Mountain Park School Answers Questions About Independent Study

Monrovia's Mountain Park School has posted an extensive list of questions and answers for parents interested in having their children learn through independent study, here: https://is.gd/uNuo3b

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovian Kyle Li Wins $10,000 Scholarship From Carl's Jr.

Carl's Jr.® has selected Kyle Li of Monrovia, Calif., as one of 10 recipients for the 2021 Carl N. and Margaret Karcher Founder's Scholarship. Li, an aspiring public policy major at Princeton University, will receive $10,000 towards his tuition.

Kyle is pursuing a career in public policy and hopes to be California’s first Chinese-American senator.

This year, in honor of the company's founders, Carl's Jr. awarded $100,000 to outstanding high school students who exhibit impeccable academic performance, have demonstrated leadership and participation in their school and community, and who have financial need in pursuing a college degree. Since 1998, Carl's Jr. has granted more than one million dollars to 1,000-plus deserving students.

"This year's recipients shared compelling stories that made it easy for our judging panel to make their selection," said Ned Lyerly, CEO of CKE Restaurants. "Among our recipients, three are Carl's Jr. crew members, two were valedictorians of their graduating class, and eight had a 4.0 GPA. Thank you to our Carl's Jr. franchisees for embracing future generations and making special moments like this possible for these stellar students." 

The Carl N. and Margaret Karcher Founder's Scholarship is available to graduating high school seniors in states where Carl's Jr. operates. Scholarships are offered each year for full-time study at an accredited institution of the student's choice. The application program for the next round of scholarships will be available in early 2022. Students interested in next year's scholarship should complete an application through Scholarship America.

Source: Carl's Jr. press release

- Brad Haugaard

Free Concert Tonight - Mark Easterday Country Band

Free concert tonight, August 8, at Library Park bandshell. Mark Easterday, country band. From 7-8:30 p.m. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Plague rules apply.

- Brad Haugaard

Tuskegee Airman LeRoy Criss Honored With Fifth Neighborhood Treasure

The fifth Neighborhood Treasure, honoring Tuskegee Airman LeRoy "Buster" Criss, was unveiled today at the corner of Maple and Ivy.

Here is a history of Criss, written by his wife, Helen, in 2000, to celebrate his 75th birthday.


LeRoy Criss Biography

In Los Angeles, California, on Friday, August 28, three score and 15 years ago, my husband LeRoy Criss, was born. His family affectionately called him "Buster." Most of you know him as "Criss."

LeRoy developed a love for flying at an early age. From elementary through high school, he made and flew many model airplanes. On December 6, 1943 he volunteered to serve in the United States Army Air Force. At the end of his basic training he elected to become and was selected to be an air cadet in the all Black Air Force in Tuskeege, Alabama, thereby becoming one of the original Tuskegee Airmen. His rigorous flight training was conducted with the 477th Composite Group and the 99th, 100th, and 332nd fighter squadrons. LeRoy trained and served at air ases such as Biloxi, Mississippi; Tuskeege, Alabama; Godman Field, Kentucky; and Waterboro, South Carolina. He learned to fly a wide range of planes, including the Piper Cub, the Streamen, and the B-25 Mitchell Bomber.

LeRoy became an officer, but not long after that, the war ended and he was discharged along with many other men who were no longer needed for the war effort. After his discharge, LeRoy decided to return home and enroll in college where he met his mate (and his match), Helen Butler -- me; and he has been happily married for over 53 years. As you may know, we have three wonderful children: Cassie, Renee, and Neal; and two beautiful grandchildren, Silas and Akele.

LeRoy attended Los Angels City College where, uppon graduation, he obtained a football scholarship to the University of California at Santa Barbara. He earned batchelors degrees at UCSB in Physical Education and Secondary Education. Later, he attended graduate school at the University of Southern California. LeRoy used his prior training in both flight school and college to mold his careers. For the first few years out of college he earned his living as a flight instructor and machinist at North America Aviation. He spent the last 37 years of his career as an educator -- a high school teacher. He was even asked to play football by the Los Angeles Rams.

As an educator, LeRoy taught Math, History, English as a Second Language, and Special Education. He also coached and officiated almost every major and minor sport, including football, baseball, girls softball, soccer, and swimming. LeRoy also served 30 years as the co-director of a community based, non-profit organization called Outward Bound Adventures (OBA), which offers outdoor education to inner-city teenagers. He taught environmental education, mountain orienteering, and how man, plants, and animals could live together in harmony. As many of you know, OBA did most of its training during outdoor field trips that required climbing Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in the continental United States; or tide pooling off the California coast and the Catalina Islands; or back packing throughout the desert or deep into the back country of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Criss was not only a teacher to the many young people he instructed throughout his career, he was also their mentor, father, role model, doctor, astronomer, photographer, bus driver -- whatever he needed to be to help them.

As co-director of OBA, LeRoy has been written up in several newspapers, magazines, and school district newsletters. He is even part of a professional video made of OBA which was shown throughout the California State Park System.

In addition, LeRoy has been an active church member for the last 40 years, attending such churches as St. Paul Baptist, Trinity Baptist, and now, the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Pasadena.

In 1987, after more than 37 years of working, LeRoy retired, and has spent most of the last 13 years fishing, traveling extensively to places like Europe, Asia, Canada, Mexico, and hopefully Africa in September of 2001, and "driving Miss Daisy" (me). He also spends a lot of time watching his wife work while looking for creative ways to escape the "Honey Do" list.

Therefore, for all LeRoy's good deeds, we, his family, decided he had more than earned the right to have a 75th Birthday Party.

Happy Birthday "Criss," father, grandfather, and my husband.

- Brad Haugaard

Free Concert Tonight - Old School Latin

Free concert tonight, August 7, at Station Square Amphitheater. Bumptown, Old School/Disco/Latin band. From 7-8:30 p.m. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Plague rules apply.

- Brad Haugaard

Oriental Fruit Fly Next Door in Arcadia; Catalytic Converter Etching Event; Shoo, Coyote!; Leadership Academies

Oriental Fruit Fly (IAEA Imagebank, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

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

~ Oriental Fruit Flies have been discovered in Arcadia. They lay eggs that hatch maggots and make produce unfit to eat. They target more than 230 different fruits and vegetables, including apples, avocados, figs, and lemons to name a few. California Department of Food and Agriculture will  conduct treatments to eradicate the infestation with specially equipped, marked pickup trucks, which you may see passing slowly by streetside trees. For questions call the CDFA Pest Hotline at 1 (800) 491-1899. https://is.gd/tAwG9H

~ Ward's Service Auto Repair and the Monrovia Police Department will host Etch & Catch, a free catalytic converter etching event on August 28, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m., at Ward Service Auto Repair (130 Railroad Ave., Monrovia. For Monrovia residents only. Reservations required. https://is.gd/7bO4iN

~ Learn to keep coyotes and peafowl away at this webinar by Wildlife Manager Lauren Hamlett, who will demonstrate humane hazing techniques. https://is.gd/bvNL4N

~  Monrovia Area Partnership (MAP) Youth Leadership Academy is a free opportunity for those in grades 6-12 to learn public speaking, about their local government, how to be a leader, the importance of volunteering, building resumes, practicing interviews, and what to expect upon High School graduation. The 8-week course is from September 8 to October 27, each Wednesday from 3:30 - 5 p.m. Register here: https://is.gd/q5byju

~ Monrovia Area Partnership (MAP) Adult Leadership Academy educates residents about City Government, provides leadership skills and resources to assist them in becoming connected and active in the community. The 8-week course is from September 9 to October 28, Thursdays from 7 - 9 p.m. Register here: https://is.gd/C9zi0R

- Brad Haugaard

Airman Leroy Criss Neighborhood Treasure Unveiling Tomorrow

Neighborhood Treasure unveiling and block party celebration for Tuskegee Airman, Leroy "Buster" Criss at the corner of Maple and Ivy tomorrow, Saturday, August 7, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Criss is the fifth Neighborhood Treasure honoree. There will be an art unveiling and a block party celebration to follow. The event is free and open to the public. For questions email map@ci.monrovia.ca.us or call 932-5525. https://is.gd/F9PNby

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia-Based Wildlife Warden, Jonathan Garcia, Wins Law Enforcement Award

Award winning wildlife law enforcement warden, Jonathan Garcia, with his new partner, Remi.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife Law Enforcement Division Warden Jonathan Garcia, who is based in Monrovia, has been honored as the 2020 Pogue-Elms Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. The award is presented by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) and is considered one of the most prestigious awards bestowed upon a wildlife officer in North America.

While Garcia's position covers a large swath of northern Los Angeles County, because he is based in Monrovia he does quite a bit of patrolling in the mountains north of town.

Each year CDFW’s Law Enforcement Division selects a wildlife officer as the California Wildlife Officer of the Year, who is then nominated as the WAFWA Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. Warden Garcia was the recipient of both the California award, which was announced on April 12, and WAFWA’s Pogue-Elms award.

“Warden Garcia only began his career as a wildlife officer in 2018, and very quickly became a force for poachers to reckon with,” said David Bess, CDFW Deputy Director and Chief of the Law Enforcement Division. “We are pleased to see his effort recognized on the scale that WAFWA represents.”

Warden Garcia’s diverse district includes northern Los Angeles County and requires him to patrol the sparsely populated Angeles National Forest and San Gabriel mountains in north Los Angeles, the densely populated cities in north Los Angeles County, and the busy shoreline. It is difficult for a new wildlife officer to develop expertise in even one of these patrol types within three short years on the job, but Garcia has excelled in each of these areas and made one big case after the other since the day he started.

Warden Garcia also recently became qualified with his new Warden K-9 partner Remi, who will accompany him on patrol. CDFW Law Enforcement congratulates the pair and wishes them well on their new assignment.

The Pogue-Elms Award is named for Idaho Wildlife Officers Bill Pogue and Conley Elms, who were killed in the line of duty while conducting a poaching investigation in 1981. Their sacrifice lives on through the award and reflects the extraordinary risks all wildlife officers assume while protecting our nation’s fish, wildlife and other natural resources. The award is presented to a wildlife officer of a member agency for one or more of the following: contributions to fish and wildlife law enforcement; exceptional leadership, skill or ingenuity in the performance of their duty; contributions to areas of applied technology in fish and wildlife enforcement; and/or contributions that brought credit to their agency or the field of fish and wildlife enforcement that were unique or original.

Source: California Department of Fish and Wildlife press release

- Brad Haugaard

Weekly Monrovia Coronavirus Count: 77 New Cases, No New Deaths

Coronavirus cases from LA Department of Public Health as of 8 p.m., 08/04/2021. Changes since 07/28/2021.

City of Monrovia: 3,398 cases (up 77), 79 deaths (no change)
Unincorporated Monrovia: 393 cases (up 4), no deaths

Update: This post originally listed one new death, for 80. This was apparently incorrect so I've corrected it here.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Woman Throws Knife at Window; Car to Car Shooting at Myrtle and Duarte Rd.; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for July 29 – August 4. - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 349 service events, resulting in 54 investigations.

Attempt Burglary
July 29 at 4:32 p.m., an employee from a business in the 1700 block of S. Mountain called police to report someone attempted to break into the business through a side door. The door had damage, but nothing was taken. This investigation is continuing.

Traffic Collision / Driving Under the Influence – Suspect Arrested
July 29 at 8:45 p.m., a traffic accident was reported at the intersection of Myrtle and Huntington. One vehicle had rear-ended another vehicle. Officers arrived and both drivers reported no injuries. The investigation revealed that the driver of the first vehicle had been driving while intoxicated. She was arrested for DUI and held for a sobering period.

Vandalism – Suspect Arrested
July 30 at 2:09 a.m., a vandalism incident was reported at a business in the 400 block of W. Huntington. An employee of the business was sitting at the front of the location, when a female subject came up and started to yell at the employee for no reason. She then threw a knife at the window of the business. The window shattered and the suspect fled on foot. She was located by responding officers and arrested.

Mental Evaluation
July 31 at 2:59 p.m., a male subject called police from the 900 block of S. Fifth and reported that his wife was having suicidal thoughts. Officers arrived and determined the wife was a danger to herself and needed to be evaluated by a mental health professional. She was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Injury Traffic Collision
July 31 at 6:35 p.m., officers were dispatched to the intersection of Foothill and Mayflower regarding the report of a traffic collision involving injuries. A vehicle traveling west on Foothill turned left onto Mayflower. A second vehicle was traveling east on Foothill and the two vehicles collided in the intersection. One party complained of pain as a result of the collision and was treated by paramedics.

Driving Under the Influence – Suspect Arrested
August 1 at 1:39 a.m., an officer on patrol observed a vehicle commit a vehicle code violation near the intersection of Central and Myrtle. The officer stopped the vehicle and determined the driver was too intoxicated to operate the vehicle safely. The driver was arrested for DUI and held for a sobering period.

Commercial Burglary
August 1 at 7:07 a.m., a citizen called police to report seeing a business in the 300 block of W. Huntington with a shattered front window. The business was closed until 11:00 a.m. Officers responded and determined a burglary had occurred at the location. The owner of the business was notified and the business was secured. This investigation is continuing.

Non-Injury Traffic Collision
August 1 at 12:15 p.m., a traffic collision was reported at the intersection of Shamrock and Huntington. Officers arrived and checked on the well-being of the occupants. No one was injured. The party at fault was issued a citation.

Commercial Burglary
August 2 at 8:04 a.m., the owner of a business in the 1700 block of S. California arrived to work and discovered someone had entered the building over the weekend and took a computer. This investigation is continuing.

Injury Traffic Collision
August 2 at 2:47 p.m., a caller reported a traffic collision involving three motorists at the intersection of Evergreen and Myrtle. Officers responded to the location along with paramedics. All three drivers reported sustaining minor injuries. One driver was transported to a nearby hospital for medical care. The driver found to be at fault was issued a citation.

Assault With a Deadly Weapon
August 2 at 10:45 p.m., a subject in another city called to advise that hours earlier he was a victim of a car-to-car shooting in the City of Monrovia at the intersection of Duarte and Myrtle. The victim was directed to come to the police station. No one was injured in the incident. There is no evidence of any further threat to the community regarding this incident. The investigation is continuing.

Traffic Collision / Driving Under the Influence – Suspect Arrested
August 2 at 11:27 p.m., officers were flagged down regarding a traffic collision that had just occurred in the 300 block of W. Duarte. At the same time, dispatch was receiving a call from a subject who stated his parked vehicle was just hit, and the driver that hit it was trying to leave the area.

Officers responded to the scene and contacted the driver and his passenger. The passenger exited the vehicle and tried to flee, but was detained a short distance away. As the driver was being talked to by other officers, he also attempted to run and was detained a few feet away. His actions caused the officer to fall and injure himself. The driver was arrested for DUI and was held for a sobering period.

Grand Theft
August 3 at 10:47 a.m., a resident in the 500 block of W. Colorado discovered someone had taken the catalytic converter from his vehicle, which had been parked in front of his house on the street. The theft occurred sometime during the night. This investigation is continuing.

Vehicle Burglary
August 3 at 11:32 a.m., the foreman of a construction site in the 100 block of E. Central called police to report a vehicle burglary. One of the work trucks that had been parked at the site overnight was broken into and several items were taken from inside. Entry into the vehicle was made through a partially open window. This investigation is continuing.

Theft of a Trailer
August 3 at 11:57 a.m., the owner of a flatbed trailer called police to report it had been stolen from the 1800 block of S. Myrtle, where it had been parked. This investigation is continuing.

Vehicle Burglary
August 3 at 10:00 p.m., a vehicle burglary was reported in the 1100 block of S. Fifth. The victim reported his vehicle was broken into during the day after he parked it on the fourth floor of his condo complex parking area. Officers arrived and saw someone had smashed the passenger-side window and ransacked the vehicle. An investigation revealed that paperwork from the glove compartment was the only item that was missing. This investigation is continuing.

Welfare Check
August 4 at 12:34 a.m., a caller reported an unresponsive male subject lying halfway into the street in the 600 block of S. Magnolia. Officers responded and found a male adult lying in the street who was breathing, but was unresponsive. It appeared the subject was heavily intoxicated and needed medical attention. Paramedics responded to the scene and the subject was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Mail Tampering
August 4 at 4:04 a.m., a resident in the 800 block of W. Foothill reported a male adult breaking into her mailbox. Officers searched the area for the suspect, who was on a skateboard, but were unable to locate him. Officers contacted the victim and saw her mailbox had been damaged and her mail was thrown about on the ground. The victim did not know if any of her mail was taken. This investigation is continuing.

Shoplifting / Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – Suspect Arrested
August 4 at 2:04 p.m., an employee of a hardware store in the 1600 block of S. Mountain reported a male subject just left the store with merchandise and did not pay for it. He was detained by store security and taken into custody by officers. An investigation revealed he was also in possession of drug paraphernalia. He was arrested for shoplifting and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Hit and Run Traffic Collision
August 4 at 7:22 p.m., a female subject in the 1400 block of S. Mountain called police to report her vehicle had been hit while she was inside a business and the driver who hit her vehicle fled. This investigation is continuing.

Stolen Vehicle Recovered
August 4 at 11:38 p.m., an officer was patrolling the 400 block of E. Duarte and saw a suspicious vehicle parked in front of a business that was closed. Further investigation revealed the vehicle had been stolen out of the city of Duarte a day earlier. The vehicle was unoccupied. The vehicle was recovered and released to the owner at the scene. It was removed from the law enforcement stolen vehicle system.

New Chicken Restaurant

A new fried chicken restaurant, Hella Bird, is coming to the Sprouts shopping area on Huntington Drive. 

- Brad Haugaard 

Dinner at Copper Still Grill

Dinner tonight at Copper Still Grill, on the east side of Myrtle just south of Colorado. Got the TexMex Chicken Salad for $11.50 and a beer for $4.95. Interesting, a salad you can eat by hand. And it was very good!

- Brad Haugaard 

Cops, Music, and Food Tonight

National Night Out at Library Park. Meet a Monrovia cop. 

- Brad Haugaard 

Monrovia High Track Star Runs Tomorrow (Aug. 4) in Olympics

 Monrovia High alumnus and track and field athlete Cravon Gillespie will compete in the 4x100 relay on Wednesday, Aug. 4.

Pasadena Now tells the story of his journey to the Olympics here: https://is.gd/ho8935.

Team USA says (https://is.gd/SM12Vn) Gillespie coached youth football for the Pasadena Ponies for nine years, which is the same youth football team he played for growing up, and his hobbies include bowling and making people laugh.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia High Students Create Game App for Apple Devices; District Hopes for New Clifton Principal In a 'Few Weeks'

Monrovia High School's Digital Studies Academy game development team, "The Forge," recently released its latest game, Andy's Donuts. available for download on Apple devices. The game, which challenges users to fill customer orders by getting the donuts in the donut box was largely developed by students working remotely under the leadership of teacher Anthony Carlson. Opinion: I downloaded the game: Graphics are beautiful and the instructions are clear - a fun little activity.

The candidate selected in July as principal of Clifton Middle School declined the position for personal reasons but Superintendent Ryan D. Smith says, "We hope to have a new principal selected within the next few weeks." In the meantime, retired administrator Mari Bordona, will serve as interim principal.

- Brad Haugaard

Several Monrovians Contract Typhus from Fleas on Dead Rats

Several Monrovians have come down with typhus from fleas on dead rats. https://is.gd/DPZZXR

- Brad Haugaard

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Golden-Year Dog Looking for Quiet Home - With Treats, Please!

Chip is an adorable 10-year-old dog who’s looking for a forever home to spend his golden years! This senior pup has a calm demeanor and will sit next to you sweetly (especially if you have some tasty treats). Chip loves attention and would do best as the only pet in the home. A quiet and calm environment with a similar person to match would be a great fit for Chip!

The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip, and age-appropriate vaccines.

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 and schedule an adoption appointment at pasadenahumane.org. Adoptions are by appointment only, and new adoption appointments are available every Sunday and Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.

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

- Brad Haugaard

A Moment in Monrovia History: Fashion Livery and Boarding Stables

J.A. Baxter's Fashion Livery & Boarding Stables on Myrtle Avenue at Lemon, 1907. See full details here. From the Myron Hotchkiss collection.

For more historic photos and papers, see the Monrovia Historical Society’s complete Legacy Project collection here. Learn more about the Monrovia Historical Society here.

- Brad Haugaard

History of Box Jewelry Street Clock

Here is the latest video from Monrovia Historic Preservation Group on the history of the Box Jewelry street clock in Old Town. Click here for the full set of MOHPG videos: https://is.gd/6rdsdw

- Brad Haugaard

Free Concert Tonight - Boxcar 7 Blues Band

Free concert tonight, August 1, at Library Park bandshell. Boxcar 7, blues band. From 7-8:30 p.m. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Plague rules apply.

- Brad Haugaard