Orange County D.A. fires the man he was grooming to succeed him

Todd Spitzer, a former assemblyman and Orange County supervisor, was at one point Tony Rackauckas' hand-picked successor. He says he was dismissed for political reasons.

Catalina Flyer suspends service for upgrade

Catamaran will resume daily runs to Avalon in February.

Brown emphasizes 'uniting Californians'; Whitman attacks 'mismanagement'

The gubernatorial candidates kick off Labor Day weekend with campaign speeches in Santa Ana and Columbia, Calif.

UC Irvine upholds suspension of Muslim group, bans it for one quarter

The group must complete 100 hours of community service before applying for reinstatement. A yearlong ban had been urged. The penalty stems from the disruption of the Israeli ambassador's speech.

Allergan to pay $600 million to settle Botox case

The Justice Department announces the settlement, which ends more than two years of scrutiny of the Irvine firm's activities spawned by whistle-blowers.

Former O.C. football star gets 25 years for killing Newport Beach store owner

Weston Scott Kruger was shoplifting a pornographic magazine when the liquor store owner confronted him. Kruger shoved him hard to the concrete floor, cracking his head.

O.C. man charged with wife's murder

Officials think Richard Forsberg beat Marcia Forsberg to death in February at their Rancho Santa Margarita home, then took her body to Ventura County. He is arrested after an apparent suicide attempt.

Golfer hitting out of rough ignites Irvine brush fire

The man's club struck a rock, sparking the 12-acre blaze over the weekend, officials say. No charges are filed.

O.C. Fairgrounds sale may fall through, legislator says

Assemblyman Van Tran says that he's 'concerned with the entire package' and that another Assemblyman 'seems uncertain' if he'll file the legislation necessary to sell the property to Costa Mesa.

Raising awareness of Pakistan's flood victims

For a disaster that has displaced millions, financial support has lagged behind that offered to victims of Haiti's quake. An Anaheim man and others started their own group, Americans for Flood Relief.

Ford's Freeman Thomas has a better idea

The design director for the automaker's strategic concepts group in Irvine gets his inspiration from culture, people and human archetypes.

Post office won't change even if Sunset Beach does

Plans by neighboring Huntington Beach to annex the tiny coastal hamlet have sparked concerns among residents about their small-town life. But the postmaster says their mail service won't be affected.

Scene & Heard: Festival of New American Musicals fundraiser

Also, a South Coast Plaza luncheon for the Orange County Performing Arts Center and the Bolshoi Ballet's 'Reflections' dance collaboration.

Group's schools in Pakistan press on despite floods

A nonprofit based in Garden Grove runs 150 schools in the disaster-stricken country, six of which have been damaged. The goal: keep on teaching.

Donald Bren doesn't owe two adult children any more money, jury rules

An L.A. jury decides that the billionaire Irvine Co. chairman doesn't owe Christie Bren and David Bren retroactive child support. The trial put the intensely private developer in an awkward position.

Assembly race casts light — and heat — on candidate with Mideast roots

Democrat Phu Nguyen seeks to gain support in Orange County's Arab community by accusing Republican Allan Mansoor of denying his Middle Eastern heritage.

Orange County Performing Arts Center and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County report modest budget surpluses

Performance attendance is up at OCPAC, which paid down debt, and the Philharmonic Society bolsters its recently reduced staff.