Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach police arrested a woman on suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle Friday and recognized her from a pursuit late last year, authorities said. Officers spotted Michele Lynn Frazier, 28, of Laguna Beach, at 11:30 a.m. driving a stolen 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser in downtown Laguna, according to police, who then followed the vehicle to a less populated area and conducted a traffic stop on Laguna Canyon Road near the 73 Toll Road. Frazier complied with officers' instructions and was arrested on suspicion of auto theft and driving without a license, as well as for a $26,000 warrant for grand theft in Los Angeles and a warrant for violating probation.

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.

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.

The Laguna Beach 14-and-Under Girls' Water Polo team took the gold medal in the 10th annual Turbo Orange County Cup at Dana Hills High last weekend. Laguna opened the tournament on Saturday with a 10-6 win over Corona del Mar. Laguna followed up with a competitive, 11-6 victory against United. The game was tied 4-4 at the half, but Laguna pulled away in the second half to secure a spot in Sunday's semifinals. Laguna played a depleted Rose Bowl team Sunday morning and rolled to a 20-6 victory to advance to the finals against Saddleback El Toro (SET)

Laguna's financial future may not be entirely rosy, but the picture is less thorny for the next two fiscal years then in the deeply rooted recession of the mid-2000s. Running the city is costing more and is escalating, but the local economy is beginning to recover and revenue is up, according to City Manager John Pietig. Residents will have an opportunity to comment on the proposed 2013-14 and 2014-15 budget at a workshop set for 3 p.m. Tuesday. "Property, sales and bed taxes have experienced some recovery this past year and we are expecting moderate growth over the next couple of years," Pietig said.

Katsuya by Starck, a Japanese restaurant along Coast Highway, closed following Monday's dinner service. A receptionist confirmed the news midday Monday. "While the restaurant enjoyed nearly two years of success in the community, sbe is pursuing a new Orange County location for the brand," according to a statement from sbe Entertainment Group, which Katsuya is a part of. "Despite the closure, sbe remains committed to the Laguna Beach community through its partnership in the Umami Burger property as well as its desire to find future Laguna Beach locations for its hotel, restaurant and nightlife brands," the statement read.

A small earthquake struck the Laguna Beach area Tuesday morning. The 2.0 temblor struck about a mile off the Laguna coast at 8:04 a.m. There were no reports of damage or injuries. The quake was about 46 miles south of downtown L.A. and 12 miles from Irvine. The U.S. Geological Survey website did not have any data about whether the quake was felt on land. A USGS map placed the quake in the south Laguna area between Laguna Beach proper and Dana Point, parallel with Woods Cove.

Counterfeit accessories valued at nearly $400,000 were seized by Laguna Beach police Thursday. Police arrived at Cobbler's Corner at 985 S. Coast Hwy. with a search warrant and confiscated more than 100 counterfeit purses, hats and accessories valued at $100,000, Lt. Jason Kravetz said in a press release. While police were inside the store, one of the suppliers of the handbags came to the business. Police detained and her interviewed her. She cooperated with detectives and they went to her South Laguna home where they discovered several hundred counterfeit items with a value of more than $260,000.

A few sky-gazers say that UFOs may have entered the nighttime sky near Laguna Beach on Thursday night. According to the website UFO Stalker, a few people reported seeing "glowing red lights" at about 9 p.m. A person reported that they were on the outside deck of their North Laguna Beach home when they noticed six or seven "bright, glowing red lights in the sky. " The lights apparently moved side to side as they moved forward, which the...

The Laguna Beach girls' fifth/sixth grade team ran its record to 4-1 Saturday and got back on the winning track by defeating Capo Dana, 26-14, in National Junior Basketball action at Thurston Middle School in Laguna Beach. Laguna earned the win after pulling away from an 11-10 halftime lead. Its defensive effort, sparked by Molly Cohn, allowed Capo Valley just four second-half points. Laguna was led in scoring by Sophia Lucas with 17 points and Taylor Glenn scored five points.

A rough first inning Tuesday led to an unexpected playoff exit for the Laguna Beach High baseball team. The Breakers saw one of the best seasons in program history come to a halt in Riverside, as La Sierra, which scored early, and a lot, took a 12-2 second-round win in the CIF Southern Section Division 4 playoffs. The Eagles erupted for eight runs in the bottom of the first inning, and Laguna never recovered. They scored four more runs in the fifth to extend their lead to 12-1.

The Laguna Beach-based Passport to the Arts team, which provides a summer pass to the city's art institutions, recently announced that the 2013 offering is on sale. At $21.50, the package, provided in collaboration with the Laguna Beach Visitors & Conference Bureau, allows unlimited entry to Art-A-Fair, Festival of the Arts and Sawdust Art Festival, which last from June 28 through Sept. 1. Passport holders can also take advantage of discounts from local stores, hotels and restaurants, along with a one-time free parking allowance at the Act V lot, 1900 Laguna Canyon Road.

LAGUNA BEACH - Mike Bair asked his Laguna Beach High baseball team to reach down deep in the final inning of Friday's CIF Southern Section Division 4 playoff opener. "It was about having faith, reaching down and finding it in your heart, and keeping that faith in your mind," he said, explaining what he told his Breakers during a team huddle outside the Laguna dugout, as the Breakers prepared to take their final at-bat against Victorville Victor Valley. The Breakers, it turns out, thrive on these last at-bats against the Jackrabbits.

Laguna Beach High athletes turned in both record and personal-best times Saturday at the CIF Southern Section Track and Field Division 4 finals at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut. Coco Putnam set a new school-record time in the girls' 300-meter hurdles with a time of 46.22 seconds. The freshman placed sixth, overall, in the event. The girls' 4x400 relay team, Janie Crawford, Putnam, sophomore Natalie Kimball and junior Brielle Budroe, finished fifth with a time of 4:00.60 which Coach Steve Lalim said was the second-fastest time in program history and less than one second off the school record.

USA Water Polo Women's Senior National Team Head Coach Adam Krikorian announced Wednesday the roster for the 2013 FINA World League Super Final. The 15 athletes include Annika Dries of Laguna Beach. Dries is among eight returners from the U.S. team that won gold at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. The team will travel to Beijing, China to compete in the FINA World League Super Final which runs June 1-6. Team USA has won the gold medal at the previous four FINA World League Super Finals.

A bicyclist suffered a concussion after colliding with a BMW on Temple Hills Drive on Sunday, Laguna Beach police said. The incident occurred at 6:45 p.m. in the 2400 block when the cyclist, a 64-year-old Laguna Beach man, hit a BMW making a U-turn, police said. The cyclist also suffered abrasions from the crash, according to firefighters. The man was hospitalized at Mission Hospital Mission Viejo. Police did not have further information on the bicyclist's condition Tuesday.

A Laguna Beach resident is footing the bill for a crew to destroy an abandoned boathouse on his beachfront property south of Thousand Steps Beach, according to architectural consultant Morris Skenderian. "He loves the property and wanted to restore and rehabilitate it," said Skenderian, who estimated property owner Gary Groves paid $400,000 to demolish the 2,000-square-foot structure. "He wanted to give the beach back to the public," Skenderian said. "We had neighbors complaining about it for years.

It was a summer-like day at Main Beach on Saturday with tourists filling the boardwalk, children enjoying the playground and a group of hardened homeless men passing around a pipe. Welcome to the visible underbelly of Laguna Beach. This scene is not new: blatant drug use, bottles of pills left in the open, loud cursing, fights, littering, loitering, intimidation. These issues are not the result of the recently homeless hoping to turn their lives around, or trying to make it into the Friendship Shelter and get a job. These are the chronically homeless, the severely mentally ill, the long-term addicts or those who simply don't care.

Laguna Beach police arrested a homeless man on suspicion of assaulting a 71-year-old woman in a wheelchair, according to authorities. Ronald David McGrane, 44, a resident of Laguna Beach's Alternative Sleeping Location, was booked on suspicion of felony assault causing great bodily injury and felony elder abuse, Sgt. Louise Callus wrote in an email. The incident occurred at 6:08 a.m. Sunday inside the P.O. Box area of the post office at 350 Forest Ave., Callus said. The woman called police saying a man attacked her and officers found her bloodied on the ground next to her wheelchair, Callus said.

Laguna Beach police arrested a woman on suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle Friday and recognized her from a pursuit late last year, authorities said. Officers spotted Michele Lynn Frazier, 28, of Laguna Beach, at 11:30 a.m. driving a stolen 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser in downtown Laguna, according to police, who then followed the vehicle to a less populated area and conducted a traffic stop on Laguna Canyon Road near the 73 Toll Road. Frazier complied with officers' instructions and was arrested on suspicion of auto theft and driving without a license, as well as for a $26,000 warrant for grand theft in Los Angeles and a warrant for violating probation.