WEEK IN REVIEW

Newport-Mesa’s representatives say they’re stepping up to the plate to

fight a proposed House bill that environmentalists say could hurt the

Back Bay.

Both Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher

(R-Huntington Beach) have vowed to fight the proposal, made by a New

Jersey Republican.

The bill would amend the Clean Water Act by revising the standards for

bacteria levels and allow boats equipped with a kind of “marine

sanitation device” to dump waste into protected waters.

But any fears about that, if the two representatives throw their

weight around rightly, should be nothing.

Loaded for bear

They weren’t headed to the Million Man March, but airport supporters

got on the bus Tuesday and went to a county hearing.

Four buses left the Newport Dunes Resort on Tuesday morning to take

more than 150 eager locals to the Board of Supervisors public hearing on

the plan for an airport at the closed El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

The group helped pack the hall during the daylong hearing on the

county’s environmental analysis of the airport plan.

At the hearing, Newport Beach Councilman Tod Ridgeway and Costa Mesa

Councilman Chris Steel both threw their support behind an airport at the

base.

Ah, youth and toilet paper

It may have been bathroom humor gone wrong.

But residents of Mesa Verde Drive woke up Tuesday morning to find what

police called one of the most extensive incidents of vandalism with

toilet paper in recent memory.

And it wasn’t a bunch of bargain-basement paper. It was top of the

line, soft as can be TP.

Officers pegged the incident as a back-to-school prank, possibly

because “Class of 2002” was written on the street in shaving cream.

Back to school

School started this week in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District

and not a moment too soon for two teachers who were just hired at Kaiser

School.

Fifth-grade teacher Emily Cimo and fourth-grade teacher Jennifer

Benhardus both wanted to work at Kaiser so much that they did not take

positions at other schools and waited to see if their services would be

needed during the first week.

Luckily for them, Kaiser needed two extra teachers and both were still

available.

“Both had worked at Kaiser before and so they really valued the

culture that we have here and were willing to hold out, but they got

nervous at the end,” said Principal Daryle Palmer.

Crossing a line

A student may sit in the middle of a church hall, but he wouldn’t be

learning about the 12 apostles, he would be learning about geology.

And although the cross hanging around a tutor’s neck may dangle in the

face of a child, the only applicable lesson would be one of geometry,

explaining that the two lines are perpendicular to each other, forming

90-degree angles.

Proponents of a collaborative effort between the city, school board

and nonprofit organizations, contend faith-based groups may be a part of

the formula but would not impose religious teachings on the students they

were helping.

Debate about mixing church and state were sparked when Mayor Libby

Cowan proposed the city commit resources to a collaborative effort with

local nonprofits. Although details of possible programs and dollar

amounts were not specified, a handful of residents voiced their concern

about using city funds to support faith-based programs at last week’s

City Council meeting.

Another handful of the resolution’s backers, including Councilman Gary

Monahan, said a line would not be crossed and the city would merely be

taking advantage of the faith-based programs’ willingness to help.