A new fire chief in town

Mike Macey has been appointed the new chief of the Laguna Beach Fire

Department and will begin the position on May 1.

Macey will replace Chief Ken MacLeod, who recently announced his

retirement. Macey has more than 25 years of experience in fire

service and is currently a battalion chief in the Laguna Beach Fire

Department. He previously served as a captain and a

paramedic-firefighter with the Newport Beach Fire Department. Macey

and his wife, Donna, live in Laguna Beach.

Playhouse youth director to retire

After 17 years at Laguna Playhouse, Youth Director Joe Lauderdale

will retire after the current season in June. Lauderdale is a

nationally-recognized expert in youth theater. He received the

prestigious “Youth Theatre Director of the Year Award of the American

Alliance for Theatre Education” in 2001. During his tenure Lauderdale

has produced 66 stage productions and has directed 48. He has also

written adaptations for six stage works. His final directing project

will be “Sarah, Plain and Tall,” at the Playhouse May 6 through 15.

CCDF proposal approved by council

At the Feb. 15 meeting, the City Council approved California

Choreographers proposal for two performances at the Cobblestones area

at Main Beach from 3 and 5 p.m. on May 14 and Oct. 1. Performances

will include amplified sound not to exceed the allowed decibel level,

and the installation of a dance floor measuring 20 by 30 feet.

Performances will be free to the public.

Teen suicide awareness project to be annual

Laguna Beach local Dieter Schmitz recently announced that his

project, Running Home 4 Teens, will become an annual event next

December.

This winter, Schmitz, a cast member on MTV’s reality show “Laguna

Beach: The Real Orange County,” ran and biked 73 miles from San Diego

to Laguna, to raise More than $10,000 for Suicide Awareness Voices of

Education. For Running Home 4 Teens 2005, Dieter will run and bike a

100-mile journey from the Mexican border at Tijuana to Laguna Beach.