La Jolla News Nuggets: Car award, 300 wins, pickleball, Pirch bankruptcy, health research, more
News and events briefs
Pratte Award goes to 1963 Corvette
Ahead of last weekend’s Concours d’Elegance car show in La Jolla, a group of local car lovers presented the 2023 American Heritage Award to a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette with many custom touches.
Greggory Park, curator of the Michael Coit Collection, accepted the award.
The award, also known as the Pratte Award, is given in memory of Douglas Pratte, who was known for his vehicle knowledge, attention to detail and technical skills.
The award is a custom glass sculpture and handcrafted glass bowl created by La Jolla resident and car enthusiast Keith Wahl. The name of each year’s winner is added to the sculpture.
“We choose the car that most represents the car [Pratte] would have picked based on history, provenance, finish and unique characteristics,” Wahl said.
Vikings baseball coach Gary Frank gets 300th win
La Jolla High School baseball coach Gary Frank hit a career milestone when the Vikings defeated the Coronado Islanders on April 17 to mark Frank’s 300th win as a coach.
Frank recently was selected by the San Diego Padres as a Coach of the Week, putting him in the running to be Coach of the Year and earn $10,000 for the Vikings baseball program.
Frank played for the Vikings when he was a student at La Jolla High, then played in college and a few years in independent minor-league baseball.
He started coaching for La Jolla as an assistant 28 years ago and became its head coach in 2004.
Pickleball club helps with fundraiser for solar resiliency project
A local nonprofit is partnering with the La Jolla Pickleball Club to raise as much as $35,000 for the Sherman Heights Community Center Solar and Storage Resilience Project with a pickleball tournament planned for Saturday, April 27.
The La Jolla-based Hammond Climate Solutions Foundation works with “philanthropists and organizations that fund climate projects and programs that we spearhead for nonprofits serving communities of concern, such as solar and storage, electric vehicle charging stations and e-bike programs,” said foundation founder Tara Hammond.
Last year, the foundation received a grant from San Diego Community Power, in partnership with the San Diego Foundation, that is going toward the Sherman Heights project.
“We have secured over $75,000 in funding for the solar and storage project and we’re organizing a pickleball fundraiser to help close the remaining gap to fully fund the project,” Hammond said.
“Members of the La Jolla Pickleball Club have rallied behind us and sponsored all 12 courts and a case of balls for the fundraiser,” she said.
The tournament will begin at 3:30 p.m. at the Barnes Tennis Center in Point Loma.
About $35,000 is needed, and the foundation is securing a low-interest philanthropic loan for the balance not raised at the event, Hammond said.
White Sands, Vi and Atria La Jolla named among best in senior living
U.S. News & World Report announced it has recognized three senior-living communities in the La Jolla area as among the best in San Diego County in caring for older adults.
The magazine evaluated more than 3,500 facilities nationwide before selecting 1,702 for recognition.
In the memory care category, U.S. News honored White Sands La Jolla and Vi at La Jolla Village, as well as Silverado in Encinitas, La Marea in Carlsbad, Brookdale in Oceanside, Sunrise of La Costa in Carlsbad, and Silverado and Felicita Vida in Escondido.
For best independent-living facilities, it selected White Sands and Atria La Jolla, as well as Solstice Senior Living in El Cajon and Fairwinds-Ivey Ranch in Oceanside.
Facing lawsuits, Pirch files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy
San Diego County-based luxury appliance retailer Pirch, which had a location at the Westfield UTC mall near La Jolla, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection April 19, two days after it gave notice to employees that it was shutting down for good.
The company, which had about a half-dozen stores in Southern California, filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, according to court records. It estimated it has 1,000 to 5,000 creditors and liabilities of $100 million to $500 million. It listed assets of $10 million to $50 million.
Recently, American Express and Worldpay, a credit and debit card processor, sued Pirch, alleging the company owes them almost $50 million for transaction disputes and chargebacks initiated by Pirch customers.
Pirch halted operations in late March, leaving customers with unfulfilled orders, landlords with unpaid rent, vendors with unpaid merchandise and other creditors with money owed, according to court filings.
Scripps Research working on vaccine for ‘zombie drug’ effects
Scripps Research in La Jolla says it has taken a promising step toward developing a vaccine to fight the effects of xylazine, an animal tranquilizer that often is illicitly added to fentanyl and heroin, triggering a rise in overdose deaths.
The institute’s experimental vaccine blocked xylazine’s toxic effect in experiments conducted on rodents, according to a paper published this month in the journal Chemical Communications. It works by stimulating the immune system to create antibodies that reduce the level of xylazine in the bloodstream, the institute said.
Veterinarians regularly use xylazine to sedate animals ranging from sheep and cattle to cats and dogs before surgery or while conducting diagnostic tests. It has been approved for that purpose by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. But it is not approved for use in humans because it can slow breathing and heart rates and produce dangerously low blood-pressure levels.
Xylazine is illegally added to fentanyl and other drugs to lengthen the feeling of euphoria they can give, scientists say. It has been given the nickname “zombie drug.”
“There is currently no remedy for xylazine poisoning other than supportive care,” Kim Janda, the Scripps chemist who is leading the research, said in a statement. “Thus, we believe our research efforts and the data we have provided will pave the way for an effective treatment in humans.”
UC San Diego studies link between genes and tobacco use
By analyzing electronic health records, researchers at the UC San Diego School of Medicine say they have identified hundreds of new genes associated with tobacco-use disorder and hundreds of potential drug candidates that could help treat it.
“Tobacco-use disorder has an enormous impact on public health,” said Sandra Sanchez-Roige, an associate professor in the UCSD’s Department of Psychiatry. “However, it’s challenging to develop new therapeutics for tobacco-use disorder because so much of its underlying genetics is poorly understood.”
According to the World Health Organization, there are about 1.3 billion tobacco users worldwide, 80 percent of whom live in low- and middle-income countries. Tobacco use is linked to an estimated 8 million deaths a year, about 1.3 million of whom are non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke, researchers say.
Though the researchers said they were able to use their results to get a more comprehensive view of tobacco-use disorder and to identify hundreds of potential drug candidates, it will take more study to evaluate the drugs in the lab and the clinic.
Jewish Community Center to host Holocaust commemoration
The Jewish Federation of San Diego and the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center in La Jolla will hold “Yom HaShoah: A Holocaust Commemoration” at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 5, at the Lawrence Family JCC, 4126 Executive Drive.
Hundreds of people are expected at the annual commemoration, including local Holocaust survivors and their families. The program will feature prayers, songs, a candle-lighting ceremony and more.
For more information or to register for the free event, visit jewishinsandiego.org.
Mutt Strut returning to La Jolla on May 11
The La Jolla Mutt Strut, a festival of the four-legged, will return from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at the Recreation Center, 615 Prospect St.
The event will feature a walk along La Jolla’s coast (starting and ending at the Rec Center); games for dogs and their owners; and contests seeking the cutest dog, best jumper, best dressed and most talented.
Proceeds will benefit Amazing Strays, a volunteer-run animal rescue organization that finds at-risk animals and places them in foster care until they are adopted.
Admission is $10-$125. Learn more at lajollalovespets.org.
Warwick’s gets Bookstore of the Year honor
Warwick’s bookstore in La Jolla has been named 2024 Bookstore of the Year by Publishers Weekly magazine.
Owner Nancy Warwick said the title is “recognized as a major honor in the book industry, and we are thrilled to receive it.”
A news release about the recognition cites Warwick’s longevity in The Village and its size and diversity of offerings, knowledgeable staff and community events.
Warwick’s has been continuously owned and operated by the same family in its 128 years in business, more than 70 of them in a building on Girard Avenue in La Jolla.
Learn more at warwicks.com.
San Diego offers service for toxic lead paint abatement
Thanks to a multimillion-dollar legal settlement, a service to remove toxic lead hazards in paint — a process called abatement — is available to San Diego residents who qualify for little or no cost.
Homeowners can apply for the service through the city’s new San Diego Residential Lead Abatement Program.
The program is the result of a settlement reached among three paint companies and 10 California jurisdictions. ConAgra Grocery Products Co., NL Industries Inc. and Sherwin-Williams Co. agreed to pay into a fund to remove toxic lead paint hazards from residential properties. San Diego was awarded $15 million.
Lead poisoning can cause adverse effects on a child’s development and later in adulthood. Between 2017 and 2021, 231 children younger than 6 received services from the San Diego County Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.
— Compiled by La Jolla Light staff ◆
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