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I was looking for an obituary that was due to be published Saturday or Sunday. I have checked the Daily Pilot three days running only to see the lemonade stand story and the same single obit — three days running. Nor can I find the columns I loved to read – Geoff West, to name one. As someone who lives outside Newport Beach, and the state of California, I have depended (for the past four years) on the Daily Pilot to keep me updated on all the political and local shenanigans.

I n the span of a week, I got the opportunity to learn first-hand how much the Los Angeles Times Community News' products mean to Orange County. It started Sunday with the finals of the Pilot Cup, the annual Newport-Mesa youth soccer tournament sponsored by the Daily Pilot, Los Angeles Times, the city of Costa Mesa, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District and organizer Kirk McIntosh. I was taken with the drama — particularly because we're talking about elementary school players.

Kimberly, Sometimes we take our families for granted, assuming they will always be there no matter what happens. There is absolutely no replacement for our family. All the friends and money in the world cannot separate people joined by love. So today I stop and say thanks for everything you do for our family. I am very lucky to have not only the greatest wife, but also the best Mother on the planet for our boys. With Love, Bob. Bob Miller Newport Beach Mom, Thanks for being the greatest!

In today’s fast-paced society, stress is surprisingly common. Unfortunately, stress is often viewed as a “badge of honor” as though the more we juggle in our lives, the more it exemplifies our ability to cope with life. That may be the case, but left unchecked, stress can lead to anger, hostility and a decreased enjoyment of life. It can have many causes, such as strained work environments and relationships. Here are some books that address ways in which we can we reduce our stress levels.

In a battle of Majors Division first-place teams at Newport Beach Little League Saturday, Jack’s Surfboards trailed by three runs, but rallied to upend Flemings, 6-3. Blake Kormos hit a two-run home run in the top of the first inning to give Flemings the early lead. Jack’s was down, 3-0, in the bottom of the third when Conner Bock hit a three-run home run to center field to tie the score. It was the first home run of the season for Bock, who also threw three scoreless innings to pick up the win. Jack’s took the lead for good on Justin Bleiweis’ RBI triple.

Editor's Note: This corrects an earlier version. In response to a letter from David Bunnell (“Could public become fair share holders”, April 8): Mr. Bunnell, Thanks for the e-mail and the letter to the editor the Daily Pilot. Believe it or not, but this is known as the “Green Bay Packers” solution. I explored this idea a few months ago. This Wisconsin football franchise is owned by the Green Bay area residents. That’s why you are put on a waiting list, which could take decades, to obtain season tickets.

Kevin Fults’ buzzer-beating game-winner provided a dramatic semifinal win for the Newport-Mesa National Junior Basketball All-Net seventh-grade boys’ team that captured the national tournament title Sunday. Fults lay-in at the buzzer gave the Newport-Mesa Tar Heels a 40-39 win over the Irvine Bruins. The Tar Heels rallied from a five-point deficit against the Bruins to finish the season at 20-3. In the final minutes, Riley Gaddis came up with a steal in a full-court press that led to an easy basket.

The Newport-Mesa third-grade All-Stars went undefeated, 4-0, at the Southern California National Junior Basketball Sectional Tournament March 20-21. Led by coaches Jeff Hamilton and Joe Schimmelpfennig , all players contributed in all four games. Newport-Mesa defeated Irvine, 53-48, in the championship game. Newport-Mesa will travel to Hanford March 26-28 to participate in the national tournament. The Newport-Mesa All-Stars will contend with All-Star teams from all over the west region.

As a journalist, I’m used to readers telling me what’s what when it comes to something — anything — in the paper. It’s true what they say: Everyone’s a critic. And I welcome the criticism. It enables me to grow and learn from my mistakes. This week City Editor Imran Vittachi handed me a letter from a reader, saying he believed it was for the copy desk. Inside the envelope was not the winner for an Academy Award, but a tear sheet of the Feb. 13 Society page with a misspelling circled (“underwiting” is the new craze of being not very smart or funny at social gatherings and certainly not “underwriting” missing an R)