Coast Highway

A natural burger joint is still coming to Laguna Beach this spring, but with a new name. Originally to be named Urbun Natural Burger, owner and operator David Mainiero, 23, said the restaurant will now be called BurgerFi. It will occupy the former Kentucky Fried Chicken location at 695 S. Coast Hwy. Mainiero's father is a partner in BurgerFi, which has three restaurants in Florida and has plans to open others in Texas, Ohio, Connecticut and the Carolinas. Laguna Beach will be its first West Coast foray.

A Covina man was arrested on suspicion of DUI after allegedly driving off the road Friday night. It was the second DUI arrest in 10 years for Donald Francis Brown, 59. A person reported a suspicious car driving on its axle near Fourth Avenue and Coast Highway at 9:42 p.m. Friday. They reported that wood was embedded in the right corner of the windshield, there was damage to the front fender and hood, and the right side mirror was taken off. They also reported seeing a tire in the northbound lane of Coast Highway near 7-11.

Now Laguna Beach foodies don't have to travel far up Coast Highway for a taste of Umami Burger — the Los Angeles-based burger restaurant is coming to town. The restaurant plans to open a location at 610 N. Coast Hwy. in January, CEO and founder Adam Fleischman said. Fleischman, who has a background in wine, applied his adoration for subtle flavors with his menu, which is focused on "umami," a Japanese word for the "fifth taste. " "When I was trying to exit the wine business I was looking for something else to do," he said.

There is an underbelly to Laguna Beach, disconnected from the glitz and grazing plates of Coast Highway. Unlike downtown, it's a place that doesn't pose or preen or gossip. It's Laguna Canyon, filled with rusting trucks and welding tools; oil and grit and mountain bikes; bobcats, rattlesnakes and stray dogs. It's an ancient, two-sided natural corridor: One side of the street is undeveloped with scrappy open space; the other is off-kilter, unbalanced, like a driver's side sunburn on one arm. Speckled like an exotic fruit, you want to experience it because you consider yourself adventurous and cosmopolitan, but you're also a little afraid.

A male pedestrian was hit by a car at the corner of Coast Highway and Aster Street late Thursday night. Police report that an Illinois man was arguing with his girlfriend at 9:51 p.m. During the altercation he told her she was leaving and ran across Coast Highway when traffic was not at a stop. He was hit by a vehicle traveling south and was thrown into the air. He landed on the hood of a car traveling the opposite direction in the left turn lane. He seriously injured his left arm, had a laceration on his head and was scraped up. Police report that he is expected to fully recover.

Kentucky Fried Chicken at 695 S. Coast Hwy. closed its doors last week. A paper sign in the window says "Sorry, moved to Corona del Mar. 2929 E. Coast Hwy. " Another location at 2900 Harbor Blvd. in Costa Mesa closed this week. Calls to the restaurant went unanswered Friday. KFC is across the street from Mosun Sushi & Sake / Club M, which also abruptly closed last month. * Coffee shop swap Passersby may have noticed the new paint on the space that was once occupied by Java T Go at 980 N. Coast Hwy. The drive-thru coffee stand is no longer in service but has a fresh coat of paint.

Emerald Bay residents opposed to the installation of a traffic signal at the main entrance of the gated community went home happy Tuesday night. The City Council declined to support the installation of the signal that would make it easier for drivers to turn left onto South Coast Highway, as proposed by the Emerald Bay Special District Board of Directors. "Maybe there should not be left turns at all," Councilman Kelly Boyd said. "I think this affects the city's local coastal plan, and I think we have the right to appeal this to the California Coastal Commission.

These injury accidents occurred on or about the Fourth of July weekend: On July 2, a bicyclist fell while riding the unimproved Moulton Meadows connector trail at Top of the World and required an air rescue. Unrelated to the bicyclist, an Edison truck driver mistook this same trail as a shortcut to Arch Beach Heights and plowed his vehicle into a ravine. This connector is the same trail the city has been considering for capital improvement for more than two years. On July 4, a 17-year-old pedestrian was clipped by a suspected drunk driver on Coast Highway.

The northbound lanes of Coast Highway, south of El Morro Elementary School in Laguna Beach, were closed for about six hours Tuesday as a road crew worked to stabilize a slope above the highway, which had fractured through erosion, according to Caltrans officials. The lanes were reopened at 3 p.m. but the No. 2 northbound lane was closed again on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., to allow workers to remove embankment material, according to Gloria Roberts, a spokeswoman for Caltrans' District 12 office in Irvine.

Note: Wildfire season is here. Fires of any kind are prohibited in wilderness areas. Please report any suspicious activity to park rangers. Sunscreen, sturdy shoes and water are wilderness essentials, along with any medications you require. Wilderness areas may be closed during periods of extreme fire danger. Call (949) 923-2235 or visit websites for current conditions. CRYSTAL COVE STATE PARK Crystal Cove State Park, 8471 N. Coast Hwy, has 3.5 miles of beach and 2,000 acres of undeveloped woodland.