Face Masks for Band and Colorguard

As a fundraiser, the Monrovia High Marching Band and Colorguard is selling spirit green 100% cotton face masks for $6 apiece or $10 for two. Payment options: Check to MHS Band Booster Club at P.O. Box 1122, Monrovia, CA 91016; PayPal at wildcatbandboosters@gmail.com; contact Karen Schultz at 808-7455 to pay by cash.

- Brad Haugaard 

Evacuation Warning Lifted for Monrovia, Other Foothill Cities

From Monrovia Fire Department:

As of 4 p.m. today, Evacuation Warnings have been lifted in the cities of Monrovia, Bradbury, Sierra Madre, Arcadia, and Duarte. Incident Command and the representatives from each community believe that the Bobcat Fire is no longer a potential threat to life and / or property in these regions.

Please note that the lifting of an Evacuation Warning does not mean the fire is 100% contained. There will still be smoke coming from the hillside and the air quality will continue to range between moderate and unhealthy for the next few days.

In addition to the lifted Evacuation Warning, the City of Monrovia will be withdrawing from Unified Command, but will continue to assist and support in any way possible. Monrovia Fire & Rescue will be patrolling the next couple of weeks to mop up and secure the area and will be keeping an eye on the hillside.

- Brad Haugaard

Lifting Evacuation Warning Considered; Working on Opening Canyon Park, Hillside Area; Expect Uneven Air Quality

City Manager Dylan Feik reports that ...

~ While the evacuation warning remains in effect, lifting it is being considered.

~ Canyon Park and the Hillside Wilderness Preserve remain closed. Only authorized personnel will be allowed in the area. Gates will be locked and there will be no public access to these areas.

~ "While the restoration process is expected to take some time, we will be working diligently to make Canyon Park and the HWP ready for hikers, bikers and everyone in-between. Monrovia Police Department, along with the Public Works, will continue to set up barricades to ensure that only residents are driving through the area above Foothill Boulevard."

~ Expect air quality to range from moderate to unhealthy for the next few days as there are still spot fires in the burned areas.

- Brad Haugaard

4.6 Earthquake Hits Monrovia

A small earthquake hit Monrovia today at 11:38 p.m. measuring  4.6 on the Richter Scale and located about 2 miles West Southwest of South El Monte. https://is.gd/vPh3ep

- Brad Haugaard

School Board: Rename Monrovia High Weight Room to 'Fred Bowden Weight Room'? Etc.

At its next meeting (agenda: https://is.gd/lMDkPj) the Monrovia Board of Education will consider ...

~ Renaming the Monrovia High School weight room to the "Fred Bowden Weight Room."

~ A contract with Cognitive ToyBox, which provides "observation-based tools and touchscreen games" to help teachers to assess kindergarten readiness. https://is.gd/O9u0BZ

~ A contract with ModernBrain Corporation to provide speech/debate instruction for Santa Fe Computer Science Magnet School and Monrovia High School. https://is.gd/O9u0BZ

~ A collective bargaining agreement with the California School Employees Association (basically, non-teacher and non administrative employees) giving them - among other things - the same percentage salary increase or decrease as the Monrovia Teachers Association gets. https://is.gd/VPcKXX

~  An off-campus Federal work study agreement with Azusa Pacific University to provide tutors to the district. https://is.gd/eBLWlm

~ Honor Employees of the Month:  Dennis Rios, groundskeeper; Karen Go, preschool teacher; Katrina Cuasay, SELPA nurse; Shari King, senior account clerk; Chad Miller, Teacher on Special Assignment.

- Brad Haugaard

Canyon Park, Wilderness Area Closed ‘Indefinitely’, Street Fair On

City manager Dylan Feik reports:

Due to fire damage, Canyon Park and the Hillside Wilderness Preserve will be closed to the public indefinitely. Not only does the hillside exhibit dangerous conditions like falling rocks and tree branches, the City still has to perform a damage assessment and clean up the areas. Signs will be posted at the entrance of Canyon Park and along Canyon Blvd.

The Friday Night Street Fair and the closure of the 400 Block on Myrtle for outdoor dining will continue tonight after last week’s cancellation. The air quality is considered moderate as smoke is still in the air. For vulnerable populations, please take extra precautions.

- Brad Haugaard

Weekly Coronavirus Count: 730 Cases, Up 21; No New Deaths

Coronavirus cases from LA Department of Public Health as of 8 p.m., 9/16/2020. Changes since 9/8/2020.

City of Monrovia: 730 cases (up 21), 37 deaths (unchanged)
Unincorporated Monrovia: 80 cases (up 3), no deaths
Glen Park at Monrovia: 2 cases (unchanged), no deaths

- Brad Haugaard

Burned and Unburned

With the air reasonably clear the difference between the burned and unburned areas can be clearly seen. 

- Brad Haugaard 

Monrovia Police: Shoplifter Waves Machete; Hits Police Car, Runs, Gets Caught; Attempting to Steal from Police Car; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for September 10-16. - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 351 service events, resulting in 66 investigations. 

Robbery
September 10 at 9:19 p.m., a robbery was reported at a business in the 1500 block of S. Myrtle. A male suspect entered the business and selected two bottles of wine. He appeared to be standing in line to pay for the items, but then ran out the exit doors. Once outside, he realized he was being chased by an employee. The suspect then retrieved a machete from a suitcase he was holding and waved it several times at the employee. The suspect then fled on foot. Officers arrived and checked the area, but the suspect was not located. This investigation continuing. 

Injury Traffic Collision
September 11 at 6:10 p.m., an officer responded to an injury traffic collision in a business parking lot in the 100 block of W. Foothill. A driver was backing her vehicle out of a parking stall and struck a pedestrian. Officers arrived and saw the pedestrian had sustained abrasions to his right knee and elbow. The pedestrian was treated by paramedics from the Monrovia Fire Department and transported to a local hospital for treatment. 

Hit and Run Traffic Collision
September 12 at 1:46 a.m., a vehicle traveling eastbound through the 100 block of E. Lime struck a parked police vehicle and continued driving away. Shortly after the incident, officers responded to a medical call and found the subject involved in the hit and run. The subject was incoherent and having a medical emergency. He was treated by paramedics from the Monrovia Fire Department and transported to a local hospital. 

Public Intoxication – Suspect Arrested
September 12 at 11:15 a.m., a resident in the 100 block of Melrose reported seeing a male subject stumbling along the sidewalk who appeared to be intoxicated. Officers responded and located the subject at Primrose and Foothill. He had fallen into a bush, picked himself up and fell against a wall. Officers contacted him and found he was so intoxicated he could not care for his own safety. He was arrested for public intoxication and held for a sobering period. 

Battery
September 12 at 3:53 p.m., a battery incident was reported at a business in the 3200 block of S. Peck. The victim reported that he was shopping at a vehicle parts store when he got into an argument with another customer. The argument led to the victim getting struck by the suspect, who fled the area. Officers arrived and searched for the suspect, but could not locate him. This investigation is continuing. 

Public Intoxication – Suspect Arrested
September 12 at 11:06 p.m., officers responded to the 400 block of W. Foothill regarding an intoxicated subject harassing customers inside a business. The subject was contacted and found to be too intoxicated to care for his own safety. He was arrested and held for a sobering period. 

Traffic Stop / Pursuit
September 13 at 2:02 a.m., an officer patrolling the area of Mountain and Central saw a vehicle fail to stop for a solid red light. A vehicle traveling north on Mountain had to swerve to avoid colliding with the suspect vehicle. The suspect vehicle failed to yield as the officer attempted a traffic stop and fled onto the 210 Freeway. California Highway Patrol officers continued pursuing the vehicle. The driver eventually pulled over and fled on foot. This investigation is continuing. 

Mail Tampering
September 13 at 6:42 a.m., officers responded to the 300 block Elfwood regarding suspects tampering with mail. A male and female were seen in a 4-door, white vehicle loitering near the mailboxes. After the subjects left, a resident found mail on the ground next to the mailboxes belonging to residents in El Monte. This investigation is continuing. 

Vehicle Burglary
September 13 at 8:22 a.m., officers responded to the report of a vehicle window smash in the 400 block of W. Duarte. A passerby saw the broken window and called police. The owner of the vehicle said he left a new stereo sitting on the seat in plain view and was going to have it installed today. While he was away from the vehicle, someone smashed the window and took the stereo. The officers saw a couple subjects sitting on a couch in a nearby parking lot. The officers contacted them and noticed the stolen stereo sitting behind the couch. This investigation is continuing. 

Injury Traffic Collision
September 13 at 11:49 p.m., a traffic collision was reported at a parking garage in the 200 block of W. Pomona. A pedestrian was walking inside the parking garage and was struck by a vehicle at slow speed. Officers arrived and determined the pedestrian had sustained minor injuries. The pedestrian was treated by paramedics from the Monrovia Fire Department. 

Commercial Burglary
September 14 at 3:07 a.m., the owner of a business in the 600 block of W. Huntington was contacted by his alarm company advising there was a window break at the location. He logged into his business cameras on his phone and saw a suspect inside stealing lottery tickets. He called police. Officers arrived at the location, but the suspect had already fled the area. This investigation is continuing. 

Theft / Possession of a Controlled Substance – Suspect Arrested
September 14 at 3:29 a.m., while officers were handling a call in the 600 block of W. Huntington, a subject waited for officers to walk away from their units. He then reached in and was going through the officer's bags attempting to take items, when another officer coming from the rear happened upon the crime in progress. The suspect was arrested. During a search incident to arrest, he was also found to be in possession of multiple controlled substances. 

Vandalism
September 16 at 12:12 a.m., a witness saw a male subject break a window in the 100 block of E. Colorado and called police. Officers responded, but the suspect had already left the area. This investigation is continuing. 

Theft
September 16 at 2:31 p.m., a business owner in the 100 block of E. Chestnut called to report that sometime during the night someone had stolen a catalytic converter from one of the vehicles parked on his property. Officers arrived and conducted an investigation. This investigation is continuing. 

Theft
September 16 at 3:13 p.m., a theft was reported at a business in the 2600 block of California. A large shipment of E Cigarettes had been set outside the business and was waiting for pickup by a customer, but someone else arrived and took the boxes. Officers arrived and collected video surveillance showing a suspect loading the boxes into his vehicle. This investigation is continuing. 

Burglary
September 16 at 6:09 p.m., a vehicle burglary was reported in the 1600 block of S. Mountain. The victim parked his vehicle at 8:30 a.m. that morning and left his vehicle. When he returned at 6:00 p.m., he noticed his trunk had been opened. The door locks had been tampered with and a duffel bag containing baseball equipment had been stolen. This investigation is continuing. 

Lunch at Nano Cafe

Lunch at Nano Cafe, on the north side of Duarte Road just east of Mayflower. The restaurant has lots of shaded outdoor seating. Got the Reuben Sandwich with coleslaw for $12.99 and an iced tea for $2.99. Enjoyed it a lot. 

- Brad Haugaard 

Free Flu Shots at Monrovia Church on Oct. 3

First Evangelical Church, Arcadia - which, despite its name, is in Monrovia - will provide free flu shots on Oct. 3. Details: https://is.gd/8UMmTb

- Brad Haugaard

Neighbors Express Thanks to Firefighters, Police

As you might expect, the neighborhoods of North Canyon Blvd, Ridgeside Dr, and Oakglade Dr., all at the very top of Monrovia, are mighty grateful. The residents expressed their gratitude with these signs, collected into a collage by Scott Morgan, who lives on North Canyon. (Thanks Scott!)

- Brad Haugaard

Mopping Up the Fire - You May See Spots of Smoke or Fire - Not to Worry

City Manager Dylan Feik reports that some firefighters are remaining on the scene to perform mop up operations. "Small pockets of fuel remain in the burn area that will periodically burn out. As these areas burn out, we would like to assure residents that crews are nearby monitoring the situation. Residents can expect to see pockets of smoke from Monrovia Canyon Park during the day and possible small flames at night. Again, these flare ups are in the burn areas and are carefully watched. Throughout the week, the fire line above the Clamshell Truck Trail and along the Spanish Canyon ridge will also be patrolled and monitored. 

"Due to the hot spots that remain in the foothills, the Evacuation Warning remains in effect for residents of Monrovia."

- Brad Haugaard

No School - Virtual or Otherwise - For Rest of This Week - Bad Air

School's out for the rest of the week for Monrovia School District. Bad air. Not even virtual learning from home.

School Superintendent Dr. Katherine Thorossian wrote to parents that, "Given the perilous air quality, we are dismissing students from school through the end of this week. We understand the burden placed upon families during these continued crises and hope that this offers some level of relief.

"To support the health and well-being of our staff members during this time of crisis, we are closing all our facilities through Friday, Sept. 18, and asking all staff members to stay home. Unfortunately, that means that we will not be distributing meals on Friday, as originally scheduled. We apologize for this disruption in service."

Why no distance learning?

School Board President Rob Hammond writes that, " It is the environment the students are learning in. If a classroom were full of smoke and unhealthy to breath in we would not want a student in that environment.  Now the student's home is their classroom.  If the air is not healthy it can cause many disruptions to learning. Frequent headaches, watery eyes,  and a host of respiratory problems all contribute a less than desirable environment whether it is virtual (at home) or on campus. Student safety and welfare will always be our guiding principle.

- Brad Haugaard

Fire Crews Monitoring Hills, City Declares Smoke a Threat

Fire crews will continue to operate on the ridge above Spanish Canyon to ensure that the fire remains contained in the canyon and there are no spot fires, and there will be crews in Monrovia Canyon Park where there are small pockets of brush that may need extra attention, according to City Manager Dylan Feik.

He added, "We do not predict a large amount of fire activities in Monrovia today, however residents may see smoke coming from Monrovia Canyon Park and Spanish Canyon as crews mop up the area."

Also, Monrovia has declared smoke as a dangerous threat, especially for those with preexisting conditions such as chronic heart and lung disease (i.e. asthma, emphysema and COPD).

The city has attempted to purchase air purifiers to loan out to vulnerable people, but they are out of stock and the city has been unable to acquire them. Feik said, "We encourage those who have air conditioning to turn them on and keep windows closed. It is also recommended, for the most vulnerable population, to wear masks indoors."

- Brad Haugaard

Candle of Hope Event Thursday, 7 p.m.

Planned Power Outages Postponed

Power outages planned for this week have been postponed. City Manager Dylan Feik reports that city staff “has coordinated with Southern California Edison (SCE) and outages planned for Wednesday, September 16, will be postponed to a later date. We will continue to coordinate with SCE to postpone the outages planned for Thursday and Friday.”

- Brad Haugaard

Spanish Canyon Controlled Burn Should End Tonight

Forest Service photo.

Angeles National Forest posted this on Facebook:

The strategic firing operation from Trask Camp to Spanish Canyon is almost complete.  Crews will finish the operation by this evening.  This will reinforce an existing handline further protecting the foothill communities.

- Brad Haugaard 

Monrovia State of the Schools Address Oct. 7

- Brad Haugaard

Spanish Canyon Controlled-Burn Working Well; Bad Liars

I'm guessing, but I'd say those green lines are fire breaks.

City Manager Dylan Feik reports that much of the action today is in saving Mt. Wilson, but in Monrovia, he said, fire crews will continue to control-burn Spanish Canyon. "The team made great progress last night and they will continue in their efforts today," he said.

Feik added that you'll notice an increase in smoke, and if you live around Norumbega you'll see a heavy presence of fire crews there to support the Spanish Canyon operation.

Feik said that at the "Resident Only" roadblock, drivers are being stopped and asked where they live. "I live right there on that corner," was the most common response," one officer said. When the officer asked the name of the street, people just turned around and left.

- Brad Haugaard