Young Boys

Those youths who want to get involved in community service while learning a range of tools and talents have their opportunity this week when the Orange County Council for Boy Scouts of American begins its spring recruitment campaign at local middle schools Saturday through April 23. Young boys are invited to become a cub scout or boy scout by registering at local schools. Registration costs $20 and includes insurance cost, handbook and subscription to ?Boy?s Life Magazine.? Those who register at this week?

Families settle in Veches case The city of Newport Beach has settled claims made by parents of three boys who said they were inappropriately touched by a former recreation coordinator who supervised the city's after-school programs and holiday camps. The settlements are contingent on the court's approving them on Feb. 6. Trenton Veches was sentenced to life in prison on July 11 for sucking the toes of several young boys enrolled in the city's programs.

Deepa Bharath Opening arguments are expected to begin today in the trial of Trenton Michael Veches, the former Newport Beach recreation coordinator accused of inappropriately touching several young boys who were enrolled in the city's programs. Veches, 32, of Huntington Beach, was arrested in April 2002 and faces 28 felony counts of lewd contact with minors and one misdemeanor count of possessing child pornography. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS Woman still critical after 2-story fall A 29-year-old woman remained in critical condition Monday after she jumped on a bed and fell out an open window by accident early Friday morning, officials said. The woman, whose name has not been released because her family hasn't been notified, was attending a party Thursday night at a home in the 200 block of Walnut Street, said Newport Beach Police Lt. John Klein. The incident happened at about 3 a.m. Friday, when the woman was jumping on a bed in a second-story room, he said.

Deepa Bharath Parents of three young boys allegedly molested by a former Newport Beach recreation coordinator have sued the city for negligence and negligent hiring, court documents show. The plaintiffs, whose names the Pilot is withholding to protect the children's identities, filed a lawsuit Dec. 11 in Orange County Superior Court against former city employee Trenton Veches and the city. In the suit, they say city officials failed to notice Veches' alleged crimes, which police say had been happening for at least two years before April 2002.

Young Chang BALBOA PENINSULA -- A two-alarm fire destroyed a Balboa Peninsula home Saturday afternoon, but residents got out unharmed. The Rev. Tom Pendell, a pastor at the Christ Church by the Sea, wife Carol Pendell, granddaughter Alysha Pendell and their cat Sasha evacuated the house before fire officials arrived at about 3:15 p.m. But as firefighters drenched the Ocean Boulevard home, flashovers continued to sprout in bedrooms on both floors.

Paul Saitowitz Even in the height of darkness, some still have the ability to see the light. "The Boys of Buchenwald" is the story of more than 400 young boys, orphaned by the perilous events of the Holocaust, who are sent to a children's home in France to try and reassemble some sort of normalcy and pick up the pieces of their childhood. Although difficult to deal with and rather dysfunctional at first, many of the boys eventually find their way back into society and go on to live productive healthy lives.

With their neon green capes, it will be hard for spectators at the OC Marathon to miss members of the CureDuchenne Crusaders, who will take to the streets of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa today to raise awareness for a terminal genetic disease that strikes young boys and has no cure. “These boys aren’t old enough to speak out about their disease, so we have to speak for them, and we try to be obnoxious as we can with our neon green capes,” said Newport Beach resident Debra Miller, who founded CureDuchenne with her husband, Paul Miller, after their son was diagnosed with the disease in 2002.

The lights dimmed, bells chimed, and the ballroom doors opened at The Balboa Bay Club and Resort. It was the night before Christmas Eve and some 60 young boys in red blazers, white shirts and black ties entered in formation carrying electronic candles and winding their way through the dinner audience of some 250 guests who had come to continue a Newport Beach holiday tradition. For the past decade, The All American Boys Chorus of Costa Mesa has graced the “Night before Christmas Eve” dinner at The Balboa Bay Club, attracting families and uniting multiple generations over a holiday feast of turkey and all the trimmings prepared by the club’s executive chef Josef Lagader and his staff.

Deepa Bharath The city has settled one of five claims made by parents of boys inappropriately touched by a former recreation coordinator who supervised the city's after-school programs and holiday camps. Officials declined to say which of the claims has been settled out of court because the agreement is sealed. Trenton Veches was sentenced to life in prison on July 11 for sucking the toes of several young boys enrolled in the city's programs.

If all goes well, Newport Beach moms Mindy Cameron and Debra Miller will wake up about 1 a.m. Sunday at Camp Muir, about 10,000 feet above sea level on the southeastern flank of Mt. Rainier just outside Seattle, to climb another 4,000 feet through snow fields and over icy crevasses in total darkness. The mountaineers climb before dawn while the ice and snow is still firm and cold. “They say that you would never do it if you saw what you were climbing over,” Miller said.

With their neon green capes, it will be hard for spectators at the OC Marathon to miss members of the CureDuchenne Crusaders, who will take to the streets of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa today to raise awareness for a terminal genetic disease that strikes young boys and has no cure. “These boys aren’t old enough to speak out about their disease, so we have to speak for them, and we try to be obnoxious as we can with our neon green capes,” said Newport Beach resident Debra Miller, who founded CureDuchenne with her husband, Paul Miller, after their son was diagnosed with the disease in 2002.

Young boys gathered around a fenced area in a Costa Mesa parking lot, watching intently and cheering. Inside the fence, the air was thick and hot with action, even as the evening turned colder and cloudier. It was the third annual Save Our Youth Street-Soccer Tournament, an intramural event in which city youth are allotted the time and the space to compete in one of their favorite sports. The idea was simple: gather young boys from the economically disadvantaged pockets of the city and give them an avenue to positively channel their energies.

The lights dimmed, bells chimed, and the ballroom doors opened at The Balboa Bay Club and Resort. It was the night before Christmas Eve and some 60 young boys in red blazers, white shirts and black ties entered in formation carrying electronic candles and winding their way through the dinner audience of some 250 guests who had come to continue a Newport Beach holiday tradition. For the past decade, The All American Boys Chorus of Costa Mesa has graced the “Night before Christmas Eve” dinner at The Balboa Bay Club, attracting families and uniting multiple generations over a holiday feast of turkey and all the trimmings prepared by the club’s executive chef Josef Lagader and his staff.

Those youths who want to get involved in community service while learning a range of tools and talents have their opportunity this week when the Orange County Council for Boy Scouts of American begins its spring recruitment campaign at local middle schools Saturday through April 23. Young boys are invited to become a cub scout or boy scout by registering at local schools. Registration costs $20 and includes insurance cost, handbook and subscription to ?Boy?s Life Magazine.? Those who register at this week?

Brandon Fetta and the 15-year-old boy he is advocating for enjoy their “monding” time. Whether that word even exists is irrelevant, Fetta said, because the “male bonding” it represents is as real as it gets. Fetta, 26, is a trained volunteer with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Orange County, a nonprofit agency that recruits, trains and supervises community volunteers who mentor and support children who are victims of severe abuse, abandonment or neglect.

Local police gathered with parents and teachers Wednesday at Lincoln Elementary in Corona del Mar to discuss the dangers of social networking on the Internet for today’s kids. The subject hit very close to home for a number of parents, having just heard the news of the assault that one Newport Beach girl endured at the hands of a group of Newport Harbor High School students. The assault, which went down at Pinkley Park on Ogle Street, was videotaped and posted by one of the students on MySpace and YouTube.

In the middle of the night, wild screams roused Quinton Bates The 11-year-old discovered that his 2-year-old sister, Kacey was suffering a diabetic seizure. As his mother attended to her, Quinton and called 9-1-1, calmly giving the dispatcher the details. He saved Kacey’s life. “My mom was screaming, too, so I got scared, but I stayed calm,” he said. “I was scared, but I wasn’t yelling or anything.” Newport Beach police, UC Irvine athletes and other officials gathered Friday to honor Quinton of Inglewood, as well as 12-year-old Nathan Perry of Rancho Santa Margarita and 10-year-old Lamar Sanford of Inglewood, for their bravery at the 2007 Southern California 9-1-1 Heroes Awards Ceremony.

Jeff Benson A line of cameras followed their every move and the four young boys took turns booting the ball with all the spunk they could muster. The hapless goaltender fell victim to every single goal-scoring shot. Parents were invited to see their children's progress Monday at the last session of the "Successful Little Athlete" team soccer and T-ball class, operated through Newport Beach Recreation Services inside the Bonita Creek Community Center.

Paul Saitowitz Even in the height of darkness, some still have the ability to see the light. "The Boys of Buchenwald" is the story of more than 400 young boys, orphaned by the perilous events of the Holocaust, who are sent to a children's home in France to try and reassemble some sort of normalcy and pick up the pieces of their childhood. Although difficult to deal with and rather dysfunctional at first, many of the boys eventually find their way back into society and go on to live productive healthy lives.