Navy

NEWPORT BEACH — When Renée Arst was a few years old, her father, Phil Arst, would take her to the beach sometimes and walk her around on his shoulders. From her point of view, the world looked like an enchanting place. Phil Arst no longer towered over his daughter physically as she grew older, but she remained in awe of him in different ways. She watched her father become one of the most dedicated community activists in Newport Beach. She enjoyed his adventurous spirit as he traveled the world and brought his family with him. And she saw his mettle late in life when he battled illness, underwent a liver transplant and still kept working hard.

Paul Clinton Local officials remain guardedly optimistic about an L.A. bid to resurrect an airport plan for the closed El Toro Marine Corps Air Base, although officials with the U.S. Navy say they still plan to sell the land off. "It's wait and see at this point," Costa Mesa Mayor Gary Monahan said Friday. "L.A.'s got more clout [in Washington, D.C.] than Orange County. ... I'm sure [Irvine Mayor] Larry Agran isn't too happy about it." Earlier this month, a letter surfaced in which L.A. Mayor James K. Hahn secretly asked the federal government if Los Angeles World Airports, the agency that runs Los Angeles International Airport, could run an airport at El Toro.

The 161-foot schooner Goodwill was one of the largest yachts ever to make her home in Newport Harbor. Designed by H.J. Gielow, she was built for Keith Spaulding of the sporting goods family by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. in Delaware and launched in 1922. She made two Atlantic crossings and an extended cruise to the South Pacific under the Spauldings. In October 1942, the Navy leased Goodwill from Spaulding for $1 a year. She was commissioned as a regular Navy vessel to operate on offshore patrol.

Adams: Yes. Students wear blue bottoms and white shirt. Even with a waiver, children cannot wear shirts with logos or messages. Andersen: No. Uniforms voted down in spring. Parents will vote again this year. California: No. College Park: Optional uniforms. Davis Education Center: No. Eastbluff: Yes. Students wear khaki or navy bottoms and white shirt. About 80% of students wear the uniform that has been in place since the school reopened.

Navy Airman Brandon G. Roldan, a 2001 graduate of Costa Mesa High School was recently assigned to a mission in the Caribbean aboard the amphibious assault ship Saipan. Roldan and his shipmates will are slated to be part of "New Horizons," which the Navy described as a humanitarian assistance exercise in Haiti. During the two-month mission, the Navy is scheduled to help rebuild schools and wells and give medical aid to victims of Hurricane Jeanne. Roldan joined the Navy in August 2001.

Ronald A. Smith of Newport Beach, CA passed away Friday, December 24, 2010 after a long illness.  He was born in Fresno, CA on April 26, 1927.  Ron attended Fresno State University, after which he joined the Navy.  Upon discharge from the Navy he became involved in a number of businesses until he found his real passion in the late 50’s in the aviation industry.  Ron was instrumental in introducing the farming community in Central California to the use of helicopters for agricultural purposes where he eventually founded Whirl-Wide Helicopters, a pioneer in airlift engineering.

Joseph N. Bell (The Bell Curve, "The Game's Not Over on El Toro Airport," Thursday) makes a serious mistake to suggest that the Navy intends to avoid the zoning requirements legislated in Measure W. Selling the base property -- through a General Services Administration auction -- will end its status as federal property. Like all local property, it will be subject to local zoning. The zoning applicable to the former base property is Measure W. That means that any buyer must use the property mostly for parkland and open space, with only those supplementary uses permitted by Measure W. The only consequence of selling the property, rather than giving it away, is that a sale will put money in the Base Closure Fund.

If you are planning on sailing into summer in style, check out the nautical look available at Newport's Draper and Damon's store at Westcliff Plaza. With Memorial Day weekend upon us, the summer season is here. Affordable and stylish casual summer wear, perfect for weekend boating, al fresco parties and summer travel, is the hallmark of the Draper and Damon's marketing effort. They enjoy a very long tradition of pleasing loyal customers, including our model Ginny Graney, who has been shopping at the store since 1968.

Navy Fireman Thomas A. Dickinson, son of Dan A. Dickinson of Newport Beach, recently departed for a six-month deployment while assigned to the aircraft carrier Enterprise, which has more than 6,500 sailors and Marines. The Enterprise is home based in Norfolk, VA. Dickinson joined the Navy in January 2002 ... Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Stephen E. Rodriguez, a 2000 graduate of Estancia High School, also recently departed for a six-month deployment while assigned to the USS Enterprise.

Whirly Girls has appointed Kim Caronia of Newport Coast as its first Southern California regional manager. Whirly Girls is known for cause-related jewelry designs, which were included as a gift in the 2002 Grammys "goodie bags." ... Katie Francis of Costa Mesa recently graduated with a bachelor's degree this past spring quarter from Western Washington University ... Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Jason A. Ready, son of Debbie A. Ready of Costa Mesa, recently made a port visit to the city of Suva, Fiji while on a seven-month deployment to the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf during an assignment to the USS O'Kane, which is home ported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Army and Navy Academy Cadet Ryan Thomas has received the Silver A. Established by the academy in 1943 as the highest of its recognitions, the award grants honorees with more privileges and freedoms at the oceanfront campus in Carlsbad. Thomas, a senior at the school and a Newport Beach resident, is the grandson of the late John Crean, the noted Newport Beach philanthropist who, along with his wife, enriched the city with the Donna and John Crean Mariners Branch Library, among other contributions.

The Navy SEALs Challenge is meant for high school athletes, but the Costa Mesa Aquatics Club's 10U and 12U teams accepted the challenge. The kids ages 8-12 met the challenge and posted some quality times on Thursday. The polo players were told that their regular practice was going to be turned into the challenge and the kids showed up enthused and determined to finish and finish well. The kids ran one mile, did as many sit-ups, push-ups and pull-ups in a two-minute span and then swam 500 yards.

NEWPORT BEACH - World War II veteran Bert Melvin served in 10 major battles during his three years in the Pacific. He shot kamikaze pilots out of the sky, dug mass graves in Okinawa and patrolled Nagasaki only a month after the U.S. dropped its second atomic bomb on Japan. He also helped release 9,000 prisoners of war. "He's my hero," said Bert's son, Gary Melvin. That's why Gary, 52, submitted a name in honor of his 88-year-old father in Balboa Boat Rentals' contest to name two of its new 18-foot Duffy boats.

The U.S. military was said to be "evaluating the options" regarding a possible rescue of a former Newport Beach couple and two other Americans taken hostage by Somali pirates. A military source told CNN that a U.S. Navy warship and helicopters were trailing a boat believed to be the hijacked yacht. On Friday, a distress signal was sent by a yacht from the middle of the Indian Ocean, according to AFP, the French news agency. The hijacking was first reported by Ecoterra International, which monitors regional maritime activity.

Ronald A. Smith of Newport Beach, CA passed away Friday, December 24, 2010 after a long illness.  He was born in Fresno, CA on April 26, 1927.  Ron attended Fresno State University, after which he joined the Navy.  Upon discharge from the Navy he became involved in a number of businesses until he found his real passion in the late 50’s in the aviation industry.  Ron was instrumental in introducing the farming community in Central California to the use of helicopters for agricultural purposes where he eventually founded Whirl-Wide Helicopters, a pioneer in airlift engineering.

IRVINE — The U.S. Navy did not detect toxins beneath the former El Toro Marine Base's runways and progress is steadily being made on a plume of contamination beneath other sections of the former base, residents were told at last week's City Council meeting. The Navy plans to reevaluate its findings every five years, and if traces of trichloroethylene (TCE), a chemical solvent used on the base in the 1970s, are detected in new areas, the Navy will continue to clean it up, said Jim Callian, Navy Base Realignment and Closure environmental coordinator for El Toro.

The sentencing of two Newport Coast men who pleaded guilty to selling counterfeit electronics to the U.S. Navy was pushed back until at least November, federal officials said Wednesday. Mustafa Aljaff, 30, and Neil Felahy, 32, could be sentenced to 2.5 years and three years in federal prison, respectively, for selling counterfeit semiconductors to the military that were not military grade. Semiconductors are tiny integrated circuits used in everything from medical equipment to aircraft.

Edward Louis Armstrong, a World War II and Korean War veteran and longtime Laguna Beach resident, died May 10. He was 86. The Laguna Beach Patriots Day Parade Committee in 2002 recognized Capt. Armstrong's service to his country as a submariner when he was named Patriot of the Year. The award is conferred on a Laguna Beach resident who has served the country gallantly or meritoriously in time of war or national emergency. Armstrong moved to Laguna Beach in 1963 and was twice elected president of the Laguna Beach Taxpayers Assn.

Two members of a Newport Beach family are scheduled to be sentenced to prison this summer after pleading guilty to selling counterfeit electronics to the military. Mustafa Abdul Aljaff, 30, of Newport Coast, and Neil Felahy, 32, pleaded guilty in federal court in Washington on Jan. 13, as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors for buying counterfeit semiconductors and selling them to the Navy as military-grade components. A third defendant, Neil’s wife, Marwah Felahy, 32, was also charged.

U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach), Navy SEAL Matthew McCabe and a group of former Special Forces personnel held a news conference March 4 on Capitol Hill calling on the Pentagon to drop charges against McCabe and two fellow SEALs accused of assaulting an Iraqi. The Iraqi, Ahmed Hashim Abed, is an al-Qaeda leader who was behind the 2004 killing and mutilation of four American contractors, whose bodies were dragged through the streets of Fallouja, Iraq, and hung from a bridge there, according to a news release posted on the congressman’s website.