Hillcrest Rite Aid celebrates grand re-opening

The newly renovated Hillcrest Rite Aid pharmacy, located at 535 Robinson Ave., will celebrate its grand re-opening on Nov. 23 by hosting a health fair. The event will educate residents about free wellness programs offered by Rite Aid, as well as showcase savings programs on prescription medications. Guests will have the opportunity to receive assessments for skin and memory, diabetes risk, COPD, mammograms, HIV, and much more. The event will be held from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Robinson Avenue location.

New LEED certification goal for Balboa Park

Interim Mayor Todd Gloria and other local leaders announced a new sustainability goal for Balboa Park at the Old Globe in Balboa Park Nov 4. Through joint efforts with local partners, the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership is adding several buildings to its LEED certification portfolio, bringing the total number of planned certified buildings up to 10. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is a rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council for the design, construction and operation of green energy structures. The LEED certifications are a result of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership’s Environmental Sustainability Program, a collaborative effort by the City of San Diego, San Diego Gas & Electric, and the San Diego Green Building Council. The program has resulted in an annual savings of more than $1 million in energy use at Balboa Park. “The collaborative efforts between the City, SDG&E, the San Diego Green Building Council, and Balboa Park Cultural Partnership have made it possible for Balboa Park to be on its way to becoming one of the most sustainable cultural parks in the world,” Gloria said in a press release.

San Diego completes Race for the Cure

Over 13,000 people participated in last Sunday’s 17th Annual Komen San Diego Race for the Cure in Balboa Park, raising $1.1 million for free breast cancer treatments, services and support for cancer patients. “The Race for the Cure is fun and festive, but this race is more than just a celebration,” said Laura Farmer Sherman, executive director of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, San Diego. “The Race provides critical funding for families in San Diego County affected by breast cancer and because of the tremendous turn out and support, thousands of uninsured and underinsured women will get the help they need.” The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is the largest funder of breast cancer research in the world. For more information, visit komensandiego.org.

Community Valet kicks into high gear

The Uptown Community Parking District held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 1, for the Park Hillcrest Community Valet on Fifth Avenue. The new Community Valet stand is located on the sidewalk next to Urban Outfitters at 3946 Fifth Ave. This much anticipated valet service near the intersection of Fifth and University avenues has made Hillcrest parking that much easier for area shoppers. Once parked, shoppers can use the Hillcrest Parking Trolley to get to their destinations and back to the parking valet. For more information, visit parkuptownsd.org.

KPBS announces new local heroes for November

Union Bank and KPBS, in honor of American Indian Heritage Month, have announced the most recent inspirational “local heroes,” Jane Dumas and Rose Margaret Orrantia. Dumas is a member of the Jamul Band of Kumeyaay Indians and a founder of the San Diego American Indian Health Center. She is also a master speaker with the Indigenous California Language Survival (ICLS), and a member of the California Indian Storytellers Association (CISA) and has held other prestigious roles. Orrantia works with foster youth transitioning to adulthood in her role as a program manager at the Academy for Professional Excellence’s Tribal STAR program at San Diego State University. She previously served as the executive director of the Indian Child and Family Services (ICFS) organization, a foster program that works with the American Indian population in both San Diego and Riverside. Both women will be honored later this month at the KPBS Local Heroes banquet, held Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 5:30 p.m. at the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art, 700 Prospect St. “KPBS has the pleasure of partnering with Union Bank to celebrate these outstanding local heroes,” said KPBS General Manager Tom Karlo in a press release. “KPBS is proud to feature these honorees in our programming as they inspire us and make a positive difference in our neighborhoods and the world.” Throughout November, KPBS will air video profiles of Dumas and Orrantia, showcasing how they made a difference. For more information or to view the videos, visit kpbs.org/heroes. To nominate a new local hero, visit unionbank.com/heroes.

COASTER Holiday Express tickets to go on sale

Tickets for the holiday-themed COASTER Holiday Express train ride go on sale Nov. 14 and will feature Santa and his friends to entertain riders on this popular holiday event. Families will have two opportunities to hop aboard the Dec. 7 holiday train, the first leaving Oceanside Transit Center at 10 a.m., and the second at 12:30 p.m. The fun-filled 90-minute experience will take riders on a non-stop, round-trip ride to Sorrento Valley and back. Santa and his friends will be on board to pose for pictures. This trip sells out, so buying tickets early is recommended. Tickets are $6 for all passengers and available at GoNCTD.com/eticket or 760-966-6500.

New Egyptian Quarter kick off

Hillcrest will host its first ever Egyptian Bazaar & Movie Night Nov. 14 at 3811 Park Blvd. The open-air event will be a chance for Hillcrest residents to enjoy a fun movie under the stars event. The night will kick off with the unveiling of Hillcrest’s Egyptian Quarter. This collection of businesses on Park Boulevard between University and Robinson avenues is known for its Egyptian style revival architecture, restaurants, and various vintage and retro stores. In keeping with the Egyptian motif, the night’s feature will be the classic Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own blankets and chairs and grab a seat in the pop-up park which will be located in the small parking lot between Numbers and Heat Bar & Kitchen. The park will be decorated as a desert oasis complete with hot cocoa and bags of freshly popped popcorn. Food is also available at Heat Bar & Kitchen. Vintage clothing, retro furnishing and live art will be available in a park sale before the show. For more information, visit  facebook.com/EgyptianQuarter or call 619-299-3330.

City Council passes linkage fee

On Nov. 4, the San Diego City Council voted in favor of amending the San Diego’s Workforce Housing Offset, previously known as the linkage fee, which will up the one-time fee paid by commercial developers building in San Diego. The fee will go toward providing affordable housing to low-wage workers. Mayoral candidates Kevin Faulconer—who voted against the fee at the meeting and have previously called the measure a “jobs tax”—and Nathan Fletcher both stated that the “500 percent” increase was excessive and would stifle development in the city. A press release from the office of Interim Mayor Todd Gloria stated that the fee remains a “small percentage of development costs,” and that San Diego’s municipal code mandates the fee be updated yearly. The measure narrowly passed 5 to 4 after failing in 2011. Councilmember Myrtle Cole, who replaced former Council President Tony Young in District 4, gave progressive council members the final affirming vote needed to pass the fee increase. According to the San Diego Housing Commission, the recommended fee will generate an additional $8 – $10 million annually, translating to an additional 80 – 100 units each year once fully implemented.

South Park resident travels to education conference in Qatar

Kim Richards, founder of KDR PR, a San Diego public relations firm, traveled to Doha, Qatar from Oct. 26 – 28 to co-facilitate the first STEAM round table, which was co-sponsored by Qatar Foundation International and New York Academy of Sciences. STEAM signifies the incorporation of arts and creative thinking into STEM education, an important tool for engaging students in these technical fields. Richards also co-founded UCSD Extension’s STEAMConnect, an organization “bridging the gap between the business community, arts organizations, science and education institutions to collectively elevate STE+aM education. Richards said she learned several new techniques that can be incorporated into the classroom and professionally to encourage out-of-the-box thinking in STEM fields.