PUBLIC SAFETY Two local men indicted in...
PUBLIC SAFETY
Two local men indicted in child pornography sting
One man from Newport Beach and another from Costa Mesa were among
those named this week in a child pornography sting.
Federal grand juries issued indictments July 6 against John
Breault, 42, of Newport Beach and Mario Ralph Riley, 49, of Costa
Mesa. Each is accused of possessing child pornography and could face
up to 10 years in federal prison.
* Woody, the mascot for Newport Beach landmark Woody’s Wharf, was
reported missing recently.
The restaurant’s owners noticed the 3 1/2 - to 4-foot statue
missing from his skiff atop the restaurant. They’re offering a dinner
and drinks at their best table for information leading to his return.
BUSINESS
Pelican Hill Golf Club will close for two years
The Irvine Co. announced the impending closures the Pelican Hill
Golf Club’s practice facility and courses Thursday. Plans call for
the courses to be shut down for about two years while underground
water storage tanks are built as part of the construction of a
resort.
The practice facility is set to close July 31 and the last day the
golf courses will be open this year is Nov. 30.
Respected designer Tom Fazio is slated to update the links before
the courses planned reopening in late 2007. The resort -- which will
include a 204-room hotel, 128 villas, a new golf clubhouse,
restaurants, a spa, meeting rooms and specialty shops -- is expected
to open in 2008.
NEWPORT BEACH
Centennial fundraising reaches $250,000
Fundraising for Newport Beach’s centennial celebration has topped
$250,000, centennial project director Marie Knight said.
Knight said Monday that the largest donor for the planned year of
events was Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, with a $100,000
contribution. Centennial events are expected to cost $1.2 million.
The city has budgeted $350,000 for the centennial, but Knight said
those funds are a placeholder and she hopes the city receives
sufficient donations to return those funds to Newport’s coffers.
The revealing of the design of Newport’s 2006 Rose Parade float
was considered the beginning of centennial events. An October beach
party is planned as the first major centennial event. The city’s
official 100th birthday is Sept. 1, 2006.
* The city of Newport Beach announced it has hired Mark Harmon as
director of the general services department, which handles trash
collection, beach cleanup and street maintenance, among other duties.
Harmon, 46, replaces Dave Niederhaus, who retired in April after 18
years of working for the city.
For the last 10 years, Harmon has worked for the city of
Claremont. He’ll begin his Newport position Aug. 1.
COSTA MESA
Christian broadcaster asks court for right to buy KOCE
Daystar Television Network is asking an appeals court to grant
them the right to buy Orange County’s only PBS channel.
The court last month overturned the sale of KOCE-TV by Coast
Community College District to the station’s fundraising arm, accusing
the district of favoritism. The district named the KOCE-TV Foundation
the highest bidder in late 2003.
* The Orange County Fair opened with a record-setting first day --
attendance reached 53,144 on opening day, officials said. The
opening-day total for 2004 was 42,427.
“We’re surprised and very excited,” fair spokeswoman Sabrina
Sakaguchi said. “It’s a nice way to start 2005.”
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