“Dream Carver” is a bilingual, musical puppet show based on the the book of the same name by Diana Cohn, illustrated by Amy Cordova.  The book is inspired by the life of Manuel Jiminez who pioneered the Oaxacan woodcarving style.

Swazzle Puppets will appear at the Altadena Main Library,

Tues., July 5

3:30 PM – A robbery occurred at Foothill Management, 1844 N. Allen Ave.  The suspect, described as male, African-American, 25–30 yrs, 6 feet tall, thin build, wearing a dark color brim hat, sunglasses, black & blue plaid long sleeve shirt and dark pants, entered the location and walked to the front desk.  The suspect smiled at the victim while holding a demand note.  When the victim told the suspect she did not have any money,

• A couple of items from last week’s Pasadena Weekly: the Weekly interviews local movie star John C. Reilly on his new shot-in-Altadena movie, “Terri”; and Andre Coleman’s new local political column puts us in good company with Ann Erdman and Gary Scott (but Andre — links! you gotta have links to these fabulous blogs!)
• “Monetizing Your Blog” is the topic at this month’s meeting of the Social Media Club of the San Gabriel Valley at the Business Technology Center,

The county's Boundary Review Committee will hold its final meeting today at 2 PM in Room 381B of the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, 500 West Temple St., Los Angeles. 

Following Monday night's meeting, odds are good that Altadena will remain in the Fifth Supervisory District under Michael D. Antonovich, but anything can happen. 

July's Altadena Chamber of Commerce mixer will be Thurs., July 28 at the Park Bench Deli, 2470 Lake Ave., from 5:30-7:30 PM. 

Members are $5, and guests are $7.  Bring a raffle prize and receive commercial time to promote your business (or bring it just to be nice!).

Anyone calling the business line (626-798-1131) will reach the desk at Altadena. 911 calls will continue to be routed to Crescenta Valley first.

Always glad to hear from the oh-so-missed Danny’s Farm, perhaps the greatest victim of the county’s Altadena code-bombing spree.  Danny’s Farm — which provides a petting zoo for all children, programs for children with autism,

Cookbook designer-cum-market manager wants to bring the Zane Grey Estate market’s sensibility to Loma Alta Park

When will the Altadena Urban Farmer’s Market (AUFM) make a reappearance?

Maybe soon– folded into the long-awaited farmer’s market at Loma Alta Park.

Joseph Shuldiner — one of the organizers of the AUFM — is working with the Los Angeles County Parks Dept.

UPDATE 4:13 PM:  As  usual when one runs fast out the door, more facts come spilling in — so we're taking the story below with a grain of salt until we dredge up some more. We usually do better than this, so hold on …

UPDATE 4:15 PM:  Tony Bell has clarified that Barger is monitoring the meeting,

Nancy Fees took this picture (passed along by Steve Gerow) on Loma Alta west of Stonehill.  Maybe they’re just getting out of town before Carmageddon?

We have some meetings and such this morning, so updates will be later today, and they’ll be worth it!

On Tues., Aug. 2, the sheriff station along with the Sheriff’s Support Group of Altadena and the Neighborhood Watch groups will be sponsoring the annual “National Night Out” at Farnsworth Park, 5-8 PM.  There will be potluck and barbecue, and information available on setting up a Neighborhood Watch program and CERT training.

Thurs., July 14

• Teen Reading Program: The Altadena Main Library, 600 E. Mariposa St., 4-5 PM,

If you know kids that are beginning to make poor decisions, or whose grades are slipping, or who seem to be making poor choices in friends, or who are beginning to exhibit aggressive behavior or using foul language more often, or are becoming more moody, angry or withdrawn, the Sheriff’s Department has an outstanding program that can have a positive impact on these kids.

It is VIDA –

Joined by soprano Suzanne Anderson, Tesserae performs settings of Shakespeare’s texts, along with music by Dowland, Byrd, and many more. 

Bring your blankets and picnic to enjoy the beauty of the Folly Bowl together with some of the most beautiful repertoire of the Late Renaissance.

Pictured: scenes from Shakespeare were performed at the Theatre Americana festival.

Music, dance, art, Shakespeare, and even a cute pooch didn’t draw in the crowds at Theatre Americana’s first Festival of the Arts in Farnsworth Park on Saturday.  Whether this was due to summer heat, the soccer Gold Cup game at the Rose Bowl, or just being festivaled-out, Altadenans were scarce.

The festival was an ambitious undertaking,

PUSD staffers held a second public meeting at the school auditorium Monday night, saying that the need is urgent, as the district’s mental health services now located at McKinley Elementary will be moved out during that school’s remodeling.

On Thurs., June 30 from 4-5 PM in the Altadena Main Library Community Room, 600 E. Mariposa St., teens (13-17) participating in our Teen Summer Reading Program can join in on this fun and creative activity. Decorate a cupcake best to represent a random country. Use your imagination and present a cupcake that leaves all other cupcakes in the dust.

Mon., June 20

12:40 AM – A commercial burglary occurred at 7‐11, 1319 N. Altadena Dr.  Suspect male, Hispanic, 30 –35 yrs, 5’6”, 165 lbs., brown hair, wearing a blue/white plaid jacket, black shirt, blue jeans, and white tennis shoes, entered the store and stole two 18‐packs of Budweiser beer. The suspect exited the store and entered a brown Nissan pickup.  

The LA County Sheriff's Dept. tells us that the smoke you've been breathing this afternoon comes from a brush fire in East LA.  They sent this message this afternoon:

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in conjunction with The Los Angeles County Fire Department advise you to AVOID traveling on Eastern Avenue between City Terrace Drive and North Marianna Avenue in the community of East Los Angeles due to a brush fire that threatened several residential homes in the area.

“I can promise you this,” said harmonica virtuoso Gary Allegretto at the beginning of his sold-out show Saturday evening, “we’re gonna have fun tonight.”

He wasn’t foolin’, either. Singer/songwriter Gary and singer/songwriter/guitarist Ian Espinoza delivered a good time in the form of some rocking bluesy cowboy music, along with tuneful melodies and some guitar work from Ian that got our feet stomping. And then there was Gary’s dazzling harmonica playing.

• Chris Larson at the Rancho Bar, 2485 N. Lake Ave.,  tells us that they’re still fighting to have Tuesday night karaoke (the county seems to have a different opinion), and that they’ll continue until told to cease and desist.  So come on by next week!
• Speaking of the county, LA Weekly has a feature on LA County planners code-bombing Antelope Valley residents, some of whom have lived in their eccentric homes for decades. 

The “Art from the Heart” paintings on the fence were recently removed, Hixon said.  “We took the artwork down because it was getting tattered.” Hixon said.  The paintings are in the process of being returned to the institutions —  schools and Episcopal Homes retirement communities — that worked on them, Hixon said.

This weekend,

Angie Calleros, Recreation Services Supervisor at Farnsworth Park, tells us that the two TVs they were using for their summer children's programs aren't working anymore, and they have nothing in the budget to buy new ones.  If you've got a working TV you don't need anymore, here's a chance to help out a worthy cause. 

A CERT (County Emergency Response Team) class is now planned for July.  See the details below about the dates and times for the class.  Please note that it is weeknights only, no weekends. 

If you’ve completed a CERT class, you may use all or some of these evenings as a refresher.

If you’ve been waiting for another CERT class in our area, here’s your opportunity, or if you know others who are interested in being better prepared to take care of themselves,

The Pasadena Police Department will host a crime victims clinic Saturday, July 9, from 8:30 AM. to noon in the assembly room on the second floor of the department headquarters, 207 N. Garfield Ave.  

California voters passed the Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights Act (Marsy’s Law) in 2008 giving victims of crimes and their families 17 constitutional rights. 

• Special needs kids safe swim: The City of Pasadena is offering a supervised swim hour for children ages 5 to 12 with special needs Mondays through Thursdays this summer from 11 a.m. to noon at Robinson Park, 1081 N. Fair Oaks Ave., from July 5 to Aug. 12. A parent or authorized guardian must be available to assist each child. Pre-registration and waivers are required. For costs, scholarships and more information call Darrell Walker at (626) 744-7530;

It's a holiday, so it's kind of slow, but what's there is good …

Thurs., June 30

• Teen cupcake wars: At the Altadena Main Library Community Room, 600 E. Mariposa St., teens (13-17) participating in the Teen Summer Reading Program can join in on this fun and creative activity. Decorate a cupcake best to represent a random country.

Gary Robertson is an accomplished cowboy poet and endearing storyteller. Gary loves his audiences, and they love him.  His stories of the cowboy way and ranching lifestyle touch both the heart and the funny bone.Always in demand, Gary has performed at the Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Arizona Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Cowboy Hall of Fame,

Terry Kirkman, the man known to most of you as the author of the song you fell in love to, “Cherish,” and a co-founder and a long time member of The Association, (a band that started at Bob Stane’s Ice House), is coming out of hiding for a rare appearance right here at the Gallery on Sat., July 2.

Terry will play the role of entertainer,

Community correspondents Sherry and Joseph Cavallo caught this guy in their backyard on the 2400 block of Ganesha last weekend — he seemed to us to have really big ears for a coyote, so we sent it to our Canid Correspondent, Dr. Barkman, with the question, “Fox or coyote?”

Her response: “That’s a coyote for sure.  He’s a youngster – just need to grow into his ears.”

This is also darn close to where the coyote killed the Maltese Wednesday morning —

The Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) Board of Education announced Wednesday night that, by a unanimous vote of 7-0, it will enter into negotiations with Jon R. Gundry as the final candidate for the new Superintendent of Schools. Mr. Gundry, who has served as interim superintendent of the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) since 2010, will replace Superintendent Edwin Diaz, who will retire on June 30 after four and a half years of leading the District.

from the Altadena Library District

After many requests, the Altadena Library will be offering eBooks to download from the comfort of your home and on-the-go beginning sometime this September. To help the staff make decisions on what to buy, please take a moment to fill out a very brief survey available on the library’s website at http://www.altadenalibrary.org/ by July 15,

The Altadena Library District has put out a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a capital campaign feasibility study.  The library is considering a capital campaign for improvements to the main library, which are estimated to cost from $20-23 million.

The RFP is available at http://www.altadenalibrary.org/masterplan.

  Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) Superintendent Edwin Diaz announced Wednesday the promotion of Eric Sahakian as principal of the Rose City High School. Mr. Sahakian, who has been principal of Loma Alta Elementary since 2009, will manage the alternative high school that recently won accreditation and has more than tripled the number of graduates since 2007. He replaces Irene Quiñones,

• Los Angeles County is commemorating our independence from an oppressive government by banning plastic bags in unincorporated county areas (such as Altadena), beginning today.  If you don’t bring your own, it will cost you 10 cents for a paper bag.  Businesses also must track and report bag sales.  Let freedom ring!

Carolyn Seitz sent us the following:

[Wednesday], an Altadena family suffered the loss of their child, a beautiful 3 year old girl named Katherine, in a tragic accident.

It is devastating for them and it was for the Altadena Sheriff’s Deputies and Captain McLean who arrived on the scene shortly after the accident occurred.

Just received word: While you're watching the fireworks (which will start between 9:30-9:45 tonight), look to the northwest sky at about 9:53 PM:  The International Space Station will have an "extremely bright" crossing then.

The Clark County (Nev.) coroner’s office, using dental records, positively identified the body of Dusan Klein, which was found by hikers on the outskirts of Las Vegas.  The coroner declared the death a suicide.

Klein and his black cocker spaniel, Cindy, had been the targets of a search after the body of Renata Klein,

from Day One

“There are no positive role models for us to look up to, what do you expect us to do?” states a 17 year old student from John Muir High School when asked why teens are making unhealthy choices by getting involved in drugs,