PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
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Beach trail closed
LOCAL, INDEPENDENT, TRUSTED
Jan. 19, 2024
SAN MARCOS -NEWS
.com THE VISTA NEWS
Landslide halts public access at Beacon’s
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By Jordan P. Ingram
ENCINITAS — Beacon’s Beach access point and the surrounding beach area have temporarily closed for repairs after a portion of the popular switchback trail experienced another failure last week, city officials said. During the early morning hours of Jan. 10, a portion of an existing natural landslide along the bluff was reactivated for unknown reasons, creating several visible cracks in the slope and damaging the Leucadia footpath. “The area has been active historically and is currently unstable and unsafe,” a city spokesperson said. “From time to time, the city has repaired the access trail. Effective immediately, the beach access trail is temporarily closed and the beach area around the trail should be avoided by all persons until further notice.” The parking lot will remain open but may be closed if conditions worsen. The city will continue to provide updates as information becomes available. In May 2022, the Beacon’s access trail and parking lot were closed for several weeks following a failure along the same northern portion of the slope and trail. Scripps Institution of Oceanography monitored the bluff for several weeks before the city reopened the access trail. Repairs cost approximately $20,000, according to city spokesperson Lois Yum. At this time, the city is unable to determine whether this most recent failure is larger or smaller than the previous event. “We cannot determine that until the landslide is considered inactive,” Yum said. “At that time, we will evaluate the extent of the damage caused.” Residents and visitors are prohibited from using the Beacon’s switchback trail until after landslide monitoring is complete. Beachgoers are advised to alternately use the Grandview or Stonesteps access points.
HAWK .com RANCHO SFNEWS
WATCH The Wildlife Research Institute in Ramona hosts Hawk Watch each Saturday in January and February. The free event features close-up encounters with raptors, biologist talks and more. Event details on 26.
‘All My Children’ star dies by suicide By Laura Place
CALIFORNIA FISH AND WILDLIFE Officer Mario Noriega testifies Jan. 17 in Vista during a preliminary hearing for Erick Arambula, 24, who allegedly crashed head-on into a Kia, killing Courteney Taylor, 29, and her 4-year-old daughter Amaya, on April 23, 2023. Story on 16. Photo by Laura Place
El Camino basketball players visit Pendleton The El Camino High School boys basketball team recently practiced with the All-Marine men’s basketball team at Camp Pendleton. 8
DEL MAR — Actor Alec Musser, known for his role in “All My Children,” died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in his Del Mar home last week, officials said Tuesday. The 50-year-old Musser, who also had a memorable part in the 2010 Adam Sandler comedy “Grown Ups,’’ was found Saturday morning by his fiancée Paige Press at the couple’s MUSSER home on 10th Street in Del Mar, according to law enforcement. An investigation by the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the manner of death as suicide, stating that his fiancée last saw Musser alive on the night of Jan. 12 and then discovered him the next day de-
ceased in the bathroom. “On the morning of 01/13/2024, (Press) awoke and went to find the decedent seated and slumped forward on the bathroom floor. She noted a firearm near him and an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest and called 911. Paramedics and law enforcement responded and confirmed the death,” the Medical Examiner’s report said. Musser is believed to have died around 6:43 a.m., according to the report. Press shared the news on Instagram over the weekend, writing, “RIP to the love of my life. I will never stop loving you. My heart is broken.’’ Musser was born in New York and attended the University of San Diego. He won the role of Del Henry on the long-running ABC soap opera “All My Children” in July 2005 after winning the second season of the reality show “I Wanna Be a Soap Star.’’