PASSAGES: IN MEMORIUM
Printer-friendly versionSan Diego’s eastern region lost several prominent newsmakers in the past year, among them: Jack Hardebeck, M.D.: Former chief of staff for Grossmont Hospital and member of the Grossmont Healthcare District board, Hardebeck spent nearly half a century serving East County. A family physician and surgeon, he chaired the Grossmont Hospital Foundation’s philanthropy committee in 1998 and 1999. In recognition of his efforts, Hardebeck received the Foundation’s Heart of Gold Award in 2004 and the Volunteer of Distinction Award in 2008. He has been called a “giant in the East county healthcare community” by Jim Stieringer, 2008 president of the GHD board. “His contributions as a family physician, philanthropist and healthcare district board member may never be equaled.” Mike Thometz: Founder and leader of the Mountain Empire Resources and Information Taskforce (MERIT), Mike Thometz became known as an outspoken advocate of backcountry residents supporting growth at a rural pace. An environmentalist and conservationist, he served on multiple land use subcommittees and helped bring information online to educate East County community members on backcountry planning and groundwater issues. He was also active in Quail Unlimited and the Enviromental Working Group of the San Diego Foundation. Born in Oregon, Thometz earned an engineering degree from Stanford and a masters degree in business from Harvard. He served in the U.S. Navy and worked in the banking industry before opening a trucking firm and later, serving as operations manager for IMS Recycling Services. A Campo resident, he served as an organizer of the MERIT Recycling Center and a member of Campo’s VFW Post 2080. But he was best known for holding public officials’ feet to the fire. On February 13, Thometz, 69, died of a heart attack while attending a state of the county speech in Balboa Theater. Karen Tucker: Active in conservation efforts county-wide, Tucker co-founded the Fallbrook Land Conservancy and the Center for Conservation and Education Strategies. Formerly a science writer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, she received a distinguished service award for her work on the NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory project’s education and outreach program. Tucker coauthored three astronomy books along with her husband, Wallace. A resident of Fallbrook, she died of cancer on December 11th. Terry Ryan: The former Grossmont Union High School District superintendent died November 24 at his Rancho Bernardo home of a brain tumor. Ryan had a 37-year career in education, serving in the Grossmont, Santee, Valley Center and Bonsall School Districts as well as with the San Diego County Office of Education. Although his tenure at the GUHSD was marked by controversy included a labor dispute with the teacher’s union, he has been praised for his support of public education on other fronts. “The passage of Prop H, the first bond in over 36 years, was due in no small measure to his leadership and vision. The students of the district will benefit from new construction and renovations for many years to come,” said GUHSD board member Dick Hoy. Former GUHSD Board Chair Larry Urdahl credited Ryan with formation of an East County Gang Task Force and the Grossmont Education Foundation. Ryan himself believed his greatest accomplishments at the GUHSD were improved test scores and passage of the bond measure. Printer-friendly version
EIGHT YEAR OLD BOY KIDNAPPED BY STRANGER IN LA MESA ;CHILD ESCAPED, POLICE SEEK SUSPECT
Printer-friendly versionUPDATE: Police have determined that this reported kidnapping was a hoax. La Mesa Police Officers responded to an attempted kidnapping that occurred at 4827 Parks Avenue in the city of La Mesa on January 1st at 6:55 p.m.. Officers met with the eight-year-old male victim and his aunt at the Parks Avenue address. The victim told officers he was outside of his aunt’s apartment waiting for his friends to come outside and play. While seated on a walkway railing outside of the apartment, he was approached by an unknown male suspect. The suspect put one hand over the victim’s mouth and used his other hand to pick the victim up off the railing. The suspect told the victim, “Shut up, don’t say anything.” The suspect carried the victim approximately 100 feet through the parking lot. When the suspect reached the south end of the parking lot, he lost his footing on a raised curb and dropped the victim onto a patch of Ivy plant. The victim punched the suspect in the groin, causing the suspect to bend over and fall to the ground. The victim ran back to his aunt’s apartment. The suspect was last seen running north on Parks Avenue toward El Cajon Boulevard. The victim was not injured and the suspect has not been located. Suspect Description: White male, 50-60 years old, 6’0″, thin build with dark short hair and a full dark beard. The suspect was wearing black pants, a black t-shirt with the picture of a girl wearing a bikini, black gloves with the fingers cut off of them and a black visor. Anyone with information about the kidnapping should contact the La Mesa Police Department at (619) 667-1400. Printer-friendly version
Good Money–Retirement Plan Limits, Reminders & Required Minimum Distribution Changes for 2009
Printer-friendly versionYour guide to profitable and socially responsible investing By Judith L. Seid, CFP ® This is the time to make sure you are contributing the maximum amount the IRS allows to your retirement plans. For those of you who automatically contribute to your retirement accounts every month, you may need to increase your monthly amounts to meet the 2009 limits going forward, as this will not happen automatically. If you plan to invest the maximum amount in your retirement accounts, you will want to review and possibly update the amount you are deferring through your employer. If you have IRAs you may want to review and update your monthly investment amounts to these accounts. Please see the new limits below. The deadline for IRA & Roth-IRA contributions is April 15th, and the deadline for SEP & Simple-IRA is tax filing deadline, including extensions. If you are over 70 ½ years old, you get a break in 2009. Congress has suspended your Required Minimum Distributions (RMD) that need to be taken form your IRA for 2009, due to the down-market. Here are the new limits for 2009: IRA & Roth-IRA: Maximum contribution stays at $5,000 per person/ year (Roth-IRA phases out at $101k – $116k single or $159k – $169k joint) Additional over 50 amount stays at $1,000 IRA Deductibility: Single – phase out begins over $53k AGI Joint – phase out begins over $85k AGI Roth-IRA Conversion Limit: Before 2010: AGI < $100k 2010 and Later: Unlimited AGI Simple-IRA: Employee contribution limit goes up to $11,500 from $10,500 Additional over 50 amount stays at $2,500 401k, 403b, & 457 Plans: Employee contribution limit rises to $16,500 from $15,500 Additional over 50 amount goes up to $5,500 from $5,000 Defined Contribution Plan Limits: Increased from $46,000 to $49,000. Annual compensation limit increased from $230,000 to $245,000. Self-Employed and Business Owners: It is always good to have your financial advisor review your plan to determine if you still have the best plan to fit your needs each year. You can change plans, but we cannot do this mid-year. For example, if you currently have a SEP, a Simple IRA may be better depending on the situation. Judith L. Seid, President and founder of Blue Summit Financial Group, Inc, is a Certified Financial Planner who has actively used Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) for her clients since 1992. She firmly believes that “We can influence corporations to change their policies by avoiding investments in irresponsible companies and by seeking investments in companies with positive practices and products.” Socially responsible investing (SRI) exists for investors looking to use the power of financial investment to create sustainable social change. For more information on Sustainable Investing, contact Judith at Blue Summit Financial Group in La Mesa, (619) 698-4330; www.BLUESUMMITINVEST.com Securities offered through Pacific West Securities, Inc. (Pacific West) Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services provided through Pacific West Financial Consultants, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor. Blue Summit Financial Group, Inc. and Pacific West are not affiliated. Printer-friendly version