Mountain Views News          Saturday, August 6, 2011

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Mountain Views News Saturday, August 6, 2011


Body Found 
Days after 
House Fire

Two Arrested, Two 
Stolen Cars Recovered

 Two suspected car thieves 
were arrested early Wednesday 
morning after leading police 
on a quick chase that ended 
after the stolen car they were in 
crashed into a parked van and 
then a unity pole.

 Both suspects were injured in 
the collision and transported 
to a nearby hospital. They were 
later arrested upon release. 

 Officers said they observed 
two Honda Civics stopped 
on Mountain Street near the 
210 freeway off-ramp about 
2:00 a.m. in the morning. As 
officers watched the driver of 
one car get out and get into the 
passenger side of the second 
car, they believed the suspects 
were abandoning a stolen car 
and attempted to conduct an 
investigative stop as the car 
drove away. The suspects 
attempted to evade the officers 
and lost control of the car 
sideswiped a parked van at the 
intersection of Sunset Avenue 
and Washington Place then 
collided into a utility pole.

 The investigation confirmed 
both Honda Civics were 
unreported stolen cars. The car 
the suspects abandoned was 
stolen from Los Angeles. The car 
the suspects crashed was stolen 
from Rancho Cucamonga.

 Both suspects are adult male 
Hispanic and residents of 
Pasadena. One of the suspects 
is on active parole for a stolen 
vehicle conviction. The names 
are being withheld until their 
identities are confirmed.

 Police are asking for the 
public’s help after a private 
fire investigator Tuesday 
morning found the body of a 
dead woman two days after a 
fire gutted the backhouse of 
an East Pasadena residence. 
The body was found in 
the charred remains of the 
structure.

 The body was still 
unidentified Friday and 
reports suggest no one 
had come forward about a 
missing person. 

According to police, officers 
along with fire personnel 
responded to a fire at 2:19 
a.m. in the 100 Block of 
South San Marino Avenue. 
Upon arrival, firefighter’s 
and officer’s saw fire to the 
rear of the main property. 
Firefighters were able to 
extinguish the fire in less 
than ten minutes police said.

 The residents of the main 
house were accounted for 
and not impacted by the fire. 
They said that no one lived 
in the detached structure.

 Later that same morning 
at 6:47 a.m. fire and police 
were dispatched back to 
the location for reports of 
smoke from the detached 
rear structure. Firefighter’s 
doused the smoldering 
hot spots on the roof and 
ensured there were no more 
hot spots. The cause of the 
fire is under investigation.

 On Tuesday at 11:50 
a.m. a private fire 
investigator, contracted 
by the homeowner’s 
insurance company, went 
to the residence for follow 
up investigation. The 
investigator found a 
deceased body in the rear 
structure. He immediately 
called 9-1-1 and police 
officers responded.

 Police said Investigators 
are conducting a thorough 
investigation into the death 
and fire. 

 Anyone that saw anything 
suspicious between July 
31 and August 1st, are 
being asked to contact the 
Pasadena Police Department 
at (626) 744-4241.

 Anyone wishing to remain 
anonymous should call 
Crimestoppers at 1-800-
222-TIPS (800-222-8477).

Persson’s Closes, Plants Left to Die

By Dean Lee

 The longtime Family owned 
nursery, Persson’s, known for 
its public fight in 2007 with 
Southern California Edison 
over a plan to evict a number 
of nurseries along the power 
company’s Pasadena corridor 
replacing them with self-
storage facilities, shutdown 
after owner Gary Butters 
died three months ago of 
pancreatic cancer.

 A source close to the family 
said this week Butters wife 
Linda then become behind 
on the lease. They also said 
rather than try and work 
something out or sell the 
business the gates were 
locked leaving hundreds 
of plants left to perish. The 
source said the couple was 
going through a divorce. 

 At press time phone calls to 
Edison and the family were 
not returned. 

 In recent weeks, residents 
passing by the 3115 East 
Sierra Madre Blvd location 
have noticed rows of potted 
shrubs, bushes, flowers and 
trees on the property turning 
brown. The city’s Planning 
Department Planning 
Division said Thursday 
they knew nothing of the 
situation. 

 Alvin Toma, owner of nearby 
Present Prefect Nursery said 
they shared customers and 
had heard Persson’s closed. 
He said he thought it was the 
economy.

 Toma said most likely 
the plants left at Persson’s 
were supplied by Monrovia 
Nursery Company in Irvine. 
Judy Lynes, a spokesperson 
for Monrovia Nursery said 
she did not know who 
currently owned the plants 
but would look into it.

 In July of 2007 Butters 
settled a long running dispute 
with Edison over terminating 
their lease. At the time, two 
groups, Pasadena Open 
Space Preservation (POSP) 
and Open Space Now joined 
forces to stall a deal between, 
Edison and Pacific Storage 
Partners that they said would 
have taken away open space 
by closing nurseries. Pacific 
Storage Partners has moved 
forward with a new proposal 
for the Edison corridor that 
creates new public park 
spaces and a bike path.

 Present Prefect Nursery 
140 South Kinneloa Ave also 
settled with Edison in 2007. 
Although the terms of the 
agreement were not made 
public, both Persson’s and 
Present Prefect were given 
long-leases with Edison.

 Persson’s opened 39 years 
ago by the parents of Linda 
Persson-Butters,Gary Butters 
wife.

 

Cake During Armenian 
Festival Marks City’s 125th 


Free Skin 
Cancer 
Screenings

Mayor Bill Bogaard (center) cuts a cake with the city symbol 
celebrating both the fourth annual Armenian Identity Festival and 
the marking Pasadena’s125th Birthday. Founder of the festival, 
Khatchik Chahinian (left), along with, Police Chief Phillip Sanchez 
and City Councilmember Gene Masuda help mark the occasion. 

 

The Skin Cancer Foundation’s 
Road to Healthy Skin Tour, 
presented by AVEENO and 
Rite Aid, will stop in Pasadena 
on August 14. The Tour travels 
the country, offering FREE, full 
body skin cancer screenings 
and the latest skin cancer 
information to the public. 
AVEENO sunscreen samples, 
coupons and complimentary 
copies of Fitness magazine 
are also distributed. Local 
dermatologists who have 
volunteered their time will 
conduct the screenings. 
Screenings are first come, first 
served. For more information, 
visit www.SkinCancer.org/
Tour or call 212-725-5176.

Two Hikers Rescued from 
Eaton Canyon, One Airlifted

Astronomer Nominated to 
National Science Board


Altadena Sheriff’s Station 
deputies said they were notified 
Thursday that two people were 
in distress at a waterfall in 
Eaton Canyon which activated 
the Altadena Search and Rescue 
Team. 

 Deputies said upon arriving 
they found a 31-year man had 
fallen from the cliff and a 20-
year old female was stuck on 
the cliff. 

 Sheriff’s Search and Rescue 
deputies worked on the ground 
while a Los Angeles County Fire 
Department rescue helicopter 
air crew worked from the air 
and hoist, to hoist the two 
people into the helicopter. 

 The woman was air lifted off 
the cliff at 3:55 p.m., shaken but 
unhurt they said.

 After being stabilized 
by sheriff’s rescuers and 
paramedics on the ground, at 
4:55PM, the male hiker was 
air lifted from the canyon, and 
flown to an area hospital. The 
extent of his injuries were not 
known. 

 Both hikers were from Rancho 
Cucamonga. 

 Rescues are common in Eaton 
Canyon, and a man died after 
falling in the first waterfall area 
on July 31.

 
President Barack Obama 
has nominated Anneila 
Sargent, vice president for 
student affairs and the Rosen 
Professor of Astronomy, 
to the National Science 
Board, the governing body 
of the National Science 
Foundation. 

 As an astronomer, Sargent 
studies disks of gas and dust 
that form stars and planets. 
She first arrived at Caltech 
more than 40 years ago as 
a graduate student. Since 
then, she has worked as a 
research fellow, a member 
of the professional staff, a 
senior research fellow, and 
a senior research associate, 
becoming a professor in 
1998. Sargent has served as 
the director of the Owens 
Valley Radio Observatory 
and the Combined Array 
for Research in Millimeter-
Wave Astronomy. She has 
also been president of the 
American Astronomical 
Society, chair of NASA’s 
Space Science Advisory 
Committee, and chair of 
the National Research 
Council’s Board of Physics 
and Astronomy. A former 
member of the National 
Science Foundation’s 
Mathematical and Physical 
Sciences Advisory 
Committee, she is a fellow 
of the American Academy of 
Arts and Sciences.

 The National Science Board 
consists of 25 members who 
serve six-year appointments. 
Eight members are 
nominated every two years 
and must be confirmed 
by the Senate. Previous 
members from Caltech 
include Barry Barish, the 
Linde Professor of Physics, 
Emeritus; the late Lee 
DuBridge, physicist, former 
Caltech president, and 
science advisor to Presidents 
Harry Truman and Richard 
Nixon; and the late William 
Fowler, astrophysicist and 
Nobel laureate.


County Social 
Services Chief 
Steps Down

 Philip Browning, the 
current director of 
Los Angeles County’s 
Department of Public Social 
Services, would be named 
to serve as the interim 
director of the Department 
of Family and Children 
Services when the current 
acting director steps down 
next month, under a joint 
motion by County Mayor 
Michael Antonovich and 
Board of Supervisors Chair 
Pro Tem Zev Yaroslavsky 
to be considered Tuesday, 
August 9 at the Board’s 
weekly meeting.

 “Philip’s leadership and 
management skills as a 
current Department head 
qualify him to lead and 
manage DCFS with a focus 
on improving outcomes for 
children and families while 
the County completes its 
search for a permanent 
director,” Antonovich said. 

 Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky 
added, “He is one of the 
most gifted managers in 
local government today, 
and we’re very fortunate 
that he’s agreed to step in 
and accept this challenging 
responsibility. Philip has 
the capacity not only to 
stabilize the department, 
but to begin the vital work 
of turning it around.”

 Jackie Contreras, the 
current DCFS acting 
director, has announced 
her resignation effective 
September 16 to accept a 
position with Casey Family 
Programs. The Board of 
Supervisors is currently 
conducting an exhaustive 
national search for a 
permanent DCFS director.

Pet of the 
Week

Citizen Journalism Meet-up

 

The Pasadena Community 
Network and this newspaper 
are holding a workshop on 
Citizen Journalism. 

 This group is the place where 
aspiring journalists can learn 
from trained professionals 
and support their local 
community by covering 
what’s really happening in 
their neighborhoods.

 We will put the news in your 
hands. Learn how to find 
the story, the tools needed 
to capture the story and the 
means to tell the story using 
the power of video, audio and 
print along with online social 
media The next meeting is 
Aug. 9 from 6 p.m. to 8p.m. 
at the Pasadena Community 
Network - Studio G, 2057 N. 
Los Robles Ave.

 For more info call 
626.794.8585 or visit 
pasadenan.com.

 
Learn not just how 
to blog but how to 
report the news


A Noise Within Cleans House 
Prior to Pasadena Move

 The Pasadena Humane 
Society has lots of cute 
kittens in need of happy 
homes! Kittens need lots 
of love and attention so be 
sure you have enough time 
to devote to one of these 
tiny companions. If you are 
ready to add an adorable 
bundle of joy to your home, 
come visit with a kitten 
today!

 The regular cat adoption 
fee is $70 which includes 
the spay or neuter surgery, 
microchip, vaccinations, 
and a free follow-up health 
check at a participating vet.

 Please call 626-792-7151 
and ask about A290955 
or come to the Pasadena 
Humane Society & SPCA, 
361 S. Raymond Ave , 
Pasadena CA , 91105 . 
Our adoption hours are 
11-4 Sunday, 9-5 Tuesday, 
Wednesday, Thursday, and 
Friday, and 9-4 Saturday. 
Directions and photos of 
all pets updated hourly 
may be found at www.
pasadenahumane.org

 A Noise Within (ANW), 
Southern California’s 
acclaimed classical repertory 
theatre company, says farewell 
to Glendale at a massive 
“Garage Sale” on Saturday, 
August 13, from 9 a.m. to 2 
p.m., in its current location 
on Brand Boulevard in 
Glendale. The sale, designed 
literally to clean house before 
ANW moves to a permanent, 
new home in Pasadena this 
fall, features huge discounts 
on scenery, props, costumes, 
wigs, furniture, lighting and 
lighting equipment, curtains, 
fabric, seating and more.

 “We’re letting go of some 
of our best possessions, 
with three large floors 
full of treasures,” says 
Henry Echeverria, ANW’s 
production manager. 
“Bargain hunters will 
find everything from 
furniture pieces used in past 
productions and classic prop 
knick-knacks to racks filled 
with elegant vintage and 
everyday clothing for men, 
women, and children.”

 While the Glendale location 
has been A Noise Within’s 
home for the last 19 years, 
the company is in the final 
stretch of a $13.5 million 
capital campaign for its 
highly anticipated 33,000 
square-foot, state-of-the-art 
venue in Pasadena, which 
opens October 29, 2011. Tax 
deductable donations for the 
capital campaign are accepted 
during the Garage Sale.

 Admission to the event 
is $2. Cash is preferred for 
purchases, but credit cards 
are accepted with a minimum 
purchase and subject to a 
service charge.

 A Noise Within is located at 
234 South Brand Boulevard, 
Glendale, CA, 91204. For 
additional information, 
please contact Henry 
Echeverria at 818-265-7962 
or visit www.AnoiseWithin.
org.

Huntington Library Joins City’s 
Digital History Collaboration

 The Pasadena Digital History 
Collaboration (PDHC), a 
consortium of Pasadena 
cultural institutions, has 
recently expanded their 
collaboration to include a 
new partner; The Huntington 
Library, Collections and 
Botanical Gardens. The 
Huntington will provide 
access to their Harold Parker 
Photograph Collection. 

 They join the Pasadena 
Public Library, Pasadena 
City College’s Shatford 
Library and Pasadena 
Museum of History in 
Bringing Pasadena’s History 
to Life by providing access 
to the greatest collection of 
digitized, historical archives 
in Pasadena. 

 “We hope that the addition 
of these treasures from 
the Huntington Library 
is just the first of many to 
come. One of the PDHC’s 
core goals is to continue 
partnering with other local 
cultural institutions that are 
either in Pasadena or have 
Pasadena-related collections. 
To begin our expansion with 
such a noteworthy, vibrant 
institution as the Huntington 
is thrilling. We are truly 
excited and motivated to 
continue bringing Pasadena’s 
history to the community 
with just a click of the mouse,” 
said Martha Camacho, 
Municipal Information 
Service librarian.

 To access the collection go to 
www.pasadenadigitalhistory.
com. For more information 
contact Martha Camacho at 
744-4279.