Boater killed in accident near Shelter Island A 50-year-old man died May 24 in waters near Shelter Island when he fell from a dinghy he was riding in with his girlfriend, police said. San Diego Harbor Police officers who responded to the emergency said it is unclear what caused the victim, identified as Michael Hill, to fall into the water shortly before 8 p.m. Officers, aided by a Navy corpsman who was kayaking nearby, pulled Hill from the water onto a Harbor Police patrol boat. Harbor Police officers administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation until paramedics arrived. The paramedics worked to revive Hill for about 30 minutes, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Hill and his girlfriend were returning from a restaurant on Shelter Island to the 50-foot catamaran on which Hill lived when the accident occurred, officers said. They said Hill had lived aboard the catamaran in the Port of San Diego’s Shelter Island mooring area for several years. Officers were told by Hill’s girlfriend that she had been seated in the dinghy in front of Hill, who was steering. She said the dinghy suddenly lurched forward for no apparent reason. When she looked back, she told officers, Hill was in the water. He was wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident. Harbor Police officers said Hill may have struck his head on the dinghy’s motor as he fell backwards. The exact cause of death will be determined by the county Medical Examiner’s Office. Historical Society to host two men’s reflections The Ocean Beach Historical Society will host its monthly meeting June 16, featuring a presentation of “Charlie & Tonii — The Boys from the Other Side of the Hill.” As boys, Carlos Charlie “Taco” LeGretti and Larry Tonnii  DeGarcia lived in the Azure Vista tenement housing along Sunset Cliffs Boulevard in the mid-1950s. The tenement has now been eplaced by expensive homes and is considered prime  oceanfront property. Both men also lived in the Frontier tenement  housing where the old Frontier Drive-in was located in the Midway area  (now called North Bay.) Both men will share their reflections on life back then during the program. Charlie’s family owned  the first Mexican restaurant in Ocean Beach. The Wonderland Apartments fascinated Tonii  and played a major role in his life. The original Wonderland offices, which were moved and converted into apartments, were his first home.  Many years later, when the building was condemned, he bought it and restored it, along with the original Wonderland sign. The presentation takes place at 7 p.m. at the Point Loma United Methodist Church, 1984 Sunset Cliffs Blvd. For more information, visit obhistory.wordpress.com. Essay work earns 2 PLHS students laptops Two young men from Point Loma High School showed off their essay-writing skills recently, and were rewarded with laptop scholarships by the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) and Coca-Cola. Seniors Justin Powell and Jose Hernandez competed against nearly 200 colleagues in an essay contest with the theme “envisioning San Diego’s public transportation in the next 30 years.” Each student was honored May 26 by the MTS board of directors and was awarded a new laptop computer from Coca-Cola. Powell and Hernandez were among 40 essay winners honored at MTS headquarters downtown. Midway DUI checkpoint results in 11 arrests San Diego police handcuffed 11 drivers on suspicion of driving under the influence during a DUI checkpoint in the Midway District on May 13. The operation took place in the 4000 block of Sports Arena Boulevard, with subsequent saturation patrols in the Ocean Beach and Pacific Beach communities, according to police. Statistics from the operation show 314 vehicles were screened at the checkpoint. Of those, eight motorists were detained for further evaluation. One of those drivers was arrested for suspected driving under the influence, with the remaining seven having consumed a measurable level of alcohol. Ten arrests were made in Pacific Beach for DUI the same night. One of the drivers was arrested for felony evasion of a peace officer, hit and run and DUI, according to police.