Featured Articles from the Coastline Pilot

Laguna Beach police arrested a Riverside man on suspicion of identity theft related to using another person's credit card information to extend a hotel stay. Police took Ronald Jason Adams, 33, into custody. He was also arrested on suspicion of burglary, Sgt. Louise Callus wrote in an email, and  is wanted on three warrants from Riverside police. Police said Adams stayed at the Capri Laguna, 1441 S. Coast Hwy., for eight days beginning May 31, with three room changes. A former guest noticed a problem on his credit card and notified the hotel, Callus said.

If the energy generated by the dancers on the Laguna Playhouse stage Saturday night could have been harnessed, no one in Laguna Beach would ever again have to pay a Southern California Edison bill. To say the audience was electrified by the Complexions Contemporary Ballet's vibrant performance would be a gross understatement. The dancers up the stage, armed only with their talent, relied little on elaborate costumes or sets for effect, and folks were still talking about it days later.

Video camera is returned to its owner Videographer Michael Taylor got his video camera back Tuesday, after it was taken from the hillside where it had been placed to capture time-lapse images of the work after the Bluebird Canyon landslide. Taylor thought the camera might be sold over the Internet, and he was right. But he was surprised when the Internet helped bring the camera back. After losing the $2,000 camera Dec. 15, Taylor put some lenses up for sale online to try to replace the lost equipment.

Surfers of all ages took part in the Laguna Surf and Sport Spring Fever Surfabout last weekend. Seven athletes won division titles at the 11th annual event, which started Saturday and concluded Monday at Thalia Street beach. Below are the top finishes in all divisions: * Girls: 1. Alisa Cairns; 2. Staci Diggins; 3. Marlee Grosher; 4. Maddy Kristensen; 5. Coco Putnam; 6. Dakota Shyres. Elementary: 1. Bobby Gavin; 2. Tre Lockhart; 3. Colton Gregory; 4. Julian Goldberg; 5. Tai Diggins; 6. Sam Nelsen; 7. Kiko Nelsen.

Members of Laguna Beach Girl Scouts Troops No. 238 and No. 2311 collected coats throughout December and January as part of the "One Warm Coat" service project. The girls collected a total of 175 coats, 51 of which went to the Relief and Resource Center of Laguna Beach for those in need. From left, Neika MacDowall, Kaitlyn Waidley, Allie Hastings, Marcella Bechtel, Marina Paul, Kate Rogers, Ciera Crowe, Mary Jo Mancuso of the Soroptimist International of Lake Forest Club, Kelly Fleming, Amanda McCrory, Amie Clay, Victoria O'Connor, Tori Tomo- Krohnfeldt, Katie Fleming, Taylor Kahn and Ashley Andrews.

What if you could float weightlessly in water and relax? That's exactly what Rosanne Ramirez and Jeff Brion want you to do at their new Laguna Beach business, Float Lounge, where customers can pay to float in one of two enclosed saltwater tanks. The facility at 1891 S. Coast Hwy. has been open for about a month. It's the first of its kind in Orange County, according to Ramirez. Float Lounge has two private rooms, each with one enclosed 5-by-9-foot tank that holds 1,000 pounds of Epsom salt and 10 inches of warm filtered water for a person to float in. There are also private showers in the room that use filtered water, and all of Float Lounge's products are organic, Ramirez said.

Neighbors gathered in Arch Beach Heights Thursday morning, questioning the suspected murder-suicide deaths of their neighbors. A resident called police at 5:29 p.m. Wednesday, reporting that a married couple had been shot to death inside their home at 835 La Mirada St. Laguna Beach police suspect Mike Brown shot and killed his wife, Mendy, their dog and then himself. Edgar Alvarez, who lives across the street, heard shrieking Wednesday night. His neighbor June Trudson, the 911 caller, ran to his door overwhelmed after discovering the news.

The field is set for Saturday's Men's Laguna Open beach volleyball tournament. The 58th annual event, billed as the second-oldest tournament in the U.S., features 24 two-man teams that will contend for $2,000 in cash and prizes including the tournament title. Match action begins at 9 a.m. at Main Beach and runs throughout the day. "The field is very strong this year," said Kirk Morgan who is the tournament director for California Beach Volleyball Assn. for the city of Laguna Beach.

Auri Inc., an upscale shoemaker once touted as one of America's most promising companies by Forbes, has shuttered its line of shoes to focus on licensing its technology to established luxury footwear brands. The company closed its North Laguna showroom and headquarters earlier this year as part of the move. "The costs associated with being a footwear brand are exorbitant," said founder Ori Rosenbaum. "It's overwhelming. " Rosenbaum, a Laguna Beach resident, cited the high costs associated with trade shows, samples, marketing materials, factories, inventory and being a public company.

Desmond Richardson plans to trek nearly 3,000 miles next week to be in Laguna Beach. Again. The New York resident will board a flight to Orange County on Thursday - something he has done several times over the years. It has made him a familiar face at the Laguna Dance Festival. This year, Richardson plans to take in the "fantastic weather" as the guest of honor at the festival's annual fundraiser, "Visual Immersion," on June 20. The playbill for the upcoming event describes the Tony Award-nominee as a choreographer, dancer, and co-founder and artistic director of Complexions Contemporary Ballet Co. He laughed and added singer-songwriter, actor and visual artist to the mix. Dance occupies a special place in his life, though, he admitted.

From musicals to drama to standup comedy, the upcoming season at the Laguna Playhouse was chosen to satisfy the taste of Laguna's theatergoers. The 2013-14 season was announced Wednesday evening at a reception at the Hotel Laguna for enthusiastic Playhouse patrons, who were treated to a surprise appearance by Davis Gaines, who will star with Vicki Lewis in the season opener, "I Do! I Do!" Gaines and his accompanist, Bob Hawkins, were introduced by Playhouse Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham, who cohosted the reception with Executive Director Karen Wood.

When Lagunan John Benecke was invited for a drink with a fellow Philharmonic Society of Orange County board member, designing a room for the House of Design was not on his mind. "Am I in trouble?" Benecke told of his reaction to the invitation. "[The board member] thought I could [decorate] one of the rooms in the House of Design. I couldn't say no. " Benecke, who owns a Laguna Beach-based interior design firm focusing on home renovations and room design, was one of 12 designers from Los Angeles and Orange counties pegged to transform the 7,100-square-foot Coto de Caza home into the society's annual House of Design.

When Sydney Haik takes the stage to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Main Beach on Saturday, she may not look like a veteran performer. But, of course, appearances can deceive. Sydney, who will turn 8 in October, is the youngest performer at this year's Fête de la Musique, an event hosted every year by the Laguna Beach Sister Cities Assn. She'll help open the festivities by singing the national anthem at 1 p.m. Stage nerves probably won't be a problem - the San Juan Capistrano resident has already appeared in "Annie," "Seussical" and other youth-theater productions.

The City Council went on record with its opposition of a proposed ban on fire pits on Orange County beaches. A letter will be sent to the Air Quality Management District suggesting that the fire pits should be left up to local governments. The letter came in response to a request from resident and local businessman Billy Fried, who asked the council to take action before the AQMD votes on the proposed ban. "It is specious to say (the ban) is a deterrent to air quality in light of other issues," said Fried, who writes a column for the Coastline Pilot.