NEWPORT BEACH
Hoag opens new women's facility
Special guests and members of the media got a first look at the
new 320,000-square-foot Sue and Bill Gross Women's Pavilion -- the
newest edition to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian.
The seven-story wing dedicated primarily to women's health is
scheduled to be open on Oct. 5. There are 130 private rooms, many of
which overlook the Pacific Ocean.
The $129 million new facility will host an open house on Sept. 24.
EDUCATION
Level teaching field in Newport-Mesa district
A statewide study by the Education Trust-West, an Oakland research
group, revealed this week that the Newport-Mesa Unified School
District provides more prestigious teachers to its needy students
than the average California district. The report, released Wednesday,
posted estimated average teacher salaries for every school site in
California.
According to the researchers' data, teachers at Whittier
Elementary, College Park Elementary and other low-income Newport-Mesa
schools make more on average than many of their counterparts in the
wealthier parts of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach. Whittier, which has
99% of its students below the poverty level, has an average teacher
salary of $64,362 -- one of the highest averages in the district.
* John Nicoll, the longest-running superintendent of the
Newport-Mesa Unified School District, died Sept. 10 at the age of 83.
Both admired for his dedication and scorned for his hard-edged
demeanor, Nicoll helmed the district from 1971 to 1993, overseeing new technological breakthroughs in the schools and lobbying for
millions in grant money.
His legacy in Newport-Mesa, however, was a checkered one, as he
resigned in 1993 amid an embezzlement scandal that sent district
finance officer Stephen Wagner to prison. While Nicoll was never
accused of any wrongdoing himself, the incident led many in the
community to question his leadership. In the weeks before he
resigned, more than 400 parents in Newport-Mesa petitioned for his
removal.
Nicoll did leave a lasting mark on the district, however, creating
the John W. Nicoll Scholarship Fund in 1993 to benefit graduating
Newport-Mesa seniors who plan careers in education.
* The campaign to recall Coast Community College District trustee
Armando Ruiz picked up steam last week, as Orange County treasurer
and tax collector John Moorlach officially endorsed the petition
drive. Fellow trustee Jerry Patterson and others are busy gathering
signatures from the community, hoping to place the recall item on the
