The Chili’s Grill and Bar restaurant at 3745 Alton Parkway in Irvine closed its doors for good on Tuesday, April 16. “Chili’s lease at Westpark Plaza expired at the end of 2020,” read a sign posted outside the shuttered restaurant. “After several temporary extensions, Brinker International, the owner of Chili’s, will now permanently close this location in April. We are please to announced a family-owned dining restaurant will open in this location early next year.” The future restaurant will not be affiliated with any Brinker International brands, a spokesperson for Brinker International confi ..read more

Friends Jillian Pluemer of Placentia, Micaela Balcaza of Lake Forest and Rebecca Sewell of Irvine, from left, stand together, covered in colorful chalk dust, after participating in a 3K Color Fun Run, as part of Irvine Tech Week, on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Mike Ward Community Park in Irvine. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Jayro Sandoval, right, of Irvine, the organizer of the Irvine Tech Week 3K Color Fun Run, participates in the event with his wife, Ashleigh Stone, and daughter, Ella Stone-Sandoval, 3, at Mike Ward Community Park in Irvine on Saturday, April ..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

Google, Microsoft, Meta, BlackBerry, Vizio and Oracle are just a handful of the many technology giants with a known presence in Irvine. But do the city’s startups have that same visibility? That’s the question Councilmember Tammy Kim had when she proposed Irvine Tech Week to her colleagues last year. While a startup scene does exist in Irvine, it’s nowhere near the startup hotbed that is Silicon Beach or the Bay Area, she said, because the city is largely made up of big companies. That’s pushed away some local entrepreneurs to San Jose, Silicon Valley or Austin to get the support they need, sa ..read more

IRVINE — Firefighters and animal services officers on Saturday used a ladder truck to rescue a dog from a fourth-floor balcony at an Irvine residence when a dog got locked out and no one was home. Firefighters, working with our awesome partners at @IrvinePolice Animal Services, rescued the dog using the aerial ladder bucket and got all four safely on the ground. @OCFirefighters pic.twitter.com/o9nc0eURX7 — OCFA PIO (@OCFireAuthority) April 14, 2024 The Orange County Fire Authority posted on X at 6:23 p.m. Saturday that the dog went out on the balcony and the door closed behind it. The firef ..read more

In the summer of 2021, Dennis DiPlacito was watching TV when he saw a segment about Lasagna Love, a grassroots movement sweeping the nation in which volunteers cooked lasagna for neighbors experiencing challenges during the coronavirus pandemic. He immediately felt compelled to join, he said, as he’d previously cooked meals for his elderly parents in Northern California – and grew up in an Italian family that made lasagna from scratch. Volunteer Dennis DiPlacito of Irvine, CA makes a lasagna dish a week for the nonprofit Lasagna Love. The national organization makes the meals for those in ..read more

A $25 million gift from longtime philanthropists Ben and Carmela Du will help Hoag Hospital with its Irvine expansion, scheduled to open in 2026. The Du Family Hospital Pavilion will “serve as a focal point welcoming patients and visitors to Hoag’s $1 billion expansion project in Irvine” that will be known as the Sun Family Campus at Hoag Hospital, officials announced this week. The pavilion will include a sunlit open area that connects the hospital to other facilities on the campus and outdoor spaces, including landscaped gardens and decks. Also included will be an indoor-outdoor hospital din ..read more

Taco Bell is testing new beverages with real fruit at one Southern California restaurant near its headquarters. They’re called Agua Refrescas and they’re being served at 2222 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, beginning today, Thursday, April 11, according to a news release. There are three flavors: Strawberry Passionfruit, Peach Mango, and Dragonfruit Berry. They are made with freeze-dried fruit pieces and a green tea base, the news release said. The cost is $3.99 for a 16-ounce cup. They will be available until May 9 or as long as supplies last, the news release said. Related Articles Restaurants F ..read more

Porch & Swing, the Southern-style restaurant in Irvine that opened during the lockdown in 2020, closed its doors for good on Saturday, April 6. “While we are sad to see them go, we are excited about the opportunity to bring something new to Centerview,” said Kameron Hadley, property coordinator of Emmes Realty Services of California, in a written statement. No word yet as to why the 4-year-old restaurant shuttered. Hungry? Sign up for The Eat Index, our weekly food newsletter, and find out where to eat and get the latest restaurant happenings in Orange County. Subscribe here. Located at Ce ..read more

Orange County resident awarded for advancing Alzheimer’s research Costa Mesa resident Jeannie Weiss is driving Alzheimer’s research forward and is receiving a national award for her exemplary volunteerism to help advance science. The Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation (GAP) recognized Weiss for her exceptional role in Alzheimer’s research. Weiss received GAP’s 2023 National Citizen Scientist Champion Award, which is given to individuals who act as a stimulus in bringing new, novel approaches to Alzheimer’s research and are advocates for trial participation in the community. Jeannie Weiss o ..read more