PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
.com MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 30, N0. 52
DEC. 23, 2016
SAN MARCOS -NEWS
.com THE VISTA NEWS
.com A former employee is suing the North County Transit District accusing the agency of not providing a safe work environment, forgoing medical tests after being spit on by a passenger, racism and abusing security cameras to zoom in on women. Photo by Steve Puterski
All smiles
Two-year-old Sophia Cutz is all smiles as she picks out a brand new tricycle at the 34th annual CRC Holiday Baskets Program held at the Del Mar Fair Grounds last Saturday. Photo by Pat Cubel
Ada Harris Toy Fair brings out kids’ imaginations By Aaron Burgin
Morgan Mullins and Nika Fields show off their baking subscription box at the Ada Harris Toy Fair. Photo by Aaron Burgin
ect in which each 6th grader, either by themselves or in a group, had three months to design a toy, develop a prototype and create the marketing materials to make the case that their toy would be a hot seller this holiday season. The project touches on multiple disciplines, including mathematics (the students had to show in graphic form how they arrived at their price point), writing (each student had to write a letter to a CEO of a major toy or department store pitching their product) and, of course, design and engineering.
More important as the finished product is the process, Jewell said. The students had multiple deadlines along the way to show their progress, and received guidance from teachers to help evolve their concepts from prototype to finished stage. The teachers also brought in local toy designer Mark Rappaport, the Escondido Toymaker behind the “Marky Sparky” toy line, to provide guidance for the kids. Rappaport, who also attended the 2014 installment, suggested that the teachers continue to refine the focus
of fair, giving students finite materials to work with. Rappaport also suggested that rather than the students following trends, they should create toys that set trends. “I’m a small toy maker, and if I try to follow trends, I’ll go out of business,” he told a group of teachers before the fair. But the focus of the event, as always, was the long hallway that has become the traditional exhibition grounds full of large presentation boards, wide-eyed kids and curious TURN TO TOY FAIR ON A22
STRANGE BRIAN STRANGE
CalBRE #01866160
ENCINITAS — The teachers at Ada Harris Elementary School have succeeded in doing something that isn’t easy to achieve: they have created a tradition. That tradition is the sixth grade Toy Fair. How do you know it has become a tradition? Just ask Kai Murphy. Kai, along with friends Oliver Hughen and Mark Kazmierowicz, is the co-creator of “Boxed Boards,” a collectible miniature skateboard set that was one of the more than 60 toy concepts on exhibition Dec. 15. “So we have known about the toy fair,” Kai said, breaking his thought in mid-sentence. “Well I’ve know about it since the third grade, because my brother did it when I was in the third grade.” Bingo. Students have been looking forward to this moment for years. That is when you know that you’ve created a tradition. “It’s become an institution, something that kids are looking forward to watching their older siblings do it,” said Matthew Jewell, a sixth grade teacher at Ada Harris who has been a part of the tradition since its inception in 2013. “We all look forward to it.” Much like previous iterations, the fair is the culmination of a semester-long proj-
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Former NCTD employee RANCHO SFNEWS files lawsuit over . workplace treatment
com
By Steve Puterski
OCEANSIDE — The North County Transit District (NCTD) is under fire amid a series of allegations of racism, sexual harassment and male employees using video cameras to zoom in on female passengers breasts and bodies. Noel Buckhanon was the only black female code enforcement officer at NCTD when she was hired in 2014. Earlier this year, Buckhanon filed a civil suit against the transit organization after more than one year on the job, for the allegations stated above. The suit was filed on Oct. 31, but she’s since taken a medical leave of absence due to stress from the job, according to her Carlsbad-based attorney Laura Farris. Farris, whose practice centers on employment law, said NCTD was notified in January of a potential suit and given time to address those issues with employees. However, Farris said no official action had been taken by the agency, so the lawsuit was filed. A jury trial was requested. “We gave the North County Transit District every opportunity to address our concerns,” she said.
“They basically forced our hand to file the lawsuit.” NCTD released a statement on Tuesday after the story broke. “North County Transit District (NCTD) is aware of the media reports related to a lawsuit that has been filed by a former NCTD employee alleging amongst other issues that there was inappropriate and unauthorized use of NCTD security cameras,” the statement read. “Cameras are a vital component of NCTD’s security system and have greatly assisted NCTD in ensuring the safety of our employees, customers, and the general public.” NCTD did not address the alleged racial and discriminatory comments made toward Buckhanon in the statement. The statement said NCTD wouldn’t comment further due to the pending lawsuit. “As this lawsuit is still pending, NCTD cannot comment on the specific allegations of the complaint. However, it is important for the public to understand that NCTD has taken the appropriate steps to ensure that the privacy of the general public is respected.” According to the suit, TURN TO LAWSUIT ON A16
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