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COVID Testing Available in Monrovia Tuesdays and Fridays

Drive-through (stay in your car) COVID testing for symptomatic and non-symptomatic people is now available at Monrovia Health Center, at 330 W. Maple Avenue. Results available in 2 - 3 business days. 

Testing is available on Tuesdays and Fridays, 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Appointments are required. To make an appointment, call (626) 256-1600, from Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

- Brad Haugaard

Milk Truck Crashes on 210 Near Magnolia

An eastbound big rig carrying 38,000 pounds of milk crashed through the freeway retaining wall and ended up near Evergreen (the south-side freeway access road) near Magnolia about 2 a.m. today (Tuesday). https://is.gd/NogBEA


- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Coronavirus Count: 622 - Up 7

Coronavirus cases from LA Department of Public Health as of 8 p.m., 8/16/2020. Changes since 8/15/2020.

City of Monrovia: 622 cases (up 7), 34 deaths (unchanged)
Unincorporated Monrovia: 69 cases (unchanged), no deaths
Glen Park at Monrovia: 2 cases (unchanged), no deaths

- Brad Haugaard

Dan: Sweet and Attentive, Likes Carrots

Five-year-old Dan is sweet and attentive, and loves resting his head on his foster parent’s lap. He enjoys watching his foster parent chop vegetables, and even gets a healthy, crunchy carrot to snack on sometimes! Dan came to us as a stray, but with a little patience he’s warmed up to so many people and discovered that he especially loves back scratches. Dan would do best as the only dog in the home, and just wants to be your one-and-only.

The adoption fee for dogs is $140. 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 at pasadenahumane.org and fill out an online adoption application. Adoptions are by appointment only.

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

- Brad Haugaard

Heat Warning Extended to Thursday - Tuesday Expected to be Hottest

The National Weather Service has again extended it's excessive heat warning for the San Gabriel Valley, from Wednesday to Thursday at 9 p.m. "Dangerously hot conditions with high temperatures between 98 and 110 degrees expected. Hottest on Tuesday." https://is.gd/lwnia9

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Coronavirus Count: 615 - Up 1

Coronavirus cases from LA Department of Public Health as of 8 p.m., 8/15/2020. Changes since 8/14/2020, although County Health is complaining of a backlog in processing cases.

City of Monrovia: 615 cases (up 1), 34 deaths (unchanged)
Unincorporated Monrovia: 69 cases (up 1), no deaths
Glen Park at Monrovia: 2 cases (up -1), no deaths

- Brad Haugaard

Homeless Man Arrested in Connection With Azusa Canyon Fire

A homeless man living in the Azusa Canyon riverbed has been arrested in connection with the Azusa Canyon fire, the "Ranch" fire. https://is.gd/MMuKjK

- Brad Haugaard

Ranch Fire Kicks Up


The Ranch Fire, in Azusa Canyon, northeast of Monrovia, seemed to have burned low today. Fire helicopters were still dropping water but no smoke was visible from Azusa Canyon, as you can see in the top photo here, which was taken Saturday morning. But the fire apparently kicked up again, as you can see from the bottom photo, taken Saturday evening from Monrovia. The City of Monrovia says there is “no immediate threat to our community.“

- Brad Haugaard 

Monrovia Coronavirus Count: 614 - Up 19; No New Deaths

Coronavirus cases from LA Department of Public Health as of 8 p.m., 8/14/2020. Changes since 8/12/2020. County Health reports that these numbers include "delayed reporting of a few hundred cases from yesterday."

City of Monrovia: 614 cases (up 19), 34 deaths (unchanged)
Unincorporated Monrovia: 68 cases (up 2), no deaths
Glen Park at Monrovia: 3 cases (unchanged), no deaths

- Brad Haugaard

Hot! Hot! Hot! Through Wednesday - Up to 111 Degrees!

The National Weather Service has extended it's excessive heat warning for the San Gabriel Valley to Wednesday at 9 p.m. "Dangerously hot conditions with high temperatures between 102 and 111 expected." https://is.gd/lwnia9

- Brad Haugaard

Library Park Fountain Has Broken Pump; Canyon Park, Wilderness Areas Closed; And More

Library Park fountain ... when it was working.

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

~ Monrovia Canyon Park and the Hillside Wilderness Preserve are closed through the weekend because of high temperatures and bad air quality.

~ The Library Park Fountain is broken. One of the fountain pumps failed and needs to be repaired. Feik says that, "we are anticipating that the fountain will be down for about the next 4 weeks."

~  LA County is offering COVID-19 Rent Relief  to low-income renters who have struggled to pay their rent and/or who are behind on paying rent. More information at  rentrelief.lacda.org

~ Monrovia Area Partnership (MAP) will hold an online meeting on August 22 at 11 a.m. to update the community on:

  • Meet Your Monrovia Police Officers
  • Mayor Tom Adams gives insight on the Monrovia Ad Hoc Committee
  • Q&A with Monrovia City Manager, Dylan Feik

To register, click here: https://is.gd/7TV7pG

~  The Public Works team has pressure washed and painted the canopies of the bus stops along Huntington Drive.

- Brad Haugaard

School District Releases Back-to-School Roadmap

The Monrovia School District has released its "2020-21 Back to School Roadmap." It includes information about:

  • Elementary and secondary school schedules
  • Student wellness
  • Mountain Park Independent Study
  • Special Education
  • Nutrition Services
  • Technology Support

Details: https://is.gd/XwLuNK

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Air Affected by Azusa Fire


Monrovia is being affected by gunky air from the Azusa fire. The brown you see here is poor quality air. The green is good quality. 

- Brad Haugaard 

Monrovia Coronavirus Count: 595 - Up 2; No New Deaths

Coronavirus cases from LA Department of Public Health as of 8 p.m., 8/12/2020. Changes since 8/11/2020.

City of Monrovia: 595 cases (up 2), 34 deaths (unchanged)
Unincorporated Monrovia: 66 cases (unchanged), no deaths
Glen Park at Monrovia: 3 cases (unchanged), no deaths

- Brad Haugaard

Fire in Mountains Near Monrovia


A huge plume of smoke in the mountains above Monrovia at about 4:45 p.m. today. It appears to perhaps be near Azusa Canyon. 

UPDATE: It appears the fire is near the Azusa community of Mountain Cove, which is in Azusa Canyon. There are reports that portions of Mountain Cove are being evacuated. 

- Brad Haugaard

Lunch at The Diplomat

Lunch at The Diplomat - outside under the shade. On the north side of Lime just east of Myrtle. Got the Beef Shawarma for $15 and a beer for $7. Ah! I’ve missed draft beer. So tasty. Shawarma was really good, too!

- Brad Haugaard 

Students! Name - Or Decorate - a Tunnel Boring Machine

"The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts is inviting Los Angeles County students in grades 1 through 12 to help us name the Clearwater Project tunnel boring machine (TBM) before it starts its quiet journey to build a new tunnel that will protect our local waterways. We also need your help to decorate the TBM with your artwork. To participate in our TBM naming and art contests, please see details below. Winners will receive recognition and cool prizes." Details: https://is.gd/2BMp40

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Police: Cars Hit Bicyclist, Pedestrian; Unknown Woman Accepts Delivery of Someone Else's MacBook; Drunk and Cussing at People; Etc.

 [Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for August 6-12. - Brad Haugaard]


During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 380 service events, resulting in 76 investigations. 

Possession of a Controlled Substance / Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – Suspect Arrested
August 6 at 7:44 a.m., officers were patrolling the parking lot of a business in the 1600 block of S. Mountain when they saw a male subject sleeping in his vehicle. They approached the vehicle and saw a methamphetamine pipe on the passenger seat. When the subject was contacted, he was also found to be in possession of methamphetamine. The subject was arrested. 

Package Theft
August 6 at 3:23 p.m., a resident in the 600 block of W. Lime received a text notification that her UPS packages were delivered and signed for the day before. She had no knowledge of this. She contacted UPS and confirmed her Apple Mac book and Air pods were given to an unknown female suspect. This investigation is continuing. 

Theft From a Vehicle
August 6 at 5:04 p.m., a resident in the 100 block of N. Garfield reported a theft that occurred sometime during the day from their vehicle, which was parked in their driveway. An officer reviewed a security camera, and it appears the suspects entered the vehicle through an unlocked driver-side door. A set of keys were taken from the center console. This investigation is continuing. 

Injury Traffic Collision
August 7 at 10:26 a.m., a caller reported a bicyclist and a motorist had just collided into one another at the intersection of Primrose and Colorado. The bicyclist was complaining of pain to his left knee, but refused medical attention. The driver of the vehicle was found at fault and was issued a citation for the driving violation. 

Drunk in Public – Suspect Arrested
August 7 at 10:17 p.m., an employee from a business in the 400 block of S. Myrtle called police to report a subject at the location who was yelling obscenities and racial slurs at patrons. Officers arrived and determined the subject was intoxicated and unable to care for himself or others. He was arrested and held for a sobering period. 

Driving Under the Influence – Suspect Arrested
August 8 at 12:34 a.m., a caller reported a possible drunk driver in the area of Colorado and Myrtle. Officers arrived in the area and located the vehicle. The officer observed the driver commit a traffic violation and conducted a traffic stop. After a DUI investigation, it was determined the driver was intoxicated. She was arrested for DUI and held for a sobering period. 

Trespassing Authorization
August 8 at 7:06 a.m., a resident in the 400 block of Hurstview reported her neighbor had trespassed onto her gated property earlier that morning, yelling and screaming at the resident. The resident completed a no-trespass authorization against her neighbor and the neighbors were advised. 

Petty Theft From a Vehicle
August 8 at 11:16 a.m., a resident in the 300 block of Norumbega reported that two days prior someone took his backpack out of his unlocked vehicle, which was parked in front of his home. His backpack contained a locked, disassembled handgun. He waited to report the crime because he thought he may have misplaced his backpack at first and had been searching for it. 

Stolen Mail Found
August 8 at 11:26 a.m., a resident in the 600 block of W. Foothill reported finding someone's mail scattered across his apartment complex parking lot. The mail belonged to an Arcadia resident, so Arcadia Police Department responded and collected it. The Arcadia resident confirmed it had been stolen. 

Missing Person Located
August 8 at 8:59 p.m., an employee from a business in the 700 block of W. Huntington called to report a suspicious subject loitering in the lobby. An officer responded and spoke with the subject. The officer learned the subject was a critical missing from Alhambra. The officer bought the subject some food while they waited for Alhambra Police Department to respond. 

Petty Theft From a Vehicle
August 9 at 7:23 a.m., a resident in the 200 block of Atara reported someone had entered her unlocked vehicle sometime during the night and took personal items. Another resident in the same block reported the same thing happened to two of their unlocked cars during the night. This investigation is continuing. 

Bicycle Theft
August 9 at 8:56 a.m., a resident in the 400 block of Genoa, adjacent to the wash, reported someone entered his backyard and took his blue bicycle. This investigation is continuing. 

Injury Traffic Collision
August 10 at 9:06 a.m., a pedestrian was walking in a parking lot in the 1600 block of S. Mountain when she was struck by a vehicle at a speed of less than 10 miles per hour. The pedestrian was thrown a few feet and struck the ground. She suffered non-life- threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment. The driver was determined to be at fault and was issued a citation. 

Wanted Person – Suspect Arrested
August 10 at 4:43 p.m., a caller reported a subject in the area of Greystone and Mountain that he knew was wanted by the police. Officers located a vehicle matching the description provided to dispatch and initiated a traffic stop. When the vehicle came to a stop, the subject exited the vehicle and fled on foot. Officers chased the subject through several yards and streets. The subject was eventually detained and arrested. 

Injury Traffic Collision
August 11 at 7:12 p.m., a traffic collision was reported at the intersection of Huntington and Shamrock. Officers responded and checked on the wellbeing of the occupants. Two people were transported to a local hospital for complaint of pain. Investigation continuing. 

Vehicle Burglary
August 12 at 6:59 p.m., a resident in the 300 block of N. Canyon called to report a vehicle burglary. Officers arrived and saw the driver-side window had been smashed and the vehicle had been ransacked. The owner stated nothing was taken from the vehicle. Investigation continuing. 

Pro Active Tutoring's Duke Freyermuth Retiring to Texas

Here's a nice story on the retirement of Monrovia's Duke Freyermuth, who headed PAT (Pro Active Tutoring), which provides tutoring to students whose families may not be able to afford traditional tutoring. Freyermuth is moving to Texas to be closer to his grandchildren.  https://is.gd/hrxXpB

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Coronavirus Count: 593, Up 7 - No Deaths Since July 30

Coronavirus cases from LA Department of Public Health as of 8 p.m., 8/11/2020. Changes since 8/10/2020.

City of Monrovia: 593 cases (up 7), 34 deaths (unchanged since July 30)
Unincorporated Monrovia: 66 cases (unchanged), no deaths
Glen Park at Monrovia: 3 cases (unchanged), no deaths

- Brad Haugaard