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FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2020
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THIS WEEK
Former teacher to stand trial for sexual relations BY NEAL PUTNAM | LA JOLLA VILLAGE NEWS
MAD discusses beautifcation issues in the Village SEE PAGE 2
Fans were happy to see professional golfer Bud Cauley back on his game after surviving a nearly fatal car EMILY BLACKWOOD / VILLAGE NEWS crash just eight months ago.
Family-owned Nau Builders celebrates 35 years
Farmers Insurance Open returns BY EMILY BLACKWOOD | LA JOLLA VILLAGE NEWS
SEE PAGE 7
New mural unveiled on Girard Avenue SEE PAGE 8
Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Rory Mcllroy, Phil Mickelson and more than 150 other notable top golfers are taking over Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course in La Jolla for the PGA Tour’s 2020 Farmers Insurance Open this week. Starting on Thursday, Jan. 23, and running through Sunday, Jan. 26, Torrey Pines Golf Course will be flooded with professional golfers and fans alike as it plays 7,765 yards this season. According to CBS Sports, that makes the course the longest ever to host an official PGA event.
The $7.5 million, 72-hole tournament will have participating golfers vying for a prize of $1,350,000 and 500 FedExCup points. Justin Rose won the title last year and is the defending champion. On Jan. 22, pro-am tee times were held, which gave fans of the sport an exclusive chance to compete with one of the top 100 players on the tour. Golfers also conducted interviews with the media to discuss the upcoming tournament. “It feels good to be back,” said Rory Mcllroy, who said he first visited San Diego playing Junior World in 1999. “It's a beautiful place to start the
year. Last year I started it in Hawaii, but I decided to spend Christmas and New Year back home in Ireland. It's already a big trip from the East Coast to go to Hawaii, so even more so from Ireland. Gave me a couple of weeks to practice at home and prepare. “It's a golf tournament I've always enjoyed watching on TV. A lot of really cool things have happened here over the years and it was exciting to get to play it for the first time last year. One year in, I feel a little bit more comfortable with the golf courses.
A judge Thursday, Jan. 16, ordered a former teacher at La Jolla Country Day School to stand trial on three felony counts of having unlawful sexual relations with a 17-year-old female student in 2016. The student, who is now 21 and in college, testified about the sexual contacts. She recalled the first time she snuck out of her house at midnight to meet her teacher, Jonathan Sammartino, then 33, outside her Torrey Hills home in his car. She said the two only "made out" in the back seat of his car, but sometime later they engaged in sexual intercourse and oral sex in his car and his home. Sammartino was married at the time, but he is now divorced. Sammartino, who is now 36, is on leave from a private school in San Jose. He remains free on $25,000 bond. He has pleaded not guilty. Sammartino's mother, who is U.S. District Court Judge Janis Sammartino, was in the audience with her husband, a retired judge. Another federal judge who is a family friend also attended the hearing. Jonathan Sammartino has a doctorate in experimental psychology. San Diego Superior Court Judge Charles Rogers heard the testimony in a two-day preliminary hearing. He ordered a trial after saying there was sufficient evidence presented. SEE TEACHER PG. 4
SEE GOLF PG. 14