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Bogus Loot Taken Down by TRaCE An investigation by the state's Tax Recovery and Criminal Enforcement (TRaCE) Task Force led to the arrest of Armando Robledo, 34, of Los Angeles, on five felony counts of counterfeiting. The Los Angeles Police Department's (LAPD) Piracy Unit arrested Robledo on November 21, 2014. Robledo was arrested and booked into the Los Angeles County Jail, where he posted $50,000 bail. He is ordered to appear in Sacramento County Court this month, with Deputy Attorney General and TRaCE prosecutor Peter Williams leading the prosecution. In April, Investigative Consultants (IC), a private investigation company specializing in intellectual property investigations and enforcement, contacted TRaCE to initiate a criminal investigation of Robledo. He is suspected of retailing high-end counterfeit goods and was selling thousands of watches with brand names such Please see page 4
El Monte's New Sunday Transit Service Begins The Federal Transit Administration awarded the City of El Monte $825,000 from the Job Access and Reverse Commute Grant to expand El Monte’s Local FixedRoute Transit Program to include Sunday transit service. The City’s new Sunday fixed-route transit service will begin on Sunday, Dec. 14, with hours of operation from 9:20 a.m. – 6:35 p.m. The first “Trolley” bus will leave El Monte’s TrolPlease see page 4
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Monday Edition of the
A Beacon Media, Inc. Publication Monrovia WEEKLY
Temple Tribune
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CITY
MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2014 - DECEMBER 21, 2014 - VOLUME 19, NO. 50
Trainspotting in Arcadia - First Tests of Light Rail Between Pasadena and Azusa Start BY TERRY MILLER
FREE
Three Surprising Christmas ‘Invasions’ War and Its Aftermath Often Have Unexpected Cultural Effects, Historian Says
a semi-truck to pull the Gold Line train through Arcadia, Monrovia and into Azusa. The long and lengthy process is highly technical and requires a very large crew of men and women to assure that all stages of the rail line are secure, free of obstacles and most of all safe.
The United States has been so militarily influential throughout the world that it was invading other countries before it officially existed, says American history scholar Christopher Kelly. In 1741, military forces from what would become American soil conducted large-scale operations in Cartagena, Colombia, and the U.S. has been busy changing other parts of the world since then, Kelly says. “Andorra, Bhutan and Liechtenstein – those are the only three of the United Nations-recognized 194 nations that the U.S. has not invaded,” says Kelly,
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The $4 million AnsaldoBreda P2250 weighing over 100,000 pounds, was outfitted with specialized gear to test clearances, wheel/rail interface, rail switches, and the Overhead Catenary System. – Photo by Terry Miller
On Monday morning, Foothill Extension Goldline conducted the first of many clearance tests involving an actual Metro Gold Line train from Sierra Madre Villa to Azusa. The light rail project recently held a track completion ceremony in Azusa and this, now, is the next necessary step to propel the Gold Line
towards Azusa next year. Scores of people assembled at the corner of First and Santa Clara starting around 9AM to witness a historic moment in Arcadia’s history; the first time a train has been seen in Arcadia for decades. Due to several delays, the train didn’t actually arrive until around 1:30PM. Metro crews carefully inched the
vehicle from Sierra Madre Villa to check for clearance at various spots using Styrofoam connected with duct tape to assess the clearance, particularly at station platforms. The next 10 months will be devoted to testing the trains, next time under their own power. Monday’s test was unpowered and required the use of
HUD Helps Hundreds of Homeless Veterans in California Find Permanent Homes HUD-VASH Vouchers to Build on National Effort to End Veteran Homelessness The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced $4.9 million in rental vouchers to local public housing agencies in California to help an additional 579 homeless Veterans find permanent supportive housing. These vouchers are
provided through the HUDVeterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program which combines rental assistance from HUD with case management and clinical services provided by VA. Last October, the two agencies awarded $62 million in HUD-VASH vouchers to assist more than 9,000 homeless veterans nationwide.
Since HUD-VASH funding began in 2008, the two agencies have supported vouchers for 12,369 homeless veterans in California, plus the 579 announced today. See the local impact of the housing assistance announced today. With HUD approachPlease see page 6
Free Screening of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at Union Station Dec. 20 Celebrate the holiday season with a free, all-ages screening of the beloved, classic film “The Wizard of Oz” at Union Station on Saturday, Dec. 20. The screening will take place inside the station’s majestic Historic Ticketing Hall and is the finale to the station’s milestone 75th anniversary celebration and a part of Metro Presents, a series of free arts and cultural programs at the iconic station. The film will be shown at 5 p.m. in the Historic Ticketing Hall and will be
preceded at 4:30 p.m. by a costume contest for those who want to embellish their experience by dressing up as their favorite ‘Wizard’ characters. Prizes will be awarded to the best dressed! Seating is limited but Metro customers who show their TAP cards at check-in will gain access to preferential seating. Guests may bring food, but alcoholic beverages will not be allowed. Please see page 7