A Texas real estate developer and reality TV personality pleaded guilty Monday, April 29, to misdemeanor sexual battery for assaulting an unconscious 16-year-old girl at his vacation home in Laguna Beach in 2021. Four additional counts of sexual battery and one count of rape were dismissed for lack of evidence against William Lewald Hutchinson, 65, who starred in the Lifetime reality TV series “Marrying Millions” and whose company, Dunhill Partners, owns the Laguna Design Center in Laguna Niguel. Hutchinson, who lives in Dallas, avoided jail time during his sentencing in Orange County Superior ..read more

Fullerton educator named 2024 top teacher by Parenting OC Elizabeth Ellison, an English teacher at Fisler School in Fullerton, has been named Parenting OC 2024 Top Teacher. Ellison teaches seventh and eighth graders and was nominated for her innovation and dedication in the field of education. She creates imaginative ways to impart knowledge in literature, writing and language skills. Ellison excels in numerous areas, one notable example being her ability to foster a positive classroom atmosphere that encourages active participation and prompts students to draw meaningful connections between t ..read more

Jamie Rodgers was mildly curious when he noticed a line of Orange County sheriff’s patrol cars driving near him on the 73 toll road in Laguna Niguel one morning in June 2021. Rodgers’ curiosity grew when one of the cars began swerving side to side, setting up a traffic break. “They must be looking for somebody,” thought Rodgers, who was on his way to his then job as an athletic trainer at JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano. Rodgers, the 39-year-old father of two small children, finally pulled over, still thinking that maybe the police were after some criminal hiding in the brus ..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 man suspected of firing off gunshots in his Laguna Niguel residence was arrested after a brief standoff with law enforcement on Saturday evening, March 9, authorities said. Around 9 p.m., authorities were called to the 31000 block of Golden Lantern, near Chapparosa Park Road, for a wellness check involving a man who had fired a rifle inside the home during a family disturbance, according to Orange County Sheriff’s Sgt. Frank Gonzalez. Family members were able to evacuate the home, Gonzalez said, though information on how many people were inside was not immediately available. The neighborhood ..read more

Starting in 1984, when Bob Orozco accepted a position to grow membership at a small-scale YMCA in South Orange County, the Laguna Niguel facility has been his happy place. Four decades and some 15,000 fitness classes later, the 94-year-old Orozco is being celebrated for his years of devoted service to the YMCA branch situated in Crown Valley Park. Bob Orozco, 94, left, receives a kiss on the cheek from Vicki Foley, of Laguna Niguel, after she saw him in the hallway on her way to the Silver Sneakers class at the Laguna Niguel Family YMCA on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024. Orozco, who first attended ..read more

Can local grad students solve the pyramid puzzle that is the Chet Holifield building? The funky, beige Ziggurat in Laguna Niguel is being auctioned this summer, the second attempt to sell the campus after a first effort failed last April. So far, there are few options on the table for what to do with the 89-acre complex completed in 1971. In the initial auction, the feds required any new owner to preserve the seven-story building. Also see: Laguna Niguel’s ‘Ziggurat’ could be demolished if 2nd auction succeeds Now, two teams of students from Chapman University and UC Irvine have a unique ..read more

It appears Sen. Josh Newman and former Assemblymember Steven Choi will duke it out for California’s 37th Senate district this year. Newman leads the primary, as of the latest vote count by the Orange County Registrar of Voters released Thursday, with 30.3% and Choi follows with about 22.5%. Ballot counting is still ongoing, and county elections officials have until April 2 to report final results to the secretary of state. The OC Registrar of Voters estimates more than 273,000 mailed-in, dropped-off and other ballots remain to be counted for all races, though it’s not clear how many remain in ..read more

Rep. Mike Levin and Republican business owner Matt Gunderson held sizable leads in the race for California’s 49th district as the first batches of returns came in Tuesday. Levin and Gunderson lead in both Orange and San Diego counties with businesswoman Margarita Wilkinson and veterans’ advocate Kate Monroe trailing, respectively. Further behind, rounding out the pack, is automotive technology executive Sheryl Adams. Results will continue to be tallied throughout Tuesday night and will be updated every weekday until all ballots are counted. Continue to check back here for updates. Levin, an in ..read more

Early election returns show Sen. Josh Newman and former Assemblymember Steven Choi leading in the 37th Senate district race. The race for the 37th Senate district is a crowded one — and the only state Senate contest voters will see on their ballots this year. Aside from Newman and Choi, there are nine other candidates, including: Gabrielle Ashbaugh, neurosurgical technologist Leticia Correa, surgical coordinator Jacob Niles Creer, former Councilmember Anthony Kuo, medical authorization coordinator Stephanie Le, Councilmember Crystal Miles, community organizer Alex Mohajer, BuildersMax CEO Guy ..read more