BIG BLIMP: In the shadow of one...

BIG BLIMP: In the shadow of one of Tustin’s historic blimp hangars, county officials envision an “urban park” with meandering paths for biking and jogging. . . . The park is part of the county’s application to the federal government for converting the soon-to-close Marine Corps Air Station at Tustin, but one question remains: what to do with the huge hangar? “The blimp hangar has complicated the planning process,” says the county’s proposal.

BACK ON TRACK: Fast-food pioneer Carl Karcher talks to University of Southern California business school alums on the “Entrepreneurial Spirit” today at the Irvine Marriott hotel. The appearance marks his first talk since battles with the board of Carl Karcher Enterprises forced him to cancel several speeches and a radio show last year. . . . “He’s just going to talk about the trials and tribulations of being an entrepreneur in today’s world,” said USC’s Bob Brown.

BIG TENT: Representatives of Taco Bell are at the Newport Beach Country Club parking lot today constructing a 46,200-square-foot tent to seat 1,500 people. . . . The canvas monstrosity will be the site of Friday’s “Hog Wild For Hoag Hospital,” a gala fund-raising event for the hospital featuring a Harley-Davidson biker bar motif, dinner by five chefs and a performance by rock and roll star Huey Lewis (above) & The News. Cost is $200 per person, “but there’s complimentary valet parking,” a spokeswoman said.

MEDICAL HELP: Last week’s earthquake was the first opportunity to test a new law, drafted after the 1989 Loma Prieta quake, that allows physician assistants to render minimally supervised emergency care during such disasters. . . . A spokeswoman for the Anaheim-based California Academy of Physician Assistants said it’s too early to tell how many members assisted, but “I would be surprised if it wasn’t in the hundreds.”