Laguna Beach

A lifelong resident of Laguna Beach, CA, he graduated from LBHS and CSULB. Bill passed peacefully at home due to complications from stroke and is preceded in death by his parents William & Margaret and brothers Robert & Jamie. Bill is survived by his wife Patricia, son Gavin, daughter Carla, son-in-law Deron & granddaughter Emily Grace.

Laguna Beach High was the site Monday of the Orange Coast League track and field preliminaries, and several Breakers gave strong performances on their home track to advance to league finals. The league finals were held Thursday at Guyer Field. Finals results weren't available at press time. The top eight finishers in sprint events, and the top 12 finishers in distance events, advanced to Thursday's finals. Seniors Drake Martinez (100-, 200-meter dash), who Laguna boys' coach Scott Wittkop said "ran great," and Spencer Anderson (110, 300 hurdles)

Moulton Meadows Park in Arch Beach Heights could serve as a good location for a skate park, according to a City Council subcommittee. Mayor Kelly Boyd and Councilman Steve Dicterow propose a 9,000 to 12,000 square foot skate park next to the existing soccer field and basketball and tennis courts. Boyd and Dicterow selected Moulton Meadows for its location and size, Boyd said. A community meeting to gain residents' input will take place near the basketball courts at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

The following is from the April 23 City Council meeting. All council members were present. * PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS The public is allowed to speak on any subject not on the agenda. Speakers generally are limited to three minutes, but the time can be adjusted by the council. •Billy Fried of La Vida Laguna pronounced the Earth Day Kelp Fest on April 20 the "perfect intersection of art and activism. " Fried, a Coastline Pilot columnist and ardent supporter of bicycling for recreation and transportation, reported that he and several residents attended the Arts Commission meeting on April 22, to request that the commission allow artists to build beautiful sculptural bike racks.

Thomas Jefferson Kitts is inspired by nature. Also, given a choice, he prefers not to rely on memories, photographs or drawings. The result? A prolific 30-year career as a plein air painter. An avid follower of John Singer Sargent, Joaquín Sorolla and Anders Zorn, the Portland resident is driven by the challenges posed by this style of painting. He stands in agreement with Paul Cézanne's words: "Nature is the best instructor. " "It simply comes down to the fact that the world is more complex a place than anything I can make up in my head - I become lost in it as I paint," said Kitts, 52. "It's the closest I can come to God. " Kitts is one of 40 plein air painters who donated original work to the Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn.

Residents urged Arts Commission members to consider sprucing up the look and feel of Laguna Beach's bicycle racks at the commission's regular meeting April 22. Seven locals, all members from community groups such as the Complete Streets Task Force and Transition Laguna, spoke during the meeting. Art Wahl has lived in Laguna Beach for 50 years and rides his bike around town. "Bike racks can be ugly," Wahl said. "But done with a certain flair by local artists, [artistic bike racks]

Years ago, doubles tennis stars Roxanne and Sierra Ellison started taking messages of encouragement with them into their matches. They'd glance at their wrists and see something like "You can do this" in Sharpie pen. "We've always written things on our hand when we were on the court," Sierra said. It was their way of encouraging themselves and each other, and at the first ever Healthy Girl Festival in Laguna Beach over the weekend, they decided to share that encouragement with hundreds of attendees.

The Laguna Beach High baseball team prides itself on finishing strong. It's what the Breakers needed Tuesday night in a key Orange Coast League showdown. The Breakers did come up with such an effort against Calvary Chapel at Windrow Park in Irvine. They overcame a pair of two-run deficits and by finishing fast late, pulled out a 5-3 victory at Ryan Lemmon Stadium. The win was critical on a few fronts, mainly, that it kept Laguna alone atop the league standings. They now have a two-game edge on Calvary Chapel with five league contests remaining.

It wasn't easy, but the Laguna Beach High boys' volleyball team was able to earn a share of the Orange Coast League championship Tuesday. The Breakers repeated as OCL champs by virtue of a 26-24, 25-22, 25-19 victory over host Calvary Chapel. The win gave the Breakers a three-match lead on the Eagles with two league matches remaining. Laguna, ranked No. 2 in CIF Southern Section Division 2, is now 8-0 in league and 15-7 overall. Calvary Chapel pushed Laguna to the limit in the first two sets Tuesday.

As Susana Cruciana strolls down Second Street, she recounts details of a past Laguna. "There was a roller skating rink on the corner," said Cruciana, 63. Then she turns slightly and points to another site where sits a pale green, two-story Laguna Beach house that she first set foot in in 1957. Cruciana, with her impeccably brushed short black hair with dark red highlights, and donning a bright pink scarf, stood at the base of the steps leading up to the door of 407 Mermaid St. She points out the Acacia trees and jade plants her mother planted.