San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance joins last-chance effort to save endangered milky stork species

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance conservationists are achieving success breeding a critically endangered coastal bird: the milky stork. This breeding program is part of an 11th-hour effort with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Taxon Advisory Group (AZA TAG) to assist the last remaining individuals of the species living in North America—helping them successfully reproduce, and bolster the world’s population of milky storks.  

 Under this program, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance brought North America’s last 23 surviving milky storks to a habitat at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, reminiscent of the concerted effort made in the 1980s that helped save the California condor population from imminent extinction. While small milky stork population pockets exist in Asia, the team has been working to aid birds previously living in wildlife facilities throughout North America to produce new chicks. So far, nine milky stork chicks have hatched through these efforts, with the newest one hatching last month. 

Eventos

Junior Theatre celebrates 75 years

To commemorate 75 years of providing high quality productions and theatre education for San Diego’s youth, SDJT is preparing a special evening on Saturday, August 12. At 7:30pm, inside the Casa del Prado Theatre, the theater will bid a fond farewell to outgoing Artistic Director Desha Crownover, welcome incoming Producing Artistic Director Joey Price, celebrate JT Honorees and feature performances by students from JT on Tour and Confetti.

Tickets for the program are $35. All tickets are available at www.juniortheatre.com.

Old Town’s free TwainFest

escribir en voz alta, an organization founded in 2007 with a commitment to inspire, challenge and entertain by reading literature aloud for a live audience, announces the 14th Annual TwainFest. Twainfest will take place on Saturday, August 19th from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. in Heritage County Park, 2455 Heritage Park Row in Old Town. There is a limited capacity so reservations are required for free entry. Learn more and register for the festive old-fashioned gathering at https://writeoutloudsd.com/twainfest/.

Vegan Food Pop-Up returns to North Park

The next North Park Vegan Food Popup will be held on Saturday, August 12th from 12-4 p.m. at the North Park Mini Park, located at 3812 29th St in San Diego.

The North Park Vegan Food Popup features over 60 vendors, with a large selection of eats and treats including pizza, burgers, sushi, tacos, noodles, corn dogs, lumpia, hot wings, croissants, stuffed waffles, curries, cookies, ice cream and more. 

Event sponsor, Zevia will be offering complimentary cans of their naturally sweetened beverages.

In between bites, attendees can shop a select group of vegan-friendly products and services like apparel, henna, jewelry, CSA boxes, supplements, dog treats and home goods.

CityFest returns

San Diego’s ultimate summer art and music festival takes over 5th Avenue from noon until 11 p.m. on Sunday, August 13, 2023 during Hillcrest CityFest. This annual celebration of community spirit features live bands, electric dance music DJ’s, arts, crafts, and food that attracts over 150,000 visitors from San Diego and Southern California! This is one of San Diego’s longest running art and music festival– stretching nearly half a mile in size on over seven city blocks. Find out more at HillcrestCityFest.com.

arte local

New Hillcrest mural

California Bank & Trust (CB&T), one of California’s leading banks, is celebrating nearly 40 years of service to the Hillcrest community and surrounding areas with a new mural installation at its local branch. Established in 1985, the CB&T Hillcrest Branch has contributed greatly to the growth and expansion of the neighborhood by providing custom financial services to hundreds of business owners and residents.

Central to the mural, which wraps the south and east walls of the building, is a representation of the Hillcrest sign that hangs just a few blocks away, above University Avenue. The mural also includes the historic Balboa Park Tower and Cabrillo Bridge, Harper’s Topiary Garden, gorgeous San Diego skyline and of course, the city’s famous San Diego Zoo. The mural concept was created by local artist Austin Gosswiller and installation began in June 2023.

Book of historic postcards

Arcadia Publishing is releasing a collection of historic postcards showcasing unique aspects of San Diego’s past on August 28. “Forgotten San Diego” showcases the unique evolution of San Diego and its neighboring cities, making sure that the triumphs, tragedies, and oddities of this region live on. It includes 200 postcards from 1890 to 1990 collected by coauthors David Marshall and Eileen Magno.

Hillcrest authors wins award

San Diego author Erik Christopher Martin won a Firebird Book Award for his juvenile fiction book “The Case of the French Fry Phantom.” The book is a middle-grade paranormal mystery featuring LGBTQ+ and BIPOC protagonists. He won in the categories of Children’s Mystery and Children’s Diversity.

Local indie rock band’s new album

Local indie band The Fourth Section released its debut album “Paper Peaks.” Originally formed in February of 2020, this group of friends set out to make music in defiance of the times. The Fourth Section combines indie rock, jangle pop, and post-punk elements into a unique sound tailored to the current era.

The band is a modest trio of guitar, bass, and drums. The album was recorded at Studio West Satellite and produced, recorded, and mixed by Jeff Berkley, award-winning San Diego producer and musician. Learn more at thefourthsection.com.

Personnel

Mama’s Kitchen CEO to retire

After 21 years of dedicated service, Alberto Cortés announces his retirement from his position as CEO of Mama’s Kitchen. Over two decades, he has elevated the organization into a national model for medically tailored meal delivery and the Food is Medicine movement, as well as built the organization into the largest nonprofit provider of home-delivered meals in San Diego County, now delivering more than 75,000 meals each month to critically ill individuals and children.

He is set to step down in January 2024.

New board president at Crossroads Foundation

The Crossroads Foundation, a residential rehabilitation home founded in San Diego in 1957, has recently appointed Amy Knox as the new board president of San Diego’s first women’s residential recovery program in San Diego County. After six years of leadership, Annemarie Sundquist stepped down from the role of president.

Fiscal

Cafe owner repays back wages

Departamento de Trabajo de EE. UU. Wage and Hour Division investigators found Jimmy Carter’s Mexican Café and owner James Brennan Carter failed to pay employees, including waiters and cooks, the required overtime pay rates for hours over 40 in a workweek, a Fair Labor Standards Act violation. Investigators learned some of the employees worked up to 67 hours per week.

They recovered $127k in back wages, damages for 18 employees.

$1 mil grants for coastal resilience

El Binational Resilience Initiative, a partnership between San Diego Foundation and the International Community Foundation, announced that it has awarded more than $1 million in grants to U.S.- and Mexico-based nonprofit organizations to preserve, study and strengthen the resiliency of the Cali-Baja coastline.

Projects selected for funding through the Binational Resilience Initiative demonstrate effective cross-border collaboration and contribute to coastal preservation or resilience in two or more of the following areas: climate relevance, economic prosperity, knowledge sharing, organizational resilience and/or research. All funded projects include a U.S.- and a Mexico-based nonprofit partner.

Fleet Science Center and Colectivo Salud y Justicia Ambiental AC were awarded $50,000 each, with Environmental Health Coalition serving as Colectivo’s  fiscal sponsor, to support environmental awareness and collective action efforts, and produce a museum exhibit that explores the impacts of climate change in the Cali-Baja region.

SDG&E’s $250k grant for foster youth

Local nonprofit Just in Time for Foster Youth (JIT), whose mission is to engage a caring community to help transition age foster youth achieve self-sufficiency and well-being, has been awarded a $250,000 Community Investment Grant from SDG&E. This grant comes from SDG&E’s Community Assistance Fund, a $10-million shareholder-funded grant program that provides local nonprofit organizations with transformational support. 

SDG&E’s $250,000 investment will enhance JIT’s long-established service to transition age foster youth, offering rent and utilities assistance, food cards, mental wellness counseling, financial coaching, and most importantly, an empowering community of connections to see them thrive throughout their lives. 

$500k to improve indigenous healthcare access

San Diego American Indian Health Center (SDAIHC) has received a $500,000 two-year grant from The Conrad Prebys Foundation to provide access and quality healthcare to American Indian and Native Alaskan community members. The grant is a part of The Conrad Prebys Foundation’s Strengthening Health Access, Resources and Excellence (SHARE) Initiative. 

San Diego Foundation awards record $4 million in scholarships

The San Diego Foundation announced that it has awarded a record-breaking $4 million in scholarships to more than 1,000 local college students to expand access and opportunity to students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college and from low-middle income communities historically under-represented in higher education.

These awards are ever more vital in light of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down affirmative action in higher education enrollment decisions. The SDF Community Scholarship Program enables a diverse cohort of largely local students to attend college. In fact, Black/African American and Latino/a students represented 16 percent and 40 percent of 2023 – 2024 scholarship recipients, respectively.