by Laura Monteros

WildFire Cinemas presents the heartwarming family comedy "Snowmen" on Fri., Nov. 11 at Altadena Baptist Church,  791 East Calaveras Street, 6:30 and 8:30 PM.

Starring Altadena resident Bobby Coleman (Martian Child), the  up and coming young star recently played Miley Cyrus' little brother in the film "The Last Song." 

Fri., Nov. 4

• Library: Space Exploration: What’s Up? Learn about the latest tools for space exploration including robotics to explore other planets and stars and the search for life in the cosmos with Dr. Randii Wessen at the main Altadena Library on Friday, November 4 at 7:00 p.m.  This free program sponsored by the Friends of the Altadena Library is suitable for all ages and will take place in the library’s Community Room.

You just think it’s too early to deal with Christmas, but it’s not: St. Mark’s Episcopal Church will be taking orders for Christmas trees until Nov. 18.  There are a variety of trees and prices available (check the flyer for details), but they’re also accepting $40 to donate a tree to a local family that otherwise could not afford one. 

Trees will be available at the St. Mark’s parking lot Dec. 10, and delivery is also available for a suggested donation of $20.

“THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME”

from gloriana casey

Now just outside the walls of OZ,
we find a little bar.
The Rancho is Sir Larson’s place.
It’s known both near and far.

For citizens here, love to sing
with that karaoke.
Some songs are sweet and some are sad,
and some— a little dopey.

If you don't go count when we went out on a photo run, we pretty much ended up playing hooky yesterday (but the inside of the house looks better and the "tower of paper that needs attention" has been reduced!).  Also saw "Wicked Lit" last night, another bang-up show at Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum.  But we're back now.

Star racecar Lightning McQueen, and the incomparable tow truck, Mater, take their friendship to exciting new places when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car.

The movie starts at 3:30 on Fri., Nov. 18, in the Library’s community room.  Refreshments are available, and it’s free.

Our column is up at the Sunday Valley Sun, about law enforcement and ghosts of the past.

Supporters of John Muir High School football coach Ken Howard, who now faces a misdemeanor battery charge for his role in a Sept. 28 scuffle with a student, are planning to gather Tuesday at a Pasadena school board meeting as part of a broader effort to address race and education.

Howard is scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 1 on a charge of “battery on a school ground,” Pasadena City Prosecutor Connie Orozco said in an email Wednesday.

By Tiffany Kelly
Pasadena Sun

Huntington Memorial Hospital is more than halfway done with an ambitious expansion of its emergency department as the center seeks to keep pace with rising demand for emergency room services.

By Adolfo Flores and Joe Piasecki
Pasadena Sun

Boot camps for wayward teens are not a new phenomenon in Pasadena, though juvenile justice officials and others say the camps’ harsh physical tactics are unjustified and counterproductive.

John Muir High School hosted a boot camp program from 2007 to 2009,

The day will include a variety of vendors with Handmade Crafts, Caramel Apples, Kettle Corn, Face Painting, Food, and a Kids’ Corner with creative activities for the kids.  The intention is to celebrate the creative spirit by supporting the work of human hands.  If you or someone you know might be interested in selling as a vendor please email TheMarket@saint-elizabeth.org for an application and to reserve a space.  

by Timothy Rutt

Fifth District Supervisor and Los Angeles County Mayor Michael D. Antonovich speaks to the Bright Futures Scholars Saturday afternoon at the Altadena Community Cener.  The Scholars heard from Antonovich, Pasadena Unified School District Superintendent Jon Gundry, and Pasadena City College President/Superintendent Dr. Mark W. Rocha in a session where the luminaries talked of their background and leadership.

• Revvell Revati is looking for women over 40 who would like to eliminate 25 pounds or more; gain more flexibility, balance and strength while having fun playing with others. Classes are held Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning from 7-8:30 a.m. at a private home in Altadena, near New York and Woodbury. This is a “by donation” class. Please contact: Revvell@gmail.com.
• LA Times’ garden blogger Emily Green of Altadena talks about co-existing with gophers.

We've been dealing with household emergencies and a mild illness today.  We think after a good night's sleep, we should be back in order again!  Thanks for your indulgence!

It’s consolidated local and municipal elections today.  Polls open at 7 AM and close at 8 PM, and the only issue in Altadena is to choose between incumbent Jeanette W. Mann and Brian M.Fuller for PCC governing board member for East Altadena, East Pasadena, and Sierra Madre.  To find out your polling place, go to www.lavote.net, altho’ that site was down at 6 AM today.

A boot camp program operated by former Altadena town councilman Keith Gibbs on Pasadena public school grounds from 2007 to 2009 was shut down by school district officials due to complaints of “corporal punishment tactics” and an allegation of Gibbs’ sexual contact with a minor, according to Pasadena Unified School District documents.

In a Feb. 3, 2010 letter to Gibbs,

from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Photo: YU55, JPL/NASA

NASA’s Deep Space Network antenna in Goldstone, Calif. has captured new radar images of Asteroid 2005 YU55 passing close to Earth.

The asteroid will safely fly past our planet slightly closer than the moon’s orbit on Nov. 8. The last time a space rock this large came as close to Earth was in 1976,

from Robert Staehle, ACTRWG

We hope you can join us for the Altadena Crest Trail Restoration Working Group (ACTRWG) meeting Tue., Nov. 8, 7 PM, Nov. 8, at the Altadena Community Center (730 E Altadena Drive, just west of Lake Avenue, next to the Sheriff's Station and across the street from Rite Aid). 

So while they welcome donations any time, they’re prepared to spice up the offer:

People who make blood donations at Huntington Hospital on Nov. 21-23 will give a free movie ticket.  Hours are:

Mon., Nov. 21 – 11 AM to 6:30 PM

Tues.,

A rather abbreviated police blotter this week, from Lt. Duane L. Allen from the Altadena Sheriff's Station:

Sun., Oct. 30

Between 8:00 PM and 7:00 AM, Monday – A petty theft from an unlocked vehicle occurred inthe 1400 block of E. New York Drive.

by Timothy Rutt

Meredith Miller at Webster's Community Pharmacy says that, due to predictions of a gullywasher coming in this weekend, Fancy Food Truck Friday at the Webster's parking lot is cancelled (rain: bad for families, bad for food trucks, bad for Danny's Farm animals).  She says, weather permitting, it's on for Dec.

By Bill Kisliuk
Pasadena Sun

Incumbents enjoyed wide leads in all three contested races for seats on the Pasadena City College Board of Trustees in early results on Tuesday night.

Former Pasadena Mayor William Thomson, seeking his second term on the board, outpaced political activis M.A.C. Enriquez-Marquez 85% to 15% in early returns.

CPA and small business specialist W. Elizabeth Watts will be the speaker at the Altadena Chamber of Commerce mixer Thurs., Nov. 17, from 5:30-7:30 PM at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr.

Watts will speak on year-end tax planning for your business.

Bring a raffle prize and receive a 30 second commercial to promote your business (or just to be,

 Kristin Petherbridge tells us that her youngest's nursery school, the Village Playgarden, has moved to Altadena and is looking for vendors for next month's event:

Things are being canceled left and right as the National Weather Service  says a strong storm system is on its way, possibly bringing heavy rain and mountain snows Friday into Saturday.  The "current thinking," as NWS calls it, is that rain will reach the Los Angeles basin  sometime Friday afternoon or evening, with the possibility of thunderstorms.

Don't forget that today at 11 AM FEMA, the FCC, and NOAA will conduct the first nationwide Emergency Alert System test, which is supposed to last 45 to 60 seconds.  

Coming on the heels of our near-extinction event yesterday, why are we nervous this week?

Thurs. Nov. 10

• Altadena MOMS club open house, 10 AM-noon.  If you’re an at-home mom living in Altadena, they want you — for more information, including location, write to altadenamomsclub@gmail.com.
• Coffee Gallery, 2029 N. Lake:  backstage, Janam (Balkan/Sephardic/American roots music), 8 PM, $15. Reservations:  (626) 798-6236.

Fri., Nov. 11

• Fancy Food Truck Friday at Webster’s is canceled due to expected rain,

• Alice Wessen at the Chaney Trail neighborhood tells us that her chihuahua, Husky (OK, so he's ambitious) treed a bear on their property Tuesday night.  Do not mess with Altadena's chihuahuas.  It must be something in the water.
• LAist has a piece on the reinstalled Fork in the Road,

• Looking for something good to eat today?  The Coffee Gallery, 2029 N. Lake, will be hosting 157 and Beyond in a pop-up Tuesday dinner, 7 AM-10 PM.  They’ll be serving breakfast and dinner, plus grab-and-go treats in the fridge.
• Internationally bestselling author and activist Jeffrey M. Smith speak about what GMOs mean for the environment and public health, nationally and internationally, at the Beckman Institute Auditorium at Caltech this Fri., Oct. 28, at 7 PM.  

by Daniel Siegal
Pasadena Sun

Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory got a surprise on their way to work this morning when a 200-pound black bear wandered into the facility at around 4 AM, said JPL spokeswoman Veronica McGregor.

McGregor said that JPL security officers were escorting workers to buildings in the area where the bear was spotted,

Join the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy and docent Michele Zack on a hike in Rubio Canyon along the route of the Mount Lowe Railway, which brought Angelenos and tourists to popular resorts on Mount Lowe and Echo Mountain in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Learn about the railway's history and Rubio Canyon with Zack,

The residents of Braeburn Road do take their Halloween seriously.  Here, a quiet Gothic grave gives just a hint of what to expect. We have more pictures after the jump.

• Xiem Ceremic Studio will hold its annual ceramic art fair and open studio sale on Fri,-Sat. Nov. 11-12. Lots of Altadena pot-throwers and other ceramic artists will be represented,, and there will be a performance by the “Coffee Gallery Community Singers.” The sale will be 6-9 PM Friday and 10:30 AM- 4 PM Saturday. Xiem is at 1563 N. Lake Ave., Pasadena.
• Give a bunny a home: Want a pet, but a dog or a cat isn’t an option?

The Altadena Ale & Wine House, 2329 N. Fair Oaks Ave., (Altadenablog sponsor) will be celebrating Halloween with a party on Sat., Oct. 29, from 8:00 PM- 1:30 AM .

It starts off with the "Guinness Girls" from 8:30-9:30, with $3 pints of Guinness and other drink specials.  There will be a raffle every hour all night long with prizes including wines,

The deadline is fast approaching for Altadena businesses to run an ad in the Nov./Dec. Shop Altadena Coupon Page.  

If you're a member of the Altadena Chamber of Commerce, the ad is free — if not, the ad rate is $50 for two months.  (If you'd like to advertise but don't have an ad ready,

Local school officials voted unanimously Tuesday to broker a deal with unions that would give organized labor exclusive bargaining rights on school construction projects in exchange for local hiring guarantees.

The Pasadena Board of Education voted 7-0 to authorize negotiations with the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council, which has similar labor agreements with a number of other public agencies.

Altadena Heritage continues its “Heritage of Abundance” workshop series with Kelly Coyne and the return of Eric Knudsen on Wed., Nov. 2.

“Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post-Consumer World” will share tips and tricks for growing your own food with as little work as possible.  He will discuss edible landscaping, the best vegetables to grow in Southern California, and how to control pests without pesticides.