Gains and Losses

GAINS

FIELD TRIP TO THE PAST

Fifth-graders from Peterson Elementary School in Huntington Beach spent a

night on the Pilgrim, a replica of the 19th-century trading ship sailed

by Richard Henry Dana. They took turns working the sails, keeping watch

and seeing firsthand what life was like on the high seas -- before the

invention of luxury cruise liners.

NEW PEDIATRIC CARE UNIT

Fountain Valley Regional Hospital celebrated the opening of its new

pediatric intensive care unit -- the second-largest in Southern

California. The unit will take patients from all over Orange and Los

Angeles counties in need of the state-of-the-art facilities, with a

medical transport team available 24 hours a day to pick up patients from

30 hospitals across the two counties.

SPARK OF LOVE FOR KIDS

Fountain Valley firefighters are participating in the seventh Spark of

Love toy drive, collecting 500 in one week. The toys will be delivered to

needy kids all over the state. For local kids, the Fire Department will

deliver their goodies on an antique fire truck. Last year, the department

gathered 108,000 toys. Firefighters hope to collect even more this year.

LOSSES

RUNNING ON BORROWED TIME

For some Oak View-area moms, the one-hour aerobics class at the

neighborhood community center is their only chance to do something for

themselves. But time might be limited -- the Children’s Bureau of

Southern California, which sponsors the class, said funding cuts may mean

the end of the program.

POKEMON CRAZE SPURS VIOLENCE

Authorities are saying a 13-year-old boy from Valley Vista Middle School

ran over a schoolmate with his bike and stole his Pokemon collection --

reportedly worth $150. The cards were retrieved from the boy’s home the

next day. Fortunately, the other boy wasn’t seriously injured.

SLAYINGS UNDER INVESTIGATION

Authorities are still investigating the deaths of three Huntington Beach

residents. Kenneth C. Stahl and his wife, Carolyn Oppy-Stahl, were found

shot to death in their car, which was parked along Ortega Highway in

South Orange County on Nov. 20. Then, just one week later, Bridgette

Elizabeth Ballas was found lying on the curb in the 900 block of

Huntington Street, with a serious blow to the head. She died later of the

injury at an area hospital.