Southern California

It's an exciting time for Southern California sports. Staples Center just hosted four playoff games in three days, and has two more in store Sunday. The Kings are serious contenders to win the Stanley Cup. The Lakers and Clippers, though, have a much tougher challenge ahead of them. Having grown up in sunny Southern California, what I knew about hockey could fill about half of a thimble. But I have rooted for the Lakers since the days of Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlin and Elgin Baylor, and I have always empathized with the traditionally inept Clippers.

Carsten Ball, who will be a senior at Corona del Mar High this fall, along with Newport Beach resident and recent Mater Dei graduate Kaes Van't Hof, each claimed singles victories to help power top-seeded Southern California to a quarterfinal victory over Northern California in the 22nd Wachovia Junior Davis Cup tennis championship Sunday on the campus of the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. Southern California,...

Hot enough for you? You're not alone. During the past week, Newport-Mesa (and Southern California, as well) has been in the grip of a heat wave. Temperatures in Newport Beach hit 90 degrees on Tuesday, shattering the old record for that day. The sun has been beating down, air conditioners have been humming and the beaches have started to fill. So much for June gloom. It was more like June bloom to finish out the month. Of course, this is why we all live here, right? Heat, sunshine and the call of the waves crashing on the sand (hopefully with some decent shape and maybe just a tad warmer than they've been, thank you very much)

It’s time to begin planning for nature hikes, camping outings or just enjoying the fabulous great outdoors that Southern California has in abundance. Whether you are hitting the mountains with backpacks and rugged footwear or favor long, solitary walks in the park, it’s best to equip yourself with the right gear. Read up now and get ready to take advantage of the changing season and daylight saving time’s extended sunshine to revel in the natural beauty all around us.   “Hiking and Backpacking: Outdoor Adventures,” edited by Marni Goldenberg and Bruce Martin: The Wilderness Education Association thinks the best way to maintain fitness and appreciate the outdoor experience is to organize and plan for survival situations before hitting the trail.

My wife, Hedy, and I recently checked into a hotel north of the San Francisco Bay Area. The young man behind the counter couldn’t have been more cordial. But, after a warm greeting, he lost us with his next comment. “Are you folks from South Cali?” Excuse me? “South Cali.” South Philly? “South Cali!” South Bali? Slowly I began to catch his drift. How and when did this “South Cali” nonsense come into vogue?

  Boys Hope Girls Hope of Southern California Celebrates its 12th Annual Evening of HOPE featuring Monty Python ’ s Spamalot. Costa Mesa, CA- On Saturday , October 18th, Boys Hope Girls H ope of Southern California will be holding its 12th annual Evening of Hope, featuring Monty Python ’ s Spamalot, starting John O’Hurley from Seinfeld and Dancing with the Stars, as King Arthur. It will be held at the Orange County Performing Arts Center at 6:30 p.m. A pre-show dinner and cocktail reception will be held at the Westin Hotel starting at 4:30 pm. The new musical comedy lovingly ripped off from the film classic Monty Python and The Holy Grail , Spamalot tells the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table as they embark on their quest for the Holy Grail.

Mater Dei High sophomore defender Maddie Bauer, a Newport Beach resident, is preparing for a possible World Cup run in girls' soccer. Bauer is a member of the United States Under-17 women's national team, which is in training camp this week at the Home Depot Center in Carson. The U.S. U17s played Loyola Marymount Wednesday and play Cal State Fullerton on Saturday at 4 p.m. These are key games as the U17s are preparing to attempt to qualify for the 2012 U17 FIFA Women's World Cup in Azerbaijan.

   PATRICIA MURRAY GADDIS Newport Beach, CA Patricia Murray Gaddis died unexpectedly on February 17, 2007. Born on July 11, 1931, in Los Angeles, CA to Kathleen Chaffey Murray and Jacob Bean Murray.   Pat lived all of her life in Southern California and was a resident of Newport Beach for the past 49 years.   In her early years, she spent summers vacationing in Balboa.    Patricia graduated from Marlborough School in Los Angeles and furthered her studies at the University of Southern California.

There might not be a better athlete to come from Irvine than Amanda Beard, not when you consider her accomplishments in the pool. Beard is a four-time Olympian, first going as a fresh-faced 14-year-old in 1996, and following that up by swimming in the Olympic Games in 2000, 2004 and 2008. She won seven Olympic medals, including two gold, four silver and one bronze. A former world record holder in the 200-meter breaststroke, Beard's list of successes in the pool over the past 20 years or so is long and impressive.

Newport Water Polo Foundation defeated USA National Team Southern California, 8-5, Sunday in tournament one of USA Water Polo Premier League men's action at the USA Water Polo National Aquatics Center in Los Alamitos. Four teams are featured in tournament one, while tournament two at the U.S Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. fields eight teams. The tournaments are the first two of six semifinal rounds being played between Feb. 23 and April 14. A league final will be played April 19-21, with seeding based on finishes in the six semis.

It's an exciting time for Southern California sports. Staples Center just hosted four playoff games in three days, and has two more in store Sunday. The Kings are serious contenders to win the Stanley Cup. The Lakers and Clippers, though, have a much tougher challenge ahead of them. Having grown up in sunny Southern California, what I knew about hockey could fill about half of a thimble. But I have rooted for the Lakers since the days of Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlin and Elgin Baylor, and I have always empathized with the traditionally inept Clippers.

Sheldon LeRoy Foreman (Roy) of Franklin, Tennessee and Newport Beach, California.  He passed away at home on May 3, 2012, after a courageous battle with cancer.  He was born November 8, 1929, in Los Angeles, California, reared in Pueblo, Colorado.  He is survived by his beloved wife of 57 ½ years, Ann Fant Foreman and daughters Stacey Ann Foreman, Stephanie Carol Foreman, Sydney Foreman Heard and Susanne Lucinda (Sancy) Foreman. Also survived by his grandchildren, David Carlton Stremic, Broderick Paul Stremic, Caroline Stephanie Stremic, Stratton Roy Stremic, Stacey Madison Stremic, Ann Fant Heard, Cecilia Sydney (Ceci)

Alan Travis Beimfohr, 67, of Newport Beach, California, passed away peacefully at home on April 17, 2012, surrounded by his devoted wife Linda, his loving children Alison, Nick and Kurt, and his brother Ed.  Alan was born on January 4, 1945 in Ft. Riley, Kansas to Casper VanDyke Beimfohr and Dorothy Hood Beimfohr.  He spent his childhood in Michigan, Arizona and Florida.  After high school, he was awarded an academic scholarship to Cornell University,...

There might not be a better athlete to come from Irvine than Amanda Beard, not when you consider her accomplishments in the pool. Beard is a four-time Olympian, first going as a fresh-faced 14-year-old in 1996, and following that up by swimming in the Olympic Games in 2000, 2004 and 2008. She won seven Olympic medals, including two gold, four silver and one bronze. A former world record holder in the 200-meter breaststroke, Beard's list of successes in the pool over the past 20 years or so is long and impressive.

Newport Beach lifeguards will star in the Weather Channel's upcoming series "Lifeguard! Southern California. " The series' trailer features the dramatic rescue of a teenager who was trapped under the sand in August. A tunnel he was digging collapsed, and lifeguards were some of the first to respond. They unearthed the teen 20 minutes after became buried. The show also plans to feature the guards' reunion with the rescued boy, a city newsletter says, and a later episode will discuss The Wedge and rip-current safety.

A man on the Orange County district attorney's Most Wanted list was sentenced to 61 years to life in prison Friday for sexual assaults that took place in Costa Mesa and other parts of Southern California, authorities said. Ali Achekzai, 34, formerly of Ladera Ranch, was convicted Dec. 15 of six felonies for assaulting three women. One of the cases involved him following a woman and luring her into his car - under the pretenses of warning her about another man - before he raped her, according to the district attorney's office.

Paul Devitt, general manager of the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach, has been selected to be the general manager of the Hyatt's Huntington Beach location, according to a news release. Devitt officially moved into his new role at the Surf City resort Jan. 1. He held his former position at the Newport Beach resort for nearly five years. Devitt is also a former chairman and vice chairman of Visit Newport's board of directors. "The wonderful thing about this is that I've had the opportunity to be in Southern California and this area for the last five years," Devitt said Thursday.

LOS ALAMITOS - Just like in its five-game, come-from-behind victory in the first round of the Southern California Regional playoffs, the Corona del Mar girls' volleyball team showcased its never-say-die attitude. Down 2-0 against host Los Alamitos, the Sea Kings staved off two match points in the fourth game Saturday and nearly went the distance before falling against the No. 1-ranked team in Division I. In the end, Corona del Mar - which staved off six match points Tuesday against Torrey Pines to come out victorious - lost a heart-breaker in the regional semifinals, 26-16, 25-20, 21-25, 27-25.

A new university study released this week confirms what many here already know: Orange County has some of the most congested freeways in the nation. California can boast — or loathe — that it has nine of the 10 most clogged stretches of freeway in the country, with a majority in Los Angeles County. But just take a short drive southbound on the San Diego (405) or Santa Ana (5) freeways to the O.C., and the situation isn't much better. According to the study by an institute at Texas A&M University, parts of the 405, 5 and Costa Mesa (55)

A Newport Beach hospitality company that manages hotels throughout the state has been hired to manage the iconic Queen Mary docked in Long Beach Harbor. Evolution Hospitality, which manages a Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Anaheim and a Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego, among others, took over Monday managing the retired ocean liner, now a tourist attraction and hotel. The company is the third management firm to operate the ship since 2007. The city of Long Beach bought the Queen Mary in 1967 from the Cunard Line shipping company.