For several Halloweens now, the area northwest of the Silver Lake reservoirs had become a trick-or-treat hot spot, with Armstrong Avenue and other nearby streets closed for an annual Halloween Block Party. But, next month, Halloween will come and go without the neighborhood celebration. The reason? The installation of a new underground DWP water line that was supposed to have been completed this summer continues to drag on, leaving West Silver Lake Drive near Armstrong Avenue with gaping, 30-foot-deep holes in the pavement. Construction on this section of the River Supply Conduit Improvement Project is now scheduled to be completed in November, prompting the cancellation of this year’s Halloween Block Party.
“The Halloween event had to be canceled for safety reason,” said Stephanie Mar, a spokesman for Councilman Tom LaBonge, whose office usually introduces a City Council motion to block the streets. “We’ve actually heard from residents that it might be a good idea to cancel given the construction.”
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Thursday, September 30, 2010
Sixth Street Bridge, Boyle Heights | Photo by Chris Lott/Flickr/Creative Commons License
- Lewis MacAdams wants to turn 130-acre railyard into an L.A. River park but the railroad is not interested. N.Y. Times
- Former legal secretary finds a new role as a master gardener in Highland Park. L.A. at Home
- Free Day of Dead art workshops coming next month to Self Help Graphics in East L.A. L.A. Eastside
- Actor Tom Bresnahan puts Silver Lake house on the market for $2.28 million. Hot Property
- Mount Washington artist Jorge Pardo receives $500,000 genius grant. Culture Montser
- Highland Park business owners want more room for cars in York Boulevard pedestrian plan. 90042
- Producer of U2′s “Joshua Tree” provides his view of the Eastside mix. L.A. Weekly
- Silver Lake Football Club grooms a new generation of soccer player. Los Feliz Ledger
- New Echo Park spray paint store said it promotes art; not tagging. Informer
- Chickens by mail. Chicken Corner
- Notes: The Eastsider is testing a mobile version of the website for smart phones. Let me know how it’s working out … The Eastsider would like to thank the following readers for signing up as annual subscribers: Sarah, Echo Park; Jenn Jackson, Echo Park; Jon Button, Eagle Rock.
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Today’s sunset was accompanied by showers and rainbows. Echo Park residents were quick to capture colorful images of the day’s end. Does this rain mean the heat wave is over?
Photos by Martin Cox, Jose Sigala, Robin Blackman & Christine Hemm
The union representing LAPD officers identified the man shot and killed by officers in Echo Park Tuesday afternoon as 28-year-old Jack Schlesinger, a parolee-at-large. The Los Angeles Police Protective League in a statement said:
“Moments before the deadly encounter, a check of the license plate revealed that the car had been reported stolen. As the three officers prepared to make the stop, Jack Schlesinger, 28, a parolee-at-large, stopped suddenly and attempted to kill the officers with the assault rifle. The officers immediately fired their weapons, striking the parolee and killing him.
Related Post:
Echo Park gunman fatally shot by LAPD has a history of weapons convictions. L.A. Now
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
The 2400 block of Riverdale Avenue in Elysian Valley sports some new sidewalk paving stones, trees, plants and a plaque that marks the completion of a project to help clean the nearby Los Angeles River. Officials from the City of Los Angeles and the California Coastal Conservancy are scheduled to hold a ribbon cutting ceremony this afternoon for the $500,000 pilot project, which combines neighborhood beautification and methods and materials to help clean water run off before it flows into the city’s waterways. In this case, the Los Angeles River, which is located at the end of the block, will benefit from the improvements along Riverdale. How does the project do this? A press release issued by Councilman Eric Garcetti’s office explains:
“The project beautifies both sides of Riverdale Ave. in Elysian Valley between Crystal Street and where it dead-ends into the Los Angeles River with native plantings, in addition to the addition of permeable materials and infiltration units that treat contaminated runoff before it flows into the river.”
Click on the link below to read for more details.
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The shooters who killed brothers Jose Martinez, 24, and Samuel Martinez, 20, and critically injured their cousin in Glassell Park early Saturday morning remain at large, police said today. The brothers were walking to their Cypress Park home after going to a store with their cousin, 19-year-old Marvin Gonzalez, when they were confronted by suspects in the 2900 block of Division Street, which serves as a border between two area gangs. The suspects then opened fire, leaving the Martinez brothers with fatal head wounds, said Det. P.J. Morris of the Northeast Division. Their cousin, Gonzales, remains in critical condition. Morris said the the Martinez brothers and Gonzales were not affiliated with a gang.
Acclaimed wood engraver Paul Landacre lived and worked in a hillside cottage in the Elysian Heights section of Echo Park for several decades until his death in the early 1960s. During one afternoon, Landacre moved a heavy Washington hand-press out into his yard. The next morning, Landacre discovered that his hand press had been stolen. That same press (pictured above) is now housed in the International Printing Museum in Carson, according to a post in The Clog, a blog by the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library at UCLA. The blog, which got its information about the Landacre press theft from a museum staffer, notes:
“Surely, a large iron hand-press was too much for someone to steal, but, as a precaution, he secured it to a fence with this chain and a padlock. Apparently, Mr. Landacre did not spend the night at the old place (or perhaps he was a heavy sleeper), but when he awoke the next morning, the press was gone. “
Before anyone demands the return of stolen Echo Park antiquities to the neighborhood, Rebecca Fenning, Manuscripts and Archives Librarian at the Clark library, said she wants to make clear the International Printing Museum had nothing to do with the hand-press theft. “We still have not been able to confirm the actual circumstances, but the museum received the press far after the event of its being stolen,” she said by email.
How did the Carson museum end up with that Landacre press? The Clog blog promises an update soon.
Photo by Nina Schneider/UCLA
Related post:
Landacre press turns up in Carson. Chicken Corner
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Arroyo Seco Parkway | Photo by Ken Chan/Flickr
- Police shoot man armed with an AK-47 rifle during Echo Park confrontation. The Eastsider
- Tickets now on sale for the Arroyo Arts Collective Discovery Tour. Arroyo Arts
- Man attacks CHP officer during East L.A. traffic stop. L.A. Now
- City’s red-light cameras increase traffic tickets but not safety. ABC7
- City hikes fees for animal services & false burglar alarms. Daily News
- Repair work begins on Echo Park’s TiGeorges’ Chicken. Squid Ink
- The colors of Echo Park. Echo Park Now
- About 900 DWP customers in Cypress Park & Echo Park lose power. DWP
- Notes: The Eastsider thanks the following readers for becoming annual subscribers: Planaria Price & Murray Burns, Angeleno Heights; Suzanne Angel, Mt Washington.
Officers shot and killed a man in the southern edge of Echo Park this afternoon after he opened fire on them with an AK-47 assault rifle, police said. No officers were injured during the shoot out, which took place at about 4:30 P.M. near Temple Street and Union Avenue, said LAPD spokeswoman April Harding. Police were pursing the vehicle after a check on the license plate determined that the occupants were armed and dangerous. After being cornered by police, the suspect got out of his car and started firing the rifle at officers, Harding said. She had no other details about the incident.
Update @ 6:39 P.M.: The vehicle had been car jacked the day before in Los Angeles, said Sgt. Mitzi Grasso at the scene of the shooting. The shooting took place in an alleyway called Montezuma Place behind the Tribal Cafe. One resident said he heard about a dozen, rapid-fire shots followed by three, large blasts. Grasso said investigators were still trying to determine what happened, including if the suspect had opened fire.
Temple Street between Burlington on the west and Glendale Boulevard on the east has been blocked off.
Related posts:
LAPD officers shoot, kill armed man in Echo Park. L.A. Now
Police shoot and kill car jacking suspect in Echo Park. CBS2
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