PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
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Loren Palmer celebrates his 100th birthday with with 70 of his close friends at a luncheon in his honor at the Encinitas Senior Center Jan. 24. Asked what his secret to longevity was, he replied, “I didn’t drink, smoke, tell dirty jokes or go with girls who did!” Photo by Lillian Cox
THISWEEK ANGEL FACE
A local nonprofit helps burn victims recover from their injuries. B1
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TWO SECTIONS, 44 PAGES
Arts & Entertainment . . A11 Baby Boomer Peace . . . A18 Camp Pendleton News . . B11 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B17 Coastal Cosmos . . . . . . A14 Comics & Puzzles . . . . . B19 Eye Spy . . . . . . . . . . . . . B5 Frugal Living . . . . . . . . . A14 Hit the Road . . . . . . . . . A17 Legal Notices . . . . . . . . A16 Lick the Plate . . . . . . . . A20 Life, Liberty, Leadership A4 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . A15 Odd Files . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Pet Central . . . . . . . . . . B3 Sea Notes . . . . . . . . . . . A10 Small Talk . . . . . . . . . . . B1 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . A22 Taste of Wine . . . . . . . . B2 Who’s News? . . . . . . . . . B3
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JAN. 27, 2012
Council HAPPY helps out HUNDREDTH dancers
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VOL. 26, NO. 4
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Solar users protest proposed SDG&E charges By Bianca Kaplanek
SAN DIEGO — Dressed as solar panels and the sun while singing a rewritten version of “You Are My Sunshine,” solar energy proponents staged a peaceful demonstration at the Jan. 18 grand opening of San Diego Gas & Electric’s Energy Innovation Center to protest a proposed network-use charge for solar customers. As the 50 or so participants sang and chanted, “Solar power’s what we need. We say no to corporate greed,” “You can’t tax the mighty sun. It belongs to everyone,” and “Hey, hey, ho, ho — the solar tax has got to go,” the California Public Utilities Commission rejected the proposal, saying it could result in solar producers being double charged. SDG&E can submit a forecast of future costs to the PUC every three or four years to set TURN TO SOLAR ON A23
Demonstrators line SDG&E's Innovation Center Jan. 18 to protest a proposed charge for solar customers. Photo by Bianca Kaplanek
By Christina Macone-Greene
CARLSBAD — City Council unanimously approved a Winning Team Grant of $4,100 to the Carlsbad High School Xcalibur Dance Team Jan. 24. The monies will go toward the team’s travel expenses in February when they will be vying for high scores at the Universal Dance Association National Dance Team Championships in Orlando, Fla. This is the first time the Xcalibur Dance Team, a junior varsity squad, has ever competed nationally and was steadfast with a vision on how to get there. The team has been Universal Dance Association West Coast Champions in the past, but they wanted to reach greater heights. “At the beginning of the year, we decided that we were going to try and see whether we could raise the funds to be able to get the Xcalibur Dance Team to nationals,” said Mike Moeller, nationals coordinator for the dance team. “First, they needed to qualify at a dance camp of June of last year.” And the girls qualified at the Palm Springs Resort Camp. City staff member Courtney Enriquez made the presentation to City Council highlighting that the $4,100 grant request did meet all the criteria and eligibility requirements. Enriquez pointed out that the Palm Springs competition resulted in an invitation to the nationals. The travel expenses price tag for 19 team members and two coaches is estimated at around $27,909. Moeller said they already raised $23,813 of that amount. The team earned that money through fundraisers such as a golf tournament, ArtSplash, family contributions and business sponsors. Among its long list of business donors are The Daily News Café, Paon and Catch TURN TO DANCERS ON A19