Week in Review: Trash Talk, Remarkable Rescue and Crowd Control

The city talks trash and hunkers down for a wild weekend of crowds and competition. Here's a recap of stories covered at Manhattan Beach Patch for the week of July 25 - 31.

MONDAY

Graduates of all ages gather to catch up and spin yarns on their pranks, passions and youthful glory as Mira Costa celebrates its 60th anniversary.

Dave Miller's Basketball Camp is a big draw in Manhattan Beach, where fundamentals and fun are stressed every day.

The city recruits volunteers with green expertise for the second year of the Environmental Task Force.

TUESDAY

Third baseman Ryan Erickson hits a grand slam in a five-run fourth inning, leading the Manhattan Beach Little League Senior All-Stars past Murphy Ranch in the Division 3 Tournament.

Beachgoers and lifeguards pull a boy from the sand after a tunnel he was digging collapses around him.

The city dismisses worries that , are vulnerable to being hacked.

WEDNESDAY

A caretaker racks up $8,000 in charges to her employer's credit card, and a man receives a disturbing note in the mail in the week's police blotter.

Food columnist Allison Arbuthnot reveals the farmers market's newest arrivals: Crimson Glow pluots and wood ear mushrooms, offering a spicy Asian-influenced recipe featuring the latter.

Michael Scott Moore talks about his quest to follow the roots of surf culture around the world, chronicled in his new book "Sweetness and Blood."

THURSDAY

Left-hander Anthony Lombardo, a rising junior at Mira Costa, strikes out 12 batters to lead the Manhattan Beach Little League Senior All-Stars into the title game of the double-elimination North Division 3 Tournament.

A local historian captures a century of Manhattan Beach architecture in a new hour-long self-guided tour through a small section the downtown district.

The council approves a new pricing structure for trash bins and discusses other ways to recycle more and send less to landfills.

FRIDAY

Under the guise of going green, the City Council's new 'pay as you throw' program favors the political over the practical, says Patch's new Open Government op-ed columnist, Gary Osterhout.

The International Surf Festival comes to town, for a weekend of fun, sun and competitive sport.

Manhattan Beach Police prepare to ramp up enforcement of the city's new "no alcohol" policy for the Charlie Saikley Six-Man Volleyball Tournament.

Manhattan Beach Little League Senior All-Stars win Division 5 Tournament with 20-3 victory over El Monte.

SATURDAY

Manhattan Beach Unified School District distinguishes itself by outstepping its neighbors, while collectively the three beach cities win national Steppin' Out walking challenge.

Kanoa Aquatics of Manhattan Beach offers a unique program teaching the blind to surf.