Newport

I have been a resident of Orange County for 37 years and have frequently enjoyed the beach and the fire rings. Never have I heard of a problem until this year. It appears that the rich of Newport Beach have convinced themselves that they are being inconvenienced again (special airport regulations) and have discovered that they can use the Air Quality Management District (AQMD) to their advantage. I urge you to reject any attempts to ban the use of the wood-burning fire rings on Orange County beaches.

What do a journalist, musician, truck driver, soldier, politician and model have in common? Fortitude in the face of chaos and the desire to uplift their homeland - Pakistan. While headlines, predominantly in the United States, screamed blue murder about the "War on Terror," Stanford Law School student Cary McClelland, 33, chose a different viewfinder. During a visit to Lahore in 2007, he witnessed a nation that was attempting to maneuver beyond the crises that abound. "My interest, post-9/11, was the gap in how national media, particularly in America, was covering some of the countries that we were in conflict with," he said.

Newport Beach's top performing high school students attended a celebration Tuesday morning, anticipating their journey to prestigious colleges around the nation. The Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce hosted its 52nd annual Scholarship Awards Breakfast at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club, where 33 seniors from Corona del Mar High School, Newport Harbor High School and Sage Hill School were honored for their academic achievements. "They're all super smart and going to super impressive schools," chamber President Steve Rosansky said.

Randy Hamilton, the director of the high school football documentary "Touchdown Newport," hopes the movie becomes popular nationwide after its premiere at the Newport Beach Film Festival. That desire may sound lofty, but Hamilton has seen the seemingly improbable become reality while working on the film about the Newport Harbor High School 1970 football team over the past three years. On a whim, the Newport Beach resident reached out to Emmy-award winning actor Kyle Chandler to be the narrator of the documentary.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO - On the field 45 minutes prior to the start, Newport Harbor High Coach Mark Todd talked about how his boys' lacrosse team began the season with JSerra. His Sailors also ended their season against the same team. They failed to beat JSerra in February and they fell short again on Tuesday. Fourth-seeded JSerra defeated No. 13 Newport Harbor, 14-4, in the opening round of the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division playoffs. The Sailors (6-12) were unable to upset a first-round opponent, which they accomplished last season.

When Alan Arkin signed on to "In Security," he wanted to play only one role. A motorcycle cop. "He wanted the boots, helmet, glasses and leather jacket - he wanted to look good," said Evan Beamer, who co-directed the movie along with his older brother, Adam. After the Beamers granted his wish and filming was underway, Arkin turned to them and said, "You realize this is completely ridiculous, right? There's no such thing as a 75-year-old motorcycle cop. " Adam recalled working with the senior Arkin for three or four hours, after which the assistant director called a wrap.

Despite difficulties finding locations to shoot "A Werewolf Boy," a blockbuster from South Korea and this year's selection for the Newport Beach Film Festival's Korean Spotlight, filmmakers were able to capture some of the country's most scenic destinations. Shot primarily in natural settings, including the waterfalls of Pocheon, a cypress forest in Jangheung and the scenic national island of Jeju, the film, written and directed by Sung-hee Jo, is about a family that moves to a small village and takes in an orphan boy who resembles a wolf more than a human with his feral behavior and supernatural strength.

Rachel Anne Barney GPA: 4.4384 School Activities/Clubs: IB drama production of "Dear Brutus," Field Studies Club, IB History HL, IB English HL, IB Theatre HL, IB French SL, IB Environmental Science SL, IB Theory of Knowledge, IB diploma candidate, AP US History, AP Literature Community: AFS exchange student in China, AFS exchange returnee mentor, AFS exchange host sister, Newport Beach Sister City exchange host, volunteer at Alenah's Home...

After private discussions with an Orange County Superior Court judge, the attorney for the Newport Beach Dock Owners Assn. agreed Friday to drop a request for a temporary restraining order that would have kept the city from collecting contested residential pier rent increases. In exchange, the city of Newport Beach will notify the court 15 days before taking any action to revoke pier permits for failure to pay. The hearing with Judge Luis A. Rodriguez was part of the association's lawsuit alleging that the city violated state transparency laws, or Ralph M. Brown Act, in the process to adopt the fee increases.

Talk about underdogs. This year's Newport Beach Film Festival features a slew of marquee names, from rocker Billie Joe Armstrong to "Office" star Steve Carell to Oscar-nominated director Lasse Hallstrom. But when tickets went on sale April 1, the film that sold out first belonged to a group of stars with decidedly lower stature. Those would be the canine leads of "Wiener Dog Nationals," a family comedy by first-time feature director Kevan Peterson that will have its world premiere Saturday at the Island Cinema 7. The filmmaker expects a crowd of dachshund owners to bring their pets to the screening - the theater, for this showing only, will lift its no-dog policy - and they'll have more than just the premiere to celebrate.