She added, “I am in ASL 4 now and am very involved in the deaf community. It really changed the way I thought about myself.”

Gianna began attending Signs of Silence, a social group for the deaf founded by interpreter Roy Hensley. Feeling a need to bond with other teens who are deaf and HOH, she established a spin-off called PACE (Positive Alternatives through Challenge and Experience.)

PACE’s first meeting is scheduled at Gianna’s home at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 25. Dinner from Pat & Oscar’s will be served.

“The purpose of the group is to help teens accept themselves into a deaf world instead of a hearing one in which many of us struggle,” she said. “At PACE, teens can share their experiences with their hearing loss and how they dealt with it, and make new friends along the way.” Teens will also discuss other relevant issues including bad choices, drugs, alcohol and relationships within the family and at school.

As PACE develops, Gianna says that activities will expand to include speakers and recreational activities such as roller skating, ice skating and trips to the San Diego Zoo, Disneyland and Six Flags Magic Mountain.

Beginning with the second meeting, the event will be opened to all teens who know ASL, even if they are not hearing impaired. Gianna reports that ASL is a popular subject among students at San Dieguito Academy, or SDA, where she transferred last fall. Surprisingly, she is the only student out of 18 in her ASL 4 class who is deaf or hearing impaired.

Gianna has also become a popular speaker. Last week she was invited to address the San Marcos Lions Club about her journey.

Today, Gianna has found her purpose in life. After graduation next year, she hopes to pursue a degree in deaf studies at Cal State Northridge. Her mother, Joanne Heaviland, thinks she would make a great counselor.

“Her father and I are very proud of her and how she has risen above something that has been a challenge in her life,” she said. “Because Gianna can relate to both worlds, the deaf world and the hearing world, she is a wonderful example of what it is to be challenged. Now it’s about making the best of it by helping others who are in the same boat.”

Gianna is also on SDA’s varsity tennis team, which she says offers its own challenges, because the fast action makes it almost impossible for her to read the lips of the tennis referee.

“That’s another issue,” she said, smiling. “Like when you’re playing and they shout ‘Out!’ Then again, ‘Out!’ ‘Out!’ ‘Out!’”

For more information about Gianna’s journey, visit her YouTube channel (Geegerz825). The video has received more than 56,700 hits to date.

To learn more about the deaf culture, Gianna recommends the book, “For Hearing People Only” by Matthew S. Moore and Linda Levitan.

To attend the first dinner meeting of PACE, text or call Gianna at (760) 710-7459 or visit Facebook.com/events/282246545173158.

“Anecdotally, the staff has observed some of the vehicles that were frequently parked in violation of time limits have been moved to other non-timed street segments,” Holler said.

“Is it safe to go back to the Village for lunch?” asked Director Ann Boone.

Early results show that it just might be.

“During the lunch hour, we saw three to five spaces open in the core,” said Pete Smith, Association manager.

A parking survey by the Association staff, conducted over two weeks, found that one of the reasons for the lack of parking in the Village were business people and their employees who parked all day, every day in timed parking spaces. At its meeting on Feb. 2, the Association directed the CHP to begin issuing parking tickets, which cost $62.50.

After 60 days, the staff will conduct another survey to determine the results of the additional parking enforcement.

In other Association business, the board gave the staff permission to advertise the vacancies on the Roads and Planning Committee. Holler said at present, there is only one member left sitting on the committee.

“Unfortunately, because the Roads and Planning Committee was comprised of members of two previous committees, all but one of the committee members’ terms ended on Dec. 21, 2011, instead of being staggered,” he said.

He said the vacancies were advertised last October, but an insufficient number of applications were received.

“Re-energizing the Roads and Planning Committee is important for the Association in order to adequately review issues and projects that many impact the Covenant,” he said. “Examples of such projects include radar recertification of Covenant roadways, the EIR for the roundabouts and for Village Planning.”

In the past, the Association had maintained both a Roads and Traffic Committee and a separate Planning Committee to advise the board on those issues, but with the decline of public and private development projects of the last several years, the two committees merged in January 2010. It became the Roads and Planning Committee. It continued reviewing and offering recommendations on projects or issues that were previously under the umbrella of both committees such as traffic enforcement, roundabouts, road maintenance, Village master plans and the County General Plan Update.

Anyone interested in applying to become a member of the Roads and Planning Committee should contact the Association at (858) 756-1174.

Among the events hosted at the site is The Art of Fashion, a fundraising event by The Country Friends of Rancho Santa Fe. It has been the spot where the classical Mainly Mozart gathers and the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club meets.

“The community has enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the current owners of the Inn for decades and personally I am very sorry that they will no longer be involved in the operations,” Smith said.

JMI is no stranger to the hotel business. It is the owner of the Omni Hotel near Petco Park and the Hotel Solamar in Downtown San Diego. It also has holdings in Colorado and Texas.

The company was chosen by the city of San Diego and the San Diego Padres to be the master developer of the ballpark district. In addition to the downtown area, JMI owns the Paseo del Mar campus style office development in Del Mar Heights.

As for the Inn, Smith says he expects changes. “I am looking forward to working with the new owners to continue our relationship with the Inn to everyone’s benefit,” he said.

The Inn was the very first building in Rancho Santa Fe. Known as La Morida, “the house of many rooms,” it was designed by Rancho Santa Fe’s first architect, Lilian Rice who was employed by the architectural firm of Requa and Jackson. The Spanish Revival-style structure was first used as a guesthouse by Rancho Santa Fe Land Improvement Company officials. It also housed prospective buyers of the small “ranchos” in the area.

It was opened to the public in 1923 and when it sold to a private person in 1940, its name was changed to The Inn At Rancho Santa Fe. It has grown to have about 100 guest rooms, suites and charming cottages. It also has meeting rooms, a fitness center, a pool and restaurants.

In the vein of his new book, which was co-authored with Caroline McCullagh, Lederer will speak about U.S. presidents and their role in history at the Rancho Santa Fe Senior Center Feb. 24 at 2 p.m.

Lederer will offer “a treasury of fascinating firsts, mosts, and onlys about American presidents,” as the event’s program states. If you think John F. Kennedy was the U.S.’s youngest president, then Lederer is ready to set you straight.

Lederer is the author of more than 40 books about language, history and humor. Drawing from what he learned while researching his newest book, Lederer will regale listeners with other interesting tales that slipped between the cracks of history.

“Writing is an amazing way to learn,” Lederer said. “I discovered a wealth of things I didn’t know before, and it’s a lot. For example, take the interesting deaths of presidents 20 years apart.”

Before unearthing history, Lederer uncovered the meaning behind language.

A self-described “verbivore,” Lederer is best known for hosting “A Way With Words” on KPBS, a program that analyzes language — typically puns, grammar and proverbs — in funny and informative fashion. He retired from the show in 2006, but still dissects language in a column called “Looking at Language” that appears in newspapers and magazines throughout the country.

His ability to deconstruct whirs into gear when the word “wow” is uttered during conversation.

“‘Wow’ is a palindrome, each letter has left-right symmetry,” Lederer explains. “The ‘o’ in the word has quadrant symmetry. If you flip it over, you get ‘mom,’ in an area called logology.”

It’s simple stuff for Lederer, who’s also an expert on anagrams and homophones, among other forms of wordplay.

His take on the word Mensa?

“Mensa comes from a latin root that means he who got up in beat up in high school,” deadpans Lederer, who served as the San Diego chapter’s past president.

Lederer’s use of humor and wordplay earned him Toastmaster International’s Golden Gavel Award in 2002. Another key to Lederer’s speaking success: He puts the Q&A sessions in the middle of his performances, giving him the opportunity to riff at the audience’s questions.

“The older you get the less agenda conscious you become,” Lederer said. “The facts will eventually come out. Questions in the middle let me know go in several directions and keep the audience engaged.”

Lederer is especially excited to bring his oratory skills to the Rancho Santa Fe Senior Center.

“It’s a very bright group of people there,” Lederer said. “The Rancho Santa Fe citizens make education a fun and life-long process. The Center is really trying to build their programs and extend their outreach, and I really respect that,” Lederer said.

The Rancho Sante Fe Senior Center is a nonprofit that provides resources, educational programs and social activities. Lederer will also speak at the Center for a three-part series about language in September.

“We’re delighted to have Richard,” said Terrie Litwin, executive director of the Rancho Santa Fe Senior Center. “He’s a perfect match for what we do in that he’s entertaining and informative.”

Santos received the call from Kentera where the two met up at a coffee shop in Cardiff, signing him to a contract for the rest of the season.

“It was a great feeling,” Santos said. “Playing with the first team, it was a great experience, being able to get called up and play with a bunch of the great guys,” he said.

Santos even earned an opportunity to play in the FIFRA tournament, which the Sockers won.

“He plays real hard, and he’s had a good amateur career,” Kentera said. “And he’ll still continue, obviously, to go back and forth between the reserve team and our team, but…talking to Phil (Salvagio), he really opened up some eyes in that tournament in Mexico.”

Playing in the tournament was good and quick, Santos explained. “It was definitely a different experience and it just opened my eyes on how good the Sockers are.”

Since joining the first team, the players have welcomed him with open arms, he said.

“They’ve continued to give me pointers (about) the indoor game,” he said, adding that he’d never really played indoor soccer before, let alone at the professional level.

Not only that, but he’s learning how to play through all of the noise that goes on during the games.

The 24-year-old midfielder who still resides in Cardiff, attributes his mom for getting him started playing soccer when he was four or five in the Cardiff-by-the-Sea recreational games at Cardiff Elementary School. He played soccer at La Costa Canyon High School before going on to play at UC Davis, being named the team’s most inspirational player in 2010.

His brother Joe also plays on the reserve team, something that’s been a lot of fun, Santos said. “We laugh and he grows a lot every time he plays with me; I grow a lot playing with him. He’s definitely just as physical and just as skilled, so it’s a fun experience,” he said.

“The two Santos boys…these guys can play a little bit,” Kentera said. “They’re good kids; the game means something to them and when they come to compete they come to beat you.”

“It’s a great honor,” Santos said about playing for the Sockers. “For me, to be able to play for the county that I grew up in and be able to wear that Socker’s uniform and compete against other counties and states and even in different countries, it’s a great pleasure and I can only hope to wear this jersey with pride,” Santos said.

The 2012 season is nearly over, but Santos is looking to continue to grow with the team and to continue to learn more about the game.

“He’s definitely got a future with us,” Kentera said.

Our second and third presidents–the only two presidential signers of the Declaration of Independence–John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, political rivals, then friends, both died on July 4, 1826, exactly fifty years after the Declaration became official.

Thomas Jefferson. Image courtesy Whitehouse.gov.

At dawn of that same day, Adams was dying in his home in Quincy, Massachusetts. A servant asked the fading Adams, “Do you know what day it is?” “Oh yes,” responded the lion in winter. “It is the glorious Fourth of July.” He then lapsed into a stupor but awakened in the afternoon and sighed feebly, “Thomas Jefferson survives.” He ceased to breathe around sunset, about six hours after Jefferson.

2. Who was the youngest man ever to have served as President of the United States?

If your answer is John Fitzgerald Kennedy, you’re slightly off the mark. When he took office, Kennedy was, at the age of forty-three years and seven months, the youngest man ever to have been elected president; but Theodore Roosevelt became president at forty-two years and ten months, in the wake of the assassination of President William McKinley. When TR’s second term was over, he was still only fifty years old, making him the youngest ex-president.

John F. Kennedy. Image courtesy Whitehouse.gov.

Bill Clinton was our third youngest president (forty-six years and one month), followed, surprisingly, by Ulysses S. Grant (forty-six years and eleven months) and Barack Obama (forty-seven years and one month).

3. Now that you know the identity of our youngest president, who was our oldest president?

The average age at which America’s presidents have taken office is fifty-four. Ronald Reagan became president one month shy of his seventieth birthday, older than any other president, and left office one month shy of his seventy-eighth. Before Reagan, Dwight Eisenhower had been the only president to reach the age of seventy while in office.

When Ronald Reagan passed away in 2004 at the age of 93 years and 120 days, he was our longest-lived president. In 2006, Gerald Ford surpassed that record for presidential longevity and lived another month and a half. Amazingly, our third longest-lived president is John Adams, who was born in 1735 and who lived for ninety years and eight months, followed by Herbert Hoover, who lived for ninety years and two months.

4. Who were our tallest, heftiest, and most compact presidents?

Abraham Lincoln. Image courtesy Whitehouse.gov.

Abraham Lincoln, at six feet, four inches, was our most elevated president, but at six feet and 300-340 pounds, William Howard Taft was our bulkiest president. After he became stuck in the White House bathtub, Taft ordered a new one installed that would accommodate four men of average stature. Although Taft was our most portly president, he was considered a good dancer and a decent tennis player and golfer.

At five feet, four inches and weighing about a hundred pounds (less than a third of Taft), James Madison was our most compact president. The author Washington Irving described Madison as “but a withered little apple-John,” but another observer marveled that he had “never seen so much mind in so little matter.” In fact, Madison is probably our only president who weighed less than his IQ.

5. Have any of our presidents not been born citizens of the United States?

Yes, eight of them. Martin Van Buren, our eighth president, entered the earthly stage on Dec. 5, 1782, making him the first president born after the Declaration of Independence was signed and thus a citizen by birth. Eight presidents were born before 1776 as British subjects–George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and, after Van Buren, William Henry Harrison.

6. Has any President run as the candidate of a major party in a presidential election and come out third?

In 1912, President William Howard Taft ran as a Republican for re-election against the Democratic nominee, Woodrow Wilson. Former president Theodore Roosevelt said of his successor, “Taft meant well, but he meant well feebly,” so Roosevelt also entered the fray, as a candidate for the Bull Moose Party.

Roosevelt and Taft split the Republican vote, and Wilson won handily. Taft placed third with an abysmal 23 percent of the popular vote, the lowest ever for an incumbent president. Unremittingly good-humored, Taft sighed, “I have one consolation. No one candidate was ever elected ex-president by such a large majority.”

When William Taft was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court eight years after his presidency, he became the only man ever to have headed both the executive and judicial branches of our government. At their inaugurations, Taft swore in both Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover.

7. Have we ever had a president who was never elected to national office?

Richard Nixon resigned from the White House on Aug. 9, 1974, the only president to do so. Spiro Agnew, his vice president, had resigned earlier. As a result of these actions, Gerald Ford was, for two years, the only man who served as both vice president (replacing Agnew) and president (replacing Nixon) without having been elected to either office. The only elected office Ford ever held was a Western Michigan congressional seat. Ford’s vice president, Nelson Rockefeller, who had previously served as governor of New York, was also never elected to national office.

8. Has any president been an only child?

No American president has remained an only child. All have had at least one full sibling, except for Franklin D. Roosevelt, Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama, who have or had half siblings. Twenty-four of our presidents have been first-born males, while six have been the youngest child in their family.

9. Has any president never been married?

James Buchanan was known as the Bachelor President. During his term of office, his niece, Harriet Lane, played the role of First Lady. In 1819, Buchanan had been engaged to Anne Coleman, daughter of the richest man in Pennsylvania. Through a misunderstanding their engagement was broken off. When Anne died mysteriously a short time later, Buchanan vowed he would never marry. Grover Cleveland also entered the White House as a bachelor but married while he was president.

10. What is “Tecumseh’s Curse”?

Seven presidents elected in years that end with a zero (intervals of twenty years) died in office–William Henry Harrison (elected in 1840), Abraham Lincoln (1860), James A. Garfield (1880), William McKinley (1900), Warren G. Harding (1920), Franklin D. Roosevelt (1940), and John F. Kennedy (1960).

First noted in a Ripley’s Believe It or Not book published in 1934, this string of untimely presidential deaths is variously known as the Curse of Tippecanoe, the Zero-Year Curse, the Twenty-Year Curse, or Tecumseh’s Curse. Tecumseh was the Shawnee chief defeated by William Henry Harrison at the battle of Tippecanoe, Indiana Territory, in 1811. Ronald Reagan, elected in 1980 and shot by John Hinckley, Jr., almost continued the deadly sequence but he survived and broke the “curse.” Despite being our oldest chief executive, Reagan was the only sitting president to survive a bullet wound.

Richard Lederer is the co-author with Caroline McCullagh of the new book, “American Trivia: What We All Should Know About U.S. History, Culture & Geography.”

“Dr. Mario Yco, otolaryngologist, said he’d underwrite the cost of the dinner. Singer Peggy Lebo offered to provide entertainment.”

The event raised $33,000, which made it possible for Misopoulos and eight other women to stay in their homes.

Since that time, Cancer Angels has supported 250 cancer patients and their children. Today, they are launching another all-out effort to generate donations.

“Like other small charities, we are in the need of funding to continue to give at the level we have, and to take on more patients,” Beutler said.

She explained that by the time patients reach Stage IV, the cancer has spread throughout the body. Although people can live for years with Stage IV cancer, lifetime treatment causes severe side effects making it impossible to work.

Of the 25 percent of San Diego County cancer patients who will eventually be diagnosed with Stage IV cancer, more than 40 percent will be unable to pay their medical bills. Twenty-five percent will face homelessness.

“At the time I was seeing Eve I was absolutely distraught and had no idea what I was going to do,” said Misopoulos, who previously worked as a corporate sales professional. “Cancer Angels enabled me to focus on healing rather than going to bed at night, worrying if I was going to have a bed to sleep in the next night.”

She added, “A few months ago I was in hospice and wasn’t expected to live through the month. Now I’m back home. I’m a miracle, but it wouldn’t have been possible without Eve.”

Benedict Marfori worked as a golf attendant at the Four Seasons Aviara until he was struck with pancreatic cancer in 2007. He says he never took a sick day in the nine years he was on the job until the receiving the diagnosis.

Today, his pancreatic cancer has spread to his liver. Side effects of medication have resulted in kidney failure and fluid in the lungs. Consequently, Marfori’s life revolves around chemotherapy and dialysis. What bothers him the most is the constant worry, and the fact that the burden of work falls solely on his wife, a bank teller.

“She is apprehensive because people are getting laid off, left and right, and there is no job security,” Marfori said. “At the beginning, I had savings but we went through that fast.”

He added, “Since Cancer Angels has been helping us, we know we have a place to stay. I have a little dog that we got from the shelter who lifts my spirits, and they give me dog food for free (compliments of Petco Oceanside). When I am in hospital, Cancer Angels visit me.”

Specifically, Beutler is seeking cash donations and gift cards for food (99 Cent Store, Wal-Mart, Ralphs, Vons) and gas. Because Cancer Angels has no overhead, all donations go directly to helping Stage IV cancer patients.

She explained that Cancer Angels has a lifetime commitment to their patients as long as they are disabled and unable to work. However, clients are required to sign up for food stamps and, with Cancer Angels’ assistance, downsize if necessary.

“The more money we get, the more we can help,” Beutler said.

Volunteers are also needed to serve as a marketing professional, social worker and administrative assistant.

“If we can put together a good team in San Diego, we could mentor volunteers in other counties, and states, and grow nationally,” she said.

For more information, or to make a donation or volunteer, visit cancerangelsofsandiego.org, call (760) 942-6346 or email eve@cancerangelsofsandiego.com.

The policy document intended to guide the city’s decision-making over the next 25 years is comprised of multiple elements that inform planners, developers, policymakers and the community.

Beginning in January 2010, a general plan advisory committee, along with city staff and a consultant, began the first phase of updating the general plan. The city’s blueprint has been updated to address new policy issues such as sustainable and healthy communities, green building codes and emissions standards.

The plan also speaks to traffic circulation, walkable communities, economic and environmental sustainability and recycling. The existing general plan was adopted in 1989.

The group has met a “handful of times” according to Pickering and keeps in regular communication via email and phone. “We’re representing a broader concern,” he said. “The more we talked, the more we realized how few residents really understood what the impact will be on New Encinitas.”

The group has tripled in size in the last few months according to Pickering. “The petition (on the website) has been signed by over 600 people,” he said. “That’s not our family and our neighbors, we’ve touched a nerve. That’s strengthened our voice.”

Among the group’s main concerns is the way in which the public input was solicited. “The input was very small,” Pickering said. “The city planning department did a poor job of advertising (workshops).”

However, between January and June 2010 five community-specific workshops and a citywide workshop were facilitated. Additional public workshops and open-houses have been heavily advertised and well-attended.
Diane Langager, a principal city planner said the public’s concerns were at the forefront of developing the document. “It is a citywide document” she said, referring to crafting a blueprint that encompasses five distinct communities.

“We’ve really honored the process,” Langager said. She noted that the planning department relied heavily on public input from various community workshops to develop the draft. “We’ve expanded and enhanced our outreach to the public even further,” she said. “There will be ample opportunity for input.”

In an effort to garner even more public participation, the City Council agreed with a subcommittee recommendation on Dec. 14 to create a panel to comb through the draft general plan.

The Element Review Advisory Committee is slated to go over each part of the extensive blueprint for the city’s future growth during a series of meetings.

The 23-member group is comprised of volunteers that held its first meeting on Feb. 13. Depending on the rate of progress, meeting dates could run through July according to a planning department document.

The committee will analyze each element of the policy document over the course of several months including land use, housing, traffic circulation, parks, recreation and public facilities, resource management, public safety and health and noise.

The general plan land use element is particularly disturbing, explained Pickering. “So much of it (future residential development) is being so focused in such a small area of the city. That simply doesn’t seem fair,” he said. “The area is already one of the more congested places in the city. We’re really concerned about changing the character of the community.”

Langager said that traffic counts based on increased density were an unknown because the analysis and an environmental impact report have not been fully completed. “We just don’t know the answer to that yet,” she said.
“That’s a lot of people to insert into the El Camino Real corridor,” Pickering said, referring to the population projections used by the planning department and consultant.

“New Encinitas is a highly functional area. Everything I need is close by,” he said. “There are ways to improve it, but not by increasing the number of people.” He questioned whether other areas of town would be able to absorb some of the population expansion. “We’re looking for some fairness.”

He said the city planning staff responds to the group’s criticism by saying certain elements are required. “They’ve shifted from ‘what do you want’ to ‘we have to (do this).’”

The state does have mandates for capping greenhouse gases, creating affordable housing and other regulations that are addressed within the general plan. “We must meet state laws,” Langager said.

Patricia Stielder, a New Encinitas resident said she’s heard “rumblings” about the general plan but hasn’t attended any meetings. “I think a lot of us are late to the table on this one and are realizing that it’s one of the most important issues our city is going to face.” She said she plans to attend future workshops to learn more and increase her participation. “I can’t really complain unless I was a part of it.”

To access the general plan visit encinitas2035.info

The theme is a universal one: A good man is vilified by the community for his efforts to protect them because his actions threaten the local economy.

In Miller’s adaptation, a health spa created from the local springs in a coastal town in Maine fuels hope of major economic growth. Citizens are unconcerned that visitors have been getting sick. Instead of being hailed as a hero for discovering and reporting that the town’s water is being poisoned, the lead character Dr. Thomas Stockmann is labeled “an enemy of the people.”

The cast of SDA interns includes Emily Falkner, Annie Tarabini, Emily Floyd, Andrew Scher, Brigittie Williamson, Kristin Perkins, Daniel Alguire, Cameron Waggoner, Abby Espinosa, Sophia Rucireta, Carly Strait, Rafael Swit, Damon Ferreirae, Edgar Rosales, Ben Ellerbrock, Peri Anderson, Erin Rosenberg and Daniel Fugett.

Students commit 20 hours a week in rehearsals and training in the technical aspects of production including costuming, sets, lighting and sound.

This will be the interns’ first production in the new Clayton Liggett Theatre, which was named for a beloved drama teacher who died in 1995.

“In order for all interns to have the opportunity to play meatier parts, I divided the roles so that one actor plays a major character in the first half of the play, and a second actor in the second half,” said Sean Cox, Intrepid co-founder, artistic director and director of education.

Senior Kristin Perkins, who plays Mayor Peter Stockmann in the second half of the play, has been in the internship program from the beginning.

“When I played Petra in ‘Romeo & Juliet,’ I realized I wanted to do this professionally,” she said. “The rehearsals (with professional actors) are so serious that by the time you get to the production you have time to explore the character in an environment of performing, as opposed to goofing off as is typical in many student productions.”

Senior Edgar Rosales plays Hovstad, the editor of the local newspaper who, Cox explains, is seduced by the power of Mayor Stockmann.

Edgar took an introductory acting class as a freshman at SDA, and regrets that he didn’t continue until this year.

“I never realized till this year that I really wanted to do this,” he said. “It was a turning point, being up there on stage, directed by a professional director, and working with professional actors. This theater is amazing compared to what we had. I at least want to minor in theater next year in college.”

The professional cast is led by Matt Scott as Dr. Thomas Stockmann along with Eric Poppick, Danny Campbell, Rob Biter, Brian Mackey, Antonio T.J. Johnson, Erin Petersen, Brenda Dodge, Aiden Hayek and Sean Cox.

“An Enemy of the People”

Where: San Dieguito Academy 800 Santa Fe Dr., Encinitas
When: Feb. 18 at noon (student performance). Feb. 17, 8 p.m., Feb. 18, 3 p.m., 8 p.m. and Feb. 19, 2p.m., 7 p.m.to 19 (Intrepid Shakespeare Company performance).
Cost: $10 (student performance); $25 general admission, $22 seniors and military, $15 students (Intrepid performance).
Info: intrepidshakespeare.com

“Looking at the cost of maintaining the grass in the future, the turf will save us money going forward in the next five to 10 years,” Sleet said. “Sprinkler costs and other general maintenance adds up with grass. And before we had to maintain the infield even when baseball season was done. No more with the new turf.”

The Encinitas Little League also wants the field to look more professional.

“We want to make the kids feel like they’re playing in the big leagues,” Sleet said. “At the end of the day it’s about them.”

The artificial turf is expected to last for more than 12 years. The Encinitas Little League raised funds for the artificial turf with home run derbies and corporate sponsorships.

The Encinitas Little League’s board of directors voted to install artificial turf on field two primarily because it receives less foot traffic than the other three fields at Paul Ecke Sports Park.

According to Sleet, the Encinitas Little League has no plans to install artificial turf on the other fields.
The Encinitas Parks and Recreation department helped plan the project.

“After several months of working together, we came up with something that benefits the city and the league,” said Lisa Rudloff, Encinitas Parks and Recreation director.

The Encinitas City Council gave the artificial turf the green light Feb. 15.

Donations in excess of $10,000 require City Council approval.