Pelican

A group of wildlife protection agencies have quadrupled the reward for information on whoever snapped the wings of 11 endangered brown pelicans on Bolsa Chica State Beach. The reward has risen from an initial $5,000 to $20,000 for anyone with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible. In addition to the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center, which is caring for the one surviving bird, other agencies involved are the Found Animals Foundation, Bolsa Chica Land Trust and the International Bird Rescue and Research Center.

I know it’s since been reported, but still, I wanted to cover a recent episode in this column, because the man involved is so deserving. Last week, I received this note: “Hi Chris, I regret to have to inform you that we lost Dr. Joel Pasco to cancer. He passed away Saturday morning in his sleep. He had gone fishing at Convict Lake (his favorite spot and favorite pastime). When his friends tried to wake him, they realized that he had passed peacefully in his sleep.

Bryce Alderton Seven hours after completing his first round of the Costa Mesa city championship Saturday, Huntington Beach's Robert Caton chipped balls onto a practice green at Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club. This was after shooting a 5-under-par 65 to finish the first round one stroke off the lead. The 28-year-old, who works in Pelican Hill Golf Club's guest services department handling valet and cart room duties, shot a 4-over 76 Sunday to finish in a three-way tie for sixth.

When Huntington Beach local Dan Sharp lost his 26-year-old brother, Nathaniel, to cancer in September 2001, his grief inspired him to make a difference by raising money for cancer research. “We [my family] also wanted to keep Nathaniel’s name alive and share his story,” Sharp said. “So we started the NKS (Nathaniel Keith Sharp) Foundation, which launched just last year.” The foundation will host its second event, Bands Together for a Dream and a Cure on Saturday at Pelican Isle, which will equally benefit the American Cancer Society and Dream Foundation.

The Corona del Mar High School and Middle School PTA will hold its 32nd annual home tour Tuesday, guiding patrons through six upscale homes in Newport Beach. The six homes on this year's tour span the communities of Pelican Point, Pelican Crest, Cameo Highlands and Corona del Mar. All proceeds from the event will go to the PTA, which puts on the tour every year as its only major fundraiser. "It goes directly for students' benefits, so it could be books, lockers, anything on campus," said Robin Rae Lewis, chairwoman of public relations for the home tour.

Marines at Camp Pendleton can go from wearing green to aiming for the green during their precious spare time after Shady Canyon Golf Club members donated 30 sets of clubs and 3,000 golf balls to the service men and women earlier this month. First Service Group BSSG 1 Marines were the recipients of the equipment. Many of the Marines recently returned after serving in Iraq. Shady Canyon's General Manager Bob Leenhouts, along with the Irvine club's head professional Kirk Manley, presented the clubs and balls on behalf of the members, who made the decision to donate the equipment.

Whether it's for leisure or whether it's for business, Newport Beach is an ideal golf resort vacation destination. Despite the fact the above statement sounds like an advertisement from a travel brochure, the information is pretty accurate: The Newport-Mesa area, all of Orange County and even all of Southern California harbors some of the best golf courses in the country. Believe it or not, golf is a big tourist attraction in the area. Warm, sunny weather all year, beaches, Disneyland and golf -- a pretty appealing package.

--ERON BEN-YEHUDA Huntington Beach turned 90 this year and received rare murals as a gift. The dedication of the artwork, valued at more than $1 million, capped a ceremony at City Hall late last month that included performances by the Huntington Beach Concert Band and the Festival Ballet Co. Hundreds who attended the celebration enjoyed holiday and birthday music, while the ballet troupe danced a sequence from "The Nutcracker."...

The man whose body was found in a burning car May 31 in Huntington Beach has been identified as Jim Purcey, an author and political activist. The Orange County Sheriff's Department's coroner's office identified Purcey, 59, as the deceased, although Supervising Deputy Coroner Dan Aikin declined to comment on how the fire occurred. "As far as cause of death, we're not releasing any details until we come to a final conclusion," Aikin said. A witness called the Huntington Beach Fire Department at 2:55 p.m. May 31 to an underground parking structure at the Pelican Cove apartment complex at 16960 Algonquin St. Firefighters arrived at the structure, where sprinklers had been activated, and put out the fire in about 12 minutes.