Oceanside: Air Force Flies to Interface for Help
Interface Displays & Controls Inc., a certified woman-owned small business, recently delivered newly designed data entry panels to the U.S. Air Force.
According to the company, the panels use new materials that significantly improve reliability to improve the A-10 War & #173;fighter, while reducing maintenance costs. The company did not disclose financial details of the agreement.
Interface has been engineering and manufacturing products for the military aviation industry for 29 years. The company specializes in the design and manufacturing of cockpit controls, display devices, data transfer systems, rugged computing devices, and keyboards for military and commercial aircraft.
, Pat Broderick
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Vista: Rancho’s Effort to Sell Beer Not Easy as ABC
Rancho Vista Car Wash at 600 Hacienda Drive is now able to sell beer and wine after receiving City Council approval for its license from the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control on Aug. 14.
The business’s application was opposed by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, which said the area had an above average crime rate. Among the conditions attached to the license are a ban on advertising the availability of alcoholic beverages and prohibiting both the sale of beverages through a pass-out window and the presence of coin-operated video machines on the premises.
, Mike Allen
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National City: Concert to Be Music to Firms’ & #8201;Ears
Businesses will have an opportunity to market their wares at the National City Bayfront Expo & Concert scheduled for 2 to 7 p.m. Sept. 8 at Pepper Park on the Bay.
The event, being hosted by the city and the Chamber of Commerce, also will feature food, children’s activities, live bands and multicultural dance.
For more info, contact the chamber at (619) 477-9339.
, Pat Broderick
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Carlsbad: NTN Creates Buzz With Poker Game
NTN Buzztime Inc., a developer and distributor of a televised network of Play Along TV trivia, sports and casino games played in 4,000 bars and restaurants across the United States and England, introduced a new Texas Hold’em Poker game in early August. The game features a virtual card table at which 10 players can compete simultaneously in each location.
The game is similar to the rules of the traditional game, as each player is dealt two “pocket” cards and can use five “community” cards to form a five-card poker hand. In this new version, Buzztime introduces virtual players called “bots,” which fill available seats at the virtual table and increase the level of competition.
Introduced in June 2005, Texas Hold’em became Buzztime’s most popular game, with more than 10 million hours of play in its first year.
, Connie Lewis
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Lemon Grove: Mom Puts Children’s Fitness First
Margie Garcia, a mother of three, is waging a war against childhood obesity in San Diego. Garcia planned to launch an event called Childhood Obesity Awareness Day during the Aug. 25 grand opening of the Kids Fitness Studio here.
Kids Fitness Studio offers free weekly and twice-weekly fitness and nutrition counseling for children. The gym features fitness equipment, including treadmills and stationary bicycles, designed for 4- to 10-year-olds.
“The first annual Childhood Obesity Awareness Day truly highlights the number one health concern today,” said Garcia, owner of the fitness studio. “I challenge parents to join me, and empower and educate themselves on what a healthier and more active future can mean for their children.”
Garcia plans to open six more Kids Fitness Studios in San Diego in the next year.
, Michelle Mowad
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Solana Beach: Comments Invited on Cedros Project
On Aug. 17, the city released for public review an amended draft environmental impact report for the Cedros Crossing project.
Revisions were made to several sections, including the executive summary, project description, aesthetics, geology and coastal processes, and cumulative impacts, according to a news release.
The proposed project includes construction of a parking facility for the train station and region; a mixed-use development featuring office, restaurant-retail and residential uses, along with a performing arts center for the North Coast Repertory Theatre; and a beach replenishment program.
Copies of the report can be picked up at City Hall and the public library. Written comments must be submitted to Lori Naylor, the train station project consultant, by 5 p.m. Oct. 5.
, Jaimy Lee
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San Diego: North Island Credit Union Heads East
North Island Credit Union said Aug. 16 that it had opened a branch in Rancho San Diego for East County members.
A Temecula branch opened this year and an Eastlake branch is scheduled to open Aug. 27, which would bring the total to 17 branches.
The Rancho San Diego branch, at 3777 Willow Glen Drive, will be managed by George Taylor. North Island Credit Union serves more than 110,000 members and has $1.5 billion in assets.
, Jaimy Lee
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Carlsbad: Legoland Mark May Come Tumbling Down
The Canadians are out to steal California’s thunder, one Lego brick at a time.
There has been a Guinness World Records attempt to build the world’s tallest Lego tower , a distinction held by Legoland California here , at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto.
Completed in May, Legoland California’s tower stands a record 94.3 feet, more than nine stories tall. Using thousands of Lego bricks, the Canadian team, aided by engineers from the Denmark-based toy manufacturer, expected to reach new heights by Aug. 20.
, Connie Lewis
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Del Mar: Poached Pear Hopes to Bloom in Mall
Owners of the Poached Pear in Carlsbad have opened a second location in Flower Hill Promenade. The home d & #233;cor retailer featuring everything from bedding to tableware opened Aug. 2 in the mall on Via de la Valle.
The shop owned by Jodi and Scott Dickson replaces the Silver Skillet, a longtime tenant that also offered kitchen essentials, tableware and home d & #233;cor products from around the world. The owners of the Silver Skillet retired after 23 years in Del Mar and closed the shop in June. Jodi Dickson worked at the Silver Skillet for nine years before opening the Poached Pear in Carlsbad in 2005.
, Michelle Mowad
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Coronado: Marriott Hotel Getting $1.8M Makeover
R.D. Olson Construction of Irvine has begun a $1.8 million renovation of the Coronado Island Marriott Resort.
The three-phase renovation will remake the lobby, lounge and main restaurant, and includes 15,000 square feet of new construction. The hotel will remain open during the construction work, which should be completed by year’s end.
Host Hotels and Resorts owns the 300-room hotel.
, Brad Graves
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Imperial Beach: It Might Be Time to Raze Inn’s Roof
The Seacoast Inn is heading for a sea change, if plans drawn up by Los Angeles-based Deutsch Architects get City Hall approval.
The motel’s owner, Imperial Coast Limited Partnership, proposes demolishing the existing three-story, 38-room beachfront hotel and putting up a 78-room condominium hotel in its place.
An environmental impact report on the project is now available on the city Web site, www.ci.imperial-beach.ca.us.
The City Council was to hear an update on the plans during an Aug. 22 workshop. Council discussion and action are expected at a future meeting.
Two city boards are set to hear presentations on the project in September. The Tidelands Advisory Committee is scheduled to hold a workshop on the plans at 6 p.m. Sept. 10. The Design Review Board plans to hold a workshop at 4 p.m. Sept. 20. Both meetings will be in the council chambers at City Hall, 825 Imperial Beach Blvd.
A City Council decision on the project could be appealed to the California Coastal Commission.
San Diego-based Pacifica Cos. is representing the applicant before the city.
, Brad Graves
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Escondido: 2 Destructive Oriental Fruit Flies Found
Two male Oriental fruit flies have been discovered here, according to county officials.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture treated the area for the pest, which causes damage to fruit and vegetables by tunneling through the flesh of the fruit, making it unfit for consumption.
Residents in the Hidden Meadows area are being asked not to remove backyard fruits and vegetables due to possible infestation, the San Diego County Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures said.
Ten square miles in the Hidden Meadows area has been treated, officials said.
The pest could cause millions of dollars in damage annually if it were allowed to become established in the state, the release said.
, Liz Wiedemann
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Poway: Council Parking $380K on 107-Space Lot
The Iron Mountain trail hikers and area car poolers who use Highway 67 will soon have a formal parking lot in which to leave their vehicles.
The City Council in mid-August unanimously approved the construction of a 107-space park-and-ride lot on the east side of the highway at its intersection with Poway Road.
The city has teamed up with the California Department of Transportation to carry out the project, with Poway paying $380,000 for it out of a capital improvement budget the council approved this year. Caltrans is paying $100,000 of the $480,000 project.
A lack of designated parking at the trail’s base is forcing hikers to leave cars on the highway’s shoulder or pull over to the side curb that runs along the road.
The parking lot, which will include a restroom and a trail connecting to the existing Iron Mountain route, should eliminate the problem, city officials say.
, Liz Wiedemann
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Chula Vista: A Winding Walk May Lead to R & R;
Construction of a second recreation center at Windingwalk, a new community in the eastern part of the city, began this month.
The project, which includes a pool, spa, showers, locker rooms, restrooms and meeting rooms, is scheduled to be completed by next spring, and estimated to cost $4.5 million, according to the joint development team of Brookfield San Diego Builders and Shea Homes.
Windingwalk, which offers houses ranging from the high $300,000s to high $700,000s, is 65 percent completed and will feature 2,300 houses at build-out, expected in early 2009.
, Mike Allen
