Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, December 5, 2020

5


Mountain Views-News Saturday, December 5, 2020 

Local Area 
News Brief


Home for the Holidays 
with a Free Live Stream

 Man Charged in 
Stabbing of Union 
Station Employee

 
Pasadena police announced 
the arrest of a local parolee 
who was charged Thursday 
with the aledged stabbing 
death of a beloved Union 
Station homeless outreach 
worker.

 In a statement, Lieutenant 
Carolyn Gordon said 49-year-
old Elena Ledford, a resident 
of Glendale, was found 
shortly before 8 a.m. in the 
Hahamongna Watershed Park 
by a passerby. Evidence from 
the crime scene indicated she 
had been stabbed multiple 
times.

 According to Gordon, 
Ledford was stabbed to 
death in a parking lot at La 
Canada High School, directly 
across the street from where 
Ledford’s body was found. 
Detectives identified 26-year-
old Pasadena resident Adrian 
Robert Casey as the likely 
suspect. He was arrested days 
later she said.

 Homicide Detectives also 
learned Casey had left the 
state shortly after the murder 
and on Thursday November 
26.he was taken into custody
with the assistance of the
Bernalillo County Sheriff’s
Office, near Albuquerque,
New Mexico. Pasadena
Police Homicide personnel
responded to New Mexico
in continuance of their
investigation, resulting in
the recovery of additional
evidence, including the
murder weapon and other
items linking the suspect to
the crime she said.

 Ledford had worked for 
Union Station for the past 
three years.

 “Elena was more than 
a beloved employee and 
coworker, she was a member 
of our Union Station Family,” 
Union Station staff said. 

 Police are asking anyone 
with information to call 
the Pasadena Police at (626) 
744-4241 or anonymously
by calling (800) 222-TIPS 
(8477). 

 The Pasadena Symphony’s 
annual Holiday Candlelight 
concert will be transformed 
into Home for the Holidays 
this season, delivered to 
viewers in a free live-stream 
on December 19 at 4pm, 
available through December 
21.Pasadena’s most sought-
after holiday concert has sold 
out for the past nine years, 
and now patrons can enjoy 
this beloved event from the 
best seats in their house. This 
heartwarming community 
celebration will carry on 
the Pasadena Symphony’s 
tradition of filling your 
holidays with the joy of 
music.

 Music Director David 
Lockington will host this 
festive concert that features 
an array of ensembles 
including the Los Angeles 
Children’s Chorus (pictured), 
the Donald Brinegar Singers 
and the L.A. Bronze Handbell 
Ensemble, along with a sextet 
of Pasadena Symphony 
musicians. Lockington will 
also appear throughout the 
program on cello, including 
for a piece he composed 
himself, with solo handbell 
artist Linda Krantz. Special 
guest Lisa Vroman will add 
her sparkling vocals to the 
performance. Regarded as 
a “musical and theatrical 
marvel” by the San Francisco 
Chronicle, Vroman has 
countless Broadway credits 
under her belt, most 
notably starring for over 
eight years on Broadway, in 
San Francisco, and in Los 
Angeles as Christine Daaé in 
The Phantom of the Opera. 

 This year’s program has 
something for everyone to 
ring in the holiday season, 
from traditional holiday 
classics to popular standards. 
Hear Silent Night, What 
Child is This?, Carol of 
the Bells, Have Yourself a 
Merry Little Christmas, 
Imagine, The Nutcracker 
Suite, Winter Wonderland, 
Let it Snow, and many more 
cherished favorites. Top off 
your holidays with lasting 
memories for the whole 
family at this time-honored 
tradition, now available for 
free from the comfort of your 
own living room.

 Home for the Holidays will 
be streamed to the public 
on Saturday, December 
19 at 4:00pm and will be 
available for free for 48 
hours. Watch on our website 
at pasadenasymphony-pops.
org or subscribe to our 
YouTube channel to view it as 
part of the community with 
comments: youtube.com/
ThePasadenaSymphony.

Rose Bowl Game to Play without Fans

 The Pasadena Tournament of 
Roses announced Thursday 
that although the game will 
be played, spectators will 
not be allowed to attend the 
Semifinal at the Rose Bowl 
Game on New Year’s Day 
–that includes guests and
family of the teams.

 “While we are disappointed 
that the Rose Bowl Game 
will not be played in front 
of spectators, we are pleased 
that we are still able to 
hold the game this year, 
continuing the 100-year plus 
tradition of The Granddaddy 
of Them All,” said David 
Eads, Executive Director 
and CEO of the Pasadena 
Tournament of Roses. “We 
continue to work closely with 
health department officials 
and the Rose Bowl Stadium 
to provide the safest possible 
environment for our game 
participants.”

 In a statement officials said, 
the Tournament of Roses 
requested special permission 
to allow for a limited number 
of spectators or a select 
number of student-athlete 
and coach guests at the 
2021 Rose Bowl Game. The 
request was denied based 
on guidelines related to 
COVID-19 and LA County’s 
Tier 1 status. This also 
includes restrictions set forth 
by the state of California and 
the City of Pasadena. 

 The 2021 CFP Semifinal 
at the Rose Bowl Game 
will kickoff at 2 p.m. New 
Year’s Day. Spectators will 
have multiple viewing 
options via ESPN’s extensive 
MegaCast coverage, with 
live action from Rose Bowl 
Stadium across several ESPN 
networks and the ESPN App. 
The safety and well-being of 
all those involved in the game 
remain the Tournament of 
Roses’ top priority they said.

 For more information 
on the game visit: 
tournamentofroses.com and: 
rosebowlstadium.com.

Sparks of 
Love 2020

The South Pasadena Fire 
Department, ABC7, Toys 
for Tots, and Southern 
California firefighters are 
celebrating the 28th year of 
the Spark of Love Toy Drive! 
Firefighters and Marines 
will be joining together to 
collect and distribute new, 
unwrapped toys and sports 
equipment for underserved 
children and teens. Over 
the years, the Spark of Love 
Toy Drive has successfully 
collected and distributed 
more than nine million toys. 
The 2020 Spark of Love Toy 
Drive will run now through 
Thursday, December 24, 
2020.

Pasadena Library Festival 
of Women Authors Event

 
Featuring New York 
Times Best Selling Author 
Madeline Miller

 

 Pasadena Public Library 
sends a special holiday thank 
you to the members of the 
Pasadena Literary Alliance 
for their past support of 
the Library’s One City, One 
Story program and to the 
women authors presented 
virtually at their 2020 author 
event.

 As a special treat for 
you, we hope that you will 
enjoy “meeting” the 2020 
Festival of Women authors 
and learning more about 
their books. Please visit: 
pasadenaliteraryalliance.org, 
to meet them. 

South Pasadena Blood Drive

The South Pasadena Library is pleased to partner once again 
with the Red Cross: sign up today to donate during our blood 
drive in the Library Community Room (1115 El Centro 
Street) on Tuesday, December 22 from 1pm-7pm. Visit: 
redcrossblood.org and search for SOPASLIB.

ON THE DAY OF THE DRIVE: Streamline your donation 
experience and save up to 15 minutes by completing your 
pre-donation reading and health history questions at 
RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass.

 Officials Release 
Names of Two Men 
Killed in Shooting

Pasadena 
Scavenger 
Hunt Virtually

 The names of two men killed 
Tuesday afternoon sitting 
on a bench in Villa Parke 
in Pasadena were released 
Thursday. A third man 
survived in critical condition.

 According to police, 51-year-
old Cristino Medellin Avila 
was pronounced dead at 
the scene. Two other men, 
40-year-old Aaron Perez
Flores and an unidentified
victim were rushed to a
nearby hospital were Flores
later died from his injuries.

 Gunfire was reported 
Tuesday shortly before 3 p.m. 
Officers arrived on scene and 
located three victims in the 
northeast portion of Villa 
Parke, 300 block of Parke 
Street, adjacent to the soccer 
field, according to a police 
statment. 

 A preliminary investigation 
revealed the victims were at a 
park bench in the park when 
the suspect(s) fired upon 
them and fled in a vehicle, 
possibly described as a dark 
colored sedan, they said.

 Lieutenant Carolyn Gordon 
said the investigation is on-
going and no further details 
were available at the time. 

 Pasadena Police are urging 
anyone with information 
about this case to call (626) 
744-4241 or anonymously
by calling (800) 222-TIPS
(8477).

Madeline Miller

Altadena Library Closure and 
Pause of Curbside Services

So you think you know 
Pasadena, huh? Well let’s put 
your navigation expertise 
to the test. Join teens, 
children and adults in the 
Pasadena Public Library’s 
first virtual scavenger hunt! 
Each landmark has its own 
letter. Correctly identify all 
of the landmarks and be 
the first to create a snazzy 
sentence to win a prize! 
You even get a prize just for 
participating! You must take 
a photo and send the image 
to the number provided 
in the confirmation email. 
You will receive a prompt 
text back with instructions 
on where to find your next 
clue. We hope you have fun 
getting out and exploring 
our amazing city! Fun for 
the whole family! Sign up at: 
pasadena. 

 evanced.info/signup/
EventDetails?EventId=3520. 
Use the phone number in 
the confirmation email. 
Text us during the following 
dates and times to receive 
instructions. Sunday, Dec. 
13-Saturday, Dec. 19 • 1-6
p.m.



 Following Public Health 
guidelines, the Altadena 
Libraries are pausing all 
staff and public access to the 
Altadena Library District 
buildings starting Monday 
through at least January 4, 
2021.

 Don’t want your checkouts 
sitting around your home 
for the next month? 
Outdoor book returns at 
both libraries will be locked 
as of Wednesday, December 
9.If you can’t drop off your
items before then, no need
to worry. Due dates of all
materials currently checked
out have been extended until
at least January 10. Placing
holds in the online catalog
will be disabled until library
staff return to the buildings.

South Pasadena Holiday Safety

 With the holiday season 
upon us, the South Pasadena 
Police Department remind its 
residents of the importance 
of staying alert and vigilant. 
As pleasurable activities such 
as shopping and traveling 
increase during this time of 
year, so too does the potential 
for crimes to occur. Recent 
incidents highlight the need 
for the Police Department 
and community to work 
together to avoid confusion 
during tense and uncertain 
situations.

 We believe a team approach 
to public safety concerns can 
be extremely effective.

 The Police Department has 
not only increased patrols 
around areas of traditional 
concern including vacant 
properties, businesses, and 
residential neighborhoods, 
but it continues to share 
informational resources 
and monitor activities with 
neighboring agencies in order 
to prepare for potential crime 
trends. Circulating relevant 
information considered 
pertinent to our residents 
continues to be accomplished 
via our Neighborhood Watch 
Program and social media 
assets.

 We ask our residents to 
remain aware and attentive 
to their surroundings and 
report any suspicious activity. 
These efforts serve to improve 
coordination and response to 
our crime prevention efforts 
throughout the year.


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