PCH closes once more
Pacific Coast Highway was fully closed between Yerba Buena Road and Los Posas road at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Caltrans public information officer Patrick Chandler reported. The highway was partially reopened at 6 a.m. Tuesday, with one northbound lane remaining closed. Caltrans decided to close the road due to the weather forecast, which predicts heavy rain Tuesday night, and the discovery of unstable spots on the hillside. It is unknown when the highway will reopen.
Construction at Surfrider Beach remains unclear
The nature of the work being done at Surfrider Beach that damaged the famous surfer’s wall is still unclear. Damage was caused to the famous wall at the beach during construction last week. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works said the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors was overseeing the project. Beaches and Harbors, however, told The Malibu Times on Tuesday that while the work is being done on property in its jurisdiction, the county Department of Public Works is in charge of it. L.A. County Public Works looked into the project, and told The Times it was in fact being overseen by Beaches and Harbors. While the work reportedly may involve the installation of a sewer system, no further information is currently known about the nature of the work.
Malibu dog rescued by firefighters
A dog that fell into a two-foot-wide, 60-foot-deep hole was rescued by firefighters last week Tuesday. The dog, a French bulldog named Rocky, fell into a septic drill hole while walking with his owner, Victor Calandra, around 9 a.m. They were walking in Malibu up Corral Canyon.
“There were boards across the hole, but they were rotting, so when he walked across them he fell in,” said Barbara Calandra, the owner’s mother. “There was water in the bottom of the hole because of the rain, and it was just enough that he could keep his head above water.”
When firefighters responded, they used a laundry basket with lunchmeat inside it to get Rocky to climb in. After about 45 minutes, Rocky made it back to the surface without any injuries.
The next day, when Rocky returned to the same path on his walk, he refused to go anywhere near the 60-foot-deep hole, Barbara Calandra said.
T-Mobile towers down
A number of T-Mobile cell phone towers in Southern California are down, including those serving the Malibu area, a spokeswoman for T-Mobile said on Monday, adding that “we’re working to get it fixed.” The towers went down on Saturday, the cause being weather-related. As for when the towers will be working again, the spokeswoman said on Monday that they did not yet have a timeframe.
Rose Parade flower named for Dick Clark
Roses named for Malibu resident Dick Clark will make their debut at the Rose Parade on Saturday. About 80 of Clark’s roses will appear on the Bayer Advanced Camelot float, the fifth float in the parade. The rose is a Grandiflora rose, a creamy-based rose with pink tips. Clark hosts “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin Eve with Ryan Seacrest” and hosted ‘American Bandstand’ for 32 years.
Los Angeles County homicide rates drop
The end of 2010 marks the first year since 1973 that there have been less than 200 homicides in Los Angeles County. The Sheriff’s Department reports that as of Dec. 19 there have been 176 homicides within Los Angeles County, the lowest number since the 1970s. Homicide rates have steadily dropped since their peak in 1995, when 473 were reported.
Malibu had only one reported criminal homicide in 2010. There were no homicides reported in 2009. As for other violent crimes in Malibu, the number of assaults dropped from 23 in 2009 to 19 in 2010. The number of robberies increased from three to five, while the number of rape cases remained the same, one reported each year.
Heavy storm passes, but more rain expected
The rare, heavy storm that hit Southern California last week has passed. The storm, which brought record rainfall to the area, is the result of a weather system that comes through about once every 10 years, the National Weather Service reported. As a result of heavy rainfall, a section of Pacific Coast Highway was closed for a week due to falling rocks, boulders and mud. The storm also brought gusty winds, flash flood warnings and threats of hail. After a break in the storm, rain returned on Christmas Day. Wintry weather returns with heavy rain Tuesday night, followed by chances of light rain on Saturday night, Sunday and Monday, according to the NWS.
Office closed Friday
The Malibu Times office will be closed on Friday for New Year’s Eve. The office will reopen on Monday.