O.C. pizza establishment helps build Julian’s Lego Corner
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Good morning. It’s Friday, Sept. 2 and the long Labor Day holiday weekend stretches before us. I’m Carol Cormaci, bringing you today’s TimesOC newsletter with the latest roundup of news and events.
With the flip of another calendar page this week we have arrived at Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Each September, Sgt. Pepperoni’s Pizza Store, with locations in Irvine, Aliso Viejo and Newport Beach, raises funds and collects brand-new Lego kits for Julian’s Lego Corner.
In an update about the program written by my colleague Sarah Mosqueda, she reminds us Julian’s Lego Corner is a fund at Children’s Health Orange County that was established in memory of the late Julian Dunn.
When he was just in kindergarten, Julian was diagnosed with brain cancer and began undergoing treatment. During the tough times he was able to entertain himself by building creations with Legos, the plastic construction toys that have captured kids’ attention for decades.
“He really found something that he could do well, that he enjoyed and that stimulated his mind,” his mother, Andrea Dunn, told Mosqueda. “It really gave him a lot of joy.”
Sadly, Julian succumbed at the age of 9 in 2013. But he has left a colorful legacy: The Dunns and the child life department at CHOC Hospital in Orange launched Julian’s Lego Corner and call for donations of Lego kits or cash to create a creative outlet for children in treatment for illness. Since its establishment, the fund has raised nearly $100,000.
Last year, Sgt. Pepperoni’s raised $35,000 and collected 100 Lego kits toward the effort. This year, the goal is to raise more than $50,000. Here’s a link to the site where you can learn more about the program.
MORE NEWS
— In an unusual turn of events, Costa Mesa’s fire chief, Dan Stefano, has been running City Hall for the past month, as City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison recovers from an injury and second-in-command Assistant City Manager Susan Price announced last week she’d retired. Other personnel shifts have been made to accommodate the temporary situation. Among them, Costa Mesa Fire and Rescue Division Chief Jason Pyle is acting as the city’s fire chief.
— Reps. Mike Levin (D-Dana Point) and Young Kim (R-Placentia) teamed up with Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes Wednesday to tout nearly $3.5 million in funding for a new sheriff’s facility that will help combat terrorism, school shootings and other types of crimes.
— It’s 86 degrees in Fountain Valley as I type this Thursday afternoon. As weather experts predicted, a massive heat dome is hovering over the Southland as we prepare to celebrate the final holiday of the summer. Forecasts indicate inland Orange County communities, including Santa Ana, Anaheim, Irvine and Orange, could experience triple-digit temperatures over the weekend before a slight cooling trend brings the mercury down by Wednesday or Thursday of next week. Here’s a list of cooling centers in the county.
— An 8-year-old boy on a bicycle was seriously injured Thursday and transported to a hospital after he was struck by a pickup truck in Coto de Caza, according to a City News Service report. The boy was riding his bicycle west, passing the crosswalk at Coto de Caza Drive, about 7:25 a.m. when he was struck by a 1999 Ford F-150 that was eastbound on Oso Parkway and turning left onto north Coto de Caza, according to an officer with the California Highway Patrol. The pickup driver remained on scene and cooperated with officers, the CHP reported.
— Metrolink, which operates several O.C. stations, began yesterday a new program offering a 50% discount on tickets to those who have a California Electronic Benefit Transfer card. The discount will apply to all Metrolink tickets and passes, and riders can use their EBT cards at station machines to purchase tickets. A grant from the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program, administered by Caltrans, is funding the discount program.
— The search continues for Quang Trong Than, 66, a Newport Beach man who went missing on the afternoon of Sunday, Aug. 21 near the peak of Split Mountain, close to the boundary between Kings Canyon National Park and Inyo National Forest. On Thursday afternoon, although there was no new information on his whereabouts, park officials reported in a news release they were scaling back the “large number of resources and personnel that have been dedicated to this effort.”
— Two bullets were found inside a room at Travis Ranch School in Yorba Linda school Wednesday, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Officials at the middle school suspect a student brought them. Deputies investigating the discovery did not find any weapons or additional ammunition, according to this story by my colleague Hannah Fry.
LIFE & LEISURE
— Rakkan Ramen, a Japan-based ramen concept, has joined O.C.’s ramen rotation. The District at Tustin Legacy is its first venture into Orange County. To mark the occasion, on opening day Aug. 29 Rakkan gave away 100 bowls of free ramen, according to this story about the business by my colleague Sarah Mosqueda.
SPORTS
— The surf and the sand drew crowds to Laguna Beach over the weekend, as two popular water sporting events, the Brooks Street Surfing Classic and the Vic West skimboarding competition, returned to town.
CALENDAR THIS
— Laguna Beach Cultural Arts Center will revisit Laguna’s role in the counterculture movement with a series of events highlighting the town’s hippie history from Sept. 8 to 17. Here’s the lineup:
• Thursday, Sept. 8 at 6:30 p.m. A showing of the film “Orange Sunshine” directed by William Kirkley. Admission $20.
• Saturday, Sept. 10 at 5 p.m. A gathering for conversation with members of the Brotherhood of Eternal Love, followed by a Ryan Heflin concert at 8 p.m. Admission $30; VIP $50.
• Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 7:30 p.m. A Bare Bones Theatre reading of the play “All You Need is LSD” by Leo Butler. Admission $30; VIP $50.
• Saturday, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. Concert by Matt Costa, who wrote and performed the soundtrack for “Orange Sunshine.”
The center is located at 235 Forest Ave. For tickets to any of the above events, visit lbculturalartscenter.org
— Get your bibs ready: The Original Lobster Festival organizers say they will be serving up fresh live Maine lobster “prepared to mouth-watering perfection in the World’s Largest Cooker,” Sept. 9 through 11 at Fountain Valley Sports Park, 16400 Brookhurst St. Carnival rides, games, magic shows, music, dancing and more activities for all ages are promised. Hours are 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. Parking is free. General and VIP admission tickets can be purchased online here.
KEEP IN TOUCH
If you have a memory or story about Orange County, I would love to read and share it in this space. Please try to keep your submission to 100 words or less and include your name and current city of residence.
I’d appreciate your help in making this the best newsletter it can be. Please send news tips, your memory of life in O.C., or comments to carol.cormaci@latimes.com.
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