Beautiful Betty - Best Friend for an Introvert

Eight-year-old Betty is a beautiful dog who enjoys getting attention from her favorite people, and would love to sleep next to you on the bed. Betty can be a little shy with new people, so she needs an adopter who will let her go at her own pace and provide her with a calm and quiet environment. She would do best in a home without other dogs and without very many visitors, so she would be a great dog for an introvert who wants a furry best friend!

The adoption fee for dogs is $150. 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 and schedule an adoption appointment at pasadenahumane.org. Adoptions are by appointment only, and new adoption appointments are available every Sunday and Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.

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

- Brad Haugaard

A Moment in Monrovia History: 1947 Panorama of Myrtle Avenue

A 1947 panorama of Myrtle Avenue. (Click on image for larger view.) See full details here.

For more historic photos and papers, see the Monrovia Historical Society’s complete Legacy Project collection here. Learn more about the Monrovia Historical Society here.

- Brad Haugaard

Buy a Bag of Groceries For a Family in Need for $5.

You can help Vons help a family in need by purchasing a pre-filled bag of groceries for $5 through December 25. Purchase the bag at the register. The store says that the store has partnered with local organizations so the gift stays local.

- Brad Haugaard

Students May Get Pizza From Pizza Hut; District Considers Online Tutoring Deal

At its next meeting (agenda) the Monrovia Board of Education will consider ...

~ Getting pizza from Pizza Hut for students, at $7.40 to $8 per 14-inch pizza. The company promises, "All dough will be whole grain, and the pizzas will consist of low sodium pepperoni and low moisture lite cheese. Our products will be delivered fresh, hot, and on time." Details.

~ A 36 month contract for online tutoring software for $460,000 with Montreal, Canada, based Paper Education Company. The district can add students for $40 per student. Details.

- Brad Haugaard

Girl Scouts Install Mile Markers on Wilderness Area Trail; Money Available for Seismic Retrofitting - Register by Dec. 9

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

~ Girl Scout Troop 2851 has installed mile markers in the Hillside Wilderness Preserve along the path that lead to Sunset Bench, a lookout point. The scouts have been working on the project since October. Amy Crissey and her troop created the project to measure the distance from the Ridgeside access point to the newly installed Sunset bench. Measurements were marked every quarter mile with post and mile markers indicating the remaining distance to the bench. 

~ Monrovia residents have until December 9 to register for the 2021 Earthquake Brace + Bolt program, which provides $3,000 toward a seismic retrofit for houses that qualify. There is also a supplemental grant available for those with a household annual income of $72,080 or less that could pay for up to 100 percent of the seismic retrofit. For details: https://www.earthquakebracebolt.com/

- Brad Haugaard

School District Doubtful That a Threat Was Made Against Monrovia High; UPDATE: Threat Was Fictitious

Superintendent Dr. Ryan Smith posted a statement regarding the alleged threat against Monrovia High School. Here are excerpts:

"The principal at Monrovia High School issued a statement earlier this morning indicating that he and his staff are working with the Monrovia Police Department to investigate a threat made against the school."

"While we are aware of a rumor of a threat being made against Monrovia High School, our investigation together with Monrovia Police Department at this point has neither confirmed that a threat was indeed made, nor has it determined that this rumor is specific or credible. If we believed that anyone was in imminent danger, we would not have allowed school to be conducted.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we will continue to work closely with Monrovia Police Department to investigate this matter and will update all of our stakeholders when appropriate. Classes are continuing at Monrovia High School as scheduled."

Full statement here.

UPDATE: "Our investigation into this matter in cooperation with the Monrovia Police Department has been unable to determine that a threat was ever made against our school. In fact, the alleged circumstances that led to the circulation of this rumor were found to be fictitious." Here.

- Brad Haugaard

Bicycling Every Street in North Monrovia

Dave Brakebush of neighboring Bradbury made use of the streets of north Monrovia in a rather different way.  According to the bicycling app, Strava, on December 1 it appears he rode every street north of Foothill in a little over four hours, riding 53.7 miles and climbing a total of 5,902 feet. Details.

Thanks to David Campbell for the tip.

- Brad Haugaard

Former Monrovian Named by Forest Service to Supervise Lake Tahoe Basin

Erick Walker, who grew up in Monrovia, has been named the new forest supervisor for the US Forest Service's Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. He told SouthTahoeNow.com that "the San Gabriel Mountains and the Angeles National Forest were in his 'backyard' and are where he sowed his love for and shaped his early experiences with public lands and the great outdoors." More.

- Brad Haugaard

City May Adopt Mandatory Water Restrictions, With Fines For Violations; Report on DA's Special Directives

At its next meeting (agenda) the Monrovia City Council will consider ...

~ Moving from voluntary to mandatory water usage restrictions because of the continuing drought. If the council adopts this measure it means fines for people who do not cut their water usage by at least 10 percent.

From the staff report:

"No person shall spray irrigate any lawn or landscape area between more than every fourth day between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. the following day. This subsection shall not apply to any drip irrigation system..."

[Comment: This is hard to understand and should be reworded. I could interpret it to mean that I could spray water every day as long as I don't do it between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m., which is clearly not what is intended.]

"For customers who fail to reduce water usage by at least the required 10%, the proposed resolution would establish a penalty of up to two times the cost of a water billing unit (748 gallons of water) for each billing unit in excess what is permitted. The 90% threshold would be based on the water used during the corresponding billing period for the prior year."

Lots more rules here. 

~ Hear a report by Police Chief Alan Sanvictores on the LA County District Attorney's controversial "special directives." Here's the report. 

- Brad Haugaard

City Council and School Board to Discuss Flashing Stop Signs Around Schools and Other Topics

 The Monrovia City Council and School Board will meet (agenda) in joint session to discuss:

• The use of Measure K funds
• The promotion of outdoor activities and programs to Improve student mental health
• Steps to install flashing stop signs around schools
• Facility use agreements for public open space
• The school resource officer program

- Brad Haugaard

Christmas Parade

Monrovia’s Christmas Parade attracted a large crowd. 

- Brad Haugaard 

Weekly Monrovia Coronavirus Count: 19 More Cases, One More Death

Coronavirus cases from LA Department of Public Health as of 8 p.m., 12/1/2021. Changes since 11/25/2021.

City of Monrovia: 4,182 cases (up 19), 86 deaths (up 1)
Unincorporated Monrovia: 464 cases (up 3), 1 death (unchanged)

- Brad Haugaard

Dinner at Domenico’s

Dinner at Domenico’s, on the south side of Huntington just east of Magnolia. Got the Chicken Parmigiana for $17.99 and a beer for $5.75. It came with a dinner salad, a side of ravioli, and garlic bread. (I ate the salad so you don’t see it.) Nice and filling. 

- Brad Haugaard 

Former Pastor at Hope Unlimited Church Being Sued On Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse

A former pastor of Monrovia's Hope Unlimited Church, Robert J. Spina, is being sued, along with the church, on allegations of child sexual abuse. The filing here. 

Spina is accused of "engaging in sexual talk and innuendo, talking about girls, discussing whether he [the plaintiff] had had sex, and sending the plaintiff sexual text messages," and then later showing him pornography, according to a press release by the legal firm representing the plaintiff, a 35-year-old man who is called "John GA Doe" in the court filing. The suit says the alleged activities began when the plaintiff was about 13 years old.

The church is also being sued, because, attorney Morgan Stewart said, "It is clear from the information provided to us by our client that his abuse was known by others in the hierarchy of the Hope Unlimited Church. They did nothing to prevent it and they did nothing to hold his abuser accountable. In fact, they allowed RJ Spina, an admitted child molester to have access to children for at least two more years. I fear there may be many other victims and I encourage them and their families to report any known or suspected instances of child sexual abuse to the authorities."

According to an article in SACMEDIA, a student news publication of Mt. San Antonio College, Spina resigned last year and a notice on the church's website said it was "due to personal choices he has made in recent times that did not align with the high standards of ministry and his position of senior leader." Details. 

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Man Sentenced to Prison for Fatal Hit-and-Run in Huntington Beach

A 49-year-old Monrovia man, Julien Ceaser Solorzano, was sentenced to two years in prison for a hit-and-run that killed a motorcyclist in Huntington Beach. Details. 

- Brad Haugaard

November Board of Education Highlights

Teacher of the Year Kristin Ford honored by Board of Education. That and more highlights from November.  More...

- Brad Haugaard

Mayflower Students Quietly Provide a Thanksgiving for Families in Need

Mayflower Elementary students quietly put together a list of families in need, and then for Thanksgiving made sure they got a bit of everything.

- Brad Haugaard

Missy - The Cat With Calming Vibes

Don’t let Missy’s grumpy expression fool you – she’s so friendly! She even greets new people who approach her kennel. Missy is eight years old, and very mellow and well-behaved. She enjoys being petted, but will also pose for you if you want to snap a few photos. This sweet girl has such calming vibes, and will be a great companion to her future adopter!

The adoption fee for cats is $100. All cat 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 and schedule an adoption appointment at pasadenahumane.org. Adoptions are by appointment only, and new adoption appointments are available every Sunday and Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.

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

- Brad Haugaard

Coffee With a Cop Dec. 1

- Brad Haugaard

Burglar Lives in Their House, Steals Their Presents, But Waters Their Lawn

A burglar camped out a Monrovia house, stole the family's Christmas presents, but watered their lawn. Details.

- Brad Haugaard