Kiwanis Club grants $400K to La Jolla schools, nonprofits

The Kiwanis Club of La Jolla distributed more than $400,000 in grants to local nonprofits and schools over the past fiscal year.

Recent checks went to La Jolla High School and the La Jolla Community Center. At the club's Friday, Sept. 11, meeting, member Glen Rasmussen presented a $9,000 check to Jack Kruger and Amy Adams of the La Jolla High School tennis program. The money will replace court screens. The club also gave $3,500 to volunteers who maintain the La Jolla Bike Path.

Two weeks earlier, on Aug. 28, the club presented $10,000 to the La Jolla Community Center for general operations.

The grants were funded through the 2025 Kiwanis Club of La Jolla Half Marathon and the La Jolla Cove Swim, according to the La Jolla Light.

Playhouse sets Innovation Night, 'Grim' premiere

La Jolla Playhouse will host its annual Innovation Night in October at the Playhouse's Taper Plaza. The event honors Sanford Burnham Prebys president and CEO Dr. David Brenner, who has more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine.

Innovation Night brings together leaders in biotech, life sciences, defense and telecommunications for networking and a preview of the upcoming Playhouse show "Particle Fever." Proceeds support the Playhouse's New Play Development and Learning and Engagement programs.

Separately, the Playhouse announced the cast for its world-premiere musical "Grim," which begins previews Tuesday, Oct. 27, at the Mandell Weiss Theatre and runs through Nov. 29. The show follows the Grim Reaper, played by Paolo Montalban, as he prepares for retirement after collecting 300,000 souls. His daughter Diana, played by Akshara Gunda, must pass a test to take over the job, but her relationship with a human named Josh, played by Mateo Lizcano, complicates things.

Artistic Director Jessica Stone described the show as a mix of comedy and emotional depth in the Playhouse's cast announcement. The creative team includes choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler, a three-time Tony Award winner for "Hamilton," "In the Heights" and "Bandstand," and songwriter Scott Hoying, founder of the a cappella group Pentatonix.

Scripps researcher wins $2.76 million federal grant

Tiantian Liu, an assistant professor at Scripps Research in La Jolla, received a five-year grant of up to $2.76 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

"I'm very honored to receive this award from the NIAID, which will support my lab's work to understand the fundamental biology of T cell activation …" Liu said.

Beach cleanup nets 739 cigarette butts, skeleton mask

Sierra Club Seal Society volunteers cleaned up Children's Pool and La Jolla Cove on Saturday, Sept. 19, as part of I Love a Clean San Diego's Coastal Beach Cleanup. Member Nathan Brenner and group chair Robyn Davidoff led crews through the tide pools and up to the Cave Store and Scripps Park.

At Children's Pool, volunteers collected 46.9 pounds of trash and 330 cigarette butts. At La Jolla Cove and Scripps Park, they picked up 27.5 pounds of trash and 409 cigarette butts. Among the stranger finds: a Halloween skeleton face mask, a toy doll, parts of lobster traps and two Visa credit cards, which were reported to the card issuer.

Warriors 11 honored at Mt. Soledad

Eleven Naval aviators known as the Warriors 11, who flew combat missions from the USS Midway and were held as prisoners of war during the Vietnam War, received a commemorative plaque at the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial on Friday, Sept. 18, National POW/MIA Recognition Day. Cmdr. Phillip N. Butler endured the longest captivity among the group at 2,855 days.