Brandy Figueroa, a Santa Ana high school senior, was accepted not only into her dream school but 14 others, among them: Harvard University, Columbia University, Stanford, Duke, and several UC’s. The 17-year-old will be graduating with a GPA of 4.7, which puts her in the top one percent of her class at Segerstrom High School. Figueroa said she doesn’t believe just her academics got her into so many colleges, she’s involved in nearly a dozen clubs, ranging from Latino leadership groups to environmental clubs. The Santa Ana native also tutors, plays tennis, and is involved in student government ..read more

A man convicted of killing his mother when he was 13 who walked away from a halfway house in Santa Ana is once again in custody, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s office.  Ike Souzer, 20, was arrested in Rosarito, Mexico by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.  The Orange County District Attorney issued an alert in the search for 20-year-old Ike Souzer, described by prosecutors as “extremely dangerous and violent.: According to prosecutors, Souzer left the halfway house last week and failed to tell his probation officer where he was. Souzer was released from custody o ..read more

What to Know Bubblefest at Discovery Cube OC in Santa Ana The daily happening is bubbling at the learning museum through April 7; an adult non-member ticket is $38; a child non-member ticket is $33 There are two special after-hour “Family Nights” on March 29 and April 5; $70 general admission, $60 member admission (per person per night) We often associate radiant iridescence with sunlight, for sunlight has succeeded in the rainbow-making business, with breath-taking results, for eons. But iridescent experiences can ethereally occur at night, a fact that anyone who has ever scrubbed a stack ..read more

Authorities are looking for a man convicted of killing his mother at age 13 and other crimes who walked away from a halfway house in Santa Ana. The Orange County District Attorney issued an alert in the search for 20-year-old Ike Souzer, described by prosecutors as “extremely dangerous and violent.” Souzer’s most recent criminal case involved a guilty plea to felon vandalism for painting graffiti under a freeway overpass. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and probation, but released due to credit for time served on March 20 and checked into Project Kinship in Santa Ana. He left the halfway h ..read more

What to Know The Wicked of Oz is presented by Witches Brew Saturday, March 16 from 4 to 8 p.m. (all ages) and 8 to 10 p.m. (21+) at the Heritage Museum of Orange County in Santa Ana $10-$25; “spooky” shopping, photo opportunities, characters, and more Green is the scene as the middle of March casts a verdant veil over the world; the early part of spring is beginning to burst forth and St. Patrick’s Day is in full frolic, giving green lovers the lucky opportunity to don their favorite shade. And at the Heritage Museum of Orange County in Santa Ana? An emerald enchantment is also shimmering ..read more

What to Know Bubblefest at Discovery Cube OC in Santa Ana March 22 through April 7 $36 adult pre-sale general admission; $31 child pre-sale general admission; $33 senior pre-sale general admission; children under age 2 admitted free (“if they lap sit during the Mega Bubblefest Laser Show”) Magic wands can be pretty darn useful throughout the year, at least if you attended fairy school or have plans to pursue the study of becoming a wand-waving wizard or witch. But there’s another kind of magic-making wand that so many of us enthusiastically turn to during the diaphanous days of early spring ..read more

Every Wednesday morning, a dozen parents at Magnolia Science Academy, a STEAM charter public school, in Santa Ana skip the morning drop off and instead head into the classroom with their kids. For six-weeks, they’re part of a unique workshop that teaches them about robotics and coding. The program is the only one of its kind in Orange County and is offered free to parents and students at the school, where about 85% of the student body is Latino and underserved. The families work together on critical thinking and problem-solving by using the robots they coded and built. Obed Ortiz, 11, showed o ..read more

Investigators in Santa Ana are searching for a man who fired several shots toward a car where one of those bullets hit a 3-year-old girl who was riding in the backseat. The girl is in critical but now stable condition, and she is expected to survive her injuries. She was shot once in the back. Police say the man who fired the shots was aiming for the mother’s boyfriend. Hector Velasquez is one of many neighbors, still in shock about the shooting that injured a 3-year-old girl last night. “We’re not secure no more if those kinds of things are happening,” Velasquez said.  He’s talking about ..read more

An investigation is underway after a child was hospitalized following a shooting Sunday in Orange County, according to Officer Natalie Garcia of the Santa Ana Police Department. Shortly before 9 p.m., the police department issued a SigAlert of a street closure on Main Street from 15th Street to 17th Street “due to police activity.” There, a girl inside a car was shot, according to Santa Ana police. Details on what led up to the violence were not immediately available. The child was taken to Children’s Hospital of Orange County in critical condition. Police did not say how old that child was. T ..read more

What to Know Year of the Dragon festivities are flowering around the region The Bowers Museum in Santa Ana will host a Free Family Festival on Sunday, Feb. 4 Enjoy lively gatherings at the Americana at Brand on Feb. 3 and One Colorado in Pasadena on Feb. 4 More rain is on the way for our soggy region, but there may be some lovely sunny skies, and more than a few sunny moments, to savor over the first weekend of February. Still, you’ll want to check the weather forecast before dancing in the direction of an outdoor festival, the sort of sweet and spirited celebration that includes music perf ..read more