Pancake Breakfast Date Corrected; Crack-Down on Distracted Driving Begins

Correction: Due to a reporting error, the date of the Newport Beach Fire Department's free pancake breakfast was incorrect in the April 2 installment of Five Things, the correct date is Saturday, April 9. The free pancake breakfast will kick off the department's yearlong celebration of its 100th anniversary. Breakfast will be served 9 a.m. to noon at the . In addition to flapjacks, there will be tours of the station and a chance to meet firefighters and take a look at fire equipment.

1. Tickets are now on sale for the Newport Beach Public Library Literacy Service's fourth annual Gift of Literacy Author Luncheon. The event will be held Friday, April 8, at 11:30 a.m., at the Radisson Hotel, 4545 MacArthur Blvd., and will feature author Nicole Mones. She will talk about her third book, The Last Chinese Chef, which takes readers into a hidden universe of one of the world’s great cuisines. The book was the winner of the World Gourmand Award and the first work of fiction ever excerpted by Gourmet magazine. Tickets for the luncheon can be purchased by calling Literacy Services at 949-717-3874 and are $75 per person or $100 for a seat at the Author’s Table.  Proceeds from the event will help fund the Newport Beach Public Library Literacy Services program, which serves more than 100 adult learners annually with free literacy instruction.
2. Starting today, Newport Beach police will join the CHP and law enforcement agencies across the state in on people who talk and text on hand-held cell phones while driving. The minimum fine for driving while talking or texting on a hand-held device is $159, according to the Police Department, with subsequent violations costing $279.
3. Now through Thursday, April 21, applications and essays are being accepted for the city of Newport Beach scholarship program.  Ten $500 scholarships will be awarded to children who live in Newport Beach or to  children of regular, full-time Newport Beach employees.  Applicants are to have maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better and must be applying to an accredited two-year community college or an accredited four-year college/university.  To download the full application and read more information on the requirements for the scholarship, click here.
4. Don't forget! The deadline to enter your California Friendly garden in the Roger's Gardens contest is Thursday, April 14. Judges will award a $1,500 grand prize to the garden that best demonstrates California Friendly elements. To find out more information, click here.
5. The forecast today calls for sunny skies with a high of 75 degrees. Temperatures are expected to decrease throughout the week, with a 20 percent chance of rain on Thursday and a 70 percent chance on Friday, according to the Weather Channel.