Mountain Views News          Saturday, October 13, 2012

7


Mountain Views-News Saturday, October 13, 2012 

MONROVIA POLICE BLOTTER

DUARTE RESIDENTS: YOUR MUSEUM NEEDS YOU!

By Joan Schmidt

 
About a week ago, I received an email from Claudia Heller asking me if I could mention in my column 
the Duarte Museum in in need of a curator assistant. Of course I said “Yes”, and Claudia messaged 
back that besides a curator assistant, the museum had two other needs, volunteers and a modern lap 
top.

 The current curator is Irwin Margiloff. Although Irwin relocated from New York, he is the official 
Duarte Historian and the amount of his knowledge is immeasurable! He does a lot of research, talks 
with pioneer families, studies maps and has mapped the old ranch boundaries! Irwin also procured 
copies of the Duarte brand from the 1800’s and also the Andres Duarte land grant. He loves to share 
his knowledge and once gave a talk to some museum visitors about how the first residential maps 
were made. Currently, Irwin is seeking an assistant, whom he’ll train.

 The second need is for indexing help with the “newspapers”. At the museum, there are hundreds of 
hard copies of the Duarte Dispatch etc. going back to the 40”s! Some are on microfiche, others aren’t, 
so there a need to index what they have, research what is on microfiche and what can be thrown 
out. The Museum is seeking someone to work on this indexing-perhaps a student needing volunteer 
hours, a scout earning a badge or in need of a service project, or any age volunteer. For this indexing 
project, the Museum doesn’t have a good computer, and needs a laptop for this project. Irwin uses an 
old out-of-date computer.

 Claudia explained how the Museum has a small membership and when they wish to give a scholarship, 
or buy new equipment, they need to hold fundraisers and that is difficult when membership is so low. 
She believes that with a “Membership Chairman”, “we could do much better”.

 Duarte residents, you are so fortunate to have a wonderful museum that is open two days a week. I 
tried for several months to go to the Glendora Museum, but it was hopeless. I drove out there, and 
the gate was locked. I drove all around for over an hour, thinking I had the wrong entrance. When I 
called on the phone, there was no answer and days later, I received a call back. They insisted they had 
been open, but probably some kids closed the gate. How crazy is that? I explained I was a reporter 
and was doing a series on local museums, but it just petered out. I can say enough about Duarte, El 
Monte, Monrovia, Arcadia, Alhambra, and Homestead in the City of Industry. If they say they are 
opened specific hours, they are! And people answer their phones! Ten years ago I took Mom, who 
was visiting from Jersey to Baldwin Park and Monterey Park. Baldwin Park wasn’t too big, but it was 
opened! Monterey Park‘s museum had a display of all the missions, and it was in a park with trees 
and picnic tables!

 So residents of Duarte, students needing volunteer hours, or scouts in need of a service project please 
contact the Duarte Museum. They would love a curator’s assistant and help in several areas. Please 
contact Irwin Margiloff, Curator, (626) 303-1266.

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 423 service events, resulting in 63 investigations. 
To see a complete listing of crimes reported, go to the City of Monrovia website at www.monroviapd.
org and click on the crime mapping link. Sign up to follow us on twitter for police notifications.

72-Hour Mental Evaluation

On October 6 at 9:24 p.m., dispatch received a call from a distraught female subject who reported that 
her husband had possibly taken an overdose of pills and had expressed a desire to harm himself. Officers 
and Monrovia Fire Department personnel responded to the 600 block of West Olive. The man 
heard the approaching sirens and ran. An area search was conducted with the help of the Foothill Air 
Support helicopter. The subject was eventually found hiding in an empty lot west of Olive Park. He 
was taken to a hospital, where he was held for mental evaluation.

Petty Theft with Priors / Possession of Methamphetamine / Parole Hold - Suspect Arrested

On October 7 at 1:52 p.m., a business in the 700 block of East Huntington called police to report a 
shoplifter. A female suspect entered the store and told the cashier she wanted to return some items, 
but that she needed to pick up a few more items first. While in the store, the suspect selected several 
items from the shelves and concealed them in her purse. The suspect paid for a few items that were in 
her basket, but she never paid for the items in her purse. The suspect left the store. 

Employees confronted the suspect outside the store, and the suspect asked if she could pay for the 
items instead of being arrested. An officer arrived at the store and took custody of the suspect. Methamphetamine 
and syringes were found in her purse, along with the stolen merchandise. Further 
investigation revealed the suspect is on parole for burglary. The suspect was booked for possession of 
methamphetamine, petty theft with priors, and a parole hold.

Grand Theft Auto

On October 10 at 6:24 p.m., a vehicle was reported stolen from a business parking lot in the 1600 
block of South Mountain. The vehicle was taken sometime between 11:55 a.m. and 6:24 p.m. The 
vehicle is a gray, 1999, Honda Civic hatchback. Investigation continuing.

Special Enforcement Team Weekly Activity

Cultivation of Marijuana

On October 4, Special Enforcement Team officers conducted a search warrant for marijuana cultivation 
at a residence in the 900 block of West Colorado. Nineteen marijuana plants were taken for 
evidence, along with other cultivation materials. A revolver was taken from the residence for safe 
keeping. The female at the location was arrested for cultivation of marijuana.


PD TIP: WATCH FOR 
SCHOOL ZONES 

 

The Monrovia Police Department and the Automobile 
Club of Southern California (AAA) 
are reminding drivers to be aware when school 
is open and to "Pay Attention, Slow Down, and 
Watch for Children."

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic 
Safety, a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling 
at a reduced school zone speed of 25 mph is nearly 
two-thirds less likely to be killed compared to 
a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling just 10 
mph faster. School zone speed limits are in place 
to save lives.

In addition to slowing down, the following advice 
will help motorists keep children safe as they 
navigate their way through school zones:

Ditch distractions - Research shows that taking 
your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles 
your chances of crashing.

Stay alert - Don't rush into and out of driveways. 
Expect pedestrians on the sidewalk, especially 
around schools and in neighborhoods.

Stop at stop signs - It sounds obvious, but research 
shows that more than one third of drivers 
roll through stop signs in school zones or 
neighborhoods.

Watch for bikes - Children on bicycles are often 
unpredictable; expect the unexpected.

Brake for buses - A recent National Association 
of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services 
survey showed that over 75,000 vehicles pass 
stopped school buses on a typical day, with more 
than three percent passing on the right. Not only 
is it dangerous, it's against the law.

Plan ahead - Leave early for your destination and 
build in extra time for congestion. If possible, 
modify your route to avoid school zones.

GOLDLINE EXTENSION PROJECT UPDATE: Other Bridgework Starting by Habib F. Balian

Throughout the 11.5-mile Pasadena to Azusa construction project now underway, there are a total of 17 existing bridges that must be altered or replaced to accommodate the dual-track light 
rail system. Although we have focused much attention on the I-210 Gold Line Bridge over the last year, there will be many stories to tell about these other bridges that support our project 
and require significant work in the coming months and years. 

 Below is a map of the existing structures along the corridor and photos of the first three that FTC crews are preparing for construction. Lead paint removal on the 700-linear-foot San Gabriel 
River Bridge (top left), built in the early 1900s, is now complete. The bridge will soon be demolished and a new dual-track light rail bridge will be constructed. Two single track bridges 
within the Azusa shared corridor – at Palm Drive (bottom) and Citrus Avenue (top right) – will be renovated. Two additional single track bridges will be built alongside the existing bridge 
in these two locations to support two light rail tracks and one freight track.

 I want to also let you know that artist Andrew Leicester, the design concept advisor for the I-210 Gold Line Bridge project, was asked to exhibit his sketch book for our project at the “Pages” 
Exhibition opening tomorrow night at the Pasadena Art Center. The Pages Exhibition showcases pages of work from artists and other creative professionals that highlight their creative process. 
The exhibition will run until January 13 at the Art Center College of Design at 1700 Lida Street, Pasadena (see attached for more details). Here is the latest sketch that Andrew created 
for the bridge just a few weeks ago:

Lastly, at the Authority board meeting last night, the board took a position of support on Measure J. The board discussed the pros and cons of the measure that would extend the county’s 
½-cent sales tax for transportation improvements for 30 more years. Even though the measure does not include funding to complete the Foothill Extension to Claremont, the board decided 
to support the measure because of the regional benefits it would provide by accelerating completion of many other transit projects. 

If you haven’t already done so, I recommend taking a few minutes to watch the latest construction update video on the I-210 Gold Line Bridge and read the latest newsletter. 


For a complete map of the project, go to: http://www.metro.net/projects_
studies/foothill_extension/images/Foothill_Ext_Map.pdf