Laguna Niguel

Angel Stadium of Anaheim welcomed local Boy Scouts on Sept. 23, including two from Laguna Niguel who served as part of the Color Guard for the night. Eagle Scout Ryan Pugh, 16, from Troop 772 and Venturer Elaine Haralson, 19, from Venture Crew 265 joined other Scouts from around Orange County who were chosen to serve as bat boy, throw out the first pitch and say the sacred words: "Play ball!" The Angels played the Oakland A's. —Kelly Parker

South Orange County has a new option when it comes to giving homes a much-needed sprucing up. Fresh Coat Painters of Laguna Niguel has expanded its California operations, and its new franchise will serve the communities of Laguna Niguel, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, San Clemente and more. The business will be run by Jennifer Elliott, who said opening a painting business was "right up my alley," according to a news release. "… I dabbled in real estate and home staging," Elliot said in a statement.

The city of Laguna Niguel has appointed a new finance director and city treasurer. Stephen Erlandson, accounting and licensing manager for Redondo Beach for the last five years, will now have the task of overseeing Laguna Niguel's $41-million budget and a department budget of $931,000. Erlandson has more than 10 years experience and a bachelor's degree and master's degree in business administration and accounting from Cal State Fullerton. Cheryl Das previously held the position, but left the city in June to work for the city of Mission Viejo as director of administrative services.

Spike's Fish House, a "fast-casual" eatery, has opened in Laguna Niguel. The restaurant, at 27020 Alicia Parkway No. D, serves a variety of fresh fish, beer and wine, according to a news release. Also, Spike's puts its fish on display and customers can see their meal being grilled from the open display kitchen. Some of Spike's popular fish choices include wild salmon, snapper, yellowtail, swordfish and mahi-mahi. "Spike's is a very simple concept: a great selection of fish that's simply grilled for every order.

LAGUNA NIGUEL — Orange County Sheriff's investigators have detained a man seen near the spot where a man's dead body was found inside a pickup truck parked in a Laguna Niguel neighborhood. Deputies responded to a report of the man found dead in the vehicle about 1:40 p.m. Monday in the 27000 block of Avenida Armijo. They found the man inside a white Dodge Ram pickup. Residents of the neighborhood said the 35-year-old man lived in a home across the street from the spot he was found dead.

Laguna Niguel resident Cheri McFarland is one of the 150-word life stories being considered for an upcoming issue of Reader's Digest magazine, according to a news release. She is currently a top 100 public vote contender. Her story, "Badge of Hope," focuses on battling cancer at a treatment center in Mexico. The project "Your Life...The Reader's Digest Version" celebrates the launch of the new book, "Life... The Reader's Digest Version," which is also the first of a new series.

Laguna Niguel residents are content with where they live, according to survey results. When asked about overall quality of life, 95% of residents responded that it was excellent or good. True North Research President Timothy McLarney presented his findings from the Resident Satisfaction Survey to the City Council at Tuesday's meeting and noted they were some of the best he had ever seen. The telephone poll lasted about 20 minutes and included 400 registered voters chosen at random.

The Beach Pit BBQ in Laguna Niguel has announced that it's closing its doors after more than year. "We are closing the Beach Pit BBQ Laguna Niguel because our concept didn't work up there," owner Tim DeCinces said in a statement. "We wanted to create more of an express type model in a smaller footprint that was just about the food. Unfortunately, when we first opened the food wasn't that great and we had a hard time getting the process right. " DeCinces said that the local arrival of Chipotle and Five Guys Burgers & Fries made it more difficult for the concept to be successful, and company has decided to leave the area.

Laguna Niguel will soon be the location of Fresh & Easy Express, a new concept by the grocery store. Brendan Wonnacott, spokesperson for Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, said there is no time frame yet and he could not confirm an opening date. However, he said that Laguna Niguel will be one of the first cities to debut the new store. "We'd like to get it opened as quickly as possible," he said. The express store is a smaller concept that the company is trying at five Southern California locations, three in Los Angeles and another in Seal Beach.

Laguna Niguel is set to take the only remaining medical marijuana dispensary in the city to court early next year. City Manager Tim Casey said the city has filed a lawsuit against Suite A basically to request that the courts close the business because the city believes it violates city zoning code. Suite A, on the corner of Crown Valley Parkway and Niguel Road, has been fighting the city's demand to shut down since early May, when the City Council unanimously voted to ban medical marijuana dispensaries in Laguna Niguel.

Synonymous with art festivals and stunning beaches, Laguna Beach became the subject of unexpected attention in the fall, when a downtown rug store manager found himself accused of sexually assaulting women. The charges against Saeid Boustanabadi Maralan raised concerns about how a registered sex offender could go about his business - some of his alleged crimes took place in the Sirous & Sons Rug Gallery at 222 Ocean Ave. - in such a closely knit commercial and residential village.

The following is from the Feb. 7 Laguna Niguel City Council meeting. * SDG&E vows to remove 42 poles Duane Cave, San Diego Gas & Electric senior project manager in external affairs, unveiled a $20-million project to the council, which would include the removal of 42 power poles and re-route both power lines underground in the city. Only two poles would remain. Cave said the city has had problems with erosion and slippage, since the transmission line runs through three canyons, forcing poles to be taken down and installed in locations further from slopes.

Laguna Niguel city staff must decide whether three council members have conflicts of interest when it comes to passing a state-mandated ordinance. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is required by state law to identify "Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones" in every city, City Manager Tim Casey said Wednesday. Then the city has 120 days to recommend and approve an ordinance adopting the zone. This month marks the 120-day deadline. At Tuesday's City Council meeting, council members Gary Capata, Linda Lindholm and Joe Brown noted that they live in the affected zone, which is in the western edge of the city, adjacent to the Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, South Laguna Beach and part of Dana Point.

Fugitive rocker arrested while touring with band Police arrested a fugitive wanted in Connecticut last week when he and his touring blues band stopped for a gig in Laguna Niguel. Johnny Vibrato - whose real name is John McNally, 49 - eluded law enforcement for two years while touring with the band he sings and plays guitar for, the Razorbacks. Connecticut prosecutors charged McNally in 2010 with multiple counts of sexual assault and injury on a minor. Tustin police found McNally in Laguna Niguel after Connecticut state police informed them his band might be somewhere in Southern California.

When one hears Gavyn Bailey's voice, it's hard to believe that the 13-year-old from Laguna Niguel doesn't have a recording contract. On YouTube he sings Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I am" as if the song were written for him. While some kids might point to a heavy course load or an active social life as distractions, Gavyn's had to battle a much larger obstacle when it comes to focusing on his music. At 3 years old, Gavyn had a kidney transplant. His mother, Giselle Bailey, said that the day before he was born she was told he might not make it. About a year ago, his body rejected the transplanted kidney - a common occurrence for transplant patients - which caused him to have high blood pressure and a brain hemorrhage.

When Collective Habit owner Ashley O'Leary got into a car accident, she turned a lemon into lemonade and used the insurance money to open her secondhand boutique last month. The new Laguna Niguel store is a family affair: Ashley O'Leary owns it with her husband, Mitch. Their two daughters, an infant and a toddler, frequently make appearances as patrons peruse the racks of gently worn, stylish clothing sold at affordable prices. Mitch's cousin, Jené Raes, is a partner. "It's great when you can come here with $100 and leave with a whole wardrobe," said Mitch, 29. "At Nordstrom you can barely walk away with a pair of pants.

It's Wednesday night in a Costa Mesa warehouse. For The Gromble, that means rehearsing until 1 a.m. The Laguna Niguel-based rock band is preparing for its potential recognition at the Orange County Music Awards. The Gromble's Detroit Bar showcase on Jan. 3 proved successful, with a packed house and positive reviews. They're also gearing up to finish their latest album, which they hope to have out by the time the awards show comes in March. The band is fronted by Spencer Askin, 21, who not only does vocals but also plays guitar and the occasional trumpet.