News From Ocean Beach and Point Loma – Early January 2017

Progress at Apple Tree Market on Newport

Some important progress at the Apple Tree Market on Newport. Photos by South OB Girl.

These photos by South OB Girl display the progress made at the Apple Tree Market that will open (someday) on Newport Avenue. OB residents have been waiting for the fresh food store to re-emerge after years of delay since the old store closed (where CVS is now).

Community Beach Cleanup – Jan. 7th

On January 7th from 9am to 12pm, Cleanups For Change, a local nonprofit, is hosting a beach cleanup, and is inviting volunteers to meet up at Pizza Port in Ocean Beach, located at 1956 Bacon St.

Larry Himmell Remembered in Son’s Foundation

Larry Himmel, a local character and news reporter who bartended in OB, was 68 when he died. After moving to San Diego in the 1970s, he did stand-up at the Comedy Store in La Jolla. In 1979, he was hired as a feature reporter at KFMB-TV’s Channel 8 news. In 1985, Himmel launched a sketch comedy and interview show called “San Diego at Large.” The prime-time series’ most popular recurring sketch was the adventures of “Biff and Skippy,” a clueless duo of awkward surf bums played by Himmel and comedian Rick Rockwell. The series was canceled after three years, but Himmel is still widely remembered as “Biff” and he went on to become the station’s longest-serving human interest reporter.  His son, Miles, of OB, is now leading a foundation in his father’s name that aims to help ordinary San Diegans in need.

“We operate on the philosophy of ‘what would Larry do’,” said Miles. Since the Larry Himmel Neighborhood Foundation achieved nonprofit status in February, Miles has organized a number of small charitable efforts in communities countywide. The foundation donated sporting equipment to grade-school classrooms, provided a trip to SeaWorld for needy preschoolers and offered free back-to-school haircuts for kids, to name a few. San Diego U-T

Local Muralist Puts Brush to Wall – Paints Storefront

The paint brushes of Celeste Byers have graced another wall in OB. We’ve been showcasing Byers’ murals of late. The storefront of Often Wander is at 4993 Niagara Ave, Unit 105.

Silver Gate Students Get New Crosswalk

Elementary students will return to campus after winter break with a new safety feature when walking home across Catalina Blvd. in Point Loma. The cross walk will be at the intersection of Catalina Blvd. and Orchard Avenue on the south west corner. The intersection is located behind Silver Gate Elementary School. Pedestrian safety is extremely important throughout the city of San Diego, especially near our schools. The Vision Zero plan to eliminate all traffic deaths by 2025 was adopted by the City Council last year.  The plan calls for more visible crosswalks and signage along with pedestrian countdown timers, audible pedestrian signals, street lighting, and flashing beacons to help make pedestrians and drivers more aware. CW6

OB’s Serial Sharpie Tagger – “Mama Bear” – Gets Some Press

OB citizens are having trouble with the neighborhood’s serial Sharpie tagger, “Mama Bear”, and complaints about her incessant writings with a sharpie on public property along the coast have outraged locals and businesses to the point of exasperation. Channel 10News just did a spot on her Wednesday, and anti-graffiti activist turned writer, Delinda Lombardo , has a new piece about her in the San Diego Reader.

Sensory Deprivation in OB?

Nikki Ruesch is a co-owner of Reset Float Therapy on Newport Ave, which has been open for 3 months.  She and her business partner both live in OB and they think that OBceans will enjoy their Sensory Deprivation Float Tank. What?  They call it Float Therapy – where you float effortlessly in body temperature water and 1000 lbs of epsom salt with no light, no sound, no smell, and no touch. She says that since the water is the same temperature as your skin, your mind will cancel out the feel of the water. You can see what happens to the mind when the brain does not have to process any information. Float Therapy is definitely a different kind of experience, so check out ther  website at www.resetmindbody.com for more information regarding Sensory Deprivation Float Therapy. They can be found at 4967 Newport Ave, Ste. 10.

Now La Jollans Are Upset with Planned Flight Route Changes

Maybe things will change now vis a vis all the complaints that OBceans and Point Lomans have made about the recent FAA flight route changes for San Diego’s Airport, because now residents of La Jolla are upset. The La Jolla Light has an article worth checking out as it does go into some depth on the complaint process. Here’s one quote:

La Jolla Shores resident Karen Marshall said, “I cannot tell you how angry I am that these changes have been made. I lived in Point Loma for 20 years and I knew when I bought my house in Point Loma that there would be airplanes, so how dare the FAA come in and make these changes without letting anyone know. I’m devastated and I have not been able to sleep.”

Suspect Jumped into San Diego River in Midway Area – Refused to Leave Sandbar

A suspect fleeing from police in the Midway area Wednesday Jan. 4th plunged into the nearby San Diego River, then swam to a small island where he took refuge until officers and lifeguards were able to reach him by boat. The man, whose identity was not immediately available, bolted when patrol personnel tried to detain him in the 4000 block of Sports Arena Boulevard shortly after 10 a.m. After the suspect escaped into the water, police recruited members of a city lifeguard river-rescue team to ferry them to the islet where the fugitive had taken roost. Officers aboard the inflatable boat debarked and took him into custody without further incident about 10:45 a.m., Hodge said. It was not immediately clear why police had sought to contact the man in the first place. Times of San Diego

Worries About the Eucalyptus in Loma Portal

Shelly Schwartlander has been living at the Point Loma Tennis Club since 1991. The complex, built in 1968, sits on 13 acres and has approximately 260 trees of many different species. But it’s the eucalyptus trees that keep Schwartlander awake at night. She says they are overgrown with heavy branches and the roots have been removed. SD Reader

Sleeping Toddler in Jeep Stolen in Point Loma Heights Found After Thief Calls Cops

A toddler sleeping in the back seat of a stolen SUV was found safe half an hour later Saturday night, San Diego police said. The 19-month old child was unharmed, still in the SUV abandoned a short distance from where the thief took it in the Point Loma Heights neighborhood. One of the child’s parents called 911 at 8:08 p.m. and said their son was missing along with their black Jeep Patriot, police Officer Robert Heims said. The car was stolen from West Point Loma Boulevard near Famosa Boulevard. No description of the thief was given. Officers started looking for the Jeep and trying to track a cellphone left in the vehicle. But in less than 10 minutes, someone called police to report finding the child in the Jeep. Heims said the caller’s description of the vehicle’s location was not clear and it took officers until 8:40 p.m. to find it. The Jeep was near the Mariner’s Cove Apartments on West Point Loma near Rialto Street. Officers found the cellphone in some bushes not far from the Jeep, Heims said. He said the car thief may have realized there was a child in the back seat and made the call to police so the toddler would be found. San Diego U-T