Irvine defeats activist’s environmental challenge An...

Irvine defeats activist’s environmental challenge

An Orange County Superior Court Judge on Thursday declined Newport

Beach-based Defend the Bay’s petition against the city of Irvine

asking to invalidate an environmental study relating to an Irvine Co.

development.

The study involved a general plan amendment and zone change to

develop 7,743 acres of land for residential, commercial, recreational

and public uses.

The local environmental group headed by Bob Caustin maintained

that the development would harm native plants and animals and would

raise issues such as traffic, police protection and water quality.

Defend the Bay petitioned the court saying that the environmental

study did not address any of those issues.

Judge Robert Jameson ruled that the city did comply with the

California Environmental Quality Act by addressing all of the issues

raised in the complaint and finding solutions to many of them,

including traffic and policing.

Ensign singers to perform in New York City in spring

The Ensign Madrigals, under the direction of teacher Donna Kelsen,

has been selected as the featured choir at the National Junior High

School Choir in New York City next April.

The Madrigals will sing along with the choir and then perform solo

for 10 to 15 minutes. Madrigals, an advanced, audition-only class for

seventh- and eighth-graders, mostly focuses on 17th-century music.