Suicide suspected in death of O.C. law professor

Mary Katherine Baird Darmer of Chapman University died after plunging from a parking structure. The case remains under investigation.

40 officials in Orange County get conflict-of-interest warnings

Ethics panel staffer sends letters to council members who have voted themselves onto local boards that pay stipends up to $5,000.

Garden Grove High licks rivals in Popsicle-stick bridge contest

The challenge at Cal State Long Beach: build a bridge out of Popsicle sticks and Elmer's glue and see how much pressure it can withstand.

Gary Carter dies at 57; baseball Hall of Famer

Gary Carter, who was raised in Fullerton and played for the Montreal Expos, Mets, Giants and Dodgers, had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in May. A catcher, he had a key hit in the 1986 World Series and was known for his exuberance.

O.C. union backs deputy who killed unarmed Marine

Deputies union says the Feb. 7 shooting of Marine Sgt. Manuel Loggins prevented his two daughters from being harmed.

Deputy killed Marine to protect the man's daughters, official says

Orange County sheriff's official says Sgt. Manuel Loggins Jr. failed to respond to officers' commands in the early morning incident at San Clemente High School.

Marine fatally shot by deputy described as deeply religious

Sgt. Manuel Loggins Jr. was shot by an Orange County sheriff's deputy in a parking lot at San Clemente High School. He regularly went to the campus track with his young daughters for early-morning prayer walks.

Beer Notes: Library Alehouse brings HopHead Heaven to earth

Also: Beachwood BBQ in Seal Beach and Long Beach will raffle its Pliny the Younger pints to support the Melanoma Research Foundation, as will Library Alehouse.

Disneyland's Matterhorn ride closes for extensive overhaul

One of the park's most popular and visible attractions, the 147-foot-tall Matterhorn is down for six months for one of the longest overhauls since it opened in 1959. Disneyland officials say the roller coaster will be spruced up but otherwise won't change much.

Suspect in homeless case charged in Oct. 25 stabbing deaths

Itzcoatl Ocampo, a former Marine already accused of killing four homeless men, is charged in the stabbing deaths of his high school friend's mother and older brother in Yorba Linda.

Husband of correctional officer slain in 1998 is arrested

Nuzzio Begaren is arrested with two other men in connection with the slaying of Elizabeth Begaren, who was shot on a freeway offramp in Anaheim.

LA Fitness International to move Irvine headquarters

LA Fitness will expand its offices about 30% with a move into 91,000 square feet at the Michelson office complex under a 10-year lease.

DNA key in case against Ocampo, D.A. says

Suspect's friend Eder Herrera is released in the deaths of his brother and mother in Yorba Linda.

Parents suing over listing on child abuse index

A couple who cut locks of their daughter's hair as punishment for lying are suing an Orange County agency and social worker, saying they were not afforded due process.

Police believe Ocampo involved in slayings of woman, son

The commander of the task force investigating the killings of four homeless men said there is 'significant evidence' leading authorities to believe that Itzcoatl Ocampo was involved with the slayings of Raquel Estrada, 53, and Juan Herrera, 34, in their Yorba Linda home.

California Supreme Court overturns O.C. man's death sentence

The court rules that a Superior Court judge failed to properly instruct the jury that voted for death for Gary Galen Brents, who was convicted of killing a woman over methamphetamine in 1995.

Police investigate O.C. slaying suspect in earlier deaths

Police in Orange County are looking into whether Itzcoatl Ocampo, the man accused of killing four homeless men, was involved in the deaths of a woman and her son in October.