Featured Articles from the Coastline Pilot

Grapes of Grad is Laguna's largest annual wine tasting. This year's was the biggest ever. The event, which was held this past Sunday, was hosted by the Rotary Club of Laguna Beach at Tivoli Too. "We had more wineries, we had more food and we had way more people," said Steve Dotoratos , co-chair of Grapes for Grad along with Jeff Redeker . That translates to more financial support for scholarships for Laguna Beach High School...

The image of Abe Lincoln stared out blankly at pedestrians on the sidewalk from a glass case by the art gallery's entrance. From a distance, the portrait of the slain president resembled a bed of raised nailheads. A closer inspection revealed that the bottoms of bullet casings formed the contours and shades of his bearded visage. The likeness of Lincoln, by artist David S. Palmer, greeted visitors walking into the Lu Martin Galleries in Laguna Beach on the night of this month's First Thursdays Art Walk.

City officials are conflicted about a request to support a traffic signal at Emerald Bay's main gate and its effect on North Coast Highway traffic. The City Council voted Tuesday to hire a traffic consultant to determine whether the signal Emerald Bay officials insist is needed for safe ingress and egress to the unincorporated gated community will be a boon or a bomb for Laguna Beach drivers. "We are being asked to decide an issue that affects our community differently than their community," said Mayor Jane Egly, who served with Councilman Kelly Boyd on the subcommittee that met with city staff and Emerald Bay representatives.

LPAPA welcomes new board members The Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. has welcomed plein air colorist Camille Przewodek and art historian Jean Stern to their board of directors. Przewodek, whose work invokes that of Claude Monet, has been a guest artist with the Plein Air Painters of America and is included in the book, "Enchanted Isle: A History of Plein Air Painting in Santa Catalina Island. " A signature member of the Laguna Plein Air Painters, Oil Painters of America, and the American Impressionist Society, she is also an artist member of the California Art Club.

The Laguna Beach boys' soccer team couldn't have asked for a better beginning in the 2011 Orange Coast League season. The Breakers went on the road to face Estancia and came up with a big defensive effort and just enough scoring to come away with a 1-0 victory. Reece Barton scored the only goal of the game, as shot found the bottom corner of the net in the first half. The score was set up by Sam Stinnett. "Opening up with an away game at Estancia was always going to be tough and to come away with the victory shows just how far this team has come," Laguna Coach Dan Richards said.

Tom Lamb could never have taken his pictures of a changing patch of Orange County at ground level. From his vantage point riding in helicopters airborne and tilted at varying angles above the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station and surrounding areas - and through his lens and artistically trained eye - the Laguna Beach photographer gives the viewer an entirely different way of seeing the land. Lamb framed his photographs in a way that deliberately takes them out of context.

Novelist Andrew Winer credits his failure as an artist with inspiring his new novel. "'The Marriage Artist's' contemporary storyline originated, in part, from failure: my failure to make it as an artist in New York," Winer wrote in an online biography. "For roughly five years, through various series of figurative art, I had pursued one question that in many ways I'm still asking as a writer: can one create contemporary works that speak to our time while still casting a light in whose shadows one may catch brief glimpses, almost as if by accident, of beauty and timelessness?"

A new coffee and yogurt bar that caters to health nuts recently opened in Laguna Beach. Located at 1006 S. Coast Hwy. in the old Video Works building, Active Culture Yogurt and Health Bar is the first in town to offer USDA-certified frozen yogurt, smoothies and shakes, an owner said. "We wanted to promote a clean, active lifestyle and saw a need for it in this health-oriented community," said Faye Clapp, who co-owns the bar with her sister-in-law and fellow Laguna resident Jennifer Clapp.

Transformation of a South Laguna mansion into the 2012 Philharmonic House of Design will begin this month, culminating in a monthlong showcase this spring for top designers that will raise thousands for youth music education. The Planning Commission on Wednesday approved the application for a permit for the use of the 11,333 square-foot home at 31401 Mar Vista for the annual Philharmonic Society of Orange County's major fundraiser, expected to bring in about $250,000. Opponents have two weeks to appeal the approval, which will be considered.

Joseph Thomas Adams Tristen Michael Carter Adamson Laura Lynn Altdorffer Kellie Kathleen Ammerman Thomas Richard Fogerty Anderson Amanda Scudder Armistead Ryah Sky Arthur Michael Warren Austin II Lisa M. Avila Shauna Luxmi Badheka Jed Cameron Ball Jonathan David Begay Scott Steven Bernhardt Claire Denise Bevacqua Aman R. Bhatia Katharine Lucianna Bing-Borella Patrick James...

A rift in the Esslinger family has cast a shadow on the future of Laguna Terrace Park. Paul "Duke" Esslinger is suing his son Stephen, daughter-in-law Amy, Laguna Terrace Park LLC, the Esslinger Family Limited Partnership and Does 1-1000. Plaintiff Paul Esslinger is accusing the defendants of elder abuse, breach of fiduciary duties and fraud, among other charges related to the management of the partnership established in 1997 after family members settled a lawsuit involving the family trust created by the plaintiff's parents in the 1970s.

A haven for the homeless is planned to open by November in Laguna Canyon, offering shelter from winter’s chilly temperatures and rain — away from the city’s parks and beaches. The City Council unanimously approved Tuesday a temporary nighttime shelter accommodating about 50 people at the ACT V parking lot, to be operated by the city in collaboration with three organizations experienced in working with the homeless. Enforcement of state laws banning camping or lodging on public property is expected to begin as soon as the shelter is open, with preparation of a city ordinance prohibiting camping in areas not designated for such use to follow.

Drama instructor Mark Dressler was named Teacher of the Year for 2010-11, and honored recently at the annual Laguna Beach Unified School District Welcome Back breakfast. Dressler teaches at Thurston Middle School and Laguna Beach High School, Dressler has directed young theater students at Laguna's schools since 1990, and he and his team have won numerous awards for their performances of musicals such as "Beauty and the Beast," "Bye Bye Birdie," "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Oklahoma.

Peter Bastone, president and chief executive of Mission Hospital, has announced his resignation after more than a decade with the St. Joseph Health System. He will leave Mission Hospital, which has locations in Laguna Beach and Mission Viejo, on June 30 for other opportunities. "It is with mixed emotions that I announce my plan to resign," Bastone said in a statement. "With many of my personal and professional goals for Mission Hospital accomplished, I am excited about moving on to explore new challenges.