Boy Scouts

Greg Hill maneuvered through the cramped Boy Scouts storage trailer on Gothard Street and tried to get inside the mind of a burglar. "I would have taken the wood," he said Friday afternoon, tapping a stack of tent poles. "I would at least have a campfire. " As Hill, the scoutmaster of Troop 555, surveyed the missing items at the trailer's shady back end, he remarked on what the burglars left behind. The storage unit, which has resided for years in the parking lot of an office complex, recently had more than a dozen pieces of equipment stolen from it overnight.

Former Huntington Beach Boy Scout Joseph Puishys has been given the Medal of Merit Award by the Boy Scouts of America. Puishys is now a student at the United States Naval Academy, but was a member of local Troop 911. While driving home from a meeting, Puishys and a driver in front of him were cut off; the woman lost control of her vehicle, which rolled and landed on its side. Puishys used scouting skills he had learned to call the police, set up road flares, kick open the moon roof and remove the driver safely; he then bandaged her and gave her juice until an ambulance arrived.

JERRY PERSON For the past 80-plus years, the Boy Scouts of Huntington Beach have played a vital role in shaping the character of our future generations. Without their helping hands and volunteer efforts, many of our local projects would never become a reality. Just wearing the uniform of a scout inspires many a boy to aim for loftier goals and, in so doing, becomes a model member of his community. One of the greatest honors in scouting is when he attains the rank of Eagle Scout.

The Kobel family always watches the Tournament of Roses Parade on TV New Year’s Day, but this year, they will get to see it from the inside. Cory, 18, Wes, 16, and Connor Kobel, 15, of Huntington Beach will be walking in the parade with the Boy Scouts of America’s float. The brothers will be representing the Scouts at the parade. They are all Eagle Scouts, the highest rank in the organization. Cory has the honor to hold the centennial flag at the front of the procession, and Connor and Wes will be holding one of the Scouts’ many merit badges.

Four allegations of sexual abuse among Boy Scouts of America troop leaders in Huntington Beach appear in a Los Angeles Times database recently compiled from Scouting and court records. The Times, which owns the Huntington Beach Independent, last month published 1,200 previously unreleased documents related to the Scouts' so-called perversion files, which the organization used to keep tabs on accusations of sexual misconduct. The Boy Scouts were ordered by the Oregon Supreme Court to release the files — with names of minors and other identifying information redacted — after losing an Oregon lawsuit.

Evan Marmol A dozen Boy Scouts brimming with enthusiasm shoveled mud and planted native pickle weed plants on the Bolsa Chica wetlands under an overcast sky last week. Scouts carried handfuls of the tiny plants to the banks of the wetlands by the Bolsa Chica Conservancy and diligently planted them. Bustling groups of boys intently deposited the plants into the soil. An educational video was shown, and a talk given about the native plant and the endangered Belding Savannah sparrow that nests in it, that they might understand the significance of their task.

School may have been out Jan. 15, but that didn't stop a group of Boy Scouts from stopping by Roy's restaurant in Fashion Island for some hands-on cooking experience. The boys, who attend St. Bonaventure School in Huntington Beach, learned the basics of kitchen safety and helped chefs prepare pot stickers and chocolate souffle. The project was one of several that the boys — who are Wolf Scouts — are completing to move up the ladder to Bear Scouts. For Joseph Mastroni, 7, making a souffle was a first-time experience in more ways than one. "I don't think I've ever had one before," he said.

Three brothers will be honored for receiving the Eagle Scout Award at services at 2 p.m. Sunday at First Christian Church, 1207 Main St., Huntington Beach. The three Kobel brothers ? Cory, 17, Wes, 16, and Connor, 14 ? are members of Troop 555, chartered by Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Huntington Beach. About 4% of Boy Scouts attain the Eagle rank, Scoutmaster Greg Beard said. Each candidate must earn 21 merit badges and successfully complete a community, church or synagogue-related project to earn his Eagle.

There is no one alive in Huntington Beach today that I feel has contributed more to the general good of the city than Russ Paxson and Tim Alvarez. They have been instrumental in keeping alive the oldest Boy Scout troop this side of the Mississippi River.There is a reason this troop is still No. 1, and they are the reason.They have touched the lives of countless thousands of young people in the city and elsewhere. It is not just the 2,500 or so Boy Scouts who have passed through the troop.

        FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                           Contact:     Karen Guthorn     (714) 848-5156         kwguthorn@aol.com                                                                                                     kwguthorn@aol.

The sound of twigs snapping and leaves rustling was in the air as Vic Leipzig and his team of bird watchers walked through a vegetated pathway in Shipley Nature Center on Friday morning. The bustling traffic on Goldenwest Street struck a discordant note amid the rustic ambience, but that didn't bother the 13 birders as they conducted their monthly bird survey on the 18-acre plot across from the Huntington Beach Central Library. Leipzig, 65, a former Surf City mayor and former Independent columnist, and his group of volunteers were too busy focusing on identifying the various species of chirping birds to let outside noise distract them.

Four allegations of sexual abuse among Boy Scouts of America troop leaders in Huntington Beach appear in a Los Angeles Times database recently compiled from Scouting and court records. The Times, which owns the Huntington Beach Independent, last month published 1,200 previously unreleased documents related to the Scouts' so-called perversion files, which the organization used to keep tabs on accusations of sexual misconduct. The Boy Scouts were ordered by the Oregon Supreme Court to release the files — with names of minors and other identifying information redacted — after losing an Oregon lawsuit.

Greg Hill maneuvered through the cramped Boy Scouts storage trailer on Gothard Street and tried to get inside the mind of a burglar. "I would have taken the wood," he said Friday afternoon, tapping a stack of tent poles. "I would at least have a campfire. " As Hill, the scoutmaster of Troop 555, surveyed the missing items at the trailer's shady back end, he remarked on what the burglars left behind. The storage unit, which has resided for years in the parking lot of an office complex, recently had more than a dozen pieces of equipment stolen from it overnight.

The Huntington Beach Lions Club donated the money it raised from selling fireworks during the Fourth of July holiday to nonprofits in the city. The club gave $5,000 each to the Huntington Beach Therapeutic Riding Center and Huntington Beach Boy Scout Troop 1, said club President Steve Christy. The Lions Club was one of 10 organizations that was chosen through a lottery to sell "safe and sane" fireworks in the city for the first time in 25 years. Other organizations threw their names in the hat, including the therapeutic riding center, but were not picked.

The Kobel family always watches the Tournament of Roses Parade on TV New Year’s Day, but this year, they will get to see it from the inside. Cory, 18, Wes, 16, and Connor Kobel, 15, of Huntington Beach will be walking in the parade with the Boy Scouts of America’s float. The brothers will be representing the Scouts at the parade. They are all Eagle Scouts, the highest rank in the organization. Cory has the honor to hold the centennial flag at the front of the procession, and Connor and Wes will be holding one of the Scouts’ many merit badges.

Three brothers will be honored for receiving the Eagle Scout Award at services at 2 p.m. Sunday at First Christian Church, 1207 Main St., Huntington Beach. The three Kobel brothers ? Cory, 17, Wes, 16, and Connor, 14 ? are members of Troop 555, chartered by Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Huntington Beach. About 4% of Boy Scouts attain the Eagle rank, Scoutmaster Greg Beard said. Each candidate must earn 21 merit badges and successfully complete a community, church or synagogue-related project to earn his Eagle.

From In The Pipeline, “Showcasing the laid-back lifestyle of Surf City,” Oct. 29: “Christopher Hernandez, on the brink of reaching Eagle Scout status in the Boy Scouts, was required to create a leadership project that would benefit the community. He had the idea of building a memorial garden at his former school, St. Bonaventure. The garden would be placed in honor of a much-beloved teacher at the school, Maureen Martinelli, who passed away last year. Then, Christopher learned about a family at St. Bonaventure that wanted to place a statue at the school for their son, George ‘Joey’ Meyers.

        FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                           Contact:     Karen Guthorn     (714) 848-5156         kwguthorn@aol.com                                                                                                     kwguthorn@aol.

Former Huntington Beach Boy Scout Joseph Puishys has been given the Medal of Merit Award by the Boy Scouts of America. Puishys is now a student at the United States Naval Academy, but was a member of local Troop 911. While driving home from a meeting, Puishys and a driver in front of him were cut off; the woman lost control of her vehicle, which rolled and landed on its side. Puishys used scouting skills he had learned to call the police, set up road flares, kick open the moon roof and remove the driver safely; he then bandaged her and gave her juice until an ambulance arrived.