Monrovia Now: News and Comment about Monrovia, California

City Preparing for Fire in Foothills

It has been a long time since the hills above Monrovia burned, and the brush just keeps building up ...

- Brad Haugaard

School Board Upset About HS Building Costs

We knew this, but here's a good story about the Monrovia school district and contractor having a "forceful exchange" about costs and delays.

http://goo.gl/2iH7
- Brad Haugaard

Public Art in Monrovia

How public art arose in Monrovia.

http://goo.gl/wrvT

- Brad Haugaard

Today is the first day of a new daily online newspaper/directory for Monrovia, called MonroviaPatch.

The Patch nationwide network of smaller-town news websites is owned by AOL. The company has hired professional journalists at (from what I've read) very attractive salaries.

I am glad Patch is here. Journalism has had a rough time adjusting to the Internet world. International, national, and state news is, I think, well covered on the Internet, but the big, gaping hole has been small-town journalism. And what happens when you don't have small-town journalism? Bell! That's what happens.

So welcome Patch, and Editor Nathan McIntire.

My only concern about Patch (other than that it sounds like a gardening site) is that I don't understand how it will make money. (I'm not even *trying* to make money with MonroviaNow.com.) From what I've read I think it plans to sell national and local ads and position itself as a local directory, sort of like a yellow pages, in which merchants can upgrade their free listings for a fee. Things like this have been done in the past (I was involved in founding CitySearch.com) and it is very difficult with the costs of selling to local merchants. And if you add in the costs of a local editorial staff, I think it will be extremely difficult. But times have changed and maybe AOL has found a way.

Best wishes, Patch! http://monrovia.patch.com/

- Brad Haugaard

Mascot Added to New Gym

The Wildcats mascot has been added over the door of the new Monrovia High gym.

Some pictures here: http://goo.gl/wWs0

- Brad Haugaard

Make a Difference Pictures

Some great pictures by Terry Miller over at Monrovia Weekly of people involved in Make a Difference Day.

http://goo.gl/sgl6

- Brad Haugaard

VFW Wants Teachers

The Arcadia-Monrovia VFW is looking for nominees for its "Teacher of the Year" awards:

http://goo.gl/2Dn2

- Brad Haugaard

Water Board?

I dunno. Waterboarding seems a little bit severe for the poor guy.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's Big Boats

Garry Acs points out on the "I like Monrovia because ..." Facebook page that Monrovia has huge boats.

"Whaaaa?"

Oh.

http://goo.gl/4GCC

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Airfield History

Here's an interesting bit of history, with some cool old black-and-white pictures, of the old Monrovia airfield.

http://goo.gl/jfd2

- Brad Haugaard

Mobile Dental Clinic

We had a bit on this earlier, but here's a nice story about the big dental clinic for Monrovia elementary students in the Star-News.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_16341034

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Wildcats Clobber Blair :-)

Oh, man! I feel sorry for Blair. 57 to zero.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/preps/ci_16344438

- Brad Haugaard

Life-Sentence Appeal Rejected

A three-justice panel has turned down the appeal of Shawna Lenora Robles, who said life in prison was cruel and unusual punishment. She was convicted of killing an elderly Monrovia couple in 2003.

Source: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/crime/ci_16341769

- Brad Haugaard

More Train Station Project Study

Monrovia has been working with Olson Urban Housing to try to figure out what to do with the 20-acre area around the proposed new Monrovia Gold Line train station (Here's a rough map of the site location: http://goo.gl/NC7v ). The City Council agenda says that "the economic recession has had a considerable affect on the Developer’s site model analysis."

I'll bet.

So the city wants to work with Olson for another six months to do "additional project analysis."

Anyway, the City Council will decide whether to do that at its next meeting, 7:30 p.m. on October 19 at City Hall.

Here's the Council agenda (PDF): http://goo.gl/QQT3

- Brad Haugaard

Electronic Sign

New electronic sign at Nazarene Church.

- Brad Haugaard