Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, December 17, 2016

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Mountain View News Saturday, December 17, 2016

Local Area 
News Briefs

Tournament of Roses set 
to Hold Bandfest at PCC 

 
Police Seek South 
Pasadena Package Thief 

 The Tournament of Roses 
will again hold Bandfest, 
the pre parade event, where 
parade fans can catch a sneak 
peek of the 2017 Rose Parade 
bands as they perform their 
award-winning field shows 
that led to their selection. 
This is a chance to see these 
talented musicians, dancers, 
and auxiliary performers in 
action before they complete 
the 5.5 mile march down 
Colorado Boulevard. 

 Over the course of these two 
days, each band, along with 
its auxiliary performers, will 
present the field show that has 
led to its success.

 Three Bandfest events will 
take place at Pasadena City 
College:

 Bandfest 1: December 30, 
starting at 1 p.m.

 Bandefest II: December 31, 
starting at 9:30 am

 Bandfest III: December 31, 
starting at 2:00 pm

 In February, Tournament 
President Brad Ratliff 
announced the 21 marching 
bands that will participate 
in the 128th Rose Parade, 
themed “Echoes of Success.” 
The bands hail from across the 
United States as well as from 
Japan and Mexico.

 Bands are selected by the 
Tournament based on a 
variety of criteria including 
musicianship, marching 
ability and entertainment or 
special interest value.

 Advance tickets are available 
through Sharp Seating 
Company (children 5 and 
under are free). Tickets may 
also be purchased at the venue 
beginning 30 minutes prior 
to the performance time, 
pending availability.

 For more information about 
Bandfest and a complete list of 
marching bands to participate 
in the 128th Rose Parade visit 
tournamentofroses.com.

 
South Pasadena Police 
are asking for the public’s 
help Identify a man caught 
with a surveillance camera 
Wednesday stealing a large 
package off the porch of a 
home in the 1400 block of 
Milan Avenue.

According to police, at about 
12:07 p.m. man pulled into the 
victim’s driveway, walked up 
to the front porch and dragged 
a large box, containing a 
trampoline, back to his car and 
drove off. 

The man described as 30 to 35 
year old Hispanic man with 
brown hair and a mustache, 
was wearing a brightly colored 
safety vest. Police also said he 
had on a black shirt, blue jeans 
and black and white Converse 
tennis shoes.

Anyone with information 
should contact detectives at 
626-403-7280.

Police Air Operations , Santa, Deliver 
Toys to Pediatric Patients at Huntington

 The Pasadena Police Air 
Operations Section and 
the Foothill Air Support 
Team (FAST) held their 
11th annual Christmas Toy 
Drive Wednesday morning 
at the Pediatrics Ward of 
Huntington Memorial 
Hospital. Pasadena Police 
Chief Phillip Sanchez helped 
Santa Clause and his “elves” 
as they bear gifts and holiday 
cheer in their own special 
rotor-equipped sleigh. 

 After visiting the hospital, 
the flight crews conducted a 
second ground based mission 
where children impacted by 
domestic violence visited the 
Police Heliport. This event 
was be held in conjunction 
with Peace Over Violence. 
Peace Over Violence is an 
organization committed to 
serving domestic violence 
and sexual assault survivors 
in our community. “We 
are so appreciative of their 
generosity and commitment 
to serving survivors,” 
comments Peace Over 
Violence Program Director 
Sandy Monroy about the 
event.


Union Station 
Homeless 
Services 
to Feed 
Hundreds

Caltech Develops App To 
Recognize Birds from Pics

 Two people die in 
separate car accidents 
last week

Due to Health 
Department regulations, 
Union Station Homeless 
Services cannot accept 
turkey or prepared food 
donations at the event.

Cheeseburger Week 
Returns to Pasadena

 
Scientists at Caltech announced 
Wednesday the launch of the 
Merlin Bird machine-learning 
technology photo ID mobile 
app that can identify hundreds 
of North American species it 
“sees” in photos.

 According to a statement by the 
school, the app was developed 
by Caltech and Cornell Tech 
computer-vision researchers in 
partnership with the Cornell 
Lab of Ornithology and bird 
enthusiasts.

 Merlin Bird Photo ID can go 
anywhere bird watchers go—
even places without cell service 
or Wi-Fi.

 “This app is the culmination 
of seven years of our students’ 
hard work and is propelled by 
the tremendous progress that 
computer-vision and machine-
learning scientists are making 
around the world,” said Perona, 
the Allen E. Puckett Professor 
of Electrical Engineering 
in Caltech’s Division of 
Engineering and Applied 
Science. “A machine that 
recognizes objects in images, 
like humans do, was a distant 
dream when I was a graduate 
student and now it’s finally 
happening.”

 Caltech and Cornell Tech 
computer scientists trained 
Merlin to recognize birds by 
showing it nearly 1 million 
photos that were collected 
and annotated by birders and 
volunteers mobilized by the 
Cornell Lab. Annotations 
include the species of the bird 
as well as key points identifying 
physical elements such as 
wings, beaks, and claws. When 
a user of the app presents it with 
a bird to identify, Merlin selects 
species that closely match those 
characteristics. Like any good 
birder, the system considers 
species that would be found at 
that specific time of year and in 
that location using information 
from eBird, an online bird 
resource that collects and 
records an average of 7 million 
bird observation records each 
month from around the world.

 “When you open the Merlin 
Bird Photo ID app, you’re asked 
if you want to take a picture 
with your smartphone or pull 
in an image from your digital 
camera,” said Merlin project 
leader Jessie Barry at the Cornell 
Lab. “You zoom in on the bird, 
confirm the date and location, 
and Merlin will show you the 
top choices for a match from 
among the 650 North American 
species it knows.”

 The updated Merlin Bird Photo 
ID may be downloaded free for 
iOS or Android systems from 
the Apple iTunes and Google 
Play app stores. It is paired with 
the original Merlin app, released 
in 2014, which uses a few short 
questions to help users narrow 
down the identity of a new bird.

 For more information visit 
caltech.edu.

 Authorities named two 
people who died in separate 
car crashes in Pasadena last 
week.

 Police indentified Maria 
Luciana Gomez as the female 
passage killed Saturday 
morning after the driver 
identified as Javier Placensia, 
Jr. of Pasadena lost control 
of the vehicle they were in 
striking a pole near Seco 
Street and Rosemont Avenue. 
Gomez was pronounced dead 
at 6:25 a.m.

 In a separate crash Monday 
in the 1400 block of South 
Oak Knoll Avenue, authorities 
identified Zarzand Peetrosyan 
of Altadena as the person 
killed when his hit a tree. 
Police said the single car crash 
occurred about 10:30 a.m. 
Peetrosyan died at the scene. 

 Pasadena honors Lionel 
Sternberger’s during 
Cheeseburger Week from 
January 8th to January 13th, 
his genius was being the first 
to put cheese to hamburger 
and serve it at the Rite Spot 
in Pasadena in 1924. 

 Forty of Pasadena’s favorite 
restaurants, lounges and 
burger joints offer their 
signature burgers, some 
special creations during 
Pasadena Cheeseburger 
Week. Some, such as El Portal 
and Del Frisco’s Grille offer 
specially created burgers for 
Cheeseburger Week. Some 
surprising entries this year 
come from El Cholo and 
True Food Kitchen.

 Pie ‘n Burger and Lucky 
Baldwin’s have deals for 
Cheeseburger Week. 
Dog Haus and Dog Haus 
Biergarten are adding an 
additional patty and cheese 
slice to every cheeseburger 
order.

 Patrons can vote for your 
favorites in the Cheeseburger 
Challenge. Who makes 
your favorite lunch counter 
burger? Who serves your 
favorite turkey burger? Who 
makes your favorite veggie 
burger? Who serves your 
favorite white table cloth 
burger? Who serves your 
favorite craft beer with a 
burger? You decide during 
Cheeseburger Week, January 
8th through January 13th.

 The story goes that sixteen 
year-old Lionel Sternberger 
burning a hamburger on 
the grill and covering his 
mistake with cheese rather 
than throw the burger away. 
The customer was delighted 
and a new culinary treat 
was added to the menu, 
the Aristocratic Burger: A 
Hamburger with Cheese sold 
for fifteen cents at The Rite 
Spot in Pasadena.

 The Pasadena Chamber of 
Commerce hosts the sixth 
Cheeseburger Week and 
Cheeseburger Challenge 

 Plan to come to Pasadena 
for a Cheeseburger Crawl, 
take the Cheeseburger 
Challenge and celebrate 
Lionel Sternberger’s culinary 
legacy in the city where the 
cheeseburger was first served. 
Suggested Cheeseburger 
Crawls can be found at www.
pasadenarestaurantweek.
com.

 Voting in the 2017 
Cheeseburger Challenge 
opens January 8, and ends 
January 14.

 
In a show of compassion 
and holiday spirit, hundreds 
of volunteers of all ages will 
gather together on Christmas 
Day to serve meals and cheer 
at Union Station Homeless 
Services’ first annual 
Christmas at the Station.

 For the past several 
years, Union Station has 
held Christmas dinner in 
Pasadena’s Central Park. This 
year, however, instead of 
holding the event in the park, 
Union Station will begin a 
new tradition by moving the 
festivities to their Adult Center 
on Raymond Avenue, a 56-bed 
emergency shelter for men 
and women. Volunteers will 
help prepare and serve meals-
-including Christmas ham, 
macaroni and cheese, corn, 
green beans, dinner rolls and 
pie--to all who are hungry at 
Union Station’s Adult Center 
on Christmas Day.

 “Christmas at the Station 
is another brilliant way in 
which the community comes 
together to let our most 
vulnerable members know 
that they are valued and cared 
about,” said John Brauer, 
Union Station’s new CEO. 
“We’re blessed to have so many 
wonderful volunteers, donors 
and sponsors come together 
to provide a great meal for 
individuals and families 
experiencing homelessness 
and poverty.”

 Volunteer registration for 
this event is now closed, but 
community members are 
invited to help Union Station 
collect the ingredients and 
kitchen supplies needed to 
prepare a great Christmas 
meal! The wish list of much-
needed items is available at 
unionstationhs.org/christmas. 
Donors may drop off these 
supplies in the indicated sizes 
at the Adult Center (412 S. 
Raymond Ave. in Pasadena).

Pet of the 
Week

 
Linus (A409658) is an 
8-year-old, male, miniature 
pinscher. This sweet pup 
is a total lap dog – within 
seconds of meeting you he’ll 
be ready to hop onto your 
lap for cuddle time. Linus 
loves being petted and likes 
being held. When he’s not 
busy seeking your affection, 
he enjoys going for walks. 
Linus has gotten along well 
with other small dogs out 
on our Mobile Unit.

 Linus’s adoption fee is $125 
and includes the spay or 
neuter surgery, microchip, 
and vaccinations. Linus 
qualifies for our Seniors 
for Seniors program, so his 
adoption fee is only $20 for 
adopters age 60 and up.

 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.

 Call the Pasadena Humane 
Society & SPCA at (626) 
792-7151 to ask about 
A409658, or visit at 361 S. 
Raymond Ave. in Pasadena. 
Adoption hours are 11 a.m. 
to 4 p.m. Sunday; 9 a.m. 
to 5 p.m. Tuesday through 
Friday; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Saturday.

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

ALTADENA POLICE BLOTTER

Sunday, December 4th

12:05 PM – Jose Bolanos, 35 years 
old of Altadena was arrested in 
the 2100 block of Summit Avenue 
for public intoxication. 

4:00 PM – Joshua Fisher, 26 years 
old of Upland was arrested in the 
2200 block of Marengo Avenue 
for assault with a deadly weapon. 

Monday, December 5th

1:00 PM – A petty theft from an 
unlocked vehicle occurred in the 
3700 block of El Sereno Avenue. 
Stolen: black iPhone 7 Plus and 
black iPhone case. 

Tuesday, December 6th

7:15 AM – A vehicle burglary 
occurred in the 2500 block 
of E. Washington Boulevard. 
Suspect(s) entered the vehicle by 
shattering the passenger window. 
Stolen: tan leather purse and a 
black Michael Kors wallet.

Wednesday, December 7th

9:00 AM – A residential 
burglary occurred in the 1000 
block of Poppyfields Avenue. 
Suspect entered the residence 
via unknown means. Suspect 
described as a male Black, 6 feet 
1 inch with dreadlocks. Stolen: 
gray HP computer. 

8:00 PM – A vehicle vandalism 
occurred in the 1800 block of N. 
Sierra Bonita Avenue. Suspect(s) 
shattered the rear driver’s side 
window. 

Thursday, December 8th

4:30 PM – A vehicle burglary 
occurred in the 1300 block of 
Atchison Street. Suspect(s) 
entered the vehicle by shattering 
the window. Stolen: black seat 
cushion. 

6:00 PM – A residential burglary 
occurred in the 1900 block E. 
Loma Alta Drive. Suspect(s) 
entered the residence by 
shattering the sliding glassdoor. 
Stolen: jewelry. 

Friday, December 9th

5:00 PM – Pedro Gaona, 42 years 
old of Pasadena was arrested in 
the 900 block of Beverly Way 
for possession of a controlled 
substance for sales. 

7:30 PM – A residential burglary 
occurred in the 400 block 
of PunahouStreet. Suspects 
described as three male Blacks in 
a sedan type vehicle. Suspect(s) 
entered the residence by removing 
the window screen. Stolen: silver 
watch. 

Saturday, December 10th

2:00 PM – A vehicle vandalism 
occurred in the 200 block of W. 
Palm Street. Vehicle damage: 
dents. 

6:45 PM – An assault with a 
deadly weapon occurred in the 
area of Alameda Street and El 
Molino Avenue. Investigation is 
on-going. 

10:30 PM – A petty theft occurred 
in the 1800 block of N. Allen 
Avenue. Stolen: star shower 
motion laser lights.

 

 During the Christmas and 
New Year season Lake Avenue 
Church will sponsor many 
events, including a Christmas 
concert, children’s programs, 
Messiah sing-along and 
candlelight services. These 
events are:

 - Christmas Concert: Messiah 
Has Come, Sunday, Dec. 18 at 
3 p.m. in the Worship Center. 
Featuring “Gloria,” by Randol 
Alan Bass, as well as favorite 
Christmas songs performed by 
the church’s adult and children’s 
choirs, brass, handbells, and 
guest soloist, David Hughey. No 
tickets needed. Childcare for 
children through age three in 
the Family Life Center.

 - O Cookie Town of Bethlehem, 
Wednesday, December 21, from 
6-8 p.m. in Family Life 300. Free 
and fun for families. Use your 
gingerbread building skills to 
create a “Town of Bethlehem” 
from gingerbread cookies 
to the sound of Christmas 
music. Cookies and frosting 
provided, you bring candies 
and decorations.

 - Christmas Eve Family 
Service, Saturday Dec. 24, 4 
p.m. in the Worship Center. 
A casual service for the whole 
family led by a praise band. 
Childcare for children to four 
years old available in the Family 
Life Center.

 - Christmas Eve Candlelight 
Services, Saturday Dec. 24 in 
the Worship Center, 8 p.m. and 
10 p.m., led by the choir and 
orchestra. The hour concludes 
with the lighting of candles. 
Childcare is not available for 
these services. 

 - Christmas Day Combined 
Service Sunday, Dec. 25, at 
10 am. Childcare and Early 
Childhood ministries will be 
offered for children through age 
four through 3rd Grade. 

 For questions about 
Christmas season events, 
contact worship@lakeave.org or 
call (626) 844-4721.

 Lake Avenue Church is located 
at 393 N. Lake Avenue in 
Pasadena, at the corner of Lake 
Avenue and the 210 Freeway.

Holiday 
Events at 
Lake Avenue 
Church

Free Event at the 
Senior Center

 There is something for 
everyone at the Pasadena 
Senior Center, 85 E. Holly 
St. You do not have to be a 
member to attend.

 Improve your balance, 
strength and flexibility and 
quiet your mind at this 
gentle and meditative class 
taught by Kathy Eastwood, a 
certified yoga instructor and 
a registered nurse with the 
Huntington Hospital Outreach 
Program. The class is limited 
to 25 participants. Register in 
advance at the Welcome Desk 
or call 626-795-4331.

 Founded in 1960, the 
Pasadena Senior Center is 
an independent, nonprofit 
organization that offers 
recreational, educational, 
wellness and social services to 
people ages 50 and older.

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