Manhunt

As I compose today's post, this helicopter is still circling South Pasadena. At 3:15 PM yesterday, I noticed it hovering near Orange Grove Park. I had planned on taking Little Bit to the playground before dinner, but the loud speaker warned citizens to stay indoors. Then, I heard words that reminded me of when I used to see police helicopters a lot -- back when I lived in Venice Beach and Hollywood. "Come out with your hands up," the officer in the helicopter said, "and you won't be harmed."

Not such a good day for a park trip.

The Pasadena Police and South Pasadena Police departments were/are looking for suspects involved in a jewelry store robbery in Pasadena. Several have been apprehended, but more are still at large. You can read all about it here at South Pasadena Patch.

May I just add that it is so nice to finally have a local news source with up-to-the-minute reporting on exactly what is happening in South Pasadena. (And I'm pretty darned lucky to be writing a column for this great website!) Editor Sonia Narang was on this story within minutes of the helicopter going up, making updates as she gained more information. Local photo journalist James F. Carbone included some incredible shots of arrests being made and SWAT teams walking with guns drawn through South Pasadena yards.

Scary stuff, but glad to have a savvy local media outlet giving us the scoop as it becomes a scoop, and letting us in on details that directly affect our community.

South Pasadena Patch is Here!

The No Smoking sign in the Kaldi window is a bit out of place for this photo, since the woman leaning against the wall is red-hot editor Sonia Narang. Sonia is the driving force behind South Pasadena Patch -- our town's brand new one-stop source of news, information and discussion. It launches today at 12:30PM Pacific Standard Time.

And guess what? Your faithful blogger is part of the team. You'll still be able to check in with me daily right here at GOSP, but I also have a weekly column at South Pasadena Patch called Views from the Front Porch.

I'm thrilled to be a part of the Patch family for a number of reasons. First, I'm excited that South Pas will finally have a daily, interactive, online news source covering all of the issues that are important to our community. Sonia has brought together a dedicated group of local professionals to cover everything from big-time breaking news to Little League scores. These journalists, photographers, writers and videographers aren't outsiders looking in. They are insiders reaching out. South Pasadena Patch will keep the community informed about the latest in our local government, our thriving art scene, city events, school issues, the Farmers Market and all of the interesting human interest stories that make our diverse community so special. It also includes a comprehensive city business directory, up-to-date restaurant reviews, a local events calendar and plenty of opportunities to leave unmoderated comments and feedback about everything published on the site. Best of all? Information is updated daily and goes online in minutes, not days.

You can find out all about Sonia's impressive background and vision for the site right here. She's an acclaimed reporter and video journalist who grew up in the San Gabriel Valley. She went on to cover stories all over the world from Colorado to Asia. But I have the inside scoop: Sonia once won a Japanese speech contest by discussing in Japanese her worldwide search for the absolute best slice of cake. I'm not sure where she eventually found it, but six years ago she traveled around the southern hemisphere by ship, visiting 16 countries. (That's a lot of cake!) Oh, and her favorite Beatles song is "I am the Walrus." She might not be "sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the van to come" but you're sure to find her hanging around town with her camera and her laptop.

Now, on your lunch hour, everyone run on over to South Pasadena Patch and check it out. Remember, it goes live at 12:30PM PST. (You'll find me listed in the columns section if you scroll down the front page.)