Huntington Beach Pier

HUNTINGTON BEACH ? Newport Harbor High product Steve Timmons and Corona del Mar High alumnus Brian Lewis each helped their teams advance past pool play on Saturday at the second annual Karch Kiraly Invitational beach volleyball tournament, part of the Bank of the West Beach Games at the Huntington Beach Pier. Timmons and Lewis, who both played for Orange Coast College, are in the same three-team pool. Timmons is playing on the Del Mar team, and Lewis on the Huntington Beach team.

HUNTINGTON BEACH ? Newport Harbor High product Erica Hosseini and Costa Mesa resident Courney Conlogue finished in the top two in their semifinal heats to advance to Saturday's final in the women's pro junior event at the U.S. Open of Surfing at the Huntington Beach Pier. Hosseini won her semifinal heat with a score of 12.0, besting Rosanne Hodge (11.66), Paige Alms (9.07) and Connie Arias (7.34). Conlogue finished second in her semifinal with a score of 10.4. Lee Ann Curren (11.60)

Jenny Marder In Huntington Beach, not everything revolves around the beach -- just most things. Any full weekend in Surf City will naturally leave sand in the shoes, but the beach is just the beginning to what the city has to offer. 6 p.m. Friday: Sit back, relax and sip on cocktails while taking in the ocean view from Duke's barefoot bar, at the foot of the Huntington Beach Pier. 7:30 p.m. Friday: Romantic sunset stroll along the surf. 8 p.m. Friday: Head to Chimayo at the Beach for a seafood dinner, where voodoo shrimp, grilled seafood and wood oven steaks are all popular favorites.

An unidentified man shot and killed himself near the Huntington Beach Pier late Wednesday morning after leading police on a low-speed chase from Newport Beach, where he had shot another man, police said. The man who was shot in Newport Beach survived and was taken to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana. Police did not name either man, but witnesses said the man shot in Newport was in his early 20s and was visiting from Lake Tahoe. The motive for the shooting was unknown Wednesday, but witnesses said the dispute was about a woman, possibly the estranged wife of the shooter.

HUNTINGTON BEACH — Two young men who disappeared while swimming Saturday are presumed drowned, authorities said Monday. A search for 24-year-old John Shua Lee and 20-year-old Shao Moua, both of Banning, was called off at sundown Saturday. Authorities have begun efforts to recover their bodies. At 2:38 p.m. Saturday, Huntington Beach lifeguards spotted four swimmers having trouble in high surf conditions south of the Huntington Beach Pier, said Huntington Beach Fire Department Spokesman Jeff Lopez.

When covering breaking news, landmarks help to tell readers where the event occurred. In many cases, the environment around the police tape is hard to distinguish from any other place in a city. In photographer Kent Treptow's picture of the scene of a car chase that ended with a suicide near the foot of the Huntington Beach Pier, at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street, fewer landmarks would be better known. The Ruby's restaurant at the end of the pier and the lifeguard headquarters at its foot give readers a sense of exactly where the events took place.

After a long weekend of surfing at the Huntington Beach Pier, five Newport Beach teens qualified for the 2008 USA Surf team, with a shot at eventually representing the U.S. at the ISA World Junior Surfing Championships in France in May. Courtney Conlogue of Sage Hill School led the way, qualifying for a fifth consecutive year in both the girls’ under 16 and girls’ 18 brackets. Conlogue, along with the rest of Sunday’s competitors, fought fatigue and spotty wave conditions.

HUNTINGTON BEACH ? Andrew Doheny was just happy to be here Monday, at the Huntington Beach Pier surfing in the final of the Nike 6.0 Pier Pressure Pro Junior. Doheny, of Newport Beach, ended up with a fourth-place finish after a four-man finals heat that was scored over 30 minutes. Each surfer?s top two waves made up for his combined score. The 15-year-old won $1,300 for his placement. He was the lone American among the finalists as the field included three Australians.

HUNTINGTON BEACH - Scott McCall is no stranger to the water. The 30-year-old grew up in Huntington Beach. He learned to swim at Pacific Sands Cabana Club with his sisters, Jayme and Megan. But McCall always wanted to surf. He received special lessons at the Surf's Up for Down Syndrome event Friday. McCall was one of several potential surfers with Down syndrome learning from pros and experts near the Huntington Beach Pier. Former Angels announcer Rex Hudler's Team Up for Down Syndrome, in conjunction with the International Surfing Museum, put on the inaugural event, which also featured live and silent auctions, as well as a banquet at Sandy's Beach Grill.

HUNTINGTON BEACH — Two young men who disappeared while swimming Saturday are presumed drowned, authorities said Monday. A search for 24-year-old John Shua Lee and 20-year-old Shao Moua, both of Banning, was called off at sundown Saturday. Authorities have begun efforts to recover their bodies. At 2:38 p.m. Saturday, Huntington Beach lifeguards spotted four swimmers having trouble in high surf conditions south of the Huntington Beach Pier, said Huntington Beach Fire Department Spokesman Jeff Lopez.

In my time, I have surfed in a lot of events, some for money and fame, not to mention ratings points. However, the one that stands out the most to me happened just this past weekend at the Huntington Beach Pier. What makes a great event? Normally, the prize money, the venue and the waves. However, this time, it was the greatest for an entirely different reason — for the cause. The Project Save Our Surf 24-hour surfing marathon was about help for the right cause — one dear enough to have people participating in 24 hours straight of surfing, raising money for the Surfrider Foundation and Heal the Bay. This event was co-hosted by past surfing champions PT Townend and Shaun Tomson, along with actress Tanna Frederick, and saw a host of professional athletes, actors, actresses, musicians and the general public, who had a chance to participate along with some of their greatest heroes.

UC Irvine senior catcher Francis Larson is the Big West Conference Player of the Week in baseball. In four games, Larson went nine for 16 with eight runs batted in, including two home runs and seven RBIs in Sunday's 18-13 Big West win at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, in which he was four for six. His two home runs give him 22 for his career, one more than former school-record holders Cody Cipriano and Jaime Martinez. He added two doubles and a triple to post a 1.188 slugging percentage during the week.

For a video, click here. For a photo gallery click here. HUNTINGTON BEACH — The victory proved to be Courtney Conlogue’s biggest so naturally there was cause for some unprecedented celebration. Moments after being named the women’s champion of the Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing, Conlogue, a Sage Hill School incoming senior, was carried on the shoulders of adoring fans on the way to the awards stage along the shore of Huntington Beach Saturday. It was a dramatic scene.

This weekend the local surfing community is hosting two noteworthy events, starting tonight with well-known shaper and surfer, Dan Forte, celebrating the 20th anniversary of DanO Surfboards. “The Second Not So Annual Blossoming of the White Lotus” party will be from 6-10 p.m. at the Hurly HQ in Costa Mesa. Dan says all are welcome. There will be live “hopped-up surf music” by “Thee Cormans” and works by his artist friends will be on display and for sale.

HUNTINGTON BEACH — Andrew Doheny was just happy to be here Monday, at the Huntington Beach Pier surfing in the final of the Nike 6.0 Pier Pressure Pro Junior. Doheny, of Newport Beach, ended up with a fourth-place finish after a four-man finals heat that was scored over 30 minutes. Each surfer’s top two waves made up for his combined score. The 15-year-old won $1,300 for his placement. He was the lone American among the finalists as the field included three Australians.