PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
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MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 24, NO. 17
MAY 7, 2010
THISWEEK Lifeguard retires after 38 years By Bianca Kaplanek
ble a u l Va pons cou ages on P 14 B RECOLLECTION
The daughter of Carlsbad’s first doctor recalls life in the area in B1 the 1920s
INSIDE
TWO SECTIONS, 52 PAGES
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . A2 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B20 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . B22 Consumer Reports . . . . A10 Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A8 Eye on the Coast . . . . . . A5 EyeWitness . . . . . . . . . .A10 Frugal Living . . . . . . . . . B3 Hit the Road . . . . . . . . . B4 Hot Off the Block . . . . . A10 Legal Notices . . . . . . . . . B8 Lick the Plate . . . . . . . . B6 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . B19 Odd Files . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Pendleton News . . . . . . A18 Pet of the Week . . . . . . . B5 A Place to Call Home . . . A12 Second Opinion . . . . . . A13 Small Talk . . . . . . . . . . . B1 Taste of Wine . . . . . . . A11 Who’s News? . . . . . . . . A21
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DEL MAR — Forty years ago, Jim Lischer imagined he would spend his retirement in a beachfront home in Del Mar. Oceanfront property priced as it is, Lischer’s dream unfortunately didn’t quite play out. “So I did the next best thing,” he said. “I wore a swimsuit to work for 38 years.” After nearly four decades as a Del Mar lifeguard, Lischer retired May 1. His 38-year career includes more than 900 rescues and no drownings. Lischer’s interest in lifeguarding began after spending a month on the beach in New Jersey when he was 12. His older brother, Chuck, was working as a guard. “He inspired me as a teen to consider it,” Lischer said. “To me, lifeguards were the king of the beach.” His family eventually moved to La Mesa, and Lischer attended Helix High School, where he swam and played water polo. He continued in both sports as a student at Grossmont College until he was drafted to serve in the Vietnam War. After his return, he responded to a 1972 advertisement seeking lifeguards in Del Mar because he always wanted to be close to the beach. He said he “absolutely did not” intend for the job to evolve into a lifelong career. “I was planning to become a credentialed physical education teacher and
Rehab center denied space By Promise Yee
OCEANSIDE — The Planning Commission voted 5-1 to deny a zoning change that would allow a live-in drug and alcohol treatment facility to be built next to the Mission Montessori School. Commissioner Louise Balma opposed the zoning denial. Hours of passionate testimony for and against the zoning change for The Fellowship Center preceded the Planning Commission decision. Individuals who had recovered form alcohol and drug addiction or watched family members struggle with addiction shared personnel TURN TO REHAB ON A26
Man who killed ex testifies IN YOUR FACE! Continuing a long-standing tradition for retir-
TURN TO LIFEGUARD ON A25
Middle School found little more than outdated data and vague responses to their questions. “We want to know what you’re going to do with our soil, our water, our air,” said Stacey Quartarone, who lost her 16-year-old son Chase to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. “These people are here to support families that have lost children, and they don’t want to lose their children.” After presenting more than an hour of basic epidemiology information, state cancer expert Dr. Thomas Mack said that there was TURN TO CANCER ON A19
TURN TO KILLED ON A18
Despite dismissals, residents fear ‘cancer cluster’ By Alyx Sariol
CARLSBAD — Carlsbad residents have noticed an alarming increase in cancer cases in their community in recent years, leading them to suspect a possible “cancer cluster” in the area. Despite reassurance from county health officials that no such cluster existed, residents were persistent in drawing attention to their concerns. When county health officials agreed to host a forum to address CLUSTER OR COMMON? State cancer expert Dr. the issue, residents hoped to get Thomas Mack provided an overview of cancer statistics answers regarding the increase in and stated that there is “nothing unusual” about cases. Instead, attendees at the April 28 meeting at Calavera Hills Carlsbad. Photo by Alyx Sariol
By Randy Kalp
CARLSBAD — A 41-yearold man accused of murdering his on-again, off-again girlfriend last summer in her Carlsbad home by slitting her throat testified he was “beyond angry” when he lost control of his emotions and killed the mother of two. Jonathan Scott French of La Costa testified he first beat and choked Jennifer Stark unconscious, and then grabbed a knife and stabbed the 43year-old woman, who was a popular court reporter at the Vista Courthouse. While he admitted to the July 31, 2009, slaying, French was adamant he reacted in a blind rage without thinking after the couple got into an argument relating to their relationship. “I don’t really remember
ing lifeguards, Randy Roberts creams Jim Lischer with a pie in the face. Lischer never saw it coming. Inset, the man under the pie, Lischer himself. Photos by Bianca Kaplanek