Blood Drive

100 homes left powerless Thursday More than 100 homes in the Port Streets in Newport Beach were without power Thursday, said officials from Southern California Edison. Officials said the outage was due to a problem with the underground system. Power was expected to be restored most homes by late Thursday, officials said. Specifics about what caused the outage were unavailable at press time. Newport to host public safety day Newport Beach Police and Fire departments will host a public safety day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 9 at the Newport Center Fire Station at Santa Barbara Drive and Jamboree Road.

Lisa Solomon rarely misses a blood drive. Motivated by an altruism her father ingrained in her while growing up, the Glendale resident was unfazed by the needle in her arm as blood rushed into a rubber pouch at Tuesday’s American Red Cross drive to collect up to 24 pints for needy patients at area hospitals. Solomon was one of about a dozen local residents and workers who lined Brand Boulevard to give blood, which officials said is in short supply each summer. About 25% of all donated blood comes from high schools, leading to a dearth of the needed supply during the summer, said Sherry Nikirk, a senior account manager with the American Red Cross.

Descanso features Irish and Scottish music LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE -- Highland Sun, a band featuring traditional Irish and Scottish music, will perform at p.m. Sunday, June 30, at Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Canada Flintridge. Highland Sun's music centers around dual fiddles, blending the crisp Donegal style with Scottish influences. The band favors up-tempo dance tunes, lightly punctuated with slower, more contemplative music. The concert is a part of the 2002 Under the Oaks concert series at Descanso Gardens.

GLENDALE — To many, the holiday season means relaxing and spending time with family and friends, but for local medical facilities it can also mean a significant slip in blood donations, which are crucial to the survival of those who need medical care during the holidays. As a result, the American Red Cross is calling on residents to make an effort to donate during the holiday season, especially in the next few days. "As far as our blood shortage during the holidays, what usually happens is that around Christmastime, we have very few blood drives that are organized because businesses are on vacation, people are out of town, schools are out of session," said Teresa Solorio, a spokesperson for American Red Cross Blood Services.

Local police captain to lead UCI force Capt. Paul Henisey, a 29-year veteran of the Newport Beach Police Department, will retire Monday to take on a new role as chief of police at UC Irvine. "It'll be different from the standpoint that it's an academic environment," Henisey said. Henisey began testing for the job in May and was notified in early August that he had been chosen for the position. He will be sworn in at a ceremony held Tuesday at the university.

Gary Moskowitz It's been a good month for Glendale High School clerk Agnes Jackson. Jackson, for the second consecutive year, was named the school's employee of the year, thanks to overwhelming support from students. Members of the school's student government this week organized a blood drive to benefit the Cooley's Anemia Foundation, an organization that serves people living with a rare blood disease called thalassemia and their families. More than 70 students donated blood Thursday, and many said they donated blood out of respect to Jackson.

Adam Michael Sheffield, the son of Matt and Linda Sheffield of Glendale, received the rank of Eagle Scout. He is a member of Troop 106 of the Verdugo Hills Council Boy Scouts of America. For his Eagle Scout project, Adam did a blood drive for the American Red Cross. He collected 46 pints of blood. Adam received several scouting honors, including On My Honor, Mile Swim and the 50-miler Afoot/Afloat. Adam was home-schooled until he passed the California Proficiency Exam at 16 and entered Glendale Community College.

Democratic Club changes name The La Cañada Flintridge Democratic Club has voted to change its name to Cañada Crescenta Democratic Club. The Club has 25% of its members from La Crescenta. The Club will expand the area in which it conducts Get Out The Vote activities to include both La Cañada and La Crescenta. For information, call the Club at (818) 503-3325 or e-mail lcfdemocrat@pacbell.net.   Blood drive being held Saturday A blood drive is being held from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday, Sept.

Humane Society to open cat center The Glendale Humane Society will host a dedication ceremony for its Karsa Center for Adult Felines at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. The center, in honor of Glendale residents Gisele and Joseph Karsa, will give adult cats an open, cage-free environment. The Glendale Humane Society is at 700 block of West Ivy Street. For more information, call (818) 242-1128. Alliance luncheon honors employees The Glendale Youth Alliance will host the "Employees of Tomorrow" luncheon to celebrate 13 years of service from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Glendale Civic Auditorium.

FUTURE IS NOW If you're curious about the future of development in Newport Beach, stop by the special meetings of the planning commission and the City Council, at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, Tuesday in the council chambers at City Hall, 3300 Newport Blvd. Both boards will continue discussion of an update to the city's general plan, which will guide zoning and development decisions for the next 20 years. The council is expected to complete its input on changes to the plan, which then will become the subject of a major environmental study and ultimately be put to a public vote in 2006.