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Volume 8 Issue 296
Santa Monica Daily Press KOOZA COMES ALIVE SEE PAGES 12 & 13
We have you covered
THE TIME FOR SOME ACTION ISSUE
Setting the right lighting
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Something has to give St. Monica’s pass-happy attack takes on ball-hawking Salesian BY DANIEL ARCHULETA Managing Editor
City officials work with Bayside District, designers to fine tune decorative tree lights
CORSAIR FIELD When one team likes to throw the ball and the other is adept at causing turnovers, something has to give. That axiom will be put to the test when the St. Monica Mariners take on the Salesian Mustangs Saturday at 7 p.m. at Santa Monica College’s Corsair Field to open the Santa Fe League season. The game promises to be a battle of contrasting styles. That collision is bound to be exciting if nothing else. For St. Monica, its strength is on offense with junior quarterback Matthew Partyka leading a pass-happy offense that has led the Mariners to a somewhat surprising 2-2 start. Salesian, on the flip side, is known for its ability to pressure quarterbacks and force turnovers. The challenge is a welcome one to both head coaches. “I think we have a good game plan to attack their defense,” St. Monica Head Coach Larry Muno said. “They have some weaknesses, every defense does.” Muno is steadfast in his belief that his players and coaches are more than ready for the test. “We try to set things up that would enable use to take advantage,” he said. On the Salesian side of the field, an opportunistic defense awaits. The Mustangs have amassed an impressive 14 interceptions during a season that has seen them go 4-2. If not for a an off night by Mustang quarterback Frank Beltran, the Mustangs could easily be sitting pretty at 51. “We go to the ball,” Salesian Head Coach Roodie Hiatt said. “My players react to the ball very well. “We try to put some pressure on the quarterback to get him to release the ball a little earlier than he would like.” Hiatt said that it is his team’s goal to tally at least three interceptions and three sacks
BY KEVIN HERRERA Editor in Chief
DOWNTOWN When City Hall installed thou-
Brandon Wise brandonw@smdp.com
sands of LED lights along Second and Fourth streets, illuminating the collection of ficus trees with greens, blues, purples, reds and yellows, visitors to Downtown almost immediately began voicing their opinions for and against the change. There were those who thought the decorative lighting, meant to create an identity along the two streets that have been seen as the red-headed stepchildren of the more popular Third Street Promenade, was a welcomed addition that looked “cool,” giving the area some character. Others felt the lights, which change colors at various speeds from Broadway to Wilshire Boulevard, reminded them of a tacky 1970s disco. “They were concerned because they thought they were very ugly,” said Bayside District Corp. CEO Kathleen Rawson about phone calls received from visitors to Downtown about the lighting. The message from the lighting designer and city officials: “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” The designer, Frances Krahe & Associates, which developed the lighting element for the Civic Center Parking Structure, is in the process of soliciting input from key community stakeholders, including Bayside, so that it can fine tune the experience, creating the right mood for the right time of the year by featuring certain colors and patterns. During a presentation last week before members of the Bayside board of directors,
BRIGHT LIGHTS: A project illuminating ficus trees along Second and Fourth Streets has both
SEE ST. MONICA PAGE 14
its backers and detractors. City officials are working to fine tune the displays.
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