Want to know what’s going on around our neighborhood? Find out here on the Community News page! Visit throughout the day to get your updated local news headlines. In addition, you can also find out about local happenings.If you know of an event, such as a city picnic, local high school graduation or a wedding, post it here to let all of us know! Be sure to keep yourself informed by checking this page frequently! |
- 2008 Captain Mike Memorial Toy DrivePosted on: 2008-12-11It’s been a tough year for everyone, but this holiday season even the smallest donation can make a major difference in a child’s life. Started 35 years ago by late 10News weatherman 'Captain' Mike Ambrose, who understood the power of giving back – the 10News Toy Drive has handed out millions of toys.
Two ways to donate:
• Bring your donations to the 10News studios at 4600 Air Way, Monday through Friday from 9am - 5 pm. Click For Directions
• On December 17th, bring your donation to the Jingle Bell Kroc Christmas Festival benefiting the 2008 Captain Mike Memorial Toy Drive. Bring a new, unwrapped toy with a value of $5 or more to the Ray and Joan Kroc Center, 6845 University Ave., on Wednesday, December 17, and you’ll receive one free admission to the Salvation Army’s Toy and Joy Christmas Festival! Enjoy free ice skating, Holiday Ice Show, a visit from Santa, cookie decorating, hot chocolate and games! Entire Event Free for Toy Drive Participants.
In his honor and for the children a little less fortunate, donate a toy to the 2008 Captain Mike Memorial Toy Drive. All toys go to the Salvation Army for deserving families.
You can make a difference!
To apply to receive toys, contact the Salvation Army nearest you by visiting www.sandiego.salvationarmy.org or calling 619 231-6000. - Point Loma Nazarene University honors Charger's ChaplainPosted on: 2008-12-09POINT LOMA: Point Loma Nazarene University has honored the Rev. Shawn Mitchell, chaplain for the San Diego Chargers, with its Alumnus of Point Loma award.
Advertisement Mitchell, a 1983 graduate of the university, is in his 27th season with the team, the longest tenure of any chaplain in the National Football League. He also is pastor and founder of the New Venture Christian Fellowship in Oceanside.
Mitchell suffered a brain hemorrhage in March and spent about five months in recovery. He was well enough to receive his award last month, according to the university. –A.C.
- The San Diego Union Tribune
- Southland October home sales climb to highest level of the yearPosted on: 2008-12-09November 18, 2008
La Jolla, CA---Southern California home sales rose unseasonably last month from September as buyers shook off gloomy financial news and took advantage of often-steep discounts. The median sale price fell to $300,000 - a 67-month low - as foreclosures once again accounted for half of all resales, a real estate information service reported.
A total of 21,532 new and resale houses and condos closed escrow in the six-county Southland in October - the highest for any month this year. Last month's sales rose 5.0 percent from 20,497 in September and jumped a record 66.7 percent from 12,913 in October 2007, according to San Diego-based MDA DataQuick, a real estate information service.
Fueled by lower prices, Southland sales have risen on a year-over-year basis for four consecutive months, breaking a 33-month streak of annual declines.
October home sales dropped below September's in 11 of the past 20 years, when the change between the two months averaged -1.2 percent. October has never been the peak month for sales in any year back to 1988, when DataQuick's statistics begin.
'You could easily imagine a meaningful decline in sales last month, given the seasonal norm and the dire financial news that potential buyers had to ponder in September. But we have yet to see any big, sudden drop in the number of transactions closing escrow. It tells us there were a lot of very serious buyers in the market during late summer and early fall - buyers who consider housing a relatively good buy or investment,' said John Walsh, DataQuick president.
He added: 'Whether the worst of the housing correction is behind us will depend largely on the depths of this economic downturn, especially with regard to job losses. Also important will be the outcome of recently announced efforts to reverse the tide of foreclosures.'
October's home sales total was the highest in 20 months but was still the second-lowest for an October since 1996. Last month's sales were 12.4 percent lower than the 21-year average for October sales.
Last month's record annual sales increase reflects two things: Very weak sales a year ago on the heels of the August credit crunch and earlier subprime meltdown, and this year's big sales gains in inland markets where prices have fallen 30 percent or more. Depreciation in such areas has triggered record foreclosures, which tend to sell at a discount, attracting bargain hunters.
Fifty-one percent of existing homes that closed escrow in October were foreclosed on at some point in the prior 12 months. That's up from a revised 50.0 percent in September and 16.0 percent in October 2007.
At the county level, these 'foreclosure resales' ranged from 39.2 percent of October existing home sales in Orange County to 67.7 percent in Riverside County. In Los Angeles County foreclosure resales were 40.3 percent of sales; in San Diego 48.6 percent; San Bernardino 65.2 percent and in Ventura County 47.0 percent.
High foreclosure resale levels help explain the Southland's $300,000 median sale price in October, the lowest since it was $298,000 in April 2003. Last month's median was 2.8 percent lower than $308,500 in September and 32.6 percent lower than $445,000 in October 2007. The October median stood 40.6 percent below the peak $505,000 median reached in spring and summer of last year.
Several factors explain the plunge in the median price, the point where half of the homes sold for less and half for more: Regionwide home price depreciation; much slower high-end sales; and the rising market share of foreclosure resales, which tend to be located in mid-to lower-cost areas.
Many of the region's relatively affordable neighborhoods saw October sales more than double from a year ago. Use of FHA-insured loans allowing a down payment of as little as 3 percent represented nearly one-third of all Southland purchase loans last month, up from 2 percent a year earlier.
Meanwhile, use of larger mortgages known as 'jumbo loans,' common in higher-cost coastal neighborhoods, is still far below normal. Before the credit crunch hit in August 2007, 40 percent of Southland sales were financed with jumbos, then defined as over $417,000. Last month just 13.1 percent of purchase loans were over $417,000.
MDA DataQuick is a division of MDA Lending Solutions, a subsidiary of Vancouver-based MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates. MDA DataQuick monitors real estate activity nationwide and provides information to consumers, educational institutions, public agencies, lending institutions, title companies and industry analysts.
The typical monthly mortgage payment that Southern California buyers committed themselves to paying was $1,413 last month, down from $1,458 the previous month, and down from $2,115 a year ago. Adjusted for inflation, current payments are 33.9 percent below typical payments in the spring of 1989, the peak of the prior real estate cycle. They are 45.8 percent below the current cycle's peak in June 2006.
Indicators of market distress continue to move in different directions. Foreclosure activity is at or near record levels, financing with adjustable-rate mortgages is near the all-time low, as is financing with multiple mortgages. Down payment sizes and flipping rates are stable, non-owner occupied buying activity appears flat but might be emerging, MDA DataQuick reported.
Source: DQNews.com Media calls: Andrew LePage (916) 456-7157 or John Karevoll (909) 867-9534
Copyright 2007 DataQuick Information Systems. All rights reserved. - Do Not Call list for Cell PhonesPosted on: 2009-03-10Don't forget to put your cell phone number on the do not call list!
REMEMBER: Cell phone numbers go public next month.
REMINDER... all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls.
YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS!!
To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222 (You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked). This is the National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your time. It blocks your number for five (5) years. - County's commuters fare better than othersPosted on: 2008-12-0933% of motorists face lengthy drives
By Steve Schmidt
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 9, 2008
Grumble about traffic all you want. Could be worse.
The latest figures from the federal government show that San Diego County commuters in recent years spent less time traveling to work than motorists in other parts of metropolitan California.
Don't all cheer at once.
“Traffic still seems bad sometimes, especially in the morning,” said Catherine Welch of Normal Heights, who commutes to her office job in Sorrento Mesa most weekdays. “I don't think we have anything to brag about.”
According to U.S. Census Bureau numbers released yesterday, an average 33 percent of county motorists spent at least 30 minutes driving to work. The 30-minute mark is one of the yardsticks that traffic experts use to measure congestion.
In Los Angeles County, it was 44 percent; in San Francisco, 45 percent.
The travel-time figures represent a three-year average of census data collected between 2005 and 2007. The government also surveyed how people get to their jobs and what time of day they leave for work.
Driving to work
by the numbers
The percentage of drivers whose commute to work was 30 minutes or longer, based on U.S. census data averages from 2005-07:
BY COUNTY
45: San Francisco County
44: Los Angeles County
42: Riverside County
37: Orange County
33: San Diego County
18: Imperial County
BY CITY
44: Chula Vista
42: Escondido
40: Oceanside
39: Encinitas
39: Santee
35: El Cajon
27: San Diego
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau
The numbers do not reflect the wild swings of the past 12 months, when gas prices peaked and then tumbled.
In recent months, San Diego County transit agencies have reported significant increases in ridership. Meanwhile, traffic data collected in the summer and fall showed a sizable decline in the number of vehicles on local highways.
“I don't drive as much on weekends as I used to, even with the cheaper gas,” said Alma Lenti of San Carlos.
The census indicated that Chula Vista commuters had some of the longest workaday drives of any county residents.
About 44 percent of Chula Vistans had to drive a half-hour or more each day to get to work, up from 38 percent in 2000. The data were collected before the late 2007 opening of the South Bay Expressway, which Caltrans officials say has helped ease congestion in the region.
The Chula Vista figures compare with 42 percent in Escondido, 40 percent in Oceanside and 35 percent in El Cajon.
City of San Diego residents had some of the shortest commutes, with only 27 percent traveling 30 minutes or more to work. The statewide figure was 37 percent.
Most of the local travel-time numbers have not changed, or increased only slightly, since the last detailed census in 2000.
Commuters in rural Imperial County had among the shortest drives in Southern California, with only 18 percent traveling 30 minutes or more.
Other highlights from the 2005-to-2007 census averages in regard to commuting:
The number of San Diego County residents who worked at home ticked up slightly since 2000, to 6 percent from 4 percent.
Only 3 percent of commuters in the region rode the bus or trolley to work. The figures do not reflect the recent spike in ridership.
The percentage of local commuters who participated in car pools or van pools declined between 2000 and the most recent survey, from 13 percent to 11 percent. Transportation officials say public interest in car pooling has grown since the summer.
The busiest departure time for commuting in the county is between 7 and 7:29 a.m. Nearly 200,000 county residents leave for work during that window. About 1.3 million people regularly commute in San Diego County, according to the census. - San Diego ranked 2nd of places to live, workPosted on: 2008-12-09San Diego ranked as one of the top places where America's dream-job seekers want to live, it was reported last week.
According to the Human Capital Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank, the city ranked second, slightly behind New York City, among 46 metro areas that 3,000 survey respondents considered as places to live and work. But more people rated San Diego their first or second choice, with New York making up the difference with a lot of third-place votes.
San Diego's top attribute, according to 77 percent of the respondents ranking it at the top of their must-move-to list, was its environment – climate, parks and proximity to the ocean and mountains. The other favorable factors were image – cleanliness, civic pride, reputation – and entertainment options.
-The San Diego Union Tribune - Parked cars for sale banned on 23 streetsPosted on: 2008-12-09The San Diego City Council voted Tuesday to impose a ban on parking cars for sale along stretches of 23 city streets from Rancho Bernardo to Midway to Lomita.
The law is likely to go into effect in late January or early February. Council members said the ban will make streets safer and remove impromptu car lots that they called eyesores.
The same issue has come up in Encinitas, Escondido and Chula Vista, and it has run into constitutional concerns over sellers' free-speech rights. San Diego says it has found the legal formula to make regulation work this time.
Deputy San Diego City Attorney Michael Calabrese said the city's ban complies with state law, which allows a prohibition along roads that are heavily congested or constructed in a way in which the public could be harmed.
-The San Diego Union Tribune - Work Out Without Leaving Work Stay Fit While Staying At Your DeskPosted on: 2008-12-11Stay Fit While Staying At Your Desk
Larry Frum Jr., Staff writer
Nearly two-thirds of American adults are considered overweight by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But losing weight, being more active and getting fit in the few waking hours not spent at work can seem like a lost cause.
Health guidelines suggest that people get 30 to 90 minutes of exercise a day, three times a week. The eight hours -- or more -- spent at the office can offer some additional opportunities, without cutting into family time or other obligations.
Diet/Fitness | Calorie Needs | 25 Cheap Workouts
While you probably don't have dumbbells stashed under the desk, using your own body weight, stretching and moving around when you get the chance will help you be more active and energetic without going far from your desk.
Jon A. Kaplan, fitness and wellness director at Meadow Mill Athletic Club in Baltimore, said the workplace is a perfect opportunity to increase your activity in the day. He said there are simple stretches and movements to help you reach your daily exercise goals and care for your body.
Kaplan suggested people become aware of repetitive activities that can cause pain and damage and find ways to counterbalance them. If you cross your legs one way throughout the day, he said, switch it up and cross them the other way so you aren't putting constant strain on one side of your body.
Another thing to notice when sitting is the angle of your chair. A recent article in the New York Times quoted a study claiming that sitting up straight in your chair is actually bad for you. Researchers at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland found that moving your sitting position to 135 degrees -- tilted slightly backward -- is preferable.
The researchers observed 22 volunteers who sat in three positions. The article said the first two positions, sitting upright and sitting with the body hunched forward, produced the greatest spinal disk movement, causing the internal disk material to misalign.
The third position -- a 135-degree angle with the feet on the floor -- created the least strain. According to the study, leaning back places less pressure on the spine.
While you're stuck in a chair, there are still things you can do that focus on your core muscles. Kaplan said that tightening and relaxing your stomach muscles helps work your abs and your lower back. You can also do neck stretches, shoulder rolls and scapular squeezes without moving away.
Get Out Of The Chair
Kaplan wants people to go one better than changing their seat backs. He wants them to get out of the chair.
'Get up and stretch whenever you can,' he said. 'Do lunges with good form. Do heel taps (bouncing on the toes). The vibration also helps with bone density.'
He also suggested side stretches to help with the back and hamstring stretches to involve the legs, which are usually dormant during the workday. Kaplan said people should take the stairs rather than an elevator to get their body moving.
Instead of using the phone or instant messages to talk to a co-worker, get up and go visit face-to-face. Do anything, Kaplan said, to get up and get moving.
'Break the repetitious activities,' he said.
Carrying All That Weight
Kaplan said there are also some activities that seem innocuous but could affect your posture and your core muscles. Most people carry a briefcase, purse or backpack; he suggested switching shoulders from time to time to keep your body from listing from one side to the other.
As part of a total wellness plan at work, Kaplan said not to eat at your desk. By getting up to nosh elsewhere, you get some physical activity and a change of scenery to help your mental activity as well.
'It is a mental thing,' Kaplan said. 'It is as part of a weight-control issue. We need to have balance in our lives.'
# Save Money On Fitness
# Stretching Guide
# Ergnomics Help You Stay Healthy
# Ergonomics To The Rescue
# Fitness.gov
# Be Active Each Day - Boats decked out in lights to parade on two SundaysPosted on: 2008-12-09SAN DIEGO: The 37th annual Parade of Lights on San Diego Bay will take place Sunday as boats decked out in twinkling holiday lights glide across the water.
And if you miss it Sunday, there will be another opportunity to see the parade Dec. 21. The parade will be staged from about 5 to 9 p.m. each Sunday.
The event is sponsored by the San Diego Unified Port District. It usually attracts dozens of vessels and tens of thousands of spectators. Some of the best free viewing spots are along San Diego's Embarcadero, at Seaport Village and at the Ferry Landing in Coronado.
The Maritime Museum of San Diego is offering viewing from its historic ferryboat Berkeley for a price. A holiday buffet and no-host bar will be offered aboard the Berkeley from 5 to 9 p.m. both Sundays for $50 for adults and $25 for children. The tickets include admission to all of the museum's ships, including the Star of India.
Tickets to the buffet, a fundraiser for the nonprofit group, can be bought online at sdmaritime.org. –R.W.P.
-The San Diego Union Tribune - San Diego ranked 2nd of places to live and workPosted on: 2008-12-09San Diego ranked as one of the top places where America's dream-job seekers want to live, it was reported last week.
According to the Human Capital Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank, the city ranked second, slightly behind New York City, among 46 metro areas that 3,000 survey respondents considered as places to live and work. But more people rated San Diego their first or second choice, with New York making up the difference with a lot of third-place votes.
San Diego's top attribute, according to 77 percent of the respondents ranking it at the top of their must-move-to list, was its environment - climate, parks and proximity to the ocean and mountains. The other favorable factors were image – cleanliness, civic pride, reputation – and entertainment options.
-The San Diego Union Tribune
