SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 2016VOLUME 10 NO. 23SIERRA MADRE POLICE BLOTTER
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

VOLUME 10 NO. 36


ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST FIRE OFFICIAL’S 
RAISE FIRE DANGER LEVEL TO EXTREME

ARCADIA, Calif., Sept. 1 – 
Angeles National Forest & San 
Gabriel Mountains National 
Monument (ANF/SGMNM) 
fire officials have raised the 
Fire Danger Level from “Very 
High” to “Extreme” effective 
Friday, September 2nd. This 
change is in response to 
September’s seasonal drying 
combined with the 5th year of 
an exceptional drought.

 The Angeles National Forest 
has taken this step to enhance 
public awareness that wildfire 
probability increases as 
temperatures rise and brush 
dries out. The current live 
fuel moisture levels in shrubs 
and brush have decreased to 
historically low fuel moistures 
levels, and recent large fire 
activity has increased in 
southern California.

 Because of the increased 
risk of wildfires and the threat 
to public safety, many forest 
activities are now restricted:

 Use of wood and charcoal 
fires, or propane stoves are 
restricted except identified 
campgrounds or picnic areas.

 The use of gas and petroleum 
jelly stoves is restricted to 
designated sites.

 Smoking is allowed only 
in an enclosed vehicle or 
building. No fireworks are 
allowed.

 Shooting of tracer, armor-
piercing, Teflon, and steel core 
ammunition is prohibited.

 Welding, grinding, cutting, 
and the use of explosives are 
allowed only with the proper 
permit.

 Spark arresters are required 
on off-highway vehicles, 
chainsaws, and other internal 
combustion engines.

 Fire Danger levels are 
subject to change with weather 
and fire activity on the Forest. 
Get updated information and 
Know Before You Go.

 All fireworks are prohibited 
on national forest system 
lands; possession or use of 
fireworks, including the 
“safe and sane” variety, is 
prohibited at all times in the 
Angeles National Forest under 
federal law. Forest patrols will 
strictly enforce these new 
restrictions. A violation of 
the law can result in a $5,000 
fine and/or six months in 
jail. Also, anyone causing a 
wildfire is liable for all costs 
of suppressing the fire.

 Forest visitors should check 
spark arrestors (required 
year-round) on off-road 
vehicles, chain saws and other 
equipment with internal-
combustion engines to ensure 
they are in working order. 
Drivers in the forest should 
stay on designated roads 
and never park on dry brush 
or grass, to avoid the risk 
of starting a fire. Human-
caused wildfires account for 
94 percent of all wildfires on 
the (ANF/SGMNM), which 
damage natural resources and 
threaten lives and property.

 Remember ONE LESS 
SPARK can mean ONE LESS 
WILDFIRE.

LOCAL ART COMPETITION 47TH ANNUAL WINE 
AND CUISINE TASTING POSTER ART CONTEST

The Friends of the Sierra Madre Library invite 
local artists to participate in the Wine and 
Cuisine Tasting Poster Art competition. This year 
the Friends are sponsoring a contest to identify 
original art that will be featured on all event 
publicity, including the poster for the 47th Annual 
Wine and Cuisine Tasting fundraising event to be 
held on Friday, February 17, 2017. Entries are to be 
submitted to the Sierra Madre Library between 
October 17 and October 22, 2016. Details and 
entry forms can be downloaded from the Friends 
website. Judging will be held on Monday, October 
24. 

The Friends of the Sierra Madre Library is a non-
profit organization and all proceeds benefit the 
Sierra Madre Library. For more information 
visit us on Facebook, at our website www.
sierramadrelibraryfriends.org, or call the library 
at 626 355-7186.

Every year in September Creative Arts Group in 
Sierra Madre has a humdinger of a Flea Market. 
The members and friends of Creative Arts Group 
contribute mountains of worthy stuff and it is sold 
at a very reasonable price to those hardy bargain 
seekers who line up every year before 9am. and 
patiently plan their assault on the “stuff”. We 
use the garages to hold these treasures and also 
a classroom upstairs for the “collectibles”, the 
jewelry and those things too fragile to be reckless 
with. Among the connoisseurs of cast offs this 
sale is worth travelling considerable distances 
to attend. We have just about everything; books, 
toys, some clothes, electronics, housewares, 
sports equipment, furniture, art, craft supplies, 
seasonal and holiday and a whole lot more. Watch 
for the banner to go up at the corner of Baldwin 
and Sierra Madre Blvd. 

Creative Arts Group is a non-profit art center in 
Sierra Madre that has been around for over fifty 
years. It provides instruction to both children 
and adults in many art forms. The Flea market 
is a fundraiser and the money made is used to 
provide much needed equipment, supplies and 
maintenance. Come see what it is all about. The 
gallery will be open during the sale so if rummage 
is not your thing check out the art. 

 For more information contact Creative Arts 
Group at 626-355-8350 


SAN GABRIEL VALLEY 
MOSQUITO AND VECTOR 
CONTROL DISTRICT – 
WEST NILE VIRUS UPDATE

Courtesy of Arcadia's Best

The San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District 
has detected West Nile virus (WNV) throughout the San 
Gabriel Valley. The District’s surveillance program monitors 
WNV in several host species as its early warning system to 
detect the presence of WNV in the community. The program 
monitors WNV in mosquitoes, sentinel chickens, and birds 
reported dead to the California Department of Public 
Health’s WNV hotline. The following is a West Nile virus 
surveillance update as of August 12, 2016.

 Twenty three WNV positive mosquito samples have been 
collected from the following cities:

Arcadia, Azusa, Pomona, San Gabriel, West Covina

 Five WNV positive dead birds have been reported from 
the following cities :

Altadena, Monrovia, Temple City, Glendora

 Since its introduction in 2003, WNV has infected 
more than 5,588 people and caused 229 deaths statewide, 
according to the California Department of Public Health. 
West Nile virus is now endemic in California and presents a 
public health risk every year.

 It is critical that residents remove all standing water on 
their property to prevent mosquito production. Mosquitoes 
lay their eggs in stagnant water such as neglected pools, 
buckets, miscellaneous containers, puddles, and ponds. Eggs 
can hatch and develop into biting adults in four to seven 
days.

 The best precaution against WNV is to prevent mosquito 
bites. Throughout the summer, basic protective measures 
should be followed:

 Wear mosquito repellent and protective clothing when 
outdoors while mosquitoes are active (especially around 
dawn and dusk).

 Regularly inspect property to identify and remove sources 
of standing water where mosquitoes lay their eggs and grow.

Ensure doors and windows are properly screened.

 Report increased mosquito activity, sources of standing 
water, and green pools to the District at (626) 814-9466 or 
online at www.SGVmosquito.org.

 Report dead birds to the WNV Hotline at (877) WNV-
BIRD ((877) 968-2473) or online at www.westnile.ca.gov.

 For more information please visit the District’s website 
at www.SGVmosquito.org and follow on social media @
SGVmosquito.

Inside this week: 

CALENDAR Pg. 2

SIERRA MADRE NEWS

 Pg. 4

PASADENA/ALTADENA

 Pg. 5

ARCADIA NEWS Pg. 6 
MONROVIA/DUARTE Pg. 6

THE GOOD LIFE

 Pg. 7

THE WORLD AROUND US Pg. 8


BEST FRIENDS

HEALTHY LIVING

 Pg. 9

SECTION B: 

AROUND SAN GABRIEL 
VALLEY B1

THE ARTS B2

BUSINESS NEWS/FOOD

 B3

OPINION

 B4

LEGAL NOTICES

 B5

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com