Text and photos by Marilynn Young Rubber dish gloves, old tennis balls, even the all-knowing Master Yoda found useful purpose as students at Thurston Middle School used their imaginations to gather recycled items from around the house to build a 3D construction of the human body. Students wheeled their creations into science class in recent [...]
To help raise public awareness of crosswalk safety, Laguna Beach police tested the awareness of drivers along Coast Highway on Wednesday; motor officers wait while a third police officer in a high visibility safety vest crosses. Several motorists were cited for failing to stop. Laguna ranks fourth among 98 similar sized towns for its collision [...]
Even after a heart-rending plea from a mother whose son was killed when his motorcycle was hit by an exiting Emerald Bay resident, the City Council on Tuesday unanimously rejected a proposed traffic signal at the gated community’s main entry. Against a backdrop of emotional pleas, venomous emails and threats of a political backlash, the [...]
“I’m bleeding, I’m bleeding,” yells a disaster victim sprawled on a staircase. Two people respond to the cries and evaluate the extent of the teen’s injuries, perform a bit of first aid, but leave the victim behind to ascend the next floor where more casualties await. The rescuers encounter a survivor apparently in shock, pacing [...]
The Southern Section’s CIF swimming and diving championships got underway at Riverside Community College Thursday afternoon with a come-from-behind victory for the Laguna boys in the 200 medley relay. Four hours later in the cool evening air, they capped their best overall post-season performance with a runner up finish behind Alhambra’s Mark Keppel High 311 [...]
Al fresco summer performances of Shakespeare plays finally arrive in Laguna next month. British-born rocker Jason Feddy and actor John Gardiner, both Laguna locals, will expand on “Shakespeare’s Fool,” the off-beat and wildly successful production of the Bard’s sonnets and plays set to music in Friday evening shows in the Heisler Park amphitheater. In its [...]
Welcome lookie-loos! Tis the season for house and garden tours and here’s one for a good cause. The annual Philharmonic House of Design, now in its 20th year, finally celebrates its debut in Laguna Beach, a to-be-expected month-long luxe open house extravaganza that kicked off last week. Here, the house of 11,333 square feet has [...]
By Christopher Trela Eight hundred volunteers, 450 films, 50 countries, 14 screens and seven days comprise the staggering statistics behind an incredible experience for cinema junkies. They define the Newport Beach Film Festival, which takes place April 26 – May 3 at venues throughout Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. Add another number, in this [...]
The Earth Day celebration organized by Transition Laguna on Park Avenue between Coast Highway and the library drew hundreds of people to its habitats. The eco-village set the example for water reuse, solar, composting and gardening. The eco-exhibition showcased vendors covering relevant topics and the eco-lounge provided old-fashioned live musical entertainment. rday, April 21.
By Ben Bodart, Special to the Independent Rescuers, forced by nightfall to quit efforts to cut lines entangling a whale spotted near Laguna Beach on Tuesday, were unsuccessful in locating the 40-foot gray again by Thursday. The animal was last seen heading west into deeper and potentially more dangerous waters for rescue crews. It [...]
By Monica Petrova, Special to the Independent The city’s annual track and field meet drew a crowd of spectators and young athletes to the high school field last Friday. Participating athletes were born in 1997 or later, ruining my chances of competing. Each competitor was eligible to compete in three events in addition to relays, [...]
Exhibitor Jorg Dubin found himself unceremoniously ejected from Laguna Beach’s Festival of Arts in 1989 for a rules infraction over hosting an overly raucous party honoring his musical idol, Elvis Presley. He was similarly banned from the Sawdust Festival too. In a measure of vindication, on Sunday Dubin’s peers honored him as artist of the [...]
UPDATE By Ben Bodart, Special to the Independent Rescuers accomplished something of a marine miracle offshore Laguna Beach last weekend, but apparently their efforts ultimately were not enough. Members of the town’s Pacific Marine Mammal Center and a special whale disentanglement team from the National Marine Fisheries Services successfully freed a young [...]
By Ben Bodart, Special to the Independent Thanks to Transition Laguna volunteers, the Neighborhood Congregational Church will soon be able to grow the organic vegetables they cook up in soup for those in the homeless shelter during winter. A first step towards a larger overhaul of the church’s landscaping into edible agricultural and [...]
By Ben Bodart, Special to the Independent They did in three weeks what was supposed to be done in six months. After a fire in the storage area of Eva’s Caribbean kitchen closed the south Laguna restaurant late in February, owner Eva Madray returned to her kitchen this week in preparation for reopening, [...]
Police Use Taser to Subdue Assault Suspect
An assault involving three men escalated into a struggle with Laguna Beach police, who ultimately deployed a taser twice to subdue the younger combative suspect in the 300 block of Cozumel around 1:15 a.m. Friday, May 10, police said. Police ultimately arrested Laguna Beach resident Sergio Gabriel Borgognone, 51, for allegedly resisting arrest and his [...]
