PUBLIC SAFETY Jewelry store heist thwarted, three...

PUBLIC SAFETY

Jewelry store heist thwarted, three arrested

Three men wielding handguns robbed a Corona del Mar jewelry store

Wednesday morning, and one barricaded himself in a nearby shop for

nearly two hours before surrendering to police.

Newport Beach Police arrested Los Angeles residents Herbert Nelson

Kirkwood, 31, Dominick Edwards, 32, and Kenney Dwayne Watkins, 27, in

a botched attempt to rob Jewels by Joseph at the Corona del Mar

Plaza. Watkins hid out in Gelato Paradiso before surrendering to

police. The store recently hosted a $2.3 million diamond, but it was

not in the store at the time of the robbery attempt.

* A loophole in the law is frustrating local residents and law

enforcement officials, who can do little to prevent predatory towing

in Newport-Mesa.

Some people have faced stiff fees to get their cars back after

leaving them in local parking lots where some companies are

aggressively towing vehicles. The Orange County District Attorney’s

office is investigating ways that police could enforce a state law

that would make that practice illegal, but a current federal law

prevents enforcement of that state law.

* An FBI crime statistics report showed Costa Mesa had the

fourth-highest number of violent crimes out of nine Orange County

cities in 2003. Costa Mesa’s 304 reported violent crimes included one

murder and 42 rapes. Newport Beach had 115 violent crimes that

included no murders and 16 rapes. It ranked eighth of the nine cities

with recorded statistics.

* Friends and family bid farewell Wednesday to Lilia Cheron, who

was shot to death last week in her Costa Mesa home.

The 37-year-old Ukrainian native called 911 the morning of Oct.

19, saying that her father-in-law had shot her. Theodore Cheron, 84,

is hospitalized with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and

is not expected to survive. If he does, the Orange County District

Attorney’s office intends to prosecute him for the killing.

EDUCATION

Celebrating Halloween a little early

Bus drivers and mechanics at the Newport-Mesa Unified School

District bus yard hosted a Halloween party Friday morning for

special-education students from California Elementary School.

The employees, many of whom volunteered their time and supplies,

dressed in costume, decorated four school busses and handed out candy

to the kids. Each of the students is physically or mentally

handicapped.

ENVIRONMENT

September spill far worse than initially reported

A Sept. 4 sewage spill from a Huntington Beach pump station

released 1.6 million gallons of treated wastewater, far more than the

13,000 gallons Orange County Sanitation District officials initially

estimated. The spill is believed to be a result of a power failure

and a problem with backup generators that caused wastewater to back

up and spill into the ocean.

The spill closed beaches in Newport Beach and Huntington Beach

from Sept. 4 to 7. The Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board

is investigating the spill and whether to charge any penalty fees to

the sanitation district.

* Most of Newport’s beaches and much of the harbor scored well on

a summer 2004 clean water report card released by Heal the Bay, but

the harbor at 38th Street was ranked among Orange County’s worst

beaches and two spots in the city received grades of D. Overall, the

ocean in Newport was cleaner than in a 2003 report but officials said

there’s still room for improvement.

COUNTY

Riders will have more to pay for a ride one way

Bus riders will need $1.25 for a one-way bus fare, starting Jan.

2. The Orange County Transportation Authority Board of Directors on

Monday approved the increase -- the first time bus fares have risen

in 14 years. Other increases include: a one-day bus pass will jump

from $2.50 to $3; a 30-day bus pass will increase from $37.50 to $45;

a senior/disabled one-way bus fare will go up from 25 to 50 cents;

and a senior/disabled 30-day bus pass will increase from $10 to $15.