Deckhand sentenced in 2007 stabbing case A deckhand on the fishing vessel Alaska was sentenced March 19 to 13 years in prison for stabbing another crewmember in a 2007 incident and was ordered to pay $12,000 in medical expenses to the victim. Robert David Legerrette, 70, had agreed to accept a stipulated sentence in the Aug. 11, 2007 stabbing of David Cunningham, 52, while the Alaska was moored at 750 North Harbor Drive around 5:50 a.m., according to court records. Cunningham was stabbed in the chest. San Diego Superior Court Judge David Danielsen gave Legerrette credit for almost 1 1/2 years served in jail already. Legerrette will have to serve 80 percent of his 13-year term before he can be paroled, according to court records. The motive for the assault is unknown, said a prosecutor. Legerrette was also accused of attempted murder and of being under the influence of Vicodin, codeine and morphine at the time of the assault. These charges, however, were dropped in return for the plea agreement on the assault charge. Part of the reason Legerrette’s sentence is lengthy is because of his criminal record. He was convicted of robbery in 1971, along with an attempted theft in 1997 and burglary in 2000, according to records. Legerrette fled the ship after the 2007 assault and San Diego Harbor Police distributed fliers with his picture. Paramedics were trying to deal with an “unruly person” later that day when someone saw a flier and recognized Legerrette. Harbor police responded and arrested him. Former Padres pitcher eyes assault charges Former Padres pitcher Matt Bush, a Mission Bay High graduate, has been charged with four misdemeanor battery counts after allegedly assaulting Granite Hills High students during a lacrosse practice on Feb. 4 in El Cajon. San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis filed four misdemeanor battery charges against Bush. If convicted, Bush could face up to four years in jail and a $2,000 fine. Bush is scheduled to be arraigned April 28 at 8 a.m. in Superior Court in El Cajon. Bush was reportedly intoxicated when he allegedly assaulted the high school lacrosse players, who sustained minor injuries, according to Lt. Steve Shakowski, spokesperson for the El Cajon Police Department. After the incident, the Padres shipped Bush off to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Feb. 4 incident is the third altercation that Bush has been involved in since being taken No. 1 in the 2004 Major League Baseball draft. Two weeks after the draft, Bush was accused of felony assault and misdemeanor trespassing that stemmed from a nightclub altercation near the Padres spring training facility in Peoria, Ariz. Last summer, Bush was involved in another fight near Peoria. Navy to break ground on modern new fuel facility Naval Base Point Loma will officially break ground on Friday, March 27 at Defense Fuel Support Point (DFSP) Point Loma, the site of the future state-of-the-art fuel storage facility. This five-year project to construct six 125,000-barrel fuel storage tanks, piping, facility pump house and a fuel oil reclamation facility will modernize the existing base’s fuel depot, according to Navy officials. DFSP Point Loma is the only defense fuel facility in the Southern California region, providing fleet assets and airfields annually with fuel valued at $500 million. The entire project budget represents less than one-third the value of fuel processed in a single year. The five-year construction program is required to replace aging fuel infrastructure that last year handled 7.7 million barrels of fuel in 1,278 fueling evolutions, making DFSP Point Loma the largest single fuel-handling facility in the Navy’s inventory, said officials. The new project was awarded by Navy officials in 2008 at the cost of $139 million, The completed project will allow for the closure of 75 percent of existing above-ground and underground storage tanks and provide environmental mitigation and remediation of contaminated soil. The contract also includes options for two additional tanks, which would allow closure of the remaining 1950s-era tanks in Point Loma. City launches film tilt on water conservation The City of San Diego Water Department is launching its first Water Conservation Film Contest for the city’s high school and college students. “Water Conservation, the Next Feature Presentation” focuses on steps to save water and the current drought environment in San Diego. Film entries are due April 1, and no entry fee is required to enter the contest. Each entrant should create a 30-second film and submit it to the City of San Diego Water Department. More information about the contest and entry requirements is available at sandiego.gov/water/conservation, or at (619) 232-2112, extension 105. SDG&E hawks new kit that saves water, energy San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) is offering a kit designed for double duty – the conservation of both water and energy – to all residential customers with an SDG&E account. And it’s free. The new Home Energy- and Water-Savings Kit includes aerators for the kitchen and bathroom faucets, a low-flow showerhead and a list of tips to save energy. Aerators introduce air into the water flow, maintaining high pressure while reducing water usage; low-flow showerheads do pretty much the same thing and can cut the use of water by more than 50 percent. On average, each San Diegan uses about 71 gallons of water a day. Only one kit is available per household; please allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery. To order, visit sdge.com/energykit or call the company’s energy information center at (800) 644-6133. IRS offering free tax assistance for seniors Several free tax preparation sites are now open throughout San Diego County to assist lower-income and senior taxpayers through the IRS Volunteer Income tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs. The VITA program also offers tax help to the disabled and to those who speak English as a second language. Eligible taxpayers will also find out if they qualify for the IRS’ earned income tax credit. The agency estimates that up to 25 percent of eligible taxpayers fail to claim the credit, leaving millions on the table. For the location of the nearest VITA or TCE site, taxpayers are invited to call 211 in their area or the IRS at (800) 829-1040. More information is available at irs.gov. Bill on control of SD port tidelands introduced San Diego State Sen. Christine Kehoe has introduced legislation that upholds the state’s authority to sign off on development proposed for state tidelands under the San Diego Unified Port District’s control. The bill ensures that the California State Lands Commission and the California Coastal Commission must consider proposals for port district lands and clarifies that the district operates under the jurisdiction of the California Coastal Act. Under the legislation, the port’s master plan could not be changed via municipal, county or district initiatives or referenda. Instead, voters could only change the master plan through a statewide initiative, which requires supporters to collect the signatures of 5 percent of the votes last cast for governor. This means nearly 434,000 signatures would be required to place a measure on the ballot. Church slates pancake breakfast fundraiser The Oasis Christian Fellowship in Ocean Beach will host a fundraising pancake breakfast event on Saturday, April 4 to help fund a special outreach program. Church members will launch the inaugural event between 8 a.m. and noon at the Masonic Temple, 1711 Sunset Cliffs Blvd. to benefit the Oasis Christian Fellowship Missions Program. Proceeds from the breakfast will go to help offset costs to send two of the church’s young people to the Amazon for a 7-week outreach mission that will include home building and Christian ministry, according to Pastor Terry Miller. Organizers hope to raise $2,500 to achieve the goal.The cost of the breakfast is $5 and will include pancakes, sausage, juice and coffee. For more information, call (619) 249-0507. SWYC to host Benefit on the Bay for charity The 22nd annual Charity Bay Race and Regatta — the second-largest charity regatta in the nation — will officially begin Sunday, March 29 at the Southwestern Yacht Club (SWYC) in Point Loma. The event kicks off a three-day greater event known as Benefit on the Bay. Proceeds raised from the event go to benefit San Diego Hospice and the Institute for Palliative Medicine. Following the 10-mile regatta on March 29, organizers will host a post-race party, barbecue and awards ceremony at the SWYC, 2702 Qualtrough St. Tickets are $15 and the race entry fee is $60. The event will continue for a second day on Saturday, April 18 with a “Gala of Gourmet Delights — Cooking and Dining” event. Tickets are $75. The Charity on the Bay event rounds out on Saturday, April 25 with a full day of fishing and fun during the Southwestern Anglers’ 39th annual Bottom Fishing Tournament and Fish Fry. The entry fee for the tournament is $50. For a complete list of times, costs and offerings, call (619) 222-0438 or visit www.southwesternyc.org. OB Comedy hosts benefit show for food bank Ocean Beach Comedy (OBC) will host a benefit show for the community on Friday, March 27 to aid the San Diego Food Bank. The show runs from 6 to 9 p.m. All cover charges and raffle proceeds will go directly to the food bank to help feed the less fortunate. The show will feature headliner Steven Kendrick, Bob Hansen and more, including a special surprise guest comic from Los Angeles. The show will also feature a raffle of prizes donated by local Ocean Beach businesses. Raffle tickets are $1 each. Ocean Beach Comedy has been bringing live stand-up comedy weekly on Friday nights to Ocean Beach and San Diego for over 3 years. Ocean Beach Comedy’s San Diego Food Bank Benefit Show takes place at Winston’s, 1921 Bacon St., on Friday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 and available at the door. PLNU students agree to adopt ‘green fees’ After a majority vote by the student body recently, Point Loma Nazarene University has passed a green fund proposal. The green fund will increase student fees by $5 per semester in an effort to boost campus sustainability. In passing its green fund initiative, PLNU has joined about 60 other universities nationwide in a student-led movement for enhancing sustainability on college campuses. Students will work with PLNU’s Resource Stewardship Task Force to determine how the new funds will be distributed. The Associated Student Body predicts that projects such as frontloading washing machines, a community garden, energy efficient lighting, more fuel-efficient campus vehicles and expanded recycling efforts are likely to be at the forefront of the list of possible projects. In the past several years, PLNU has implemented a number of sustainability efforts, including the installation of solar panels, which provide green power for 10 percent of the campus, the use of waterless urinals, which conserve 40,000 gallons of water per urinal each year, a campuswide purchasing directive to buy products made from recycled materials and a commitment to build all new structures to at least LEED silver qualifications. San Diego Charger Girls hold auditions April 5 The San Diego Charger Girls will hold auditions for the 2009 squad on Sunday, April 5, in the Jenny Craig Pavilion on the campus of the University of San Diego. All interested applicants should complete an application (available at www.chargers.com, Charger Training Facility, phone or mail) and include a nonreturnable photograph of themselves (5 by 7 or larger, black and white or color, head shot or full body shot) and send to: San Diego Charger Girl Auditions, P.O. Box 609609, San Diego, CA 92160.