COLLEGE GRADUATES
The following students graduated from their respective universities: Katie Bausch of Oceanside from Union University in Tennessee; Brett Serwin and Samuel Sheffield of San Diego, Charles Miller of Del Mar, Keely Hallinan of Carlsbad, and Sydney Nguyen of Solana Beach from the University of Georgia; Madeleine Exon and Beon Ja Riley of San Diego, Ashley Glazer of San Marcos, and Melody Vega of Oceanside from Utah Tech University.
HONOR SOCIETY
Ashley Kao of Oceanside, a student at Syracuse University, and Miriam Melkonian of Carlsbad, a student at Westmont College, were both elected into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.
SPRING EXPEDITIONS
Students from The Grauer School, a private school in Encinitas, have returned from their Spring Expeditions to Poland, Mammoth, Costa Rica and other communities. Students visited the Ukrainian Education Center in Poland, immersed themselves in Costa Rica’s rainforest water, visited the Manzanar Internment Camp in Mammoth, and other educational experiences outside of San Diego.
STAGECOACH GARDEN
The City of Carlsbad celebrated the opening of the Stagecoach Park Community Garden, the first of its kind in south Carlsbad, on National Gardening Day recognized on April 14. The garden offers 35 raised planting beds plus a shared picnic area, information kiosk, composting stations and tool storage for residents who use the garden.
DEPUTY CHIEF
The North County Transit District has hired Jeff Hiott to serve as the agency’s deputy chief operations officer of Bus Operations and Security. He brings more than 20 years of experience in public transportation and engineering and is an alumnus of Georgia Institute of Technology.
ENERGY FOOTPRINT
The Clean Energy Alliance has expanded its footprint through a new partnership with San Diego-based renewable energy developer Luminia. The partnership will add 20 megawatts of solar power and 20 megawatts of battery storage capacities across Vista, Oceanside and San Marcos.
LAGOON CLEANUP
Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary Club members volunteered to clean up Buena Vista Lagoon at the Audubon Nature Center in Oceanside on April 26. The members worked alongside men from the Men’s Shed group and cadets from the Army and Navy Academy to pick up trash along both sides of Coast Highway, remove overgrown salt grass from trails, and thin the mound of lagoon debris clogging the tidal flow.
VISTA IRRIGATION
The Vista Irrigation District Board of Directors unanimously appointed Frank Nuñez as the new representative for Division 2, which covers the area north of West Vista Way and west of North Santa Fe Avenue in Vista, on April 21.
GARDEN CLUB
The Rancho Santa Fe Garden Club is encouraging new members to join and current members to renew their memberships. The club is open to anyone who loves gardening or appreciates nature’s beauty. Annual membership is $115 and includes a 10% discount at the club’s upscale resale shop, Bloom Again, as well as discounts at local nurseries. The club’s membership year begins June 1, 2025 through May 31, 2026. Visit rsfgardenclub.org.
BLUE KANGAROO
Blue Kangaroo Packoutz, a contents cleaning and restoration services company focused on restoring personal items damaged in home disasters, has opened its fifth franchise location in Oceanside. Britnie Neuman is the location’s owner and operator. The business is part of the BELFOR Franchise Group family of brands.
