A celebration of Chip Harrell’s life will take place Sunday, Sept. 23, from 3 p.m. until dark in the courtyard area near the Sandpiper. Harrell and his brother, Chuck, owned The Sandpiper Lounge together—known affectionately by locals as the Dirty Bird—since 1969. Harrell passed...

  This year’s city remembrance ceremony marks the fifth anniversary of police officer Jon Coutchie’s End of Watch. Coutchie initially joined the Laguna Beach Police Department in 2009. He died on-duty in a tragic traffic accident on Sept. 21, 2013, when his northbound...

  The next Laguna Canyon Conservancy dinner meeting will be held Monday, Sept. 10 at Seven 7 Seven (formerly Tivoli Too! at the Art-A-Fair) at 777 Laguna Canyon Road. The LCC will present a program about the 25th anniversary of the 1993 Laguna Wildfire. This is a repeat...

The proliferation of online social media platforms has understandably depressed the number of vacation photos submitted to the Independent in recent years. So has a lack of space in the publication. With apologies to the 2017 submissions that have gone unpublished until now....

By Allison Jarrell, Special to the Independent Hundreds of Laguna residents gathered on Brooks Street to celebrate the nation’s independence, honor local servicemen, and commemorate a neighbor who lost his life 10 years ago protecting their freedom. Brooks Street resident and...

The following is a list of winning entries in the 54th edition of the Patriots Day Parade, which took place despite showers and cool temperatures last Saturday, March 4. Grand Marshal’s Trophy: Beach Cities Auto Collision. President’s Trophy: Pageant of the Masters. Band...

On Monday, Aug. 27, Robert Lawerence Gamez passed away at the age of 74.  In his professional life, he had a successful CPA practice in Laguna Beach for 47 years, but his passions were mountain biking, surfing, climbing mountains and woodworking.  Robert was adored by his many...

Peter Godfrey Leibfred, 80, a more than 50-year resident of Laguna Beach, died at his home in Laguna Beach on Aug. 26. His nephews, Dale and Keith Poller, were with him as he peacefully took his last breath on earth. A very special and blessed man, Peter was a long-time member of...

Daniel Day Freeman passed away on Aug. 31, 2018 at the age of 75. Born in Los Angeles in 1942, he was drawn to the ocean in his youth and spent 50 years as a resident of Laguna Beach. He was dearly loved and is survived by his siblings Toni Stuart, Sue Stratton and John Lawrence...

Burning Jackets Work has just begun on the $11.1 million-dollar Village Exit and controversy has already started. There’s the historic sewage sludge digester tank with its 60,000 gallons of toxic waste and 40 cubic yards of toxic sludge. Always good for a stink. Lots of luck to...

A Kinder Laguna Did you notice in the Indy that Councilman Steve Dicterow, concerned about the decline of civility in public affairs, is starting a kindness campaign? Most would agree our society is unusually polarized today. From Washington D.C. to city hall, there’s a dearth of...

One…Two…Three Whenever something bad happens I’ve been told to scream, “May Day, May Day!” So imagine my surprise after reading the Indy’s “City Officials Encourage Participation in National Preparedness Month.” What? Are they now telling me to scream “September Day, September...

How To Escape the Loneliness Trap Penetrate deeply into the secret existence of anyone, even those who seem particularly happy, and their interior landscape will house pockets of emptiness and heart hurts that have left rough scar tissue and abandoned memories from past traumas,...

A Family at Sea     “This is a judgment-free zone, where there are no mistakes. A world to explore incongruous combinations without shame or guilt. Free of criticism from snarkologists, because there are no snarkologists at Sizzler.” -Anthony Bourdain, Parts Unknown This summer I...

Read the Personals ELECTRIC SCOOTER Eco-friendly, nearly brand new – Must sacrifice because I almost got run over by street traffic. Price was $1,700 plus. Please take this thing away – it’s yours for a mere $200. Beautiful blue and white stunner.  #RoughScoot   BUSY...