OUT OF THE SKY: Along with the...

OUT OF THE SKY: Along with the pouring rain Saturday came sirens at dawn, a road closure and the postponement of about 50 outdoor athletics events. (B4) Laguna Canyon Road was closed for a time. About 6:05 a.m. a warning siren near the San Onofre nuclear plant mistakenly sounded in San Clemente and wailed for 20 minutes. . . . And, right on schedule, swallows were spotted at Mission San Juan Capistrano around 8 a.m., bells rang, and the annual celebration of St. Joseph’s Day began. (B1)

FINDING SALVATION: The Salvation Army has long helped people break alcohol and drug addictions. Now it wants to help addicts break their tobacco habits as well. Beginning April 1, the 140 addicts at its rehabilitation center in Anaheim will be prohibited from smoking. . . . While society condemns drugs and alcohol, says director Bradley Hayton, “in reality, the number of deaths from tobacco and secondhand smoke far outweighs alcohol and drug-related fatalities.”

REAL STARDOM: Julie Foudy, three-time player of the year in girls’ soccer at Mission Viejo High School in the 1980s, is now a standout on the U.S. women’s national soccer team. But you wouldn’t find her face on a trading card--until now. . . . Upper Deck next week will release a 325-card soccer series that will include 10 members of the women’s national team, among them Foudy. It’s the first time the leading trading card company has ever featured women athletes of any sport.

THE SHOE FITS: It’s true that homeless people need food and blankets, but what they need most , some will tell you, is shoes. Local podiatric surgeon Victor Cachia led a shoe drive here last year that was so successful the county’s Podiatric Medical Assn. is doing it again. . . . “Many homeless people don’t have the resources to purchase shoes,” Cachia says. “It exposes them to foot ailments that could be prevented.” You can turn in your old or spare shoes at MainPlace/Santa Ana or the Walking Store in Huntington Beach.