International Women's Day: The feminists behind the feminists of 'Seven' docu-play
Orange County Register | March 5, 2021
“Seven” follows the stories of hardship endured by seven contemporary female revolutionaries and how they converted their experiences of adversity into advocacy, for the sake of women and girls as a whole. Read full story
Laguna Woods’ water ballerinas define what it means to be an Aquadette, in and out of the pool
Orange County Register | August 21, 2019
“It helps to have a group of women you can talk about anything to, often half-naked in a dressing room,” she said. “Having these relationships outside of the pool keeps us from isolating ourselves through crisis, which can be very tempting at this age.” Read full story
Laguna Woods formally recognizes Black History Month during City Hall event
Orange County Register | February 27, 2018
There is a concrete wall barricading Lake Forest Drive from the I-5 Freeway that exceeds the standard 5-foot height for one reason.“Them fools used to come and shoot up my house!” Kathryn McCullough, a St. Louis, Missouri transplant, recollected from her early days in Lake Forest as a black woman in an Orange County sea of white in the ‘70s. It took 9 1/2 years of bureaucracy to build that wall. Read full story
Four Golden Rain Foundation directors resign amid dispute over performing arts center project
Orange County Register | July 21, 2020
Collectively, resignees took issue with the sequence of events and how they transpired subsequent to the split vote. Fitzekam, English and Perak agreed that a dangerous precedent has been set — one that effectively compromises the fiduciary function of the GRF board as a separate branch of governance in the Village. Read full story
Scammers aim to exploit seniors with new ploys amid coronavirus crisis
Orange County Register | April 3, 2020
“Social determinants of health, like isolation, make people more lonely,” Nozaki said, noting the higher risk for seniors as a target demographic for fraudulent schemes. “When we’re lonely, we pick up the phone and talk to people.” Read full story
Blind inventor sets sights on preventing fatal falls with cane hybrid
Orange County Register | March 6, 2018
“When I learned how dire the situation was –– that there were four people per hour, four people that will fall within the hour and have a funeral later this week –– and that I have something here, which, if I just gave to these people, they would not die,” he said. “That’s when I knew I just had to start manufacturing them and give as many as I can away.” Read full story
Hungry South County seniors have a new food pantry specially designed for them
Orange County Register | June 5, 2018
In Orange County, there are 301,000 people that are food insecure, according to Second Harvest’s website. Of those, 117,000 are children –– that’s one in six who are at risk of missing meals. On the opposite of the age spectrum, 45 percent of seniors can’t afford basic food staples. Read full story
After his golf cart is stolen, a Laguna Woods man turns into a successful sleuth
Orange County Register | January 29, 2020
When Dennis Hannan, 73, noticed his golf cart was missing from his carport, he called his daughter, whose husband is in law enforcement. Within minutes, the New Yorker found it featured in an Orange County Craigslist post. “Of course,” he said. “The one time I leave it unlocked, somebody takes it.” Read full story
Dana Point nonprofit group empowers special-needs teens with summer styling party
Orange County Register | June 5, 2018
Typically out of operation on Sundays, the five chairs in Laguna Hills men’s hair salon Danckuts were filled, fully booked for a late-morning party in full swing . From the back of the shop, a partygoer grabbed the vintage, chrome-plated microphone, turning temporary frontman for an evident favorite of his, Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.” Backed by gentle electric-guitar chords, the whole shop stopped to watch the show. Read full story
Orange County women find healing and purpose in Africa through local travel program
Orange County Register | November 14, 2018
Even as she watched a leopard outside her lodge window drag a gazelle up a tree by the neck, Judy Pavlik never felt more at peace. “There’s something about being out in those African savannahs, those vistas, that is very settling –– it really is like you’re returning home,” the 66-year-old Aliso Viejo resident said. “I don’t know who made that up, but it’s true.” Read full story
$15 million for renovations? Maybe $4 million, board says
Orange County Register | July 10, 2018
A $15-million rumor has swept Laguna Woods Village concerning a Golden Rain Foundation-funded project: the renovation of the Performing Arts Center. No, it will not cost $15 million, GRF Secretary and PAC Renovations Ad Hoc Committee member, Joan Milliman, wants you to know. At least not right away. Read full story
Downey’s historic McDonald’s at 65: Memories bitter and sweet shared under the golden arches
Long Beach Press Telegram | August 18, 2018
A billboard in black hangs over Stanley Meston’s mid-century, Googie creation complete with red and white tile-trim and slant roofing hugged by two iconic 30-foot golden arches. It houses the world’s longest-operating McDonald’s, which opened in Downey on Aug. 18, 1953. Year-round in white text, the billboard warns “don’t let history pass you by.” Read full story
Television to return to lounge in Laguna Woods Village after disputes among residents led to its removal
Orange County Register | April 8, 2018
“The TV limit sounds like the residents are being addressed at a kindergarten level,” McIntosh said. “You really need to deal with culprits who make it unpleasant there. You need to post rules. Take away their right (to enjoy the lounge) … not everybody’s.” Read full story
New dog park delayed after contractor abandons project
Orange County Register | November 21, 2018
“A Place for Paws” — Laguna Woods’ dog park relocation project — has been put on pause due to the unexpected withdrawal of awarded contractor, Line Tech Contractors, Inc, City Manager Chris Macon confirmed in an email on Monday, Nov. 19. “It’s an absolute mess,” Cohen said. “It’s very clear the contractor did not fulfill their obligations.” Read full story