A puzzling event on Sonoma Dr., covered by KABC: somebody torched Reginald Ingram's Obama campaign sign. Ingram is one of the few African Americans on Sonoma, lending a sinister cast to the whole event. Video is here.
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A puzzling event on Sonoma Dr., covered by KABC: somebody torched Reginald Ingram's Obama campaign sign. Ingram is one of the few African Americans on Sonoma, lending a sinister cast to the whole event. Video is here.
Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 at 08:53 PM in Crime | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Happy birthday to us -- the very first Altadenablog post was a year ago today (we believe it was "test test test" while we were still figuring out a decent format and color scheme!)
Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Just making the rounds that Judge Joseph De Vanon ordered the La Vina Homeowner's Association to pay the county's legal tab of $783,944 in attorney's fees. La Vina HOA has been involved in extensive litigation to keep promised access trails closed around the gated community. The court recently said that the trails must be opened, altho' La Vina has filed an appeal.
Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 at 08:21 AM in La Vina Trail | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Dr. Sandra Thomas updated our earlier article on the Bright Futures Scholars program to say that over 400 scholars have been nominated by their schools to participate in the program. Pictured are just some of the 2008-09 scholars at a Sept. 20 meeting.
Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 at 08:15 AM in Education | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Riverside Press-Enterprise reports that Joe Olivarez of Altadena and Frank Bazzo of Murietta were sentenced to life in prison without parole Monday in a murder-for-hire scheme in downtown Riverside. Details here.
Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 at 08:07 AM in Crime | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
It's that time -- the Altadena Chamber of Commerce is accepting applications for its annual Citizen of the Year award. Applications are available at the chamber's office in the Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr., or at their website (or so they say -- it doesn't appear to be up yet, but you can also email the chamber at altadenachamber@yahoo.com)
Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 at 07:45 AM in CommuniDena | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Works will hold two meetings during the day tomorrow, Wed., Oct 1, at the upper Davies Building Community Room at Farnsworth Park, 68 E. Mt. Curve.
Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 at 07:39 AM in Roads & traffic | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Despite complaints from nearby residents that began after the school opened this month, the Sahag-Mesrob Armenian Christian School has been "very constructive and very responsive" to neighborhood concerns, says Principal Shahe Garabedian.
Sahag-Mesrob's campus at 183-205 E. Palm St., which opened Sept. 2, is facing two major hurdles: complaints by neighbors claiming there was no or inadequate notice of the 250-student school opening in the neighborhood; and a notice of violation from the Los Angeles County zoning department, because the school was operating without the required conditional use permit (CUP). The notice requires that the school close this week or face fines. Continued violation of the notice may also bring criminal charges against the school, county officials said last week.
Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 at 12:01 AM in Education, Sahag Mesrob | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)
The old Edison Elementary School on Glenrose already hosts the Nia charter school, and up until last spring, the failed Rhythms of the Village charter school. A new tenant will be moving into the Rhythms portion, and writerdeb @ Altadena Above It All relays a message from Elliott Gold about Oak Knoll, the new school planned for that portion.
Posted on Monday, September 29, 2008 at 02:53 PM in Education | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Sorry that there haven't been any recent updates -- we're operating on a skeleton of technology for awhile. We have three computers in the house, and all of them are in some state of disrepair.
1. The old Dell XP works fine, but has refused to go online since we switched to ATT Uverse in August. Three hours with tech support for Uverse, Dell, the old modem company, and the new modem company ('cause we switched to a wireless card when the old modem failed to work) rendered absolutely nothing except finger-pointing at the other guy.
2. The MacBook Pro vs. child with behavioral problems who decided to teach Dad a lesson. It's going to the Apple Store today.
3. Now working on Spawn 1's Vista laptop. This laptop goes dead whenver it's unplugged. After three hours on tech support to no avail, we were told to ship it to the repair depot in Texas. Returned Friday, problem not fixed, back on the horn with tech support. As far as we can tell, once it hit Texas, it was removed from its shipping box and put in another shipping box to be returned without a technician even looking at it. Much screaming ensued, and supposedly they will send a technician to the home so I can actually watch them repair it.
So We're working now on a crippled Dell laptop, and updates will be sketchy for awhile. Bear with us!
Posted on Monday, September 29, 2008 at 09:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Posted on Thursday, September 25, 2008 at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Just two items in this week's crime log:
Sept. 18: Maie, 13 years old, was held, possibly mentally ill, 3100 block of Glenrose Ave.
Sept. 19: Attempted residential burglary on 500 block of Mt. Curve Dr.
“The Altadena Station crime log is published for the purpose of providing the community with a sampling of reported crimes within the Altadena Station jurisdiction. This report does not include all criminal activity occurring within the parameters of this report. The objective of this report is to enhance community awareness and assist its members in taking proactive steps towards ensuring their safety and the safety of others within the community.”
Posted on Thursday, September 25, 2008 at 12:23 AM in Crime Log | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Pictured: cars line up to pick up students at Sahag-Mesrob's Palm St. campus Tuesday afternoon.
Los Angeles County zoning authorities have told Sahag-Mesrob Armenian Christian School that it is violating county zoning ordinances and will have to close next week, or start paying fines.
Bruce Durbin of Los Angeles County zoning enforcement said that the school -- which opened its Palm St. location on Sept. 2, to the surprise and consternation of the neighbors -- failed to get a conditional use permit (CUP) to operate in the largely-residential area. Durbin said it takes about a year to 18 months to complete the CUP process, and Sahag-Mesrob applied for the permit in May 2008, shortly after its $7 million purchase of the former Bienvenidos Children’s Center property.
The purchase of the property and plans for the school haven’t been secret -- announcements have appeared in the local Armenian press, real estate press releases, and there was a presentation at the Altadena Town Council in April. Still, residents around the property, at 183-205 E. Palm St., were surprised to see a fully-functioning school and a line of cars dropping off over 200 students the day after Labor Day.
Continue reading "County: Sahag-Mesrob has no permit, must close or be fined" »
Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 12:23 PM in Education, Sahag Mesrob | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
On Sat., Oct. 18, the Altadena Clergy Council in partnership with L.A. County Parks and Recreation will be hosting a job/resource fair from 10 AM-2 PM. at Farnsworth Park, 568 E. Mt. Curve, Altadena.
This event, "Partnering to Build a Better Community," is designed/designated for individuals seeking employment and/or reemployment resource service information.
The fair will include career enrichment workshops, tattoo removal, and criminal record expungement information, vendor booths and a children's area. Also participating will be the L.A. County Altadena Sheriff's Department, Women at Work, the Employment Development Department and the Foothill Employment and Training Connection.
For questions, further information, or to make a donation, please contact Reverend John B. Bledsoe, Clergy Council President. #(323) 578-7845.
Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 11:44 AM in CommuniDena | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
On Friday, October 3rd at 7 p.m. the Friends of the
Altadena Library will present a free program featuring Brent Hatch,
author of the national bestseller, Raising a G-Rated Family in an
X-Rated World. This event will be held at the main branch of the
Altadena Library, at 600 East Mariposa St., in Altadena. For more
information please call 626-798-0833 or check the library's website, http://www.altadenalibrary.org
As a speaker, consultant, businessman and author, South Pasadena
resident Brent Hatch is a man of many hats. His success started early
on with the attainment of Eagle Scout status, and he went on to become
an award winning real estate agent. Hatch's aspiration to help guide
parents in raising their children in a media-dominated world resulted
from his horror over the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School. He
and his wife Phelicia determined ten tools that effectively open the
lines of communication between parents and children and outlined them
in the nationally bestselling book, Raising a G-Rated Family in an
X-Rated World. The book has been covered by CBS, NBC and radio stations
across the nation, and has brought recognition to Hatch and his wife as
California Parents of the Year. It recently became the #1 ranked book
on Amazon.com's Parenting and Families category.
In a world where there are 50,000 child predators on MySpace.com at any
given time and children are easily exposed to a $15 billion a year porn
industry, Hatch teaches parents how to protect their children without
locking them up at home. As supplements to his parenting strategies, he
created the "Hug Card" and the "Alcohol Breath Detector Card," which
have reached the lives of over 3.5 million people across the nation. In
addition to consulting universities, city governments, and parenting
organizations across America, he has shared his insights at workplaces
to help increase morale, reduce negativity, and inspire teamwork.
Alongside his wife of twenty-one years, Brent Hatch has raised seven
children, who are living evidence of the effectiveness of their
methods. Notably, his 14-year-old son McKay Hatch, founded the No
Cussing Club in 2007, which advocates the disuse of profanity in public
spaces. It currently has over 10,000 members, with chapters in all 50
states and 24 countries worldwide. Hatch counts the development and
nurturing of his family as his greatest success.
This public event will be held in the Library Community Room. Copies of
the book will be available for purchase and signing. No tickets or
reservations are necessary. For more information, or to set up an
interview, Brent can be reached at http://www.brenthatch.com/. (Click on "Contact" and he will answer your email.)
Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 12:01 AM in Library | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
This flyer (pdf document) is making the rounds of the Palm St. neighborhood where the Sahag-Mesrob Armenian Christian school has moved its operations. According to the flyer, the school opened without receiving a conditional use permit for the location (which includes an environmental impact study on noise and traffic). In addition, the flyer claims that zoning enforcement issued a notice of violation to the school and Supervisor Antonovich's office has advised them to cease operation.
We're going to try and track down neighbors and get comment from them and the school as we are able. A 200 to 800-student school dropped into a neighborhood -- and then perhaps shutting down as suddenly -- promises to leave a lot of disturbed neighbors and school parents. Keep watchin'!
Posted on Monday, September 22, 2008 at 10:39 PM in Education, Sahag Mesrob | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
Our source on the nuisance house on the 3800 block of Marengo tells Altadenablog today that the big heapin' piles of trash have been removed. (Recap: house in middle-class neighborhood was found to be a pot farm and busted in early August -- it was cleaned up, but all the trash was piled in the driveway -- and there it sat -- and the county couldn't/wouldn't touch it because it was on private property).
The trash was removed late last week by the county after it mysteriously moved from the driveway to the public gutter (rumor has it the trash-moving angels wear badges and drive in black-and-white vehicles). Our source pronounces herself happy with the outcome, as are we, but the empty house remains a potential problem.
Posted on Sunday, September 21, 2008 at 10:17 PM in Crime | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
PSN reports a sad domestic tale: Altadena woman finds her boyfriend with another woman at an east Pasadena motel this morning, and proceeds to thrash him with an auto anti-theft device. It just writes itself, doesn't it?
Posted on Sunday, September 21, 2008 at 09:48 PM in Crime | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Gallery at the End of the World is holding its monthly Sunday Salon next week, and here's the details:
Posted on Saturday, September 20, 2008 at 09:15 PM in Arts-a-Dena | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Posted on Friday, September 19, 2008 at 04:32 PM in Education | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Join Altadena Library staff and other members of the community at a "Design Camp" from 10 AM - 4 PM on Sat., Oct. 4 in the library's community room. Have some input on the renovations and improvements planned for the main library. For more information, contact Erica Metoyer at 626-798-8338.
UPDATE 9/20: Please note the lengthy comment from Altadena Heritage in the comments section.
Posted on Friday, September 19, 2008 at 04:26 PM in Architecture, Library | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
We don't usually put in much about our personal life and causes in Altadenablog, but occasionally we do break the wall.
For the fourth year, the Altadenablog family and friends will be going to the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles' Buddy Walk, to be held Nov. 2 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia. DSALA provides support in the form of information, resources, and activities for individuals with Down Syndrome and their families. (And since this is Hollywood, they also run "Heart and Halo Talent," which matches actors with Down Syndrome to roles -- DSALA actors have appeared in Saving Grace, CSI, Nip & Tuck among other programs).
Our team is Rosie's Blue Lobsters IV, and our captain is four year old Rosie (aka Spawn 3), who continues to inspire us with her progress, sunny nature and sense of fun. It's a challenge, raising a kid like this, but it's also a source of unending joy. We learn a lot from her every day.
If you are so moved, we've included a link in our sidebar that will direct you to the team page. While you can make a donation, we also encourage joining our team for the walk (which is kind of more of a "mosey" around the inside of the park). T-shirts and lunch is provided, celebrities are abundant, and most of all, it's a lot of fun for a Sunday afternoon -- or anytime.
And why Blue Lobster's? It's because of this story, which we first read in the Boston Herald.
Posted on Friday, September 19, 2008 at 09:55 AM in Good Works | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
SDA Movers has a blog page where they look at varieties of rail transport, and they include funiculars -- particularly the Mt. Lowe Railway (no pictures we can find on their site, altho' they say they're there).
Of particular interest is that the song "Funiculi Funicula" was about the funicular on Mt. Vesuvius. As is the case with most funiculars, it came to a bad end.
Posted on Friday, September 19, 2008 at 09:22 AM in History | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
This is a couple of days old and got lost in the shuffle: PSN's Caroline An gives the scoop on PUSD Board President Tom Selinske's "State of the school district" address Tuesday night at Eliot Middle School. Of particular interest are the improvements at Muir, middle school reforms, and the Measure TT bond issue.
Posted on Friday, September 19, 2008 at 06:23 AM in Education | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
"Lakeview Terrace" is a film debuting soon that is loosely based on an Altadena story. Since every paper will be reviewing it, we won't have to, but we'll point out some items of interest.
Posted on Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 09:49 AM in Alta-Media | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
A couple of outstanding young Altadenans worth mentioning:
Posted on Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 09:11 AM in CommuniDena | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
It's been known since spring that the Sahag-Mesrob Armenian Christian School was moving from its Maiden Lane location to a new location at 183 E. Palm (see our stories here and here). But it's apparently come as a surprise to the neighbors since school began, now that 200-some students and their parent's cars have appeared in the neighborhood. We've received a couple of emails on the subject, and it was brought up at last night's Town Council meeting, and there's some question about whether there was proper notification and permitting. We're keeping an eye on this one.
Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 at 10:14 AM in Education, Sahag Mesrob | Permalink | Comments (0)
Altadena's ex-pop star and man-about-town Ian Whitcomb announced that the Coffee Gallery Backstage will be producing "Altadena Lane," a TV program taking advantage of the talent that appears in that local venue.
Whitcomb told Altadenablog that six episodes of the "Tonight Show"-style program will be produced, starting in October, and will be shopped around to see if there's interest. Whitcomb will host and lead the house band, with guests being the artists who appear at Coffee Gallery.
Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 at 09:47 AM in Arts-a-Dena | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Council housekeeping: From chair Gino Sund: On Sept. 10, the council received the sealed box of election materials from the June election (ballots, etc.) from previous chair George Lewis. The box will be opened by the council's executive committee to investigate alleged election irregularities. The council also met in a planning session on Sept. 13 to discuss operating practices and procedures for meetings, and set goals for the year.
Sund said that the council also investigated the rumors and allegations that there were conflicts of interest on the council (there has been some talk that councilmembers who have consultant contracts with PUSD have a conflict of interest). According to Sund, the council determined that the charges are speculation and conjecture, without merit, and that no action is required.
Sheriff news: The Altadena Sheriff's Clergy Council will be hosting a job resource fair at Farnsworth Park on Oct. 18 from 10 AM to 2 PM. Called "Partnering to Build a Better Community," the fair, co-sponosred by county Parks and Recreation, Women at Work and the Employment Development Deptl will include seminars on preparing resumes and interview skills.
The sheriff's Youth Activities League resumes Sept. 25 at Eliot Middle School. Capt. Blow said that between 25-30 kids were involved last year. This year he is challenging his staff to hold youth rallies at eery school in Altadena and will be contacting the schools to arrange it.
Library News: Barbara Pearson of the Altadena Library District said that a "design camp" for the library will be held Sat., Oct. 4, in the main library community room from 10 AM-4 PM. The architects will be there to take comments on design concepts and suggestions about how to improve the library's physical plant.
School News: Bob Harrison of the PUSD Board announced that two public forums will be held to discuss the upcoming bond measure, Measure TT: Oct. 13 at Burbank Elementary, and Oct. 23 at McKinley. Both meetings start at 7 PM.
Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 at 09:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Here's the short rundown of yesterday's meeting: MonteCedro yes, tennis courts yes, commercial vehicles will start getting tickets, and a council seat is still vacant. Details after the jump.
UPDATE 10 AM: just got a response from our Marengo Nuisance House source, which has been added to the story below.
Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 at 06:10 AM in Town Council | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
It took two months to get our first 1,000 page views; five months to get our first 5,000 page views; it took only about 22 days to get the latest 5,000. Our average number of page views for every day of the blog's existence (which includes the opening weeks when nobody but us and handful of friends were reading it) is now almost 100. Thanks to all our correspondents, advertisers, and YOU for making this Altadena's community newsblog!
Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 at 04:35 PM in Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Lizbeth Ramirez, 27, was killed this morning in a secondary accident that locked up the 210 freeway during this morning's rush, according to the Foothill Weeklies.
Apparently Ramirez was involved in a two-car accident in the HOV lane. About five minutes after that accident, as the parties involved were exchanging information and assisting others, a Dodge pickup ran into the other vehicles, ejecting Ramirez from her car and throwing her underneath.
Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 at 04:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Joe Hopkins of Pasadena Journal is spearheading a conference of the West Coast Black Publishers Assn., and send us this missive, after the jump:
Continue reading "WCBA keynote features Xernona Clayton at Oct. conference" »
Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 at 11:55 AM in CommuniDena | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Author Kerry Yo Nakagawa will discuss his acclaimed book,
Through a Diamond: 100 Years of Japanese American Baseball as part of the Altadena Library's Distiinguished Speaker's Series.
Following his talk will be a screening of American Pastime, the
award-winning PG-rated film that he produced. This powerful film tells
the story of the dramatic impact WWII had on the home-front as Japanese
American families were uprooted from their everyday lives and placed
into internment camps in the Western US in the early 1940's. Faced with
a country that now doubted their loyalty and struggling with their new
situation, they turned to baseball as a way to handle their plight and
find the strength to stand up for themselves becoming a true symbol of
honor and pride. Copies of this award winning film on DVD will be
available for sale the evening of the program.
The library is located at 600 E. Mariposa.
Posted on Monday, September 15, 2008 at 05:34 AM in Library | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The Altadena Mountain Rescue Team was out today during the Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run to support the racers, and a rescue happened. Says our on-the-scene correspondent (the omnipresent Bill Westphal):
We were on our way down the Mount Lowe Motorway after working on the Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run today. We happened upon an injured Mountain Biker. The Altadena Mountain Rescue Team was in the area supporting the race and responded quickly.
The Injured Mountain Biker, Ginny Ferguson, was celebrating her 53rd Birthday, taking a Mountain Bike ride training for a bicycle race.
We took some photos of AMRT treating her and then some of Sheriff's Air Rescure 5 when it arrived to airlift her out. I believe she was taken to Huntington Memorial Hospital with minor injuries.
-------
As we write this, there's a call on the scanner about a stranded hiker on the Mt. Wilson Toll Road tonight, and Rescue is responding. We'll keep an eye on it.
(BTW, we celebrated our birthday Sunday, too, but it didn't involve bike crashes or helicopters -- more like Green Street Restaurant and a martini ...)
UPDATE 9/15 7:30 AM: That's right, there was a race! PSN has the results.
UPDATE 9/16: Ginny Ferguson (the injured cyclist) has a comment!
Posted on Sunday, September 14, 2008 at 09:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Can't help falling in love as the Sheriff's Support Group ended its summer concert series at Farnsworth Park with Rick Alviti and the ultimate Elvis tribute! But we know what you're thinking -- a little less conversation, a little more action please ...
Seeing is believing as Gloria Shamblin of Altadena really gets into the Elvis experience.
Sheriff Capt. Roosevelt Blow shows his stuff onstage with "Jailhouse Rock." (We have more pictures, but we're saving them in case we get a ticket or something later!)
Anybody who was anybody was there, including Debbi Swanson Patrick, aka writerdeb of Altadena Above It All (with husband Steve) who was just "scarfed" by Elvis.
Posted on Saturday, September 13, 2008 at 10:09 PM in CommuniDena | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
A couple of items from today's PSN:
Posted on Saturday, September 13, 2008 at 08:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The Altadena Community Coalition -- a group of mostly aggrieved Lincoln Crossing tenants -- called a town meeting Friday that was various parts therapy session, conspiracy theorizing, denunciation of various parties (not the least of whom were Supv. Mike Antonovich and developer Dorn Platz), and history lesson. It ended with a Frank Capraesque call for collective action and pledges of financial support.
The meeting was led by former Lincoln Crossing tenants Par Aria of Farm Fresh Market, Helga Kuhn of Bessie's Daughter's Soulful Tacos, and present tenant Bobby Thompson of BJR Postal Copy Center (pictured). Each of them had a story about how they started with high hopes only to see them shattered by broken promises and undelivered services by Dorn Platz.
As the meeting had no agenda, it was quite unstructured and uncontrolled at times, and topics veered off in many directions. The tide turned after Pasadena attorney Philip Koebel decried the "victimization" talk, urging them to hire an attorney who knows the community and take the issues to court. Laura Graham of Altadena suggested that there was enough interest in the room that they could start action with what they have, and Ishmael Trone, co-chair of Pasadena's Fair Oaks Project Area Committee gave an impassioned plea to commit to organize and collect money to begin.
At the end of the meeting, many pledged $100 or more apiece to fund the Coalition, and Kuhn said that the next meeting would be in a west Altadena location early next week.
The mailing address for the Altadena Community Coalition is 2230 Lincoln Ave., Box 300, Altadena 91001.
Posted on Saturday, September 13, 2008 at 12:24 AM in Lincoln Crossing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Posted on Friday, September 12, 2008 at 11:26 PM in Business | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
... at the Community Center. Council chair Gino Sund writes that there are three important items on this agenda: (1) The MonteCedro Retirement Home project, successor to the Scripps Home; (2) a proposal by the Altadena Town & Country Club to construct three tennis courts at Eliot Middle School for shared use, and (3) a presentation on the Pasadena Unified School District's proposed $350 million bond issue.
Posted on Friday, September 12, 2008 at 10:58 PM in MonteCedro, Town Council | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The Co-op and Food Exchange of Altadena is the focus of this LA Times article by one of our neighbors and favorite local bloggers (see here and here) Susan Carrier. Lots of familiar names in this story, if you read the blog regularly.
Posted on Friday, September 12, 2008 at 10:40 PM in Food-a-Dena | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
So what's happening this weekend?
Posted on Friday, September 12, 2008 at 02:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
... it's not an election ... it's not a cage match .. it's not to find the next American Idol. What it IS: Theater Americana of Altadena is putting together this card as a fundraiser for Friends of the Altadena Library. The title card starts at 3 PM Sun., Oct. 12, at the library's Community Room, 600 E. Mariposa. Donation is $5, for members of the Friends $2.
In other library news: "Read for the Record" deadline has been extended to Sept. 19. Details here.
Posted on Friday, September 12, 2008 at 02:03 PM in Library | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Altadena town councilor Alice Wessen tells us that the Altadena Town Council website is in the process of being transferred to a professional web hosting company (GoDaddy, the registrar of this very website). Over the next few weeks, the council agendas and minutes should be up and made available as well. During the transition, the site may go down temporarily, so don't panic ... yet.
Posted on Friday, September 12, 2008 at 01:17 PM in Town Council | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Corey King (pictured), 18, of Altadena, who was arrested in the killing of a mother and three children in Lancaster, turns out to have ties to the Mosely family. The bloodied body of Evelyn Mosely, 90, was discovered by firefighters May 8 after a fire had been set in her home. In the Lancaster case, Sonya Durfield, 42, and her three daughters, ages 14, 12, and 8, were likewise found murdered in Durfield's home in Lancaster as the house burned. King -- who it turns out knew the Mosely family -- will be arraigned this morning in the Durfield case and is being questioned in the Mosely case. KNBC is first out of the blocks with this story.
The ever-puzzling Contra Costa TImes also has a take on it.
10:30 PM Update: SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle's website) says that King, who pled guilty to petty theft in August, was working as a trusty at the Altadena sheriff's station, doing menial work such as emptying trash cans and washing patrol cars.
Posted on Friday, September 12, 2008 at 09:53 AM in Crime | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
(Photo of Lori and Scott Webster by Petrea Burchard of the fine Pasadena Daily Photo blog, who recently profiled Webster's Fine Stationers, and reproduced with permission)
Altadenablog welcomes its new advertisers, Webster's Fine Stationers at 2650 Lake Ave., Suite B in Altadena,
Owned by Scott and Lori Webster, it's a lot more than stationery: it has a full line of children's books and educational items, fine art supplies, UPS and FedEx shipping services, faxing and copying, and "is the only place in town where you can buy one envelope, or one file folder," Lori says.
They are also planning to expand a gourmet food selection before the holidays and increasingly emphasize home decor items.
The stationery shop is part of the new configuration of the Webster's dynasty that has done business in Altadena for 82 years. Frank Webster opened Webster's in April, 1926, as a one store pharmacy with a soda fountain, cosmetics, liquor, and photo supplies. During the 1960's and 1970's, his son William Webster expanded the stores and services up and down the block, and connected the stores by removing walls.
Starting in 2007, new walls went up to separate the stores into separate entities, both physically and as businesses. Scott Webster, who has been involved in his family's businesses for about 40 years (starting with the ice house in the parking lot), and Lori now own the stationery store. William's stepdaughter Karen and her husband Robert Myers bought the Hallmark department and repoened it at Karen's Hallmark and Gifts.
Webster's Pharmacy Corp., headed by Susan Webster Felt, retains ownership of the pharmacy, liquor store, and Hallmark Gold Crown store located in the Orangewood Village complex across from Huntington Hospital in Pasadena. Michael Miller, formerly of Fair Oaks Pharmacy in South Pasadena, will be managing the pharmacy. Gary Webster manages Webster's Fine Wine and Spirits, and his wife Dianna manages the Orangewood Hallmark.
While the businesses are becoming separate entities, what unites
them all, Lori says, is the emphasis on customer service. The staff at
Webster's Fine Stationery -- all local residents -- are knowledgeable
about what's available at the store and in the area. Lori says that
they are also emphasizing local arts and artists -- the store sells
cards by Altadena artist Donna Barnes-Roberts and photographer Athena
Metzler, and jewelry by Diana March.
While Webster's is also the best (maybe only!) local store to find
quality papers and pens, they also sell computer printer ink and
speciality paper (photographs, labels, etc.). Webster's also has
a full stock of fine art supplies (watercolors, acrylics, oils, pencils
... everything!).
Since taking over the stationery store, Scott and Lori are also working to increase Webster's involvement in the community. Besides featuring the work of local artists in the shop, Lori has just joined the board of Dr. Sandra Thomas' Quality of Life Center, and has plans for to involve it in their belated grand opening.
Despite downturns in business from the economy and customer uncertainty over the changes at Webster's, Lori and Scott are dedicated to running a thriving local business.
"I'm Altadenan at heart," Lori said. "I raised my daughter here and she went to St. Elizabeth's. We employ local people. We're trying to keep the economy in Altadena."
Posted on Friday, September 12, 2008 at 12:01 AM in Active sponsors, Sponsors | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
We've been on the road this afternoon, but picked this up and monitored events on our scanner: sheriff's deputies closed streets around the McDonald's at Lincoln and Woodbury this afternoon at about 3:45 PM after reports of an armed robbery in progress. Customers and employees were escorted out, broadcasts seem to suggest that a suspect is in custody but was not able to be identfied right away. Deputies and Pasadena PD were clearing the roadblocks at about 4:45 this afternoon and debriefing in the Lincoln Center parking lot. We'll keep a watch on the situation.
Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 04:54 PM in Crime | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
A-blog fanRazor 7 (i.e. Pasadena Weekly's Andre Coleman) wants to know when we're reviewing his novels. As readers know, our book review section is as extensive as the LA Times' these days, and reading fiction was something we last did c. 1998. Actually, the last book review we wrote was in the mid-1980's of a Harlequin romance that happened to take place in the same rural Colorado town where we were the only reporter (climactic punch-out between the developer good guy present boyfriend and bad guy Congressman ex-boyfriend took place during the annual fireworks show -- local color was authentic. We didn't get a free review copy of that book, either.) Anyway, if someone would like to contribute a review of AC's A Liar's Tale, we'll be more than happy to accommodate!
Another A-blog fan is Lance Anderson, purveyor of Verge of LA webzine and "Verge of the Fringe" podcasts,which Lance describes as "raw and uncut storytelling." (Only more interesting than the raw and uncut storytelling we used to hear from people in bars, which is one reason why we stopped going to bars.) We love hearing about what Altadena artists are doing, and Lance is doing interesting and compelling stuff, so check out all his work. Lance says we're "badass." We can live with that.
Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)