By

Aug. 5, 1921 – May 17, 2018 By Christy Cones, Special to the Independent Bruce Hopping (a.k.a. “Brucey”, “Mr. B”, et al.) passed away peacefully just after midnight on Thursday, May 17. He is survived by his nephew and niece, Rick and Melissa Hopping, of New Jersey. Hopping was a...

Being Spiritual Over a century ago, in Los Angeles, a little-known Black evangelist named William J. Seymour started a revival on Azusa Street. The setting was humble, but he was a spirit-filled preacher and in his sermons, began to speak in unknown tongues. Others joined in and...

Dr. Donald Joseph Bédard died Wednesday, May 9, 2018, at his home in Seal Beach, Calif. He was 91 years old. Don was born on July 24, 1926, in Argyle, Minn., the first born of five children to Joseph and Grace Riopelle Bédard. The family moved to Red Lake Falls, Minn., in 1936...

Penny Susan Steris, known to many as “Coach Penny,” passed away on May 5, 2018, at the age of 67 years. A California native, she lived in South Laguna for 50 years and had a positive impact on the community. As an avid seamstress during the ‘70s and ‘80s, she made...

Carbnb My wife has a favorite story she tells…  “Hey Debbie, there’s a homeless guy living in your car,” her friend announced while bringing in a case of beer.  It was early in the day to begin drinking, but then again it was college, a time of boundless highs and no regrets...

Read the Personals EXPIRED FROZEN PIZZAS for sale.  Okay, I’ve got a dozen frozen pizzas dated April 30, 2018; nobody in my family will eat them and I hate to throw them away.  They are still edible; buy the dozen for 50% off.  What a bargain! Don’t let one more day go by. ...

Editor, Local issues like traffic, crowded beaches and parties at summer rentals often are the focus of resident complaints as summer gets under way. But another issue lurks behind the scenes year-round: resident readiness for emergencies. There’s no question that every single...

Editor, Laguna Beach city staff has just helped raise your insurance rates. City staff, in an effort to convince and scare you to pay for undergrounding utility poles, made a visit last year to argue before the California Public Utilities Commission that all of Laguna is a high...

Editor, Laguna supposedly prides itself on being “progressive” and “forward thinking,” yet the city wants us to invest in old 20thcentury technology by undergrounding utilities. The city has fast and furiously been spending our taxpayer dollars to blitz residents with ads on tv,...

Editor, Laguna Beach is a very beautiful and unique town.  We who are fortunate enough to live here are rightfully very proud.  Part of what sets us apart from the other towns in Orange County, including even the other coveted beach communities, is the open space surrounding our...

Editor, Last week, a letter to the editor (“SchoolPower’s Strategic Options,” May 11) raised questions about SchoolPower’s salaries and expenses. SchoolPower is committed to being transparent with its financial records and keeping overhead costs below industry standards. In fact,...

Editor, Count me among many who admire PTA and Schoolpower leader Tammy Skenderian. Her commentary “Allow Stress-Free Semester Break” (Letters, April 20) invites respectful dialogue on more than the school calendar. With refreshing candor Skenderian discloses past opposition to a...

Editor, In a time when small district congressional elections are making news on the national scene, we here in the 48th district (which encompasses Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach as well as a small part of Laguna Niguel) had better pay attention to...

Editor, It’s interesting that South Laguna, Village Laguna and Ann Christoff would embark on a deal that was never legally consummated. That they should have gone ahead and worked so hard to embellish the lot with plants, little veggie gardens, and have event after event (many to...

Editor, In 1964 a new home development known as Park Avenue Laguna was built by Leslie Homes on Top-of-the-World. The homes were single and two story family homes, some with ocean views and all featured underground utilities, a two-car garage and private driveway.  A...