Garbage Bins on Display:
While the city is working on outsourcing the trash collection service, several garbage bins from the potential companies are on display at eight locations throughout the city for residents to view.
Locations include central library, city hall, customer service center, Bay A, Corona del Mar Branch Library, Community Youth Center, OASIS Senior Center, Balboa Branch Library, West Newport Gymnasium Lobby, and Mariners Branch Library.
Hours vary, visit newportbeachca.gov for details.
Murder Suspect Pleads Not Guilty:
A man suspected of killing the woman whose body was found under the Bay Bridge last month has pleaded not guilty, according to court records.
Irvin Tellez, 25, of Garden Grove, entered his plea on Oct. 11, while co-defendant Jaime Prieto Rocha, 40, of Santa Ana, is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on Oct. 25, Orange County Superior Court records show.
The two men are accused of driving around Santa Ana on Sept. 2 with Nancy Hammour, 28, also of Santa Ana, in the backseat, according to the Orange County District Attorney‘s Office.
They allegedly approached another woman, Elizabeth G., 31, on the street and started a conversation. Authorities say Tellez then pulled out a 9mm firearm and shot Elizabeth G. in the face. She was transported to a hospital and survived the gunshot.
Prosecutors claim the defendants then fled the scene and Tellez turned his firearm on Hammour, shooting her in the face. She slumped to the floorboard and was shot in the face a second time, killing her, the district attorney’s office states. The two men allegedly then dumped her body on the beach.
If convicted, Tellez faces 75 years to life and Rocha faces 25 years to life as their maximum sentences in state prison.
Both men are in jail on $1 million bail.
Meeting to Discuss Blackball Rules:
A community meeting to discuss a blackball surfing regulations will be held at 6 p.m. Oct. 21 in the community room at the civic center.
Newport Beach has formed a Blackball Working Group to review surfing regulations for city beaches.
“The group will be looking at all parts of the regulations, including specific areas, dates and times,” according to a city announcement. “The current rules have been in place for almost two decades and it’s time to review them and gather input from the community to see if they are working, if the timeframe and hours are still appropriate, and if the correct areas are being regulated.”
For more information, visit newportbeachca.gov/blackball or comments can be emailed to blackball@newportbeachca.gov.
Structure Fire on Balboa Island:
Firefighters responded to an early morning two-story residential structure fire in the 200 block of E. Balboa Blvd. over the weekend, according to authorities.
The Newport Beach Fire Department responded at 4:59 a.m. Oct. 12 with 16 personnel, said NBFD Captain Kevin Tiscareno.
The fire was located and contained to the patio area of the second floor.
The blaze caused an estimated $30,000 worth of damage. The cause is still under investigation. No injuries reported.
For more information, call (949) 644-3111.
Special Olympics Tip-A-Cop Event:
Local police officers will once again participate in the annual Tip-A-Cop event on behalf of Special Olympics Southern California
The event will showcase Newport Beach Police Department officers as celebrity hosts and servers at the Yard House Restaurant in Fashion Island on Oct. 23 from 5 to 9 p.m.
All proceeds will go to support Special Olympic activities in Orange County.
The Yard House will provide a $10 gift card for each donation of $10 or more.
Approximately $10,000 was raised during last year’s event.
For more information, contact Jennifer Manzella at jmanzella@nbpd.org or (949) 644-3662.
City Seeks Input on Library Services Director:
The city is asking for feedback from community members and library users to help “guide the recruitment and selection strategies,” according to a city announcement.
Residents are encouraged to answer a survey about the position. Questions about leadership qualities and characteristics, library director priorities, and library services are all included in the short survey.
The position oversees the city’s library system, which brings in more than 1 million annual visitors.
Those interested in applying, can view the recruitment brochure and apply online.
For more information, visit newportbeachca.gov.
Construction Road Closure:
A section of MacArthur Boulevard will soon be closed to traffic due so crews can install a new water main and relocate and existing vault.
The northbound side, between Pacific Coast Highway and San Miguel Drive, will be closed to traffic from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, beginning Oct. 21 and ending Nov. 1. Outside of the full closure hours, one northbound lane will reopen to traffic. The southbound lanes will remain open.
The work is part of the city’s $4.5-million Corona del Mar Water Transmission Main project which will improve water supply to CdM.
For more information, call the city’s Public Works Department at (949) 644-3311 or visit newportbeachca.gov/cdmpipeline.
Pelican Hill Ranked Top Resort
Condé Nast Traveler readers have ranked Pelican Hill the top resort in Southern California.
Pelican Hill score 94.7 in the 2013 Readers’ Choice Awards, published annually in the magazine’s November issue.
This is the fourth consecutive year the resort has earned the top honor.
Multiple Injuries in Two Car Crash
A traffic collision involving two vehicles and nine people resulted in multiple injuries over the weekend, according to authorities.
The two vehicles collided at 9:08 p.m. Oct. 12 on Newport Boulevard, north of Hospital Road, Newport Beach Fire Department Captain Glenn White reported.
All nine occupants were evaluated, White explained, with five refusing transport and leaving the scene, three transported to local emergency rooms and one to a trauma center, all by Newport Beach paramedic units.
Fire units from Newport Beach, Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach responded to the incident.
The Newport Beach Police Department is investigating the cause of the accident.
