Accidents and Disasters

Burning Man Festival Comes to Anaheim

Anaheim Police are investigating the case of a man's body found inside a burning car early this morning as a homicide.But residents of the 100 block of South Westchester Drive suspect the tragedy was an accident.Or was it a suicide?

Is Hurricane Isaac and Quake Swarm God's Wrath for Not Nominating Rick Santorum?

Before we get to the shakers, if no one else has yet, may I be the first to blame Southern California's earthquake swarms and Hurricane Isaac on God's wrath for the Republicans nominating Mitt Romney over Rick Santorum?Or, perhaps the King of Kings is an Obama man and he's just pissed at the GOP for ... More >>

Taco Bell Crime of the Week: DWI in the Drive-Thru

Sorry for the hiatus of this column, but thankfully, the crimes never stop--especially when you're in a one-stop town like Midland, Texas, where they like to drink and drive and drive while drunk in the drive-thru--and then break a rear-view mirror for good measure.

[UPDATED with Sharp A.M. Jolt:] Quake Rolls Through Yorba Linda ... to Yawns

See update at the end of this post about a sharp jolt that just hit at 9:33 a.m.ORIGINAL POST, AUG. 8, 8:59 A.M.: So I'm watching the end of a season one Damages episode via Amazon last night--keep an eye out for that Ted Danson kid, he's quite an actor--and what felt like an invisible train rolled ... More >>

Surfrider: Florida Music Festival Promoter Stiffed Us $30,000

Surfrider Foundation is suing a Florida party promoter for stiffing the nationally prominent, San Clemente-based environmental group out of at least $30,000.According to a lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court, Scott H. Mitchell--the managing partner of Five Flags Tourism Group--hosted an Oc ... More >>

[UPDATED with God's Motive:] 3.9 Earthquake Shakes OC

UPDATE, APRIL 20, 11:20 A.M.: In addition to shaky stories, we should share with one another the reason God punished us with this earthquake--because as Pat Robertson will tell you, there can be no other reason for seismic activity than a vengeful deity. Gay marriage? The ACLU caravan coming to Sant ... More >>

Japan To Ask UNESCO To List Its Cuisine As An "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity"

​A year after the nuclear disaster at Fukushima, Japan will submit to have UNESCO recognize its cuisine as an "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity". The country will argue that "Washoku: Traditional dietary cultures of the Japanese," a seasons-based cuisine based on rice, fish and vegetables ... More >>

Irvine Cops Go After Drivers Who Eat, Text or Otherwise Don't Pay Attention Behind Wheel

​Jorene Ypanto Nicolas pleaded not guilty at her arraignment on manslaughter charges Monday despite law enforcement's contention the San Diego 29-year-old's distracted driving caused the death of 23-year-old Deanna Mauer. Inattentive motoring--which can include eating, texting or just not paying ... More >>

Luis & the Wildfires

Observatory

[UPDATED with Conditions of Injured:] Mysterious Explosion Rocks Newport Beach

​UPDATE, OCT. 12, 2:09 P.M.: Newport Beach fire officials still haven't found the cause of an explosion that sent four people to a hospital this morning. Three are in serious condition with burns to their arms and faces, while the fourth, who drove to the hospital, sustained moderate injuries. A ... More >>

[UPDATED with Removal of 100 Trees:] Can Death Be Blamed on Last Week's Small Earthquake?

​UPDATE, SEPT. 21, 9:45 A.M.: Whether or not a small earthquake earlier in the day caused a 10-ton Blue Gum Eucalyptus to fall and crush to death Haeyoon Miller on Thursday afternoon, the city of Newport Beach is cutting down 100 more trees in the same area.The city announced Tuesday evening that ... More >>

Ambulance Chasing? There's an App for That

​You're sitting there at the side of the road with another slack-jawed driver you've just engaged in a fender bender. Time was, you'd fumble for paper and pen and switch names and digits with the other bumper carsman for insurance deductible considerations to be figured out later. But now, a Newpo ... More >>

[UPDATED with Conviction:] John Hines, Long Beach Fire Captain, Guilty of DUI Hit and Run of Cyclist

​UPDATE, SEPT. 6, 2:59 P.M.: Long Beach Fire Department Capt. John Hines pleaded guilty today to severely injuring a cyclist in a mid-day hit-and-run crash while driving with a blood alcohol level of .24 percent, three times the legal limit. The 38-year-old Huntington Beach resident accepted a co ... More >>

[UPDATED with 500 Acres, 60% Contained:] Carbon Canyon Wildfire Spreads

​UPDATE, JULY 8, 10:24 A.M.: The Carbon Canyon wildfire has now spread to more than 500 acres and is 60 percent contained, but Orange County fire officials believe they have a handle on it.No injuries have been reported nor have any homes been threatened.Nearly 300 firefighters are trying to knock ... More >>

[UPDATED with No Action:] San Onofre Nuke Plant Shutdown Tempts San Clemente City Council

​UPDATE, JUNE 22, 4:36 P.M.: Travel back in time, kiddies, to one month and four days ago. The world was so much different then. Facing a full house of potential voters opposed to the continued operation of the nearby San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), the San Clemente City Council g ... More >>

[UPDATED with Arraignment:] John Hines, Long Beach Fire Captain, Arrested for Felony Hit and Run

​UPDATE, MAY 3, 9:36 A.M.: Long Beach Fire Department Capt. John Hines turned himself in to an Orange County court this morning on a $250,000 arrest warrant and was to be arraigned immediately on felony drunken driving and hit-and-run charges that could keep him in state prison for nearly seven ye ... More >>

[UPDATED with Charges, Drunk-Ass Claims:] John Hines, Long Beach Fire Captain, Arrested for Felony Hit and Run

​UPDATE, APRIL 27, 10:08 A.M.: Long Beach Fire Department Capt. John Hines began drinking April Fools Day morning at Schooner or Later bar in Long Beach, became heavily intoxicated and early that afternoon climbed behind the wheel of his Chevy pick-up, swerved into a bicyclist who was thrown 70 fe ... More >>

Benefit Show for Japan

Alex's Bar

Sanrio.com and Select Boutiques Donating Net Proceeds to Japan Disaster Relief Tomorrow

​It's now the world's most famous mouthless white cat's turn to help out Japan: Tomorrow, Sanrio.com and select participating boutique locations will donate all net proceeds toward Japan disaster relief.The company (whose stateside headquarters is housed in Torrance) seems to be following in the f ... More >>

Bid on Fleet Foxes' Test Pressing of 'Helplessness Blues' to Benefit Japan

​If you're anything like us, you're probably jonesing really badly for Fleet Foxes' upcoming set Helplessness Blues, due for release to the masses on May 3. If, however, you have a couple of thousand to ease your pain (unlike us), you can bid on a test pressing of their upcoming sophomore release ... More >>

Will Eating Sea Kelp Save Us From Radiation?

​The officials have assured us we're fine, a very safe distance from the radiation that's still emitting from the disaster-hit nuclear plant in Japan, but that hasn't stopped folks around here from taking extra precautions. People are flocking to local health food markets such as Mother's and Wh ... More >>

[UPDATE: National Tsunami Week] Tsunami Watch OC: Crowds Gathering to Catch Glimpse of Tsunami, But Not Much to See

Will it come?!​UPDATE, MARCH 16, 5:32 P.M.: To the people of Japan and even (to a lesser extent) the seafaring folk in Santa Cruz, the Weekly sends its best regards for a full recovery. The devastation that has rocked and continues to rock Japan is unlike anything we ever hope to see again in a li ... More >>

[UPDATED] Sentencing for Distracted Driver Includes Working 300 Hours As a School Crossing Guard

​UPDATED, MARCH 15, 2011, 12:05 P.M.: Claims against the city of Huntington Beach have now surfaced in the deadly accident, The Orange County Register reports. On Sept. 7, 2010, at the crosswalk of Springdale Street and Croupier Drive, the SUV of Robert Casares plowed into the car of Caryl Johnso ... More >>

[UPDATED:] Storm Damage: Mother Nature Owes OC $23 Million

Chasen Marshall/OC WeeklyThere is substantial work to be done along the boardwalk at Laguna Beach.​Update, December 29, 4:22 p.m.: Photographic evidence of the storm-caused carnage at Main Beach in Laguna Beach. 

[UPDATED:] Storm Status: Road and Shelter Closures

​Update, December 22, 10:08 p.m.: The emergency shelter at Mission Viejo High School has closed, the county announced this evening.Evacuated residents in need of shelter can still go to Laguna Beach High School and El Modena High School in Orange. (Addresses are on the next page.)The county's most ... More >>

Obama Administration Announces Ban On New Offshore Drilling; Thank The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Hopefully not for at least another 7 years.​In direct conflict with its previous proclamations, the Obama administration today announced that there will not be any further new offshore oil drilling along the Atlantic Coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico or the Pacific Coast. At least, not for th ... More >>

[UPDATED:] Colt Brennan, Former Mater Dei QB, In Car Accident And In 'Serious Condition'

The record-setting QB is in a Hawaii hospital in serious condition.Update, November 22, 11:03 a.m.: Terry Brennan indicated to reporters that his son, Colt, is "heavily sedated" and is "far from being alert." Colt is able to acknowledge that family and doctors are in the room, through hand signals, ... More >>

EXCLUSIVE! Online Premiere of the Steelwells' Video, 'El Capitan'

​When Fullerton's the Steelwells won Best New Artist and Best Song at the OC Music Awards earlier this year, they took home more than just a statue. Part of the prize for Best Song was an opportunity to make a music video courtesy of the OC Music Awards and Akorn Entertainment. Watch the e ... More >>

Oakley Turns Chilean Miners Rescue into One-Of-a-Kind Marketing Opportunity

Flickr user rescate mineros​The world might have their collective eyes glued to the live feed of the rescue of the Chilean miners who have been trapped underground for 69 days, but Oakley--whose HQ is located in the Foothill Ranch area of Lake Forest--just sees dollar signs instead. The sports/act ... More >>

Dana Rohrabacher's Latest Jewel

Drill Dana Drill​Reducing oil company offshore drilling will increase the number of offshore oil drill spills.--Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) expressing his logic this week to The Orange County Register's Dena Bunis in an article outlining efforts by California Democrat senator ... More >>

3 Hurt, 2 Killed, 1 Murder Charge in DUI-Crash Weekend

​As previously blogged, Anaheim Police conducted a DUI checkpoint and saturation patrols Friday evening through the wee hours Saturday, while the Orange County Sheriff's Department also stepped up patrols aimed at getting drunk drivers off the streets of Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills an ... More >>

Wax On, Wax Off: First Glimpses of Fall Conditions

By Nolan HallOffshore Conditions in Baja​The Santa Ana Winds and the hottest weather of the year are already showing up this year, even as early as late August. It brings back memories of last year, coughing and surfing ash-covered waves under dark, smoky skies. Early Santa Anas bring that haunted ... More >>

Reality TV Turns Its Steamy Cameras on OC Fire Hunks

Reality television has exploited our hot teens, our hot MILFs and . . . um . . . well, it has exploited a whole bunch of our hot teens and hot MILFs. Now their steamy cameras are set to record our hot fire hunks. Fox Reality Channel announced it has begun production on the third season of its origin ... More >>

Wildfires Just a Sneak Preview?

Ted Soqui shot this in Yorba Linda the weekend past. See his amazing slideshow here. Now that the fires have been contained, heroes have been identified, firefighting techniques have been blasted, causes have been zeroed in on, and our Last Action Hero Governor has likened the disaster to one of th ... More >>

The Mother of All Movie Curses?

As you no doubt have heard by now, Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman was seriously injured in a car accident today. As you probably heard from Mark McGrath by now, Freeman's accident is now being lumped in with a supposed “Curse of The Dark Knight,” a spate of recent tragedies suffered by other ... More >>

"California's Queer Quake"

About 75 minutes after this morning's Southern California earthquake, Reverend Wiley Drake named the seismic event, "the California Queer Quake," and announced via email to his nationwide followers that "another queer quake [is] trying to get California's attention." Won't you listen, damn it? "Th ... More >>

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson goes on a . . .

. . . rampage. Of course he does. In what assorted Internet pundits are already calling the stupidest hit-and-run ever, Ultimate Fighting Championship superstar (and Irvine resident) Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, who was the subject of this 2007 Weekly cover story, was arrested yesterday in Balboa aft ... More >>

It’s the Humidity

Bayou Fest

Fire Update: Almost out of the woods?

The Orange County Fire Authority reports that the Santiago blaze is now 75 percent contained. Though firefighters are hoping to kill the beast by Friday (before the nasty Santa Ana winds whip it up over the weekend), the OCFA website lists Sunday as D-Day for full containment. Approximately 28,445 a ... More >>

While We're on the Subject of Orange County Disasters...

Read about Orange County's worst natural disaster, the Great Flood of 1938. Wish we had some of that rain right now...but not too much!

Fire Officials Seek Information on OC Arsonist

The folks over at the Register are doing a fine job reporting on the massive Orange County arson fire that’s threatening to keep firefighters at work for another two days as winds approaching hurricane force continue to pound the region. Residents in Foothill Ranch are the latest to see their neig ... More >>

Friday's Headlines & Surprises

No, really? You can finally relax. The Coastline Pilot decided it was time to voice its opposition to alcohol consumption by teenagers. “Drinks, teens shouldn't mix,” the Los Angeles Times-owned community paper serving Laguna Beach declared today. And just in case readers didn't comprehend the ... More >>

A True Horror Classic

When the Levees Broke

Memorial Daze

A military transport plane crash 40 years ago killed 83 people. Steve Bedunah
says hes No. 84

We (Almost) Have Ignition

Vesuvius steams majestically, doesnt erupt

Fountain Headache

Ayn Rand Institute tries to twist tsunami disaster

An Apocalypse of Our Own Making

Mike Davis on the perfect fire

The Plight of Dwight

Steven Hatfill's Big Idea

Heard It Through the Grapevine