A couple of found dogs:

Reader Liz says there has been a German Shepherd roaming around on Hill near New York, also spotted around the area of Morada Place and Mar Vista Street.  Still at large last we heard, but maybe it’s yours.

Reader Anand says:

While bicycling on Altadena Dr at 8:20 PM on Tuesday I saw a dog dart across the road and get hit by an oncoming car.

Lt Joseph Dempsey, the commander of the detective bureau, the station’s public information officer at the Altadena Sheriff’s Station, has been chosen for a new assignment by the Sheriff’s Department.

Friday will be his last day at Altadena Station, and effective Sunday, he will be a Lieutenant at the Sheriff’s Narcotics Bureau.

We’ve been very fortunate to have had him with us for nearly a year and a half and to have had him with us as the Sheriff’s Department,

Picutred: Assemblyman Portantino gives his “state of the state” address Tuesday night.

Assemblyman Anthony M. Portantino delivered his “state of the state” address to the Altadena Town Council at Tuesday night’s meeting.

It was hardly a standard political spiel, as Portantino, a Democrat, has earned the ire of his party’s leadership this year for voting down a proposed budget.  Speaker John A. Perez retaliated by informing Portantino that his office budget was going to be reduced,

Among the activity in Tuesday night’s meeting:

• The state shifting 30,000 prisoners to county lockups was a recurrent theme.  Assemblyman Anthony Portantino said that Los Angeles County will be getting 8,000 new prisoners, but there were only 4,600 beds available, meaning most will get released.  Portantino said that “with 70 percent recidivism, it doesn’t save the state money when most return.” 

Well, it is, and Gail Casburn of the Altadena Ale & Wine House, 2329 N. Fair Oaks Ave. (Altadenablog sponsor), says they will celebrate it today, starting at 6 PM.  The owner of the St. Sylvestre Brewery (Brasserie),

From left: Gary Webster of Webster’s Liquors and Michael and Meredith Miller of Webster’s Community Pharmacy with Thomas and Seager.

The Pasadena Weekly's Best of Pasadena issue came out, with a steampunk theme (and readers know if it's steampunk, we're there).  This year, Altadenans are are well represented.  Winners were in two categories: staff choices, and reader recommended:

• Best Charter School is Aveson Charter School,

by Jane L. Brackman
Altadena Historical Society

This is your last chance to purchase tickets at a discount  for Altadena Historical Society’s October 23rd tour of Mariposa Street. Two houses will be open for interior docent- led tours:

• The Chamberlain House, built in 1912, likely designed by architects Brockway and Buchanan who apprenticed with Charles and Henry Greene,

• We heard about a potential robbery at the Bank of America on Lake Avenue Wednesday evening.  A witness reported men on the ground being overseen by a deputy with a shotgun.  But not to worry: according to the sheriff’s station, it was an accidental tripping of the burglar alarm by a cleaning crew, who probably won’t do it again.
• You thought the Hahamongna Watershed was some kind of quiet, natural area, didn’t you?  

Be the ultimate coffee snob:  don’t just grind your beans, roast them yourself.

It doesn’t take an expensive roaster to do it, either. Joseph Shuldiner of the Institute of Domestic Technology says that there are still some spots available for this Sunday’s class where you’ll learn how to roast your own beans on your own stovetop (hint: an old-fashioned stovetop popcorn popper could prove useful!)

The class will be taught by Ian Riley,

On Wednesday, Sheriff Lee Baca recognized 17 sheriff’s department employees “whose heroic actions saved the lives of others” at the annual Lifesaving Awards Ceremony in Monterey Park.

Among those honored was Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station Dispatcher Richard Engersbach, pictured, who also works out of Altadena Station.  He celebrated his award by possibly saving more lives this week.

Engersbach was being honored for saving lives in Altadena last year.  

Thurs. Oct. 20

• Business Technology Center Tech Week Symposium, 2400 Lincoln Ave., 8 AM-3 PM.
• Coffee Gallery, 2029 N. Lake;  backstage: Driftwood Fire (singer/songwriters), 8 PM, $15. Reservations:  (626) 798-6236.
• Harvest Nights food truck event at Sidewalk Cafe HTS, Hen’s Teeth Square, 2057 N. Los Robles (corner Los Robles Avenue and Woodbury Road),

by Greg Apodaca 
Coordinator, TEDxPasadena

from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

JPL and NASA will be well represented at California's premier professional gathering for science educators Friday through Sunday, Oct. 21-23, at the Pasadena Convention Center. Numerous talks and workshops will feature Mars exploration, water in the solar system and uses of NASA data in the classroom.

Thursday’s Great California Shake-out annual earthquake drill isn’t as popular as it was a few years ago, but the local schools always make it a point to participate, which is a good thing.  Here, students from Eliot Middle School evacuate to the ballfields as they practice for the big one we hope never comes.

Altadena Elementary also put their best foot forward, moving students and staff to the playground.

by Timothy Rutt

Altadena’s Business Technology Center hosted its annual Tech Week symposium, bringing together startups, investors, business service providers, and anyone interested in the new technologies and their potential markets.  There were several panel discussions, such as the one above, and many opportunities for schmoozing, such as the one below.

Whether to question or not question, or to be cautious or not be cautious about door-to-door solicitors is a tough decision to make for some of you.  There are diverse opinions about whether it is unfair to categorize all solicitors as “bad” and call to report them, or to not call the Sheriff’s Station and risk finding out the hard way that they may well have been up to no good and now you or one of your neighbors is a victim of crime.

Just as Halloween weekend's beginning: the Altadena Sheriff’s Station will be participating in the Drug Enforcement Agency’s nationwide, one day, drug take-back event to be held on Sat., Oct. 29 from 10 AM-2 PM.   There will be a DEA agent assigned to Altadena Station who will be there throughout the event (doing what,

by Timothy Rutt

The Horseless Carriage Club of Southern California and the Mt. Lowe  Preservation Society organized a road trip, as several pre-1915 automobiles drove up the Mt. Wilson Toll Road from the Pinecrest Gate to Henninger Flats Saturday, recreating a bit of the past.  Lauren Gold has the story from the SGV News group, and community correspondant Tom Joyce supplied the pictures of the vehicles lining up,

Our column at the Sunday Valley Sun is up — we could probably do Part IV and V, but we decided to give it a rest and write about something else next week!

The Braewatch neighborhood watch group is passing along a message from a resident at the 1500 block of east Mendocino (between Braeburn and the wash) about an attempted break-in.

Just before 8 PM, the resident says, there were in the family room watching TV, and the back rooms of the house were compeltely dark.  They heard someone trying to force open the back door from the patio into the kitchen.  

by Timothy Rutt

St. Mark’s Church and School held their annual County Fair Saturday afternoon, with food and activities, and a performance from the Saber Guild, a collection of Star Wars enthusiasts (both dark and light side), who put on quite a show, after the jump.

by Timothy Rutt

Yesterday (Saturday) was a busier-than-usual weekend in Altadena, but there was something for everybody.  Here, a wheelchair basketball team goes through morning practice in the gym at Loma Alta Park.

Elsewhere in the park, the L.A. Community Garden Council, a group representing community gardens all over the county, held its fifth annual “Gathering” where they shared information and support.

Hoe!

Tamirfilms is offering an opportunity for a free eight week internship starting in November, 2011. The internship program will target individuals in California with a focus on kids from the East Los Angeles area who are interested in learning about the film making process.

"Silencio," an independent film, will be shot entirely on location in East Los Angeles and Altadena.

by Jason Wells
Pasadena Sun

Cloudy skies today will bring cooler temperatures and possible rain showers, according to the National Weather Service.

There's a 20% chance of rain today, but the potential for wet weather is expected to dissipate by Tuesday morning.

By Wednesday, sunny skies and moderate Santa Ana winds return,

The screening will be at Field Elementary, 3600 Sierra Madre Blvd., Pasadena, from 6:30-8:30 PM. For more information, contact Kristin Tang at kristintang9@gmail.com.

According to Elliot Gold of the Upside-Down T Neighborhood Association, “The first half of the ACONA meeting will feature speakers from Athens Trash Service, and the LA County Department of Public Works. Athens will address questions and concerns about how they’re doing after six weeks and how we in Altadena can use them for recycling.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is offering free Neighborhood Watch Toolkit Training & Emergency Training this Fri., Oct. 28, at the Los Angles Arboretum.

This Neighborhood Watch training will help improve Neighborhood Watch activities by providing formal training for those law enforcement, volunteers and block captains interested in assisting with Neighborhood Watch and disaster preparedness. 

The La Salle High School Visual and Performing Arts Department will be presenting  William Shakespeare’s comedy, “Twelfth Night;

Yes, the Fork in the Road returns.

Altadena’s sensation of 2009-10, the Fork in the Road, has been lying in state at David Smith Construction in Altadena since it was removed from the split at St. John and Pasadena Avenues in Pasadena where it was an internationally-celebrated piece of guerilla art.

Sat., Oct. 15, there will be a fundraiser potluck for the Fork, which will be restored to its place of honor on Oct.

Typepad, our provider, has been down for a loooong time, so we have lots of things to catch up on!  Stay tuned.

Unity In Diversity is the theme of a major dinner-dance celebration and fundraiser, scheduled for Sat., Nov. 5, from 6-11 PM at the Boys and Girls Club, 3230 East Del Mar Blvd., Pasadena.

Organized by Transformative Collaborations International (TCI) and sponsored by several local organizations,

Altadenablog sponsor the Altadena Ale & Wine House, 2329 N. Fair Oaks Ave., has announced its upcoming events for October:

Tues, Oct. 11, 7:30 PM - Pub Quiz – Prizes given away – Bring a team to have some fun or join a team when you arrive

Thurs.,

You're invited to this month's Ribbon Cutting/ Mixer for Dr. Jon M. Postajian, Chiropractor,2052 N. Lake Ave. Suite E.
 
This event is free to attend. Food and drinks are free, but must RSVP.

Bring a raffle item and receive a 30 second commercial for your business.