As his final gesture, Boyce Belt, outgoing president of the controversy-laden Laguna Terrace Mobile Home Park, sent 15 copies of a five-page packet to the California Coastal Commission questioning why the commission has yet to allow lots at the park to be sold separately. Belt, who has been president of the park’s resident association for [...]
Massimo Lucidi, 12, took to road cycling while in elementary school as a fish to water. Bucking the local mountain biking trend popularized by extreme mountain-biking pioneer Hans Rey, Massimo embraced road bikes, not just as a sport, but as a way of life. “Whenever you see him on his bike, he’s always smiling,” said [...]
In the first major violation of Marine Protected Areas that took affect on Jan. 1, game wardens cracked down on suspected poachers offshore Laguna Beach and seized 47 California spiny lobsters from night divers on Saturday, Jan. 15. From their patrol boat, Department of Fish and Game wardens observed Marbel A. Para, 30, of Romoland, [...]
Late-night repairs to a fire hydrant valve at Coast Highway and Forest Avenue escalated into an emergency Wednesday when crews discovered a leak in the main pipeline that could potentially burst, water district manager Renae Hinchey said. Repairs disrupted traffic but were largely completed by 4:30 p.m.
Costs on the rise Main Beach’s basketball players are dribbling elsewhere, forced off the beach in recent weeks by a new crew. The popular basketball courts now covered in plywood lie beneath mounds of dirt and gear as excavation for a new sewer pump station next to the lifeguard headquarters is at full throttle. Demolishing [...]
Salt Fine Art’s ¡Cuba! exhibition, featuring multi-media works imbued with sly political commentary by 11 artists, opened early this month with something missing: most the artists were absent. Part of gallery owner Carla Tesak Arzente’s planning included making arrangements to host the artists from Cuba. But no thanks to Cuban bureaucracy, only Ernesto Javier Fernandez [...]
Laguna Beach resident Fred Karger, the first Republican contender to officially enter the 2012 presidential race, pulled in 485 votes in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary. That’s 138 more than received by Minnesota’s Rep. Michele Bachmann, according to final results posted by New Hampshire’s Secretary of State. Winner Mitt Romney pulled in 97,295 votes. “Any votes [...]
Laguna Beach resident Dennis Yang, who has written over 110 children stories under the pen name Papa Didos, finished a 3,281-mile cross-country journey last year where he gave away books to children along the way. He’s still on the road, this time making a local pit stop at the Laguna Beach Boys and Girls Club [...]
Laguna Beach resident Dennis Yang, who has written over 110 children stories under the pen name Papa Didos, finished a 3,281-mile cross-country journey last year where he gave away books to children along the way. He’s still on the road, this time making a local pit stop at the Laguna Beach Boys and Girls Club [...]
Buick devised the competition to show that NCAA athletes are about more than points and playoffs. Contestants were required to submit a mini-documentary, up to 60 seconds long, about a former NCAA athlete’s experience on or off the field that caused them to take action. In the film, Culverhouse describes a life-changing experience as an [...]
Popular wisdom holds that one can’t be everything to everyone. Don’t tell that to actor James Leaming, who embodies George Bailey, the main character, and everyone else in the Laguna Playhouse production of “This Wonderful Life.” The one-man Steve Murray stage play is based on the iconic holiday film, Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life.” [...]
The Laguna Art Museum Art Auction 2012: California Art Lounge will feature 100 works of art by a blue-chip roster of California artists. But, this year organizers have changed the usual auction format of food and cocktails, silent auction, live bidding, and everyone pick up their treasures and go home, for a raucous, evening-long party. [...]
The suspense ends Saturday, Jan. 28, with the public unveiling of the single word chosen from 1,100 words submitted by Laguna Beach residents to describe their hopes and aspirations for their city. This one powerful word will form the theme for a new mural produced by Laguna College of Art and Design students on the [...]
LCAD Exhibit at City Hall Launches Art Walk Anniversary The 14th anniversary celebration of First Thursdays Art Walk on Feb. 2 kicks off with a pre-event at 5 p.m. at Laguna Beach City Hall, featuring “Visual Tales from Eire and England,” an exhibition of work by Laguna College of Art and Design students, inspired [...]
People are spending more in Laguna, adding to an unexpected $3 million bonus to city coffers, according to the city’s mid-year budget report to the City Council Tuesday. The windfall to the city’s general fund is partly due to an increase in sales tax revenue, which means people are shopping and eating out more, specifically [...]
Laguna Beach resident Bob Whalen, an attorney and active community volunteer, officially announced his candidacy for Laguna Beach City Council earlier this week, throwing his hat in the ring with three other candidates so far who will compete for the two open slots on the council in November. Incumbent council member and mayor pro tem [...]
By Robin Pierson, Special to the Independent Five big-hearted and open-minded seekers will be traveling to India next month, visiting spiritual sites and delivering humanitarian aid. Local Laguna residents Pam Wicks of the Neighborhood Congregational Church, Julien Kheymour, Susan Brown Madorsky and Everett Hoffman of Cleveland, Ohio, will join leader Tenpa Dorjee of Laguna [...]
The Fulfillment Factor Have you noticed that if you attempt to care deeply about everyone and everything, you end up stretched so thin that you become brittle, numb and overwhelmed? On the other hand, if you decide to live within a closed, overly protective attitude, your wellspring of curiosity, positive anticipation, and willingness to engage, [...]
Editor, (This is a reply to David Vanderveen’s Local Currents column on “Mutual Responsibility”) Yes, I am the dad who called David to get the scoop on energy drinks. Who better to ask than a local dad, energy drink entrepreneur, and socially conscious all around good guy? As he stated, I was more concerned about the [...]
Editor, “Lonesome Traveler” is a musical hit in every sense of the word! Run, don’t walk, to get your tickets to this Laguna Playhouse performance! It is uplifting, inspirational, charming and perfect in every way. The singing is pure and simple in its perfection, the instrumental accompaniment, including guitars, mandolins, string bass and even [...]
The Laguna Beach High School senior class of 2012 will perform the 24th annual Shap Show, “No Suits Allowed,” on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m. at LBHS Artists Theatre. The 2012 graduation committee hopes this special one-night event will help them achieve their goal of raising about $20,000 so that all graduating seniors will [...]
Thanks to a dedicated team of 46 parent volunteers calling on every family in Laguna Beach schools for donations, SchoolPower’s Community Campaign succeeded in raising nearly $360,000. As a result, two sizable checks were presented to the Laguna Beach Unified School District at the Jan. 10 school board meeting, including a $125,000 check for the [...]
League play entered the second half of the season this past week with the basketball and soccer squads playing at Saddleback early in the week and at Calvary later this week, Breakers are competing in five winter season sports with Girls Water Polo the only prohibitive favorite to sweep to the league crown. Boys Basketball [...]
By Robin Pierson, Special to the Independent Five big-hearted and open-minded seekers will be traveling to India next month, visiting spiritual sites and delivering humanitarian aid. Local Laguna residents Pam Wicks of the Neighborhood Congregational Church, Julien Kheymour, Susan Brown Madorsky and Everett Hoffman of Cleveland, Ohio, will join leader Tenpa Dorjee of Laguna [...]
Former LAM Director Making Waves at Surfing Foundation The Surfing Heritage Foundation has hired Bolton Colburn, former director of Laguna Art Museum, as their new executive director. Colburn, 56, who left his position at Laguna Art Museum in May 2011, plans to work with the foundation’s board and staff to lead development efforts and [...]
Surterre Properties collected about 14,096 pounds of electronic waste at their Jan. 14 eWaste drive. Additionally, approximately 6,500 pounds of confidential documents were shredded on site by ProShred, saving about 60 trees. A free service to the public held quarterly in different areas of Orange County, Surterre’s eWaste drives offer community members a chance to [...]
We’re at a festive gathering on the sun-dappled porch of a harbor-front home on Balboa Island. Guests chat away, enjoying views of passing sailboats. When everyone has arrived, we take our seats around a long table, set for brunch. Most in our group of 20 don’t know each other, but are meeting for the first [...]
Whether a central meeting point for family and friends, people watching or just catching a sunset, the historic lifeguard tower remains one of Laguna’s favorite places and best known landmark. With the tower’s three floors having the combined square footage of a good sized walk-in closet, the tower doubled as the entire lifeguard department’s headquarters for a portion of the ‘70s and ‘80s. The top floor is for supervisor observation during the summer lifeguarding season. The boardwalk level is for first-aid treatment and supplies while the subterranean level stores paddleboards and rescue tubes.
As the current school year began, expectations were high for Laguna Beach High’s defending CIF champion boys water polo team. The girls’ volleyball team had lost some offensive firepower but was still expected to hold its own. And few knew what to expect from a football team that had lost the heart and soul of [...]
Friday, Jan. 27 Sawdust Art Festival Art Classes: 10 a.m. Tidepool bracelet w. Linda Ames; 2 p.m. Silver earrings w. Lorraine Hornby, ceramic birdhouse w. Ora Sterling. www.sawdustartfestival.org/studioartclasses 949-494-3030. Jazz with pianist Giovanni Miradi at Romeo Cucina, 249 Broadway. 949-497-6627 www.romeocucina.com Jazz Monsters Christian Jacob & The Big Band Theory w. Denise [...]
Editor, The short article, “Home buyers to pay for tax cuts” by Richard Cirelli in his column, ”Ask the Expert” is something every taxpayer should know. It is another example of how the shifty politicians fool you into thinking you are getting something with one hand, while at the same time robbing you with the other. [...]
Editor, The 24th year of global warming hysteria was inaugurated appropriately enough by Tom Osborne with his annual “warm mongering” statement in last week’s Indy. Say, Tom, don’t you think you would have more success in warning us about climate change if it actually felt warmer? Richard Moore, Laguna Beach
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Monday, Jan. 16 Found property. 9:08 a.m. A backpack was found in a lot in the 300 block of Broadway. Vandalism. 9:38 a.m. 300 block of Forest Ave. Window broken at A Step Back in Time creating large hole; rock found inside. No merchandise was found missing. Disturbance. 11:26 a.m. Park Avenue and [...]
