The Big Wildfire of 1908 – Part 2 Last week we covered the beginning of this massive late-summer wildfire that swept the valley floor of La Crescenta. It had started about noon in the southwest of the valley, near today’s CV Park. It swept northwest and west, across the sagebrush-covered future Montrose. Fickle winds […]
Corrects Misleading Statements First … John Kretz’s [letter of June 25] entitled “Where is the Rest of the Outrage?” While Mr. Kretz says he was outraged by George Floyd’s wrongful murder, he then says that “many good people have died at the hands of violent protesters” and mentions Dave Patrick Underwood, a Black law enforcement […]
United We Stand? Do you remember the feeling you get during a fireworks show, that surge of excitement when the crowd emits a collective gasp as the sky lights up and the booms reverberate? At that moment, do you feel a sense of pride in your community and for your country? I sure do. […]
“Around us, life bursts with miracles – a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar, a flower, laughter, raindrops.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh About now many of us are looking for a miracle; instead, look for the expected. Current-day circumstances have kept us closer to home. As days turned to months, […]
The Big Wildfire of 1908 – Part 1 In the Crescenta Valley, we’re accustomed to the idea of fire in the mountains around us. But few of us can conceive of wildfire sweeping across the valley floor. Yet, that’s exactly what the Crescenta Valley faced in the late summer of 1908. The Reverend J. […]
News from Washington » Rep. Adam SCHIFF Our fellow Americans cannot breathe. Protestors are taking to the streets in Glendale, Los Angeles and cities across America to demand justice and demand that the dignity and humanity of Black Americans be recognized. These protests are born out of real pain – pain that we as […]
Idea Seems Off-Balance I read with interest Charly Shelton’s article “Al Fresco Dining Coming to Montrose” in the June 4 issue. I think this is a perfect opportunity to close off Honolulu between Verdugo and Las Palmas or another street. This does not have to be permanent, only until we can all gather indoors again. […]
OP ED » Mary O’KEEFE This year is the 50th anniversary of annual LGBTQ+ Pride traditions. The first Pride march in New York City was held on June 28, 1970, which was the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. The uprising was a six-day protest event that began with a raid on a place called […]
Back-to-back Wildfires – 1907 and 1908 Our valley has always been beset by wildfires. Before the land was covered with streets and buildings it was covered in sagebrush, which naturally burns with regularity. Before the valley was built-out as it is today, fires would sweep across the valley. Isolated houses and ranches were defended […]
Our state has a reputation. As the “Golden State,” California is known for its sunny weather, beaches, deserts, forests, mountains and abundant natural resources. However, that same diverse climate and rugged beauty also has a tendency to turn on us. All California residents must live with the question of when, not if, the next natural […]