Pair held on robbery charges Two men were ordered March 13 to stand trial on charges they robbed three 7-Eleven stores on Midway Drive and in Torrey Pines, along with 12 other stores. More than 25 witnesses testified over three days in the preliminary hearing of Luis Alonso Cruz, 25, and Alex Sanchez, 23, before San Diego Superior Court Judge Charles Gill. They pleaded not guilty to the robbery series and a trial date is set for May 14. Gill heard a 1½-hour taped interview of Cruz with a detective and he eventually confessed to committing some holdups. He is on parole for burglary and is also charged with being in possession of a firearm by a felon. The 7-Eleven stores on Midway Drive and Mango Drive when they were held up in August 2012. Luis was arrested Sept. 24 by La Mesa police and Sanchez was arrested on Oct. 2 by San Diego police. —Neal Putnam

Police probing sex assault in Point Loma Police investigators are looking into an apparent sexual assault in the Midway District on March 18. According to detectives, a 21-year-old man met a woman around Pacific Highway shortly before 9 p.m. and tried to convince the woman to go to a hotel room with him. When she refused, police said the man beat her and sexually assaulted her behind Perry’s Café. Anyone with information relating to the case is urged to call Crime Stoppers at (888) 540-8477. Teacher honored for work in economics A local teacher has been honored for her expertise in teaching economics. Vivian Love, from Point Loma High, was named Economic Educator of the Year. The award includes a $1,000 grant from Cox Cable and San Diego County Credit Union. Also, Cox Cable will produce a 30-minute video featuring Love that will air in the fall. — Scott Hopkins

Animal-rescue event set at Shades Animal lovers will have a chance on Sunday, March 24 to scoop up a lovable new pet during a pet-adoption event at Shades Oceanfront Bistro. The event, hosted by Shades, the San Diego Humane Society, Second Chance Dog Rescue and Aussie Shepard Rescue, will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 5083 Santa Monica Blvd. The event will feature puppies, grown dogs, kittens and cats. For more information, email [email protected] or the Humane Society at [email protected].