Category: Orange County

Irvine Parent Group Hosts Forum for 2 School Board Candidates

Candidates for the Irvine Unified School District Board of Education discussed mandates, sex education, and parents’ rights during a virtual candidate forum hosted by Irvine Parents Unified, a grassroots parents group, on Sept. 8. Debra Kamm and Marlene Bronson, both Irvine Unified parents running for Trustee Area 2—which covers the south side of Woodbridge, Westpark,…


Bicyclist Killed by Hit-and-Run Driver in Newport Beach

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—A man riding a bicycle was killed in Newport Beach by a driver who fled the scene but was arrested later on, authorities said Sept. 12. The crash occurred at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, on Jamboree Road at Bay View Way, according to Newport Beach police Lt. Michael Schiavi. The bicyclist…


Teen Shot to Death Outside Garden Grove Party

GARDEN GROVE, Calif.—A teenage boy was shot to death outside a large house party in Garden Grove, authorities said Sept. 11. His name was not yet released by the police, but a GoFundMe page identified him as the 17-year-old Julian Martinez, who was said to be “killed in an act of gun violence by vicious…


Oil Company Pleads Guilty to Misdemeanor Negligence in 2021 Southern California Spill

SANTA ANA—The company behind last year’s oil spill off the coast of Southern California pleaded guilty Sept. 8 to negligently discharging about 25,000 gallons of crude when its underwater pipeline ruptured, causing a temporary closure of beaches and fisheries. In a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, Amplify Energy and two of its subsidiaries—Beta Operating Co. and…


OC Power Authority Challenges Call for External Audit, Objects to Grand Jury Report

Members of the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) disagreed Sept. 6 with a recent grand jury report titled “Orange County Power Authority: Come Clean” and responded to a county request for a third-party financial audit. Findings from the grand jury’s June 24 report suggested the power authority lacked transparency, failed to hire qualified staff resulting…


China-Linked Activist Is Funding Group That Targets Local Arts School

DEERPARK, N.Y.—Grace Woodard, a resident of Mount Hope, New York, is using her unregistered environmental group—which receives funding from a group headed by an individual with deep ties to China—to target the development of a local performing arts school founded by Chinese dissidents who fled religious persecution in China. Woodard’s group, Deerpark Rural Alliance, isn’t…


Orange County Halts Pistol Permit Processing After New Gun Laws Take Effect

As new gun laws took effect in New York on Sept. 1, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office put all pistol permit applications on hold pending rules for implementation. The new laws require a review of new concealed carry permit applicants’ social media accounts for the past three years, yet guidelines for the review are still…


More Than 4,000 Homes Affected by Power Outage in Laguna Beach

As temperatures in Laguna Beach, California, reached 91 degrees on Labor Day, Sept. 5, residents reported power outages affecting thousands of homes in the city during the peak heat of the day. Just the day before, the temperature soared to 106 degrees by 11 a.m. The power outage was initially reported on Monday, Sept. 5,…


More Than 4,000 Homes Affected on Labor Day by Power Outage in Laguna Beach

As temperatures in Laguna Beach, California, reached 91 degrees on Labor Day, Sept. 5, residents reported power outages affecting thousands of homes in the city during the peak heat of the day. Just the day before, the temperature soared to 106 degrees by 11 a.m. The power outage was initially reported on Monday, Sept. 5,…


Orange County Boy Hit by Truck Taken Off Life Support

COTO DE CAZA, Calif.—An 8-year-old boy seriously injured when he was struck by a pickup truck while riding his bicycle in a private Orange County community has been taken off life support, his parents announced. Bradley Rofer was passing the crosswalk at Coto de Caza Drive at about 7:25 a.m. on Sept. 1 when he…