How we see it

The mystery continues

Pegye Bechler’s disappearance more than two years ago was one of the

great local mysteries in memory. How could a mother of three -- a

triathlete and swimmer -- fall out of a boat and disappear under the

Pacific without a trace? Her husband Eric said he was riding a bodyboard

behind the boat, hit a wave and wiped out. When he resurfaced, his wife

was gone.

Despite an intense search -- which included a naval submarine --

Bechler’s body was never found. And though rumors swirled through the

community about who did it, no arrests were made.

Until last week when sheriff’s deputies arrested Eric Bechler and charged

him with her slaying. But the mystery hasn’t ended. Police and the

district attorney have been tight-lipped about any evidence, and any

documents that would shed some light on the case have been sealed.

It will be interesting to see why the authorities felt they had such a

need to keep the public in the dark about this case -- including

withholding for four days the fact that Bechler was even arrested.

Life to its fullest

When the news hit home that among the casualties in the crash of EgyptAir

Flight 990 over Nantucket was Grant Boys camping and hunting store

matriarch Beverly Grant, 82, the community naturally grew sad. While

tears were shed over Grant’s loss, we took solace in the words of her

children and friends who said Grant didn’t let life pass her by, but

instead enjoyed every minute of it. So much so, that she was hesitant to

reveal her age for fear that she would be stereotyped. We salute her for

going a long way to breaking down that assumption that age and inactivity

are somehow synonymous.

Bigger and better

Add a couple notches to Costa Mesa’s belt this past week with the

additions of both The Yard House restaurant and pub and the Crate &

Barrel home furnishings store. The Yard House boasts 150 beers on tap,

that’s a lot of foam, and Crate & Barrel officials say this store is the

largest in the country, that’s a lot of crates and barrels. While the

additions provide great examples for the oft-repeated claim by city

leaders that Costa Mesa is one of the finest retail and entertainment

venues in the nation, they also are situated in locations that are in

need of a boost, namely Triangle Square (for The Yard House) and the

shopping center formerly known as Crystal Court (for Crate & Barrel), now

simply a part of South Coast Plaza. We’re just trying to decide at which

place to spend more time.