CRISSY PASCUAL / Union-Tribune Brock Crouch, 8, of Carlsbad practiced on the half-pipe yesterday in a skateboarding competition at the Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA in Encinitas. About 75 people – all 18 and younger – participated in the Free Flow Tour amateur skate competition.

ENCINITAS – Tammy Valley may not know her ollies from her nollies, but she knows when her 6-year-old son, Nate, is in hot wheels heaven. Like yesterday afternoon during a skateboarding competition at the Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA in Encinitas. Fresh out of kindergarten, Nate tried a few kickflips and “a rock to fakey.” Seems those are names for skateboarding tricks.

CORONADO – The dance of brightly colored kites propelled by gusts of wind as kite surfers jump waves and hang in the air mesmerizes spectators of the fast-growing extreme sport. Most San Diego County kite surfers favor beaches where the winds are strong, such as Silver Strand State Beach. But kite surfing is creating conflicts with other beach activities, including a recent one involving a 10-year-old boogie boarder when a kite surfer's cord wrapped around her neck.

Angel Sanchez Perez envisions his son every time a kitchen helper passes by pushing a tray cart at the Hotel del Coronado. He and his son, Guillermo Sanchez Lavenant, worked together at the hotel, father as a maintenance technician and son in the kitchen, until April 18. That weekend, the 19-year-old was kidnapped in Tijuana, about six miles from the family's home.

When the hands-free cell phone law for motorists goes into effect tomorrow, drivers in two San Diego County cities will have a little extra time to get used to it. Police in San Diego and Oceanside plan a monthlong grace period before they start strictly enforcing the law.

Given today's economy, an extra few hundred dollars would come in mighty handy for anyone. But if you're a retiree or a disabled veteran on a fixed income, that amount can be a windfall. The Internal Revenue Service is trying to reach 52,000 such people in San Diego County who might be eligible for a stimulus rebate check but haven't received one because they didn't file a 2007 income tax return.