After more than two decades of serving up burgers and shakes in downtown Laguna Beach, Johnny Rockets will close its doors for good on Sunday, Aug. 19.

 

One-Step Authenticity The word of the week is “authentic,” the flip side of hypocritical. Two weeks ago, I wrote that Mark Twain’s writing reflected his search for truth and authenticity. Twain, though wary of religion, had a spiritual perspective and enjoyed long friendships...

Historic Holdup 2.0 Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s historic. Using age as a prime criterion to include a property on the inventory of historic resources casts too broad a net, and often impacts the rights of property owners for no...

The city of Laguna Beach will host a free public lecture at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 30, to present proposals for an estuary restoration project at Aliso Creek and its implications for the future. The lecture will be held in the community room...

Tempest in a Teapot  I held my breath while reading the Indy’s “Coastal Commission Hits Laguna Beach Couple with $1M Fine for Illegal Home Construction.” I let out my breath when I realized it wasn’t my wife and me. “See honey, those macramé...

Read the Personals MY BIG FAT OVAL TRAMPOLINE for sale.  My kids nagged me to buy it for years.  Nobody uses it anymore.  $300 OBO. Above ground pool is also for sale – only $600.  Let’s make a deal for both – good price/bargain. ...

Rolf Julius Engen-  Aug. 5, 1929- July 31, 2018 Rolf Engen passed away peacefully at his home in Laguna Beach, surrounded by his loving family. He was five days short of his 89th birthday. Rolf was raised in Santa Ana, California, and was a...

Breakers opened their 47th season under CIF sponsorship this past Tuesday with a 25-13, 25-12, 25-16 sweep of former league rival Calvary Chapel at the Eagles gym. Breakers were never threatened and recorded 16 services aces. Ella Tyus recorded...

The squad hosts Rancho Mirage on Aug. 17 and 18 in a scrimmage, with non-league play starting on Sept. 4.

By Aaron Garcia, Special to the Independent During the last week of July, Laguna Beach lifeguard John Taschner was on-duty and making rescues at Wood’s Cove. The first weekend of August, Taschner traveled to Hawaii to compete in the Paddleboard World Championship against national champions from...

Laguna Beach native Michael Lewis came out on top in his Bryan Herta Autosport No. 98 Hyundai i30 N TCR race car this past weekend at Utah Motorsports Campus during the Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix of Utah. Lewis set the fastest time during the qualifying round on Aug. 11, which placed...

Dear Editor, With scorching heat and raging wildfires in the west and torrential downpours and massive flooding in the east, global warming is not just about a gentle sea rise any more. These...

Editor: Here’s one more reason to oppose the city’s proposed 12.9 percent sales tax increase in November. Look at the City Council’s approval last week of the $11.1 million Village Entrance, at...

Editor: Many of you probably received the newsletter from Congressman Dana Rohrabacher in the mail in the last week or so. I was completely flabbergasted when I saw a section highlighting Dana’s...

Editor: I would like to report that the recently finished Agate Street stairs already has a broken railing. One of the most important pieces of railing—the last piece to the ocean where you can...

Dear Editor, This is a commentary from a 56-year Laguna resident about the city’s plan to spend taxpayer money on the beautification of the current roundabout located at the Catalina/Los...

Editor: David Raber’s July 13 letter to the editor, “Alternatives to Reduce a Canyon Bottleneck” presents a brilliant idea: get Caltrans to de-commission the entire El Toro Road/133 intersection...