Playwright seeks to tell story, not effect change
SOLANA BEACH — If the North Coast Repertory Theatre had had a curtain, playwright Melinda Lopez would have been a bundle of nerves before it went up. As it was, Lopez was still a bundle of nerves when the theater’s lights dimmed and the stage lights slowly surged on, revealing the world premiere of her play, [...]
Sharrows soon to make their mark in Solana Beach
SOLANA BEACH — Motorists traveling south along Coast Highway 101 in Solana Beach may soon notice — if they haven’t already — new markings that look like a bike with a roof over it. They’re called sharrows and they indicate lanes may be used simultaneously by motorists and bicyclists. The markings — a bike with two [...]
City OKs changes to land-use plan
SOLANA BEACH — Despite objections from several bluff-top homeowners and an attorney representing them and about 2,000 others in a lawsuit against the city, council voted 4-1 at the May 22 meeting to approve amendments to a plan they adopted in February that will allow more control over development in Solana Beach. Resident and attorney Jon [...]
Column: Changing the odds by changing schools
In the world of standardized student testing, Elisa Fregoso has won the Lottery. A respected principal, who has been involved with public education for two decades, Fregoso’s school last year scored a paltry 678 on the state Academic Performance Index that measures how much kids are learning. That’s 678 on a scale to 1,000, a scale [...]
Column: With construction end in sight, some seeing hope
The sidewalks are wider, diagonal parking spots more plentiful and landscaped medians more attractive. But not every merchant on Highway 101 in Solana Beach is jumping for joy over the imminent end of a $7 million street improvement project that caused months of traffic delays and chased away an untold number of customers. In fact, some [...]
Solana Beach OKs beach replenishment project
SOLANA BEACH — City Council unanimously agreed at the May 8 meeting to send a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers supporting a proposed 50-year sand replenishment project that has been in the works for more than a decade. The goal of the Solana Beach-Encinitas Coastal Storm Damage Project, a joint effort between the [...]
Sophie Barker discovers new sound, voice
SOLANA BEACH — This month, singer Sophie Barker and her band, along with fellow British alt-music group The Egg are embarking on a West Coast tour.A former singer with Zero 7 and Groove Armada, Barker said she was excited to be venturing into new territories and had the idea that the two groups should do [...]
Solana Beach City Council takes no action on gun control petition
SOLANA BEACH — Presented with a petition from a small local church requesting action on five items to potentially reduce the likelihood of gun violence, City Council members opted at the April 24 meeting to limit their involvement to a discussion and put the matter on a future agenda if there is a request to [...]
‘The Odd Couple’ moves in at NC Rep
SOLANA BEACH — Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple,” — go ahead, try not to hum the theme song to the ‘70s sitcom of the same name — or think of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau bickering in the 1968 big screen adaptation, if you’re old enough, that is.If you’re not, then the Broadway comedy of [...]
Solana Beach hears update on Army Corps sand project, OKs $150k
SOLANA BEACH — The fate of a joint project between Encinitas, Solana Beach and the Army Corps of Engineers that has been in the works for more than 10 years will be decided by the end of 2013, according to an update provided during the April 10 Solana Beach City Council meeting. “It will come to [...]
