Nightly alcohol sales cut on Coaster trains In an effort to stem an increase in alcohol-related incidences on Coaster trains, the North County Transit District has voted to discontinue alcohol sales after 9 p.m. on all its runs. Conductors were to enforce the policy beginning July 1 after the San Diego Padres game at Petco Park. Coaster cars regularly stop at Downtown’s Santa Fe Depot on Kettner Boulevard, to the rear of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, before continuing up the coast to Carlsbad. Passengers discovered drinking on board are subject to citation or removal from the train. The district moves more than 12 million passengers annually through a family of transit services, including the Breeze bus system and Sprinter light rail. Annual stand-down fete scheduled at SD High The National Stand-Down for Homeless Veterans, an annual event during which military veterans receive medical care and social services help, has set its San Diego fete for Friday, July 17 through Sunday, July 19 on the upper athletic field of San Diego High School Downtown. Stand-downs are a part of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ efforts to provide services to homeless veterans. Typically one to three days in duration, they provide food, shelter, clothing, health screenings, Veterans Administration (VA) and Social Security benefits counseling and referrals to a variety of other necessary services, such as housing, employment and substance abuse treatment. They are coordinated between local VA groups, government agencies and community agencies serving the homeless. The first stand-down was organized in 1988 by a group of Vietnam veterans in San Diego. Since then, they’ve been used as an outreach tool to more than 200,000 veterans and family members. Six-figure city workers fastest-growing group San Diego city employees earning at least $100,000 are the fastest-growing income group on the payroll, according to published reports. The San Diego Union-Tribune says about 13 percent of city employees exceeded the six-figure mark in 2008, allowing for salary and overtime. The figure represents an increase from 7 percent since 2005, the year Mayor Jerry Sanders was first elected. The paper added that the proportion of middle-income earners is shrinking and the lowest-paid segment isn’t growing. The shift toward higher compensation is reportedly the result of recruitment and retention issues stemming from a competitive marketplace for talented personnel. Community picnic to aid autism cause is Saturday The third annual Wright Family Community Picnic — an event benefiting the Autism Tree Project Foundation — will be held at Westminster Park, 3598 Talbot St. in Point Loma on Saturday, July 11 from noon to 4 p.m. The event includes a picnic lunch from noon to 2 p.m. at no charge. Participants are encouraged to bring family and friends to the old-fashioned patriotic family picnic packed with red, white, and blue fun. The Autism Tree Project foundation, founded by Dayna and Todd Hoff, provides screening of students in a preschool setting to identify children at risk for autism due to developmental delays and mentoring for the families whose children have been diagnosed with autism. For more information, visit www.autismtreeproject.org. For information about the event, to volunteer or to make a donation, call (619) 405-0176. Art Academy takes up residence in North Park The Art Academy of San Diego, for 11 years a staple educational institution in East Village, has moved to North Park following stagnant enrollment that the school’s founder blames on the construction of Petco Park. The school’s new 2,500-square-foot digs, at 3784 30th St., translate to a 75 percent cut in overhead. Founder Stuart Burton hailed this development, citing North Park as a more user-friendly area. Since January, the school has accepted about 130 students; enrollment never exceeded 250 in the decade the school was located at 840 G St., north of the ballpark. Several smaller East Village galleries were impacted by the ballpark’s construction, which began in 2000; many were forced to close, and the academy’s efforts to attract patronage through several after-hours events at area businesses failed. Burton said it cost about $120,000 to keep the school open downtown.