Saturday, December 5, 2020

Sheriff’s Deputy Fired Upon in Altadena ‘Ambush’

By BRIAN DAY

A sheriff’s deputy escaped injury after she was fired upon while driving down Fair Oaks Avenue in Altadena on Friday afternoon, officials said.

The “unprovoked ambush” took place as the deputy was driving northbound in the 2400 block of Fair Oaks Avenue, near Mountain View Street, according to Deputy Eric Ortiz of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Information Bureau.

“Multiple gunshots were fired at her, but luckily she was not struck,” he said.

The Deputy’s vehicle was also not hit by the gunfire, according to Sgt. McKelvy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Crescenta Valley Station.

Two men in their 20s were being sought in connection with the shooting, she said.

Deputies set up a search perimeter and scoured the area for witnesses.

Officials initially reported a building had been struck by the gunfire, but later said that did not appear to be the case.

No further details were available.

Thursday, December 3, 2020

Local Altadena Businesses are Getting Creative for The Holidays

The Altadena Chamber of Commerce is helping business owners get creative this holiday season. On Saturday, November 21, 2020, local businesses were invited to participate in Shop Altadena: A Virtual Holiday Mixer, where they could share their services and product offerings.

The event was free to the public and was an excellent opportunity to support local businesses. Many local businesses are committed to remaining open during the holidays by offering online shopping, deliveries, and curbside pickup.

With just a touch of a few computer keys or a phone call, residents may conveniently enjoy the joys of the season while shopping with businesses in our community.

Altadena Farmer’s Market

A local farmers market providing fresh local produce, meats, cheese, and artwork. Gift certificates available. Non-contact pickup and delivery market.
Hours: Thursday-Saturday for pickup; closed the week of Christmas and on New Year’s day
Website: www.afm-subscription.com

BAN Technologies LLC
Combining CBD with cutting edge technology,

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Friends of the Altadena Library Celebration of the Holidays

Join the Friends of the Altadena Library for a virtual celebration of the holiday season on Sat Dec 19 at 4pm! We invite you and yours to share – or simply enjoy – some festive readings at the Friends Virtual Holiday Party, on Saturday December 19th at 4pm, via zoom. From a Kwanzaa short story to a scene from “A Christmas Carol” or “The Chanukah Guest” to a winter poem, all contributions are welcome, and individual or group performances are equally encouraged

Zoom Link: us02web.zoom.us…
Meeting ID: 832 3931 6240
Passcode: 359128

If you would like to join us, or would like more information, please email the Friends at friends_altadenalibrary@yahoo.com.

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Seed Library: History of LA County Agriculture with Rachel Surls

Saturday, December 5, 2020, 10:00 – 11:00 AM

Rachel Surls is the Sustainable Food Systems Advisor for University of California Cooperative Extension in Los Angeles County, part of UC’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. From school gardens to urban agriculture, over her 32-year career with UC Cooperative Extension, Rachel has been involved in a wide array of programs related to urban food systems. She coordinates training, technical assistance and resources for urban farmers such as the UC Urban Agriculture Website and Blog. She directs the UC Master Gardener Volunteer program in Los Angeles, which helps residents learn to grow their own food and garden sustainably. Rachel is a member of the leadership board of the Los Angeles Food Policy Council.  A former Peace Corps Volunteer, her work in Honduras strongly influenced her decision to pursue a career related to food, farming, and sustainability. Rachel co-authored a book on the largely forgotten agricultural history of Los Angeles, “From Cows to Concrete: The Rise and Fall of Farming in Los Angeles,” published by Angel City Press in 2016.

Monday, November 30, 2020

The Bunny Museum in Altadena Receives More Than 1,000 Items From Wisconsin Family

STAFF REPORT

The Bunny Museum in Altadena, billed as “The Hoppiest Place in the World,” got a little extra spring in its step with the donation of more than 1,000 rabbit-related items from a family in Wisconsin, the museum announced Monday.

The treasure of items, ranging from figurines to paintings, will join the world record-setting collection of well over 40,000 pieces of bunny-related memorabilia, the museum said in a written statement.

The new additions were donated by the family of Jane Haugh Ringeisen, who died on May 28 at the age of 68, according to the museum.

“As a lover of all animals, Jane’s passion for bunnies began?in 1993 after she adopted ‘Smokey,’ a black Netherland dwarf,” the statement said. “Having no children, Jane and her husband, Don, babied Smokey.”

“Started with a few figurines, Jane’s bunny collection multiplied into over 1,000 including Bunnykins, My Blushing Bunnies, Fitz & Floyd, Cottontail Lane, and original artworks,” the statement said.

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

County Supervisor Barger Remains Opposed to “Unnecessary” Restrictions on Restaurants, Asks Board to Bring in Outside Experts for Guidance

Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to move forward with a ban on outdoor dining at restaurants, breweries and wineries, even after receiving more than 3,700 comments from members of the public concerned with these restrictions.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger introduced a motion, co-authored by Supervisor Janice Hahn that would have rescinded these closures and enabled outdoor dining to continue given the lack of any data to support dining as a means for significant community transmission.

The motion was denied on a 3-2 vote with Supervisors Solis, Ridley-Thomas and Kuehl opposing.

“The current Health Orders seem to take the approach that sectors should remain closed throughout the entire County, instead of focusing only on necessary closures in sectors that carry an inordinate and proven risk,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “There is no data to support closing dining establishments which makes this an arbitrary and capricious restriction — especially the day before Thanksgiving. Furthermore, this action will only further encourage individuals to participate in private gatherings,

Saturday, November 21, 2020

Long-Time Altadena Residents Donate $1 Million to Expand 3D Printing, Research

The gift creates a dedicated research and development fund that has already yielded positive results in COVID-19 testing and protection efforts

STAFF REPORT

Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego announced today a $1 million gift from the Helen and Will Webster Foundation to create a research and development fund to rapidly expand the Hospital’s investment and use of medical 3D printing solutions to improve care, education and surgical outcomes for children.

Entrepreneur Will Webster Jr. founded Webster Laboratories where he and his team engineered and manufactured heart catheters, among them a device that enabled doctors to diagnose and treat a debilitating congenital heart arrhythmia called Wolf-Parkinson-White Syndrome. In 1996, his business became part of Johnson & Johnson, and today it continues to operate as Biosense Webster with thousands of employees worldwide. Building on the company’s success, he and his wife, who lived in Altadena their entire marriage, established the Helen and Will Webster Foundation to support educational and health care causes.

“Rich Webster and his family continue their father’s legacy of investing in innovation that changes lives,” said Patrick Frias,

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Supervisor: New COVID Restrictions Take Effect on Friday

Looking to combat a surge in coronavirus cases, Los Angeles County will tighten some restrictions this week, such as requiring restaurants, wineries, breweries and non-essential retail businesses to close at 10 p.m., while limiting gatherings to no more than 15 people from a maximum of three households.

The county previously issued guidance limiting gatherings to three households, but there was no numerical limit on attendees.

Although the changes had not been formally announced as of late afternoon, County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl told the Daily News the restrictions will take effect Friday.

Other measures will include a 50 percent capacity limit for restaurants with outdoor service and a 25 percent capacity limit for personal care businesses and offices, she said.

Customers of personal care businesses — such as nail salons — will have to make advance appointments, and no services can be performed that require the customer to remove a face mask.

It is not known if Pasadena will adopt the new guidelines.

Thursday, November 12, 2020

State Passes 1 Million COVID-19 Cases

By ANDRÉ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

As Los Angeles County was struggling to escape the state’s restrictive purple tier prohibiting school and business reopenings, the state was surpassing the 1 million case mark in the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Thursday, state officials announced that 1,000,535 million people have been infected with COVID-19, which the World Health Organization declared a pandemic on March 11.

“We’re forgetting,” said Daisy Dodd, infectious disease specialist with Kaiser Permanente in Pasadena, “we’re mingling together, people are sick of being locked up and not being able to interact, so they’re having larger gatherings and they might not necessarily be taking the proper precautions, the masking, the distancing, and, you know, the hand-washing.”

Lax attitudes about fighting the virus have sent efforts at prevention in the wrong direction.

For the first time since the tier system was implemented, no counties advanced last week to a less-restrictive level. Three counties, including San Diego County, regressed to the most-restrictive “purple” tier from the less-onerous “red” level.

Thursday, November 12, 2020

Barger Opposes Constitutional Amendment That Would Lead to Appointed Sheriff

By ANDRÉ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Pasadena and Altadena, said she does not support a state constitutional amendment that would allow the supervisors to appoint the sheriff.

On Tuesday, a split Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to explore ways to remove Sheriff Alex Villanueva from office.

According to the state constitution, the sheriff is an elected position, but since sheriffs are chosen by voters, they can ignore subpoenas and resist oversight with little penalty.

“Like every other municipality in the state of California, the sheriff of Los Angeles County is elected by the people,” Barger said in a prepared statement.

“While I have had disagreements with the current sheriff on multiple occasions, I do not support these efforts toward removal or impeachment, nor any actions intended to change the selection of the sheriff from an elected official to an appointee of the Board of Supervisors,” she said.

“Any action in this regard denies the will of the people to select the law enforcement representative of their choosing,” Barger said.