VILLAGE NEWS
Scott Appleby & Kerry ApplebyPayne
LA JOLLA
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012
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www.SDNEWS.com Volume 17, Number 21
For the birds
Front row: George Odero, Jesse Mays, Carroll Zahn, Helen Lebowitz, Pam Colquitt, Laura Spano. Second row: Tony Santo, Greg Fitchitt, Andy Freeburn, Ryan Perry, Sherri Lightner, John Schindel, Kevin Wirsing SANDY LIPPE | Village News
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hotographer Sharon Hinckley caught these playful birds at La Jolla Cove on Feb. 18. “Some of them,” she said, “looked like they were at a hair salon (feather salon?) or doing yoga poses.” These birds were enjoying a tranquil afternoon, but researchers have recently discovered why things may not always be so peaceful. Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography have uncovered new evidence supporting the theory behind the mystery of crazed birds that, back in 1961, inspired Alfred Hitchcock’s notorious thriller, “The Birds.” Hitchcock’s interest was piqued when he visited Monterey and, as reported in a local newspaper, thousands of “crazed seabirds pelted the shores of North Monterey Bay,” regurgitating anchovies. Thirty
years later, a similarly bizarre incident occurred in the same region. In the latter event, the birds were found to have ingested the neurotoxin domoic acid, but evidence to support the theory that the same substance caused the earlier incident couldn’t be found. In a letter published in the journal Nature Geoscience, the authors, including Mark Ohman of Scripps, showed that a toxin-producing species of phytoplankton was present in high numbers in Monterey Bay in the 1960s. Using archived samples of plankton collected during ship surveys 50 years ago, the team found elevated
U.C. leaders get a sneak peek at UTC’s facelift View from52 SANDY LIPPE
levels of the toxin in the samples, leading them to conclude that “domoic acid-producing phytoplankton have been an agent of marine animal mortality in the California current system for at least the past 50 years.” — Kendra Hartmann
Civic leader’s suspected attacker arrested after high-speed chase BY MARIKO LAMB | VILLAGE NEWS
HARVEY HENRY DUSON
parole agent in El Cajon on Feb. 14, said SDPD Capt. Terry McManus. Just before 5 p.m. that day, however, Duson called his parole officer, claiming his vehicle had broken down on Interstate 8. Soon after, police located Duson’s disabled vehicle, a Pontiac Grand Prix with heavily tinted windows, on the right shoulder of the eastbound freeway lane. Unsure whether or not Duson was
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Harvey Henry Duson, 45, was arrested on Feb. 15 in Arizona near the Nevada border after eluding police in San Diego the day before and sparking a high-speed vehicle pursuit that crossed into several states. Duson, who was allegedly in violation of his parole, is suspected of being one of three masked, armed men connected to the violent invasion of the University City home of MTS chairman Harry Mathis last month, which included an armed holdup and arson. Police have not yet released what — if anything — was stolen from the home. During their monthlong investigation, the San Diego Police Department’s Robbery Unit identified Duson as one of the suspects, and detectives were planning to arrest him at a scheduled meeting with his state
inside, police surrounded the car and blocked off all but one of the eastbound lanes for public safety. The cautious stalemate lasted two hours until officers smashed the windows and pried open the trunk, only to find the vehicle empty, save for some longstemmed roses and a Valentine’s Day teddy bear. A follow-up investigation led to information that Duson had contacts in other cities, and detectives believed he might have fled to Las Vegas, said McManus. Despite evading arrest on Valentine’s Day, Duson was pulled over in a rented 2010 Mazda in Arizona for an unrelated traffic violation the following day. “He was pulled over for speeding,” said McManus. “As part of the Arizona Highway Patrol’s routine proSEE DUSON, Page 6
Westfield UTC, at the corner of Genesee and La Jolla Village Drive, is taking on a new look as a creative renovation takes place. Several University City community leaders joined District 1 City Councilwoman Sherri Lightner in the office of Ryan Perry, general manager of Westfield UTC, for a hardhat tour of the shopping center at the end of January. Developer Greg Fitchitt welcomed the guests with early morning coffee along with head of construction Tony Santo and Perry. University Towne Center was built in 1977 and renovated in 1984. Westfield purchased the shopping center in 1998. In 2001, Westfield wanted to upgrade and expand the center, and after seven years of seeking City Council approval for an expansion with 750,000 square feet of stores and 300 housing units, the council gave its approval in 2008 — just when the economy came to a screeching halt, putting the expansion plans on hold. Fast forward to 2012, and Phase 1 of an expansion is fully engaged. RobinsonMay was victim to the wrecking ball, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. ArcLight Cinema will be atop a building housing 24-Hour Fitness and its expanded 145,000 square feet, including a pool and a basketball court. ArcLight promises all reserved seating with no late entries, a greeter to introduce the films, a cafe and a bar. Both mainstream movies and independent films will be shown on the 14 screens. The famous food court will be
Its that time again! Vote online for your favorite Restaurants in La Jolla/University City and be entered into a free drawing for dinner for two at a La Jolla restaurant. sdnews.com/readerschoice_ljvn
renamed “Dining Terrace” and have a new design and new restaurants. All of the stores will have an open feeling with revamped entries. The ice skating rink will be enclosed in glass, saving on energy and keeping noise down. The storefronts are being redone to lift the entries in an attractive, open way. Fitchitt pointed out the streetscape experience. The design team promises a parklike setting, blending the outdoors with retail. The family is the center of this experience, and additional amenities will include family areas with family restrooms and a children’s play area near Macy’s. Other treats will include a native garden near Sears — where San Diego Botanical Gardens’ docents will provide information about the garden — and events put on by Birch Aquarium. The executive putting green is bringing in a lot of business types, and former U.S. Open winner Scott Simpson will be running a golf clinic. Two fire pits in the center courtyard will be sure to attract the shoppers. The touring group reacted happily to the idea of heated umbrellas. Fitchitt and Perry see the center as more than a shopping experience. The center will also be LEED certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. Fitchitt said the center has a LEEDapproved plan for neighborhood development (LEED-ND) at the Gold level, but it cannot be certified until further development happens. “Everything in our Phase 1 project is designed and being constructed to be consistent with the LEED-ND Gold Levelapproved plan we have,” he said. “When we do add enough additional development in the future to meet the thresholds SEE UTC, Page 2
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