According to a study recently released by the United Ways of California, one in three households in California struggle to meet their basic needs each month. The report, titled “Struggling to Stay Afloat,” measures the estimated cost of supporting a family based on county-specific expenses across the state. The Real Cost Measure, or RCM, uses…

LOS ANGELES — An emergency blood shortage in Southern California and across the nation prompted the American Red Cross on Wednesday to issue an urgent call for eligible donors of all blood types — especially type O — to help save lives. The shortage follows a difficult Fourth of July week for blood donations, with hundreds…

BUENA PARK — It’s been a year and a half since a blaze burned down fire Station 61 on Western Avenue. The January 2017 fire caused about $1.5 million in damage to equipment and scattered the displaced firefighters across North Orange County. They temporarily relocated to the vacant Walter Knott Elementary School in March of last…

One of the bigger addiction treatment providers in Southern California, Sovereign Health, is closing its doors amid financial difficulties and an ongoing investigation following allegations of insurance fraud. In a July 5 letter to employees Sovereign Chief Executive Tonmoy Sharma wrote, “While we attempted to secure funding to keep the business operating, we’ve been unsuccessful……

Irvine has hired John Russo as its city manager, a choice the mayor said the City Council is comfortable with though Russo was fired from his previous job as Riverside’s top administrator. The Riverside City Council dismissed Russo in April, about two months after council members had chosen to extend his contract to run the…

SANTA ANA — A Garden Grove man pleaded guilty Tuesday to sexually assaulting two 10-year-old girls and was immediately sentenced to 10 years in prison. Victor Norman Ealey. Photo courtesy Orange County District Attorney’s Office. Victor Norman Ealey, 57, was also ordered to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. He…

SANTA ANA — A felon pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a four-hour carjacking spree that began in Santa Ana and ended in Orange, where he allegedly stole an SUV containing a developmentally disabled woman who was hurt while trying to get away from the suspect. Esteban Sandoval Jr., 37, faces four counts of carjacking and…

A batch of mosquitoes collected July 3 in Garden Grove has tested positive for West Nile virus, the county’s first positive tests this year, the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District confirmed Monday, July 9. The batch of 117 mosquitoes, collected near Garden Grove Boulevard and Newhope Street, was the first of 1,882 samples examined…

The 90-day summer extension that allowed Orange County to continue using two California National Guard armories as night shelter for homeless people ends with the last night on Sunday, July 15, with no additional emergency shelter set to open anytime soon. The Fullerton armory will close as sleeping quarters for homeless people by midweek because the…