Balboa

If area "Arrested Development" fans happen to see Bluth's Original Frozen Banana Stand during the Balboa Island Parade this weekend, they should know it's not an illusion, Newport Beach Mayor Keith Curry wrote in an email Thursday night. After some lobbying to bring the banana stand through Newport Beach — hometown of the fictional Bluth clan — the tour promoting the TV show's new season will make its final stop Sunday on Marine Avenue near the Balboa Island fire station. "We are very pleased to welcome the Bluth banana stand and the Netflix 'Arrested Development' team to Newport Beach, the home of frozen bananas," Curry wrote.

NEWPORT BEACH — The Shore House Cafe, a 30-year-old Balboa Peninsula icon, filed for bankruptcy this month, public records show, but is still open for business. Stephen Madoni, a Newport Beach attorney representing Shore House and Chief Financial Officer David Beladonna, called the move a "reorganization," but did not offer further comment. Shore House Cafe Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in U.S. Court, Central District, on June 23, according to court filings reviewed by the Daily Pilot.

Thousands lined Marine Avenue to attend the biggest little parade in Orange County on Sunday. The 20th annual Balboa Island Parade, which marched along a two-and-a-half-block route, was the best attended in its history. Organizers estimated that more than 3,000 came to cheer, clap and laugh as entrants passed by dressed up for the theme of "Balboa Island - Yesterday and Today. " "The spirit here is amazing," said parade Chairman Jack Callahan. "People just love to come because you get a small town of America feel in the middle of Southern California.

Susan McCormack If ever there was a place to be for Halloween, Balboa Island was it Sunday night. Thousands of wise trick-or-treaters descended upon the island, lured by the promise of elaborately decorated homes, bottomless bowls of candy and, if they were lucky, cash. "We've heard they're supposed to be very generous here," said Newport Beach resident Josee Deslongchamps while keeping an eye on her trick-or-treaters. "Better candy, bigger candy," said a frank Corona del Mar resident, Ashley Schainuck, 15, summing up the reasons behind many pilgrimages to Balboa Island.

From a news perspective, the 1990s in Newport-Mesa had it all. Million-dollar embezzlements by officials in a city and a school district. A sexual harassment scandal in the Newport Beach Police Department that took down the chief and his top lieutenant. A hard-fought and highly emotional political campaign over a proposed airport that divided the north and the south. An ongoing environmental story. An international sports star in our backyard. A devastating car crash and its aftermath, including what many called a modern miracle.

Steve Virgen Though he has retired from competitive rowing, Chip McKibben still manages to "make" the Olympics, but it's all for the horses. Horses? McKibben, who was a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic quadruple sculling team that finished eighth, serves as the General Manager for Blenheim Farms, which hosted the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials for equestrian. "I'm far more of a water baby," said McKibben, who won a world championship in 1994 on U.S. Rowing's leading boat.

Regional air-quality regulators floated a compromise this week in the face of fierce debate over the South Coast Air Quality Management District's proposed ban on beach fire rings. An updated rule change proposal released Thursday night softens an earlier iteration of the proposed rule — which would have banned wood-burning fire rings from beaches in Orange and Los Angeles counties — by creating "buffer zones" between fire rings and homes and allowing for greater local control.

On the day in October when Jeff Delaney sat down to write the forward to his book, "Newport Beach: Then & Now," a backhoe began demolishing the Balboa Market, a favorite destination on the Balboa Peninsula. "Change is inevitable, but it's always unfortunate when we allow a landmark to be leveled in order to provide a few more parking spaces," Delaney said about the demolition of the market and its iconic mural in the 600 block of E. Balboa Boulevard. Local history buff Delaney's latest book was released April 18. The first in a series of book signings at area bookstores will take place on Friday night at the Barnes & Noble Metro Pointe in Costa Mesa.

A car crashed into a tree, split in half and then burst into flames on one of Newport Beach's widest and busiest streets Monday evening, claiming the lives of five teenagers and leaving questions about what caused one of the worst wrecks in city history, police said. The injuries to two of the victims were so severe that the county coroner was using fingerprints to confirm their identities. The victims' identities were expected to be released Tuesday afternoon. Firefighters and police responded to the scene just north of Jamboree Road and Island Lagoon Drive at 5:20 p.m., according to Newport Beach Police Department spokeswoman Kathy Lowe.

Costa Mesa Harbor Boulevard: A residential burglary was reported in the 2200 block at 2:25 a.m. Tuesday. West 19th Street: Vehicle burglary was reported in the 500 block at 12:18 p.m. Tuesday. Swan Drive: Grand theft was reported in the 1900 block at 12:22 p.m. Tuesday. San Pablo Circle: A stolen vehicle was reported in the 1000 block at 1:46 p.m. Tuesday. Harbor Boulevard and Adams Avenue: Robbery was reported at 3:33 p.m. Tuesday. Flamingo Drive: Vehicle burglary was reported in the 1900 block at 7:10 p.m. Tuesday.