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Monrovia's AeroVironment Reports Loss | Produce in the Park | Teen Drug, Alcohol Abuse Seminar

~ Monrovia's AeroVironment reports a first quarter loss of 16 cents per share.  http://goo.gl/OmcUur

~ Produce in the Park Sept. 6, this Saturday, 9-11 a.m. in Library Park at the corner of Lime & Myrtle. Share your extra produce and get some of your neighbor's extra produce. 

~ There will be a "Reality Party for Parents” on Saturday, Sept. 13, in Pasadena to raise awareness about underage drinking, binge drinking, and drug culture at teen house parties. Not Monrovia, but it sounds important. Details: http://goo.gl/sSHgBC
 
- Brad Haugaard

Coast Guard Icebreaker Launches AeroVironment Drone

An icebreaker in the Arctic has successfully launched a drone built by Monrovia's AeroVironment. http://goo.gl/FzXxfb

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Humanitarian Agency Pioneers Best Water Well System

Half the water wells dug by humanitarian agencies fail within a year, but a study by the University of North Carolina "found that nearly 80 percent of wells drilled by the Christian humanitarian organization World Vision - which integrates local water committees, usage fees and repair teams into its model of delivering clean water - were still operational after more than two decades." World Vision is partly based in Monrovia. http://goo.gl/spI7Cu

- Brad Haugaard

Should Monrovia Fine for Both Over and Under Watering? | Film Fest

~ A Monrovia woman who got hit with a $250 fine has written to the city to say that it is wrong for the city "to be issuing both over-watering and non-watering citations at this time." Patricia Neville adds: "I believe the City of Monrovia is on the wrong side of history pursuing a dead vegetation ordinance in a severe drought.

~ Report on Action on Film fest at Monrovia's Krikorian theater. http://goo.gl/CoF40Z

- Brad Haugaard


Monrovia Over San Dimas

Monrovia defeats San Dimas 24-23 in overtime Friday. http://goo.gl/qm6icl

- Brad Haugaard

Art Show in Monrovia | Green Bay Packers Chaplain to Speak


Vida Loca 30x30, Acrylic

~ An exhibition of Contemporary Art By Bob Mendoza, Sept. 6 through October 1 at Segil Fine Arts, 110 West Lime.

~ Troy Murphy, chaplain for the Green Bay Packers, will be speaking at Fellowship Monrovia this Sunday, Aug. 31. The church meets at the Monrovia High Auditorium at 9 and 11 a.m.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia City Council: Revise Water Ordinance; Impose Offer on City Workers

At its next meeting the Monrovia City Council (agenda: http://goo.gl/M142Pa ) will, among other things ...

~ Revise the city's water conservation ordinance to:

- Set a new baseline formula for water usage (instead of using water usage for the 1989-1990 billing year). The new baseline is the average water usage per month for the previous five years prior to the implementation of a particular phase of the Water Conservation Ordinance. (We are currently in Phase I of the ordinance.)

- Grant exceptions to the requirement to use flow restrictors (flow restrictors must come into effect at a more advanced phase as I don't believe they are being required right now) if they are necessary to meet fire safety requirements.

- "Due to the severity of the drought," modify the water-saving requirements for Phases III, IV, and V to decrease the percentage of water that can be used. For Phase III, from 85% to 80%; For Phase IV from 80% to 75%; for Phase V from 75% to 50%.

~ Consider imposing its "Last, Best and Final Offer to the Monrovia Municipal Employees Association." The city report says the offer "provides for continuation of Merit Salary adjustments and the Performance/Longevity Bonus Program. In addition, all members will receive an increase to the City's fringe benefit contribution for medical insurance of $100 per month with the provision that all new employees hired after the effective date of the implementation of these terms and conditions will receive half (50%) of the monthly fringe benefit amount should they waive enrollment in the City's medical insurance program." http://goo.gl/rw2GLv

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Library Usage Declining Rapidly


According to information presented to the Library Board, over the past four years the Monrovia Library has experienced a 43 percent decrease in the number of adult materials checked out and a four percent decrease in children's materials checked out. Even computer usage in the library is down 29 percent. http://goo.gl/VZKazD

Comment: I love libraries, and I use ours (I've been getting the adventure novels of Hammond Innes from the library and loving them), but for better or worse this seems to be the wave of the future. E-books are so easily and cheaply available for electronic devices that buildings to house books are less and less necessary, and electronic devices are now so cheap that even going to the library to use a computer is unnecessary for more and more people.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Power Outage

Power is out in parts of Monrovia. According to a couple reports, signals along Foothill at Canyon and Shamrock are out.

Update: Also out at Huntington and Shamrock. 

Update 2: Southern California Edison reports that 3844 customers are affected, with no estimate yet of a recovery time.

Update 3 power appears to be on on North Magnolia now, at about 1:15 p.m. 

Update 4: Power is off again at 2:21 p.m. 

- Brad Haugaard

Lunch at T Phillips


Lunch at T Phillips, at the corner of Colorado and Myrtle. Got the Patty Melt with their fresh-made chips ($12) and a beer ($5). I really like their chips.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia vs. San Dimas Tonight | Country Music | City Hall Closed Monday

~ Looking forward to the Monrovia / San Dimas football game tonight. http://goo.gl/tps1QF

~ The Doo Wah Riders - Country music - this Sunday, Aug. 31, 7-8:30 p.m. at the Library Park Bandshell. Free.

~ City Hall and all city facilities will be closed Monday, Sept. 1, for Labor Day.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Caught on Video; Burglary; Shop Lifting; Etc.

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for August 25-27. - Brad Haugaard]

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 411 service events, During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 411 service events, resulting in 81 investigations.

Commercial Burglary – Suspects Arrested
On August 25 at 11:24 p.m., police responded to a business in the 600 block of West Huntington Drive. Store loss prevention received information that an Assistant Manager and another employee at the business had been committing thefts of store merchandise on Monday evenings, for the past several months. The theft on August 25 was captured on video surveillance cameras. Both suspects admitted to the thefts and were arrested for commercial burglary and taken into custody.

Residential Burglary
On August 27 at 7:26 p.m., officers were dispatched to a residence in the 200 block of East Walnut Avenue on the report of a burglary. The victim went to work around 8:30 a.m. and returned after 6:00 p.m. She discovered her residence had been broken into and some costume jewelry had been taken; she called police. The residence was slightly ransacked, but it did not appear the suspect had gone through the entire location. The front door had been pried open. The investigation is continuing.

Vehicle Burglary
On August 27 at 9:10 p.m., a vehicle burglary was reported in the 500 block of West Huntington Drive. The victim reported that the rear seats to her Cadillac SUV had been taken within the past 20 minutes. The driver-side door lock was punched and the hatch was opened; the alarm did not activate. Investigation continuing.

Petty Theft – Suspect Arrested
On August 27 at 4:55 a.m., an officer was dispatched to a business in the 500 block of West Huntington regarding a shoplifter in custody. The suspect entered the business, selected items, and hid them under her clothing. She then walked out of the store without paying for the items and was stopped by loss prevention personnel. The suspect admitted to taking the items. She was arrested and taken into custody. The suspect also had two warrants for her arrest, which were added to her charges.

Possession of a Controlled Substance / Warrant - Suspect Arrested
On August 27 at 5:00 p.m., Special Enforcement Team officers observed a known gang member and girlfriend in the Huntington Oaks parking lot who they new had a warrant for his arrest for narcotics. The officers confirmed the warrant and detained the suspect. During a search of his person, a vehicle key was located in his left pocket. The vehicle was located, along with the suspect’s and his girlfriend’s property. There was a marijuana pipe in plain view, and a search of the vehicle revealed a black nylon wallet containing a methamphetamine pipe and 21 grams of methamphetamine. The suspect was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and the warrants.

Legislature Approves Monrovia Assemblyman's Truancy Bill

The Legislature has given final approval to Assembly member Chris Holden's legislation to collect more complete records on absences and intervention strategies to help identify the effectiveness of school truancy programs. Holden represents Monrovia. AB 1672 now goes to Governor Brown for his signature. Source: Holden press release

- Brad Haugaard

Mountain Avenue at Duarte Road Reopens ... Partly

Mountain Avenue near Duarte Road reopens after work on the rail crossing. Mountain Avenue south of Duarte remains closed. Photo: http://goo.gl/HsDmCf

- Brad Haugaard

Parking Structure for Monrovia Train Station Coming Along


The parking structure for the Monrovia train station seems to be coming along just fine. I took this picture at the bottom of Primrose near Magnolia and Pomona.

- Brad Haugaard

100 Degrees Predicted Today; Monrovia vs. San Dimas

~ 100 degrees today in Monrovia. http://goo.gl/fo6Z48

~ Video: Sports writers ponder the upcoming Monrovia/San Dimas football game. http://goo.gl/jDB8Sx

- Brad Haugaard

Three Businesses Out at Pavilions Center in Monrovia

Subway and Vape 101 window signs. 

Some changes in the Pavilions shopping center. Subway is moving across the street today, to the building at the northeast corner of Foothill and Stedman; Weight Watchers is moving in with the Weight Watchers in the Hastings Shopping Center in east Pasadena, and Vape 101 has been evicted.
 
- Brad Haugaard

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Spreads Among Local Churches

To raise money to fight the disease ALS, Fellowship Monrovia church took the ice bucket challenge ( http://goo.gl/Fi6nNB ), and then turned around and challenged Pasadena's Lake Avenue Church, which accepted the challenge ( http://goo.gl/tz6xQQ ) and now Lake Avenue has challenged Pasadena's First Church of the Nazarene.

Comment: It's kinda neat to watch this spread. Since faculty and staff at Monrovia High are doing it this Friday, maybe they oughta challenge Arcadia High and Duarte High.

- Brad Haugaard

Filming Battle Creek in Monrovia

Diane Delmatoff, at Monrovia City Hall, reports that the TV program Battle Creek is filming on Friday at 161 Magnolia and 333 Linwood. She said they are prepping Magnolia today and tomorrow and, "The houses are supposed to look like they had been on fire."

- Brad Haugaard

Big Crowd at Meeting on Making Mountains a National Monument

Hundreds for and against making San Gabriel Mountains a national monument crowded a Forest Service meeting. http://goo.gl/7oGx9z

- Brad Haugaard