Around Town: Rappellers to take on Irvine Marriott to benefit Boy Scouts

If you take a glance at the Irvine Marriott while out and about on Friday, you’ll see something you won’t see every day – people on ropes easing down the face of the hotel.

Up to 80 area residents and business leaders will rappel the 17 stories to help raise money for the Orange County Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Last year’s inaugural event raised more than $40,000 for the Scouts.

Friday’s fundraiser, co-presented by Over the Edge, will be held from 9 a.m. to at 5 p.m. at the hotel, 1800 Von Karman Ave.

Participants are asked to raise a minimum of $1,000 through donations. Slots are available in one-hour increments.

To sign up or for more information, visit ocbsa.kintera.org/ote.

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Israel missile defense engineer to speak in Newport

The Chabad Center for Jewish Life in Newport Beach will host rocket scientist Ari Sacher for a presentation titled “Inside Israel’s Iron Dome — The Miracle of Israel’s High Tech” at 6 p.m. Sunday.

Sacher is the system engineer for the Iron Dome, Israel’s missile system designed to intercept and destroy incoming rockets and artillery shells. The system, jointly developed and funded by the United States, is credited with shooting down more than 1,200 rockets fired from Gaza that were headed for Israeli population centers, according to a news release.

The United States and Israel also are developing the Stunner missile that will be used in Israel’s medium-range David’s Sling missile defense system.

Sunday’s hour-long presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session.

The Chabad Center is at 2240 University Drive. Tickets to the event are $15 and can be reserved at JewishNewport.com or (949) 721-9800.

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OCTA starts express bus service between Newport, Brea

The Orange County Transportation Authority this week launched a new limited-stop service called 57Xpress to help speed up commutes along the popular Route 57 between Newport Beach and Brea.

The 57Xpress bus runs along State College Boulevard, The City Drive and Bristol Street, with fewer stops on the busiest portion of the route – between Orangethorpe Avenue in Fullerton and Sunflower Avenue in Costa Mesa.

The 57Xpress service is expected to save bus riders who travel the entire route about 10 minutes, with 15 stops instead of the regular 48 in the center of the route. Stops are marked with a “57X” sign, and buses will display “57X” on the front.

The service runs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, with buses arriving about every 20 minutes. The cost to ride is the same as regular service: $2 per boarding or $5 for a one-day pass.

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OCC honored with energy award

Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa was honored as a winner on Sept. 21 in the Energy and Sustainability Competition presented by the California Community Colleges Board of Governors in Sacramento.

According to a news release, 120 community colleges were considered but only seven were honored with awards for implementing projects that achieved annual energy cost savings, project cost effectiveness and job creation.

The retrofitting of Orange Coast’s campus lamps and new ballasts, which reduced the school’s energy bill by more than $80,000 annually, earned the school the highest score in the retrofit project category.

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UCI opens pantry for hungry students

UC Irvine and the OC Food Bank teamed up to open the SOAR Food Pantry on Monday to serve food for needy students on campus.

University of California President Janet Napolitano recently launched the UC Global Food Initiative, which focuses on resources and solutions to address food insecurity, health and sustainability.

According to a news release, a survey of students in the UC system showed that 23% skipped meals to save money.

The pantry on the UCI campus is administered by the school’s Student Outreach and Retention, or SOAR, Center.

—From staff reports