Tonight the Weekly drove past roadblocks on Santiago Canyon Road to see the destruction left by the blaze firsthand. What we saw was depressing, but the planes spewing fire retardant overhead were a hopeful sight. Photos will be up before the night's over, we promise are up.
Before visiting the scene, we dropped in on Orange County Fire Authority Batallion Chief Kris Concepcion, who was running on two hours of sleep. Were the firefighters getting enough downtime beneath shifts, we wondered alou
It's Day Six and the Santiago fire is still only 30 percent contained. Fourteen homes were destroyed, and 750 more are threatened in Silverado Canyon. The Register reports that a liquid was used to ignite the blaze along Santiago Canyon Road at two separate points. Sheriff Carona says his department had received 250 tips thus far, but no suspects have been named. A $250,000 reward has been put out for information leading to the arrest of the responsible parties.
Blame Game: Former British Prime
Carona free (for now): Yesterday, Sheriff Mike Carona walked out of the Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse with his wife, Debbie, after being cuffed and held in a cell for hours. They'll be back to enter their pleas Monday. Bail was set at $20,000 for each Carona and $10,000 for the sheriff's mistress, Debra Hoffman. Coverage: LAT, OC Reg. Be sure to read Weekly ME Rich Kane's way more lively take here.
About that fire: It's now 90 percent contained. The Register reports that some 3,000 people re
The Temecula Creek Inn--with its views of miles of verdant, vine-covered hills, a golf course, sumptuous spa treatments and nearby wine tastings--is a splendid spot for a decadent weekend getaway. In late 2007, about a month after beginning his post as Capistrano Unified School District's newest superintendent, A. Woodrow Carter accepted an invitation to spend a weekend at the Inn for the "California Superintendent's Health and Wellness Institute." Carter didn't give many details about the retre
UPDATED WITH PHOTOS FROM THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING . . .
Photo by Keith MayCounty Supervisor Bill Campbell, whose district includes the Irvine Co. land in question, is amused by a speaker at Tuesday's board meeting in Santa Ana.He's got a gift. Donald Bren, the secretive, aging multi-billionaire who chairs The Irvine Co., has an undisputed gift for preservation. He sets aside, and preserves, and then preserves yet again the mostly steep, landslide prone, unbuildable portions of his spr
NEWS ITEM: Author, former Earth First activist and clean-water advocate Patrick Mitchell, who hired on at Silverado Canyon's Carbondale Ranch in June, wants to use the tons of manure produced there to make electricity.
INSTA-PUNDITRY: Wouldn't they collect much more of the, uh, potential energy source inside the Board of Supervisors chambers in Santa Ana?
Some just write themselves, folks.
