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Monrovia Pet Food Collection / Cold Stone / Golf

~ Help Foothill Unity Center, cats and dogs, and the Girl Scouts. Pet food collection, May 4, from 2-4 p.m. at Unleashed by Petco in the Huntington Oaks Shopping Center. Details: http://goo.gl/m5JmR

~ Coupons for Cold Stone Creamery. http://goo.gl/ucx11

~ 12th Annual Carden Classic Golf Tournament, supporting Carden of the Foothills School. http://goo.gl/CH7nk

- Brad Haugaard

Know Any Good Monrovians?

State Senator Bob Huff, who represents Monrovia, is looking for nominees for "Citizen of the Year." Details on how to nominate: http://goo.gl/AzKIc
 
- Brad Haugaard

Lunch at La Adelita


Got a fat carnitas burrito at La Adelita (south side of Colorado east of Myrtle). Traditional Mexican and very generous. Burrito was STUFFED with meat, plus rice, beans AND drink all for $5.99. Come hungry. I couldn't finish it. - Brad Haugaard

Coming Up at the Monrovia City Council

At the May 3 Monrovia City Council meeting (7 p.m.) the City Clerk will certify the election results and the Council will:
 
~ Consider an ordinance controlling "Wireless Telecommunications Facilities," which would generally "prefer" wireless antennas be located in commercial areas and "discourage" them in residential areas. 
 
~ Consider paying the YMCA $11,077 to conduct a sixteen week program called "Square One" to "provide guidance, supervision and mentorship to the unsupervised kids hanging out in Library Park, the Pavilions shopping center, etc." on Friday nights.
 
~ Consider having the city sell some properties, "generally located on the southwest corner of Myrtle Avenue and Huntington Drive," to the Monrovia Redevelopment Agency, which recently transferred them to the city. Why the financial gymnastics? I think it is just a technique to keep the state's sticky fingers off the city's money.
 
~ Proclaim Betty Sandford as the 2011 Monrovia Older American of the Year and will honor two Monrovians who were finalists in the Star-News/Rose Magazine "Jewels of Pasadena: Women of Distinction" awards. The two are Rosemari Annear, finalist in the Community Service category, and Chamber of Commerce Member Julie Sagatelian, finalist in the Family category.
 
Details for all items here: http://goo.gl/tEuU9
 
- Brad Haugaard

Water District to Monrovia / Uno y Dos de Mayo / Fellowship / Networking Lunch

~ Upper San Gabriel Valley Water District moving to Monrovia. http://goo.gl/Ao8Ya

~ Remember, the big Monrovia Cinco de Mayo celebration falls on Uno de Mayo. http://goo.gl/EGcQd

~ And another Cinco de Mayo Fiesta, this one on Dos de Mayo, benefiting Monrovia Reads. http://goo.gl/4zucI

~ Starting May 6, Calvary Chapel of Monrovia is sponsoring "Breaking Bread Fellowship," a place to hang out Friday and Saturday nights, 6-10 p.m. Fellowship is at Baldwin’s Sidewalk Cafe, at 110 East Lime Avenue, just east of Myrtle in Old Town. Christian music, fellowship, food. Proceeds support the church's mission programs. http://goo.gl/HaSag

~ Snapshots of the Monrovia Chamber of Commerce Networking Lunch. http://goo.gl/KBgdQ

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Theft, Medical Assistance, Burglary, Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for April 21-27. - Brad Haugaard]
 
During the last seven day period, the Police Department handled 578 service events, resulting in 101 investigations.  Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:
 
Grand Theft Auto
April 22 at 9:09 a.m., an officer was dispatched to a parking lot in the 1600 block of South Myrtle regarding a stolen vehicle.  The victim reported that he parked his vehicle in the lot at approximately 5:00 a.m. on April 21.  He returned to his vehicle that same day at 6:00 p.m. and found it missing.  No broken glass was found on the ground where it was parked.  He waited a day to make the report as he did not know the license plate number of his vehicle.
 
Grand Theft Auto
April 22 at 12:11 a.m., an officer responded to the parking lot of a business in the 3300 block of South Peck regarding a stolen vehicle report.  The victim parked his vehicle in the parking lot at 11:30 a.m. and went into the business.  He returned to his car at 12:00 p.m. and found it missing.  There was no broken glass on the ground where it was parked.  The vehicle is a red, 1989 Toyota Cresida with over-wide tires, spoke rims and tinted windows.
 
Petty Theft - Suspects Arrested
April 22 at 1:01 p.m., police responded to the report of a petty theft at a business in the 500 block of West Huntington.  Loss prevention officers saw a male subject grab and conceal cologne and perfume on his person.  The suspect walked outside where he met with a female subject.  Loss prevention officers followed at a distance and provided the direction of travel to police.  Officers located and detained the suspect.  The female did not take part in the theft, but was arrested for two outstanding no-bail felony warrants.  The male suspect, who was found to be on parole, was identified by loss prevention and arrested for theft. 
 
Medical Assist
April 22 at 10:57 p.m., officers were dispatched to a residence in the 800 block of Naples regarding a male subject having a heart attack.  Upon arrival, officers found the subject unconscious.  The officers examined the subject and discovered he was not breathing and had no pulse.  The officers administered the defibrillator and revived the subject.  He was taken to a hospital for treatment.  At last check, the subject was recovering in the hospital.
 
Burglary
April 23 at 10:48 a.m., an officer was sent to an apartment complex in the 400 block of West Duarte on the report of a burglary.  The apartment complex is under construction and some windows were left open for ventilation.  The suspect(s) entered an apartment through a kitchen window and removed a dish washer.  They left the location unnoticed.
 
Vehicle Burglary
April 25 at 5:31 p.m., an officer went to the 300 block of West Lemon regarding a vehicle burglary.  The victim parked and secured her vehicle in the alley behind her residence.  She returned to the vehicle and saw the interior had been ransacked.  She checked her vehicle but could not determine if anything had been taken.  There were no obvious signs of forced entry.
 
Attempted Grand Theft Auto
April 26 at 12:35 a.m., a resident in the 700 block of South Fifth heard his car engine start.  The victim looked outside and saw someone backing his car out of the driveway.  The vehicle became stuck when it hit a wall.  A male suspect exited the vehicle and fled on foot.  An area search was conducted by officers, but the suspect was not located.  The victim had left his keys in the unlocked car.
 
Probation Sweep - Two Subjects Arrested
On April 26, Monrovia Special Enforcement Team officers and Los Angeles County Probation officers conducted probation checks at two locations in Monrovia.  The first was in the 300 block of East Altern.  The subject was home and put up some resistance to being arrested.  He was charged with delaying officers, probation violation, and possession of a controlled substance.  The second location was in the 2100 block of Redell.  The subject was home, but hiding in the residence.  He was located and arrested.  He was charged with probation violation and several no-bail warrants. 
 
Grand Theft
April 26 at 10:10 a.m., an officer responded to an apartment complex in the 700 block of South Myrtle.  The victim reported two expensive bicycles were taken from the public garage.  Both bicycles were secured with the same chain and lock.  The chain was cut and the suspect(s) took the bicycles.
 
Grand Theft Auto
April 27 at 12:39 p.m., an officer responded to a business parking lot in the 1600 block of South Mountain.  The victim is an employee of the business and had parked his truck in the lot and secured it.  He was away from his vehicle between 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.  The vehicle is a white, 2000, extended-cab Chevy Silverado with a camper shell.
 
Attempt Burglary
April 27 at 2:46 p.m., an officer went to the 100 block of East Cypress on the report of a burglary.  Two windows had been broken to the rear of the residence.  One of the windows is to the kitchen and the other is to the living room.  There were pry marks on the window frame.  Fortunately, entry was not made and there was no loss.
 
Residential Burglary
April 27 at 4:44 p.m., a resident in the 300 block of West Lime reported that someone had broken into their home.  The victim was away from the residence from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  When she returned, she went inside and discovered items missing.  She then noticed the east facing kitchen window had been broken.  The suspect(s) used a piece of red brick to break the window and made entry; they exited through the same window.

Monrovia Baseball / STAAR Surgical / Patch

~ Baseball: South Pas Over Wildcats 6-1 :-( http://goo.gl/fUEPI

~ STAAR Surgical of Monrovia gets approval for eye-lens. http://goo.gl/axmkF

~ A couple articles about the new emphasis at AOL's Patch local-news websites (there is a Patch for Monrovia) on using free bloggers. Wired: http://goo.gl/kQOWD Forbes: http://goo.gl/8NFTY

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Fire Response


Monrovia and Arcadia fire units responded to what I was told was a small fire at a house in the 200 block of Hillcrest. (Sorry for the yucky photo. Bad cellphone!)

- Brad Haugaard

McCarthy / Monrovia High Battle of Bands / Popstars / Home Tour / Beauty Award / Huff to Host Prayer

~ Monrovia football star Ellis McCarthy also does shot put. http://goo.gl/KXMY6

~ April 29, Monrovia High School Battle of the Bands, at Monrovia High, 6 p.m. Information: (626)471-2800. UPDATE: I understand the event will actually be held at Clifton auditorium since auditorium is still not ready at MHS.

~ April 30, Centre Stage Pancakes & Popstars. Entertainment, food and shopping at the First Presbyterian Church, 8 a.m.-noon; $5. Information: (626) 297-4758.

~ May 8, Mother's Day Home Tour. Five Victorian homes built prior to 1893 plus Leven Oaks and the Historical Museum. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tickets $17 adults, $14 Seniors 65+, $9 Teens; 12 and under free. Purchase at Paint N’ Play, Monrovia Bakery, Monrovia Chamber and, beginning April, 1 at the Friday Family Festival, or on the day of event at Historical Museum, 743 East Lemon Ave.

~ Boys & Girls Club gets beautification award. http://goo.gl/jF3Q8

~ State Senator Bob Huff, who represents Monrovia, will co-host the California Prayer Breakfast this year. http://goo.gl/wNFMc

(Thanks to Becky Shevlin for the events.)

- Brad Haugaard

More Job Losses, But Recovery / Telenovela

~ Economist speaking in Monrovia says more job losses coming, but recovery has started. http://goo.gl/Cqh9Z

~ Author of "Telenovela" will speak at Monrovia Library Community Room on May 2. http://goo.gl/TsqnD

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Acknowledge the Arts Night

Acknowledge the Arts Night, Saturday, May 7, 7-10 p.m. Drinks, buffet and entertainment to benefit arts education. Details: http://goo.gl/yIHo0

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia News Site Wants Bloggers

The news website, Monrovia Patch, and apparently - from my spot-checking - all the Patch websites across the country, will be trying to build out their sites using local bloggers, who will be paid, according to Monrovia Patch, in "gratitude." http://goo.gl/0447j

Opinion: This is interesting because it appears similar to the strategy Arianna Huffington used to build her Huffington Post website, and since she is now in charge of Patch I would guess this move is her handiwork.

Using volunteer writers worked well with Huffington Post, but I suspect that the contributors there built her website because of their political passion (the site leans left), not because they wanted to add to Arianna's millions.

Anyway, there are two things that occur to me:

First, I'm not sure people will be as anxious to work for free for what they may consider to be more of a business (Patch) than a cause (Huffington Post). But, I suppose, we shall see.

Second, I have never understood Patch's business model. Its expenses have always seemed too high. Still, we need good local journalism and Nathan McIntire and his team have been doing it. So I hope this is not an indication that Patch is abandoning professional journalism for mostly-volunteer reporting. I hope that's not happening, but I'm afraid that's how I would bet.

- Brad Haugaard

Johnson Says 'Not Guilty' / Cody Phillips Top in Cycle League

~ Derrick Johnson, 18, Monrovia High School football player, pleaded not guilty of attempted murder, other charges. http://goo.gl/WcOTp

~ Monrovia High Junior, Cody Phillips, has clinched the title in the SoCal High School Cycling League. http://goo.gl/gLwap

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Power Outage / Job Seekers / Company Bought

~ Power outage hits South Monrovia. http://goo.gl/HLWEu

~ If you are looking for a job, check out the Job Seekers event at the Library on May 7. http://goo.gl/CDhKZ

~ Monrovia's Caffe D'Amore joins Kerry Ingredients. http://goo.gl/XBmhl

- Brad Haugaard

MHS Football Star Arrested on Suspicion of Attempted Murder

Derrick Arnold Johnson, linebacker for Monrovia High's CIF-winning team, arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. http://goo.gl/7Cr2M
 
- Brad Haugaard

Sandford Honored / Free Brush Disposal

~ On April 14, Betty Sandford was honored as the 2011 Older American of the Year Award at the Senior Spring Luncheon at the Monrovia Community Center. http://goo.gl/Ym8rM


~ Residents in the Very High Fire Hazard Zone can dispose of branches and cuttings from their annual brush clearance through a Fire Department program. This may be the last year the City can offer this free service. Details: http://goo.gl/Ym8rM


- Brad Haugaard

Support Music Program and Eat


Help the Monrovia Wildcat Band and Color Guard tomorrow (Tuesday, April 26) by printing the attached flyer and then buying food with it at the Panda Express at The Huntington Oaks Shopping Center from 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.  Panda will support the music program with 20% of your purchase.
- Brad Haugaard

Slides of Monrovia / Surgical Device

~ A nice little slide show of images of Monrovia, past and present. http://goo.gl/WJ8gE


~ Monrovia's STAAR Surgical has developed some sort of device I don't quite understand that has to do with eye surgery. http://goo.gl/ZuZyw


- Brad Haugaard

Happy Easter

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!" - Luke 24:5-6

- Brad Haugaard

No Sunday Market Easter / Resurfacing Huntington Monday / Mattress

~ Due to the Easter holiday there will be no Sunday "Market at the Park" this week. http://goo.gl/KIioP

~ On Monday, April 25th the resurfacing project will begin on West Huntington Drive, from Fifth Avenue east to Magnolia Avenue. http://goo.gl/KIioP

~ The Monrovia High Drama Team is presenting "Once Upon a Mattress," opening Thursday May 5 and running Thursday Friday and Saturdays through May 14, 7:30 p.m. at Clifton Middle School. $10. http://goo.gl/6gBhI

- Brad Haugaard