A Cal Fire heavy equipment operator was killed Saturday morning, July 14, while batting the Ferguson fire in Mariposa County in the Sierra National Forest. Braden Varney, 36, worked in the Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit, Cal Fire said. No details on the accident were released. Varney is survived by his wife, Jessica, daughter Malhea, 5, and son…
South Orange County area hotel room rates are higher year-to-date through May as occupancy decreased, a new report shows. Here are eight trends to know from CBRE Hotels’ latest reports on how local operators are doing filling up their rooms vs. countywide patterns year-to-date through May … 1. South Orange County hotels charged an average…
A vegetation fire in Santiago Creek in Santa Ana Friday led to the arrest of a 26-year-old homeless man previously identified for setting other fires nearby, police said. The Orange County Fire Authority firefighters responded at approximately 11:40 a.m. to a vegetation fire in Santiago Creek near 900 W. River Lane, authorities said. Gustavo Garcia…
A 53-year-old man pleaded not guilty Friday to raping and kidnapping his ex-girlfriend who he drove from Yorba Linda to Hesperia. Monsuru Wole Sho is charged with rape, kidnapping, criminal threats, domestic violence, all felonies, and a misdemeanor count of aggravated trespass. Sho’s 50-year-old ex-girlfriend woke up about 2 a.m., June 20, with the defendant…
The same defense lawyer who triggered Orange County’s “snitch scandal” and persuaded a judge to remove the District Attorney’s Office from handling the deadliest mass killing in local history is on a new mission. Assistant Public Defender Scott Sanders on Friday asked that Orange County prosecutors again be banned, this time from a low-level methamphetamine…
A Rancho Santa Margarita resident jumped to his death early Friday, July 13, from the transition road from the 15 Freeway to the 91 Freeway in Corona, the California Highway Patrol said. Gregory Powell, 42, died from the injuries he suffered when he landed on the dirt shoulder of the eastbound 91, Officer Dan Olivas…
News that Saturday, July 14, would be the last night for homeless people to sleep at the California National Guard Armory in Santa Ana caught Kimberly Shagena by surprise. “Geez Louise, that’s even sooner than I thought,” said Shagena, 52, who has spent every night for nearly eight months inside the cavernous military installation on…
The New Home Company, a real estate developer from Aliso Viejo, is moving forward on the Bedford community that will bring 1,620 homes to South Corona. New Home Co. recently announced it will be building homes with TRI Pointe Homes and Woodside Homes at Bedford, the largest residential project in the area in at least…
The Villa Park High School 12th annual Rotary Interact and sixth annual American Chemical Society Recognition and Installation were recently held in a combined ceremony. VPHS chemistry teacher Linda Bartrom is an advisor to both the Interact Club and the American Chemical Society Club on campus. International Interact graduation stoles were presented to seniors Kaitlyn…
The soldier killed in an apparent insider attack in southern Afghanistan over the weekend was a fun-loving soul who enjoyed spending time with his cousins in his hometown of Long Beach, his father said. Army Cpl. Joseph Maciel, 20, will be buried at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes next week, Jose Leal…
