NEWPORT BEACH
Boaters and Harbor Patrol discuss racing permits
A plan aimed at easing tensions between sailboat enthusiasts and the Newport Beach Harbor Patrol by issuing permits for boat races is gaining momentum.
The permits would allow boaters to exceed speed limits in the harbor during races. The Newport Beach Harbor Commission voted last week to support the plan.
Harbormaster Deana Bergquist said she wants more information before forming an opinion on the proposal. Bergquist maintains that the Harbor Patrol already has its own process for scheduling and permitting special events in Newport Harbor.
Under the special event permit proposal, the city would allow racers to sail faster than posted speed limits in the harbor based on weather conditions and the judgment of racing committees.
The plan will go next to the city attorney’s office for further research.
Die-hard Indiana Jones fans camped out this week in front of the Edwards Big Newport theater, awaiting the first midnight screening of “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”
With its 40-by-80-foot screen, Edwards Big Newport was one of the last large-screen theaters to be built in Southern California.
Film buffs flocked to the movie house in years past for the premieres of the last three “Star Wars” films. The fans braved sweltering temperatures in the upper 80s over the weekend as they camped out in front of the theater.
COSTA MESA
Golf tournament nets about $4,000 for high schools
The Kiwanis Club of Costa Mesa’s sixth annual golf tournament to benefit Costa Mesa and Estancia high schools raised about $4,000, organizers said.
Players shot a round of golf in parties of four at Costa Mesa’s 18-hole Mesa Linda municipal golf course, then adjourned to the Newport Rib Co. for a buffet dinner.
The fundraiser will help the schools maintain programs that help prepare students for college that might not otherwise be possible because of recent budget cuts, Estancia High School Principal Phil D’Agostino said.
A group of three Costa Mesa soldiers came back from a nine-month tour in Iraq where they trained the Iraqi police.
Nelson Benavides, Tony Vo and Jeeandy Morales flew into John Wayne Airport and were greeted by family members holding posters and balloons. All three men want to become Costa Mesa police officers.
