VOTE FOR PB BUSINESS AWARD NOMINEES Cast a vote for who you think should win the Business Awards for Best New Business, Design and Improvement and Heart of PB at pacificbeach.org. The nominees are in and anyone can vote until polls close on March 15 (one vote per person). Winners will be announced at the annual Awards and Casino Night, Thursday March 28.
Best New Business: Freshii, The Facility Dance Studio, Bad Axe Throwing, Bishops Cut/Color.
Design and Improvement: Tourmaline Properties, Mavericks Beach Club, Waterbar, TapShack Kombucha & Cold Brew.
Heart of PB: Noah’s Natural Pet Market, Tangelz, Green Gardens Nursery, Crown Point Coffee. ‘THE BACHELOR’ SHOW?VISITS BELMONT PARK San Diego’s historic beachfront amusement park was featured on the Jan. 21 episode of ABC’s “The Bachelor.” The episode included an exciting and heartwarming one-on-one date with Colton Underwood, one lucky lady and some surprise guests in the heart of Mission Beach at Belmont Park. The 23rd season of “The Bachelor” stars Underwood, who burst onto the scene during season 14 of “The Bachelorette.” The former NFL player made a play for Bachelorette Becca Kufrin’s heart but was sadly sent home after professing he had fallen in love. When he showed up to the beaches of Mexico last summer on “Bachelor in Paradise,” he was hopeful, but still did not find the one. LOVE YOUR WETLANDS DAY SET FOR FEB. 2 San Diego Audubon Society’s 14th-annual celebration of wetlands – why they matter, how they are threatened, and what you can do to help – will take place 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2 at Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve, 2055 Pacific Beach Drive. A celebration of local wetlands, the event gives participants a unique opportunity to experience a reserve that is normally closed to the public because of its fragile habitat. Activities include marsh walks, presentations by local environmental groups and other fun educational projects. Participants are encouraged to bring rain boots for the marsh walk and be prepared for some muddy fun. Parking may be limited, and spill-over parking will be at Crown Point Park. This is a free family-friendly event, so kids are welcome to join. For questions, email San Diego Audubon’s restoration manager at [email protected]. OB SURF CLASSIC Fourth annual OB Surf Classic, presented by the Hodad’s Foundation and AWOL Productions, will take place 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb 2. This surf contest is for all the local rippers and families in the Ocean Beach community. There will be a variety of divisions for men, women, juniors, groms and a fun family division for longboards and shortboards. A portion of the proceeds will go towards the Hodad’s Foundation to encourage more youth sports, summer surf and skate camps. GOFUNDME FOR MAN IN PB SCOOTER ACCIDENT A nurse known for his infectious smile and positive energy was hospitalized following a scooter accident in Pacific Beach during the early morning hours of Dec. 10. More than $16,000 has been raised in 26 days by mare than 250 people for Vince Bicomong, a pediatric nurse at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, through a GoFundMe page titled “Good Vibes for Vince.”
“Vince is so full of life, and love,” the page reads. “He makes everyone he meets feel so special and loved. His smile lights up a room instantly. He’s always smiling, singing and dancing and his vibes are infectious. Vince is a Pediatric Registered Nurse at Rady Children’s hospital and the kids and families absolutely adore him, along with all his coworkers. We could never imagine the medical team at Rady’s without Vince and his good vibes.”
While his current condition is unknown, the goal of the campaign is to raise $20,000 to help pay for Bicomong’s medical expenses and recovery. To donate to the GoFundMe, visit gofundme.com/good-vibes-for-vince. ANOTHER NEW ROLLER COASTER FOR SEAWORLD The Mission Bay Park Committee Jan. 8 unanimously green-lighted a request by SeaWorld San Diego to build another roller coaster at the marine amusement park, to exceed 100 feet in height and to be named Mako. Scheduled to open in summer 2020, Mako would be the third roller coaster, following the Electric Eel, which opened in 2018, and Tidal Twister, scheduled to open in May 2019, to open at the popular marine park, which is shifting its emphasis away from animal shows to entertainment with thrill rides and other attractions.
“Rides have always been a part of the quintessential SeaWorld experience,” Dan Sehlhorst, SeaWorld project manager told the parks board. “The master plan allows us to have a maximum of four projects between 100 feet and 160 feet in height in the park.” 
Sehlhorst added the new Mako coaster “will have a 143-foot drop, the longest, tallest, fastest dive in California.”
Tidal Twister, a dueling roller coaster, will be its new attraction for this summer. The first of its kind in the world, this unique and horizontal ride is an exhilarating experience that demonstrates the power of the ocean. SOFTBALL HAS OPENINGS FOR NEW TEAMS San Diego Softball has openings for coed and mens teams for the spring softball season, which begins on Feb. 11. Games are played in various leagues at the Pacific Beach Recreation Center, McEvoy Mission Bay Youth Fields in Pacific Beach, and at Serra Mesa Recreation Center. Fees include field rental and field preparation, game balls, game and umpire scheduling, postseason play and post season awards (if teams qualify). For information or to sign up a new team, call San?Diego Softball at 619-549-2644 or [email protected]. H1N1 FLU VIRUS CIRCULATING SAN DIEGO The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that Pandemic H1N1 is the main influenza virus making people sick both locally and across the nation. Earlier this month, a 26-year-old reporter visiting San Diego from Washington, D.C. died, possibly due to Pandemic H1N1 complications. It is unknown whether the woman had underlying medical conditions and whether she had received a flu shot. A 49-year-old local man with underlying medical conditions and unknown vaccination status was confirmed as a H1N1 death. The total influenza deaths to date this season are nine, compared to 44 deaths this time last season.  
“The recently reported deaths are a reminder that, regardless of your age, the best protection against any known strain of flu is getting vaccinated,” said Sayone Thihalolipavan, M.D., M.P.H., County deputy public health officer. “The current flu vaccine offers protection against Pandemic H1N1, influenza H3N2 and two strains of influenza B.”
Local and national flu reports show that adolescents and young to middle-aged adults are more affected than other age groups because of their weaker immune systems. In 2009, the CDC concluded that adults older than 60 years of age had a level of immunity that was not present in children and younger adults when the H1N1 pandemic hit that year.
In order to prevent the flu, the CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older get a flu shot every year. The vaccine is safe and effective. It takes two weeks for immunity to develop. The flu vaccine is available at doctors’ offices, community clinics, and retail pharmacies. If you don’t have medical insurance, you can go to a County public health center to get vaccinated. For a list of locations, visit sdiz.org or call 2-1-1. NEW BUILDINGS, CLASSES AND PROGRAMS READY FOR SDCCD SPRING SEMESTER
New buildings, classes and programs are all are on tap when the San Diego Community College District welcomes 64,000 students for the spring semester on Jan. 28.
SDCCD is opening its doors to three renovated and modernized buildings: A Building, which has been updating to include 52,000 square feet of student service space creating new homes for admissions, CalWORKs, counseling, financial aid, peer mentoring, and numerous student organizations;
D Building, which has been renovated to include a new roof that will be transformed into student and faculty gathering areas with outdoor furnishings and landscaping;
And T Building, which was modernized to provide a new home for the engineering department and space for machine technology and a technology incubator.
Another highlight is San Diego Mesa College’s $14.8-million transformation of the former “I-300 Building” into a four-story Fine Arts Building that is now a thriving hub with modern facilities and equipment for drawing, painting, sculpture, and ceramics. The first floor houses the Mesa College Art Gallery, with classrooms and studios on the second, third, and fourth floors. An official dedication is scheduled for March 13.
Mesa College, which celebrates its 55th anniversary this year, will also be opening the new $32.2-million Center for Business & Technology; a 57,800-square-foot building that serves as home for Mesa’s business, computer, and fashion design programs. The new building includes technology-rich classrooms, computer laboratory classrooms, a fashion design laboratory, and offices for faculty and staff. A dedication ceremony is set for February 28. These construction projects were financed through the SDCCD’s Proposition N, an $870 million bond measure approved by San Diego voters in November 2006. Students will also be able to enroll in new entrepreneurship classes at the Miramar campus for the first time this spring, including “Managing the Small Business” and “Plan for the Small Business.” Students will, among other things, learn the fundamentals of how to create, acquire or manage a new business, and how to write a business plan — all while getting a chance to meet local successful entrepreneurs and learn how to raise money using crowdfunding, venture capital, and business plan competitions.
In addition, Miramar College is offering a one-unit, Astronomy Research Seminar (Physics 290), an independent study course geared to introduce and expose students to professional scientific research. The primary objective of the seminar is to produce a peer-reviewed publication-worthy research paper. Throughout the semester, students will reach specific milestones that will eventually lead to paper publication, such as writing proposals, giving talks, analyze data, and go through the peer-review process.
San Diego Continuing Education (SDCE) will offer a new class within Disability Support Programs and Services (DSPS) that will help students with disabilities explore attitudes and values regarding healthy sexual relationship development. Healthy Relationships & Sexuality topics include human anatomy, reproduction, contraceptive choices, sexual orientation, sexually transmitted infections and sexual coercion. Students meet with a DSPS counselor prior to enrollment.
Also new this spring at SDCE will be free online classes for adults who are learning English as a Second Language (ESL), including vocational ESL. Students will be assessed for their language skills prior to enrollment. And approximately 15 percent of the 6,545 classes this spring are being offered online, allowing greater flexibility for those who are working or raising a family.
For those who have not yet enrolled for the spring semester, it’s not too late. Students can register for classes online. For more information visit the SDCCD admissions page. 2018 TOP BABY NAMES According to County Health and Human Services Agency, a total of 41,555 babies were born in San Diego County in 2018. Of those babies, 21,313 boys and 20,242 girls. Here are the top baby names parents chose for boys in 2018: Liam (242), Noah (202), Sebastian (200), Mateo (196), Benjamin (185), Daniel (185), Ethan (172), Oliver (164), Alexander (162), and Logan (156).
Here are the top baby names parents chose for girls in 2018:
Emma (264), Olivia (235), Mia (223), Isabella (191), Camila (173), Sophia (159), Sofia (151), Victoria (147), Mila (138), and Charlotte (137). 10TH ANNUAL ISLANDS RACE The San Diego Yacht Club and Newport Harbor Yacht Club will host the 10th-annual Island Race from Feb. 15-16. Starting from Long Beach Harbor, the expected 25-plus boats will make the 134-mile route around Santa Catalina and San Clemente Island and finish in Point Loma. Competitors will head offshore in west to northwest trade-winds that flow southward down the coast and are better in the evening as boats get further down into the trades and around the islands. Once they pass windward of these islands, however, competitors will expose themselves to larger swells and wind waves. Because of this, only competitors with a more sturdy build, spartan interior, and sails that are built for higher winds. Competing crews should be trained and experienced, familiar with handling a wider range of sailing conditions, day and night. Last year, for the second year in a row, Roy Disney’s Andrews 70 Pyewacket took first place overall for the regatta followed by John Sangmeister’s Santa Cruz 70 OEX in second and Shelter Island Transatlantic Partners’ Mills 68 Prospector in third. Competitors can enjoy a pre-race social at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14, and after the race, an awards ceremony will be held at the San Diego Yacht Club 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 16. SDYC will host all competitors to carving and pasta salad stations, along with complimentary beer. Registration is available at islandsrace.com. Friends, family, and the sailing community can follow the race by tuning in to the YB Tracking race tracker display on the website, showing real-time position updates every 15 minutes.