A 90-foot crane used for a movie shoot at the Arboretum toppled arm-first into Baldwin lake, which is being used as the set for the upcoming Columbia Pictures movie "Anaconda."
The south lake of the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum has dropped from three acres in surface area to about two acres. In 1958, the center depth was nine feet. Now it is two feet.
The State Supreme Court ended a three-year battle between El Monte and Arcadia, dismissing a lawsuit filed against Arcadia for approving a proposed landfill along El Monte's border. Rodeffer Industries, Inc. must still get approval from several state and regional agencies before proceeding.
County supervisors called a halt to a plan to merge the Department of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens with the county Museum of Natural History because the county's Economy and Efficiency Commission has not made sufficient progress on it and because the board needs to replace recently retired arboreta department head Francis Ching.
The 22nd annual Baldwin Bonanza begins tomorrow, including a barbecue, live and silent auctions, and plant sale. The arboretum's finances and budget are discussed.