Don’t have plans for dinner tomorrow?  Then eat at Islands in Eastlake and support Eastlake Little League!

He brought the “American Idol” judges to their feet, but Joshua Ledet couldn’t win over fans and was sent home from the top-rated TV talent show on Thursday, leaving Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips to battle for the crown on next week’s finale.

The elimination of Ledet – through audience voting and not by the judges – sets up a final showdown between Sanchez and Phillips to determine who will be named the next “American Idol,” a distinction that has belonged to hitmakers such as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, among others.

Sanchez has impressed the judges from the beginning of the current season with her technical mastery of music, despite being the youngest contestant at age 16. Singer-songwriter Phillips has won plaudits for bringing his own distinctive style of guitar playing music to other artists’ songs.

The finale will consist of a two-hour performance episode on Tuesday, May 22, followed by a results episode on Wednesday, May 23. The winner will receive a recording contract.

Ledet was gracious in defeat. He closed the singing contest Thursday with his rendition of “It’s a Man’s World,” replicating one of his most popular performances of the season.

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The bid opening for 21 trade packages for the Central Plant and Southwestern Field House project will be 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, 2012 in room L238 in Southwestern College’s Learning Resource Center / Library.

The total amount for these 21 packages is expected to be between $26 million and $32 million. (A $9.2 million mechanical package was previously awarded.)

The 110,000-square foot project, located on the 9.4-acre lot on the corner of H Street and Otay Lakes Road, is set to include a bookstore, rental and administrative office space, classrooms, a fitness center, an art gallery, a food court, a campus police station and a culinary arts program.

Proposition R, a $389 million bond measure approved by 71 percent of district voters in 2008, funds the project. Estimated cost for the corner lot project is $55 million, said SWC Director of Communications Chris Bender.

The development will also generate at least 100 local jobs, Bender said, particularly construction-related and electrician jobs.

Fresh off a whirlwind homecoming that saw hometown favorite Jessica Sanchez perform for thousands of local fans, the 16-year-old singer looks to take yet another step toward the coveted title of this year’s American Idol. Family, friends and fans will gather, as they have weekly now, at Eastlake Tavern & Bowl in the EastLake Design District to cheer on Sanchez and cast their votes for the youngest contestant remaining in the wildly popular competition.

With only one more week until the American Idol finale on May 23, San Diego’s Jessica Sanchez competes for the opportunity to fulfill a childhood dream. The former EastLake Middle School Choir member will take to the Idol stage with nothing left to prove and everything to gain after her continued outstanding performances. On Wednesday, May 16 Sanchez, one of three contestants still standing, will attempt to secure her place in the finals giving her fans one more chance to vote for their local favorite.

The weekly American Idol “View & Vote” event supporting Sanchez will once again take place at the EastLake Tavern & Bowl in the EastLake Design District in Chula Vista. The family-friendly event is open to all ages and will feature a number of local singers, dancers and performing groups. Chula Vista native “Little Tommy” from the Jeff & Jer morning radio show will serve as host while the EastLake Middle School Choir and Eastlake High “Show Choir” will be performing between 5:00 and 8:00 p.m. In addition, newly designed t-shirts will be for sale and raffles will be held between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. With this season’s American Idol contest coming to a close, a big crowd is anticipated for the event.

For more information and updates, follow Jessica Sanchez on Twitter at @JSanchezAI11, and online at votejessicasanchez.com.

Eastlake’s Semi-Annual Garage Sale Will Be A Community Garage Sale on Saturday, May 19, 2012 starting at 7:00 AM

On Sunday, May 6, 2012 the 2nd Annual Miss Eastlake and Miss South Bay Scholarship Pageants were held at Eastlake High School.

Over 40 young women ages 10-24 years of age vied for the titles and the Educational Scholarships.

Denise Jenkins, of National City and Melissa Floyd, of Jamul took top honors and each received a $500 Educational Scholarship.

Other 2012 titleholders included:
Teens:  Chrissy Rhamy, Carol Krueger, Jr. Teens:  Elan Studebaker and Amanda Fink,

Pre-Teens:  Gianni Petties-Wilson and Cheryl Krueger and Junior titleholder is:  Gloria Hinds.

The Scholarship Pageant was sponsored by the Council for Youth Empowerment (CYE) a 501 c 3 non-profit organization.

Each of the new titleholders have earned their spot for the Miss California State Finals Pageant, which will also be held at Eastlake High School, October 20 & 21, 2012 where over $6,000 in cash scholarships and awards will be offered, when young women from throughout the State come together to compete.

For information regarding the Miss South Bay or Miss Eastlake scholarship programs, or to invite the titleholders to assist with your next event, please contact Mrs. Billie Sangster at 619.390.0061.

Early bird registration ends May 14 to walk, stroll or run at the U.S. Olympic Training Center on Saturday, May 19 for the Chula Vista Community 5K Fun Run/Walk!

The fun run/walk will be held on the center’s inspirational grounds where participants have the opportunity to run along side Olympians through the exclusive Olympic Village — all to benefit a great cause! The U.S. Olympic Training Center, Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center and other sponsors have joined efforts and are partnering in the event to benefit four local Chula Vista charity organizations: Friends of the Chula Vista Nature Center, Friends of Chula Vista Library, Friends of Chula Vista Park and Recreation and H.E.A.R.T. for the Chula Vista Animal Care Facility.

A community expo and celebration with food, fun and music will follow the race. For more details and registration information, log on to http://www.chulavistaca.gov/goto/funrun

Chula Vista in California has long been seen as a quiet , suburban town compared to its more famous neighbor, San Diego.

Then the Jessica Sanchez phenomenon happened.

Chula Vista’s hometown girl came home Saturday to the kind of motorcade and welcome once associated with astronauts and sports champions.

That’s how big American Idol has become around the world, especially to the proud places  its finalists call home.

Chula Vista will be treated to a Jessica Sanchez homecoming production for the show, and pretty soon the world will know where it is.

One wonders what will ensue if Jessica Sanchez, the 16-year-old Filipino-Mexican-American with the exquisite voice, actually wins the competition.

Spending on construction of new residential housing and improvements to existing homes is at a three-year high, a trend that may boost sales at Home Depot Inc. (HD) and Lowe’s Cos. (LOW)

Private-residential fixed investment, which includes major replacements such as new roofs and improvements like finishing a basement, rose 9.1 percent from a year earlier to an annualized $360.7 billion for the three months ended March 31. This marks the fourth consecutive quarter of nominal increases and was the fastest pace of yearly growth since 2006, Bureau of Economic Analysis data show.

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Recently City of Chula Vista officials received notification that the Chula Vista Police Department is the highest ranked police station in the United States, according to a survey conducted by the Vera Institute of Justice in New York.

The results were determined through an independent study conducted in November 2011 by Altus Global Alliance and the Vera Institute of Justice.

Between October 31-November 6, 2012, 4755 people visited 1044 police stations in 20 countries, including 21 in the United States, in order to assess the quality of services provided by police.

Rankings were based on (1) community orientation, (2) physical condition of the stations, (3) equal treatment of the public, (4) transparency and accountability, and, (5) detention conditions. The visits consisted of police station tours given to community groups and informal conversations with officers and staff.

The Chula Vista Police Station survey was conducted on November 3, 2011 and the department was rated as ‘More than Adequate’ in every category (ranking scale from 1-100):

Community Orientation: 95
Physical Conditions: 100
Equal Treatment: 100
Transparency and Accountability: 96.25
Detention Conditions: 97.5
Total Rating: 97.75

This is a great honor for the men and women of the Chula Vista Police Department and further illustrates the agency’s commitment to providing quality service to the Chula Vista community.