La Jolla Light

A fire Thursday afternoon destroyed the home at 8347 La Jolla Shores Drive. Photo by: Dave Schwab A fire of unknown cause, which started about 3:30 p.m Thursday totally destroyed a single-family home at 8347 La Jolla Shores Drive. Maurice Luque, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman, said Engine Company #16, which had been on Mount Soledad, spied the fire in La Jolla Shores and phoned it in ... Full Story »

A memorial for Alex Capozza stood at the scene of the crash in which he was killed in Rancho Santa Fe. Photo by: Karen Billing A 17-year-old Torrey Pines High School student blamed for a crash in Rancho Santa Fe that killed one teenager and seriously injured another was sentenced Thursday to probation and up to 547 days in a juvenile camp. Judge George "Woody" Clarke ordered the boy to serve a ... Full Story »

Businesses and residents in San Diego County were asked Thursday to help conserve water by shutting off their landscape watering systems for at least the next week in advance pending rain storms. If all the sprinklers in the region were shut off for just one week, as much as 2,000 acre-feet of water would be conserved, according to the San Diego County Water Authority. That's enough water to ... Full Story »

Environmental groups lost a round when the California Coastal Commission Thursday voted to dismiss their request to revoke the coastal development permit for a desalination plant under construction in Carlsbad. The Coastal Commission voted 9-3 during its meeting San Francisco to deny the revocation request by San Diego Coastkeeper, the Surfrider Foundation and the Coastal Environmental Rights ... Full Story »

Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas has received the largest philanthropic gift in its 45-year history with the donation of $10 million from the Leichtag Family Foundation in honor of Lee and Toni Leichtag. "There is no greater gift than to save a life, and through the generosity of Lee and Toni Leichtag and the Leichtag Family Foundation, they will help us save more lives every day," said ... Full Story »

More than 160 speakers had a minute each on Dec. 9 to tell the Marine Life Protection Act Blue Ribbon Task Force and state Fish and Game Commission what they think about proposals for Marine Protected Areas off limits to fishing along the Southern California coast including La Jolla and coastal North County. At the onset of the meeting, which included two hours of public comment, Richard Rogers ... Full Story »

Lifeguards rescued two 16-year-old boys who got into trouble on shore rocks during high surf at Shell Beach between La Jolla Cove and Children's Pool about 2 p.m. on Wednesday. On Wednesday, surf reportedly was in the 6- to 10-foot range. San Diego Lifeguard Lt. Nick Lerma said Thursday that an Alert 1 large-surf warning had been issued the day before due to fears of extremely high surf expected ... Full Story »

Cyde (Sands), Bonnie (Osnes), Buck (Elder) and Blanche (Melissa van der Schyff) enjoy a lighthearted moment together in 'Bonnie & Clyde.' Photo: Craig Schwartz They were bank robbers, murderers and headline stealers. Notorious 1930's criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were also passionate lovers and family loving youngsters whose charisma stole the hearts of many. The premiere of the ... Full Story »

A memorial for Alex Capozza stood at the scene of the crash in which he was killed in Rancho Santa Fe. Photo by: Karen Billing A 17-year-old boy blamed for a crash that killed one teenager and seriously injured another is scheduled to be sentenced today after pleading guilty to gross vehicle manslaughter while intoxicated. The teenager, who has remained in custody, is expected to be placed on ... Full Story »

San Diego Charger Shawne Merriman has filed a counter lawsuit against ex-girlfriend and reality show hostess Tila Tequila, accusing her of spreading lies about him in order to ruin his career. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court claims "intentional interference with contract and unfair competition as well as trademark infringement" because the defendant used Merriman's famous "Lights Out ... Full Story »

Thursday, Dec. 10, is the deadline for San Diego County residents to pay the first installment of their 2009-10 property taxes. Late property tax payments will be assessed a 10 percent penalty, according to San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector Dan McAllister. "We know it's a difficult time economically," McAllister said. "This is clearly not one of the better years we have seen in San Diego ... Full Story »

Elli Choi performs at the 2009 'Stars In Our Eyes' event. The show won't go on this year for Rotary Club of La Jolla's annual "Stars In Our Eyes" event. For the last six years, the annual scholarship fundraising talent show has brought together some of the most gifted students from all four La Jolla High schools Bishop's, La Jolla Country Day, Preuss and La Jolla High to showcase their artistic ... Full Story »

The Copley Cottages are on the market. Photo: Martin Lizerbram By Carol Olten Historian, La Jolla Historical Society Although mansions decorate the hillsides and huge estates ramble up and down the coastline, when push comes to shove, La Jolla's true architectural heritage remains the humble beach cottage. Hundreds of such cottages once were spread up and down the coastal hillsides connected by ... Full Story »

By Lisa Bonebrake Parent volunteer, Bird Rock Elementary School Due to more shortfalls in the state budget, San Diego parents, schools and types of student learners are once again being pitted against each other to save specific programs and teachers. We are again facing increased class sizes (29 students even in grades K-3); half-day kindergarten; no more librarians or school nurses; no more ... Full Story »

There is no governance in La Jolla. Filthy downtown streets and sidewalks are eyesores. Drivers accelerate vehicles, ignoring the crosswalks. (An occasional car does stop as the law requires.) A rare police person never on foot drives by, perhaps responding to a nonemergency call. Civic groups "lose" funds, making their efforts sullied. Stores are closing, unable to cope with outrageous rents ... Full Story »

It's been almost a year since the La Jolla Community Foundation took shape. Now it's time for the fledgling organization to take a step forward, and to do that the group needs your help. In today's newspaper, you'll find an envelope that you can use to send your contribution that will be used to improve the quality of life in La Jolla. (This one's for your community, not the newspaper although ... Full Story »

Two more board members resigned from the Promote La Jolla board this week Shannon Turner and Bob Collins, leaving the merchant group with seven directors. At the group's meeting on Wednesday, President Rick Wildman shared the news about Turner's departure for family reasons. At the end of the meeting, Bob Collins asked what was going on with the election item on the agenda. When he was told that ... Full Story »

The most recent legal skirmish in the 20-year battle over the constitutionality of the Mount Soledad Korean War Memorial cross began Wednesday in Pasadena as a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments from attorneys on both sides. The case is an appeal of a federal court decision in San Diego that allowed the cross to remain on its La Jolla mountaintop ... Full Story »

By JOE BRITTON City News Service The City Council on Wednesday tentatively approved mid-year spending cuts proposed by Mayor Jerry Sanders to close San Diego's $179 million budget deficit that will result in about 200 city workers losing their jobs. The City Council voted 7-1 to adopt Sanders' 18-month budget, which will take effect on Jan. 1. Councilman Carl DeMaio cast the lone dissenting vote ... Full Story »

Muirlands Middle School students do their version of a 'flash' dance. If you missed Oprah's 24th anniversary show in October, you can catch part of the highlight at Muirlands Middle School on Fridays at lunch. The Black Eyed Peas were scheduled to perform their hit single "I Gotta Feeling" in a free concert to be held on Chicago Avenue for 20,000 people, and shown live on Oprah's 24th ... Full Story »

Encinitas Mayor Maggie Houlihan's recommendation on cityhood for La Jolla: Go for it. "You've got the hotels, the restaurants, the tourist shops; such a rich mix of commerce and retail and really fine neighborhoods," Houlihan, a former UCSD librarian, told incorporation backers at an Independent La Jolla community meeting Dec. 2 at Riford Library. "You are a cash cow." Encinitas and Solana Beach ... Full Story »

Rabbi Baruch Ezagui lights the menorah. In the background on the left is the world Torah. Photo by: Dave Schwab Scroll to be dedicated at lighting, will appear at sites around the world By Linda McIntosh Contributor The age-old tradition of lighting the menorah in celebration of Hanukkah will be re-enacted at 6 p.m. Dec. 14 in downtown La Jolla outside the Charriol Boutique on Prospect Street ... Full Story »

Lynda Forsha Lynda Forsha is an independent curator and art adviser who works with private collectors and corporate clients, advising them on art acquisitions and collection management. She was a curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (1979-93) and served as head of the museum's curatorial department (1988-93). Forsha originated some 30 major exhibitions and commissioned numerous ... Full Story »

Durdam Rocherolle and a Western gull catch air together at Boomer Beach. Photo: Einar Gall Photographer captures a Boomer moment Those who bodysurf at Boomer Beach, such as Durdam Rocherolle, say it is a "spiritual place." For the La Jolla Shores resident who has been bodysurfing at the La Jolla beach since he was 17, the spirit gained new meaning on Thanksgiving weekend. That's when a ... Full Story »

Lili B. Davis Editor's note: The fifth-graders in Ginny Rowe's class at Bird Rock Elementary School were given an assignment to report on and write a feature story. Today we publish stories by Lili Davis and Pierce Mayne, picked as two of the best by classmates. By Lili B. Davis The world is in danger. Yet this is the place we live in! Do you want to help save the Earth? Where are we most of the ... Full Story »