Belmont Beacon
MONDAY, AUGUST 4, 2014 - AUGUST 10, 2014
belmontbeacon.com
VOLUME 1, NO. 14
Rare lightning strikes all over Southern California Governor kill 20-year old and injure several others Brown signs by jennifer schlueter agreement On the weekend of July 25with Mexico 27, Southern California experienced a rare weather phenomenon for its region: Hundreds to reduce of lightning strikes jolted LA and its surrounding counties. dangerous In Venice Beach, one strike proved to be fatal for 20-year old Nick Fagnano, who was in greenhouse gases the ocean when it hit him, and injured 13 additional beachgoers. On Santa Catalina Island, a 57-year-old golfer was struck, hospitalized, and according to Steve Denning, a law enforcement technician with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, in a stable condition. A National Weather Service map shows 858 lightning bolts in San Bernardino, 228 in Western and Central Riverside County, 248 in inland San Diego County, 75 in San Diego County along the coast, and 28 in LA County. According to the Los Angeles Times, more than a total of 1,400 lightning strikes were reported in Southern California (see National Weather Service map) throughout the weekend and the following Monday of July 25-28. James Thomas, a meteorologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told the LA Times:
and sizes.” Stephens continues to coach and has involved his older daughter as well as other people in the community with whom he shares his experience. He plans to form special needs leagues in other sports
On the first full day of California’s Trade and Investment Mission to Mexico, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. and Mexican environment officials signed an agreement to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change. “California can’t do it alone and with this new partnership with Mexico we can make real progress on reducing dangerous greenhouse gases,” said Governor Brown. July 28th’s agreement was signed by Governor Brown, Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Undersecretary Rodolfo Lacy and Mexican National Forestry Commission Director General Jorge Rescala Pérez. “Mexico and California have a long and rich history of environmental cooperation, and recognize each other as strategic partners in coping with climate change challenges and protecting and preserving our natural resources. The agreement signed today will take our joint work to a whole new level of cooperation, which will reflect in tangible and concrete results that will inure to our mutual benefit,” said Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Undersecretary Rodolfo Lacy. The pact seeks to enhance cooperation through a range of
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National Weather Service map
“It’s an unusual amount of lightning strikes... for any time of year for that matter.” The lightning resulted from an unusual high-pressure system pulling hot, moist air up from the Gulf of California and Mexico towards the Southern California coastlines, explained climatologist Bill Patzert of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labora-
tory in the LA Times. “Coastal Southern California is virtually lightning proof,” he added. “Because it’s so unusual, people are not sensitized to the dangers.” Because thunderstorms are very rare in Southern California, and even less in July, lifePlease see page 3
Student Success Scholarship for special needs children baseball team coach Seven years ago, David Stephens’ daughter Gwenith was born with a birth defect that caused her to be blind. It has been a learning experience for the father, and he continues to find ways to help his daughter, including becoming the coach of a youth baseball team for special needs children.
“Coaching this team (has) changed my life forever,” said Stephens, a junior communication studies major at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). “Coaching kids (who) are blind, paralyzed, have Down Syndrome, deaf and more showed me that perfection comes in many shapes