ANAHEIM – A fire that engulfed a vacant single-family home forced authorities to  temporarily close traffic on Orangewood Avenue Sunday, May 28.

Crews responding to reports of a blaze in the 100 block of West Orangewood Avenue shortly after 7:30 p.m. arrived to find a fully involved fire and a partially collapsed roof, said Sgt. Daron Wyatt, an Anaheim public safety spokesman.

Knowing the house was abandoned, the firefighters focused on keeping the flames from spreading to other homes in the neighborhood, Wyatt said.

Crews from Anaheim, Garden Grove and the city of Orange brought the blaze under control within about 20 minutes. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire, as well as the extent of the damage, is under investigation.

The fire forced authorities to temporarily close all lanes of Orangewood between Haster Street and Ortley Drive. The lanes were reopened by 10 p.m.

CONCORD, N.C. – Hall of Fame car owner Richard Childress finally let the emotions flow when he looked up at the Charlotte Motor Speedway’s scoring board after the Coca-Cola 600 and saw the iconic No. 3 — driven by his grandson Austin Dillon — on top.
“Can you believe it?” Childress asked. “The Coke 600, Austin Dillon and the (No.) 3.”
Dillon passed an out-of-gas Jimmie Johnson two laps from the end for his first Cup victory.
It had been a long time coming for the number made famous by the late Dale Earnhardt, who drove for Childress during six of his seven championships. The last time the two celebrated was when Earnhardt won at Talladega on Oct. 15, 2000, four months before The Intimidator’s death in a horrific crash at Daytona.
“Today is special,” Childress said.
Especially with how Dillon accomplished it. Crew chief Justin Alexander decided that while much of the field would pit with about 35 to go, Dillon would stay out and gamble he’d have enough fuel to make it.
“It didn’t make much sense to do anything else but that, really,” Alexander said.
When Dillon saw Johnson run dry right ahead, he felt relieved and excited all at once. The No. 3, Dillon said, “was the best of all time. I’m just glad to add to the legacy of it.”
Dillon held off Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr., who led the most laps in the Coca-Cola 600 for a third straight year.
“It hasn’t sunk in. I can’t believe it,” Dillon said. “We’re in the chase, baby. It’s awesome.”
Dillon did his signature belly slide celebration in the damp grass at Charlotte, outlasting a rain delay of nearly 1 hour, 40 minutes — and several established drivers to take his first checkered flag.
Dillon closed racing’s biggest day with the surprise victory, following Sebastian Vettel’s win in Formula One’s Monaco Grand Prix and Takura Sato’s victory in the Indy 500.
Truex took the lead for the final time with 67 laps left, sweeping past Busch to move out front. Truex pitted a final time with 33 laps left, confident he’d be able to hold on after everyone cycled through a last stop.
Truex has led 756 of the past 1,200 laps in the 600, yet finished shy of the checker flag two of three times. “So that’s a little tough to swallow,” he said.
Matt Kenseth was fourth, and Denny Hamlin fifth.
Kurt Busch finished sixth, followed by rookie Erik Jones, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished 10th in his final Coca-Cola 600 as a fulltime driver.
Harvick, who started on the pole, overcame wheel problems to finish in the top 10 for a seventh straight time in the Coca-Cola 600.
Johnson limped home to finish in 17th.
“I did all that I could from that point and just came up a little bit short,” he said.
Harvick may have had to work harder than the rest of the field for his seventh straight top 10 here. Harvick dealt with a loose-fitting wheel much of the first 200 laps to fall a lap down, then slipped on some slick fluid laid down by Ty Dillon to fall back further. But Harvick, who won here in 2011 and 2013, held strong to end in eighth.
Larson, the series points leader coming in, was expected to vie for his first Coca-Cola 600. Instead, he started 39th when he couldn’t take a qualifying lap Thursday because of trouble clearing inspection. Larson got as high as third during the race before scraping the wall with 153 laps left and needing three trips to the pits to correct the problems, falling to 23rd. Larson’s chances ended for good when he tagged the wall again 45 laps later, went to the garage and did not return. He was 33rd, his worst finish of the season.
Larson said he got loose in Turn 3 to end his race.
“I made a mistake,” he said.
WHO’S HOT: Kyle Busch sure does love Charlotte Motor Speedway. He won the truck race and the All-Star race here last week, then qualified second for the Cup race Sunday night. Busch nearly walked away with the Coca-Cola 600 when he moved past teammate Denny Hamlin at the start of the fourth and final stage to take the lead over Martin Truex Jr. Busch held strong until the restart with 67 laps left following a caution brought out by Danica Patrick’s brush with the wall as Truex moved back. Busch got back to second on the last lap, but ran out of raceway to chase down Dillon.
WHO’S NOT: Chase Elliott was hoping to finally land his first victory on the season at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Instead, his chances ended less than 25 laps into the race when he ran over pieces of Jeffrey Earnhardt’s crumbling car and could not gain traction as Brad Keselowski slammed into the rear of the No. 24 Chevrolet. Elliott started third and looked like a strong contender for NASCAR’s longest race. Instead, it continues an alarming downward trend for one of the sport’s youngest guns with his fourth consecutive finish of 24 or worse. “It’s just disappointing,” Elliott said.
UP NEXT: The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series moves to Dover International Speedway next Sunday.

The annual Spirit of the MACY Awards, founded in 1969 to encourage and celebrate achievement in Southern California high school musical theater, were held May 28 at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Judges reviewed 58 musicals at 44 schools this year.

The Macy honors shows as well as students, with honors bestowed in categories such as best (for top performances), highest achievement (for skill and professionalism above the norm), outstanding achievement (for exceptional merit in a demanding role), achievement (for distinction in a demanding role of central importance), special recognition (for performers who shine in specialty roles) and bright spot (for performers who bring something to a small role).

The MACY also sends two students each year to the Jimmy Awards in New York, which brings together top musical theater performers from around the country for a week of workshops and a performance on a Broadway stage. Over the past eight years, Southern California performers have won the Jimmy five times.

Adrian Villegas of Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts and Maggie Gideen of the Orange County School of the Arts were named best actor and actress at this year’s MACY Awards and will represent the MACY at the Jimmy Awards in June.

The 2017 Spirit of the MACY Award winners are:

Aliso Niguel High School, Aliso Viejo, “Shrek the Musical”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Robin Valdez

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Alexandros Ruppert, Carly Rude, Michael Ouimet, Shayla Stensby

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), Alysha Highleyman

ACHIEVEMENT, Martin Perez

ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), Jeremiah Jaw

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, CJ Avne, Kassidy Ordish, Salina Chin, Samantha Sedor, Savi Nasiri

BRIGHT SPOT, Brigitte Espenschied, Kaitlyn Elpedes

Anaheim High School, Anaheim, “The Little Mermaid”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Alexia Rosa, Stephanie Chavez

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Emiliano Torres

ACHIEVEMENT, Ashley Dorado, Lorenzo Belmontez, Steven Rojas, Teffanie Amador, Victoria Ahuatzi

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Fernando Calvillo

BRIGHT SPOT, Andrew Gutierrez, Jose Cuevas

Brethren Christian High School, Huntington Beach, “Jane Eyre”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Abigail Heilman, Joshua Gorrell

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Charis Sanders

ACHIEVEMENT, Ashley Thinnsen, Freddy William, Nicole Donahue, Sarah Peters

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Amber Duren, Elijah Sanders, Joelle Roque, Luke Montgomery, Spencer Hill

BRIGHT SPOT, Gabriel Sanders, Jakob Welch, Joyce Hong, Kate Johnson, Rebecca Koenig

Capistrano Valley High School, Mission Viejo, “Urinetown”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Maddy Cole, Nico Zani, Sara Neal

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Jane Huish, Jennifer Hardy, Jonathan Campisano

ACHIEVEMENT, Olivia Wolff

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Garrett Vallejo, Katherine Lubinski, Valarie Sloan

BRIGHT SPOT, Kayla Bryant, Natalie Hill, Zachary Andrus

Capistrano Valley Christian School, San Juan Capistrano, “Shrek The Musical”

STARLIGHT (show award), Darren Huntting

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Benjamin Jeltema, Carissa Huntting, Patrick O’Connor

ACHIEVEMENT, Amelia Ascroft-Franks, Faith Peponis, Nathan Castillo, Talia Knowles

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Alyssa Monji, Chloe Dingwall, Christian Harris

BRIGHT SPOT, Claire Landino, Ella Landino, Preston Ketel

Carlsbad High School, Carlsbad – “Little Shop of Horrors”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Ben Little

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Abigail Yi, Kaylen Lash, Kira Davis, Thalia Morales

ACHIEVEMENT, Brandan Rovelo, Harrison Schwartz

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Baylee Taylor, Jack Tunney

BRIGHT SPOT, Breanna Lehman, Michaela Edgin

Carlsbad High School, Carlsbad, “The Drowsy Chaperone”

THE SPIRIT OF THE MACY (show award), Monica Hall

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Abigail Yi, Alexis Dytko, Ben Little, Carter Knight, Sophia Marks

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Brandon Blackman, Breanna Lehman, Rob Forward, Thalia Morales

ACHIEVEMENT, Brandon Rovelo, Harrison Schwartz

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Matt Gonzalez, Nolan Palm

BRIGHT SPOT, Brynn Wightman, Maya Alexander

Corona del Mar High School, Newport Beach, “Into the Woods”

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Annika Quist, Blake Weise, Makena Harper, Violette Remington

ACHIEVEMENT, Andres Delgado, Crystal Hernandez, Joshua Flores, Kiki Sawan, Matthew Beyrooty

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Brittany Weinstock, Maxwell Remington, Xeno Muller

BRIGHT SPOT, Phoebe Alva

Costa Mesa High School, Costa Mesa, “Beauty and the Beast”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Esperanza Hart

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Caitlyn Room, Dario Askari, Katie Bordelon, Shawn Conrad

ACHIEVEMENT, Isabella Coyle, Jacob Jones, Liam Cavanaugh, Sebastian Sosa

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Nova Wood

BRIGHT SPOT, Brooklyn Soto, Cian Eckman, Isabella Holden, Milady Rojas, Santiago Hart

Dana Hills High School, Dana Point, “The Sound of Music”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Kate Simpson

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Dylan Avillanoza, Jeremy Ingraham, Kaitlin Wright

ACHIEVEMENT, Clay Walker, Libbie Louis, Maeve Wilson, Parker Keeley, Taylor Evans

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Amy Valencia, Maya Hahn, Nicola Wilson

BRIGHT SPOT, Jacob Harkey

Diamond Bar High School, Diamond Bar, “In the Heights”

TEATRO DEL ARTE (show award), Beatrice Casagran

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Amanda Revilla, Ariana Gonzalez, Chloe Reyes, Jaden Campbell, Riley Mawhorter

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), Kelly Liu

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Amelia Anijielo, Daniel Durkee, Mary Thomas, Nicholas Azurin, Pilar Alcazar

ACHIEVEMENT, Matthew Lee, Niamh Velosa

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Julianna King

El Dorado High School, Placentia, “The Little Mermaid”

BEST STUDENT COSTUME DESIGN, Kathleen Switzer

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Camryn Burns, Katarina Blagojevic

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), McKayla McCune

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Alex Avilla

ACHIEVEMENT, Hannah Oertwig, Kyle Colby, Lee Hurst, Sam Pietenpol

ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), Siobhan Sahadat

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Aimee Asch, Jason Gonzales, Jay Lawrence

BRIGHT SPOT, Abby Klausmier, Ashley Jones, Carissa Hamann, Julia Chau, Kristin Shim, Lia Mimun, McKayla McCune

El Rancho High School, Pico Rivera, “Little Me”

THE SPIRIT OF THE MACY (show award), Stan Wlasick

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Ethan Sepulveda, Olivia Ball, Xcaret Estrada

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Ivy Castillo

ACHIEVEMENT, Erik Cortez, Ernesto Castro, Jose Acala, Rodrigo Aguilar

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Jaime Lugo, Linette Valenzuela

BRIGHT SPOT, Brando Williams, Sophia Flores

Estancia High School, Costa Mesa “Godspell”

BEST ENSEMBLE, Pauline Maranian

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Kayla Mercure

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), Brianne Cooke

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Amber Marroquin, Angel Trujillo, Brian Martinez, Brianne Cooke, Claire Leenerts, Dion Howard, Esmeralda Martinez, Hannah Smith, Hannah Thurnstrom, Hayley Hopp, Julia Paluch, Julie Makley, Michelle Herrera, Spencer Cowan, Sydney Corrigan

Fullerton Union High School, Fullerton “Kiss Me Kate”

MUSICAL RHAPSODY (show award), Michael Despars

BEST MALE VOCAL, Josiah Haugen

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Alex Gotch, Janine Lutfi, Josiah Haugen

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), Fifi Rodriquez

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Ana Bane, Daniel Chaderjian, Michael Laverde

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), Joefferry Wenderlich

ACHIEVEMENT, Cody Zeigler, Desmond Roberts, Emma Kremer, Samuel Derro, Tate Heinle

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Adam Ritter, Allison Jeu, Cobe Romero

Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts, Huntington Beach “Jekyll and Hyde”

THE MACY (show award), Tim Nelson

THE SPIRIT OF THE MACY (show award), Tim Nelson

BEST ACTOR, Adrian Villegas

BEST DRAMATIC ACTRESS, Allison Bossart

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Adam Blanchard, Adrian Villegas, Allison Bossart, Autumn Thelander, Marcus Veyette, Victoria Romero

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Austin Schulte, Kat Lewis, Sophia Courtemarche

ACHIEVEMENT, Dorothea Seibert von Fock, Patrick McCormick, Will Boyer-Montgomery

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Damon Williams, Lukas Tolly, Sam Melvin

BRIGHT SPOT, Ben Ransom, Darla Jacobs, Elizabeth Hearn, Mackenzie Jones, Malia Merrill, Matthew Rangel

Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts, Huntington Beach “The Producers”

THE SPIRIT OF THE MACY (show award), Tim Nelson

BEST COMEDIAN, Coleton Ray

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Adam Blanchard, Adrian Villegas, Allison Bossart, Austin Schulte, Coleton Ray, Marcus Veyette

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Sam Melvin

ACHIEVEMENT, Annalise Fox

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Blake Laszlo, Calvin Procker, Kai Arroyo

BRIGHT SPOT, Autumn Thelander, Malia Merrill

Irvine High School, Irvine “Cinderella”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Grace Simmons, Ryan Lee

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Evelyn Pham, Jake Akita, Kayleigh Sherman, Mathew Telles, Sarah Heil

ACHIEVEMENT, Colin Rinard, Megan Brown

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Candace Sarangay, Grace Smith

BRIGHT SPOT, Gabriella Alvarado, Haley Ainsworth, Kate Koeckritz

JSerra Catholic High School, San Juan Capistrano, “Beauty and the Beast”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Nini Guerry

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Cassidy Wendell, Griffin Howard

ACHIEVEMENT, Hailey Zehren, Isabelle Pichler, Jack Devenny, Todd Mortenson, Trevor Keenan

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, John Kheriaty

BRIGHT SPOT, Didrik Thordarson, Jacob Shreiber, Megan Kelley, Natalie Barrios, Nicholas Hendrick

La Habra High School, La Habra, “Guys and Dolls”

SPOTLIGHT (show award), Brian Johnson

BEST MALE ENSEMBLE, Brian Johnson

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Isabela Wouters, Josh Bates, Zach Fogel

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Gabriel Taylor, Justine Sombilon, Michael Reehl, Nathan Schultz, Ron Gutterman

ACHIEVEMENT, Paul Smith, Wyatt Logan

BRIGHT SPOT, Abby Oxley, Hannah Rhode, Jake Rhode, Michael Lars

La Habra High School, La Habra, “Peter Pan”

MAGICAL JOURNEY (show award), Brian Johnson

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Mercy Thornton, Michael Reehl, Wyatt Logan

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Isabella Wouters, Samantha Hollar

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Atalia Zahrndt, Jessica Lopez

BRIGHT SPOT, Gabriel Taylor, Hannah Mendoza, Hannah Rhode, Joah Bates, Justine Sombilon, Katie Ludlam, Ron Gutterman, Silas Ten Elshof

Laguna Beach High School, Laguna Beach, “Cinderella”

LIMELIGHT AWARD (show award), Paul Nygro

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Ellie Glade, Wyatt Shipp

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), Michelle Percival

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Ava Pacheco, Bayley Thomas, Hunter Mills, Seryne Aryeh, Vivian Gould

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), Kate Palino

ACHIEVEMENT, Carmen Fernandez, Jordan Burton

BRIGHT SPOT, Haley Conley, Malin Glade, Rylee Bullington

Laguna Hills High School, Laguna Hills, “Little Women”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Sabrina Astle

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Julie Reames, Linsey Schreck, Natalie Teuton, Sophie Martin

ACHIEVEMENT, Dean Smith, Luke Morris, Nick Steffenhagen, Nikolai Taylor

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Maggie Belfield

BRIGHT SPOT, Kaila Adams, Sophie Frayne

Laguna Hills High School, Laguna Hills, “Nice Work If You Can Get It”

THE SPIRIT OF THE MACY (show award), Susan Lord

BEST DANCER MALE, Nikolai Taylor

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, Eli Buckels

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Eli Buckels, Julie Reames, Linsey Schreck, Nikolai Taylor, Sophie Martin

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), Daniele Kelly

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Justin Lobaton

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), Cayley Busenkell, Vee Woldridge

ACHIEVEMENT, Matthew Shamas, Morgan Hall, Noah Estling, Peyton Goings

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Hailey Rogers, Nick Steffenhagen, Sean Smith

BRIGHT SPOT, Natalie Teuton

Los Alamitos High School, Los Alamitos, “Guys and Dolls”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Rylee Burchett

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Christian D’Alessandro, Connor Franzen, Danny Bird, Melanie Tanaka, Micaela Erickson

ACHIEVEMENT, Kayhan Bakian, Louis Cogan

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Cambryelle Getter, Cole Scheider, Kaitlyn Sugihara, Owen Marubayashi

Marina High School, Huntington Beach, “Hairspray”

TEATRO DEL EXTRAORDINAIRE (show award), Eric Graham

BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP DESIGN, Eric Graham

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, Sarah Bielicki

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Cole Temple, Isabella Saporito, Matheus Noguiera, Sarah Bielicki, Tessa Wilson

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Bradley Miller, Cole La Brake, Emily Ashcraft, Michael Kriesel

ACHIEVEMENT, Valentina Riffel

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Gabrielle Guerrero, Jeannie Skidmore, Robin White, Sophia Flores

BRIGHT SPOT, Jacob Kurihara, Quinn Ragan, Sarah Foutz

Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana, “Into the Woods”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Alden Hodgdon, Cassidy Sledge, Courtney Hays, McCallister Selva

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Keely Gaeta, Natalie Wojtaszek, Nick Van Dalsem

ACHIEVEMENT, Steph Lee, Vicente Saintignon

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Aidan Mulholland, Chris Rodrigues, Grace Whitley

BRIGHT SPOT, Andrew Estrada, Lucy O’Hara

Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana, “Thoroughly Modern Millie”

CLASSIC MASTERPIECE (show award), Scott Melvin

BEST VOCAL FEMALE, Cassidy Sledge

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Cassidy Sledge, Courtney Hays, Harrison Patri, McCallister Selva

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Annie Flati, Chris Rodrigues, Dyllan Le, Steph Lee

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Alex McIntosh, Carelyn Price, Cat Silvey, Coung Le, Courtney Fiduccia, Elizabeth O’Toole, Jonathan Huynh, Kat Delaney, Lauren Sundine, Vicente Saintignon, Vincent Luu

BRIGHT SPOT, Madeline Frank

Mission Viejo High School, Mission Viejo, “Thoroughly Modern Millie”

THE SPIRIT OF THE MACY (show award), Kathy Harris

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Ben Sellers, Bree Ben-Joseph, Kayla Morgan

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Hope Spires, Mary Desmond, Ryan Livesay

ACHIEVEMENT, Jeff Baker, Katir Agrela, Parker Christian

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Cali Ben-Joseph

BRIGHT SPOT, Brady Phillips, Joey Perez, Rachel Heurlin, Sofia Migliaccio

Mission Viejo High School, Mission Viejo, “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown”

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Charlie Massey, Emily Boyer, Sarah Smith

ACHIEVEMENT, Baxter Bartlett, Carson Roman, Ethan Cox

BRIGHT SPOT, Adnan Maksoud, Brigit Colwell, Jenna Bowman, Maddy Watts, Rachel Golkin, Sandy Gearges

Newport Harbor High School, Newport Beach, “Legally Blonde”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Keishaun Burroughs

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Alina Aquirre, Jillian Brazelton

ACHIEVEMENT, Rebecca Bailey, William Haden

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Lilly McCarthy

BRIGHT SPOT, Diego Rivera, Nate Hall, Samantha Nowak

Northwood High School, Irvine, “Shrek the Musical”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Katherine Paladichuk

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), Janay Sukkarieh

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Calvin Calilung, Vonnie Wei, William Chinn

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), Hazar Eldick, Khai Hoang

ACHIEVEMENT, Ian Gibson

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Akash Seramreddi, Caroline Candy, Colleen Moore, Joy Lee, Kairey Wang, Kaylie Jacobs, Lincoln Cameron, Skylar Wilk

Orange County School of the Arts, Santa Ana, “Footloose”

THE SPIRIT OF THE MACY (show award), Jeff Paul

BEST ACTRESS, Maggie Gidden

BEST ORCHESTRA, Jeff Paul

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Ceci Balagot, Kian Morehead, Mack Hubbard, Maggie Gidden, Owen Jeeves

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Emily Baggarly, Logan Gould, Mikayla Thrasher, Sammy Gayer

ACHIEVEMENT, Bianca Turner, Jake Meyerson

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Brandon Calderon, Joey Sable, Kolton Heskett, Nathan Burke, Riley Dunn, Shane Norys

BRIGHT SPOT, Alyssa Carol, Callie Bixby, Matthew Kontour, Oliver Schumacher, Sheindl Spitzer-Tilchin

Orange County School of the Arts, Santa Ana, “Guys and Dolls”

THEATRICAL EXCELLENCE AWARD (show award), Karen Rymar

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY, Karen Rymar

BEST COMEDIENNE, McKenna Wells

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Jared Machado, Makeala Zeran, McKenna Wells, RJ Higton, Zachary Balagot

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), Esme Burrows

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Carly Perez, Christian Cantrell

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), Blake Huntley, Carissa Dahlia

ACHIEVEMENT, Ethan Clayton, Seena Poormehr

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Alexa Kushner, Nathan Figueroa, Nathan Levy

BRIGHT SPOT, Barrett Figueroa, Brooke Steuckrath, Joey Sable

Orange Lutheran High School, Orange, “Anything Goes”

SPECTACULAR EPIC (show award), Chelsey Everhart

BEST DANCER FEMALE, Natalie Conn

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Brayden Martino, Jacob Kent, Linsey Urrea

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Amanda Dayhoff, Bree Moreno, Charlie Battaglia, JayLee McClain, Matt Hutnyan

ACHIEVEMENT, Kyle Hill

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Carson Inouye, Eliana Maietta, Jacob McRee, Mandy Nelson, Natalie Conn, Nick Abuzalaf, Nick Wise

BRIGHT SPOT, Manny Gonzalez, Mia Battaglia, Raymond Vasquez, Vincent Xu

Orange Lutheran High School, Orange, “Beauty and the Beast”

CURTAIN RISER (show award), Chelsey Everhart

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Alexis Sawyer, Amanda Dayhoff, Brayden Martino, Charlie Battaglia, Matt Hutnyan

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Bree Moreno, Carson Inouye, Gavin Burke, Jacob Kent

ACHIEVEMENT, Anysa Wilson, RJ Pullen

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Karli Wise, Katrina Reta, Linsey Urrea, Sam Hood

BRIGHT SPOT, Kate Pullen, Kyle Hill, Mackenna Borba, Mia Battaglia

Pacifica High School, Garden Grove, “Once Upon a Mattress”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), Peyton Hill

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Evan DeCock, Kayla Wandelt

ACHIEVEMENT, Andrew Case, Megan McCall, Sophia Barajas

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Kalissa Bair, Minjae Matt Kim, Sean McDowell, Tressa Bair

BRIGHT SPOT, Samantha Kingsfield

Rancho Buena Vista High School, Vista, “Curtains”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Brooke Eyler, Jake Bradford

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Chloe Schott, Emma Wooley, Mikayla Elliott, Sierra Tsementzis

ACHIEVEMENT, Emmett Morrow

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Harrison Smith, Zachary Allies-Hershey

BRIGHT SPOT, Gabby LeBaron

San Clemente High School, San Clemente, “Into the Woods”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Cassidy McCleary, Sophia Didier, Tamara Armstrong

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Delaney Marchant, William Brown

ACHIEVEMENT, Carlie McCleary, James Ustick, Justin McCoy

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Adam Bell, Ryley Steel

BRIGHT SPOT, Braxton McGrath, Lainey Reyland, Lucas Harper

San Clemente High School, San Clemente, “Mary Poppins”

THE SPIRIT OF THE MACY (show award), Laurie Mason

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Cassidy McCleary, Delaney Marchant, Jack Katke, Tamara Armstrong

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), Shea Donnelly

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Carlie McCleary, Lainey Reyland, Maggie Anderson, Zach Thomas

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), Maya Howe

ACHIEVEMENT, Justin McCoy, Kyra Kuhn, Sophia Didier

ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), Annie Reyland

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Brooke Davis, Lucas Harper

BRIGHT SPOT, Erin Reyland, James Ustick III, Taylor Mason, Viviana Moiso

San Juan Hills High School, San Juan Capistrano, “Fiddler on the Roof”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Charlie Lindberg

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), Charlie Lindberg, Julia Gordon

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Anna Moneymaker, Hailey dePoto, Jaymes Macabale

ACHIEVEMENT, Jenna Husli, Katherine Singer, Zain Faruqi

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Audrey Schreiner, Calista Henson

BRIGHT SPOT, Edward Kemp, Noah Salviati

San Juan Hills High School, San Juan Capistrano, “Into the Woods”

BEST STUDENT SET DESIGN, Cambria Beilstein

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Calla Chung, Charlie Lindberg

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Brent Arciniega, Celina Gigliello, Mariana Barrera

ACHIEVEMENT, Delaney Puthuff

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Adam Wright, Jacqueline Brooks, Jenna Husli, Zain Faruqi

BRIGHT SPOT, Amanda Rooker, Anam Faruqi, Anna Moneymaker, Hailey dePorto, Jaymes Macabale, Noah Salviati

Santa Ana High School, Santa Ana, “The Addams Family”

BEST CHORUS, Terry Schwinge

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Bryan Reyes

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Delmis Rubio, Jazmin Alvarenga, Samantha Sanchez

ACHIEVEMENT, Carlos Ochoa, Joshua Juarez, Leslie Barron

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Leo Ortiz

BRIGHT SPOT, Adriana Casteneda, Dylan Gardener, Irma Silva, Isiah Benitez

Santa Margarita Catholic High School, Rancho Santa Margarita, “Fiddler on the Roof”

LITERATURE BROUGHT TO LIFE (show award), Amy Luskey-Barth

BEST DRAMATIC ACTOR, Dylan Field

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Alec Melosini, Devon Hunt, Dylan Field, Sabrina Boyd

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), K C King

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Andrew Senkowski, Hannah Baker, Hannah Loessberg, Katie Flores, Lauren McNair

ACHIEVEMENT, Eric Renna, John Grayson, Louise Griffin

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Drew Schlingman, Elyse Angel, Emma Polonsky, Ethan Leahy, Griffin Webb

BRIGHT SPOT, Honor Clarkin, Miranda Zakhar

St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, San Juan Capistrano, “Children of Eden”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Blake Stevenson, Daisy Sellas, Katherine Parrish, Tyler Ashman

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Anneka Miller, Bryce Victor, Garrett Higgins

ACHIEVEMENT, Jaden Cloobeck

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Jack Westhead, Jacob Kuljis, Katherine Sele, Nathan Soto, Tyler Jones

BRIGHT SPOT, Alden Copps, Casey Healy, Lulu Arundale, Michaela Xu, Mitra Alikhani, Rylan Rodrigues-Zahn, Tyler Genevay

Sunny Hills High School, Fullerton, “The Addams Family”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Sydney Highter

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Joseph Hanson, Maddy Githens, O. Fiona Pratt-MacDonald

ACHIEVEMENT, Josh Acosta, Marcus Reveles, Zoe Thomson

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Daniel Park, Jake Cirrit

BRIGHT SPOT, Anais Lino, Angelica Song, April Brown, Helena Hallstrom, Kassidy Hughes, Lauren Gerdetz

Temecula Preparatory School, Winchester, “Bonnie and Clyde”

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Carissa Eagan, Meredith Bell, Ridge Wyatt

ACHIEVEMENT, Joseph Hardin, Samuel Sorenson, Tony Arambula

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Addyson Mansperger, BreeAnna Adner, Priya Mapleton, Taylor Kuriakos

BRIGHT SPOT, Saul Esqueda

Temecula Preparatory School, Winchester, “Tarzan”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Anthony Arambula, Katelyn Walsh, Saul Esqueda

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Samuel Sorenson

ACHIEVEMENT, Samantha McDonald

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Aidan Heslin, Riley Waterman

BRIGHT SPOT, Breeanna Adner, Joseph Hardin, Priya Mapleton

Temecula Valley High School, Temecula, “Godspell”

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Allyson Park, Emily Ramos, Grace Guy, Stephanie O’Connor

ACHIEVEMENT, Katelyn Downs, Madie White, Saraya Danielson, Solona Husband

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Christine Davis, Gaby Wade, Maggie Rubin

Tesoro High School, Las Flores, “The Drowsy Chaperone”

THE SPIRIT OF THE MACY (show award), Cheryl Des Palmes

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Alexander Trevisan, Eve DeVault, Matt Davies-Morris, Megan Kerrigan, Michal Bogucki

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Britain Hope, Carson Preusse, Chelsea McCormick, Eliza Schmidtt, Julia Pacific, Michael Kline, Nick Garabedian

ACHIEVEMENT, Tristan Zadravecz

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Jason Swanson

Trabuco Hills High School, Mission Viejo, “Once Upon a Mattress”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Ethan Haden, Olivia Quail

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Brianna Beller, Gabby Schoen, Jordan Murillo

ACHIEVEMENT, Jon Bristol, Scott Rydelski, TJ Lynn

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Jayde Mora

BRIGHT SPOT, Breanna O’Neill, Cappie Asato, Diego Ruiz, Laney Heien

Tri-School Theatre, Anaheim, “Bye Bye Birdie”

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Ezra Tafua, Hayley Johnson, Sierra Warner

ACHIEVEMENT, Andy Van Driesen, Erik Mercado, Isabella Rivera, Joanna Juarez, Molly Renze

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Alec Mercado, Allison Perea, Jillian Sarni, Maria Braatz

BRIGHT SPOT, Pierce Denning, Sydney Lagman

University High School, Irvine, “The Addams Family”

THE SPIRIT OF THE MACY (show award), Renae Bettger

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Corinne Alsop, Dalton Nguyen, Ellena Eshrafhi, Sarika Mande, Shaden Ahadi

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Ana Fujimoto, Mitchell Rogers

ACHIEVEMENT, Benjamin Sui, Franklin Duffy, Rose Koo

ACHIEVEMENT (technical theater), Darrius Estigoy, Lauren Bee

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Erik Diaz, Kerri Pelekoudas

BRIGHT SPOT, Benjamin Gomez, Christie Sung, Isaac Kopstein, Julia Cheng

Vista Murrieta High School, Murrieta, “Footloose”

BEST SMALL ORCHESTRA COMBO, Cory Finch

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Dylan Wager, Raquel Deporto

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Cassidy Finch, Colin Acda, Jacob Rivera, Kailey Bosna

ACHIEVEMENT, Annabella Cusimano

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Gavin Martin

BRIGHT SPOT, Caleb Batchman, Kiara Harris, Natalie Calderon, Patrick Calderon, Robin Frieberg

Vista Murrieta High School, Murrieta, “Into the Woods Jr.”

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Cassidy Finch, Dani Arribere, Jacob Rivera, Kailey Bosna, Natalie Calderon

ACHIEVEMENT, AnnaBella Cusimano, Gavin Martin, Jack Hutchens

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Erin LaMay

BRIGHT SPOT, Andi Moring, Caleb Batchman, Geoffrey Geoghegan, Raquel Deporto, Sarah Bennett

Whittier Christian High School, La Habra, “Godspell”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Alli Gainer, Samantha Gainer, Torri Estrada

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Aimee Ordaz, Ashlynn Hernandez, Megan Kovats, Ryan Long

ACHIEVEMENT, Evanne Subia

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Kaitlyn Wallace

BRIGHT SPOT, Alex Paepke

Whittier Christian High School, La Habra, “Thoroughly Modern Millie”

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Ryan Long, Torri Estrada

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Elisabeth Rangel, Trevor Gray

ACHIEVEMENT, Evanne Subia, Kaitlyn Wallace

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Fiona Liu, Regan Vombaur, Tony Wu

BRIGHT SPOT, Ashlynn Hernandez, Faith Grant, Grace Grant, Katrina Stump, Zoe Poulis

Yorba Linda High School, Yorba Linda, “9 to 5”

COMEDIA DEL ARTE (show award), Cathy Petz

HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT, Caleb Huston, Carlie Pitcher, Julia Massey, Kaitlyn Kraack

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, Ian Dembek, Macy Warner

SPECIAL RECOGNITION, Claire Marshall, Daniel Pietenpol, Rose Pell

BRIGHT SPOT, Madison Fung

CONTACT VARSITY ARTS: 714-796-2258 or varsityarts@ocregister.com

One thing would certainly ease a major Southern Californian economic concern: extra choices for those seeking adequate housing.

Well, the region’s chronic housing shortage didn’t get much help last year, as five local counties — as well as the state — continued to trail the nation’s pace of creating new living quarters.

I tossed new Census data into my trusty spreadsheet to see if a recent upswing in construction activity was making a significant change in how much housing — for ownership or for rent — was available. What I found was that Southern California added 34,000 housing units in the year ended July 1, 2016, to 6.4 million.

Yes, Southern California’s new housing in 2016 approximates the combined additions in Alabama, New Jersey and Wisconsin. But the 0.53 percent increase last year — yes, better than 0.41 percent average annual rate in the previous five years — again trails the U.S. pace.

Nationally, 910,300 housing units were added last year to 135.7 million. That’s a 0.68 percent jump vs. 0.45 percent annual average in 2010-15.

Southern California fared only a bit better than statewide patterns: 73,300 units were added last year to 14.1 million. In terms of raw increase, California was third best among the states behind Texas and Florida. And while California’s 0.52 percentage increase was an improvement above 0.43 percent-a-year seen in 2010-15, last year’s statewide housing-creation pace was topped by 28 other states including Texas, the nation’s best, at 1.58 percent.

The local pacesetter was Orange County, Southern California’s only county to top last year’s national housing creation pace.

Orange County added 9,200 units last year — just about the additions in either Iowa or Illinois — to 1.1 million. Orange County sped up its housing creation, growing 0.85 percent in 2016 vs. a 0.59 percent annual average in 2010-15.

Los Angeles County added 16,600 units last year — roughly Utah’s total additions — to 3.5 million. But that surge looks small considering L.A.’s huge size: housing grew 0.47 percent in 2016 vs. 0.33 percent annual average in 2010-15.

Riverside County suffered a mild slowdown. It added 4,600 units last year — just about Hawaii’s pace — to 831,400. That’s up 0.56 percent but below the 0.62 percent-a-year pace of 2010-15.

San Bernardino County added 2,600 units last year — slightly more than New Mexico’s growth — to 714,300. That’s up 0.37 percent vs. 0.33 percent-a-year in 2010-15. In Ventura County, 1,000 housing units were added to 286,900 — a 0.34 percent increase vs. 0.29 percent a year in 2010-15.

So is Southern California making progress? The five counties did combine to add more housing units since the recession ended in 2010 than fast-growth states such as Arizona or Colorado or Washington or Virginia in the six-year period.

But if the region had built at the national pace over the past six years, there would be 22,000 more housing units here. Or, look at regional growth this way: The six-year tally is slightly fewer new units than Texas added … in just the past year.

On the move

Newport Beach native Michael Mulroy has been appointed president and CEO of Asterias Biotherapeutics. From 2003 to 2011, Mulroy was at the law firm Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth in Newport Beach, where he served as a partner from 2004. Steve Cartt, the company’s current president and CEO will step down as of June 25. In a statement the company said Cartt wanted to “allocate more of his time to additional business and personal activities.”

Cartt and Mulroy, the company said, worked closely together at Questcor Pharmaceuticals, a company they built along with Asterias Chairman Don Bailey and CFO Ryan Chavez, before its eventual sale in 2014 to Mallinckrodt plc for $5.6 billion.

Asterias Biotherapeutics, based in Fremont, is a biotechnology company in the field of regenerative medicine.

Jason Griffitts has been hired as Tustin-based Logomark’s new director of marketing. Griffitts comes from Lands End, where he worked for three years as digital marketing manager. He will be heading up all of Logomark’s marketing platforms.

Scott Aston has been promoted to senior vice president and partner of Burnham Benefits Insurance Services in Irvine. Aston joined Burnham Benefits in 2012 as a vice president.

Sean Kingston and Jenna Warden have joined Fisher Phillips law firm in Irvine. Fisher Phillips now employs 35 attorneys in its Irvine office and a total of 82 attorneys in California. Kingston represents public and private employers in class action and single-plaintiff matters in many areas of labor and employment law. Warden has defended a broad range of litigated claims, including premises liability, insurance and construction claims.

New Ventures

Costa Mesa resident Terry Leon has launched Savi Style, a two-part activewear accessory that combines a bracelet with an elastic hairband. Leon’s concept so far has raised $20,000 on Kickstarter. The funding campaign ends Wednesday. The bracelet, which comes in three colors, is made of medical-grade silicone which is flexible and easy to clean, Leon says. While the bracelet combo will retail for $29, Leon says early bird contributors at Kickstarter can get the bands for as low as $17.

RedNight Consulting, an Aliso Viejo-based IT support provider, has been granted $150,000 million in the Cal Competes Tax Credit program awarded by Gov. Jerry Brown’s Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). The CCTC funds are designed to help California companies expand and add jobs in the state. Rednight will hire 22 people over five years.

Dr. Chris Koutures and Dr. Keith Gladstien, pediatric and sports medicine specialists in Anaheim, are rebranding their practice as ActiveKidMD.

Santa Ana auto repair shop Swedish Asian Auto Service has rebranding itself as The Auto Service. After 37 years in business, the shops’ owners decided to rename the business following the expansion of vehicles they are equipped to service. The shop is at 800 S Grand Ave.

Milestones

Javier Verduzco received the Driver of the Year award in the large industrial category from the National Waste & Recycling Association. The NWRA honors the industry’s best drivers for exemplary safety records and customer service. Verduzco began his driving career with Republic Services’ Huntington Beach division in 1980. He drives an average of 220 miles per week, in the service of more than 600 customers, collecting over 95 tons of waste.

SnowPure Water Technologies, a San Clemente-based manufacturer of water purification equipment, has been awarded the president’s “E” Award for exports by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. The award is the highest recognition any U.S. entity can receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports. SnowPure has increased size by nearly 20 percent since 2008 with exports averaging 80 percent to 95 percent of its business. SnowPure has distributors and service centers in several countries including Japan, Korea, China, Singapore, India and Europe. SnowPure was the only California company of the 32 U.S. Secretary Ross honored.

Good works

The Orange County Family Justice Center Foundation has received a $5,000 grant from the Huggins Dreckman Insurance Agency in Los Alamitos as part of its 2017 Safeco Insurance Make More Happen award. The foundation provides direct assistance, empowerment and prevention resources to victims and families whose lives have been impacted by domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault and elder abuse. Jolynn Mahoney, an independent agent for Huggins Dreckman Insurance Agency, and her husband, Patrick, have supported the Orange County Family Justice Center Foundation since 2007.

Coming up

Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour will host a hiring fair through June 3 at its Buena Park location. Applicants can stop by between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily. The restaurant, which is undergoing a renovation and will reopen in June. Positions available include servers, hosts, bussers, cooks and candy makers. Address: 8650 Beach Blvd.

Vanguard University is hosting a conference June 1-3 in Irvine focusing on creating healthy organizations. During the three-day event, academics and practitioners will dive into topics such as workplace transparency, interpersonal leadership, the psychopathology of leadership, mental health in the workplace and more. The event will take place at the Wyndham Hotel at 17941 Von Karman. Conference registration is available at $235 for students and $395 for professionals. Awards breakfast tickets are available for $55. For more information on the Creating Healthy Organizations Conference or to purchase tickets, go to vanguard.edu/choconference.

The Orange County Small Business Development Center, an economic development program of Rancho Santiago Community College District,  will host several business-oriented workshops in June. They include:

June 6: Human Resource Laws You’re Not Complying With; 6-8:30 p.m. at Cielo – Golden West College – Student Services Annex, Room 125; 15744 Goldenwest St. , Huntington Beach. No cost.

June 8: Small Business Jump-Start, 6-8:30 p.m., Brea Chamber of Commerce 1 Civic Center Circle, Conference Center, Brea, 92821. Cost is $10.

June 21: “Export Essentials for Business,” 4-7 p.m., Garden Grove Community Meeting Center, 11300 Stanford Ave., B Room, Garden Grove. Cost is $25.

June 29: The Art and Science of Creating a Successful Business Plan, 6-8:30 p.m., Brea Chamber of Commerce 1 Civic Center Circle, Conference Center, Brea. Cost is $25.

Make reservations for any of the workshops by phone at 714-564-5200 or online at ocsbdc.org.

YORBA LINDA Finding a seat at this popular bagel and sandwich shop was a challenge on Monday.

Scores of veterans strolled through the entryway of Avalon Bagels to Burgers, ordered a free Memorial Day meal, mingled with family or former comrades-in-uniform, and reflected on their military service.

They talked about tours of duty in the Pacific Theater, on pregnant wives left behind, on best buds gunned down in Vietnam. At times, it seemed, no one wanted to leave.

One chair remained empty.

“That was his seat,” said Virginia Becker, a friend of Seymour Markman, a submarine radioman in the U.S. Navy during World War II who died in August, weeks after his 90th birthday.

A regular Avalon customer, Becker has dressed up as Uncle Sam for the past eight Memorial Days to help the restaurant inform folks about the meaning of Memorial Day and to raise money for veterans organizations. She and Markman worked as a team, chatting with the patrons.

“He talked about his experiences,” she said. “He was so engaging and positive. It was fun to watch him with people.”

Avalon Bagels to Burgers, as it does every Memorial Day and Veterans Day, offered free meals on Monday to all military service members, both past and present. It is a way to thank those who are still alive while providing a space to remember those who died.

“When service people get together, they have a bond that we’ll never understand,” said Mike Bender, 64, who opened the original Avalon in Placentia in 1996 and the Yorba Linda spot in 2001. “Every year has something special about it.”

This year, that something special was remembering Markman, and therefore the ever-dwindling population of World War II veterans.

“It’s great to meet those I call the old-timers,” said retired Army Sgt. Phil Napper, a La Habra resident who was a drill instructor during the Korean War, alluding to his World War II predecessors. “There aren’t too many of them left.”

• • •

Susan Munz wiped away tears. She reflected, with a smile.

She table-hopped – greeting veterans and embracing them. At times, she took a moment to glance at the empty chair and look at her father’s photo hanging on the wall above.

“I miss him,” World War II vet Frank Carrillo told her, his mouth close to her ear.

“I miss him too,” Munz replied, wrapping her arms around the 92-year-old World War II vet.

Markman was born on the Fourth of July.

He bragged constantly about his birthday, wore his patriotism on his sleeve, and enlisted in the Navy when he was 17.

Markman made it through a tour of duty beneath the Pacific Ocean, in a submarine, unscathed. Two years after coming home, in 1948, he married. He had two kids and ran a Hallmark store in Diamond Bar.

Decades later, deep into retirement, the Anaheim Hills resident became an Avalon regular, stopping by multiple times a week. On Memorial Day and Veterans Day, he was an ambassador for the restaurant – and for veterans.

“He loved coming here and talking to the other veterans,” Munz said. “He was so proud of his service.”

• • •

Pride was a common theme at Avalon on Monday, as was the recognition that donning a uniform places you in an elite fraternity.

Memorial Day, veterans and others at Avalon said, helps remind civilians of the sacrifices made by those in the military, sacrifices that often get lost in the daily shuffle – from the thousands of casualties during the oft-forgotten Korean War to the epidemic of mental-health problems.

The United States has 1.4 million active military personnel and 21.8 million veterans, according to U.S. Census records. About 1 million people in the Armed Forces have died during American wars and conflicts since the country was founded.

“It’s important to have one day to think about all the service people who died or were crippled fighting for their country and protecting freedom,” said Gerry Scott, a former Air Force captain.

His wife, Dolores Scott, added: “And to show our gratitude to the families who lost loved ones. It’s tough for them, too.”

Gerry and Dolores Scott sat on Avalon’s patio, eating bagels and discussing their 66-year marriage.

Toward the end of World War II, Gerry Scott was in Okinawa, Japan when he learned he could go home – if he transferred to the Army Reserves for five years.

“I said, ‘Sign me up,’” he said. “I thought, ‘There’s not going to be another war in five years.’”

At home in Milwaukee, Gerry met Dolores and they quickly married: He was 22, she was 19.

And then, in 1950, he got called up. The couple moved to San Diego.

“I was seven months pregnant when he got shipped to Korea,” Dolores Scott said.

Her family was 2,500 miles away, and she was alone.

“I’d walk the streets of San Diego,” she said. “And my tears would hit the sidewalk.”

Luckily, Dolores Scott added, he came home unharmed.

• • •

Carrillo, the World War II veteran who hugged Munz, earned a purple heart.

In the jungles of the Philippines, his unit raided a house. He and an enemy combatant surprised each other, he said.

“We shot at the same time,” the Yorba Linda resident recalled. “He died. I got shot in the groin.”

Napper, the drill instructor, went through boot camp with this best friend from high school. They traveled the world together, missed out on combat during the Korean War, and went home together in 1957.

Then the Vietnam War rolled around, and his friend re-enlisted.

“He thought it was something he had to do,” he said.

Three months later, his friend was dead – from a sniper’s rifle.

“When your country calls, you go,” Napper said. “I think we need to be thankful for those who do. That’s why Memorial Day is a time for reflection.”

• • •

As morning turned to afternoon, Napper, Carrillo and Scott turned their attention to Becker, Avalon’s Uncle Sam, to honor one of their own., Markman, who needed surgery in August, got a post-operation infection and never left the hospital.

Markman, who needed surgery in August, got a post-operation infection and never left the hospital.

Becker said his legacy is that of someone who cared deeply for veterans – who enjoyed chatting with them and advocating for them. For eight years, Beckman said, he had done exactly that each Memorial Day.

Avalon, Becker then announced, had sponsored a commemorative brick to be installed at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans in Markman’s honor.

Markman’s daughter, Susan Munz, stood nearby, dabbing her cheeks with tissue. The two hugged – and everyone else applauded.

“It’s bittersweet for me,” Munz said afterward. “But it blows my mind this many people care about my dad.”

All of the way up to closing time, Markman’s chair remained unoccupied.

But this day, his memory – and the memories of all those who wore a uniform – filled the room.

SANTA ANA Police arrested two men after they refused to pull their car over Monday afternoon and three guns were found inside.

At about 4:30 p.m., patrol officers spotted a silver Nissan Sentra that matched the description of a vehicle taken in a carjacking last week, said Cmdr. Matt Sorenson of the Santa Ana Police Department. As the patrol car neared the Sentra to try to stop it in the 600 block of North Lacy Street, the driver, changed directions and drove off, Sorenson said.

As the patrol car  got close to the Sentra to try to stop it in the 600 block of North Lacy Street, the driver changed directions and drove off, Sorenson said.

Officers followed the car about two blocks where it ended up crashing into an unoccupied, parked car in the 300 block of North Garfield Street.

One man was arrested immediately, while another fled into the neighborhood.

During the investigation, officers discovered the car was not the one taken in the carjacking but they did find the three handguns inside.

Within about 30 minutes, the second man gave himself up about a block away in the 900 block of East Fourth Street.

“(He) surrendered while we conducted announcements that we were going to use the canines,” Sorenson said.

The pair, who had criminal pasts, were jailed for gun possession. It is unclear if they will face charges for the apparent evading.

ANAHEIM — If the Angels’ 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Monday was a preview of life without Mike Trout, expect a lot of buts.

Andrelton Simmons hit a long, loud home run against former teammate Julio Teheran, but no runners were on base and the damage was limited to one run.

Albert Pujols slugged the 598th home run of his career in the fourth inning, and Luis Valbuena followed with a home run of his own, but by that point the Angels trailed 6-3.

The Angels had lost four of five games before losing Trout to the disabled list with a thumb injury that will require surgery. After Atlanta scored six runs in the third inning against Ricky Nolasco, the Angels might have been doomed even with their best player in the lineup. Fairly or unfairly, Trout’s absence permeated every shortcoming Monday.

“The guy’s been on the field with us every single game for his entire big league career,” Calhoun said of Trout. “To have him on the DL for the first time, you know, it’s kind of the unknown.”

This much is known: The Angels were struggling to score runs when they arrived home from a 10-game road trip Sunday night. Several players took early batting practice on the field prior to Monday’s game. That was before Trout arrived at his decision to undergo surgery.

On a different day, three solo home runs might have been evidence of a positive development. Those three swings accounted for all of the Angels’ offense Monday, when the empty bases spoke louder than the tape-measure estimates.

“One thing about our offense — Mike (Trout) obviously has been the lion’s share of it — but there’s a lot of guys that have had a rough first third of the season that need to become productive,” Scioscia said. “We feel they will.”

Calhoun is batting .205. The cleanup hitter, Valbuena, lifted his batting average to .173 with his home run. Second baseman Nolan Fontana is hitting has one hit in 18 at-bats (.056) to begin his career. Fontana was recalled in part to take the pressure off veteran Danny Espinosa, who’s batting .141.

Teheran (4-4) entered the game with a 4.88 earned-run average. He limited the Angels to three runs in 6 ⅓ innings, allowing six hits and a walk while striking out five.

Nolasco (2-5) didn’t make it out of the third inning in his shortest start of the season. The right-hander had little difficulty getting through the Braves’ lineup once, but a barrage of hits in the third inning led to an early exit.

Atlanta collected three singles, two doubles, and took advantage of a walk and an error by Angels third baseman Cliff Pennington on a hot ground ball by Tyler Flowers. All six runs scored with two outs in the inning. Nolasco threw 42 of his 65 pitches in the third inning alone.

“That’s a lot of pitches,” Scioscia said. “We thought it was better to re-load.”

Reliever Mike Morin relieved Nolasco and threw one pitch to retire Dansby Swanson for the third out. Morin pitched a scoreless fourth inning, too. Four other relievers — Yusmeiro Petit (two innings), Jose Alvarez (one), Blake Parker (one) and Keynan Middleton (one) — finished off the game without allowing a run.

Eric Young Jr., playing his first game as an Angel, went 1 for 4 with a single in the seventh inning. It was his first hit since May 15, 2015 when he was a member of the New York Mets.

Young took the roster spot of Trout, who was placed on the 10-day disabled list earlier in the day with a torn ligament in his left thumb. Trout will have surgery on the ligament Wednesday and is expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks.

“You can’t replace somebody like that,” Young said. “I’m not going to even try. I’m just going to go out there, be myself, and let the cards go as they come.”

For some, that might be easier said than done. Scioscia said that Calhoun looks “a little hard, a little jumpy” and is trying too hard.

Calhoun said the key to succeeding without Trout is “to pull together as a team.” He pointed to the 2014 season when Garrett Richards suffered a season-ending knee injury in August, and the Angels rallied to win 98 games and the American League West.

“Not having a guy like Mike in there, our backs are against the wall … like I said, hopefully he’s back before we know it but we’ve got a lot of guys that if we play together we still can be pretty good.”

BRAVES at ANGELS

When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Where: Angel Stadium

TV: Fox Sports West

THE PITCHERS

ANGELS RHP PARKER BRIDWELL (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

vs. Braves: He has never faced them.

At Angel Stadium: He has never pitched there before.

BRAVES RHP BARTOLO COLON (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

vs. Angels: 12-7, 3.57 ERA (24 starts)

at Angel Stadium: 30-24, 4.38 ERA (64 starts)

Hates to face: Andrelton Simmons, 12 for 23 (.522), five RBIs, zero Ks

Loves to face: Danny Espinosa, 1 for 10 (.100), three Ks

UPCOMING MATCHUPS

Wednesday: Braves LHP Jaime Garcia (2-3, 3.58) at Angels RHP Jesse Chavez (4-6, 5.09 ERA), 7 p.m., Fox Sports West

ANAHEIM — No, the Angels aren’t done.

How could they be? It’s still only May, and the schedule says they have 108 games remaining.

They’re just doomed, that’s all, at least until Mike Trout becomes whole again.

Of course, I wrote something very similar last season when the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw was injured, only to watch as that team improved minus the one piece it could least afford to lose.

Trout is an everyday player whose presence looms over this franchise even more frequently than that.

He is the one Angel other teams genuinely fear, Mets manager Terry Collins recently admitting he considered walking Trout with the bases loaded.

He is the lone reason this franchise has remained nationally relevant the past several seasons, the Angels working on eight years since their most recent postseason victory.

There’s all that. And there’s more.

“You’re losing the heart of your order,” General Manager Billy Eppler said, “and middle of your defense and a leader in the dugout.”

That’s what went on the disabled list Monday, Trout’s torn thumb ligament needing surgery that’s expected to keep him out 6 to 8 weeks.

So, you see, this situation has to be different, the Dodgers’ famous depth enough for them to thrive last summer, while depth – even as it is now improving – isn’t something the Angels have been famous for going back a couple GMs.

“It’s going to require multiple people stepping up in his absence,” Eppler said. “I know the team is going to continue to fight.”

Sure, the Angels will play hard because Mike Scioscia’s teams always do. And they’ll fight, no question. It’s just that in losing Trout, they’ve lost their one certain knockout punch.

How important is the reigning American League MVP around here? The Angels are just two games below .500 thanks mostly to an overachieving pitching staff thinned dramatically by injury.

Offensively, the Angels “have not swung the bats well at all … to our capabilities,” Scioscia said, quickly correctly himself in an effort to not sound too harsh.

Entering Monday, this team was 27th in slugging percentage, 27th in OPS and 22nd in home runs. And that was with Trout, who, in those same individual categories was second, second and tied for second.

Only four teams in baseball had a worse batting average than the Angels. Only six players in baseball had a better batting average than Trout.

“It’s news no player wants to hear,” Eppler said, referring only to Trout, although, I think it’s safe to assume none of the other Angels wanted to hear the news Monday, either.

This is the absolute worst of the worst fears for the Angels and their fans, this team already with an extensive history of and seemingly insatiable affinity for significant injury.

And it was just certain to happen, eventually. It’s surprising the Angels hadn’t lived this nightmare earlier.

With the way Trout plays – climbing walls, attacking sinking liners, diving through dirt – he could have been injured an untold number of times since arriving here for good early in the 2012 season.

Instead, he never was injured, at least not seriously, Trout appearing in 97 percent of the Angels games he could have appeared in the past six years.

“Durability has been kind of an arrow in his quiver,” Eppler said. “I think it still remains an arrow in his quiver. This is a unique circumstance.”

As hard as he plays, hurting Trout seemed even harder. Until Sunday. Until the fifth inning in Miami. Until he slid headfirst again, a tactic the Angels, as a general rule, discourage.

Trout jammed his left hand into second base completing a steal, the incident likely the result of him trying to seize a potential opportunity by playing harder still.

Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto threw poorly, the ball deflecting off the outstretched glove of shortstop J.T. Riddle.

The loose baseball apparently appeared in the corner of Trout’s eye, replays showing him looking toward the lunging Riddle and away from the base just before his hand made contact.

The instant his ligament tore Trout evidently was focused more on the possibility of gaining an extra base for his team in a game the Angels would go on to lose, 9-2.

“I think it’s one of those things that’s just an unfortunate circumstance,” Eppler said, “and something you can’t control.”

Still, the Angels’ best player was hurt doing something the team tries to teach its minor leaguers not to do.

For a guy who already has joined the game’s all-time elites in so many ways, Trout just became the latest baseball player – good, bad or great – to be disabled by a headfirst slide.

“It’s really hard when something’s instinctual,” Eppler said. “I think, at the end of the day, the player has to do what’s comfortable. But given my preference? Sure, slide feet-first.”

Instead, Trout did what he has always done, while doing what he always does, leading with his head and with his heart, all the Angels now sharing in his pain.

By JUAN ZAMORANO and KATHIA MARTINEZ

PANAMA CITY —  Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, a onetime U.S. ally who was ousted as Panama’s dictator by an American invasion in 1989, died late Monday at age 83.

Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela wrote in his Twitter account that “the death of Manuel A. Noriega closes a chapter in our history.”

Varela added, “His daughters and his relatives deserve to mourn in peace.”

Noriega served a 17-year drug sentence in the United States and was later sent to face charges in France. The final years of his life were spent in a Panamanian prison for murder of political opponents during his 1983-89 regime.

He accused Washington of a “conspiracy” to keep him behind bars and tied his legal troubles to his refusal to cooperate with a U.S. plan aimed at toppling Nicaragua’s leftist Sandinista government in the 1980s.

In recent years Noriega suffered various ailments including high blood pressure and bronchitis.

In 2016, doctors detected the rapid growth of a benign brain tumor that had first been spotted four years earlier, and in the following January a court granted him house arrest to prepare for surgery on the tumor.

He is survived by his wife Felicidad and daughters Lorena, Thays and Sandra.

Following Noriega’s ouster Panama underwent huge changes, taking over the Panama Canal from U.S. control in 1999, vastly expanding the waterway and enjoying a boom in tourism and real estate.

Today the Central American nation has little in common with the bombed-out neighborhoods where Noriega hid during the 1989 invasion, before being famously smoked out of his refuge at the Vatican Embassy by incessant, loud rock music blared by U.S. troops.

Known mockingly as “Pineapple Face” for his pockmarked complexion, Manuel Antonio Noriega was born poor in Panama City on Feb. 11, 1934, and was raised by foster parents.

He joined Panama’s Defense Forces in 1962 and steadily rose through the ranks, mainly through loyalty to his mentor, Gen. Omar Torrijos, who became Panama’s de facto leader after a 1968 coup.

As Torrijos’ intelligence chief, Noriega monitored political opponents and developed close ties with U.S. intelligence agencies guarding against possible threats to the canal. Two years after Torrijos died in a mysterious plane crash in 1981, Noriega became the head of the armed forces and Panama’s de facto ruler.

Noriega ruled with an iron fist, ordering the deaths of those who opposed him and maintaining a murky, close and conflictive relationship with the United States. At the apex of his power he wielded great influence outside the country as well thanks to longstanding relationships with spy agencies around the world, said R.M. Koster, an American novelist and biographer of Noriega who has lived in Panama for decades.

Noriega was considered a valued CIA asset and was paid millions of dollars for assistance to the U.S. throughout Latin America, including acting as a liaison to Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Noriega also helped the U.S. seize drugs at sea and track money laundering in Panama’s banks, and reported on guerrilla and terrorist activities.

Washington ultimately soured on him, especially after a top political opponent was killed in 1985 and Noriega appeared to join forces with Latin American drug traffickers. Foes in the Panamanian military attempted several coups but failed, and their leaders were summarily executed by firing squad.

The beginning of his downfall came in 1988 when federal grand juries in the Florida cities of Miami and Tampa indicted Noriega on drug-trafficking charges.

Initially he reacted with defiance, thumbing his nose at U.S. economic sanctions designed to drive him from power. He famously waved a machete at a rally while vowing not to leave, and in 1989 he nullified elections that observers say were handily won by the opposition.

U.S. President George H.W. Bush ordered the invasion in December 1989, and Noriega was captured and taken to Miami. During the operation, 23 U.S. military personnel died and 320 were wounded, and the Pentagon estimated 200 Panamanian civilians and 314 soldiers were killed.

Prosecutors accused Noriega of helping Colombia’s Medellin cocaine cartel ship “tons and tons of a deadly white powder” to the United States.

The defense cited court documents describing him as the “CIA’s man in Panama” and argued that the indictment “smells all the way from here to Washington.”

Jurors convicted Noriega in April 1992 of eight of 10 charges. Under the judge’s instructions, they were told not to consider the political side of the case – including whether the U.S. had the right to invade Panama and bring Noriega to trial in the first place.

During his years at a minimum-security federal prison outside Miami, Noriega got special POW treatment, allowed to wear his Panamanian military uniform and insignia when in court.

He lived in a bungalow apart from other inmates and had his own television and exercise equipment. He was said to be a TV news junkie and a voracious reader about politics and current events.

After completing his 17-year sentence in 2007, Noriega was extradited to France and received a seven-year sentence for money laundering.

But Panama wanted Noriega to return to face in-absentia convictions and two prison terms of 20 years for embezzlement, corruption and murder of opponents, including military commander Moises Giroldi, who led a failed rebellion on Oct. 3, 1989, and Hugo Spadafora, whose decapitated body was found in a mailbag on the border with Costa Rica in 1985.

In mid-2011, France approved his extradition to Panama.

Despite amassing great wealth, Noriega had worked hard to cultivate an image of a man of the people. He lived in a modest, two-story home in an upper-middle-class neighborhood in Panama City that stood in stark contrast with the opulent mansions customary among Latin American dictators.

“He would only say ‘hello’ very respectfully,” said German Sanchez, who lived next door for 16 years. “You may think what you like of Noriega, but we can’t say he was anything but respectful toward his neighbors.”

“The humble, the poor, the blacks, they are the utmost authority,” Noriega said in one speech.

While some resentment lingers over the U.S. invasion, Noriega has so few supporters in modern-day Panama that attempts to auction off his old home attracted no bidders and the government decided to demolish decaying building down. Late in life, the ex-dictator essentially had zero influence over his country from behind bars.

“He is not a figure with political possibilities,” University of Panama sociologist Raul Leis said in 2008. “Even though there’s a small sector that yearns for the Noriega era, it is not a representative figure in the country.”

Noriega broke a long silence in June 2015 when he made a statement from prison on Panamanian television in which he asked forgiveness of those harmed by his regime.

“I feel like as Christians we all have to forgive,” he said, reading from a handwritten statement. “The Panamanian people have already overcome this period of dictatorship.”

But for the most part Noriega stayed mum about elite military and civilian associates who thrived on the corruption that he helped instill – and which still plagues the Central American nation of some 3.9 million people, a favored transshipment point for drugs and a haven for money laundering.

“He kept his mouth shut and died for the sins of others,” Koster, the biographer, said in a 2014 interview. “Nobody else ever went to prison.”

Meanwhile, families of more than 100 who were killed or disappeared during his rule are still seeking justice.

PANAMA CITY (AP) — A source close to the family of Manuel Noriega says the former Panamanian dictator has died at age 83.

The source was not authorized to be quoted by name.

Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela wrote in his Twitter account that “the death of Manuel A. Noriega closes a chapter in our history.”

The onetime U.S. ally was ousted as Panama’s dictator by an American invasion in 1989.

Noriega later served a 17-year drug sentence in the United States.

He spent the first two decades after his ouster in U.S. and French jails and the final years of his life in a Panamanian prison for the murder of political opponents during his 1983-89 regime.

Noriega accused Washington of a “conspiracy” to keep him behind bars and tied his legal troubles to his refusal to cooperate with a U.S. plan aimed at toppling Nicaragua’s leftist Sandinista government in the 1980s.

In recent years, Noriega had suffered various ailments, including high blood pressure and bronchitis.

In 2016, doctors detected the rapid growth of a benign brain tumor that had first been spotted four years earlier. In January of this year, a court granted him house arrest to prepare for surgery on the tumor.

Noriega is survived by his wife, Felicidad, and daughters Lorena, Thays and Sandra.

By Philip Rucke

WASHINGTON – Mike Dubke has resigned as White House communications director in the first of what could be a series of changes to President Donald Trump’s senior staff amid the growing Russia scandal.

Dubke, who served in the post for three months, tendered his resignation May 18. He offered to stay on to help manage communications in Washington during Trump’s foreign trip, and the president accepted.

Dubke’s last day on the job has not been determined. But it could be as early as Tuesday, when he was expected to meet with his staff at the White House, said a senior administration official, who required anonymity to discuss a personnel move that has not yet been formally announced.

Dubke’s resignation was first reported by Mike Allen of Axios in his Tuesday morning newsletter.

In an email to friends and associates on Tuesday morning, Dubke wrote: “It has been my great honor to serve President Trump and this administration. It has also been my distinct pleasure to work side-by-side, day-by-day with the staff of the communications and press departments.”

Dubke, 47, who has worked closely with White House press secretary Sean Spicer, served as a behind-the-scenes player helping manage communications strategy, responses to crises such as the firing of James B. Comey as FBI director, as well as rollout plans for policy and other initiatives.

The communications operation – and Dubke and Spicer specifically – have come under sharp criticism from Trump and many senior officials in the West Wing, who believe the president has been poorly served by his staff, in particular in the aftermath of the Comey firing.

Dubke was the rare Trump newcomer in a White House in which personal relationships and proximity to the president is the currency. He arrived in mid-February, a few weeks into Trump’s term, and struggled to build alliances with some colleagues on the senior staff, not having worked on Trump’s campaign or his transition team.

Jason Miller, the Trump campaign’s senior communications adviser, was slated to serve as communications director in the White House, but he stepped aside a few weeks before Inauguration Day, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.

During the first few weeks of the presidency, Spicer held the dual roles of press secretary and communications director, but it became too much for him. Dubke was then hired to fulfill the communications director responsibilities.

Dubke previously was a Republican strategist who founded Crossroads Media and had long ties to party establishment figures, including strategist Karl Rove.

Each May, the tree blooming in front of my house reminds me of boyfriends I’ve had over the years.

Beautiful, sticky, messy and annoying.

If you have a jacaranda tree, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

It’s a love-hate relationship. You can’t help being swept away by the glorious carpet of periwinkle blossoms. Until you have to clean them up.

Or park underneath them. Then, you find yourself mumbling under your breath a lot.

“Oh, how beautiful,” my friend from out of town gasped the other day, when she saw my tree and the purple snow on the street beneath it.

It was a good reminder to me to enjoy the sight, because I was grumpy that day, and all I could see was the sidewalk full of sticky blooms that were hard to sweep up.

I’m basically lazy, and I hate sweeping my sidewalk on principle. Even I have to do it, though, in May, because otherwise it’s too slippery to walk and my neighbors give me the stinkeye.

It’s like when you have a boyfriend who’s really handsome and takes your breath away every time you see him, but who never cleans up the kitchen and leaves his towels on the bathroom floor.

Pretty soon, you forget that he’s so darn good-looking and only consider the aggravation.

I’m trying to reform, though, and appreciate the natural beauty around me that many people who live in other places would envy.

That includes other things as well, such as not griping about sand on my feet from the beach. (Hello, you have a beach nearby and you’re complaining about it?)

The annual flowering in May reminds me of springtime, which most people who’ve always lived in Southern California don’t even understand. When you live in a frozen, monochromatic world, those first few buds of green and then the subsequent flowers set forth an explosion of feeling in your heart.

It’s like the moment when Dorothy emerges into the color of Oz, after the black-and-white scenes in Kansas.

We’re so spoiled for color here that we barely notice the flowers, but it’s impossible to miss the purple explosion every May.

My jacaranda tree is also useful for identifying which cars belong to newbies on our quiet suburban street. They are the ones who recklessly park underneath it in May, without realizing the consequences.

Most people on our street only do that once. Then, after they get back from the car wash, they park down the street, in front of a nice oak tree that has no sticky purple blooms.

This year, after all the rain, I’m happy to see my tree looking healthy. Last year, after the drought, the leaves were looking yellow and sad. There’s always the anticipation of seeing the first buds come out and a few purple blossoms scattered around, knowing that the full bloom is only days away.

My teenagers don’t know a world that doesn’t include jacaranda trees, but I’d never seen one until I moved to Southern California in 1981.  Natives of Central and South America, these trees have been planted everywhere they won’t suffer frost.

The most famous locations are in Pretoria, South Africa, and Perth, Australia, but you can find nice canopies of them in Orange County at Jacaranda Place in Fullerton and along Myrtle Street in Santa Ana. I’ve heard Aliso Viejo has some nice displays, too.

Last time I wrote about these trees, I got an email from a guy who told me he chopped down the street tree in front of his house, because he was tired of the mess. Yikes. Maybe a Zoloft would have worked better, instead.

Next time I go outside, I’m going to think about Prince’s “Purple Rain.” And ponder the beauty of my tree, not the mess.

And, in my town, there’s that moment when you drive down a street under a canopy of blue-purple blossoms, and it feels like you’ve stumbled into heaven.

Like owning a boat, it’s great when your neighbor has one. Then you can enjoy it without cleaning it up.

A lot can change in 30 years, especially a shopping mall. Especially as the Internet reshaped how most of us shop.

In recent years, the 21st-century mall has evolved across much of Orange County, where retail thrives. Aging and traditional malls are saying goodbye to longstanding anchors and hello to hipster food concepts, entertainment venues and even residential units.

This theme is playing out in Santa Ana, where MainPlace Mall has retooled its retail space several times under several different owners. This year, it celebrates 30 years with an eye on expansion.

The mall, which started with just three restaurants and a modest food court when it opened, has lost what were once key anchors — Bullocks, Robinsons-May, the Macy’s Mens store and Nordstrom. Its newest owner, Centennial Real Estate, has doubled down on entertainment and more food options, creating an experience for consumers to lure them away from their computers.

“The retail landscape is evolving constantly,” the mall’s general manager Jonathan Maher said. “The biggest difference from malls today is malls 30 years ago were retail focused. Now, with computers, people are looking for an experience.”

Restaurants at the mall include Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ, Wokcano Asian Fusion Restaurant & Bar and Dog Haus. Entertainment and fitness options were added when the former Macy’s Men’s and Home store close shop and seven tenants moved in, including 24 Hour Fitness and Round 1 Bowling & Amusement.

Lucille’s, which opened in December 2015, has benefited from the tenant shakeup.

“They brought in a lot of new faces, new names and the mall itself is in a great area, in a great location,” Lucille’s assistant general manager Nick McMahon said.  The Garden Grove resident has been going to the mall for years.

“The change since we’ve been here too has been great,” he said.

Extending the mall

Centennial Real Estate took over MainPlace Mall from Westfield at the end of 2015.

The mall operator has since been acquiring surrounding land it will develop in the future.The group so far has bought the parking lots surrounding the mall on Main Drive, with the exception of the Wells Fargo building lot.

Plans have not been finalized, but Maher said possibilities for the area include a hotel, offices and apartments.

“Malls now have more components,” he said.

It’s a similar story at other neighborhood malls in Orange County. Laguna Hills Mall is making a similar play.

The dated mall is adding luxury apartments, a movie theater, park and indoor and outdoor shops. Merlone Geier Partners bought the property from Simon Property Group in 2013.

Big players leave malls

As big-store anchors like Nordstrom, JCPenney and possibly Sears exit the malls, operators are reimaging the space left behind.

That scenario is playing out at Mainplace, where the former Nordstrom, which closed in March after 29 years, will likely see multiple tenants in its place.

“I’m less excited about putting one tenant in as I am about bringing in new uses,” Maher said.

To make room for even more new tenants, MainPlace will shift the Olive Garden restaurant across the street to City Place.

Irvine Spectrum Center was one of the first local malls to demolish what once was a key anchor to make room for multiple vendors. In 2016, its landlord Irvine Company tore down Macy’s and is nearing completion on a new construction that will be home to roughly 20 new shopping options.

JCPenney’s downsizing has left a hole at the Village at Orange. The store will shutter mid-June. It’s the only retail store in Southern California among 138 so far marked for closure nationwide by the company.

Tim McMahon, a leasing broker with CRBE, said the group is looking for a single tenant at the small Orange mall but remains open to the option of dividing the space.

The next big shoe to drop in retail will be the demise of Sears. The struggling retailer has hired Eastdil Secured to market and sell at least $1 billion of real estate properties.

If Sears does sell off its stores, retail analyst Greg Stoffel said area malls would most likely have first dibs, giving them a chance to redevelop the area with new concepts, particularly entertainment and experience-oriented stores.

Stoffel said MainPlace “took out” other nearby centers when it first opened.

Initially, the developers thought of the center as a high-end mall, but it has ultimately has appealed to lower-income demographics, he said.

“MainPlace is not in the upper tier of upscale centers in Orange County. South Coast Plaza, Fashion Island, the Shops at Mission Viejo and Brea Mall occupy that space. MainPlace is a solid B center, still better than Buena Park downtown and Westminster,” Stoffel said. “But the center’s busy. For what it is, it looks well tenanted. They just need to continue to do a really good job of meeting the needs of the customers who live in close proximity.”

Focus on events

MainPlace Mall will take advantage of its parking lots and proximity to the 5 freeway to host more events in the months ahead. In recent years it has hosted a handful of events including a fall food festival and a Latin music festival

“It’s the next phase in what makes a mall worth going to,” Maher said. “You can bring your family and stay for the day.”

Activities at the mall bring more people to the restaurants, McMahon at Lucille’s affirmed.

“Malls have always been a community gathering place and that’s becoming more important,” Maher said. “The bigger companies can’t be as nimble. They’re into national marketing campaigns but we are local.”

Upcoming events include Halloween Dia de los Muertos on Oct. 28 and Taste of Santa Ana on Sept. 30.

Three men — two from Orange County — have been arrested in connection with possession of counterfeit U.S. currency in Norco, according to a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department statement.

Deputies initially responded to the 4100 block of Crestview Drive in the city on Sunday, May 28, after receiving a report of a  suspicious vehicle.

During a probation search of the vehicle, deputies located a loaded firearm, counterfeit currency and equipment used to manufacture counterfeit currency, the release stated.

Matthew Walters, 42, of Huntington Beach, and Phillip Gordon, 27, of Orange were arrested on suspicion of possession of a loaded firearm and counterfeit money and Walters also was held on a probation violation, the release stated.

Then on Tuesday, May 30, in the afternoon, deputies assigned to the Norco station’s Special Enforcement Team, assisted by U.S. Secret Service federal agents, served a search warrant at a home in the 4500 block of California Ave., Norco, and found additional evidence.

There they arrested Eric Morse, a 31-year-old resident of Norco, on suspicion of possession of counterfeit currency.

Gordon was held at the Indio jail with bail set at $45,000, Walters was held in Indio with no bail set because of an out-of-county warrant, and Morse was held at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside in lieu of posting $30,000 bail, according to jail records.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with additional information is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 951-270-5673.

SANTA ANA — A man was arrested on suspicion of assault and two women were detained at a Town Hall & Immigration Workshop in Santa Ana on Tuesday night, police said.

About 15 minutes before the workshop began, a fight broke out between two women inside the Delhi Center, Tuesday, May 30, according to Santa Ana Police Department Cmdr. Matt Sorenson. The event was hosted by Rep. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, at the center to give a legislative update on new immigration policies.

The town hall was scheduled to run from 6 to 8 p.m., according to a post on Correa’s Facebook page. Correa listed Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), World Relief Garden Grove and the Mexican Consulate as also taking part in the town hall.

Organizers temporarily stopped the event about 6:20 p.m., which caused people on both sides of the immigration debate to flood the parking lot at the same time.

About two minutes later, a man struck another person in the head with the pole of his anti-fascist flag, according to Sorenson. He was arrested for assault.

The police department had 10 officers at the scene because they were aware of the counter-protesters planning to attend, Sorenson said.

According to Andrew Scibetta, a spokesman for Correa, the town hall restarted shortly, in a different room at the center, after people were removed.

“I completely support the right of all parties to exercise their first amendment rights,” said Correa, who represents California’s 46th congressional district that includes Anaheim and Santa Ana, in a statement. “However, I urge people to act responsibly and refrain from violence.”

I am a professional paid signature gatherer working on the Josh Newman recall petition. I have seen two letters attempting to discredit petitioners appear in the past week. One letter [“Newman recall not justified,” Letters, May 24] asserts that “political operatives” from outside the district, and their “out-of-area paid signature gatherers,” are attempting to “thwart the will of local voters and turn Orange County into a political circus.”

The second letter [“You lost, get over it,” Letters, May 26] compares petitioners to “locusts.” The letter-writer goes on to claim that petition “circulators are purposely deceiving the public” and presenting a “pack of lies and exaggerations.”

It is been my experience that people opposed to an issue, like this Josh Newman recall, often attempt to discredit signature gatherers in order to prevent an issue from getting on the ballot. Both writers made blanket statements that are not accurate. The claim that we are all from out of the area is not true. Many petitioners are local residents. The assertion that we are all purposely misrepresenting the issues is also unfair. Like any profession, we do have some less conscientious individuals but the majority of us are very clear about what this recall is about, and that it does not affect the gas tax and registration fee increases in any way.

Referring to petitioners as locusts overlooks the fact that petitioners are presenting the public with an opportunity to get an issue on the ballot. The right of the public to petition the government for a redress of grievances is enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution. It is unfortunate that some individuals have little awareness or respect for that right.

Finally, I might add, signature gatherers are very happy with the overwhelmingly positive response to the Josh Newman recall issue. Most voters are happy to sign.

— Vivian Marlene Dunbar, Colton

Find the money

Re: “Trump’s budget cuts West Coast quake warning system funding” [News, May 26]: The proposed federal budget would cut $10 million a year for an earthquake warning system and we hear wailing and weeping that the result will be the loss of this program, which could protect us all. Here’s an idea: How about chipping off that tiny amount from the $64 billion bullet train? But that would mean doing something sensible in Sacramento. A contradiction in terms, I’m afraid.

— Jackie Hyman, Brea

Newport Beach is home to some pretty prosperous people, so it should come as no surprise that the city is also fairly well off. That should be evident as the city goes through the motions of approving a $282 million budget.

“I call this a ‘We’re in good shape, but … budget,’” City Manager Dave Kiff said, as reported by the Register. Nothing is foolproof, though, hence the “but.” So long as tax revenue remains steady and pension payments — which Kiff described as “not impossible to sustain, but challenging” — don’t rise dramatically, however, the city expects to remain financially stable for the next 20 years.

But economic uncertainty and our spendthrift state government are ever present. In light of this, Newport Beach is also being proactive. “In addition to a $300,000 surplus, Newport Beach will pay an extra $9.1 million toward pensions for fiscal year 2017-18, which begins July 1,” the Register noted.

Planning ahead is a trait that so often seems absent in government. It’s easy to hope for the best, while neglecting to prepare for the worst. Newport Beach’s sizeable surplus and overpaying on pensions, a debt which has ballooned dramatically in recent years, is a commitment to sound financial stewardship that is certainly welcome.

Yet, many still seem to think government debt doesn’t matter — until it does. Insolvency in places like Greece, Puerto Rico and, closer to home, the city of San Bernardino, prove that spending and debt have consequences. When they get too high, bankruptcy beckons — whether for a city, a territory or a country.

And, when it comes to pensions, many in government seem to forget just how quickly that debt can accumulate. It should be remembered, as the Register noted, that in Newport Beach, “the pension debt was $2 million a decade ago, and is expected to reach $353 million by next year.”

Newport Beach is hardly unique in this respect. According to the State Controller’s Office, the unfunded liability of California’s pension plans surpassed $234 billion in 2015, the most recent year available.

Newport Beach has been wise to heed those warnings. Other municipalities and government agencies should be cognizant of them as well, and craft plans that better shield them from uncertainly.

You might take it as a given that if you invest hundreds of thousands — or even millions — of dollars in your home, you have the right to protect it from damage, particularly that caused by bad weather or other natural disasters. But that is apparently not the case in California, especially if you happen to live along the Golden State’s 840 miles of coastline.

Thomas Frick and Jennifer Lynch, two neighboring property owners who live atop a bluff overlooking the ocean in Encinitas, had a seawall and the lower portion of a long-existing stairway down to the beach that they share destroyed during a severe storm in 2010. The city granted Frick and Lynch’s late mother approval to restore the structures, but the California Coastal Commission had other ideas. It prohibited any repairs to the stairway, and would only grant a temporary, 20-year permit for the seawall, after which the homeowners would have to again seek the permission of the Commission or be forced to tear it out.

The homeowners won a lawsuit in a state superior court in 2013, but an appellate court panel reversed the ruling in a 2-1 decision the following year. The case, Lynch v. California Coastal Commission, is now in the hands of the California Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments on May 4.

“The Coastal Commission’s treatment of these homeowners is part of an anti-seawall agenda that the agency has been imposing up and down the coast,” Pacific Legal Foundation Executive Vice President and General Counsel John Groen, who argued the case before the Supreme Court, said in a statement. “This case offers the state Supreme Court an opportunity to affirm the rule of law against an agenda-driven bureaucracy. Coastal homeowners have a statutory and constitutional right to protect the integrity of their property, and the commission’s subversion of that right must end.”

But it is not just unelected bureaucrats that are threatening property rights all along the state’s coast. Lawmakers like Assemblyman Mark Stone, D-Monterey Bay, are trying to get in on the act, too.

Under the California Coastal Act of 1976, the Coastal Commission generally is supposed to permit seawalls in cases such as the replacement of existing structures or danger from erosion (although, as the Lynch case demonstrates, it has already begun to neglect this duty). Stone’s Assembly Bill 1129 would officially remove this obligation and define existing structures as those built prior to January 1, 1977. Not surprisingly, the bill has the enthusiastic backing of the Coastal Commission.

“It’s an absurd notion that they can do this,” Peter Sandmann, general counsel for the Seadrift Association of the Stinson Beach community in Marin County, told KPIX 5, a CBS affiliate in San Francisco. “People have bought and built things along the beach and now the Coastal Commission wants to come in and retroactively say they can’t be protected.”

The move is all the more puzzling given the great lengths and expense to which governments go to prevent other kinds of erosion. Many spend significant sums on dredging and replenishing sand to prevent beach erosion, and during the wetter seasons (particularly following an active wildfire season) news reports are filled with efforts to provide homeowners with sandbags to minimize flooding and mudslide damage, and crews working to remove dirt and rock from landslides.

Yet, somehow, the situation is different when it comes to private property along the coast. It is a good thing that we do not have a state agency with similar scope and power regulating homes in the hills and mountains, or else those homeowners would be doomed as well.

Ironically, the Coastal Commission contends that seawalls cause erosion by preventing sand supply and “fixing the back of the beach” — so its solution is to allow other erosion of the private property where people live! Perhaps property owners should just pick up their houses and move them back a bit every several years, as the Coastal Commission allows coastal erosion to move inward. Better yet, they should not own property near the coast at all, which seems to be the true agenda here.

But property rights should not cease to exist just because a property is particularly beautiful or desirable. And in no case should the government endanger people’s homes — and, potentially, their lives — by preventing them from taking reasonable measures to protect their own property from the elements.

Adam B. Summers is a columnist with the Southern California News Group.