PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
.com MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 35, N0. 43
OCT. 29, 2021
DelMARCOS MarSAN -NEWS questions fencing study
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North County to get $700K for transit pilot program. A3 Cardiff 101 to release photo book on Cardiff Kook. A7 Mustangs girls’ volleyball named Avo East champs. A9 Recall effort of O’side councilwoman fails. A10 Former lifeguard questions city’s vaccine mandate. A13
Atlas: NCTD’s report missingTHE bluff VISTA stability analysis NEWS
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By Bill Slane
ing personality has also led Natalie London and Taylor Plecity, members of the band Hey, King! to film a documentary about the North County octogenarian. “I’m still a little weakkneed,” Merritt said about the size of the crowd celebrating his achievement. “I can’t believe there are so many people that are that nice. It’s just unbelievable to me. When I’m riding, I tell people the weather is the best in the world and
DEL MAR — Following a review of North County Transit District’s updated fencing proposal along the Del Mar bluffs, unanswered questions have surfaced regarding the environmental impact chainlink partitions would have on the stability of the city’s iconRANCHO ic sandstone cliffs. During a presentation to SFNEWS the transit district board this week, NCTD representatives claim the agency’s third-party geotechnical studies, performed by Leighton Consulting, conclude that fencing will not have an impact on bluff stability. The presentation was similar to the report presented to the Del Mar City Council earlier this month. In response, the City of Del Mar hired San Diego-based Atlas Geotechnical Consultants to conduct a review of the study, after which Atlas’ pointed to several unanswered questions and information gaps within the transit agency’s commissioned report. “Their recommendations were that the documents from Leighton should not be accepted until a slate of questions and missing analysis were addressed,” Del Mar Mayor Terry Gaasterland said during this week’s NCTD board meeting. The two-page analysis, signed by three state-licensed geologists and engineers for
TURN TO BIKE ON A7
TURN TO STUDY ON A17
MARIJUANA IN NORTH COUNTY In the series finale, The Coast News looks at law enforcement’s efforts to combat illegal cannabis. Plus, Escondido, San Marcos and Carlsbad hold steadfast against recreational pot. A11-A16
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WILD RIDE
SAN DIEGO NATIVE Ryan Hudson spent most of his formative years in homeless shelters. But his passion for snowboading turned his life around. Hudson is one of three pro snowboarders who star in “Mountain Revelations,” a film that premiered Oct. 27 at La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas. Story on B1. Photo by Eric Henderson
Carlsbad man, 83, finishes cycle ‘around’ the world Cyclist pedals distance of Earth’s circumference By Steve Puterski
CARLSBAD — As he pedaled toward the “finish” line, a La Costa neighborhood exploded in celebratory chaos to celebrate the end of a local cyclist’s decade-long journey. Hundreds of area residents holding signs and waving flags filled the intersection of Unicornio
and Corintia streets on Oct. 24 in Carlsbad to celebrate 83-year-old Al Merritt, who set a goal to pedal “around” the world on his modest bicycle. Over the last 10 years, Merritt, a Carlsbad resident, rode 24,901 miles — a distance equal to Earth’s circumference. Throughout his journey, Merritt has become something of a neighborhood celebrity, using his cycling to meet, smile and honk at passersby and make new friends along AL MERRITT, 83, celebrates reaching his goal to pedal the way. Merritt’s outgo- 24,901 miles on Oct. 24 in Carlsbad. Photo by Steve Puterski
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