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| He's in Surf City and he's okay. |
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| John Gilhooley / OCW |
| Did Sandra piss off some more republicans this weekend? |
Martin Wisckol fact-checks the "recall Jeff Miller" campaign. Whatdayaknow, Republicans aren't the most accurate cannibals around.
The Daily Pilot's got a terrible tail (ha!) of coyote violence: "The Gelmans knew their beloved diabetic cat was no more when he failed to return one evening a few weeks ago for his regular injection."
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher gets into a spat with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. He apparently doesn't realize they send out the same press releases for every republican who voted against the stimulus bill.
Hmm, that ended up being more reading originally anticipated. Feel free to skip everything on the list, then.
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| Arnold chills out after his electoral defeat. |
Orange County Register: This just in: No swine flu in OC yet. (Although there is at least one diseased swine.) . . . We've got us a quake swarm, a tropical quake storm. . . . OC Fire Authority defense of $28 million in overtime for firefighters creates a firestorm among 358 Reg online commenters (since Friday). . . . $1.35 million "great starter home" sold in Huntington Beach. . . . HEY, RUMMY! STOP SHOOTING MY HOUSE!! . . . Disneyland is eliminating the position that monitors photos automatically shot of riders descending Splash Mountain. The photo editor would safeguard innocent eyes from publicly displayed pictures of female log riders baring their boobies. So, Flash Mountain in back, ladies! . . . Lansner: OC building supply jobs hit 10-year low.
Los Angeles Times: BREAKING NEWS SHOCKER!!! A yacht-race war breaks out in Newport Beach. . . . Internet daters? You is racist: UCI study. . . . San Diego chip maker Qualcomm will pay Irvine-based Broadcom $891 million over four years to settle a patent dispute. . . . A task force assembled by Bishop of Orange Tod D. Brown is vowing to keep six struggling parochial schools open. . . . Former auto workers regularly meet in Irvine to network, support one another, share job-finding tips. . . . Vinyl albums are making a comeback.
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Orange County Register: County officials have agreed to pay more than $4 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Fernando Ramirez, 24, an undocumented immigrant who was beaten by Orange County jail inmates in 2006. . . . A woman jumped to her death from the Children's Hospital of Orange County parking structure. . . . A state agency claims Maurice Wilson, the chief operating officer at the Costa Mesa addiction treatment center New Directions for Women, harassed patients, berated and belittled staffers and breached other codes of professional conduct. . . . What's wrong with the Angels? . . . Mickadeit: Goodbye, friends.
Los Angeles Times: U.S. District Court Judge Cormac J. Carney in Santa Ana will review FBI records of inquiries into Muslim groups and activists. . . . Visa rules widen the rift between Vietnam and U.S. families. . . . Former Roman Catholic priest Ben Rodriguez, 45, accused another former priest, Gordon Pillon, of molesting him while Rodriguez was a teen and Pillon was associate pastor at Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Habra. . . . USC researchers: More native Californians are staying put and will soon produce the state's first generation of adults whose majority will have been born here. . . . Speaking of USC, Matt Sanchez is soooo hot right now.
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Orange County Register: A hushed county awaits the jury verdict in Steve Rocco's trial for alleged ketchup theft. . . . County officials are talking settlement with ex-Sheriff, current-felon Mike Carona's former right-hand man George Jaramillo. . . . Orange County may be among the first in the state to require ignition locks to stem drunken driving. . . . Try the cockroach floating in the dishwater, it's excellent: Restaurants you can't afford--Charlie Palmer at South Coast Plaza and Pescadou Bistro in Newport Beach--are among the latest to receive county health citations . . . . An Irvine company has developed Subtle Butt, an underwear patch that masks farts. Dispensers full of them should be required at Charlie's Chili.
Los Angeles Times: Remember how way back when Dana Rohrabacher introduced Arnold Schwarzenegger in Huntington Beach, where the-then action star formally announced his candidacy for governor? Wonder what the kneeboarding congressman, who blames all society ills on those damn illegals (or at least the ones he doesn't blame on those damn liberals), thinks of this? Ahnuld says undocumented immigrants are not to blame for the financial crisis. . . . Speaking of Rohrabacher, he's among the members of California's congressional delegation seeking federal earmarks. Wonder what Dana's teabagging partners think of that? . . . Speaking of which, the Department of Homeland Security sees right-wing extremists as a threat due to Obama and increased federal spending. . . . Speaking of increased federal spending, California will receive hundreds of millions in stimulus money for water and earthquake needs.
Orange County Register: An Adventure City security guard shot and killed an Inland Empire man who'd roughed him up around 11 p.m. Tuesday, long after closing time. Ed Gomez, a 14-year employee of the Stanton amusement park, was taken to a hospital and treated for a gash on his head. . . . Roman Catholic priest Michael Nguyen is suing five of his fellow priests, Bishop Tod Brown and the Diocese of Orange for allegedly spreading lies about his competency. That's Nguyen's competency, not Brown's. . . . Thanks to a satellite hook-up, Marine Lance Cpl. Juan Rodriguez watched from Iraq the birth of his daughter Ava Marie in Mission Viejo. . . . A jury awarded $880,000 to Anaheim's Ricardo Ureno, who was 13 in 2002 when he was seriously injured after a garbage truck struck the bike he was riding. . . . Mourners remembered Huntington Beach's Charles "Mask" Lewis Jr. of MMA and TapouT fame.
Los Angeles Times: Thousands are expected to be teabagging today. . . . Speaking of teabagging: Hey, LA Times, welcome to the coverage of Steve Rocco's ketchup-theft trial. Where've you been? . . . Joseph Elias George Ettima--a 26-year-old career criminal who was wanted in January's fatal stabbing of his grandmother Emma Louise Hardwick-Street, 69, whose body and Los Alamitos apartment were then set on fire--was captured in Mexico City. . . . Americans for Safe Access asked a federal appeals panel based in California to stop the U.S. government from spreading lies about the medicinal benefits of marijuana. (Why stop with lies about that?) . . . Gardena-based Z Gallerie, the garish home furnishings retailer with a store at South Coast Plaza, filed for bankruptcy protection, citing slumping sales.
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Los Angeles Times: Santa Ana police are seeking a driver whose car struck and killed a pedestrian. . . . The state's in-home care program is fraud-infected. . . . Governor Schwarzenegger is quietly campaigning for Props 1A through 1F, passage of which is crucial to his legacy. . . . Khmer Rouge survivors face their pasts head on in Long Beach. . . . Elliott: The Ducks are in the playoffs, but how long can they last?
Orange County Register: Fans gathered around a makeshift memorial outside Angel Stadium to honor pitcher Nick Adenhart, who died in a car accident. . . . A woman driving a car with a baby aboard was shot and killed in Santa Ana after leading police on a high-speed chase that began in Buena Park. . . . Another woman was not shot and killed in Rancho Santa Margarita after leading the CHP on a high-speed chase that began in Long Beach. . . . Orange County Transportation Authority spent nearly $96,000 over three years for board members' travel and conference expenses, which included $300-a night hotel rooms in New York City and $975-per-head conference fees in Washington, D.C. . . . Daniel Axtell, 38, Santa Ana, was sentenced to four years in prison for molesting a 14-year-old girl he taught at Talbert Middle School in Huntington Beach.
Los Angeles Times: The Angels unlocked their clubhouse and stadium so Jim Adenhart could mourn his son Nick. . . . The rookie's death reverberates around baseball and the nation. . . . A military jury at Camp Pendleton has aquitted 26-year-old Marine Sgt. Ryan Weemer of all charges in the fatal shooting of an Iraqi prisoner. . . . The settlement of the patient dumping case involving College Hospital, which has facilities in Costa Mesa and Cerritos, highlights the dearth of care for the homeless mentally ill. . . . Six more former executives of valve company Control Components Inc. of Rancho Santa Margarita were charged with conspiring to bribe foreign officials in return for lucrative contracts.
Orange County Register: Anaheim police want to question two men shown in an Angel Stadium surveillance video in the opening day assault death of Brian Powers, 27, of Buena Park. That's right, sports fans, they're even watching you in the cheap seats. . . . A man who was arrested at Disneyland last year was sentenced to 429 years to life in jail. No, it's not Mickey Mouse justice. Police learned wanted felon Anthony Hislar, 27, of Monrovia, was at the theme park, where he was apprehended and later charged on multiple robbery, burglary, carjacking, evading arrest, felony firearm possession, grand theft, unlawful taking of a vehicle, escape by force or violence and resisting arrest counts. . . . Congratulations, California, WE'RE NO. 1! WE'RE NO. 1! (in U.S. jobless claims). . . . Mickadeit: I sold my VW bus. (Note to Frank: readers surely would have much preferred your take on Abu Zar, the Rancho Santa Margarita man with no pants who tried to buy off a witness.)
Los Angeles Times: WTF? Federal bailout recipient Wells Fargo scored record profits in the first quarter. . . . An ACLU lawsuit questions Laguna Beach's benevolent reputation toward the homeless. . . . Victims are identified in the recent Trabuco Canyon crash. . . . California is pursuing Chinese tourists or, more accurately, their dollars. . . . Brooks: In a swan-song column for a great and struggling American newspaper, a call is made for a bail out of journalism. (Is she sure she wants the government strings that would inevitably be attached?)
Orange County Register: The third Disney theme park April Fools prankster comes clean. . . . Two teens are busted in the Old Towne Orange tagging spree. Holiday sales were down 18 percent at South Coast Plaza. . . . Sokol: Military members living under Don't Ask, Don't Tell tell. . . . Mickadeit: My life as a flaming thespian.
Los Angeles Times: Where's your messiah now? Four people were shot at a religious reteat east of Temecula. . . . Diamond Bar drops its objection to plans for an NFL stadium in neighboring City of Industry--for a cool $21 million. . . . Planned Parenthood urges Orange County supervisors to END ABORTION NOW!!! (of the $291,788 health-education funds the county had been sending the nonprofit). . . . Two teens are killed in a Trabuco Canyon crash. Bisheff: No, the longtime Orange County Register sports columnist was not mistakenly put in the wrong IQR news chunklet. Bisheff is now the Times' Angels Unpugged blogger.
Orange County Register: Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement agents, Inglewood police and members of a multi-agency task force surveilling Gerardo Medina Hernandez say they watched him pull packages from two compartments built into the front wheel wells of his 2005 Volkswagen sport utility vehicle and put them into a cooler in his garage in the 1700 block of West Lincoln Avenue, Anaheim. The packs contained 95 lbs. of black tar heroin worth an estimated $10 million, making this the largest seizure in the bureau's history, according to state Attorney General Jerry Brown. Reporter Eugene W. Fields' inclusion of the suspect's immigration status naturally prompts online comments like these from Reg readers: "'Hernandez, 25, a native of Mexico with a green card . . .' enough said"; "still has his gren [sic] card and 3 hots and a cot at our expence [sic]"; "It would be a good investment to have drug sniffing dogs working at the border full time to walk past all cars coming into the U.S." But the best observation comes from SweetPig: "Note to self: Close the garage door BEFORE unloading huge quantities of illegal narcotics." . . . Fountain Valley police say Mary Sharpski, 46, admitted to conspiring with her lover and a butcher to slice up her husband Frank, who was left nearly dead from dozens of cuts, a crushed skull, a severed nose and several of his fingers amputated. Anyone else hungry? . . . The California Supreme Court rules UC Irvine is not at fault for losing a body. . . . More from the crapconomy: former full-time workers now working part-time jumps 50 percent. . . . Saxon: Screw Jeff Miller! The Angels will win it all in '09!
Los Angeles Times:
The daughter of a couple who were killed when their vehicle and a La Habra police car collided Sunday disputes the assertion that the patrol car's lights and siren were on when it entered the intersection. Other than that, nothing worth printing, blogging or shouting out a window has happened in Orange County since 10 p.m. Monday, according to the crack newshounds at California's largest daily newspaper. Wotta bunch of fuckwads. . . . The business desk reports corporate travel is down due to the "AIG effect," a reference to the insurance giant's executives spending $443,000 at the St. Regis Resort in Dana Point in September just days after accepting an $85-billion federal bailout. . . . Blockbuster says its future is bleak. Does that mean I don't have to bring Miss Congeniality back? . . . The Drug Policy Alliance's Grant Smith opines that President Obama missed a golden opportunity to indicate whether the White House might be willing to rethink the nation's disastrous marijuana policy. . . . Dwyre: Angels are the model of efficiency in their opener.
Orange County Register: Local law-enforcement officials, business leaders, lawmakers and educators meet at Chapman University Tuesday to wipe out a scourge on polite Orange County society: "sexting." . . . The first pitch of the Angels' season is thrown tonight, and Jeff Miller columnizes they won't make the playoffs. . . . Downtown Disney's Mouse of Blues kills an April 15 gig by Daath, a self-described anti-religious hardcore metal band out of Atlanta. . . . Jonathan Huynh, 20, of Mission Viejo, is arrested in the strangling death of his 20-year-old girlfriend Kate Sue Yi, a Cal State Long Beach nursing student. . . . Richard O'Neill, the 85-year-old patriarch of the family that owns the Rancho Mission Viejo Co. and the "father of the Democratic Party in Orange County," dies.
Los Angeles Times: Wilbert Dale Garcia, a 49-year-old Orange County sheriff's deputy, is arrested in Murrieta on suspicion of raping and the continued sexual abusing of a 14-year-old child. Garcia, who patrolled the Laguna Niguel area, has been placed on administrative leave. . . . Anaheim officials are debating whether to grant tax breaks to the developer of a high-end hotel near Disneyland. . . . Vietnamese Americans who have been labeled communists in Little Saigon are suing their alleged red-baiting accusers for slander and harassment. . . . With the fifth season of her Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County spinoff premiering tonight, Lauren Conrad is looking beyond her final season on MTV's reality show The Hills. How about looking to The Valley, as in the San Fernando Valley, whose dominant film industry seems best suited for Conrad's, erm, talents. . . . Elliott: the Ducks battle the Sharks and their reputation in 3-2 loss. Anaheim's playoff prospects are now murky. . . .
Orange County Register: The first Orange County Starbucks targeted for closure is (drum roll, please) . . . the one at 24502 Del Prado, Dana Point. . . . Based on the photo that pops up (and out!) when you open this, a flotation device turned out for The Real Housewives of Orange County casting call at South Coast Plaza. . . . Cypress cops Tasered a dude about to take a pool cue to a convicted drug dealer. . . . Sheriff's investigators believe they are zeroing in on whoever is shooting out car windows in Lake Forest, Laguna Hills and Trabuco Canyon. . . . Michell Fugate, 34, of Irvine, is being held in lieu of $250,000 bail at the Huntington Beach city jail in connection with a suspected arson fire at a Clay Avenue apartment. It was unclear at press time how Fugate is tied to the unit. (UPDATE: a commenter below claims Fugate owns the building. Hmmm, the plot thickens!)
Los Angeles Times: With the plug pulled on his Orange County column after more than 18 years, Dana Parsons comes roaring back with a story on a man suffering from anorexia nervosa. Brian Bixler, 39, 5-foot-9 and 82 lbs., looks very much like Christian Bale in that one move. . . . Travelscape's Tim Poster lists his $6.9 million Laguna Beach home. . . . Former Rancho Santa Margarita resident Craig Stevens, 49, who is currently serving a sentence for embezzling $147,000 from his Costa Mesa employer, is arraigned today on bigamy charges.. . . . Use the Metrolink out of Orange? The commuter rail service may raise fares up to 5.5 percent this year. . . . In the highly unanticipated Battle for LA, the flipping Dogs beat our Halos, 6-2. The most amazing feat was witnessing a veteran in the twilight of his career but still at the top of his game. A red cap off to you, Vin Scully.
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When Park faked his own death in a diving accident off Laguna Beach last September to avoid sentencing in Orange County for theft, forgery, burglary, as well as a drug warrant out of LA County, I did nothing.
But when Park got popped this week in Las Vegas for cheating while gambling at the MGM Grand, well, that warrants this bold action, my friends:
John Park, you've gone way, waaaaay over the line this time, mister.
When he is extradited to Orange County within the next few weeks, Park will be answering to additional charges of faking an emergency and gambling fraud, say the authorities.He should also get at least another year for that haircut.
Orange County Register: Remember that recent lawsuit brought by the Newport Beach cop who claimed to have been passed over for promotions amid rumors and derogatory comments he was gay? Moxley has been blogging all about it. Anyhoo, Buena Park police officer Pedro Montez has filed a suit alleging the same thing--with a Latin twist! CALIENTE! . . . But who'll save the wee mountain lions? Scientists who track cougars (the non-Desperate Housewives kind) say they are apparently becoming more isolated in the Santa Ana Mountains as wild lands disappear--and by "they," I mean the mountain lions, not the scientists. Or desperate housewives. Although . . . Green OC reports on how Backyard B Keepers rescues unwanted bees. Now I wonder where Pat Brennan read that first? . . . The 57 freeway extension lives! (On paper, anyway.) . . . The Walt Disney Family Museum opens this fall . . . in San Francisco? A spokesketeer explains the family had considered other areas, like the greater Los Angeles area where the Disneyland founder met his greatest success, but after his death the brood moved to the Bay Area and took his childhood drawings, movie storyboards and Snow White Oscar with them. So suck it, Anaheim!
Los Angeles Times: Has the Times just stopped trying in Orange County? Here are the only new "scoops" on O.C. Watch since yesterday: Salespeople along "Harbor Boulevard of Cars" in Costa Mesa are bored, and buyers don't like paying higher sales taxes on Duffy electric boats. I've written it before, but feel compelled to re-state this with great emphasis: Sigh. . . . Just beyond our borders: Camp Pendleton Marine Sgt. Ryan Weemer, who is charged with murdering an Iraqi prisoner, says he is tormented by the shooting. . . . Port of Long Beach's $750 million proposed expansion moves closer to passage with release of a final environmental impact report today. . . . JetBlue may cease Long Beach operations. The monicle-wearing fats cats who run the airline apparently don't like trailers for passenger terminals.
Orange County Register: Not only did your sales tax rise today, but the federal tobacco tax more than doubled. . . . Orange County health clinics for low-income residents will receive federal stimulus dollars. . . . Former Garden Grove police chief Frank Kessler, 76, pleaded guilty to one count of embezzling funds as a Canyon Lake city councilman. After 18 years of service to Garden Grove, where he also served as a mayor and councilman, Kessler retired in 1994 and moved with his wife to the Riverside County community. . . . Jeff Twaddle, a 54-year-old deckhand, decided to play a trick on schoolchildren aboard a charter boat by placing a piece of bait in his mouth. But the Huntington Beach resident choked, lost consciousness and later died. . . . Norman: The sale of Orange County businesses rebounded in March.
Los Angeles Times: Because of a local sales tax enacted last year, the state increase that kicked in today and a county hike coming in July, Pico Rivera will have the top sales tax in the state at 10.75 percent. Guess that means no more trips to the Dal Rae. . . . Bucking the conventional notion that shitty economy = more crime, local agencies report crime is down throughout Southern California, including Orange County. When it comes to LAPD, UC Irvine professor George Tita says, "Smart, effective policing seems to be keeping a lid" on crime. . . . A serial bank robber dubbed the "Chimney Sweep Bandit" is cleaning up in Orange County, warn the feds. . . . A federal study finds high-levels of flame-retardant chemicals in waters all over the country, including Long Beach's. . . . Uh, oh: Angels starter "Millionaire" Joe Saunders may be experiencing "dead arm."
Orange County Register: The Catch restaurant and sports bar that had been in the shadow of Angel Stadium for 32 years before closing in February 2008 will reopen even closer to the Big A. . . . While noting highway deaths dropped nearly 10 percent locally and nationwide, the Reg unveils a map showing Orange County's deadliest spots on highway and surface-streets. . . . An ex-El Modena High School band student tried to blackmail a band teacher with sex allegations, charges the DA. Silly Miguel Lopez: everyone knows bandos don't get any. . . . The headline tells it all: "Man Hurt When He Jumps From Stolen Van." Would he have not have been injured if the van belonged to him? Tell me now! . . . Norman: OC business pessimism triples.
Los Angeles Times: U.S. home prices fall a record 19 percent. . . . Shane Pennington, a 19-year-old from North Carolina who had been living and working in OC, is found stabbed to death on a Tijuana beach. . . . Kaiser Permanente fired 15 hospital employees who snooped into Octo-Mom's medical records. . . . Shaikin: For the first time since 1992, none of the Angels' starting outfielders will be home-grown players, all having been imported from other teams.
Orange County Register: Robbins: The chance of dying in Orange County from a natural disaster is relatively low. This is based on a study Fox News cheerily lables "the death map." . . . Wisckol: A 59-year-old Aliso Viejo woman's description of kissing President Barack Obama on his cheek at the March 18 Costa Mesa town hall drew a firestorm of criticism on the Reg Buzz blog. . . . Lansner: The gap between rents and monthly mortgage payments is narrowing. Maybe a glimmer of hope for a housing rebound, maybe not. Greenhut: Government "solutions" will only kill the newspaper business. Orange County Register editorial: Irvine Councilman and Great Park board chairman Larry Agran's words prove the Register was correct to label the project "the Great Pork."
Los Angeles Times: Photographer Allen J. Schaben shoots the weekend Persian New Year celebration in Irvine. . . . A judge issued a gang injunction Friday against suspected members of Orange's Varrio Cypress gang. . . . Four OC men were charged in the gang rape of a 13-year-old girl. Near as we can tell, none of the suspects is the son of a high-ranking Sheriff's Department official. . . . Devon Eileen Abbott, 33, is sentenced to a year of house arrest for planting drugs and a gun in the trunk of the car belonging to her estranged husband, a popular Sunny Hills High School history teacher. . . . The mother of a child diagnosed with ADHD warns parents to be skeptical of a drug company's Facebook page on the disorder.
Orange County Register: It's not the happiest place on Earth today, as Disneyland begins laying off back-office employees and telling employees of a Paradise Pier Hotel restaurant it will close. . . . Motivational speaker Gary Shawkey was booked into Orange County Jail on murder charges after spinning wild tales about criss-crossing the country in search of his business partner, who is believed to be the victim. . . . Firefighters battling a blaze at a Santa Ana commercial storage building discovered an indoor pot farm. Firemen immediately removing their hazmat masks to take in the smoke was not reported. . . . California Coastal Communities, the builder of the controversial Brightwater development on the Bolsa Chica mesa, lost $44.7 million last year. . . . Police believe the woman found floating in Huntington Harbour died of an accident.
Los Angeles Times: Let cash registers ring! This is the last weekend to buy something in California before the sales tax increases. . . . Tolls for the 91 Freeway Express Lanes will drop 50 cents during seven time slots throughout the day as the Orange County Transportation Authority tries to attract commuters. . . . Cal State Fullerton reached a deal with Lennar Corp. to continue leasing classroom space in Irvine's future Great Park. . . Consumers trying to stage a protest over alleged loan-modification scams at Centre Legal in Buena Park got stuck in the office building's elevator. . . . A decorative wall constructed around a Huntington Beach "castle" has neighbors pissed. Wait until the see the moat!
Orange County Register: Asked recently about a possible run against U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer when his term ends in 2010, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he'll skip that race and await amendment of the U.S. Constitution--meaning he's eying the presidency. Looking at his latest approval ratings, I guess Arnie does not plan on carrying California. . . . It's obvious Orange County needs more resources to fight wildfires, but fire agencies are instead cutting back due to funding woes. . . . If you're doing the Friday night HB Main Street pub crawl (Perq's, Hurricanes, Sharkeez, the wall against El Don Liquor Store, etc.), beware. . . . Speaking of falling off the pier, a 2-year-old boy (who apparently had not just done the pub crawl) survived a 20-foot dive off the structure--and lived to poop his pants about it! . . . Even if you are older than 2 and did not imbibe at Main Street watering holes, it'll be easier to get swept off the pier tonight thanks to off-season Santa Anas.
Los Angeles Times: Speaking of Huntington Beach-area watering holes, Huntington Harbour hosted a 40ish woman's corpse overnight. Deputies on the scene this morning were trying to determine if she is related to vomit and a pool of blood discovered across the street next to Sunset Beach's Turc's bar. . . . Uh, welcome to the week-old story, LA Times. . . . T.J. Simers: For its annual March meeting, the NFL is roughing it at the St. Regis in Dana Point--to talk about tough economic times. Hey, stop laughing! This is, of course, the same monied resort where AIG officials rang up more than $400,000 one weekend last September after the company received federal bail-out money.
Orange County Register: The alleged boobie bandit turned herself in. Based on the MySpace photo the Reg includes, the woman police say stole an indentity to pay for cosmetic surgery is the one who got ripped off. Hey, Yvonne Pampellone, Melissa Rivers called and she wants her face back. . . . America's shrillest shark, Gloria Allred, says Octo-Mom's children are endangered, and Nadya Suleman only cares about them when the cameras are rolling. . . . Hang zero? A 16-year-old Afghan land-mine victim, who lost both legs and came to Loma Linda for medical care, surfed Seal Beach before heading home. . . . Cypress Police say a con man swindled a 79-year-old Korean War veteran out of $19,000. . . . Dining with cartoon characters is getting more expensive as five Disneyland restaurants have raised prices 13 percent to 20 percent. The way the economy is going, we'll soon be eating those characters. Try The Rat with a frisky pinot, it's scrumptuous!
Los Angeles Times: The big local story of the day? A Mission Viejo jewelry store smash and grab--courtesy of KTLA.com. (The Times, like the Register and our R. Scott Moxley, also has the probation recommendation of six years in prison for ex-Sheriff Mike Carona.) . . . Irvine-based Fisker Automotive has signed up 32 dealers to peddle its $87,900 Karma plug-in hybrids.
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Los Angeles Times: Sigh. No new Orange County local news from the Times today. There is a Navel Gazing category called "Orange County Register Death Watch." Methinks we need one for the Times' OC coverage. Even their O.C. Watch blog--which is actually the category for Orange County stories reported on the Times' L.A. Now blog, has no new posts between March 20 and 10 a.m. today. At this rate, these posts will soon become "It's a Quicker Read." Sigh. . . . On the California page, there is a story on a construction firm being probed for leveling a Long Beach salt marsh. As Sarah Palin will tell you, you can see Orange County from Long Beach.
Orange County Register: Miss me? Great economic news! Pier 1 Imports will only close 80 or so stores, not the 125 anticipated originally. . . . The California Energy Commission is considering a ban on big screen televisions. It's not the pollution network programmers spew that is spurring the proposal but a desire to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions. . . . Who says Santa Ana is not welcoming? Its city jail will soon house more immigrant detainees. . . . Signature gathering has been approved for a state initiative to repeal Prop 8 and make gay marriage legal in the Golden State. . . . Phong Thuc Tran, who was suspected of killing two gas company workers, died in an Orange hospital Saturday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Los Angeles Times: The swallows apparently are not returning to San Juan Capistrano any more. They wear the same colors, have their own lingo and menace eaves: Maybe they fear prosecution under the gang injunction? . . . Holy crap! The Ducks might actually make the playoffs. . . . Dept. of the Very Sad: The Times sent photographer Mark Boster to shoot an explosion at a Rancho Santa Margarita plastic manufacturing plant, but the accompanying words come from an Associated Press story. . . . Dept. of the Very Sad, Parts 2 and 3: For stories on two OC doctors facing disciplinary actions for allegedly botching plastic surgeries and the latest Octo-Mom exploits, the Times leaves its coverage to its Tribune-owned local television partner, KTLA.com.
Orange County Register: South Coast Plaza shoppers are oblivious to President Obama's visit two miles away. If they can still afford South Coast Plaza, they are oblivious to his message, too. . . . Another Kobe Bryant court appearance, another dismissal. This time he was getting out of jury duty. Whew! No need to buy the wife a diamond. . . . Aliso Niguel High School security supervisor and part-time basketball coach Thomas Cole pleaded guilty to having sex with a teen girl and is expected to get a year in the pokey. Check out McDreamy's photo, ladies! Looks like hunky comic Jim Norton. . . . Fong Tran, a 36-year-old Westminster man suspected in the slayings of two Southern California Gas Co. employees, shot himself outside an Anaheim police station and is in critical condition with a head wound. . . . Memorial services are set for clothier Charles "Mask" Jewis Jr. at Crystal Cathedral in April. That will mark the first MMA-related event at the glass house since the epic battle between Schullers Sr. and Jr.
Los Angeles Times: Check out the real McDreamy's photo, ladies! And he's available! . . . The U.S. won't prosecute medical pot sales as Attorney General Eric Holder reverses the Bush administration's zero tolerance for get-well cannabis. Why that calls for another--cough-cough--polite golf clap? . . . An11-year-old Mexican girl residing illegally with her mother in Huntington Beach will be allowed to stay in the country during a custody battle. The sound you just heard was Barbara Coe's head exploding. . . . Vo Duong Tran, a 41-year-old former FBI agent from New Orleans, was convicted in federal court on charges related to the botched home-invasion robbery in Fountain Valley. . . . Bobby Shriver, the Santa Monica city councilman, key player in the successful battle to stop the Foothill-South toll road extension over state parkland and brother of California first lady Maria, is thinking of jumping in to the state's 2010 attorney general's race.
