Ushering in the new year on Wednesday, Jan. 1, the La Jolla Cove Swim Club will welcome people to dive into the chilly Pacific during the New Year's Day Polar Bear Plunge.
The event at Kellogg Park in La Jolla Shores invites guests to swim and then warm up afterward with a potluck. Coffee will be provided, and bringing a hot dish is encouraged.
Setup and a social hour will start at 9 a.m., followed by the swim at 10 a.m.
For more information, visit lajollacoveswimclub.com/event-5918680.
A new incentive program intended to increase electric bike ridership took effect Dec. 18, allowing people who qualify to apply for a voucher of up to $2,000 to buy an e-bike.
Once they complete the online application and it is approved, they can redeem the voucher at participating businesses. Vouchers are available until funding is exhausted.
"E-bikes offer a fantastic alternative to gas-powered vehicles, providing a versatile, cost-effective option that helps reduce pollution," said state Assemblywoman Tasha Boerner (D-Encinitas), whose 77th District includes La Jolla. "E-bikes should be accessible to all communities regardless of cost, and I am thrilled to collaborate with the California Air Resources Board to secure funding for this initiative."
Boerner secured $10 million in 2021 from the state budget, and the Air Resources Board approved additional funding, for a total of $28 million. The first installment of the program will cover an estimated 1,500 e-bikes.
The city of San Diego is advising residents living in floodplain areas to prepare for potential flooding ahead of storms this winter.
The city will send informational brochures to about 10,000 residents who live or own property in a floodplain. The brochures contain guidelines on emergency preparedness, evacuation plans, flood insurance and other flood-related resources.
For more information on how to prepare for a storm, visit sandiego.gov/floodplain.
The La Jolla chapter of the National League of Young Men recently participated in a toy-sorting event to help get holiday gifts to area children in need.
As part of the Salvation Army's "Toy N Joy" event Dec. 15, members of the La Jolla chapter and their mothers helped organize hundreds of donated toys.
"It's a powerful way to instill the values of service and teamwork in our members," said Lindsey McGrath, public relations officer for the chapter.
The National League of Young Men is a nonprofit dedicated to fostering leadership, culture, service and protocol in young men while encouraging contributions to their communities.
The UC Presidential Medal, the University of California's highest honor, will be presented to La Jolla philanthropist and business leader Irwin Jacobs to honor him and his late wife, Joan, for their contributions to education, health care, technology, the arts and more.
UC President Michael Drake will present the medals at the UC San Diego Chancellor's Medal Awards in March.
"Joan and Irwin Jacobs have left an indelible imprint on UC San Diego, helping it to grow and expand into the world-class research university it is today," said UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla. "The UC Presidential Medal is a prestigious, well-deserved honor that celebrates the remarkable impact the couple has made on our campus, San Diego, the state of California and indeed the world."
Irwin Jacobs was a founding professor of UC San Diego who served on the faculty from 1966 to 1972. He went on to co-found Linkabit and later Qualcomm, where he served as chairman and chief executive.
Joan Jacobs, who died in May, will be honored posthumously for her leadership and dedication in health, arts, cultural and educational causes.
The La Jolla Development Permit Review Committee gave support to a planned home project in the Country Club area during its Dec. 17 meeting.
The project would demolish an approximately 1,750-square-foot house and replace it with a 5,515-square-foot, three-story house at 7344 Brodiaea Way, east of Country Club Drive.
The proposal was heard in August and October, when the board sought more information, largely about how the floor area ratio (the size of a building in relation to its lot) was being measured and reported. Some board members expressed confusion over how the setbacks and heights were being measured.
When the applicant returned with that information, the board quickly and unanimously voted to support the development.
Vaccines for a major cause of skin and soft-tissue infections that can lead to sepsis and toxic shock syndrome were ineffective for humans, but researchers at UC San Diego in La Jolla say they have identified where the vaccines failed and may be able to find a better solution.
Researchers said they found that treatments for staphylococcus aureus worked well with mice but about 30 clinical trials struggled to help humans. The issue, they said, is an overabundance of interleukin-10, or IL-10, that shuts down the ability of T cells to fight the pathogen. Crucial antibodies are not activated.
Humans are, for the most part, "colonized" with staphylococcus aureus, but it doesn't always cause harm. Researchers said their findings "could be good news" for developing an effective vaccine, as they could block IL-10 or boost interleukin-17, or IL-17A.
With new funding from the National Institutes of Health, researchers at Scripps Health can develop what is expected to be the first continuously tracking "smart" shoulder replacement.
With technology that can remotely monitor and send data about a patient's new shoulder post-surgery, it will serve as a research tool and a functional replacement. Actual implantation with a person, however, is expected to be a few years away.
Research will be conducted over two years at the Shiley Center for Orthopaedic Research and Education, or SCORE, at the Scripps Clinic on the Torrey Pines Mesa. NIH's grant of $317,000 will go toward research, design, production and functionality tests. ♦