Laguna Beach resident Alexander Milinovic pleaded guilty July 13 to three criminal charges for recklessly operating a drone near various aircraft multiple times—including close to a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter mid-flight. The 62-year-old pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft between June 2022 and March 2023, according to a…

An orthopedic surgeon was sentenced on July 14 to 33 months in federal prison for accepting more than $315,000 in bribes and kickbacks for performing spinal surgeries at a now-defunct Long Beach hospital whose owner was imprisoned for committing workers’ compensation insurance fraud. David Payne, 65, of Irvine, was also fined $20,000 and ordered to…

LOS ANGELES—A former Marine from Orange County faces sentencing on July 13 for using hundreds of Twitter accounts to torment a professional online gamer he fixated on during a long-running harassment campaign. Evan Baltierra, 30, of Trabuco Canyon, pleaded guilty last year in Los Angeles to one count of stalking, a crime that carries a…

LOS ANGELES—More high temperatures and dangerously hot conditions are expected on July 13 in Southern California and will last through the weekend. “A prolonged heat wave is expected across the region Thursday through at least this weekend thanks to a sprawling ridge of high pressure,” according to the National Weather Service. “A stubborn marine layer…

LOS ANGELES—More high temperatures and dangerously hot conditions are expected on July 13 in Southern California and will last through the weekend. “A prolonged heat wave is expected across the region Thursday through at least this weekend thanks to a sprawling ridge of high pressure,” according to the National Weather Service. “A stubborn marine layer…

An Orange County Grand Jury published a report (pdf) in June raising concerns about the impact of group homes, including sober living homes, in the Southern California county and recommended cities come together to better regulate the homes. The jurors said cities should develop a model ordinance and pool resources together to defend against potential…

An Orange County Grand Jury published a report (pdf) in June raising concerns about the impact of group homes, including sober living homes, in the Southern California county and recommended cities come together to better regulate the homes. The jurors said cities should develop a model ordinance and pool resources together to defend against potential…

A Marine veteran from Lake Forest, California, died June 27 in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, after a Russian missile hit a restaurant he was frequenting, according to his father. Ian Frank Tortorici, 32, has been fighting for Ukraine since traveling there 15 months ago after the Russian invasion in February 2022. He was on leave from the…

The Orange County Legislature passed a resolution on July 6 to hire Boston-based Applied Geographics to assist in its decennial redistricting process.  Applied Geographics was picked out of four firms by a selection committee based on criteria such as qualifications, experience, timelines, and costs, according to a recent rules committee meeting.  The firm has over…

Festival of Arts Laguna Beach’s two-month-long art festival has begun featuring 140 artists showcasing acrylic and oil paintings, ceramics, jewelry, wood crafts, and much more. Live music and special events are available on weekends. 650 Laguna Canyon Rd., Laguna Beach. July 5–Sept. 1, Monday–Thursday, 4 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., Friday–Sunday, 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m….