Corona del Mar Today: Fans give donations for Reagan statue

Donations for a statue of Ronald Reagan have poured in, with about $42,000 of the $50,000 goal pledged or in hand, City Councilman Keith Curry said.

Much of the money was collected and pledged at a Jan. 27 screening of a film about Reagan, he said.

About 300 people attended the event "that brought back many fond memories by people in the audience," he said.

"The artist was there, and the design was very well received," he said.

The statue will be placed in a public area that has yet to be determined, but possible suggestions have included the new Civic Center park or the Central Library.

Curry first suggested the City Council name a local park after Reagan, but many residents expressed concerns that parks should be named after local dignitaries. The City Council ultimately voted against two motions that would have moved the park-naming plan forward.

In January, Curry proposed creating a bank account to accept private donations for a statue.

Curry said he was aware of some residents who have said they are opposed to the statue being placed on the Civic Center grounds.

Reagan, the 40th president, would have turned 100 on Sunday. He died in June 2004 at age 93.

Choosing a site to place the statue is likely to be a topic at the next City Arts Commission meeting scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday in the Central Library Conference Room.

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Junior Lifeguard tryouts this weekend

Tryouts for the Newport Beach Junior Lifeguards program will begin Sunday at the Corona del Mar High School pool.

The dates for the 2011 swim tests will be from 9 a.m. to noon Sunday; from 9 a.m. to noon on Feb. 13; from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Feb. 15; from 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 20; and from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 22 and March 1.

The tryouts will be held rain or shine.

Returning and first time Junior Lifeguards must pass the Junior Lifeguard Swim Test at one of the scheduled tryouts, and they must present a birth certificate copy before taking the test.

Seasonal ocean lifeguard tryouts and cadet lifeguard tryouts will be held at a later date and not during the Junior Lifeguard Tryouts, lifeguard officials said.

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Hit-and-run suspect flees — right past chief

Newport Beach Police Chief Jay Johnson was on his way to work Thursday morning, listening to the police radio, when he heard a report of a hit-and-run accident.

"I just so happened to be in the right place at the right time," he said in an e-mail.