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THE COAST NEWS
.com MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 25, NO. 15
APRIL 22, 2011
Fixes on way for shoddy heating
THISWEEK Firefighters LOVE IS ALL THEY NEED Many people are afraid
to adopt abused animals, thinking their issues are insurmountable, but experts say all it takes to turn an abused animal into a happy one is some care and affection B1
TAXING TIMES Tea Party ralliers in
Oceanside gathered to voice their opinion on government spending A3
TAKE A HIKE A local couple sets off on
a five-month trek along the Pacific Crest Trail A5
FATAL STABBING CASE UPDATE Man pleads not guilty to
fatal stabbing outside of a A8 Carlsbad pub
INSIDE
TWO SECTIONS, 44 PAGES
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Camp Pendleton News . . B12 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B16 Consumer Reports . . . . .B2 Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 Dining Guide . . . . . . . . .B10 Hot Off the Block . . . . . . A8 Legal Notices . . . . . . . . A18 Lick the Plate . . . . . . . B10 Life, Liberty & Leadership . . A4 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . B6 Odd Files . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Pet Page . . . . . . . . . . . .A10 Small Talk . . . . . . . . . . . B3 Taste of Wine . . . . . . . A10 Who’s News? . . . . . . . . . A8
HOW TO REACH US (760) 436-9737 CALENDAR SECTION: calendar@coastnewsgroup.com COMMUNITY NEWS: community@coastnewsgroup.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: letters@coastnewsgroup.com
seek help to ‘Give Burns the Boot’ CARLSBAD — Carlsbad firefighters joined 38 other departments April 13, participating in the annual Give Burns the Boot fundraiser, a countywide event in which firefighters with a boot in hand ask local commuters to donate money toward the Burn Institute. During this one-day event, hundreds of volunteer firefighters camped out at 95 intersections countywide collecting donations in their boots for the Burn Institute. “Thanks to the generous support of Carlsbad residents, our department was able to raise nearly $4,600,” said Ken Sugahara, Carlsbad Firefighters Association president. “The Carlsbad Firefighters are proud to join our brothers and sisters across San Diego and Imperial Counties to help this worthy cause.” What began as a grassroots effort backed by the fire service has been going strong for more than a decade and is now a hallmark fundraiser for the Burn Institute. Proceeds benefit Burn Institute fire and burn prevention education programs TURN TO BURN ON A16
By Wehtahnah Tucker
ENCINITAS — City Council unanimously agreed to pay for extensive repairs of the library’s heating and cooling system on April 20. The much-heralded downtown library building will need an overhaul of its heating and air-conditioning system because of shoddy initial construction according to public works employees who requested the action from the council. In fact, Bill Wilson, city management analyst, said three issues had come to the forefront and should be fixed immediately to avoid any further deterioration and eventual higher repair bills. Wilson said the most TURN TO FIXES ON A14
BOOTFUL OF HELP /6789:6;(<=7>?=@AB>7(56BB(#B7=CD>7;6(E6FF>;(6(9B7>>B(GH7F>7(*I7=8(JK(?H7(BA>(6FFLM
68(+=N>(OL7F9(BA>(OHHB(?LF;76=9>7(BH(:>F>?=B(BA>(OL7F(-F9B=BLB>(6F;(/6EI(O>PHF;($A>(#G679' Courtesy photo
Community fights cell tower installation By Wehtahnah Tucker
ENCINITAS — A battle is brewing in one of the city’s oldest planned communities, as residents face off against telecom giant Verizon in an effort to stop the installation of a cell tower. Several residents in the Village Park Townhomes II area of the city are hoping to defeat a ballot measure supported by the homeowners’ association board that would grant Verizon a 20-year lease and allow a bell tower structure with a cell tower to be placed on one of the greenbelts in the residential area. Fees from the agreement
would total $800,000 according to a letter sent to homeowners dated March 4. A handful of residents showed up to an association meeting April 19 eager to hear from Terri Brock, coordinator for the site selection firm, only to find that it had been unceremoniously cancelled. The meeting was rescheduled to the following week without explanation to members. The board of directors did not return e-mails from this reporter. Ron Flores, one of the organizers, said many of the residents just want answers about the impact of a cell
tower in the community, which extends from Glen Arbor to Village Park Way and Mountain Vista South, encompassing approximately 188 townhomes. “Should the voting members of our HOA decide to allow Verizon to use the property, we are prepared to expand our group to include a communitywide organization of Village Park residents that will focus on stopping the cell site and other such commercial interests from using our parks and green belt areas,” Flores wrote in an e-mail. “We understand the city
will not listen to any discussion that includes a healthrelated argument against a cell site,” he said. In fact, the wireless industry is protected by Article 704 of the Telecommunications Act signed by President Clinton in 1996, which prohibits arguments of potential health risks from communications towers to be made at public hearings, even if they are legitimate. Consequently, the residents are buttressing their argument with evidence that property values will decrease TURN TO TOWER ON A17
Decision on slip rental fee drawing nearer By Promise Yee
OCEANSIDE — Many feel the Harbor and Beaches Advisory Committee’s decision not to recommend an across-the-board fee increase April 18 is a positive step toward no slip fee increases. The majority no vote came after several committee members said they still had questions on the harbor budget and how maintenance projects will be prioritized. Committee members Steven Derganc, Liz Rhea, Jim Jenkins and James Gardener voted no on the proposed fee increase plan. Boat owners also questioned the proposed 33 percent fee increase and asked TURN TO SLIP ON A12
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