Dead crow in OB tests
positive for West Nile
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 15 that has tested positive for the potentially deadly virus in the county the last few weeks. Other locations include Tierrasanta, Mira Mesa and Encinitas, Vista, Carlsbad, Del Mar, Carmel Valley, Rancho Peãasquitos, the College Area, La Mesa and El Cajon.
Though county officials would not release information about exactly where the bird was found, it is one of about 29 birds found in the county that have tested positive for the virus since January ” 10 alone last week, according to Chris Conlan, an ecologist with the San Diego County Vector Control.
Humans can contract the disease from mosquito bites, said officials.
“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, where feasible.
Residents who discover a bird that appears to be dead less than 24 hours are urged to call the San Diego County Vector Control at (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.
Court orders city report over De Anza residents
The legal struggle between De Anza Mobile Home Park residents and the city is moving through the courts slowly and unsurely.
The latest court order in May by Judge Charles R. Hayes said the city must come back with a relocation impact report to “determine mitigation of economic hardship” for residents as soon as possible.
Until then, residents will stay at the park for the foreseeable future, said Vincent Bartollota, an attorney representing the De Anza tenants.
The city will pay for the report to be handed over to two “special masters,” who will review the report and relocation plan and make recommendations to the court.
“In the meantime, these people will be leaving with a cloud over their head with regard to what’s going to happen to them,” Bartollota said.
Bartolotta said he’s been contacted by the city to help select the special masters.
De Anza residents have wanted the city to pay anywhere from $48 million to $84 million for the cost of moving, which would include the city paying “in place” fair-market value of the homes and possibly the differences in rent for residents for 48 months.
The court found the city doesn’t have to pay for the “in place” value of the homes but may have to help the tenants pay rent for the 48 months following the move, according to court documents.
The fight over the property designated for public use has lasted through decades of litigation. The residents’ 50-year lease technically ended in November 2003, according to court documents.
Representives of De Anza Mobile Home Park residents and city officials have tangled in court ever since to determine how much the city should have to pay the residents to move.
Fire stations OK’d as
‘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 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 like hospitals or fire stations without penalty.
The law was passed to deter an often-deadly practice under which unwanted infants were being 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.
In California, 182 newborns have been safely surrendered since the law was enacted.
Beacon’s Amateur Photo Contest under way
The Beacon’s annual Amateur Photo Contest is back! Enter your best photo portraying the Peninsula area taken in the past year. Photos will be displayed at The Peninsula Beacon booth during the June 28 Ocean Beach Street Fair.
The public will vote for their favorite pictures. And it may just be yours!
Prizes will be awarded for the top three photos, which will be published in The Peninsula Beacon. First place will earn four passes to the San Diego Wild Animal Park, second place earns a $100 gift certificate to Nick’s at the Pier and the third-place winner earns a $75 gift certificate to Tilted Kilt.
Only photos taken between June ’07 and June ’08 may be entered.
Contest Rules
n Photos must be taken by an amateur photographer and must be shot in the 92106 or 92107 ZIP codes between June 2007 and today. Possible locations where the photos may have been taken include Ocean Beach, Point Loma, Shelter Island, Loma Portal or Sports Arena/Midway. The subjects of eligible photos may include anything in the area suitable for public viewing.
n Please do not e-mail photos, but mail them to the Beacon office at 4645 Cass St., Box 9550, San Diego, CA 92109.
n Retouched or computer-enhanced photos will not be accepted.
n Color or black and white prints are eligible. Slides are not allowed. Entries should be no larger than 8 by 10 inches and not smaller than 3 by 5 inches. Please don’t send a photo in a frame.
n Only one entry per photographer is allowed.
n Amateur photographers only, please.
n Please include photographer’s name, address, phone number, date the photo was taken and a brief description of the subject.
n The safe return of entries is not guaranteed. Remember, these photos will be mounted for public display ” expect some wear and tear.
Photos may be picked up at The Beacon office after Wednesday, July 2. Deadline for entries is Tuesday, June 24.
Applications available for June 28 OB Chili Cook-Off
The Ocean Beach MainStreet Association is currently accepting applications for entries in the 29th annual Ocean Beach Street Fair and Amateur Chili Cook-Off, slated for June 28.
There is a $20 application fee, and forms are available at the MainStreet Association office, 1868 Bacon St., or online at www.oceanbeach-sandiego.com. Proceeds benefit the Ocean Beach Fourth of July festivities.
Entrants are expected to generate 10 gallons of their best chili and will be provided a 10-foot-by-10-foot stall to cook in and decorate.
Tasting will take place that day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., or whenever the chili runs out, according to organizers. For more information, call (619) 224-4906.
Nominations open for ‘Dealmakers of the Year’
Nominations for the 2008 Dealmakers of the Year are now being accepted by officials at Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU). The deadline for nominations is July 31.
PLNU’s Fermanian Business Center will honor the 2008 Dealmakers of the Year at the Kona Kai Resort and Spa on Sept. 19, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. The event is being presented by Wachovia.
To nominate an individual, firm or event, visit www.point-loma.edu/Fermanian. For more information, call (619) 849-2925 or (619) 849-2564, or e-mail [email protected] or [email protected].
Local residents excel at state Science Olympiad
Four Point Loma students from Francis Parker School joined two fellow students from La Jolla and another from University City who fared well in the 2008 State Science Olympiad Competition in Long Beach on Saturday, April 12.
Francis Parker School was the only private school in both the middle and high school competitions, taking on competitors from 25 other schools from all over Southern California competing for the first-place spot.
From Point Loma, Kristi Bohl, 9, and her teammates placed 1st in the remote sensing competition, 7th in herpetology and 10th in cell biology. Luke Pelessone, 14, and Marc Pelessone, 12, placed 10th in the simple machines category and Marc additionally placed 5th in the tower competition. Emily Bohl, 12, and her teammate placed 14th in the “Write It, Do It” category.
From La Jolla, Jesse Werner, 12, and teammates placed 1st in metric mastery and 5th in the tower category.
From University City, Meghan Babla, 13, and her teammate placed 14th in the “Write It, Do It” competition.
Founded in 1912, Francis Parker School is San Diego’s oldest and largest independent, non-denominational, co-educational day school, serving 1,200 students in grades kindergarten through 12.
Matt D’Arrigo, ARTS founder, featured in new book
Matt D’Arrigo, founder of Point Loma-based A Reason To Survive, or ARTS, is featured in the new book “Being the Difference: True Stories of Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things to Change the World.”
D’Arrigo is featured as he dealt with his grief when his mother and sister were diagnosed with cancer in the same year. Ultimately, the love of music and painting helped D’Arrigo heal after his mother succumbed to the disease. He now runs the 7,000-square-foot Pat D’Arrigo ARTS Center, named in memory of his mother, where more than 150 children a week go to express themselves and learn in a safe and nurturing environment.
For more information, visit www.areasontosurvive.org.
HTH teacher a finalist for national education award
Jay Vavra, a teacher at High Tech High School in Point Loma, has been named a finalist for the 2008 Genzyme-Invitrogen Biotech Education Award, according to officials with the Biotechnology Institute.
The award was established by the Biotechnology Institute to recognize leading high school educators who are bringing biotechnology to their classrooms and encouraging fellow science teachers to do the same.
Sponsored by Genzyme Corporation and The Invitrogen Foundation, the award will be presented Monday, June 16 during the Biotechnology Education Banquet at the Biotechnology Institute’s Conference on Biotechnology Education in San Diego.
The finalists will have an opportunity to meet keynote speaker Margaret Spellings, U.S. Secretary of Education.
The winners from among the finalists will be chosen by a distinguished panel of judges for their proven leadership and excellence as an educator, their commitment to furthering the teaching of biotechnology and their development of innovative ways to teach biotechnology.
The first-place winner will receive $10,000; the second-place winner will receive $5,000; and the third-place winner will receive $2,500.
Warren-Walker Students Win First Places at Science Fairs
Warren-Walker Middle School students and Point Loma residents Lily Edwards, David Lloyd and Connor Keefe each placed first in their divisions at the Greater San Diego Area Science and Engineering Fair held from April 1-6.
Foster Collins, also a Warren-Walker Middle School student and Point Loma resident, took home first place in the category of applied mathematics and structures at the 57th annual California State Science Fair after having won one of four Junior Sweepstakes awards in the Regional Fair.
The state science fair was held May 19-20. More than 900 students in grades 6 through 12 competed from 359 schools throughout the state for awards totaling over $50,000.
The California State Science Fair is the final science fair of the academic year. It is hosted by the California Science Center (formerly the California Museum of Science and Industry.) The fair is designed to recognize the research efforts of California student scientists, stimulate interest in science as a career, and give students the opportunity to meet and interact with professional scientists and peers with similar interests.
POINT LOMA NATIVE JAMES B. BISHOP NAMED CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF TRAUMA SPECIALISTS, LLP IN PORTLAND, OR
Point Loma native James B. Bishop has been named chief executive officer of Trauma Specialists, LLP in Portland.
Trauma Specialists is a medical practice organization made up of 80 select physicians who have chosen to specialize in the treatment of the most severely injured trauma patients. It is affiliated with the Legacy Emanuel Hospital.
As Trauma Specialists’ CEO, Bishop’s responsibilities include working with the partnership’s board of directors in developing and implementing the strategic vision of Trauma Specialists. He will also oversee the day-to-day operations and financial performance of the company as well as playing a key role in working with the different medical disciplines that are critical to the delivery of Level I Trauma Services.
Bishop has more than 22 years of experience in the health-care industry, including the management of large and mid-sized physician organizations. Previously, he was CEO of the XIMED Medical Group in La Jolla, where he managed two companies ” Scripps/XIMED Medical Center, L.P., a $70 million, 204,000-square-foot medical office building, and Scripps/XIMED Medical Group, Inc., which grew in membership from 200 to 320 members from 1996 to 2004.
Bishop grew up in Point Loma and attended Point Loma High School, where he graduated in 1974. He and his family later moved to Poway, where the lived for more than 20 years before moving to Eugene, Ore.