Email Author MICHELLE WOO

2011 Stories by MICHELLE WOO

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  FEATURED STORY

  FTC Goes After OC Spammer Who Sent 5 Million Texts in 40 Days

  published Feb 25, 2011

  Philip A. Flora of Huntington Beach is accused of blasting more than 5 million spam text messages in 40 days, pissing off throngs of cell-phone users who were charged fees to retrieve them.  The ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  OC Lifespan Report: San Juan Capistrano Residents Expected to Live Longest, Buena Park Residents to Die Earliest

  published Feb 23, 2011

  Forget the palm readers. If you really want to predict how long you'll live, check your ZIP code. The latest lifespan report from the Orange County Health Care Agency shows that county residents born ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Carl's Jr. Spicy Chicken Sandwich With Jalapenos: My Go-to Crap Comfort Food

  published Feb 23, 2011

  Whenever I'm stressed (I'm a journalist, so that's now), I turn to junk food, and most often, it's the 99-cent Spicy Chicken Sandwich from Carl's Jr. I always ask for jalapenos, and they add them for ... More >>

• Brown University to Stop Investing in HEI Hotels, Owner of Hilton Long Beach and Operator of Embassy Suites Irvine

  published Feb 22, 2011

  Brown University will stop investing in HEI Hotels & Resorts, a hotel-investment company that has been accused of violating workers' rights. Two properties involved in the labor battle include the... More >>

• [UPDATED: Poll May Be Fake] OC Poll Names Britney Spears the 'Greatest Gay Icon of All Time'

  published Feb 21, 2011

  UPDATE, FEB. 21, 2:39 P.M.: We've been alerted that this could all be a hoax. South Florida Gay News (SFGN) reports that the poll--shared last week by The Washington Post, Toronto Sun, celebrity news ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  School-Skipping Kids in Anaheim Get Tracked With GPS Devices

  published Feb 18, 2011

  At the movies instead of pre-algebrar  They're watching you. The Anaheim Union High School District has decided to track habitual school-skippers Big Brother-style by giving them handheld GPS dev... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Hong Kong Launches its First Nude Cooking Show, Naked Chef (NSFW Video)

  published Feb 17, 2011

  Perhaps taking a cue from Ron Jeremy's food porno, a new cooking show will feature its chef in the buff.     It's not Paula Deen. Phew!Flora Cheung, a model with no formal culinary... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Baja Sharkeez, Leader of DUI Arrests, Gets Entertainment Curfew From Huntington Beach Police

  published Feb 16, 2011

  Because a whopping 72 of its patrons were arrested for drunk-driving in a 22-month period, Baja Sharkeez in Huntington Beach will soon have to stop its entertainment at 11 p.m. nightly.Meaning no deej... More >>

• Tonight's Glee to Feature 10-Year-Old Son of Housewife Beau Slade Smiley

  published Feb 15, 2011

  Tonight's episode of Glee will feature patients of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, including 10-year-old cutie Grayson Arroyo-Smiley.   He's the son of Slade Smiley, boyfriend of Real Housewives... More >>

• Residents Petition to Recall Hacienda School Board Members for Supporting a Language Program Funded by the Chinese Government

  published Feb 15, 2011

  See the update here.Four members of the Hacienda La Puente Unified School Board have been targeted in a recall effort.  The basis for the recallr They support a middle-school Chinese-language-and... More >>

• Five Heart-Shaped Foods for Valentine's Day

  published Feb 14, 2011

  So you forgot to make reservations, you neglected to buy a gift, and the flower shop has been picked bare. Don't worry. There's still one last-minute way to salvage Valentine's Day. Heart-shaped food.... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Anaheim Residents Blast Disney Apparel Depicting Mickey and Goofy as Taggers

  published Feb 11, 2011

  Goofy and Mickey found a new hobby. Tagging. And Anaheim leaders and residents were pissed about it. They complained to Disney officials about merchandise being sold at theme-park shops that depicted ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Former Laguna Beach Star Opens Casey's Cupcakes in Laguna Beach, Competes on Food Network's Cupcake Wars

  published Feb 11, 2011

  About a year after unveiling the Barbie-doll-esque Casey's Cupcakes at Mission Inn in Riverside, Casey Reinhardt is opening a second outpost of the confection boutique in Laguna Beach on Valentine's D... More >>

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  [UPDATED WITH SENTENCING] 80-year-old Long Beach Jewel Thief Strikes Again--And Gets a Movie About Her Life Starring Halle Berry

  published Feb 10, 2011

  UPDATE, FEB. 10, 11:30 A.M.: The jewel thief has been sentenced to the maximum of five years in prison. Doris Payne told NBC San Diego that she suffers from a serious lung disease and hopes the j... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Capistrano Unified School District Has a Problem With 'Boobies'

  published Feb 10, 2011

  Busted is what kids may be if they're caught wearing an "I Love Boobies!" rubber wristband on some school campuses in OC.  The accessory, which raises funds for the Carlsbad-based nonprofit Keep ... More >>

• Vigil Tomorrow for Jacque Villagomez, 19-Year-Old Slain By Her Boyfriend, and Other Victims of Teen-Dating Violence

  published Feb 10, 2011

  Laura's House, a domestic-violence agency based in Ladera Ranch, will hold a candlelight vigil on Friday for Jacque Villagomez, a 19-year-old aspiring model who was killed by her boyfriend two-and-a-h... More >>

• Roasted Catfish at #1 Restaurant in Westminster

  published Feb 09, 2011

  One Vietnamese dish that incites more whoas than a Thanksgiving turkey is ca nuong, roasted catfish. And one place that gets it right is #1 Restaurant in Westminster. (Yes, let it be kn... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Mini Darth Vader in Super Bowl Commercial Is From OC

  published Feb 07, 2011

  The Force is from OC.  The kid under the Darth Vader helmet in one of this year's most talked-about Super Bowl commercials is 6-year-old actor Max Page of San Clemente. He's b... More >>

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  [UPDATED] Chick-fil-A Isn't the Only Food Company With Anti-Gay Claims. Here Are Five More!

  published Feb 07, 2011

  UPDATED, FEB. 7, 11:02 A.M.: We heard from a representative of Brown-Forman, who confirmed that the company does offer same-sex domestic-partner coverage and has long-supported the LGBT comm... More >>

• Starbucks' Trenta in Real Life

  published Feb 07, 2011

  The verdict: It's big. (But it still fits in a cup holder. Win.) ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Long Beach Says Goodbye to Annual Celebrity-Studded Women's Conference

  published Feb 04, 2011

  The annual, superstar-studded women's conference that brought speakers such as Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Diane Sawyer, Sandra Day O'Connor, Sarah McLachlan and Suze Orman to Long Beach, alon... More >>

• Panda Express Offering Free Food (Today Only!) to Celebrate Chinese New Year

  published Feb 03, 2011

  If you decide to celebrate Chinese New Year by dining at Panda Express, the ancestors might scorn you from the grave, but just tell them, "It's free!" and they'll likely smile in approval.Today only,... More >>

• Real Housewives to Appear at a Plastic-Surgery Workshop This Saturday in Newport Beach

  published Feb 03, 2011

  Bring your shades. There's an opportunity to see the blondes from the Real Housewives of Orange County up close at a workshop/luncheon on--what elser--plastic surgery. Queen plastic Alexis Belli... More >>

• $73 Million Concert Hall Coming to South Orange County

  published Feb 03, 2011

  South Orange County is getting its own concert hall.Construction is complete on a $73 million performing-arts center at Soka University, a majestic college campus in Aliso Viejo. The space, anchored b... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Place Your Bets: Which Bar Is No. 1 in Drunk-Driving Arrests in the No. 1 City for Drunk-Driving Collisionsr

  published Feb 02, 2011

  As we recently reported, Huntington Beach takes the pathetic No. 1 spot in 2009 California DUI collisions among cities of its size. In an effort to tackle the issue, the Huntington Beach Police Depart... More >>