognized from previous contacts. A computer check revealed the subject had a warrant for his arrest and he was detained. He was found to be in possession of stolen credit cards and merchandise that had just been purchased with cards not belonging to him. The subject was arrested.

Traffic Collision
November 7 at 5:35 p.m., a caller reported two motorists collided into one another in the 600 block of S. Mountain. Officers responded and found no one to be injured. The party at fault was issued a citation.

Injury Traffic Collision
November 7 at 6:54 p.m., a caller reported a pedestrian had just been struck by a vehicle in the 100 block of N. Sunset. Officers responded, along with Monrovia Fire and Paramedics. The pedestrian was crossing the street and the motorist did not see them. The pedestrian was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Domestic Battery
November 7 at 7:44 p.m., a caller reported two subjects yelling at one another in the 300 block of S. Primrose in Library Park. Officers responded and located one of the subjects, as the other had left the area. The subject who fled had battered the one who stayed. The subjects are in a dating relationship with one another. This investigation is continuing.

Warrants/Resisting and Delaying a Police Officer – Suspect Arrested
November 7 at 11:54 p.m., an officer was on patrol in the 400 block of W. Duarte when he saw a subject he recognized from previous contacts. A computer check revealed he had a warrant for his arrest. When the officer attempted to stop the subject, he ran. The officer ran after the subject and took him into custody, as the subject resisted arrest.

Police to Stop Shaving in November - for Cancer Society

- Brad Haugaard

Guest Column: Honoring Veterans


By Dr. Edward C. Ortell,
Citrus College Governing Board Member

Each year, our nation’s annual observance of Veterans Day pays fitting tribute to the men and women who have served in the United States military. As we honor their service and sacrifice, it is a good time to reflect on the importance of the GI Bill to millions of veterans.

Nearly all Americans have benefited in some way from the GI Bill. My father, a World War II veteran whose brother was killed in action (KIA) in the Philippines, used the education benefits to change the course of his and his family’s future. From his roots as a sharecropper in the Midwest, the GI Bill made it possible for him to ultimately earn a Ph.D. and become a professor of mathematics and astronomy. Over the course of his career, he positively impacted the lives of thousands of students.

Since its inception, the GI Bill has undergone a number of changes, but it remains one of the most important benefits of military service today. According to Military.com, “The Post-9/11 GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill, and dependent GI Bill programs help service members, veterans, and families reach their education goals.”

In the next few years, the number of veterans that will transition from the military to civilian life is expected to grow. Many of them will enroll in colleges and universities to gain the necessary skills and degrees that will lead to rewarding careers and a good quality of life for themselves and their families. And today’s veterans understand that attending a community college is a good way to stretch their education benefits under the GI Bill.

Community colleges are also well-equipped to provide the important support services veterans need. Those services can include GI Bill processing information and assistance, specialized counseling, peer support groups and many others. Many community colleges have veteran’s centers that provide a “one stop” approach that gives veterans a convenient means of accessing the benefits they have earned and the academic support they need.

As Veterans Day approaches, we are reminded that we owe our nation’s veterans a debt of gratitude. They have made tremendous sacrifices for their country, and they deserve our heartfelt appreciation. They also deserve an opportunity to acquire an education that will result in rewarding careers and will allow them to continue contributing to society as they succeed in life.

About the Author:
Dr. Edward C. Ortell is the senior governing board member at Citrus College and a Professor Emeritus at Pasadena City College. He has served on the California Community College Trustees (CCCT) state board of directors and eight terms as president of the Citrus College Board of Trustees.

Travanti and Lockerbie Win Seats on School Board

The two winners in Monrovia’ School Board election are Maritza C. Travanti and Selene Lockerbie. 

Maritza Travanti - 4,313, 29.63%
Selene Lockerbie - 4,196, 28.83%
Terrence Williams - 3,981, 27.35%
J. Christian Holt - 2,066, 14.19%

- Brad Haugaard 

Noors Becomes Mahan Indian Restaurant

Noors Indian Bistro, at the southeast corner of Foothill and Myrtle, has been bought out and is now Mahan Indian Restaurant, according to a post on Facebook by the purchaser, Sagar “Sage” Sharma.

- Brad Haugaard 

Science for Kids; Pink Patch Raises More than $6,000; MODA Ribbon Cutting; Art Walk in Old Town

In his latest report (https://goo.gl/aOqX7O) City Manager Oliver Chi reports:

~ Monrovia's Oak Crest Institute of Science is opening its laboratories for a hands-on, kid-friendly event featuring cutting-edge science activities to show how biomedical and chemical principles affect our lives. The event is part of InnovateLA, a two-week celebration of innovation and creativity in LA County. It will be held on Friday, Nov. 9, 4:30-6 p.m. at Oak Crest Institute, 132 W. Chestnut. Tickets are $12 online (here: https://goo.gl/bpaa8b) or $15 at the door. Kids are free with an adult ticket. Pizza and soda is included with ticket.

~  As part of the Pink Patch Project, more than $6,000 was raised for breast cancer research by the Monrovia Police Officers' Association, Firefighters Association, Municipal Employee Association, and Employee Engagement Team. This is 50% more than last year's $4,000 donation. All funds will be donated to the City of Hope for Breast Cancer Research.

~  MODA, the big, new multi-unit residential complex next to the train station, will host a ribbon cutting tomorrow, Nov. 7, at noon on site (228 Pomona Ave.). Also, the city has been working with MODA on a grand opening on Wednesday, Dec. 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. Details later.

~  MAFA (Monrovia Association of Fine Arts) is hosting its final Art Walk of the season on Nov. 24, from 7 to 10 p.m. in the 400 and 500 blocks of Old Town.

- Brad Haugaard

Chester - It's Easy to Start His Motor


Are you looking for a loving, attentive cat? Look no further than Chester (A467514). This 3-year-old loves to have company and will greet you at the kennel door to lick your hands and head bump you. He loves attention and with a few pets will start purring. Chester is not laying around all day; he’s actively looking for a home. He likes to pop his head around the corner of the kennel at his neighbors and at the visitors walking by. Come walk in to the Pasadena Humane Society’s Neely Cat Center and we’re sure he’ll grab your attention.

The adoption fee for cats is $75. All cats are spayed or neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated before being adopted.

New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA Animal Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for your pet.

View photos of adoptable pets at pasadenahumane.org. Adoption hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by phone calls or email.

Veterans Day Breakfast


- Brad Haugaard