Gaijin noodle house now open

The Gaslamp Quarter’s newest dinner spot, Gaijin Noodle + Sake House launched its lunch service on Feb. 29. Available Wednesday through Saturday from 11a.m. to 3 p.m., mid-day offerings will be centered on the tradition of Japanese-style boxed lunches called bento. Previously only open for dinner, Gaijin Noodle is be open Sunday through Wednesday from 5-11 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. and is located at 627 4th Ave. For more information, visit gaijinsd.com.

Dumanis and Goldsmith investigate CARQUEST

San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and City Attorney Jan Goldsmith announced a resolution of an investigation of Golden State Supply, doing business as CARQUEST Auto Parts stores that resulted in a $242,715 judgment against the retail and wholesale corporation. CARQUEST is accused of charging customers more than the advertised or posted price on items when they were scanned at check out counters. The case alleged CARQUEST stores in California, including their East Village location, charged customers more than the advertised or posted price on items in violation of unfair competition and false advertising laws. There was no admission of wrongdoing or liability by CARQUEST, which cooperated with prosecutors to reach a stipulated judgment.

Public comment for Balboa park Environmental impact report extended

Opportunities for public comment for the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Plaza de Panama project have been extended to March 22. Comments may be submitted in writing to the City via U.S. Mail and e-mail to the San Diego Development Services Center Environmental Planner. The mailing address is 1222 First Avenue, MS 501, San Diego, CA 92101. The e-mail address is [email protected]. The deadline for submitting comments is 5 p.m. Copies of the document are also available at the Downtown Central Library, located at 820 E St., and the North Park Branch Library located at 3795 31st St.

Freedom station seeking text donations

Freedom Station USA, a recovery support center and transitional housing facility for injured warriors, is encouraging the San Diego community to “text for heroes” with a Text2Give fundraising campaign that will assist local military heroes who sustained injuries during deployment. By texting the word “PRIDE” to 20222, supporters can donate $5 to Freedom Station. A one-time donation of $5.00 will be added to the user’s mobile phone bill or deducted from the prepaid balance. The Text2Give fundraising campaign runs now through April 19. All proceeds raised will go toward funding Freedom Station services, such as transitional housing; educational and career guidance; and transportation.

Three Artists paint the city in Kettner Nights

An opening reception for the “Three Artists Paint The City” exhibit will be held March 9 at 6 p.m., in conjunction with Kettner Nights in Little Italy. Kettner Nights, held the second Friday of every other month, features a walk filled with art, design and antiques on Kettner Boulevard and India Street from Grape to Laurel Streets. The ever-changing landscape of a heavily developed city is the focus of this exhibition of three artists, Wade Cline, Kim Reasor and Brad Maxey, who primarily use San Diego as their subject.

San Diego police seeking assault suspect

Detectives from the San Diego Police Department’s Central Division are investigating a recent battery that occurred on a trolley car near Petco Park. On Feb. 22 at approximately 6 p.m., the victim changed trolley cars at the Imperial Avenue station on her way to the Gaslamp Quarter. She boarded a trolley car that was occupied only by the suspect. As the trolley pulled away from the station, the suspect made a lewd comment to the victim and grabbed her. The trolley stopped at 100 Sixth Ave. and the victim ran off the car. The suspect is described as a white or Hispanic male between 20 and 25 years old with red hair and freckles. He is approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs between 130 and 140 pounds. He wore a black T-shirt with a square, white logo, a gray plaid hooded sweatshirt and red pajama pants with white writing down the leg

Ariel suites to block ‘whaling wall’ mural

The Ariel Suites Apartments, a 224-unit, 22-story apartment complex has officially begun construction. Situated next to the U.S. Bank and the ‘San Diego Migration’ mural—a 160-by-60-foot mural on the side of the office—the new complex will partially, if not entirely cover the mural. The mural, also referred to as the ‘Whaling Walls’ mural was painted by the artist Wyland in 1994.

Balboa Park holds film contest for teen filmmakers

The Balboa Park and Balboa Park Online Collective are presenting the “Park Shorts: Balboa Park Film Competition” for participants ages 13 to 17. The contest is open to submissions of videos one minute or less that outline the filmmaker’s favorite place in Balboa Park or the San Diego Zoo. Participants may submit videos from now until April 15. Official judging happens April 16 – 30, with the winner being announced on May 1. Visitors to balboapark.org may vote on their favorite video and may vote one time per day using a valid e-mail address. The winner is the video with the most valid votes. For more information and complete rules, visit balboapark.org/parkshorts

Assemblymember Block introduces legislation to temporarily move teacher layoff notification deadline

Assemblymember Marty Block introduced legislation on Feb. 24 that would temporarily move the preliminary deadline for teacher layoffs in the San Diego Unified School District from March 15 to June 15 and the final layoff notification deadline from May 15to August 15, providing the District the benefit of analyzing the Governor’s May budget revision before making decisions on preliminary notices. The bill, titled AB 2417, would further provide the district the benefit of analyzing the final state budget before making decisions on layoffs. Last year, the San Diego Unified School District issued 1,374 layoff notices in order to receive budget approval from the San Diego County Office of Education. The District eventually rescinded more than 85 percent of those layoffs, once accurate budget data was available.