IT’S A HELP: The county’s mental health...
IT’S A HELP: The county’s mental health care unit lost most of its $1-million budget to cuts forced by the bankruptcy. . . . So officials welcomed a recent $184,000 federal grant to aid the mentally disabled homeless. The agency has 18 beds in two shelters this year, down from 48 last year. Deputy Director Douglas Barton says his staff expects to turn away 30 people a night: “We’ll have a long waiting list, especially in the winter.”
SHOOTING STARS: One of the year’s finest meteor shows will pass overhead tonight. Best viewing will be after midnight in the high, northeastern sky. Binoculars and telescopes are not recommended; meteors only last a few seconds. Says John Sanford, past president of Orange County Astronomers: “Just recline in a lounge to watch it.” The shower tapers off through Monday.
HIGH FLIER: She spends lots of time with her head in the air, but 14-year-old Lake Forest trampolinist Jennifer Parilla loves it. She’s back from Japan after winning a gold medal and two silvers in individual events at the Indo-Pacific Championships. She also took a bronze in synchronized trampoline with teammate Christie Hayes, 22, of Villa Park. Says Parilla, who started bouncing at age 5: “I’ve been to Portugal, New Zealand, Germany, Japan and Canada. Not many my age get to do that.”
GRATEFUL TV: The coincidence was remarkable; so was the response. . . . Public television station KOCE (Channel 50) aired a Grateful Dead special during a fund-raiser Wednesday . . . the day legendary band leader Jerry Garcia died. There were a few complaints, but viewers were assured the long-scheduled program was not a bid to cash in on Garcia’s demise. Fans responded with 371 pledges totaling $41,978, the station’s second-best one-night tally ever. The show replays Saturday at 10:10 p.m.
