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MONDAY, JUNE 10 - JUNE 16, 2013 - VOLUME 2, NO. 23
Amber Alert: Child abducted by father in blue Chevy pickup
Schiff, Feinstein announce night-flying helicopter to battle wildfires
An Amber Alert was issued Wednesday for a 2 1/2-year-old girl who was allegedly kidnapped by her father from a Best Western hotel in Placentia. The child was taken about 4:30 a.m. from the hotel at 118 E. Orangethorpe Ave., which is near the Orange (57) Freeway, said Kirsten Rowe of the Placentia Police Department. The girl's name is Natalia. Please see page 4
Rep. Schiff applauds release of West Hollywood filmmaker Tim Tracy from Venezuelan prison Wednesday, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the chair of the Freedom of the Press Caucus, issued the following statement after one of his West Hollywood constituents was released from custody by Venezuelan government: “I was very pleased to learn that the Venezuelan Please see page 6
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) announced the U.S. Forest Service now has available a specifically equipped helicopter to combat wildfires at night. Four years ago, during the Station Fire – the largest wildfire in Los Angeles county history – the potentially critical night flying tool was not available to the Forest Service. As a result, questions remain as to whether such a capability might have helped contain the fire on the critical first night of the fire. Due to a restriction put in place by the Forest Service in the 1970s following a tragic helicopter crash in the Angeles National Forest, the agency has not employed night flights, and instead, has relied upon other local agencies to supply these firefighting tools when available. “We will never know for certain if night flying could have extinguished the Station Fire in those critical early hours, but adding this capability will give us a better chance in future wildfires to protect residents’ houses, precious natural resources and,
The San Gabriel Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District confirmed that a dead bird identified by a District vector ecologist was infected with West Nile virus (WNv). The bird was collected in central Arcadia southeast of Santa Anita Avenue and Duarte Road. This is the first confirmation this year that WNv is being transmitted actively in the District. Birds are natural hosts for WNv and are routinely monitored to indicate whether the virus is active in the San Gabriel Valley. Mosquitoes transmit WNv from one bird to another when they bite to obtain a blood-meal necessary for egg development. Because WNv is fatal to many common urban species, dead birds serve as an early warning that virus is being transmitted. People can become infected with WNv if they are bitten by an infected mosquito. West Nile virus threatens the health of San Gabriel Valley residents every year. Last year, 479 people were sickened and 20 died
Please see page 5
-Photo by Terry Miller
30th running of horse racing’s premier event, Breeders’ Cup, Nov.1-2 The Breeders' Cup and Santa Anita Park announced that tickets are on sale to the general public for the 30th running of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Friday, November 1 and Saturday, November 2. This year marks the seventh time that Santa Anita will host the Breeders’ Cup, and the third time under the two-day Please see page 7
West Nile virus identified in SGV
-Photo by Terry Miller
Please see page 3
FBI Seeking ‘Foothills Bandit’ The FBI is seeking assistance with information leading to the identity of a white male bank robbery suspect known as the Foothills Bandit. The suspect has been linked to bank robberies in the cities of Glendora and Arcadia in the past week. The suspect is described as a white male, between 5’7” and 5’8,” between 150-160 lbs., between 23-30 in age. During the bank robbery, the suspect displays a device with wires, tubes and blinking lights and states it is a
bomb. The suspect also makes reference to a second individual with whom he’s working who is allegedly located outside the bank, according to what he told witnesses. The Foothill Bandit has been linked to the following bank robberies: 5/28/13 Union Bank 601 West Route 66 Glendora, 6/3/13 Citibank 100 S. 1st Street Arcadia. The suspect also hit Wells Fargo, 9635 Las Tunas Drive in Temple City on Thursday, Los Angeles County Sher-
ballots are here! page 2
-Photo Courtesy of FBI
iff’s officials said. However, this time he claimed he had a bomb in the car.