La Jolla News Nuggets: Church concerts, pedestrian safety, dog waste, more

St. James presents concerts to lament loss during pandemic

St. James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in La Jolla will present its first in-person concert series since the COVID-19 pandemic caused festivals and gatherings to cease. “Festival of Faith: Lament & Hope” will begin with a sung Compline-by-Candlelight at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, and end with a Jazz Vespers service at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1.

The church is at 743 Prospect St. Social distancing and mask wearing will be required.

“It can be heard in the church and people are invited to come and listen and reflect on all that has been lost in this time of pandemic,” said the Rev. Mark Hargreaves. “It’s not just the dreadful loss of life that we mourn, it’s also the weddings, jobs, graduations, the chance to say goodbye, vacations … the list goes on and on. We’ve all lost something. We all have something to grieve. This new music is designed to help with the grieving process.”

In addition, St. James Gallery by-the-Sea will present “Finding Beauty,” a selection of photographs by local artist Andreas Koester from Oct. 18 to Nov. 1.

Learn more at sjbts.org.

Traffic & Transportation Board to hold sessions on pedestrian safety

The La Jolla Traffic & Transportation Board is requesting public comments about a La Jolla Boulevard pedestrian safety project via Zoom sessions at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, and 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16.

Residents are invited to contribute their thoughts and suggestions on how La Jolla Boulevard might be improved to ensure pedestrian safety.

To receive a link for one of the meetings, email ljblvdpedestriansafety@gmail.com stating your choice of meeting, name and address, and whether you wish to present for two minutes and on which topic.

Personal information will be kept confidential, and each meeting will be limited to 100 participants, with 20 presentations allowed.

Use of waste bags going to the dogs?

To address some misuse of dog waste bags in Bird Rock, the Bird Rock Community Council is spreading the word about proper use.

“Dog owners need to provide their own waste bags and take filled ones home to deposit in their own trash,” the council wrote in a statement. “The dog waste bags and receptacles along the [Fay Avenue] Bike Path are provided by the Bird Rock Maintenance Assessment District funds and are intended for emergency use only (if you forgot to bring your own). If you use a bag, please consider replenishing it on your next visit. Leaving used bags on top of a full container or on the ground next to it creates an eyesore and potential health risk for our community.

“Let’s be considerate of our neighbors and responsible for taking care of our own pet’s messes and not create more messes for others.”

Living on the moon? Contest participants are asked to imagine it

Imagine life on the moon at least a hundred years from now, when lunar habitats have already progressed through multiple levels of development. What started as a collection of lunar landers expanded into an outpost, then a village and finally a city.

At least that’s the task before participants of the Future City competition for middle-schoolers.

The contest, themed “Living on the Moon,” asks participants to build on the history provided, share innovative features and provide a detailed description of how the city uses the moon’s resources to create a self-sustaining home where humans can live and work.

The grand prize is a trip to Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala., and $7,500 for the STEM program at the winning school. The deadline to register is Saturday, Oct. 31. Learn more at futurecity.org.

Grants totaling $700,000 to fund UCSD faculty diversity projects

The University of California Office of the President has awarded grants totaling $700,000 to fund two initiatives at UC San Diego intended to increase faculty diversity.

An interdisciplinary hiring project will recruit 10 to 12 faculty members whose research is focused on racial and ethnic disparities in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math). UC has provided $500,000 in one-time funding to assist with the recruitments.

A second initiative will seek to improve retention of underrepresented faculty through activities such as coalition building and coaching for faculty mentors. UCSD was awarded $200,000 in one-time funding to launch that project.

“With the largest proportion of applicants to the UC system now students of color, it is critical that UC San Diego recruit more diverse faculty to better reflect the statewide population and to foster an inclusive campus climate,” UCSD said in a news release.

— Compiled by La Jolla Light staff ◆