WEEK IN REVIEW

COSTA MESA

Tree nearly 100 feet tall lit with more than 20,000 lights

South Coast Plaza started the holiday season this year with the annual lighting of the Segerstrom Family Christmas Tree at Town Center Park on Monday.

The tree, a white fir more than 95 feet tall, was adorned with more than 20,000 lights during a period of several weeks, organizers said. Students from the Orange County High School of the Arts also performed carols and musical theater for the crowd, estimated to be approximately 1,000 people.

“I loved the music,” said Jessica Galaviz, while inspecting the well-decked tree. “The students were really, really good.”

Galaviz was “dragged” by her friend, Malinee Chum, who says she has come to the event for about five years to find the perfect Christmas ambience.

“It’s fun, and really puts you in the Christmas mood,” she said, grinning.

 “A Christmas Carol,” Charles Dickens’ classic tale of one man’s redemption of character, opened Friday at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa and will run through Dec. 24.

Now in its 28th year, actor Hal Landon Jr. will reprise the role of Scrooge, the character he has portrayed every year since 1980.

The production is considered a holiday tradition in Orange County.

“People talk about how Christmas starts with seeing ‘A Christmas Carol,’ ” Landon said.

Families of slain troops invited to O.C. festivities

U.S. Military families worldwide visited Orange County this week for the second annual Snowball Express, a local program aimed at bringing together families who have lost a mother or father in a post-9/11 conflict.

The program, which provides free transport, lodging, and meals for nearly 1,500 people, brought these families together for mutual support, concerts and even a trip to Disneyland.

Among them were Kathy Kennedy and her young son, Kevin, who flew from Hopkinsville, Ky. They said they were both excited — especially Kevin, who jumped with excitement.

“It’s truly overwhelming that so many people did this — it’s amazing,” she said, watching her son play. “It almost makes you cry, it really does.”

To donate, visit snowballexpress.org, or send a check to Snowball Express a 501(c)3 organization 2973 Harbor Blvd., No. 401, Costa Mesa, CA 92626.

NEWPORT BEACH

Resident files lawsuit over plans for the next city hall

A local activist said Tuesday he is suing Newport Beach to keep a measure off the February ballot to decide whether to build the next City Hall next to the central library.

Allan Beek, a longtime Newport Beach resident and a member of the group Parks are Priceless, said he hopes a ruling in the matter will come before the end of the year. Beek is listed as the only plaintiff in the suit.

The activist is financing the suit with his own money, but said he has a “rooting section” of other Newport Beach residents.

 The Newport Beach City Council authorized Los Angeles-based law firm Kiesel, Boucher & Larson to gather information on allegedly lost tax revenue from online travel-booking companies Tuesday in a closed session.

A Newport Beach official said Wednesday Internet travel booking companies could owe the city as much as $13.6 million in tax money on hotel rooms booked online since 2001. The city could stand to gain as much as $9.5 million after legal costs from a possible lawsuit against 15 Internet travel booking companies including Travelocity and Expedia.

City officials say the companies cheat the city out of local transient occupancy taxes when they charge for rooms based on an inflated price, but the tax that cities and hotels receive is based on a lower rate.

But Art Sackler, director of the Interactive Travel Services Assn., a group that represents many web-based travel companies, said the cities involved this type of litigation don’t understand the business model.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Man pleads guilty to stabbing sea lion with a steak knife

A Garden Grove fisherman charged with stabbing a sea lion in Newport Harbor pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court. Hai Nguyen, 24, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of attempting to kill a marine mammal, which is a violation of the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, authorities said. He is scheduled to be sentenced March 19.

He faces a $20,000 fine and up to a year in prison, prosecutors said.

 Firefighters organizing the annual “Spark of Love” toy drive for needy children put out another call for donations. They say some drop-off centers at local fire stations are running low.

Problem is a lot of folks wait until late in the holiday shopping season to drop off the toys because they want to get shopping done for their family first. That means a lot of the toys that are donated end up being held over for next year’s drive.

For more information, call Brenda Emrick of the Costa Mesa Fire Department at (714) 327-7406, or Jennifer Schulz of the Newport Beach Fire Department at (949) 644-3110.

EDUCATION

UCI guest returns to lecture, is met with silent protesters

Middle East scholar and historian Daniel Pipes made another stop at UCI Wednesday, this time to talk about radical Muslims. He was again greeted by a disapproving Muslim Student Union.

In February, Pipes was shouted down by some students.

When the Jewish community challenged the university to punish the students, school officials said they were protected by free speech. An investigation into anti-Semitism on campus soon followed.

Wednesday’s protest didn’t have nearly as many fireworks. Assemblyman Chuck DeVore attended to bear witness, and by his own accounts the Muslim students’ toned-down protest was a step in the right direction.

Silently, they rose in unison during Pipes’ speech and exited the hall, clearing half the room. Event organizers and the protesters both regarded the event as a success.

BUSINESS

Fewer holiday travelers at JWA, but airport not worried

John Wayne Airport reported a slightly lower number of passengers for Thanksgiving week than it had a year ago, but a spokeswoman said the airport wasn’t concerned because 2007 had already brought in record travel numbers.

“Whether or not people chose different ways to travel or more people stayed home, it’s kind of hard to say,” spokeswoman Jenny Wedge said.

A total of 235,541 passengers arrived or departed from John Wayne Airport between Nov. 18 and 26, a notch below the 248,908 people who passed through the airport during the holiday last year.

Wedge said the two busiest days were the Sunday and Monday after Thanksgiving.