The Costa Mesa girls’ basketball team defeated rival Estancia 61-42 at home, winning the Battle for the Bell for the first time since 2021.

The Daily Pilot’s e-newspaper includes Friday’s coverage of Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Laguna Beach, Fountain Valley and other parts of Orange County.

Whale watchers noticed a rope wrapped around the mammal’s fin recently while the whale was breaching the surface of the ocean.

Laguna Beach brought its accessory dwelling unit ordinance into compliance with recently passed state law, which will go into effect on Jan. 1.

American Ballet Theatre’s production of “The Nutcracker” opened Thursday at the Segerstrom Center. It runs though Dec. 22, with local dance students joining the professionals on stage.

LeRoy Ernest Joseph McCrary, 26, of Los Angeles, Malachi Eddward Darnell, 18, of Los Angeles, and Jaden Cunningham, 18, of Lancaster are scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 23.

Recent high school sports results involving Corona del Mar, Marina, Pacifica Christian, Sage Hill, Edison and Los Amigos.

The projects were part of the consent calendar at the Newport Beach City Council’s meeting Tuesday, Dec. 10.

The husband of the woman who was killed in the parking lot of Fashion Island on July 2 warned the suspects she was in front of their car but they accelerated, struck and dragged her 30 yards, according to testimony in a preliminary hearing.

Laguna Beach entertained the masses during Hospitality Night, an annual community holiday kickoff event on Friday, Dec. 6.

The Daily Pilot’s e-newspaper includes Thursday’s coverage of Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Laguna Beach, Fountain Valley and other parts of Orange County.

Westminster council members Amy Phan West and NamQuan Nguyen have been named in a lawsuit that alleges they have consistently disrupted meetings and impeded the conduct of city business. Phan West called the suit a political stunt.