Mission Viejo is looking for new ways to expand its homeless outreach initiatives once longtime partner Mercy House pulls back this summer. Mercy House, a non-profit that provides housing and support services for unhoused individuals, will discontinue outreach services in south Orange County at the end of June. However, the nonprofit will still provide housing and shelter assistance throughout the area. Mercy House has contracted with Mission Viejo to provide homeless outreach services for the city since 2019. Mercy House case workers offered face-to-face engagement with unhoused individuals o ..read more

Cook’s Corner, the iconic biker bar in Orange County’s Trabuco Canyon, has for decades drawn motorcycle riders from all over Southern California. That’s where Nelson Rosales, 30, of Highland Park, was planning to meet up with fellow biker friends on Aug. 23, 2023. Like untold numbers of motorcycle enthusiasts before them, they planned to take a ride through the canyon after spaghetti night at the bar. As he drove up, Rosales couldn’t have known how his life would change seconds later. Inside the bar, 59-year-old John Patrick Snowling was unleashing horrific violence on patrons dining there. Th ..read more

With locations throughout New York City, Washington D.C. and other East Coast metropoles, Gregorys Coffee, which specializes roasting its own beans and offering a plant-forward food menu, plans to open its first West Coast location at the Shops at Mission Viejo Mall on Saturday, April 27. “At Gregorys Coffee we strive to challenge the status quo and see coffee differently,” says Gregory Zamfotis, founder and CEO of Gregorys Coffee, in a company statement. “We are excited to introduce our first location in California and welcome more Gregulars into our family. Southern California exudes the fee ..read more

Luxury appliance retailer Pirch has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, according to court records filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The San Diego County-based company with locations in Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo, Glendale, Rancho Mirage and San Diego filed for bankruptcy on Friday, two days after it gave notice to employees that it was shutting down for good. Also see: Pirch sued by American Express for $33M over disputed transactions In its filing, Pirch estimated it has 1,000 to 5,000 creditors and liabilities of $100 million to $500 million. It listed its assets at $10 million to $50 million ..read more

Carolyn McCuan, a 39-year-old marathon runner, had been feeling unusually tired for months when she decided on the afternoon of June 28, 2023, to take a rejuvenating walk along Aliso Viejo’s tree-lined, picturesque Wood Canyon Trail encircling Canyon View Park. As McCuan approached the entrance of the 12-acre park bordering her home, she spotted a white pickup truck belonging to Irvine-based Mission Landscape Cos. parked along Canyon Vistas. An ominous red decal with a skull and crossbones that read “DANGER” was plastered to a brown metal box, and a large tank connected to a long orange hose s ..read more

American Express and Worldpay, a credit and debit card processor, have each sued Pirch, alleging the luxury appliance retailer owes them almost $50 million in transaction disputes and chargebacks initiated by Pirch’s aggrieved customers. On Wednesday, the company’s leaders emailed staff, announcing Pirch was permanently shutting down and has processed final paychecks. The San Diego County-based Pirch has several locations in Southern California, including Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo, Glendale, Rancho Mirage and San Diego. The company halted operations in late March, leaving customers with unfulf ..read more

Helena Ooka, 8, of Mission Viejo creates a fingerprint art magnet at one of the arts and crafts stations during Family Arts Day at the Potocki Center for the Arts in Mission Viejo on Saturday, April 13, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Families visit various arts and crafts stations in one of the rooms at the Potocki Center for the Arts in Mission Viejo during Family Arts Day, presented with support from the Kiwanis Club of Mission Viejo, on Saturday, April 13, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Jesse Hartmann, 2, of Mission Viejo pai ..read more

By Roxana Popescu | San Diego Union-Tribune Pirch, the kitchen and bath merchant based in San Diego County that halted operations last week, has been sued by several parties alleging the luxury retailer owes more than $5 million in unpaid rent and inventory. In court filings this week, two landlords said Pirch owed almost $850,000 in back rent — at its Oceanside distribution center, and its airy Westfield UTC showroom, where it failed to keep up on its rent of almost $100,000 a month. A third lawsuit, filed Monday by high-end refrigerator maker Sub-Zero, claims Pirch owes $4.22 million. In add ..read more

Mission Viejo city officials are weighing the possibility of acquiring property to establish a performing arts center, adjacent to the Los Osos Core Area project. The City Council on Tuesday, March 26, reviewed an early study from consultants TheatreDNA about the potential for a new performing arts center, which could host a variety of performing and fine arts events. Either the CVS or Big Lots located in the Village Center off of Marguerite Parkway were identified as potential locations for a performing arts center. Both spots have similar square footage and configurations and are available f ..read more

Though Mahboob Akhter’s grandchildren are not of the age of people who traditionally fast during Ramadan, they’ve decided to try it as a way to sense what other Muslim children who live in Gaza are feeling, their grandfather said. Ramadan is a monthlong holy period about to start during which Muslims around the world reflect on God’s blessings through intense prayer and dawn-to-dusk fasting. Typically, the night meal after sunset is a time for families and friends to gather, but in light of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and the resulting humanitarian crisis Palestinians in the besie ..read more