Aliso Viejo

Three impressive wins has catapulted the Laguna Beach Little League 9-year-old All-Star tournament team into the driver's seat of the District 55 All-Star Tournament. Laguna took a spot in Saturday's championship game by rallying from an eight-run deficit Tuesday to roll past Newport Beach National, 26-16, at Woodfield Park in Aliso Viejo. "Our kids were not at their best but showed real heart in coming back from an early eight-run deficit," Laguna Manager Taylor Pillsbury said.

Cody Day sat at the round table Tuesday night at the Lumberyard restaurant, surrounded by his friends. The 14-year-old Laguna Beach resident isn’t too different from other teenagers. He has been interested in skateboarding, as well as boogie boarding. But nowadays, it’s the simple things that he enjoys most, like being around people he loves. He walks tenderly but without the use of a cane, and his hair is just growing back. On this night, these are the only noticeable signs that, for nearly five years now, Cody has been in a fight with cancer.

A grand jury has indicted 11 suspects — including nine alleged members of a San Diego criminal street gang — in a crime spree involving the armed robbery of a Laguna Beach jewelry store, in addition to alleged identity theft and street terrorism. Law enforcement officials claim that, while retrieving a vehicle impounded by Laguna Beach Police after a pursuit of the armed robbery suspects, members of the gang stole mail from Laguna Beach mailboxes. Most of the stolen property has not been recovered.

An Orange County grand jury has indicted 11 suspects — including nine alleged members of a San Diego criminal street gang — in a crime spree involving the armed robbery of two jewelry stores, including one in Laguna Beach, in addition to alleged identity theft, and street terrorism. Law enforcement officials allege that, while retrieving a vehicle impounded by Laguna Beach Police after a pursuit of the armed robbery suspects, members of the gang stole mail from Laguna Beach mailboxes.

EDITOR?S NOTE: The following letter was addressed to the Laguna Beach Board of Education. It was with complete disbelief followed by great chagrin and embarrassment that I heard the news at the community pool this morning. ?No,? I said, ?I can?t believe that children in LBUSD were prevented from hearing the president?s speech in school.? As one older woman present in the Aqua Fit group stated, ?This is about civility and respect and should not have been politicized.

An armed trio cleaned out Baca Jewelry store on Forest Avenue Tuesday evening, making off with an estimated $600,000 in jewelry. Laguna Beach Police chased the suspects in a white Ford Fusion to a shopping center in Aliso Viejo, where the suspects exited the car and escaped, eluding an intensive police search of the area, said Lt. Jason Kravetz. They were spotted by one witness climbing a hill into a residential neighborhood above the Aliso Creek Road shopping center, behind an Edwards Cinema.

Flipping a coin might be easier than picking who would win a game between the Laguna Beach Water Polo club and Newport this year. The 12-and-under girls’ water polo teams have developed quite a friendly rivalry. And, when Newport beat Laguna midway through the S&R Sport Junior Olympics, it made the path to a gold medal that much tougher for the locals. In the biggest game of the club season, though, it was the Laguna girls’ time to shine. Fourth-seeded Laguna put it all together Sunday, defeating its top-seeded rivals up the coast, 4-2, in the Platinum Division championship match at Stanford University.

ALISO VIEJO ? Jeff Sears was at Woodfield Park, watching what could be future additions to his Laguna Beach High baseball team play in Little League All-Stars action. And, although the results were not in Laguna Beach Little League?s favor, Sears had to be proud of the effort shown on the diamond. Cary Redfearn was, even after the manager watched his Laguna Beach Little League Junior All-Stars go two-and-out at the District 55 Tournament after falling to Irvine, 12-2, in five innings Monday night.

ALISO VIEJO ? The Laguna Beach Little League 10/11 All-Star team is nothing if not resilient. So, after a top of the sixth inning that seemed to go on forever, the team was still going to go down swinging. Michael Shurtleff and Dane Olson scored in the bottom of the sixth inning, but these were just footnotes in a 28-3 Aliso Viejo victory in the second round of the District 55 All-Star Tournament winner?s bracket Wednesday night at Woodfield Park. Laguna Beach is dropped to the consolation bracket, where it will have an elimination game Monday at 6 p.m., also at Woodfield Park.