Easy Writer Part 8: Training Wheels

Finally, it's time to pull the tags off your new gear, gas up your ride, turn the key and see what all the fuss is about.But, remember, baby steps. Before you crank back the throttle and start singing “Born to Be Wild” in your head, get used to the bike…

Five Great Finds at Irvine Farmers Market

Yes, I know about the fresh corn and the hummus, not to mention the sausages, but these five things were new to me when I visited on Saturday. The results were mixed, but it's always useful to expand the horizons. Pluots. There's a stand featuring nothing but this fruit (give…

New Complications In the IHHI Saga

More ComplicationsThe SEC files suit against the lender for the owner of several OC hospitals, while another lawsuit reveals a strange hospital-porn connectionThe bizarre saga that for years has engulfed a local hospital company and a whistleblower who claims he was framed on gun charges is now getting even stranger…

Outdoor Marijuana Eradication Called “Costly,” “Futile”

A sheriff's helicopter was chugging over Cleveland National Forest, about 15 miles off Ortega Highway, three years and one month ago when the pilot spotted a vast marijuana field. Deputies on the ground later confirmed–and cut down–about 1,000 young plants that had been thriving thanks to an elaborate irrigation system…

Anti-Prop 8/Pro-Gay Marriage Summit Deemed “a Disaster”

Chris Prevatt of TheLiberalOC blogged and tweeted from a LGBT Leadership Summit in San Bernardino aimed at repealing Prop 8 and restoring marriage equality for all Californians. The gathering revealed a schism within the movement between activists who want to get a Prop 8 counter measure on the 2010 ballot…

More Choosing “Staycations” (and Hating It)

With wages stagnant, travel costs soaring and the economy as shitty as it is, many are chosing to spend their summer vacations at home. Fortunately, Orange County is a tourist destination so blending in with the black-socks-and-sandals crowd is no problem. However, despite “staycations” being so prevalent it now appears…