Costa Mesa will honor two teens Costa...

Costa Mesa will

honor two teens

Costa Mesa teenagers Michael Gilmore and Hunter Golden will be

given the city’s Mayor’s award for returning a lost day planner

containing credit cards, cash and other personal items. The boys

found the planner near a local Jack in the Box restaurant and

reported it to police, who returned the planer to its owner. Mayor

Allan Mansoor will present the award to Gilmore and Golden at an

April 19 City Council meeting. The mayor’s award recognizes citizens

who show leadership and concern for the public good.

Military cat reports

for civilian duty

The Community Animal Network, an organization that helps place

animals in loving homes, did its part to help support the troops last

Saturday.

Andrew Cohen of Livonia, Mich., who was on military assignment

locally, was getting ready to leave the country indefinitely on

another assignment and was having trouble finding a home for his

5-year-old, black-and-white female cat, Pisces.

After calling more than 30 animal organizations over the past few

months without any luck, he was referred to the Community Animal

Network by the National Cat Protection Society.

The founder of Community Animal Network, DiAnna Pfaff-Martin,

heard Cohen’s heartfelt story and suggested what turned out to be a

winning plan.

“I asked Andrew to e-mail a photo of himself in uniform and plan

to be at our Fashion Island adoption event on Saturday in full

uniform dress,” Pfaff-Martin said. “I placed the photo of Andrew up

on our website on Thursday night and began seeking a foster home as a

back up in case Pisces was not adopted on Saturday. I was so worried,

because Andrew was leaving immediately.”

When Pisces arrived at the Russo’s pet store adoption event in

Newport Beach, Cohen met William and Sheri Reynolds who were

interested within the first five minutes. Things became complicated

when a couple arrived shortly after with a copy of the website

announcement and their preadoption questionnaire completed, wanting

to adopt the cat.

“We managed to have everyone leave happily with a cat,”

Pfaff-Martin said. “The couple that arrived later was just happy that

the military cat was being adopted and delighted in another choice.”

Performing arts center announces 2006 events

On April 13, Orange County Performing Arts Center officials and

patrons plan to announce a range of programming details for 2006,

when the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall and Samueli Theater

are scheduled to open.

At the event, starting at 1:30 p.m. at the center’s Plaza Terrace,

all of the performances for the concert hall’s grand opening will be

unveiled, as will programming highlights for the center’s 20th

anniversary, to be held Sept. 15 to Oct. 22 next year.

Maestro Valery Gergiev, the artistic and general director of the

Miriinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia, will release details of

a collaboration between his theater and the center.

And Pacific Symphony Music Director Carl St. Clair will announce

two world-premiere commissions to inaugurate the new concert hall.