Storm

The Laguna Beach Animal Shelter is doing its part to help hurricane-ravaged Louisiana by fostering a 12-year-old dog they have named Peggy. Another dog, a sheltie, which made its way to the shelter after becoming homeless during the hurricane, has been claimed by its owner, who identified the dog on the Internet. Peggy is a black Labrador-shepherd mix rescued on Sept. 18 from St. Bernard's Parish, La., by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Los Angeles.

IRVINE — The Laguna Beach High girls’ water polo reached one of its major goals of the 2008-09 season Wednesday at Irvine High. The Breakers now have a bigger prize in mind. Laguna secured a spot in the CIF Southern Section Division II championship game by overpowering South Coast League champion San Clemente, 19-8. The win, the Breakers’ second of the year against the Tritons — they routed their rivals from down south, 15-3, on Dec. 23 — puts the Breakers up against Montebello in Saturday’s final scheduled for a 3:45 p.m. start at Irvine High.

The Friendship Shelter is a way station on the road to a normal life for people with few options, according to Executive Director Janet Larkly. The organization is one of the only year-round emergency shelters for homeless adults in South Orange County. The facility accommodates up to 29 men and women at a time, according to Jennifer Miller, director of development. Larkly feels there is a misconception that those who end up homeless have simply chosen their circumstances.

Barbara Diamond The Pottery Shack is history. City Planners have recommended approval of a conglomeration of shops, offices and restaurants to replace the hodge-podge of pottery, china and housewares that drew tourists to Laguna Beach. Only a vestige of the site's history will remain, but the exteriors of the buildings are to be preserved, except for a major addition, under incentives and 54 conditions approved by the city's Heritage Committee and Planning Commission.

Sheets of rain, mud flows and high winds caused a few mishaps over a week of back-to-back storms that will continue today. No major incidents were reported from the series of storms, which included a tornado warning Tuesday. A tornado didn’t materialize in Laguna, but one catapulted a catamaran into the air in Huntington Harbor. A large eucalyptus tree fell onto South Coast Highway near the Montage Resort Tuesday and was quickly cleared away by a cutting crew. Children at Anneliese’s School on Laguna Canyon Road were evacuated Tuesday as a bridge began to overflow and school was called off for the rest of the week, police said.

More rain came and went this past weekend in Laguna, but some residents are still busy cleaning up from the previous hard-hitting rainstorms. In February, five homes were red-tagged and residents evacuated in Bluebird Canyon after the hillside gave way under the pressure of unrelenting rains. Lars Roulund's home in the 1300 block of Morningside Drive was one of those red-tagged, when the deck began to slip down the hillside. Now, Morningside Drive and surrounding streets are a hub of construction as repair work is in full swing to stabilize the area.

VFW rode its biggest offensive output of the 2003 season to move into the championship round of the Majors Division postseason tournament at Laguna Beach Little League. VFW came up with 10 hits and had 15 batters walk in posting a 19-4 victory over Laguna Surf & Sport at Riddle Field. Two big innings were the difference in the game. VFW sent 11 batters to the plate in the second frame and scored six runs to build on a 2-1 lead it had taken after the first inning, their two runs coming on Taylor Blacketer's two-out single.

Laguna Beach cannot control storms, but flooding can be reduced and measures can be taken to better prepare residents and businesses for the next deluge, according to a task force report. With a presentation at Tuesday's City Council meeting, the Laguna Canyon Flood Task Force culminated eight months of reviewing floods in the canyon and considering ways to shore up the city's defense against the next deluge. "A recent study revealed that the ocean-facing slopes of Laguna have only about 7 inches of topsoil overlaying steep, impermeable rock," task force Chairman Eric Jessen told the council.

Greetings Laguna, I'm in the small surfing beach town of Pichilemu, which is home to local surfing legend Ramon Navarro. I'm writing from a rather overcrowded Internet cafe on a cold dreary day. They're blasting Snoop Dog and it's 11 a.m.; I left the local disco a couple of hours ago and they were playing the same music. I guess the Chileans like hip-hop. Outside on the streets, hundreds of people are milling around, shopping, eating at the local food carts or just hanging on the corners talking while the "rat" dogs follow them around hoping for a piece of food.