Carmel Pine Cone, October 17, 2008 (Main News)
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A CELEBRATIONInYou OF THE CARMELr LIFESTYLE…reams A SPECIAL SECTION… INSIDE THIS WEEK! D BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID CARMEL, CA Permit No. 149 Volume 94 No. 42 On the Internet: www.carmelpinecone.com October 17-23, 2008 Y OUR S OURCE F OR L OCAL N EWS, ARTS AND O PINION S INCE 1915 Stanford students in fatal Big Sur crash Mayoral race in According to CHP public information officer Jim ■ Drove off Hurricane Point — Covello, 29-year-old Long Island, N.Y., resident Christopher no skid marks on road Sahm, 23-year-old Micah Springer from Columbus, Ohio, P.G. heats up and 28-year-old Raleigh, N.C., resident Viet Quoc Nguyen were heading south in Sahm’s 2005 Jeep Cherokee the night ■ Incumbent doesn’t like write-in By MARY BROWNFIELD of Oct. 10. The accident came to light Saturday morning after class- challenge from retired veterinarian THREE STANFORD graduate students on their way to mates reported the men — MBA students in the prestigious meet schoolmates in Big Sur last Friday died when their Jeep university’s business school — had failed to arrive at a gath- By KELLY NIX plummeted off a cliff on Hurricane Point sometime that ering in Big Sur Friday night, according to the Stanford News night. No witnesses have come forward, leaving the Service. PACIFIC GROVE Mayor Dan Cort this week blasted a California Highway Patrol without much information about A California Highway Patrol helicopter located the last-minute write-in campaign by a longtime city resident to how the fatal wreck transpired. wreckage, and the sheriff’s search and rescue team recovered run against him in the Nov. 4 election. the bodies. The vehicle has Ted Hollister, who has lived in Pacific Grove for 49 years, not yet been removed. announced himself last week as a write-in candidate for Covello does not know mayor, which makes him Cort’s only competition. Three young men what caused the Jeep to veer “I’ve been overwhelmed with the response,” Hollister told died when a off the highway, cross the The Pine Cone. “Honestly, it’s very humbling to see all the 2005 Jeep dirt and careen over the side support.” driven by Chris of the road to land on the Sahm left the But Cort accused Hollister, 77, of not attending a city rocks near the surf line some council meeting in years and questioned the former veteri- highway and 600 feet below. plunged off narian’s motivation for seeking the job. “All we have are tire fric- Hurricane Point “We have serious problems facing this city, and if you (left), which is tion marks in the dirt and haven’t been at a city council meeting in four or five years, just south of beyond the dirt berm, and then really you have no business inserting yourself into Bixby Creek. A track marks through brush, something as important as serving on the council,” Cort said. CHP spokesman and then evidence the vehi- Because Hollister missed the Aug. 8 deadline to declare said the cause cle rolled at least twice on his candidacy, his name will not appear on the Nov. 4 ballot is unknown. the way down,” he said. and voters will be required to write in his name to cast their “There was debris all the vote. way, though the majority of Hollister said he decided to run for mayor when the P.G. it is down on the rocks at the and Monterey city councils approved a consolidation of their edge of the ocean.” No skid marks were See MAYOR page 10A found on the highway, and it’s unknown whether alco- hol or drugs played a part. Toxicology results will not Ex-cons suspected in be available from the coro- ner’s office for at least a string of break-ins, thefts week, according to Covello. “As we all know, it’s a By MARY BROWNFIELD very unforgiving roadway at times,” he said. A PAROLEE and a At least 13 people have woman wanted on a felony warrant were arrested early Viet Nguyen Chris Sahm Micah Springer See CRASH page 9A Monday morning following a brief chase through Carmel. Police alleged the pair committed several bur- Wife sues hospital after $143K JEWELRY HEIST glaries and thefts in Carmel, Carmel Valley and Salinas. chicken pox kills husband FROM DOWNTOWN STORE At about 4:30 a.m. Oct. 13, Carmel P.D. officer Jeff By KELLY NIX By MARY BROWNFIELD Watkins noticed an unfamil- iar truck in the area of Christopher Gaebelein THE FAMILY of a 51-year-old man who reportedly STICKY-FINGERED THIEVES walked out of an Casanova and 13th and tried died of chicken pox early this year after being misdiag- Ocean Avenue jewelers with $142,800 worth of merchan- to catch up with it, according nosed is suing a Salinas hospital and several doctors who dise Oct. 5, and officers have not identified the three peo- to officer Chris Johnson. treated him. ple who pulled off the heist. “We know most of our Lynn Oswalt, the wife of Grant Oswalt, who died Jan. “One distracted the sales clerk while the other two newspaper delivery guys,” 11, filed a lawsuit in Monterey County Superior Court were milling about in the store,” said Sgt. Mel Mukai. he explained, so an unfamil- Sept. 25 seeking damages from Salinas Valley Memorial The perpetrator then reached over the display case, iar vehicle in town at an odd Healthcare System, two doctors and a physician’s assistant forced open the sliding glass door at the rear, reached in hour tends to get officers’ in the wrongful death claim. and grabbed a handful of expensive jewels. attention. “It’s very tragic,” said Oswalt’s Los Angeles attorney, “Then they left shortly thereafter, unbeknownst to the When Watkins attempted Marsha E. Barr-Fernandez. “He left a 12-year-old son and sales associate who was working,” Mukai said. The to get close, the gray Dodge a wife behind. We allege it didn’t have to happen.” employee at B&G Estate Jewelers noticed the items were pickup truck took off, reck- The suit contends that the medical professionals failed missing and called police late that afternoon. lessly running a couple of to recognize Oswalt had the disease, Barr-Fernandez said. The store owner told police the burglars took five very stop signs. The driver finally pulled over on Lasuen Road See POX page 25A See HEIST page 28A See THEFTS page 11A Joalee Melville Get your complete Carmel Pine Cone every Thursday evening in convenient pdf format via email. Free subscriptions available at www.carmelpinecone.com. 2A The Carmel Pine Cone October 17, 2008 ALL NEW Forum on economic benefits of foliage 2009 JAGUAR XF By MARY BROWNFIELD aging tree population, development impacts and disease.” Kelaine Vargas, an ecologist with the USFS Center for AN URBAN ecologist for the U.S. Forest Service will Urban Forest Research and a dedicated advocate of planting headline the annual Tree Forum hosted by the Friends of trees to help offset global warming, also helped develop Carmel Forest and the city’s forest and beach commission. computer software that quantifies the benefits of forests in The free talk, set for 2 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, in populated areas, according to Sutherland. Carpenter Hall at Sunset Center, is entitled, “Money Does “Trees take carbon dioxide from the air and transform it Grow on Trees.” It will also feature a panel of experts shar- into living matter — branches, trunks, leaves, flowers and ing their thoughts on maintaining urban forests. roots. A large tree can remove and store several tons of “The goal of the Tree Forum is to educate the public on greenhouse gases over a lifetime,” Vargas wrote in a essay for the economic value of the Carmel forest,” according to Maria the Massachusetts Urban Forestry Program. “At the same Sutherland, a board member of the Forest Friends group. time, urban trees have a second, equally important advantage. “Known worldwide for its exceptional beauty and unique Trees help moderate air temperatures and thereby reduce our 1st Place Luxury Sports Sedan – Motor Trend ecosystem, the Carmel forest faces challenges, including an need to burn fossil fuels to produce energy for air condition- ing and heating.” (Over Mercedes E550, BMW 550i, & Lexus GS 460) And that’s just one of the ways trees help cash flow. After Vargas delivers her talk, a panel including Kelly Jaguar Monterey PLEASE Quirke, former executive director of San Francisco’s Friends BRING ! Carmel Beach A Proud Member of the Sam Linder Auto Group of the Urban Forest; Sharon Kelly, program director for GLOVES Cleanup Canopy, a tree group in Palo Alto; and Brian Kempf, director 1711 Del Monte Blvd., Seaside • (831)899-8800 • www.monterey.jaguarretailer.com of Visalia’s Urban Tree Foundation, will discuss “Fostering Saturday, October 18 the Contemporary Urban Forest.” 10 a.m. - Noon, foot of Ocean Ave. Afterward, they will take questions from the audience. Did you know... The forum will offer “Carmel-by-the-Sea and the greater Coffee & cookies will be served, courtesy of community an unusual opportunity to learn how other Munras - Munras Avenue is one of the Caffe Cardinale & Safeway Stores, Carmel. California communities interact with city governments to best-marked streets in Monterey, Casa Questions – Call 624-3208 plant, nurture and replenish their urban forests for the eco- Munras one of the oldest hotels. Their Sponsored by Carmel Residents Assoc. nomic benefit of residential and commercial property own- namesake is Don Esteban Munras, a ers,” former city councilwoman Barbara Livingston said.