Priest pleads guilty to molesting boy

3:34 pm, Mar 23rd, 2012 Joanna Clay Costa Mesa Countywide Add a Comment

A former Costa Mesa priest pleaded guilty to four counts of lewd acts with a minor Friday, according to authorities.

Denis Lyons, 78, entered his plea in a Santa Ana courtroom Friday as part of a deal brokered with the Orange County district attorney’s office. Lyons pleaded guilty to avoid a public trial, the Orange County Register reported.

– Lauren Williams, @lawilliams30, Daily Pilot

…Continue reading Priest pleads guilty to molesting boy

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Irvine office evacuated after white substance found

2:34 pm, Mar 23rd, 2012 Joanna Clay Countywide Irvine Add a Comment

A hazardous materials team went to an Irvine office building Friday morning after a white substance was found in an envelope, authorities said.

An office at 15750 Alton Parkway was evacuated after the Orange County Fire Authority’s hazmat team arrived at 10:05 a.m. to reports of a powder found in an envelope being processed at the office, according to police and fire authorities.

– Lauren Williams, @lawilliams30, Daily Pilot

…Continue reading Irvine office evacuated after white substance found

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We’re improving our social media presence

4:00 pm, Mar 9th, 2012 Joanna Clay Costa Mesa Fountain Valley Huntington Beach Irvine Laguna Beach Newport Beach Add a Comment

For the month of March, I’ll be working on improving the social media presence of our newspapers onTwitter and Facebook, which are two ways readers can find links to our websites and interact with our content.

I hope to make lasting changes that improve the way we disseminate digital content and enhance the online conversations we have with readers every day.

We’ve been using those platforms for quite sometime, but now it’s time to step up our efforts. Social media users can expect vast improvements, including livelier discussions, more frequent posts, clearer tweets with easier-to-use links and content they won’t find on our sites or in print.

Readers who follow or like us on their phones and tablets should see noticeable improvements.

I’ll also be finding ways that the Times Community News websites in Orange County, dailypilot.com,hbindependent.com, coastlinepilot.com and theocnow.com, can better showcase social media outlets.

Although the websites are always live, Twitter and Facebook have proved invaluable in providing breaking news, developing a dialogue with readers and answering questions regarding relevant topics or stories.

–Joanna Clay, @joannaclay, Times Community News

…Continue reading “We’re improving our social media presence”

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Guns into art show to open at Laguna Art Museum

3:30 pm, Feb 24th, 2012 Joanna Clay Countywide Featured Laguna Beach Add a Comment
A gun sculpture by Victor Hugo Zayas

Guns from the streets of Los Angeles are taking new life in “Mi Obra,” a series of sculptures by Victor Hugo Zayas going on display at the Laguna Art Museum this weekend.

Several years ago, the painter and sculptor was teaching drawing and painting to underserved children in South Central L.A. for the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena when he met Charlie Beck, the future chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.

The two became friends and Beck informed Zayas about the LAPD’s Gun Buyback Program, where people can drop off their weapons to the department with no questions asked.

Four years ago, they came up with the idea of repurposing the guns into a work of art by Zayas.

Now, the project features 17 sculptures, 12 of which will be at the museum, that use broken-down firearms.

He calls the pieces “portraits of crime” and mentioned the transformative power of the program in juxtaposition with the use of the guns in the piece.

“The idea of transformation is something I find very interesting,” he said. “To take a gun and turn it into something positive.”

… Continue reading “Guns into art show to open at Laguna Art Museum”

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Part of UC Irvine closed after Koran-burning pastor announces visit

11:32 am, Dec 1st, 2011 Joanna Clay Irvine News Add a Comment

By Joanna Clay

UC Irvine closed parts of campus Thursday after campus police detected suspicious activity associated with a Koran-burning Christian pastor’s visit to the campus, according to a university spokesman.

Although Rev. Terry Jones was denied a permit to speak in Anteater Plaza, he had told the university he was still planning on coming.

The Florida pastor was known for threatening to burn the Koran on the anniversary of 9/11 and eventually did in March, sparking an international reaction that included protests in Afghanistan, where they burned effigies of the pastor in the streets.

UCI spokesman Tom Vasich said the campus is a free speech zone but that specific area requires a permit and another organization had reserved the 11:30 a.m. time slot.

As of right now, Anteater Plaza, Ring Road, the flagpoles and Pereira Road are closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic until further notice for security reasons, Vasich said.

Campus police have communicated to Jones and he will not be allowed on the campus.

Vasich wanted to confirm this was precautionary and there have not been any security threats yet.

Joanna.clay@latimes.com

Twitter: @joannaclayhttp://twitter.com/joannaclay

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A star with stop-motion

11:30 am, Nov 25th, 2011 Joanna Clay Featured Laguna Beach Add a Comment
Austin Fickman reviews his diversity themed video “Embrace Diversity” that was chosen for the 2012 Newport Beach Film Festival. Fickman is an eighth grader at Thurston Middle School in Laguna Beach. (Coastline Pilot photo by Don Leach)

For kids, animated films have a way of jumping out of the screen and manifesting in their lives through games, toys and the way they speak.

Austin Fickman, an eighth-grader at Thurston Middle School, took a more literal approach with his love of movies.

After seeing stop-motion animation films in third grade — such as “Wallace and Gromit” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas” — he wanted to bring the fantastic stories to his living room, making his first stop-motion film with stuffed animals. He’s been making films ever since.

Austin recently was recognized for his stop-motion film “Embrace Diversity” by PTA Reflections, winning in the film category for his age division. It will be submitted to the county competition, and if it wins, it could go on to compete at the state and national levels.

… Continue Reading A star with stop-motion

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‘The face of the hungry has changed’

10:36 am, Nov 25th, 2011 Joanna Clay Costa Mesa Countywide Add a Comment
Volunteers Noel Segerstrom, 9, bottom left, hands out slices of pumpkin pie with his father Anton, top left, and sister Alette, 10, third from left, during a Thanksgiving meal held at Someone Cares Soup Kitchen in Costa Mesa Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. (KEVIN CHANG, Daily Pilot / November 24, 2011)

COSTA MESA — The room was prepared just right for a family Thanksgiving — from the fresh flowers, to the festive tablecloths, candy strewn along the table and the smell of pumpkin pie in the air.

Guests stood up and told the crowd of about 150 people what they were thankful for. After each spoke, the room filled with cheers, applause and supportive nods.

Someone Cares Soup Kitchen Executive Director Shannon Santos calls her guests her extended family, carrying on the tradition of her grandmother and the soup kitchen’s founder Merle Hatleberg.

… Continue Reading ‘The face of the hungry has changed’

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Wheels go around for 24 hours

4:59 pm, Sep 29th, 2011 Joanna Clay Events Laguna Beach Add a Comment

George Vitolo trains for a 24-hour bike ride this weekend for Wheels4Life, a charity that donates bikes to underdeveloped countries. (DON LEACH)

Although he’s already an avid cyclist, George Vitolo will mount his bike on Saturday and attempt a new feat: a 24-hour ride.

The ride, which will start at Laguna Cyclery around 9 a.m., will loop around Crystal Cove State Park, the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and the canyon.

Vitolo is doing the solo ride as a fundraising effort for Wheels4Life. He has no association with the nonprofit but heard of their work last year and was instantly attached to the cause. Over the past few months he’s raised $1,000 for the cause, which donates bikes to underdeveloped countries.

After watching “Wheels 4 Life: The Film,” Vitolo was moved by the impact a bike could make on a village, whose inhabitants may walk 10 miles to attend university, work or simply get water.

The Coastline Pilot spoke to Vitolo in June when he devised his plan for the ride. Originally he was going to do the 24 Hours of Adrenaline race in Iydllwild, but the race got canceled so he decided to bring his own version to his hometown.

Vitolo is hoping his ride will generate buzz needed to raise awareness for the cause.

“It changes somebody’s life dramatically,” he said. “Even if I could only give one bike, I’d still be changing one person’s life. I just have a passion for it. It just touched my heart.”

…Continue reading “Wheels go around for 24 hours”

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Beach Pit BBQ closing in Laguna Niguel

4:39 pm, Sep 27th, 2011 Joanna Clay Countywide News Add a Comment

The Beach Pit BBQ in Laguna Niguel has announced that it’s closing its doors after more than year.

“We are closing the Beach Pit BBQ Laguna Niguel because our concept didn’t work up there,” owner Tim DeCinces said in a statement. “We wanted to create more of an express type model in a smaller footprint that was just about the food. Unfortunately, when we first opened the food wasn’t that great and we had a hard time getting the process right.”

DeCinces said that the local arrival of Chipotle and Five Guys Burgers & Fries made it more difficult for the concept to be successful, and company has decided to leave the area.

Beach Pit BBQ is at 32371 Golden Lantern.

DeCinces said the site will now be home to a Nekter Juice Bar, which also has locations in Corona del Mar and Costa Mesa.

Nekter Juice Bar features juices, smoothies and acai bowls along with their own line of cleanse products. Their menu includes raw nut milk smoothies and vegan or gluten-free snacks.

DeCinces said he believes a health-oriented store with raw and vegan choices would do well in the area.

“It is a very good concept, and we think will be a great fit for the clientele of the Ocean Ranch shopping centers,” he said.

Nekter Juice Bar should be open in about two to three months, pending approvals, he said.

For more information, visit beachpit.com or nekterjuicebar.com.

Twitter: @joannaclay

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LCAD turns 50

1:15 pm, Sep 23rd, 2011 Joanna Clay Countywide Featured Laguna Beach Add a Comment
Kalie Ortiz finishes a small portrait of St. Francis of Assisi in the composition and color class at Laguna College of Art and Design. (DON LEACH, Coastline Pilot / September 22, 2011)

Nestled in the canyon and hidden amid hills within walking distance of the ocean, the Laguna College of Art & Design has beaconed artists to its campus for 50 years.

With LCAD marking its milestone this year, faculty and graduates reflected on how the college has grown since its establishment in 1961.

… Continue Reading LCAD turns 50

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