Explosion backs up N. Harbor Drive for miles Traffic along North Harbor Drive near Lindbergh Field was snarled for hours Tuesday after a natural gas cylinder exploded in the back of a van, according to officials with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. A driver working for a mobile yacht service was cruising near the airport when a tank inside the van exploded with 14 gallons of natural gas, blowing a hole in the side of the van, said officials. The driver managed to leap from the van before it collided head-on with an F-150 pickup truck, according to authorities. Neither the driver of the van nor any of the four occupants of the truck was injured. Lifeguards await election results Although area lifeguards said they remain confident they pulled enough votes from an Aug. 1 election divorcing about 100 full-time workers and additional seasonal guards from their current union in favor of forming a local 911 Teamsters union, some said by no means will the margin be wide. “We’re confident that we’re over the top,” said San Diego lifeguard Sgt. Ed Harris, whose support of the Teamsters climaxed in recent months when he filed a lawsuit against the guards’ current union, the Municipal Employees Association (MEA). “We’ve kept a kind of tally,” Harris said, adding that California will officially announce results from the San Diego lifeguards’ vote Thursday, Aug. 20 at 9:30 a.m. The vote comes on the heels of years of complaints from lifeguards regarding their MEA representation, including a series of safety issues at La Jolla Shores tower and the Children’s Pool tower, which was condemned last year. “We asked [MEA representatives] to come to our facilities meetings for over six years — to any of the facilities meetings held monthly — and they refused to do it,” Harris said. “It’s a place where the union should be pushing for different union issues and having a union representative there is essential.” Man killed crossing street in Midway area Maurice Douglas Jones, a 53-year-old black male, was fatally struck while crossing the street illegally in the Midway area around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 8. The incident happened around 3704 Camino del Rio West, according to police investigators. Jones died of injuries from the accident, said police officials. He reportedly stepped off the center median into traffic lanes, crossing Camino del Rio West westbound in the northbound lanes when a vehicle hit him. San Diego Police Department spokeswoman Mónica Muñoz said Jones’ initial injuries included a broken femur and injuries to his torso. Jones was transported to UCSD Medical Center and his death was pronounced a short time later. According to the medical examiner’s office, the cause of death was determined to be blunt-force torso injuries. No one else was injured. The police department’s Traffic Division is investigating. Cancer Society shop hosts fundraising sale The San Diego Cancer Society’s Point Loma Discovery Shop, 3609 C Midway Drive (behind Kinko’s) is holding its semi-annual half-price sale on Friday, Aug. 14 and Saturday, Aug. 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Everything in the store will be half price. Items include antiques, furniture, household items, jewelry, men’s and women’s clothing, accessories and miscellaneous items. All proceeds fund cancer education and research. For more information, call (619) 224-4336. Women’s workshop to focus on serious issues A trio of popular radio hosts, authors and speakers will cover a multitude of women’s issues in a daylong workshop Saturday, Aug. 22 at Liberty Station. The event, sponsored by Real Issues, Real Answers, will carry the theme “Real Issues of the Four Major Ds: Debt, Divorce, Death and Depression.” Speaking will be personalities and authors Tonilee Adamson and Bobbye Brooks, along with former local television anchor Carol LeBeau. The event takes place at the Corky McMillin Cos. Event Center at the NTC Promenade, 2875 Dewey Road from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets for the event are $20, which includes a workbook and continental breakfast/Starbucks coffee. Participants are urged to register online at www.realissues-realanswers.com. For more information, call (888) 727-7206. Midnight Madness Fun Bicycle Ride set Aug. 15 Registration continues for the 36th annual Midnight Madness Fun Bicycle Ride that takes place Friday, Aug. 15. More than 1,600 bicyclists will line up at midnight for the family-friendly ride. The primarily flat 20-mile route starts at the county administration building and winds through Harbor Island, Shelter Island, Old Town and downtown San Diego. Riders can join this bicycling tradition for $30 pre-registration or $35 the night of the event. For information or to register, visit www.active.com or www.sandiegomidnightmadness.org.