19th Street bridge back on map

The proposed bridge between Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach originally thought to be deleted from Orange County’s master plan is back after a vote by the Orange County Transportation Authority on Monday.

Following a motion by Huntington Beach Mayor Don Hansen and seconded by Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach, the OCTA board voted 17 to 0, with Supervisor Janet Nguyen abstaining, to pull back from deleting the 19th Street bridge from the county’s master plan, which dates back to the 1950s.

The change could be only temporary, OCTA officials said.

The board is expected to take up the issue again within six months, after OCTA staff work with the county, California Department of Transportation, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach and Newport Beach on a traffic study to find other congestion-relieving options besides a bridge over the Santa Ana River in Westside Costa Mesa.

–Joseph Serna, @JosephSerna, Daily Pilot

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Sources: Torribio named new Harbor basketball coach

Bob Torribio, the right-hand man of former Newport Harbor High Coach Larry Hirst, has been named the new boys’ basketball coach of the Sailors, said sources familiar with the situation.

Torribio, a 1995 Newport Harbor graduate, filled in for Hirst last season, marking the third time he has done that when Hirst took a leave of absence in the past four seasons.

The Sailors have now turned to Torribio to lead the program after Hirst stepped down for good in March because of criminal threats made against him and his wife.

Torribio, who has been coaching at his alma mater for the past 11 seasons, was one of three finalists for the Newport Harbor job.

Sources said the other two candidates were Jason Carey, a junior varsity coach at Newport Harbor, and Darryl Hilliard, the junior varsity coach at Back Bay rival Corona del Mar.

–David Carrillo Penaloza, @DCPenaloza, Daily Pilot

Newport-Mesa schools take home gold, silver and bronze

Newport-Mesa’s four comprehensive high schools ranked in the top 5% of schools in the country, according to a national journal.

The U.S. News & World Report’s 2012 Best High Schools ranked Corona del Mar the second best school in Orange County with a gold medal. Costa Mesa, Estancia and Newport Harbor received silver medals and Newport-Mesa’s Early College High School, where students take college courses concurrently, was given a bronze medal.

“I think [the rankings] are very representative of the hard work going on at those schools,” said Charles Hinman, Newport-Mesa Unified’s assistant superintendent of secondary education. “The fact that Costa Mesa, Estancia and Newport Harbor are all silver says a lot about the hard work those schools are doing. Obviously, Corona del Mar is a little ahead of the game, but, you know, that’s a mark for everyone to shoot for.”

U.S. News & World Report looked at 22,000 public high schools across 49 states. In California, 2,407 schools were evaluated. The journal measured the schools based on state test scores, Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test data, and the success of different cohort groups.

–Britney Barnes, @britneyjbarnes, Daily Pilot

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Sailing group to investigate Aegean crash

The organization that governs sailing announced Monday that it would conduct an independent review of the incident that killed four during the Newport to Ensenada Yacht Race.

US Sailing appointed a five-person team to the Independent Review Panel at the request of the U.S. Coast Guard of San Diego in response to the April 28 accident, the group said in a statement.

The Aegean’s crash resulted in the first fatalities in the 65-year history of the race. The men killed were Kevin Rudolph, 53, of Manhattan Beach, William Reed Johnson, 57, of Torrance, Joseph Lester Stewart, 64, of Bradenton, Fla., and the boat’s skipper Theo Mavromatis, 49, of Redondo Beach.

The panel will interview sailors who took part in the race and focus on safety and equipment and set forth a set of recommendations, said US Sailing spokesman Jake Fish.

US Sailing is working in tandem with the Coast Guard in the investigation, Fish said.

The results are expected to come in late June.

–Lauren Williams, @LAWilliams30, Daily Pilot

Mayor’s walk draws crowd in CdM

Mayor Nancy Gardner leads residents on a walk around Corona del Mar on Saturday. (Courtesy CdM Today)

About 35 people joined Mayor Nancy Gardner on Saturday morning on a 2.75 mile walk through Corona del Mar, which featured stops to review a few public works projects, local beaches, some history and updates on city issues like fire rings.

“This is active, outside and so informal,” said Corona del Mar resident Jacqueline Wittmeyer. “It’s a way to stay in touch. If you want to talk to the mayor or to the city manager, there they are. I love that.”

City Manager Dave Kiff and Kimberly Brandt, the city’s community development director, joined the walk, which began at 9 a.m. at the OASIS Senior Center. The group then walked along Fifth Avenue toward the new Upper Buck Gully trail head off Poppy Avenue, where Gardner explained the new trail that will be open to the public on May 30.

–Amy Senk, @coronadelmartdy, Corona del Mar Today

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Morningside hit with orders to stop operations

Eight properties operated by Morningside Recovery have received letters from state authorities ordering them to stop operations.

If the two facilities in Costa Mesa and six in Newport Beach don’t comply with the cease-and-desist letters dated April 23, the Newport-based company could incur fines of $200 daily per facility, according to the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs.

The letters are among several measures the department has taken to prevent Morningside from continuing normal operations, including a temporary suspension order and documents seeking to permanently revoke the recovery center’s license.

The center received the letters May 1, said Morningside attorney Mary Helen Beatificato.

Morningside allegedly used its sober-living homes, which do not require state licenses, for licensable services that included treatment, counseling and recovery planning, said ADP spokeswoman Suzi Rupp.

Sober-living homes are designed for people recovering from a chemical addiction to live together in alcohol- and drug-free environments to support each other and maintain their sobriety. Such facilities do not need licensing and are protected by federal and state fair-housing laws.

–Lauren Williams, @LAWilliams30, Daily Pilot

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CdM track quartet wants more

From left, the Corona del Mar High boys' 4x400-meter relay team of John Swigert, Troy Hardy, Kyle Iverson and Ryan Rodrigues broke a school record that had stood for 29 years. (SCOTT SMELTZER)

Troy Hardy, Ryan Rodrigues, John Swigert and Kyle Iverson laughed at the notion of being compared to a boy band, just before practice Wednesday at Corona del Mar High.

The boys’ 4×400-meter relay quartet may run in One Direction and must be ‘NSync (pardon the spellings), but they’re not ones to be trendy or plastic as a group.

The Pacific Coast League champions just run fast, the fastest ever in school history and they are wanting to take it up a notch for the CIF Southern Section Division 3 preliminaries Saturday at Jim Scott Stadium.

Now, mostly every boy band has a formula. The CdM quartet has a different recipe for success.

It has led to the PCL title in their event, as well as helping the CdM boys’ track and field team to its first league title since 2003. And of course, their formula has led to a new school record.

When they won at the Orange County Championships April 21, they finished in 3 minutes, 20.2 seconds, breaking a school record that had stood for 29 years.

–Steve Virgen, @SteveVirgen, Daily Pilot

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Women who traveled to NYC on stolen check sentenced

A pair of roommates who stole a check from a Newport Beach law firm were convicted and sentenced to three years of formal probation and 305 days in jail Thursday, authorities said.

Alexa Antonella Polar, 35, and Robin Johzen Pabello, 34, lived together in Garden Grove in 2011 when they stole a $19,500 check and changed the amount to more than $285,000, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

The women used the money to charter a private jet to fly them and several friends to New York, pay for five hotel rooms near Times Square, and go on a spending spree at Tiffany & Co. and Montblanc, prosecutors said.

The check was addressed to a Newport Beach law firm, where Polar worked as a paralegal at the time of the theft, prosecutors said.

Polar and Pabello also used fraudulently obtained cashier’s checks to buy a 11,000-square-foot house in Murrieta, according to the D.A.’s office.

–Lauren Williams, @LAWilliams30, Daily Pilot

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Campaign rally for VP candidate Gray is Saturday

Retired Orange County Superior Court Judge Jim Gray, the Libertarian nominee for vice president, will participate in a campaign rally at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Bowers Museum, 2002 North Main St., Santa Ana.

A question-and-answer session will follow.

Gray, a Newport Beach resident and Daily Pilot columnist, is running with Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico. Gray’s Pilot column has been suspended for the duration of the campaign.

“I am proud. I am invigorated. I am excited,” Gray said, according to a prepared statement. “With Gov. Gary Johnson, I am determined to bring back prosperity and liberty to the United States of America. And I am so grateful to all my friends, family and colleagues who have had a hand in this effort. And this was truly a team effort. It’s great to be home, but it probably won’t be for long.”

Libertarian delegates named Gray the vice presidential nominee last weekend in Las Vegas. Organizers of Saturday’s event are billing it as a “welcome home party.”

Gray is perhaps best known for his advocacy to decriminalize marijuana and the end the war on drugs, two Libertarian precepts.

–Daily Pilot staff reports, @TheDailyPilot

Shake Shack seeks beer, wine license

The Shake Shack. (Courtesy CdM Today)

The Shake Shack soon may be serving beer and wine along with shakes and snacks, according to a liquor license application sign in the window of the old-time stand at 7703 E. Coast Hwy.

The Public Notice of Application to Sell Alcoholic Beverages was posted Tuesday. Applications typically take about 45 days to be processed. As of publication of this story, the Alcoholic Beverage Control’s online query system had new applications only as of May 7, and the Shake Shack’s application was not included or available.

The sign indicates the Shake Shack seeks to serve wine and beer.

The Shake Shack, which is owned by Ruby’s, reopened in June last year after an extensive remodel, reverting the 1940s-era stand to its original yellow and adding menu items.

–Amy Senk, @coronadelmartdy, Corona del Mar Today