PUBLIC SAFETY Watching for signs of West...

PUBLIC SAFETY

Watching for signs of West Nile virus in Newport-Mesa

City and county officials this week said they will continue their

efforts to stop the spread of West Nile virus but don’t plan any

significant changes now that two birds have died from the disease.

Residents expressed concerns that the city isn’t doing enough to

prevent breeding areas for mosquitoes, the insects that carry the

disease. City officials said that Orange County Vector Control

District handles the majority of mosquito control, and residents can

do their part by making sure they eliminate standing water on their

properties.

* Costa Mesa and Newport Beach police departments will be looking

out this week for motorists who aren’t wearing their seat belts.

The campaign, which includes extra officers on duty specifically

looking for seat belt violations, is part of a statewide effort to

get more people to buckle up. People not wearing their seat belts can

get pulled over by police at any time during the year and even

buckled-up drivers may get tickets if their passenger is unbuckled.

-- Marisa O’Neil

COURTS

Judge requires Haidl to wear electronic locating device

A superior court judge on Thursday placed a list of 10

restrictions on Greg Haidl while he awaits retrial on charges that he

and two other teens gang-raped a girl.

Haidl, the 19-year-old son of Orange County Assistant Sheriff Don

Haidl, will have to wear an electronic device and have his location

monitored by a global-positioning system to make sure he sticks to

the new terms of his bail. Those include a curfew, not using drugs or

alcohol and not being alone with girls younger than 18.

* An appellate court ruled that disparaging speech against the

Village Inn on Balboa Island cannot be restrained before it is

uttered.

The case hinged on alleged statements a former neighbor of the bar

made to employees and to other people about the bar. The neighbor,

Anne Lemen, had an issue with the owners of the Village Inn over

allegations of noise and public disturbances for years. Lemen can

still be sued for libel and slander, but those charges can only be

filed after she made her comments.

-- Daily Pilot staff

GOVERNMENT

A long ballot of council hopefuls in November

Costa Mesa voters will have a crowded list of candidates to chose

from for the three open City Council seats in November. Wednesday was

the deadline for hopefuls to file their petitions. Incumbent Chris

Steel and resident Terry Shaw were two who qualified for the ballot

this week.

* The Newport Beach City Council tightened the threshold for

reviewing decisions by lower bodies, such as the Planning Commission,

by requiring a simple majority -- instead of just one council member

-- to review a recommendation.

The council felt it would be better if there was a more

substantive interest shown by council members before reviewing

decisions from other bodies.

-- Deirdre Newman

NEWPORT BEACH

Airport forces remain in a tight holding pattern

A citizens group against expansion at John Wayne Airport will

continue to pursue an airport at the closed El Toro Marine Air

Station, the group’s president said Wednesday.

Airport Working Group head Tom Naughton told residents at a

meeting of Speak Up Newport that gaining support in Washington, D.C.,

may be the only way to give an El Toro airport traction, and he urged

them to write to their representatives.* A pair of bottlenose

dolphins frolicking in the Back Bay have been drawing plenty of

attention.

The dolphins, which experts say appear to be a mother and her

calf, have been feeding in the same spot for about three weeks. But

people hoping for a close look need to know that disrupting the

animals’ behavior -- initiating contact or feeding them -- is a

violation of federal law. Spectators should watch from shore, experts

recommended.

* Tiles, sold by the Corona del Mar Centennial Foundation, are

expected to adorn the Centennial Plaza to be built at the corner of

Coast Highway and Marguerite Avenue.

Those who buy the tiles at $100 a piece can either draw or affix a

picture on it with the help of Color Me Mine in Triangle Square. The

ceramic art store is partnering with the Centennial Foundation on the

project. The foundation expects to sell about 1,000 tiles.

-- Daily Pilot staff