Balboa Peninsula

A pile of debris caused a house fire Monday in Newport Beach that stopped traffic and caused $20,000 worth in damages, authorities said. Firefighters responded to a call from a neighbor reporting a fire in the 200 block of East Balboa Boulevard about 2:26 p.m., the Newport Beach Fire Department said in a news release. When firefighters arrived they discovered the blaze extended from the patio of the Balboa Peninsula home to the attic. Two traffic lanes on East Balboa Boulevard were rerouted for about 30 minutes while firefighters extinguished the fire.

Firefighters are working on putting out a Friday afternoon house fire on the Balboa Peninsula, a Newport Beach Fire Department official said. The fire broke out on the roof of a house on J Street sometime after 4:30 p.m., said NBFD Spokeswoman Jennifer Schulz. It was not yet clear if anyone had been injured in the blaze and how much had been damaged. —Lauren Williams

NEWPORT BEACH — A certified farmers market is coming to Lido Marina Village on Sunday. The hope is that the market, located in the shopping center on the northern end of the Peninsula, will pump more life into the promenade, a rustic-looking, cobble-stoned, open-air quarter dotted with shops and businesses. The market will feature a dozen farmers selling fruits and vegetables and is scheduled to open at 9 a.m. and close at 1 p.m. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. City and Chamber of Commerce officials are expected to be on hand for the big day. Posters around town have been promoting the event for several weeks, displaying a fat red tomato.

Young Chang BALBOA PENINSULA -- Donald Wayne Moses had his wife post signs on the door to their barbershop in recent weeks that read, "I'm coming back." He was worried about customers he had served for 43 years, customers who had relied on him to cut their hair and to be a friend as the tresses were trimmed. While at Hoag Hospital for pancreatic cancer treatment this month, he asked wife Linda to find a new barber to take care of his "friends," just in case.

Police have been unable to stop nearly 40 residential burglaries on the Balboa Peninsula since the first of the year, and residents with unlocked doors and windows continue to be the victims. In the latest “Crime Alert” distributed by the Newport Beach Police Department, authorities said since June they have seen 17 more burglaries on the peninsula where laptops or other expensive items were stolen. More than a dozen laptops were stolen from June 6 to Aug. 28 in homes on the peninsula; most of the time the burglar got in through unlocked doors, sliding glass doors or open windows.

June Casagrande BALBOA VILLAGE -- Some say they've made a huge difference, others say they've made no difference at all. To ease the burden on Balboa Peninsula merchants while roadwork is underway, the city has made free many metered parking spots, put up banners announcing businesses are open and made a few other changes. "Nothing is going to help down here until the work's over," said Maggie Allison, co-owner of Balboa Market, who said she has seen about a 40% decline in business since roadwork began in November.

There's a recognizable house on Balboa Island that has been inhabited by a member of the Glassell family since the 1920s. As a child, Andrew W. Glassell spent summers playing in the sand just yards from the beachfront property. Brick steps lead to the one-story house -- one of the only remaining single-level complexes on the block. Twenty years ago, Glassell made the Balboa Island home his full-time residence. He died there of natural causes Aug. 16. He was 88. Born in Los Angeles, Glassell lived much of his life in La Canada.

Newport Beach police will conduct a driving under the influence checkpoint Friday night on Newport Boulevard. From 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. police will be stationed on northbound Newport Boulevard at Finley Avenue screening drivers for various vehicle code violations and to see who’s driving under the influence. The checkpoint was located for its proximity to bars and restaurants on the Balboa Peninsula, among other reasons, police said. Checkpoints don’t necessarily equal more arrests for DUI, but do tend to reduce the number of people who choose to drink and drive, officials said.

Over 100 Artists from Southern California Plein Air Painters Association Participated (Newport Beach, CA) - The popular plein air competition at the Balboa Peninsula included a week long Paint Out from September 7 to September 11, 2008 around the Balboa Peninsula, a two-hour Quick Draw on September 12 at the historic Balboa Fun Zone, and a weekend Fine Art Show and Sale in front of the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum.  Two local well-known artists juried the shows for the week-long Paint Out and Quick Draw competion:  Cynthia Britain juried the Paint Out, and Michael Obermeyer juried the Quick Draw.

A pile of debris caused a house fire Monday in Newport Beach that stopped traffic and caused $20,000 worth in damages, authorities said. Firefighters responded to a call from a neighbor reporting a fire in the 200 block of East Balboa Boulevard about 2:26 p.m., the Newport Beach Fire Department said in a news release. When firefighters arrived they discovered the blaze extended from the patio of the Balboa Peninsula home to the attic. Two traffic lanes on East Balboa Boulevard were rerouted for about 30 minutes while firefighters extinguished the fire.

Gina's Pizza and Pastaria has returned to the Balboa Peninsula. The new location at the Landing shopping center features the same recipes and a faster oven, a restaurant spokesman said Tuesday. The 2,600-square-foot Italian eatery on 3142 W. Balboa Blvd. is the first expansion for the Corona del Mar-based chain in 10 years, said company Director of Operations Fred Caron. Other Gina's locations are in Laguna Beach, Costa Mesa and Irvine. Gina's previously had eateries at the Balboa Fun Zone and off West Coast Highway and River Avenue.

Some Corona del Mar High School students are preparing to get in on the Occupy movement to try and preserve the Balboa Fun Zone. The students are planning Project: Occupy the Fun Zone at noon Saturday during an open house for the upcoming ocean-themed educational and entertainment center, ExplorOcean, that is slated to replace the fun zone, said movement leader Courtney Brown, 16. "We've had so many memories there and we want to do everything...

A string of residential burglaries on the Balboa Peninsula over a two-month period appear to be related, Newport Beach police said. Beginning in mid-August, there have been reports of break-ins at homes there, with burglars getting in through windows and open doors while the victims are home, according to a police crime alert. Among the items taken were a purse, jewelry, cash, MacBooks, laptops, an iPad and a watch. Five of the 11 total burglaries happened on Balboa Boulevard.

The State Lands Commission has approved the boundaries for Marina Park, bringing the Balboa Peninsula public waterfront development one step closer to construction. By overcoming this hurdle, the city can now complete its California Coastal Commission application and restart the long-stalled project. Park advocates, city officials and others decided on a plan for the development more than three years ago, but it has been stuck in bureaucratic morass. In the meantime, residents of the 57 mobile homes have been afforded more time on public land, while others have protested the slow progress.

The California Coastal Commission prevailed in its lawsuit to open Newport Harbor's Bay Island bridge to the public, but the island's residents will likely fight the judge's decision. Last week, the attorney representing the residents filed court documents that could provide the basis for an appeal. At stake is access to the 130-foot span, which commission officials say should be available for all to use. If the residents lose the appeal, they may be able to retrofit the existing bridge and keep it private, or they could build a new bridge, in which case they would have to comply with the commission's order.

Among the iPods, cameras, family heirlooms and bestsellers being auctioned off on EBay, online shoppers can now bid on a Newport Beach landmark: the Balboa Fun Zone carousel. The iconic merry-go-round has been placed on the auction block with an opening bid of $149,999 . Fun Zone Manager Patrick Moore said he hopes that interested parties will spot the attraction online and reach out to him. "If I happen to sell it, wonderful, but I don't expect to," Moore said. Moore has been with the Fun Zone since 1989, not long after the carousel was installed in 1985.

Three medicinal marijuana dispensaries in Newport Beach have decided to close, rather than face a civil order from the city, officials said Thursday. The West Coast Cure, 2814 Newport Blvd., Nature's Alternative Solutions, No. 117, 3400 Irvine Ave., and The Healing Tree, 4120 Birch St., shuttered last month after the Newport Beach City Council authorized nuisance-abatement proceedings in late May. Two of the dispensaries were in Santa Ana Heights, while the third was on the Balboa Peninsula.

Some of the gals in Newport Beach Girl Scout Troop 44 celebrated their troop's 50th anniversary last weekend at Hazel Jones' condo on the Balboa Peninsula. Hazel, pictured third from the left (above) in pistachio green top and glasses, founded Troop 44 out of Newport Elementary School along with the late Char Smith. Char's daughters, Lorie Smith Suntree and Judy Smith, joined in on the reunion. Judy, pictured right (below) in striped top, comforts her sister who was overcome with emotion when Troop 44 members presented them with gifts of appreciation in their mother's memory during Saturday's reunion.

Newport Beach is making substantive progress on quality-of-life issues. The city has long struggled with how to balance the needs of long-term residents with those here for shorter stays, either in hotels, summer rentals, group homes or post-college crash pads. Council members are beginning to show some teeth. We think that the city's Loud and Unruly Gathering ordinance is a necessary measure to protect the rights of residents to peacefully enjoy their homes. No one should have to endure their neighbors' noise for sustained periods of time, and the new law that allows police to fine those making life unbearable for others warrants recognition.