Dinner at Wingstop

Dinner last night at Wingstop, in the Pavilions shopping center. I got a 10 piece combo with half lemon pepper and half the new Serrano pepper, for $9.99, and a beer for $4.49. Tasty and messy. I think I still like the lemon pepper best.

-  Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Firefighters Rescue Dogs | Monrovia Art on The Web | See The Heavens

~ Monrovia firefighters rescue dogs from apartment fire: http://goo.gl/IEhjCJ

~ Monrovia's Planning Department has started an Instagram page to display pictures of art from around Monrovia ( http://goo.gl/cfkom8 ), including pictures you take. If you have an Instagram account, all is easy, but if you don't it is a bit obscure how to see the art. To make it easy, just use this link: https://instagram.com/artinmonrovia/

~ Come see the heavens. This Saturday night the sidewalk astronomers will be at the corner of Lime and Myrtle from sunset (a little before 8 p.m.) until about 9:30 or 10 p.m. depending on the crowd Saturday night.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Man Run Over By His Accomplice During Meth Bust; Catalytic Converter Stolen; Burglaries

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for August 17-19. - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 417 service events, During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 417 service events, resulting in 85 investigations.

Injury Traffic Collision
August 17 at 1:15 p.m., an injury traffic collision was reported at California and Evergreen. A driver turned in front of an oncoming vehicle and was broadsided. The airbags deployed in the driver’s vehicle. The driver sustained minor injuries and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Grand Theft
August 18 at 11:10 a.m., the theft of a catalytic converter was reported in the 500 block of West Duarte Road. The victim went to the vehicle to go to work and realized the catalytic converter had been removed sometime over the previous 10 hours. The investigation is continuing.

Grand Theft Auto Recovery/Transportation of Narcotics for Sales – Suspects Arrested
August 19 at 12:10 p.m., police were notified of a suspicious vehicle traveling north in the 2000 block of South Myrtle. They located a vehicle matching the description at Myrtle and Huntington. A computer check revealed the vehicle had been reported stolen. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle; however, the male driver, along with his two male passengers, evaded officers by traveling at a high rate of speed west on Huntington Drive. They were forced to stop on Huntington due to traffic at a red light. When they stopped, the two passengers exited the vehicle and laid face down in the street. Once the traffic cleared, the driver accelerated forward, running over the leg of one of his passengers. The Foothill Air Support Team helicopter followed the suspect vehicle to where it collided into a wall at a dead end in the 500 block of West Olive Avenue. The driver threw a black backpack out of the vehicle and then gave up. Officers recovered the bag, which contained a large quantity of methamphetamine and liquid GHB. The driver admitted he and the passengers were transporting the narcotics to sell.

The driver was arrested and the vehicle was impounded. The driver was charged with possession of narcotics for sale, felony hit and run, felony evading, and driving a stolen vehicle, as well as having a no-bail felony warrant. A warrant was obtained to search the vehicle. Officers located an additional large quantity of methamphetamine in the trunk of the vehicle inside luggage. The injured passenger told police that the luggage belonged to the non-injured passenger. The non-injured passenger was charged with possession of narcotics for sale. The injured passenger was taken to a hospital for treatment and will not be charged at this time.

Residential Burglary
August 19 at 11:26 p.m., a residential burglary was reported in the 600 block of Shady Oaks. The victim left the house at 5:30 p.m. to do errands and have dinner, and thought the front door was locked. When the victim returned home at around 11:20 p.m., they found the front door unlocked and two upstairs bedrooms ransacked. The loss is undetermined at this time. There were no signs of forced entry into the home. This investigation is continuing

Residential Burglary
August 19 at 11:47 p.m., officers responded to the report of a residential burglary in the 300 block of North Grand Avenue. The victim left home at 5:00 p.m. and locked the front door. When they returned home at around 11:30 p.m., they discovered the front door open and the window next to the door had been shattered. A video game console was taken, along with several video games. The investigation is continuing.

Monrovia Leadership Training | ChapCare CEO Wins Award

~ Leadership training from Monrovia Area Partnership. It shows participants "how to network with existing City resources to improve their neighborhoods." http://goo.gl/KQBRs0

~ Margaret "Margie" Martinez, CEO of ChapCare (which has a Monrovia office), has received a Durfee Foundation Sabbatical Award, which offers up to six individuals stipends and expenses to travel, reflect or otherwise renew themselves. After receiving her undergraduate degree from Occidental College and a Masters in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley, Margie has led a variety of community-based organizations that promoted health care access and workforce development. In 1994, she was named Executive Director of Clinica Romero, a health center serving the immigrant community in downtown Los Angeles. In 1999, Margie was selected to lead ChapCare. During her sixteen year tenure she has overseen ChapCare's transition from a hospital-affiliated clinic to an independent nonprofit health center. She guided ChapCare's application and designation as a Federally Qualified Health Center and directed the implementation of Electronic Health Records. She is currently developing strategies to expand ChapCare's service delivery reach and capacity through ChapCare's municipal partnership model. Source: Press release

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia's AeroVironment Providing Drones For Spanish Military

Monrovia's AeroVironment has received a contract from the United States Army totaling $3.4 million for RQ-11B Raven drones to supply the Spanish Ministry of Defense. http://goo.gl/4NJ08t

- Brad Haugaard

Feature Story on Monrovia Quarterback

A feature story on Monrovia quarterback Asaph Zamora. http://goo.gl/V3XUeN

- Brad Haugaard

Duke Energy Testing Drones Made By Monrovia's AeroVironment

Duke Energy of North Carolina is testing drones made by Monrovia-based AeroVironment to see if they can help better check its power lines, solar facilities and other equipment.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Renewal Project - $14 Per Household; Crime Map; Pickleback Shine

In his weekly report, City Manager Oliver Chi reports ( http://goo.gl/7IWHRe ) ...

~ Monrovia staff is considering a 3-5 year citywide "Monrovia Renewal" project beginning in the first quarter of 2016. It'll cost around $51.7 million; $14.8 million for street repairs, $23.3 million for water system repairs, and $13.7 million for sewer repairs. Cost to homeowners would be about $14 a month. It will repair or replace:

- Every street with a pavement condition index (PCI) rating of less than 70
- All necessary water transmission pipes and water production facilities
- All necessary sewer lines

~ I've mentioned this before, but Chi says that if you'd like to see Monrovia crime on a map, here it is: http://goo.gl/ZDeTEQ

~ This Sunday, August 23, at 7 p.m. country music by Pickleback Shine in Library Park. Sponsored by Cathy Teegarden and Tricia Harding of Distinctive Properties.

- Brad Haugaard

First City Credit Union One of Healthiest Credit Unions

Los Angeles-based First City Credit Union, which has had a branch in Monrovia, has been ranked number 14 in the 2015 list of the Top 200 Healthiest Credit Unions in America, published by DepositAccounts. https://goo.gl/GLVzRe

- Brad Haugaard

Bear-On-A-Bike At Monrovia Library

Monrovia Library to install mural of a bear on a high-wheeler bike. Picture here: http://goo.gl/pqxs0F

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Sign Gets Some Metal Leaves

The new Monrovia sign at the freeway and Myrtle has had some decorative metal leaf-work added to it.

Brad Haugaard

Dinner At Kuni Sushi

Dinner last night at Kuni Sushi, on the east side of Myrtle a half block south of Colorado. Nice atmosphere. I got the Spicy Tuna in a hot stone bowl ($12) and a bottle of beer ($4.50). Tasty. 

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Council and School Board to Consider Cop on Campus, Opening Campuses as Recreation Areas

During a special joint meeting, the Monrovia City Council and Monrovia Board of Education (agenda: http://goo.gl/dbKsL9 ) will consider assigning a city police officer to work with the schools. City would pay for the officer ($75,000 a year) and the district would pay for any additional expenses. (Details: http://goo.gl/SMYdak ) The officer would:

1. Work collaboratively with MUSD school officials in maintaining safe, orderly, positive learning environments for all students.
2. Serve as liaison between MUSD Schools and the Monrovia Police Department.
3. Serve on the Monrovia Anti-Gang Intervention Committee.
4. Serve on the School Attendance Review Board.
5. Take part on the Safe Schools Safe City Steering Committee.
6. Conduct classes to 9th and 12th grade students regarding citizen and police interactions.
7. Conduct school site safety assessments.
8. Conduct traffic safety assessments in collaboration with City traffic officer and the Traffic Safety Committee.
9. Assist school staff with student disciplinary issues.
10. Handle non-emergent (cold) reports and conduct investigations.
11. Attend school programs, assemblies and functions.
12. Assist in the coordination of the "Every 15 Minutes" program.

Also, the Council and Board will consider renewing a contract to open school campuses to the community as recreation areas. http://goo.gl/EKYhSN

- Brad Haugaard

Chalkboard Sign on Hillcrest

I'd seen this chalkboard sandwich sign before (on Hillcrest just west of Mayflower)  but never got close enough to read it. I finally stopped and took a look. It has a quote from Jesus on each side. 

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovian Robert Sniffin Dies

Longtime Monrovian Robert (Bob) Wood Sniffin, a systems engineer with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory since 1969, died August 6  after a long illness, his wife, Hilda, and son, Michael, at his side. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, August 21, at Saint Luke the Physician Episcopal Church, 122 S. California Ave. at Foothill Blvd. in Monrovia. In 1969, Sniffin moved to Southern California and became a systems engineer with JPL's Deep Space Network. After retiring in 2009, he continued to work as an independent contractor with JPL until his death. Source: Press release

- Brad Haugaard