Woman killed in car crash on Nautilus A 67-year-old La Mesa woman was killed in the 700 block of Nautilus Street at about 2:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 12, when her car veered off the street, crashing into a palm tree and cement wall, the San Diego County medical examiner’s office said. Ann Joan Baxter was driving a 1999 Ford Taurus alone Monday morning when police said she veered to the right for unknown reasons, hitting a tree and then a concrete wall. The car swerved across the street and hit another fence surrounding a residential home, according to the ME’s office. San Diego Fire-Rescue Department personnel responded to the scene, confirming Baxter’s death without resuscitative efforts due to obvious fatal trauma, the ME’s office said. The ME’s office said Baxter died during the accident with no contributing conditions. Sewage spill fouls Tourmaline area A sewage pipe that broke about 11:42 a.m. Monday, Jan. 12, released more than 4,000 gallons of waste into the environment around Tourmaline Surfing Park. The sewage spill occurred near Van Nuys Canyon, a press release stated. City crews arrived shortly after the spill was spotted, according to Brian Drummy, senior public information officer with the Metro Wastewater Department. Workers were able to vacuum a majority of the waste, he said. “We have these large trucks that are called vectors. They are able to vacuum it up,” Drummy said. While workers cleaned 4,280 gallons, about 200 gallons flowed into the water, Drummy said. “It went into a storm drain, which went into the ocean,” Drummy said. County health officials posted signs warning the public to avoid waters around Tourmaline Surfing Park until tests by Department of Environmental Health officials show that bacteria levels in the water are below the danger level, a press release stated. For more information on beach closures, visit www.earth911.org/waterquality. Cravens’ sentencing hearing postponed The sentencing hearing for Seth Cravens, convicted of second-degree murder Nov. 18 in the death of professional surfer Emery Kauanui Jr., was postponed from Jan. 12 to Feb. 2. Cravens’ attorney, Mary Ellen Attridge, has filed a motion for a new trial. Cravens, who was one of five La Jolla High School graduates involved in a fight with Kauanui, threw the fatal punch at Kauanui’s head in a May 24, 2007 fight outside the victim’s home. Kauanui’s skull was fractured when his head hit the pavement, and he died four days later in the hospital of blunt-force trauma and brain injuries. Co-defendants Matthew Yanke, 22, and Eric House, 21, both pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and were sentenced to 210 days in jail on Sept. 5. Orlando Osuna, 23, got 349 days in jail after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Henri “Hank” Hendricks, 22, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact and received 90 days in jail. All were scheduled to be released by Jan. 3 except Osuna, who will be released Feb. 22, according to jail records. Cravens, 22, of La Jolla, was also convicted of three felony assaults and two counts of making a criminal threat involving earlier instances in which people were punched in separate incidents. Port will propose oversize vehicle parking rules The Unified Port of San Diego continues to make progress on an oversize vehicle ordinance for the Shelter Island area. A community meeting is set for Tuesday, Jan. 20 at the Bali Hai restaurant, 2230 Shelter Island Drive, Bamboo Room, from 6 to 8 p.m. Port officials plan to present an ordinance regulating oversize vehicle parking along Shelter Island Drive and Shoreline Park, according to port officials. The proposal includes the designation of 25 parking spaces for larger vehicles, such as recreational vehicles and trailers, along Shelter Island Drive. The ordinance would also prohibit parking along the street between 3 and 4:30 a.m., said Jim Hutzelman, assistant director of the port’s Communications and Governmental Affairs Department. “We want to address the community concerns that we’ve heard about the drive and the large number of vehicles that tend to monopolize the spaces,” Hutzelman said. “We want to make sure [Shelter Island Drive] is opened up to our day users who want to come down and enjoy the tidelands.” Owners of vehicles more than 22 feet long and 8 feet tall park their vehicles legally around the city all the time. However, it’s become a safety and quality-of-life issue for residents in recent years because of the dearth of public parking at parks, beaches and in neighborhoods. Interested parties are encouraged to attend the Jan. 20 meeting and weigh in on the subject. LJ Elementary to hold meeting for K families La Jolla Elementary School will hold a Kindergarten Informational Meeting Wednesday, Jan. 28, for families with children who will enter kindergarten this coming fall. The meeting will run from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the school auditorium, 1111 Marine St. Families will meet the teachers and principal, tour the campus, learn about school programs and have their questions answered. Registration forms wil be available for neighborhood families. For information, call (858) 454-7196. Floresta hits a mark in anti-deforestation effort Floresta, a San Diego-based international charity that works to end poverty by fighting deforestation, has planted its 4 millionth tree worldwide. Floresta, which has been planting trees since 1984, has recently noted a growth in the scope of its work, due chiefly to the role of the environment in poverty-stricken countries. Trees, the organization explains, are a source of nourishment and sustainability to the hundreds of millions who live in chronic poverty. Nearly 75 percent of the trees planted are in the Dominican Republic. Floresta has also helped with reforestation efforts in Mexico, Haiti, Tanzania and Thailand. Floresta has established an endowment fund in support of its work. It hopes to raise $50 million by 2020 toward its efforts in reforestation, farming and animal husbandry.