Friday, January 7, 2022

Oscar-Winning Actor and Former Altadena Resident Sidney Poitier Dies at 94

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Sidney Poitier, who won an Academy Award for best actor for his role in “Lilies of the Field” in 1963, has died, according to a report from the Bahamian Minister of Foreign Affairs and various media outlets. He was 94.

Poitier resided in Altadena at one time, according to the Altadena Historical Society.

Poitier was known as an activist who broke color barriers in the movie industry and entertainment. He was the first Black performer to win an Oscar for Best Actor.

The cause of death or where he died was not revealed.

Some of Poitier’s more notable roles were as Mark Thackeray in “To Sir With Love,” Detective Virgil Tibbs in “The Heat of the Night” in 1967, and in “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” also released in 1967.

He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 by President Barak Obama.

From 1997 to 2007,

Wednesday, January 5, 2022

COVID Spike Spurs LA’s Presiding Judge to Authorize Delay in Criminal Trials

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Citing a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases, Los Angeles County’s presiding judge issued an emergency order Tuesday that authorizes criminal jury trials to be temporarily delayed.

The emergency order — the first since last October that involves criminal cases — applies to criminal jury trials with statutory deadlines between Wednesday and Jan. 19, and extends the time period to hold criminal trials “by not more than 30 days.”

It was the second announcement of the day regarding court proceedings and COVID protocols. Earlier Tuesday, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California suspended jury trials within the region’s federal courthouses for at least three weeks. Central District courthouses are located in Los Angeles, Riverside, Pasadena and Santa Ana.

“Los Angeles County’s current COVID numbers warrant this relief, and I have elected to utilize this authority sparingly as we closely monitor the impact of the dual variants on our court users, judicial officers,

Monday, January 3, 2022

Altadena Library District Announces Temporary Closure; Curbside Services Return January 6

The Altadena Public Library has closed its facilities and suspended all in-person activities until Jan. 15, according to an announcement on the library’s website.

“Out of an abundance of caution and to help prevent community spread of the fast-moving COVID-19 Omicron variant, the Altadena Library District announces temporary closure of facilities and suspension of in-person programs/activities from Jan. 3 to Jan. 15, 2022,” the statement reads.

Curbside services will resume on Jan. 6 and library staff will return to the buildings and follow enhanced safety protocols.

Virtual programming will continue as scheduled.

Los Angeles County reported nearly 45,000 new cases of COVID-19 this weekend.

County officials reported 23,553 new cases for Saturday, and another 21,200 positive tests Sunday, after a one-day record of 27,091 new infections were reported Friday.

Pasadena has not reported new cases since last Thursday but is expected to resume reporting on Monday.

The county’s COVID hospitalizations also continued to rise,

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

CHP Announces End-of-Year Crackdown on Impaired Drivers Ahead of New Year’s

CITY NEWS SERVICE

An end-of-year crackdown targeting drunken and drug-impaired drivers in Los Angeles County will begin Friday.

The California Highway Patrol will initiate its New Year’s “maximum enforcement period” at 6 p.m. Friday, when all available officers deploy to catch impaired motorists, speeders and other traffic violators. The campaign will continue until late Sunday night.

Officers from the CHP Southern Division will be on freeways, highways and unincorporated roads throughout Los Angeles County, looking to identify and stop suspects.

“Ringing in the New Year should be an exciting time filled with celebration and hope,” CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray said. “To help keep the roadways safe through the holiday and beyond, our officers will be out in force to deter, detect and remove impaired drivers.”

The 2020-21 New Year’s MEP netted 709 DUI arrests statewide, compared to 491 in the 2019-20 campaign, which lasted only 30 hours because it was conducted in the middle of the week.

According to the CHP,

Friday, December 24, 2021

California Highway Patrol to Begin Maximum Enforcement Period

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The California Highway Patrol will initiate its annual Christmastime “maximum enforcement period” beginning at 6 p.m. Friday night — with all available officers deploying to catch drunken or drug-impaired drivers, speeders and other traffic violators.

The MEP will conclude late Sunday night.

“The CHP will be out on California’s roadways while the public travels to join friends and family this weekend,” CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray said.

“Our goal is the same as yours — to make certain you arrive safely at your destination. From our family to yours, we wish you all a safe and happy holiday.”

During last year’s Christmas MEP, CHP officers statewide arrested 573 motorists on suspicion of DUI.

According to the agency, 38 people died in crashes investigated by the CHP over the 2020 holiday weekend.

The Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, along with multiple municipal agencies countywide, will be conducting their own operations,

Thursday, December 23, 2021

“Staggeringly Fast”: LA County COVID Numbers Rocket Upward Amid Omicron Surge

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Los Angeles County reported more than 6,500 new COVID-19 infections today, more than double the number from Tuesday and marking what the public health director called a “staggeringly fast” spike that could potentially lead to daily numbers topping 20,000 by year’s end — the highest yet of the pandemic.

Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said the eye-catching number of 6,509 new COVID infections on Wednesday marked “one of the steepest rises we’ve ever seen over the course of the pandemic.”

Ferrer also reported a sharp increase in the daily average rate of people testing positive for the virus, with the number reaching 4.5% as of Wednesday, more than double the 1.9% rate from a week ago.

She also announced another 162 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant identified through special sequencing needed to identify different strains of the virus, bringing the total to 264. Ferrer said that increase shows the highly transmissible variant is quickly becoming the dominant strain of the virus fueling the current surge in cases.

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

No-Burn Order Extended for Much of Southland Through Wednesday

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The South Coast Air Quality Management District today extended a mandatory prohibition on indoor and outdoor wood burning in much of the Southland through tomorrow night due to a forecast of high air pollution in the area.

The residential wood-burning ban is in effect through at least 11:59 p.m. Wednesday. It affects all those in the South Coast Air Basin, including the non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties and all of Orange County.

The order does not apply to mountain communities above 3,000 feet, the Coachella Valley or the high desert. Homes that rely on wood as a sole source of heat, low-income households and those without natural gas service also are exempt from the requirement.

The no-burn rule prohibits burning wood as well as manufactured fire logs, such as those made from wax or paper. Gas and other non-wood burning fireplaces are not restricted, the SCAQMD said.

Fine particles in wood smoke,

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Case Of Two Convicted In Altadena Killing Sent Back To Los Angeles Court

CITY NEWS SERVICE

A state appeals court panel Monday ordered the case of two men convicted of the 1999 killing of an Altadena woman, who was the aunt of one of the defendants, to be sent back to a Los Angeles judge.

The three-justice panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal reversed Superior Court Judge Stephen A. Marcus’ order denying petitions by Nathan Sheard and his then-roommate, David Emanuel Talmadge, for re-sentencing under a new state law, and instructed the judge to “conduct further proceedings.”

The two were convicted in 2002 of first-degree murder for the April 1999 slaying of Sheard’s widowed 72-year-old aunt, Gertrude Mills. Jurors found true the special circumstance allegations of murder during the commission of a residential burglary and robbery against the two, who are serving sentences of life without the possibility of parole.

In a pair of rulings involving the two defendants, the appellate court panel noted that Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies found Mills in her bathtub,

Monday, December 13, 2021

With COVID Surging, State Mandates Indoor Mask-Wearing Through Holiday Season

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Citing a sharp increase in COVID-19 infection rates since Thanksgiving, the state announced Monday that beginning Wednesday, mask-wearing will become mandatory in all indoor public settings across California regardless of vaccination status.

The mask mandate, mirroring a requirement already in effect in Los Angeles County and select other counties across the state, will remain in place until Jan. 15.

The state will also toughen the restriction for unvaccinated people who attend indoor “mega-events” of 1,000 people or more, requiring them to receive a negative COVID test within one day of the event if it’s a rapid antigen test or within two days for a PCR test. The current rules require a test within 72 hours of the event.

State officials will also recommend, but not require, that people who travel to California or return to the state after traveling be tested for COVID within three to five days.

California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr.

Saturday, December 11, 2021

Loma Alta Park Gets ‘Winter Wonderland’ Treatment This Weekend

Los Angeles County’s Department of Parks and Recreation brings “Winter Wonderland” to Loma Alta Park in Altadena on Saturday, December 11, 4 to 8 p.m., with snow and a frosty good time with activities for all ages.

“Winter Wonderland” is part of the Department’s Parks After Dark Program and features a sled hill and snow play area, a visit by Santa, holiday crafts, filled holiday stockings for every child while supplies last, a hot cocoa station, food giveaways and more.

Other parks throughout the county have similar events scheduled through December.

About 40 tons of snow will be dumped at Loma Alta so kids can go sledding and enjoy other winter games throughout the day.

Activities are free and no registration is required.

For more information, visit https://parks.lacounty.gov/pad or call (626) 398-5451.

Loma Alta Park is at 3330 Lincoln Ave. in Altadena.