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Government offices will be closed and services canceled Monday in observance of Memorial Day. All post offices will be closed, and there will be no collection or delivery of postal items. FedEx and UPS stores will also be closed. The Department of Motor Vehicles offices will be closed, as will banks and courts. All public libraries will be closed. The Orange County public libraries will also be using the holiday to conduct maintenance on its online catalog, so service may be spotty.

Two companies with offices in Newport Beach purporting themselves to be loan modification services are facing legal action from the office of the attorney general as part of a crackdown on mortgage relief scams. The Federal Trade Commission is targeting 178 companies nationwide and 14 in California including Home Relief Services LLC and RMR Group Loss Mitigation LLC, who both have offices in Newport Beach and have allegedly swindled thousands of homeowners seeking mortgage relief out of thousands of dollars each.

This day and age it is easy to make corporate America the scapegoat for all our problems. One does not have to look far to see examples of greed and misuse of power. Every once in a while, though, you come across a shining star in the darkness. Meeting Martin Pickett from Cla-Val was like finding that star. Martin, currently the president and chief executive, has been part of the Cla-Val team for more than 30 years. Martin, the Cla-Val management team, and the owners of Cla-Val are unanimous in their commitment for excellence in their people, their products, their industry worldwide, and the community of Costa Mesa.

WEATHER Like clouds? Good news! See Page A2 FILM FESTIVAL A film is screening today for those who can't wait till April. See Page A3 SPORTS Four boys', three girls' teams will represent Newport-Mesa in CIF basketball playoffs. See Page A5 HOLIDAY SCHEDULE PRESIDENTS DAY CLOSURES Monday, Feb. 16 -- Beaches Open Police departments Open City offices Closed County offices Closed Superior courts Closed Post offices Closed DMV offices Closed Schools (through Feb. 23)

A Newport Beach architectural firm has designed one of the first new buildings under construction at the Los Angeles Air Force Base. Robbins Jorgensen Christopher designed the 34,000-square-foot, $5.1-million fitness center that will feature two enclosed racquetball courts, a weight room featuring free weights and machines, an exercise room, aerobics studio, gymnasium with retractable bleachers, health education center...

Costa Mesa police facilities should be back to normal today after remodeling had moved officers to alternative sites Thursday. Offices were vacated for a remodel that has lasted three days, disrupting phones, computers and Internet service for police. Calls were often forwarded to off-site locations; only the front desk was open at the station. Large blankets of paper could be seen blocking the interior of the offices much of the day Wednesday and Thursday, separating access from remodel work.

Here are a few of the items the commission will consider tonight. GRANNY-UNIT ADJUSTMENT The Planning Commission will consider changing the Santa Ana Heights Specific Plan to give planning director Patricia Temple authority to approve second units, known as granny units. Temple already has the authority over granny units for the rest of the city. But the Santa Ana Heights Specific Plan gives that authority to the commission. Planning staff members recommend making the Santa Ana Heights plan match the rest of the city.

Edge Electronics Inc. celebrated the one-year anniversary of its West Coast Divisional Sales Office on Feb. 7 in Newport Beach. The office is at 1101 Dove St. and is led by Gloria Chavez, the second woman to head an Edge Electronics regional sales office. The Plato, Texas-based Alcatel USA, the world's largest manufacturer of telecommunications products, mentors Edge. Edge offers products that include audio and video equipment, crystals, connectors, amplifiers, memory products, transformers and other circuits.

With the help of the Newport Beach and Costa Mesa communities, the chiropractic office of Jake Pivaroff and neighboring offices have collected and sent over 200 pounds of goods to an Orange County Army National Guard unit. Pivaroff, a Vietnam War veteran, said his offices have collected seven crates of socks, stationary, pens and pencils, which will arrive at their destination by Tuesday." Troops from the unit will head to Kosovo after the first of the year.

Dexus Property Group, an Australian company with offices in Newport Beach, said Thursday that it had bought the massive headquarters of furniture retailer Living Spaces in La Mirada for $26.25 million. Living Spaces uses the 278,000-square-foot building as a warehouse and retail sales center for its line of furniture and other home items. It is one of seven stores operated by the regional company and also houses the company's executive offices. Dexus didn't reveal the name of the seller, but real estate data provider CoStar Group identified the previous owner as LBA Realty of Irvine.

A Costa Mesa police officer won recognition this week for recovering stolen vehicles, police said Friday. Officer Hans-Walter Guenther received commendation as the Costa Mesa Police Department's Recovery Officer of the Year for 2012 Thursday at the Irvine Marriott Hotel at the Vehicle Theft Recovery Awards. The event sponsored by the Auto Theft Advisory Committee recognizes officers from throughout the region and Guenther's work was distinguished among the CMPD. Guenther recovered 18 stolen vehicles worth $186,810, according to a news release.

State legislators may soon be asked to referee the ongoing scuffle between the city of Newport Beach and residential dock owners. Opponents of the dock fee increases are calling for a review of the way the city spends revenues generated in its management of public tidelands. They want a review by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, which investigates policy, finances and other matters and then passes recommendations on to the Legislature. Assemblyman Allan Mansoor (R-Costa Mesa)

A police report about the death of a 32-year Costa Mesa police detective is due Wednesday, police said. Mike Delgadillo died March 6 following a single-car crash into a pillar under the 55 Freeway, near Newport Boulevard and Bristol St., in Costa Mesa. He was 57. The investigation by the Newport Beach Police Department is complete and results are expected to be released, department spokeswoman Kathy Lowe said. An autopsy showed Delgadillo died of blunt force trauma and had alcohol in his system.

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.

The city of Costa Mesa on Thursday announced several openings for police officers. The authorized positions, which were already budgeted, are 10 full-time and 10 reserve officers, according to a city news release. "It'll get the department to full strength," said city CEO Tom Hatch, "and the reserve officers will further support the Police Department. " A part-time recruitment analyst with the city's human resources department, at the cost of about $2,400 a month, will partner with the Police Department for the hiring process.

A UC Irvine graduate will return to patrol his campus now that he's been sworn in as the newest member of the campus Police Department. He has a history with the department, interning there while he attended school. Assistant Chief Jeff Hutchison formally welcomed Matthew Wroblewski on Thursday during a ceremony at the campus' University Hills Community Center, according to a news release from the department. Wroblewski studied criminology at UCI, graduating magna cum laude with a minor in psychology and social behavior.

A retired Newport Beach police officer has filed the latest in a string of lawsuits initiated by various parties over the past few years alleging that the department had been riddled with corruption and favoritism. Robert Morton, in his lawsuit filed Wednesday in Orange County Superior Court, alleged that department leaders retaliated against him after he reported illegal promotional practices and questioned lucrative side agreements for former Police Chief Bob McDonnell, among others, that allowed them to "double dip" into public coffers.

Constituents and political allies packed Assemblyman Allan Mansoor's Costa Mesa office with questions and donations as part of an open house Wednesday night. The event invited new and old constituents to meet Mansoor and leave donations for Orange County's Second Harvest Food Bank in Irvine. As part of statewide redistricting last year, the Costa Mesa Republican's purview was redrawn to stretch from Huntington Beach through Irvine and Laguna Beach. "When they split Huntington Beach essentially right down the middle one of the best things that could have happened to us is to pick up Allan to represent my home as well as the homes of all of our neighbors," former Huntington Beach mayor Don Hansen said at the open house.

Facing dwindling mail volume, seven post offices in Orange County are shrinking their hours of operation starting April 1. The Costa Mesa Post Office at 1590 Adams Ave., the Irvine Harvest Station at 17192 Murphy Ave. and the Irvine Post Office at 15624 Sand Canyon Ave. will serve customers between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. The Huntington Beach Post Office at 6771 Warner Ave. will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Three other outposts in Orange,...

UC Irvine has welcomed a new police officer, the department announced Thursday. Chief Paul Henisey swore in Annie Nguyen on Monday during a ceremony at the University Hills Community Center on campus, according to a department news release. Nguyen was previously a public safety officer at Golden West College in Huntington Beach and a transportation security officer for the Transportation Security Administration at John Wayne Airport. She graduated in September from Golden West's police academy, where she won an award for the best recruit in force tactics, according to the release.