OC Underground: Latest News In OC

Latest News In OC

Warm weather giving way to cold front
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Swimsuit weather on Thanksgiving is giving way today to a cold storm system that could bring temperatures more than 20 degrees cooler in many parts of the Southland, as well as rain or snow in the region's mountains by Saturday. Northeast winds are...

Officer involved in collision; 2 hurt
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GARDEN GROVE – A police officer was involved in a traffic accident that left him and the other driver with minor injuries, police said. The accident took place at the intersection of Galway Street and Garden Grove Boulevard around 8:30 p.m....

Calif. third in U.S. in Oct. job growth
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Lost among the dreary unemployment statistics was the fact that California saw jobs grow between September and October. It was the first monthly job growth since April 2008, according to state Employment Development Department data.

Irvine to discuss Great Park accounting in January
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IRVINE – Councilwoman Christina Shea has asked city staff to prepare for an in-depth discussion of the private Design Studio spending and invoice delays to be included in budget updates scheduled for January. Finance commissioners last week...

O.C. hotels trim discounts
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The lodging experts at PKF report that Orange County hotels in September saw room rates -11% in a year (that’s $16.74 a night.)

Hate cable price hikes? Time Warner wants your vote
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Interesting new marketing campaign Time Warner Cable just launched: Roll over or Get Tough. Every year, it seems, the cable provider hikes up TV rates. This time, Time Warner is putting customers on alert saying that it’s the TV networks gouging...

SUV rolls, camping trailer flips closing all lanes
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RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA - A green Ford Explorer pulling a long camping trailer rolled and landed upright on the northbound 241 toll road at Los Alisos Boulevard causing the trailer to overturn and blocking all lanes, according to the California...

New San Clemente shop is all about moms
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In 1990 Mark Arimura lost his mother to ovarian cancer. In 1994, Mia Arimura lost her mother to colon cancer. Today in San Clemente, the Arimuras and their four daughters have just opened Possibilities Boutique, dedicated to the two moms and to a...

Moving ahead and putting kids' murder behind
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LAGUNA HILLS Wendy Vernon was ready to present her first Thanksgiving meal in six years. "We need the table set!" she said as she peeled the foil off a ham baked with pineapple, orange marmalade, brown sugar and cloves – "Wendy's Special." The...

Gifts for your 'finicky' outdoor nut
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If the person you are buying a gift for is an outdoor "nut" like me, chances are you've been frustrated in the past by buying gifts that get returned. It's not that outdoor folk are finicky. It's just that we're exacting, meticulous and demanding....

With new park, Tustin offers lemon aid
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The city's last stand of the trees is being incorporated into Citrus Ranch Park, preserving a part of Orange County's history.

When handed lemons, people are usually admonished to make lemonade.

Fire near Anaheim Hills nearly contained
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Full containment is expected today but firefighters will continue to beef up units over the Thanksgiving weekend to prevent flare-ups during the predicted warm weather.

Firefighters nearly encircled a wildfire near Anaheim Hills on Wednesday night, but will still beef up units during the Thanksgiving weekend because of the warm weather forecast.

White supremacist gets death penalty for murder of fellow gang member
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Billy Joe Johnson, 46, was convicted last month of assisting two other men in the March 2002 murder of Scott Miller, a founding member of the gang who had divulged gang secrets on a TV broadcast.

A white supremacist gang member in Orange County was sentenced to death Monday for his involvement in the murder of a fellow gang member who had divulged gang secrets on television, authorities said.

Donald E. Smallwood dies at 81; retired Orange County Superior Court presiding judge
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Smallwood oversaw the courts in 1992 and '93. He was honored for his initiatives to help battered women. He also served on the Newport-Mesa school board in the 1970s.

Donald E. Smallwood, a retired Orange County Superior Court presiding judge, died Nov. 12 at City of Hope in Duarte from complications after cancer surgery, said his son, Mark. He was 81.

Low turnout in Orange County Assembly race rekindles debate on mail-only voting
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Just 4% of registered voters in the 72nd District went to precincts to fill Mike Duvall's old seat. Another 14% sent in ballots.

Dismal turnout at the polls in Tuesday's special election to fill Mike Duvall's former Assembly seat is adding to the debate over wider use of mail-only elections.

Laguna Beach: Purple Queen beans, Pink Lady apples, satsuma mandarins
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At hand are late apples (worth the wait) and early mandarins (getting sweeter by the week). And check out these colorful beans.

The Laguna Beach farmers market, held in a city parking lot below a huge bluff, has remained a stable, successful venue for the past decade. It features about 20 produce vendors, including three Orange County vegetable growers, Smith Farms and two branches of the Berumen family.

Chris Norby is first but faces runoff in 72nd Assembly District
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The Orange County supervisor jumped to an early lead but fell short of the majority vote needed to win Mike Duvall's old seat.

After a whirlwind, blistering race to replace a disgraced former state legislator, Orange County Supervisor Chris Norby came in first among five candidates Tuesday but fell short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff.

Wildfire east of San Juan Capistrano nearly contained
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Crews are aided by cooler temperatures and higher humidity. Full containment of the blaze, which has burned about 145 acres of heavy brush, is expected today, officials say.

Fire crews nearly encircled a wildfire burning east of San Juan Capistrano on Tuesday afternoon as temperatures began to cool slightly throughout Southern California.

Counties diverge on plan to widen the 405 Freeway
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Officials in L.A. County prefer to have focus transit dollars on rail projects. In Orange County, freeway and surface street improvements get top priority.

Orange County's plan to widen a traffic-clogged stretch of the 405 Freeway is facing unexpected opposition from some residents along the route and has generated new debate over the divergent transportation priorities of L.A. and Orange counties.

Bank of America seeks to foreclose on Maguire property in Irvine
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The 16-story tower is among the first of what may be a wave of defaults, write-downs and workouts as the office market bottoms.

Maguire Properties Inc., one of the region's largest commercial landlords, has been hit with a legal complaint by Bank of America Corp. seeking to foreclose on one of Maguire's prime Irvine office buildings.

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