Duson get prelimary hearing date A judge set a May 3 preliminary hearing for a man charged with the brutal home-invasion robbery of Harry Mathis, the chairman of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System Board and the former District 1 City Councilman. The attorney for Harvey Henry Duson, 45, requested more time to prepare so a San Diego Superior Court judge rescheduled the hearing from March 28 to May 3. Duson waived his right to have a speedy hearing. Duson has pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping for robbery, residential burglary, robbery, three counts of false imprisonment, attempted arson and felon in possession of a firearm. Mathis was beaten in the Jan. 11 incident in which three men threatened Mathis, his wife and a neighbor in his University City home. Duson was arrested Feb. 15 in Nevada after leading several law enforcement agencies in a high-speed chase that ended after his car tires were deflated by a spike strip. He was injured in the crash and was brought to San Diego after he received medical treatment. Duson is being held on $1 million bail. —Neal Putnam La Jolla schools recognized by state Eleven San Diego elementary schools, including three in the La Jolla/University City area, have been designated Distinguished Schools by the California Department of Education. La Jolla Elementary, Torrey Pines Elementary and Doyle Elementary schools were all chosen to receive the award, which is given to elementary schools on even-numbered years, and to middle and high schools on odd-numbered years. “This is truly a great honor for these schools, their students, principal, staff, parents, volunteers and the entire community,” said superintendent Bill Kowba. “It’s not easy to become a California Distinguished School. It requires great scores and a commitment by the staff to go through the lengthy state process.” Bird Rock Elementary was not eligible for the award because it has not yet been four years since the school last won. Speed-dating event canceled “The Fast Track to Love,”?the unique speed-dating event scheduled to be held at Barfly on April 5, was canceled due to low enrollment. “The response from the ladies was not enough to warrant having this event,” wrote organizer Maryann Roberts in an email. “In speaking with many ladies about it, there are other ways that women feel more comfortable dating and this perhaps was not as popular a choice as we thought it would be.”