Residential Customer Del Mar CA, 92014 ECRWSS
Volume XV, Issue 24
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June 9, 2011 Published Weekly
Del Mar appoints interim city manager BY MARLENA MEDFORD Staff Writer Mark Ochenduszko, the retired city manager for the city of Coronado, has been named the interim city manager for the city of Del Mar.
■ DM woman honored for her contributions to plant science. Page 8
■ Stanford-bound local student amasses $30K in scholarships. Page 12
During its June 6 meeting, the Del Mar City Council unanimously decided to bring him onboard for a sixmonth agreement, which will pay him $15,000 per month without benefits. The agreement, which be-
Savoring the start of summer
things that are of interest to you,” Ochenduszko told council after it appointed him to the position. “I think they’re all good for the city of Del Mar, and I look forward to being a part of your team for the months
now heads to the Assembly for consideration. The I-5 expansion project included an option that would add up to six lanes to this strip of the freeway, however, SB 468 supports SEE TRANSIT, PAGE 7
SEE RELIGIOUS, PAGE 6
Senate approves transit bill
ahead.” Ochenduszko was the city manager for the city of Coronado from 1999 through 2010. During his time there, he oversaw SEE MANAGER, PAGE 18
High school district rejects charges of religious discrimination BY MARSHA SUTTON Senior Education Reporter Objections to activities at four schools in the San Dieguito Union High School District have been raised in separate communications to the district by Dean Broyles, president of the Western Center for Law & Policy in Escondido. “I’ve been contacted by a number of parents,” Broyles said. “We have four or five issues in the same district which is very extraordinary.” Torrey Pines High School, Carmel Valley Middle School, Earl Warren Middle School and Diegueno Middle School in Encinitas have all been named by Broyles, who complained that discrimination in various forms against Christian students was occurring at the middle schools and that
Ethan Bruch and Emerson Boyle sample ice cream at the Summer Kickoff Beach Party held June 5 at Powerhouse Park. The party was sponsored by the Children’s and Hospitality Committees of the Del Mar Foundation. See page B14. Photo/Jon Clark
BY MARLENA MEDFORD STAFF WRITER State Senator Christine Kehoe’s legislation SB 468, which requires improved transit as part of any expansion of Interstate-5 from La Jolla to Oceanside, has passed the state Senate by a vote of 24-15 and
■ Local couple creates business, nonprofit that help orphans. Page B1
gins July 1, will be on a month-to-month basis, and may be renewed. “[The Del Mar City Council has] a very ambitious agenda. I look forward to being a part of that, and helping you accomplish the
Islam textbook controversy continues BY MARSHA SUTTON Senior Education Reporter As the San Dieguito Union High School District responds to complaints concerning religious freedom from the Western Center for Law & Policy, the challenge to the seventh-grade social studies textbook and its discussion of Islam in Chapters 3 and 4 continues to churn. The authors of a document citing 22 instances where they say Islam is misrepresented appeared on a recent radio talk show and said the school district asked them last year to prepare a supplemental curriculum for use in the classroom. SEE ISLAM, PAGE 7
Animal rights activists allege elephant abuse
BY MARLENA MEDFORD STAFF WRITER Have Trunk Will Travel, a company that provides elephant rides at the San Diego County Fair, is being accused of serious abuse by a
group of animal rights activists. An undercover video that was recently released by Animal Defenders International (ADI) purportedly shows a trainer striking a
baby elephant with a sharpended heavy stick known as a bullhook. That elephant was later featured in the current blockbuster “Water For Elephants,” and therefore the allegations of abuse have
garnered international attention. During the June 7 board meeting of the 22nd District Agricultural Association (22nd DAA), spokespeople from ADI, People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the San Diego-based Animal Protection and Rescue League all publicly spoke out against the SEE ELEPHANT, PAGE 19