Torrey Pines Road safety committee to meet
Find it frustrating “” or even terrifying “” to cross Torrey Pines Road? The Torrey Pines Road Committee will meet to discuss a safe crossing for La Jolla’s “throat” intersection on Monday, Sept. 25 at 5:30 p.m. at the La Jolla Riford Library, 7555 Draper Ave.
Further meetings will follow in October and the proposal will go before community groups in November.
The crossing is part of the Torrey Pines Road Plan that aims to slow traffic, increase safety and improve pedestrian access. Five community groups approved the road plan in December, including the La Jolla Community Planning Association.
For more information about the road plan, call Robert Thiele, (858) 454-5353, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.lajollacpa.org and click on “What’s New?”

Robbery suspect arrested in La Jolla
Police arrested 19-year-old Daniel Anderson, whom officers have linked to 12 armed robberies, on Aug. 22 in the 8300 block of Camino Del Oro. Anderson is suspected of robbing six liquor stores, three taxicab drivers and three pedestrians.
Police were alerted to a possible robbery on Camino Del Oro and arrived to find that a fight had broken out but that a robbery had not occurred. After finding a stolen handgun in Anderson’s vehicle, officers arrested him.
Gang detectives later linked the handgun to several commercial robberies and determined that Anderson’s description matched surveillance videos at those businesses. He was also positively identified during photo line-ups.
Anderson has been booked into San Diego Central Jail on various charges, including robbery, burglary, possession of stolen property, narcotics violations and weapons charges.

Council OKs Eruv line
San Diego City Council on Tuesday, Sept. 18 approved Congregation Adat Yeshurun’s request to install three, 20- to 30-foot-high poles in La Jolla to complete a symbolic religious boundary.
The La Jolla Shores Association had appealed the Planning Commission’s approval of the Eruv line on June 22, which brought the issue before City Council.
The boundary will weave through La Jolla and University City to transform the area into a private domain for Orthodox Jews, which will permit them to carry possessions on the Sabbath. Jewish law prohibits Jews from carrying any item outside the private home on the Sabbath, including groceries, canes and car keys.
The poles will connect at the top via thin wire and existing fences and canyons will join the rest of the boundary.
Twenty minutes before the council hearing, Adat Yeshurun asked the mayor’s office not to require that reflective tape cover the wire because Jewish law requires that the line be invisible. The mayor’s office conceded and the provision was removed. If it appears that birds are striking the wire, however, City Council reserves the right to reopen the requirement, said George Biagi, spokesman for the mayor’s office.
The city also stipulated that if the utility poles need to be replaced, removed or modified in the future, the city has the right to revisit approval of the project.
La Jolla’s official advisory bodies split in their recommendations to the Planning Commission. The La Jolla Shores Advisory Board recommended approval, while the La Jolla Community Planning Association voted against the project.

Volunteers called to lend a hand to community
Volunteer San Diego is seeking local residents to donate their time during “Hands On San Diego.” Hundreds of projects are available, including helping kids learn to read, painting a mural, cleaning a beach, delivering meals to seniors or renovating a shelter.
Through Sept. 24, Volunteer San Diego is looking for anyone who can help. Both individuals and groups such as employees, friends, military personnel, students, club members and families are encouraged to apply.
Project descriptions can be found at the Web site www.volunteersandiego.org and are located throughout San Diego county.
Those who wish to help must be at least 14 years old without a parent or legal guardian present. All volunteers younger than 18 must bring a signed Waiver of Liability to the project. Forms can be downloaded on the organization’s Web site. All participants receive a free Hands On San Diego T-shirt.
For more information or to sign up and get involved, visit www.volunteersandiego.org or call (858) 636-4131.

Event celebrates 25 years of brain research
The Neurosciences Institute, a nonprofit scientific research organization in La Jolla, will celebrate its 25th anniversary on Saturday, Sept. 30, from 2 to 6:30 p.m. at the campus auditorium.
With a focus on understanding brain functions, the institute has been present in La Jolla since 1993, when it was moved from its original location at the Rockefeller University in New York.
On Saturday, several of the institute’s researchers will present their latest discoveries in areas including molecular biology of drugs, theoretical modeling of brain functions and music perception.
Dr. Gerald Edelman, a recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1972, will discuss advances made at the institute over the past 25 years.
For more information about the event or The Neurosciences Institute, 0640 John Jay Hopkins Drive, contact Rachel Jonte, (858) 626-2018, or visit www.nsi.edu.

Student rhymes with the best of them
Four shining examples of wordsmiths in training, including Rachel Cromidas from La Jolla Country Day School, were recently honored with 19th annual Amy Marie Watkins Poetry Prizes. The awards are given to promising young poets in memory of Watkins, a young poet who was killed in a car crash.
“I have been writing poetry for a long time, and am involved with our school’s literary magazine, Pegasus,” Cromidas said. “Our teachers, including Bruce Boston, really encourage us to submit selections every year because our school sponsors the contest.”
Cromidas, who is a senior this fall, shared third-place honors and was also awarded an honorable mention for another poem. She received $50 for her award-winning poem.
“I think it is definitely a good exercise to have a polished piece and a good thing to work towards,” she said. “I would encourage every one to submit to school literary magazines and contests ” anything to get their poetry out there and read by others.”
For more information, see www.ljcds.org.