Toilet

As president of the Sycamore Park Homeowners Assn., I feel I should respond to the material printed on Sept. 17 and 20 regarding the use of Kaiser Elementary School fields by soccer groups. Our association and most of the other surrounding neighbors have been involved with this for more than six years, from tournament use to American Youth Soccer Organization game use and practices. Something not mentioned is that the city has a use agreement with the Newport-Mesa Unified School District for joint use of these fields, but they are school property.

The Halloween holiday came and went without any evil trickery in Newport-Mesa, officials said Police and fire departments in both cities reported a trouble-free night. "It's a hit and miss," said Costa Mesa Fire Capt. Brian Roberts, who worked Halloween night. "Sometimes people get out of hand, and sometimes people just mellow out," Roberts said. Newport Beach Fire reported no major incidents, despite a noticeable increase in calls, Battalion Chief Paul Matheis said.

The recent meltdown at Corona del Mar High School has only one explanation. This came to me while reading about the alleged attempt by Mayumi and Richard Heene to generate interest in a reality show based on their family by faking the news that their 6-year-old son, Falcon, may have stowed away in a balloon that floated away. Now I know: The parents, students, teachers and administrators at the school have concocted a series of absurd moments to generate interest in, and revenue from, a TV reality show.

GLENDALE ? Aramazd Stepanian's hopes of opening a small performing arts theater on San Fernando Road are on the verge of being flushed down the toilet. Stepanian is the director of the Community & Arts Projects & Services, which has already paid six months rent in advance for a small storefront space and has begun design work to convert the site into a 40-seat theater called the Luna Playhouse. But when city inspectors reviewed the group's plans, Stepanian was told that the city's building code would require the installation of five toilets: a wheelchair-accessible toilet and a urinal for men, and three toilets, one handicap-accessible, for women.

GARDEN GROVE ? The Newport Harbor Baseball Assn. Pinto A All-Stars had just suffered their third loss by two or fewer runs in four games. Thursday was the most crushing of the four, a 4-3 loss to La Mirada in seven innings at Walton Field. But not even the ketchup on their faces nor the hot dogs in their mouths could cover up the happiness, because there would be more baseball for this team. "They get over it pretty quickly," Manager Jeff Mitchell said. "They're having a good time."

Young Chang For one night, Thomas and Sharon Jackson lived as the tsars did. They dined in an extravagant ballroom where the gold of the utensils matched the gold of the seat backs, which also matched the gold of the castle walls and chandeliers. Hosts in Russian period costumes with a whole lot of lace, white makeup and, of course, Amadeus-esque hair greeted the Newport Beach couple at the Tsar's New Year's Ball just outside St. Petersburg, Russia.

Newport-Mesa's representatives say they're stepping up to the plate to fight a proposed House bill that environmentalists say could hurt the Back Bay. Both Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) have vowed to fight the proposal, made by a New Jersey Republican. The bill would amend the Clean Water Act by revising the standards for bacteria levels and allow boats equipped with a kind of "marine sanitation device" to dump waste into protected waters.

Kiapet.com of Newport Beach introduces the Easy Grab Disc, which canines can snatch with ease from hard surfaces.Who ever said a Jack Russell terrier can't have her own business card? Kia, an 8 1/2 -pound bundle of energy, is the card-carrying canine face of Kiapet.com. Kia's owner, René Bruce, is also the sole owner of Kiapet.com, a Newport Beach-based company that is marketing the Easy Grab Disc for dogs. The toy has been on the market for about two weeks, Bruce said. Basically, the toy is a soft plastic disc that looks as if three large dog bites have been chomped out of it. The disc was designed to fly through the air and be easier for a dog to grab hold of than a traditional flying disc.

1981 Corona del Mar grad and school club join forces to collect hygiene supplies for hurricane victims.As a freshman at Corona del Mar High School in 1978, Jim Palmer underwent a life-changing experience when he discovered -- in the posh center of Orange County -- a homeless family living down the street from him. The realization led Palmer to seek a career in philanthropy. The 1981 graduate is the president of the Orange County Rescue Mission and is preparing to open a large shelter in Tustin for Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita victims.

ROBERT GARDNER There was a period when I was in church five days a week. This would have come as some surprise to my mother, who was always bothered by my lack of church attendance. The reason for my being in church was a reaction to Orange County's growth. No, I wasn't praying for all those people to go back to Omaha or wherever they came from. Rather, I was holding court. The beautiful old court house, now granted historic status, was erected when Orange County was primarily agricultural with a small population, and it only contained four courtrooms.