SDPD releases U.S. Open traffic alert
The San Diego Police Department is advising motorists to avoid certain roadways and areas during the U.S. Open golf tournament due to increased traffic.
The streets that will be most heavily impacted include North Torrey Pines Road between the 102000 to 11900 blocks and north from Genesee Avenue; and Genesee Avenue, Carmel Valley Road, Gilman Drive and La Jolla Village Drive west from Interstate 5.
Torrey Pines State Beach parking lot will also be closed to the public during the U.S. Open, which runs through June 15.
For more information, visit www.usopen.com.

Dead bird with West Nile virus found in beach area
A dead crow found in Ocean Beach in recent weeks tested positive for the West Nile virus, according to county officials. The bird is one of five that has tested positive for the potentially deadly virus in the county the last few weeks.
Other locations include Tierrasanta, Mira Mesa and Encinitas.
Though county officials would not release information about exactly where the bird was found, it is one of about 19 birds found in the county that have tested positive for the virus since January, according to Chris Conlan, an ecologist with the San Diego County Vector Control.
Humans can contract the disease from mosquito bites, health officials said.
“While the birds get ill, it’s the mosquitoes that actually spread the disease,” Conlan said. “[So] we want to get the word out to get out the repellent and pay attention to your own backyards.”
County officials suggest residents also place mosquito fish into ponds or remove stagnant water from places such as potted plants. Sitting water is an ideal habitat for mosquito breeding.
People should also protect themselves from mosquito bites by using repellants and wearing long sleeves when feasible.
Residents who discover a bird that appears to be dead less than 24 hours are urged to call San Diego County Vector Control, (858) 694-2888, for instructions on what to do.
Inoperative swimming pools or areas of standing water should also be reported, according to officials.
For more information, visit www.sdfightthebite.com.

Sewage spill sends 3,300 gallons into sea
Workers posted signs at about 8 a.m. last Thursday, June 5, warning beachgoers to avoid a stretch of beach in Bird Rock at Waverly Avenue when root blockage caused an 8-inch sewer line to burst, sending an estimated 3,300 gallons of raw sewage into the ocean.
Metropolitan Wastewater Department Crews recovered about 1,664 gallons of the spill nearly an hour after it was reported, according to a press release.
“About half, yeah. It’s better than not recovering it,” said Clay Clifton, ocean bay recreational water program coordinator for the City of San Diego.
The spill entered a storm drain that empties into the ocean north of the Bird Rock shoreline.
Officials closed the beach between Cortez Place and Bird Rock Avenue.
“Once it exits the sewer system it goes through a manhole and then it flows into a storm drain,” Clifton said.
Clifton said officials collected three bacteria samples in the area on Thursday and Friday, and then lifted the beach closure on Saturday, June 7.
“According to test data we received, yes it’s safe to swim. Bacteria levels came back the state standards saying it’s safe for swimming,” Clifton said.
Clifton said that the raw sewage that was not recovered would cycle through the environment before degrading through sunlight and being diluted into the ocean.
Clifton recommended that beachgoers find the current status of various beaches at www.beaches911.org, or by calling (619) 338-2073.

Fire stations designated ‘safe-surrender sites’
The City Council has unanimously approved the city’s fire stations as “safe-surrender sites” for the anonymous abandonment of infants ” a practice that assures those parents of not being charged with criminal acts.
In 2001, a California Senate bill was signed into law that established the Safely Surrender Baby program.
The purpose of the bill was to encourage parents, or mothers who are often unmarried, to be able to surrender infants up to three days old at reception centers such as hospitals or fire stations without penalty.
The law was passed to deter an often-deadly practice under which unwanted infants are sometimes placed in Dumpsters or bushes. Under the law, no names are required.
If the mothers or parents change their minds within 14 days, they have the option of petitioning to reclaim the infant in a procedure with child welfare services.
The city will pay $1,500 for safe-surrender kits and signs that will be posted at fire stations declared safe havens.
The City Council passed the measure in May without discussion on the consent agenda.
On Dec. 11, 2007, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved the designation of fire stations that are staffed full-time as safe-haven sites.
In California, 182 newborns have been safely surrendered since the law was enacted.