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Cassadee Pope, of rock outfit Hey Monday, kicked off the first leg of her solo acoustic tour at Chain Reaction in Anaheim on Friday. This is the first time that Pope has toured without her band which is currently on hiatus. The singer was joined by…

The costly federal crackdown on state-legal medical marijuana collectives is certainly having an impact.
On WeedMaps.com, a popular website that is to marijuana what SigAlert.com is to traffic, the landscape has changed radically.
Where dozens of…

When Chuck DeVore moved to Texas and dropped out of the Board of Supervisors race against Todd Spitzer, I thought we’d lost any chance of a rollicking, no-holds-barred campaign. Several people considered going up against Spitzer, but figured that…

Watergate’s like a hornet’s nest. Poke it, and someone’s going to get stung.
It’s time to put on your protective netting.
On Jan. 27, Chapman University’s Law Review is presenting “The 40th Anniversary of Watergate: A Commemoration of the Rule of…

The odds were that Julia Smit-Lozano wouldn’t be able to break the cycle of homelessness.
Yet she did.
She could have drifted in and out of homelessness as her parents had for most of their lives.
But she didn’t.
Instead, today at 32, Smit-Lozano is…

Round 1 in the fight between D.A. Tony Rackauckas and Todd Spitzer over whether crime victims have expanded rights to see police reports goes to T-Rack.
Judge Gerald Johnston earlier this week denied Spitzer’s motion on behalf of a victim to get a…

Highlights include an overzealous soccer dad celebrating a goal, a game-tying goal, a mammoth facial dunk, a water polo score from half the length of the pool, and more!
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For months, the remapping of the county’s coastal Assembly seat, running from Huntington down to Laguna, has been a headache for conservative Republican leaders.
Last week, Huntington Beach Councilman Joe Carchio announced he is running for the new…

Verdict Day in a big trial always fascinates me in two ways: 1) the swiftness with which such a monumental moment passes; and 2) the revelation of the unusual alliances that have formed through what is often years of litigation to get to this point….

You would think that the capture of a suspected serial killer would bring some relief to the homeless population that was targeted in a series of murders that began last month.
But it hasn’t.
That’s because when you live on the streets of Orange…

I expect the jury in the Nanette Johnston Packard McNeal trial to come back Monday – Tuesday at the latest – and I expect it to find her guilty in the murder of William McLaughlin.
I don’t think the outcome will turn on the mistake Deputy Public…

Muriel Engelman, lovely and sharp at age 91, looks like the Laguna Woods grandma that she is.
If it weren’t for the photos on album pages tied with string and the dog tags saved in plastic, it would be hard to imagine her at age 22 crossing the ocean…

Latinos seem only to enter the Republican primary dialogue when it comes to illegal immigration, but that will change for at least a few hours Thursday when the Hispanic Leadership Network co-sponsors a GOP debate in Jacksonville, Florida.
The…

It’s 10:30 a.m. at Bear Mountain Resort and already the slopes are alive with swooping skiers, bombing boarders – and some twisting, tumbling bodies.
The tumblers make for a small group among the hundreds of people carving turns. But I’m with the…

As Mick Hill wound up his closing argument by dramatically plunking down a key in front of prosecutor Matt Murphy, I thought I’d witnessed perhaps the best closing by a defense attorney I’d ever seen.
It was poignant, personal, humorous and full of…

After a column on road rage only two weeks ago, I figured I was done with the subject for awhile.
But reader reaction was so amazing, I wanted to share. In a moment, I’ll get to this e-mail: “Your article may have saved my life.”
But this isn’t about…

It is highly unlikely Nanette Johnston will testify in her own murder trial, but jurors on Tuesday were still able to hear her in her own voice deny her participation or knowledge of the murder of William McLaughlin. The prosecution played a tape…

First of Two Parts
Do you have a cold or the flu?
Flu season is upon us in full force and, unfortunately, your chances of being exposed to the miseries are greater than you think.
Three of four (75 percent) of the 1,044 Americans polled by the…

I want to tell you about a therapist who specializes in overcoming fears.
But first let’s get that still uncomfortable word, “therapy,” out of the closet.
While I wait in a Newport Beach therapists’ office for this column, well-heeled clients stride…

Highlights include a player converting three and1′s in a game, a tricky soccer goal, a brutal wrestling pin, dunks, and more!
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SECOND IN A SERIES
IRVINE – I’m not one to recommend that students leave school, but….
There are always exceptions.
And in the case of Emahn Novid, the move to leave Irvine’s Woodbridge High School this fall was based on his brain, his heart and,…

When Nanette Johnston’s third husband, William McNeal, was called to the stand last week by prosecutor Matt Murphy, it appeared the initial purpose of his testimony was limited. About all Murphy asked him about during his first direct examination was…

You can’t always predict who will end up with fame and fortune.
Eddie Guardado didn’t appear especially blessed when he was born in 1970, one of 10 siblings in Stockton where his father had come from Mexico to work the fields.
But Eddie admits, “I…

Climbing the stairs to Gold Rush Tattoo in Costa Mesa and seeing an array of designs for ink on skin – into skin really – is like coming home.
There’s a family vibe to the second-story studio. Many of the artists have known each other for years….

Could the key to Nanette Johnston’s guilt or innocence be, quite literally, a key?
As we know, police found two keys at the front door of William McLaughlin’s home on the night he was shot to death, both left by the shooter. One was in the lock; it…

As evil stalks the homeless, the factions of law enforcement work as a single army.
Three men are dead by the same hand and I’m with the inter-agency task force determined to catch the killer. On this night, it’s a collection of men and women that…

Much of the prosecution’s case against Nanette Johnston is a repeat of the trial we saw last year against her alleged co-conspirator, Eric Naposki, in the murder of Newport Beach millionaire William McLaughlin. But we also are seeing some old…

Highlights include a clutch play to save a league winning streak, a free kick goal, a bomb of a three-pointer and more!
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Video by…

If it seems like we’ve spent decades talking about improving education among Latino students – driving down dropout rates while driving up college graduation rates – it’s because we have.
Back in 1981, when the Orange County chapter of the…

At the end of Za’Zell Preston’s 2 1/2-hour funeral Saturday, church Elder Michael Diggins asked me in an apologetic tone whether the service went too long. “I was afraid you might have been bored,” he said.
“Bored?” I said. “This is the only funeral…

Part III. Previously: Za’Zell Preston, 26, was found dead Christmas morning in the Anaheim apartment she shared with her husband, William Wallace, and her three children, ages 8, 3 and 7 weeks. Wallace, 30, is charged with murder. Wallace had a…

When Michael “Eppy” Epstein sent me the book he wrote with photographer Steve Rosenfield, “Fun & Dangerous,” I couldn’t wait to crack it open.
The 250-page picture book tells the story of the iconic rock ‘n’ roll club My Father’s Place in Roslyn,…

ANAHEIM – The Ducks finally completed a trade Tuesday, though the acquisition of someone from the Toronto Marlies is unlikely to save this season.
Perhaps Luca Caputi one day will have an impact here, but, until then, we’re still stuck with this….

Part II. Yesterday: Za’Zell Preston, 26, was found dead Christmas morning in the Anaheim apartment she shared with her husband, William Wallace, and her three children, ages 8, 3 and 7 weeks. Wallace, 30, is charged with murder. Authorities believe…

On Christmas morning, William Wallace placed his wife, Za’Zell Preston, on the sofa in front of the Christmas tree so she could watch her daughters, ages 8 and 3, open presents. Za’Zell, however, was almost certainly dead at that point, and probably…

WESTMINSTER There was a time in Orange County when folks would come from miles around if someone needed to build a barn.
Times haven’t changed.
Kyle Sweet – yes, that’s his real name – was a sophomore at Westminster High a few years ago when he…

For more than a year, Alice Mazmanian has been happy at Silverado Senior Living in Costa Mesa. At least, Mazmanian, who suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease, seems happy – and that’s what counts to her family.
“She just couldn’t stay at home anymore,”…

What a crazy cool year we had in 2011.
It seemed that every time I chugged up some trail, I ran into someone training for something amazing – Everest, Ironman, 100-mile races – or I met someone enjoying a simple hike.
It wasn’t easy deciding on…

In Genesis 6:16, God tells Noah to make a window in the Ark.
Is that about the Christmas season? Yes. I’ll explain a little later.
In last week’s poll, 53 percent of our readers said that on Christmas they celebrate the birth of Jesus. Verily…

While many of us snuggled in bed stuffed with Christmas dinner, California National Guard Sgt. Chris Luzader worked.
Sure, it was dark, cold and windy along the Chula Vista sector. But he and his fellow Guard had a mission: Protect the U.S. border….

Part II of my look-back-and-catch-up for 2011 has us revisiting some column subjects who got some but not all of what they felt they deserved.
Cigar Guy Cleared. Then: One March day, I got a call from one of my cigar guys, Edgar Uria, who owned a…

For the next few days, we’ll catch up with some of the people I wrote about in 2011. Folks I reconnected with were pleasant, if not gracious, when I called this week, even when they didn’t have a good-news update to share. To each, and to all my…

As the New Year approaches, we dream of possibilities. But what about our actual dreams, the ones that cause us to wonder about the seemingly impossible?
Dan Oldis dreams the seemingly impossible – when he’s awake.
In one way or another, Oldis has…

My expectations for Christmas Day are so corrupted at this point, it’s become a day to endure or, in my best years, to make a game attempt to redefine.
I was as open (some might say subjected) to the spiritual and commercial messages of the day as…

Today is Christmas Day.
What is it that we are actually celebrating today?
People often say that Christmas is a national holiday. Well, not really. There is no such thing as a “national holiday.” Christmas is a federal holiday — a day when the…

The partisan process for selecting a president typically means we get the candidate who can most successfully tack toward the grassroots wing of their party to win the primary, then attract moderate voters in the general election.If you’d like a…

Ilse Byrnes came to San Juan Capistrano in 1959 and fell in love with its architecture and history. Then she spent five decades as a preservation activist trying to make sure visitors and residents would always have the same experience. She’s had her…

On Wednesday afternoon, just hours before the first anniversary of the event that almost killed them, I called Kim Jensen and Kathy Wright.
Jensen sounded groggy. She didn’t want to talk. “It’s been an awful year,” she said. I asked her where she was…

Bea Arthur died in April of 2009, just seven months after we worked together – sort of – in “Splash Back to Beaver High,” one of the final episodes in the wacky “Splash” musical series that for 25 years raised money for the AIDS Services…

It is 10 shopping days until Christmas and in the basement of the Episcopal Church of the Messiah in downtown Santa Ana a dozen women are at long tables hand-stitching felt Christmas ornaments.
The tiny cardinals and finches are called Birds of Hope,…

The showdown between Todd Spitzer and D.A. Tony Rackauckas over crime victim’s access to evidence was postponed Friday, but a new player in an even higher profile case entered the fray, a development sure to shine more light on an issue with legal…

The top 1/100th of the top 1 percent of political donors gave $774 million to federal campaigns in 2010, accounting for 24 percent of all federal political contributions, according to an analysis by the non-partisan watchdog Sunlight Foundation….

The arm of the Legal Aid Society of Orange County that represents poor people facing eviction was going to take a huge hit Jan. 1. Federal funding to Legal Aid is being cut by 15 percent, and in preparation for that, the Santa Ana-based nonprofit…

LAST IN A SERIES
Shiny new tablets, laptops, MP3 players, smart phones, video games – great holiday presents for tech-hungry teenagers.
But cyber cop Quyen Vuong sees something different when he looks at such an array. And it doesn’t appear…

If you want to be inspired by people doing good in the world, attend a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) fundraiser. CASA Orange County’s annual Holiday Luncheon, hosted by the Friends of CASA support group, was held at The Ritz-Carlton,…

Highlights include an amazing catch in the Pac-5 championship, a touchdown record broken, a no-look pass, and a crazy scissors kick goal in soccer.
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When his wife’s cell rang around 4 a.m. Thursday, Ezequiel Lazaro braced for the worst.
A bad hour, Lazaro thought; must be bad news. He imagined a relative had been in a car accident or worse. He never expected it would be about the Lazaro family’s…

There is no hotter issue in Orange County’s outdoors than cyclists on roads.
We argue about who has what rights and whose behavior is more dangerous. Sometimes we do more than argue.
We yell, flip one another off and – most of all – we mourn.
We…

What’s the best way to translate a prayer or a sacred document. What should we look for?
On Nov. 27, the Roman Catholic Church introduced a new English translation of the Catholic Mass. This is the third English version. The church describes the new…

As a holiday helper for UPS, I’m dressed in delivery brown. But I feel more like Will Ferrell in “Elf.”
It’s no surprise that the delivery action is non-stop. I expected to work when I asked to spend an afternoon as one of 500 helpers that UPS hires…

SECOND IN A SERIES
Spend time with cyber cop Quyen Vuong and be prepared to blush.
I’m sitting with the Sheriff’s deputy in his office at Mission Viejo High School, although this could be any place where virtual walls are engineered to keep out…

It appears the legal conflict between Todd Spizter and the office of District Attorney Tony Rackauckas will, indeed, be settled in a courtroom.
I wrote last week of Spitzer’s request for police reports and other evidence in connection with a case in…

What a way to celebrate Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ 25th anniversary! Combine a theme of old-fashioned Hollywood glamour in a transformed concert hall with fabulous cuisine and over-the-top performances by Tony and Emmy Award winner Kristin…

Some claim that the recent focus on the World Trade Center during 9/11′s 10th anniversary means Americans care more about civilian than military lives.
They point to the muted recognition of Pearl Harbor’s 10th anniversary six decades ago.
But on…

Fred Olvera drives his Chevy truck south on I-5, toward Santa Ana, the commuter traffic long gone.
It’s chilly, nearly 9 p.m., and most people are home, settling in for the night. But not Fred.
This is who Fred is — a solid, 65-mph-type-of-guy; the…

I’m heading out to photograph dangerous cycling behavior and fretting.
You know how it goes. You see something all the time. But when you’re really looking for it, it disappears.
It seems that nearly every time I go out, I see cyclists testing their…

Ride shotgun with a cyber cop as he patrols the digital world and you’ll stop chuckling over how teenagers know more about computers than most adults.
Consider that experts estimate 20 percent of teenagers have, um, compromising photos of classmates…

Turned down by the California Supreme Court in an effort to have new congressional districts thrown out, a group of Republicans has filed a federal suit arguing that those districts violate the Voting Rights Act. It’s an unusual instance of GOP…

Highlights include championship celebrations in girls volleyball and boys water polo, an upset in football, and epic touchdown runs.
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I always look forward to the Camino Health Center Auxiliary’s annual Luncheon and Fashion Show – its 27th this year – as it is always a fun affair with some very dedicated women at the reins passionate about raising funds for the Camino Health…