Residential Customer Del Mar CA, 92014 ECRWSS
Volume XVI, Issue 1
www.delmartimes.net
Local man grateful for organ donation ■ Plastic surgeon focuses on helping children with deformities. Page 4
■ Local woman happy to spend her days assisting seniors. Page 12
■ 2012 Eye on Science looks at cutting-edge research. Page B1
Dec. 29, 2011 Published Weekly
Classic game
SEE ORGAN, PAGE 9
High-speed rail on track, despite conflicting views Del Mar opposes, Solana Beach supports recent measure
Bob Moldenhauer received double lung transplant BY CLAIRE HARLIN editor@delmartimes.net He was in his mid-40s, a father of two, a good friend, a wonderful father and husband. That’s almost all Bob Moldenhauer knows about the man who once breathed through the same Bob lungs that Moldenhauer he now does. That, and the fact that the man had a loving wife who made a crucial decision during her last moments with him that in turn saved Moldenhauer’s life and maybe the lives of others. “One donor can save upward of eight people’s lives,” said Moldenhauer, a longtime Solana Beach resident who underwent his double lung transplant in 2009 after living for more than 11 years with pulmonary fibrosis. “It’s difficult for me to talk about my donor’s family without tearing up out of sadness for their loss and gratitude for the gift that they gave me. Despite their tragedy and sorrow, they still have this generosity in spirit to think of others in need.” While it’s not easy for Moldenhauer to talk about his transplant experience and what he and his family have gone through during his nearly 15-year struggle, he shares his story out of hope that he will urge people to become organ donors. There are more than 110,000 people in the country (and about 20,000 in California) who are ap-
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID SAN DIEGO, CA PERMIT NO. 1980
BY CLAIRE HARLIN editor@delmartimes.net Contention regarding a high-speed rail vote came somewhat as a surprise to local leaders from Solana Beach and Del Mar at a San Diego Association of Governments Board Meeting (SANDAG) on Dec. 9, and the neighboring cities stand at polar ends of the discussion. A grouped measure involving three items failed a board vote, but because it seemed the regional leaders on the board were focusing their disapproval on only one issue — the renewal of a
The Torrey Pines High School Holiday Prep Classic returned this week for its 22nd year. The Holiday Classic is a nationally sanctioned high school basketball tournament that brings together top tier high school basketball programs from California, Arizona, Washington, Texas, Utah, Hawaii and as far away as the Washington D.C. area. In an exciting game held Dec. 26, Cathedral Catholic narrowly defeated host Torrey Pines 53-51. Visit www.theholidayclassic.org. Above: TPHS Falcon Sam Worman takes a shot while Xavier Williams defends for the Dons. Right: TPHS Falcon Garrett Galvin drives toward the basket. PHOTOS: JON CLARK
memorandum of understanding (MOU) between regional stakeholders and the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) to cooperate on a plan that would connect the state’s major metropolitan areas via highspeed rail — SANDAG officials decided to conduct votes on the three issues separately. This decision, along with a changed voted from El Cajon Mayor Mark Lewis, kept the MOU alive and the voice of the SANDAG board (as well as other regional associations of gov-
SEE RAIL, PAGE 6
This metal statue of a jaguar was recently stolen.
Jaguar statue snatched BY JOE TASH Residents of a home on Stratford Court in Del Mar received a late-night Christmas visit, but not from a jolly man in a red suit and white beard. Rather, a thief or thieves stole a five-foot-long metal statue of a jaguar which weighed an estimated 120 to 150 pounds. And the theft was likely not a spurof-the-moment decision, said homeowner Scott Kurtz, because whoever took the statue would have needed bolt cutters to sever an in-
dustrial-strength cable he had used to secure the piece. Kurtz said he believes the theft occurred Sunday night while his family was sleeping inside their home. The statue had been positioned on a wall surrounding the home’s deck, a perch visible to the street and passers by. “I think the biggest reaction is that someone entered our property and stole from us. How sad that is at any time of the year, but es-
SEE JAGUAR, PAGE 6