Orange County

Ruth Osgood Salyer Born on Feb. 20, 1920, Laguna Beach resident Ruth Osgood died April 26. Ms. Osgood was a nationally known artist. In 1964, she was the president of the Laguna Beach Art Assn., which later became the Laguna Art Museum. She helped create the Art Institute of Southern California, now called the Laguna College of Art and Design. She was also involved with the Laguna Playhouse. She was vice president during the change from the "old Playhouse" on Ocean Avenue to the "new Playhouse" in the Canyon.

Unsure if Orange County is noir-challenged? ?Orange County Noir? explores the underbelly of Orange County locales with the noir treatment, complete with danger, cynical characters and the antithesis of Orange County pretty. The book, released in April, features Orange County and Southern California writers who take a hard-boiled look at Orange County. The collection of 14 short stories carries on in the tradition of the greats such as Raymond Chandler?s ?The Big Sleep,?

Orange County officials are issuing a warning that West Nile Virus is now present throughout the county. Thirteen birds collected recently in Orange County have tested positive for West Nile Virus, said officials with the Orange County Vector Control District. Nine American crows, two house finches, a hermit thrush and a black-headed grosbeak, all collected between May 1 and 9, were tested. The birds were reported in various areas of Orange County, from San Clemente to Huntington Beach and inland.

Jeanina Esparza of Laguna Beach was honored as one of the most stylish people in Orange County at Orange Coast Magazine's third annual OC LOOK party benefitting the Dream Guide of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Fifteen of Orange County's most stylish were honored at a party Wednesday and were featured in the August issue of Orange Coast, which hits stands July 29.

Andrew Edwards A 16-month-old girl died Monday, one day after being checked in to South Coast Medical Center, and authorities suspect child abuse. The child's mother, Maria Guadalupe Bucio, 21, and her mother's boyfriend, 34-year-old Jose Manuel Corona are being held at Orange County Jail, police said. Bucio and Corona, Los Angeles residents, were arrested and charged with willful injury of a child. Authorities have not yet decided whether the pair will be charged with murder, Sgt. Darin Lenyi said.

An enthusiastic crowd responded Sunday to a rallying cry to raise awareness of and to declare opposition to the resumption of commercial whaling.. More than 75 people gathered at Main Beach in Laguna to sign petitions and video-tape a plea to President Obama to keep his pledge to support the moratorium on the business of hunting whales. The Orange County event was coordinated with 14 other coastal counties organized by the Western Alliance for Nature. "We have a voice — whales don't," said Greenpeace representative Nick Hurley, who led the chant: "President Obama, keep your promise.

Suzie Harrison Mass media has put the "OC" on the map of popular culture and turned Orange County into a scene to be seen -- but perception is often different from reality. Laguna Art Museum's upcoming exhibit, "The OsCene: Contemporary Art and Culture in OC," looks at things from a different point of view. The OsCene, which will open on Nov. 7, is a collective look at Orange County artists covering the spectrum from painting and sculpture, to video and film, sound and music, architecture, fashion and even tattoo art. "We wanted to open up an exhibit with a variety of artists out there," Laguna Art Museum chief curator Tyler Stallings said.

A Riverside man caught poaching lobsters in Laguna in January was sentenced to jail May 5, fined and banned from Laguna's Marine Protection Area. The conviction of Marbel A. Para, 30, of Romoland was the first successful prosecution of a resource crime since the establishment of the Marine Protection Areas off the Southern California coast went into effect on Jan. 1, according to the State Department of Fish and Game. "This diver intentionally took a huge overlimit of lobster with no regard for the current laws," said DFG Assistant Chief Paul Hamdorf in a prepared statement.

The Orange County Women's Chorus will fill a Huntington Beach church Saturday evening with a medley of Asian sounds. The chorus' one-night performance titled "Eastern Portraits" at St. Wilfrid of York Episcopal Church will span different cultures and musical generations from across Asia, ranging from Chinese folk songs to rocking dance numbers inspired by Bollywood films. "This will be a colorful, exciting, noisy concert, with a splendid reception afterward," said Eliza Rubenstein, OCWC's artistic director who also directs choral and vocal activities at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.

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.

Waste Management has lauded the city's recycling efforts, but residents are urging city officials to go even greener to improve the environment and draw eco-tourism. Going green could bring in more green, speakers told the City Council Nov. 15. "I believe branding Laguna as the premier eco-destination has great possibilities," said businesswoman Theresa Cordova. "If enough people like the restaurant industry, and the Chamber of Commerce and city were behind it, it could be a big marketing boom.

At 11 stories wide and three stories tall, the world's largest photograph has returned to its Orange County birthplace for the first time in five years. In 2006, a team of six photographers collaborated on the Great Picture project. They turned an F-18 hangar at the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro - known nowadays as the Orange County Great Park - into a pinhole camera. An exhibition telling the story of the many steps in the photo's creation as part of the park's Legacy Project - an ambitious artistic effort to document El Toro's transition from an air base into a public park through photographs, film and sounds - opens this weekend at the Great Park in Irvine.

A Laguna Beach woman was among those killed in Wednesday's shooting in Seal Beach. Victoria Buzzo, 54, died after the shooting inside the Salon Meritage beauty parlor Wednesday afternoon when suspected shooter Scott Evans Dekraai allegedly walked in and started firing. Public records show she was married to David Buzzo. The two lived on La Costa Court, off El Toro Road and near the Laguna Woods-Aliso Viejo border. Witnesses reported that Dekraai, 41, walked into the upscale salon on Pacific Coast Highway and began firing.

Laguna Beach on Saturday night will make a splash at Red Ball II. AIDS Services Foundation Orange County will roll out the red carpet for guests attending the nonprofit's annual fundraiser at the Festival of Arts grounds. "I think we will see a lot of tuxedos, evening gowns and jewelry," said Ken Jillson, the foundation's founding board member and an organizer of Red Ball II. "Guests are encouraged to wear red. " The theme is "Hollywood Royalty," and will include a tribute to the late Elizabeth Taylor, one of Hollywood's most glamorous stars.

Capistrano Unified School District schools are closed Friday due to the San Diego Gas & Electric power outage affecting South Orange County. "The district, like many school districts serviced by San Diego Gas & Electric, has decided to cancel classes for its students," a statement on the district's website said. "A decision regarding Friday evening sporting events has not yet been made. " Supt. Joe Farley decided to cancel classes after authorities told the district that there was no guarantee that power would come back Friday.

Cookmeisters, beware: Royal Hawaiian chef James Harris is ready to defend his designation as "Champion Chef of Orange County. " Harris took the title Aug. 21 from head chef Nicola Bellazzi, of San Clemente's Enne Cucina Italia. The trophy now sits on the bar at the Royal Hawaiian in Laguna Beach - unless and until - another chef bests Harris in gastronomical combat. Harris won the award in a battle of the chefs, called Sunday Night Chef Fights, a la TV's reality shows that pit master chefs against each other.

Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas, which is based in Latin America, may open its third U.S. location in Laguna Niguel next year. Shea Properties issued a press release Aug. 10 announcing the addition to Ocean Ranch Laguna Niguel, which would replace the Edwards Ocean Ranch 7, whose lease is up at the end of the month. Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas are known for state-of-the art theaters, leather recliner seating, in-seat waiter service, a full-service bar, patio dining and gourmet food.