IMMIGRANTS CAUGHT AFTER LANDING AT MISSION BEACH A suspected human-smuggling boat washed ashore in Mission Beach early Sept. 26, triggering law-enforcement officials to round up nearly a dozen people, according to police.
Officers were called to the area of Ocean Front Walk and San Luis Obispo Place at 4:12 a.m., according to San Diego police officer Frank Cali.
Witnesses reporting seeing people loading items into a car, Cali said. A total of about 10 people were taken into custody in the area and another five were still being sought at the time.
The U.S Customs and Border Patrol were continuing to investigate.
— Staff and City News Service SURFRIDER REFURBISHES PB ASHCANS TO COMBAT LITTER
The Surfrider Foundation San Diego County chapter’s Hold On To Your Butt Committee revitalized its highly visible ashcans in Pacific Beach this month, replacing dilapidated stickers and installing new ashcans to stamp out unsightly pollution and threats to the environment.
HOTYB volunteers, along with partners I Love a Clean San Diego and Discover PB, hit the streets to replace eight older ashcans and install 14 new ones, cleaning up cigarette butts at the installation locations.
“Cigarette butts and other tobacco product waste are the most commonly found items during urban and beach cleanups worldwide,” said San Diego State University public health professor Thomas Novotny and researcher Elli Slaughter in a recent article published in Current Environmental Health Reports. “An estimated 4.5 trillion of the 6 trillion cigarettes sold annually worldwide do not end up in a dustbin or ashtray but are simply flicked away along a roadside or on a pavement.”
This type of litter is not just found on streets and in urban settings. The number of cigarette butts found on beaches and nearby areas is overwhelming, accounting for about 40 percent of the items collected during the Surfrider Foundation’s monthly public beach cleanups. Cigarette waste discarded miles inland compounds the problem because it can end up in drains that flow to streams, rivers, bays, lagoons and ultimately, the ocean.
This installation will help the HOTYB committee reach its goal of installing the 200th ashcan in San Diego County. The organization has seen a 65 percent decrease in cigarette butt litter where ashcans have been installed.?
For more information, visit http://sandiego.surfrider.org/campaigns/hold-on-to-your-butt or [email protected]. 2ND ANNUAL ‘WAVE GOODBYE TO MS’ PADDLE SET FOR OCT. 11
The “Wave Goodbye to MS 2nd annual Paddle for the Cure” is right around the corner, garnering funds and support for the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society. Organizers said the event is a fun way to raise funds and awareness while having a terrific time at the beach with friends. “Wave Goodbye to MS” is a paddle-out and beach party event with live music and opportunity drawings. Some prizes, including a custom Rat surf board, a standup paddleboard from Get-up-Stand-up-Surf-and-Paddle, a one of a kind mosaic titled “San Diego Surfer” by Ann Jackson Art, Handmade Quilt and Afghan, San Diego Padres autographed gear and other items. Many local businesses have donated for the drawing. This year, the event will be held at Crown Point Shores on Saturday, Oct. 11. Last year, the event was held in Ocean Beach and raised $20,000. Participants are urged to bring boards, standup paddle boards, inner tubes, water wings or any non-motorized floatation device and join in. To save time, pre-register at wavegoodbye.org.
For more information, call (619) 990-9757, (619) 482-2485, or email [email protected].