Altadena Drive

A 12-year-old boy was shot in the head in front of an Altadena liquor store and was clinging to life Tuesday night, a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman said. The shooting occurred about 3:35 p.m. at Altadena Drive and Lincoln Avenue, the spokesman said. Authorities refused to provide further details of the shooting, except to say that it may have been gang-related. They would not say whether the boy was believed to have been the target.

Revitalized historic home Location: 217 W. Avenida San Antonio, San Clemente 92672 Size: There are four bedrooms and three bathrooms in 2,739 square feet. Published on: July 5 Listed then for: $1,499,000 to $1,599,000 Sold for: $1.2 million in December Clean, open modernism Location: 1533 E. Altadena Drive, Altadena 91001 Size: There are four bedrooms and four bathrooms in 3,218 square feet. Published on: July 12 Listed then for: $1,649,500 Sold for: $1.5 million in September

A plan to revitalize East Washington Boulevard from Catalina Avenue to Altadena Drive was approved last week by the Board of Directors after nearly a year's study by a city steering committee. The plan calls for establishing a business association, improving the facades of buildings, planting trees, creating more parking spaces, controlling auto traffic and adding benches, bicycle racks and drinking fountains to encourage pedestrian traffic.

Faced with a perceived increase in speeding, the Town Council reversed itself Tuesday, voting 10 to 1 to ask that the county conduct a six-month radar study of speeds on three Altadena streets. Calling for a cost-effective use of the radar, Councilman Michael Murray withdrew his opposition, which had helped deadlock the council on a car-mounted radar program in November.

A proposal to widen parts of Altadena Drive has angered some area residents, who say it will increase traffic along the long, well-traveled residential road. The county Public Works Department has proposed widening the road in some sections and narrowing it in others to make its width consistent. The width of the road between Maiden Lane and Allen Avenue would be 40 feet with the exception of a stretch east of Hollister Avenue where, to preserve trees, it would be 36 feet.

THE SOUTHERN slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains are said to be among the steepest and most unstable in the world. Boulders tumble down in heavy rains and earthquakes, becoming, oddly, natural windfalls for resourceful designers. To see how some of these fallen rocks were used in early landscape and architectural designs of hillside homes, drive down the aptly named Boulder Road in Altadena, from Altadena Drive. In some places, rocks were left where they were found, becoming garden centerpieces.

Fire caused an estimated $140,000 damage to an apartment complex Sunday morning but no one was injured, the county Fire Department said. The fire broke out at 8:57 a.m. and struck three of eight apartment units at 17131 Altadena Drive, firefighters said. Residents of all the apartments were evacuated during the blaze, according to the Fire Department. The fire was controlled in 27 minutes. Fire Department dispatcher Joani Mattes said. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

The Church of Altadena has been served with a court order to vacate its site because of failure to pay rent for several months to the Pasadena Unified School District, which owns the property. School board trustee Noel Hatch said that the church owes the district about $43,000. He said attorneys for the district and the church are discussing the possibility of an agreement on payment of the back rent, but the church must vacate the property which it has used for three years at 725 W.