No Go for HotDoggers, Mediator Now in the Mix for Teachers/Board, Highland to Close at Night, Kleiners to Perform, School Teacher Recognized

1. HotDoggers owner and Manhattan Beach resident Sandy Saemann Tuesday night was denied his wish to keep his Sepulveda Boulevard eatery open from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. The beleaguered businessman beseeched City Council to expand his operation's hours and time frame for serving beer and wine from council's previous July 2011 approval of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 7 a.m. to 12 midnight Friday and Saturday, with alcohol allowed during those hours. The 5-month-old restaurant is at 1605 North Sepulveda Boulevard in a spot where businesses have gone out of business nearly as quickly as they've opened. HotDoggers is adjacent to a neighborhood of single-family homes whose residents have not fully embraced the business, citing fears of noise, traffic problems and alcohol use. 

2. The Manhattan Beach Unified School District and the Manhattan Beach Unified Teachers Association will hold contract negotiations for the first time with a mediator Thursday. The two entities are at odds, with teachers wanting salary increases that convey appreciation for their skills and accomplishments and MBUSD's school board not acquiescing to their demands, saying they cannot afford to do so. In the meantime, MBUSD teachers have been complying with their union's directive to not work extra hours and to not write letters of recommendation for college-bound students. 

3. Manhattan Beach natives Martha Kleiner and her brother Luc will pair in a free performance Friday during a  at Trinity Lutheran Church. Martha, a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music and Mira Costa high School, is currently pursuing her graduate studies at the Colburn Conservatory of Music. She will play oboe and be accompanied by Luc, a baritone. Also an MCHS grad, Luc is pursuing a degree in music at California State University Long Beach, where he is a member of the Bob Cole Conservatory Chamber Choir. Program time is 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. Trinity Lutheran Church is located at 1340 Eleventh Street, three blocks east of Sepulveda and one block south of Manhattan Beach Boulevard.

4. Highland Avenue/Vista del Mar will be closed from Rosecrans Avenue to Grand Avenue from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. for three nights to accommodate the installation of large electrical transmission towers at the NRG Energy power plant. The closures will occur on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. Traffic will be detoured and local access allowed. The installation will be done on the west side of Vista del Mar approximately ¼ mile north of 45th Street. 

NRG has a 24-hour noise comment hotline at 888-312-0881 for questions and noise concerns. According to NRG, "Callers will be prompted to record a voicemail message which will be immediately transferred to the project’s Noise Monitoring Officer who is qualified to address the concern or comment. Callers may also press '0' to be directed to a person who will collect information about your concern or comment and direct it to the Noise Monitoring Officer."

5. Roberta Schreiner, a social studies teacher at MB Middle School who has taught in Manhattan Beach since 1962, will be honored at the MBUSD school board meeting Wednesday night. Schreiner began her MB years at Begg School in what was then the MB City School District. She then taught at the MB Intermediate School before it was renamed MBMS. She has taught English, medieval history, sewing and cooking. For the past 15 years, shehas also taught an associated student body course.