the Best Journalism in Orange County

Each day The Times Orange County strives for excellence in reporting the events, ideas, emotions and dramas that shape and define our community. That standard has been recognized time and again within the newspaper industry and by many professional organizations. Most recently, The Times swept the Orange Orange County Press Club competition. With this special section, we look back at some of the memorable moments of 1996, as revealed through the Times journalism that has won local, regional and national praise.

ABOUT THIS SECTION

Cover: Design by Chuck Nigash. Photos by Geraldo Molina (Rod and Michele Carew); Craig Fugii (Loretta Sanchez); Rick Loomis (Bugler); Gail Fisher (Dancers); Al Schaben (Surfer’s Chapel and Amanda Beard) and Aurelio Jose Barrera (18th Street Gang)

Reprints: Printouts of the full text of stories excerpted in this section are available from Times On Demand at 1-800-788-8804. There is a charge.

Staff: Editing of this section was by Joan Springhetti, Lenny Bernstein, Colin Crawford, Kris Onuigbo and Rachel Williams. Design was by Chuck Nigash, David Puckett and Kirk Christ