By Ben Bodart, Special to the Independent Rescuers, forced by nightfall to quit efforts to cut lines entangling a whale spotted near Laguna Beach on Tuesday, were unsuccessful in locating the 40-foot gray again by Thursday. The animal was last seen heading west into deeper and potentially more dangerous waters for rescue crews. It [...]
Local mountain bike champion Brian Lopes won the inaugural UCI MTB World Cup XC Sprint Eliminator held in Houffalize, Belgium, on April 13. Lopes, 40, said the results show age is nothing but a number. He was pleased by his performance. Confident after a first place qualifying run, Lopes went on to show [...]
By Ben Bodart, Special to the Independent As is his habit, Laguna Beach resident and surfer Ian McErlane, 37, was out walking his two dogs in Heisler Park recently when red-flag surf conditions transformed the routine into life-saving heroism. McErlane’s attention was drawn to people on Picnic Beach, who were watching the waves [...]
UPDATE By Ben Bodart, Special to the Independent Rescuers accomplished something of a marine miracle offshore Laguna Beach last weekend, but apparently their efforts ultimately were not enough. Members of the town’s Pacific Marine Mammal Center and a special whale disentanglement team from the National Marine Fisheries Services successfully freed a young [...]
By Ben Bodart, Special to the Independent Perhaps the previous seven days were the most important in the life of Lesley Domiano. The 66 year-old Laguna Beach resident organized three separate events in town last week to lure a potential bone marrow donor for a transplant she absolutely needs if she is to see 2013. [...]
Screenings save lives By Benjamin Bodart, Special to the Independent Jennifer Gustafson will always remember June 1. A letter arrived that day saying that a recent medical tests her daughter Dillon had taken identified a potentially fatal heart defect. Moreover, the threat was considered so imminent, the letter warned, that Dillon should [...]
By Benjamin Bodart, Special to the Independent Laguna Beach’s Liz Fletcher, 17, will soon achieve the prestigious rank of quartermaster in the Mariners Sea Scouts program. The quartermaster rank is comparable to the Eagle Scout rank in Boy Scouts and requires a depth of knowledge about maritime activities as well as completion of a community [...]
Laguna Beach race-car driver Michael Lewis drove in the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit in Belgium, finishing sixth in the Formula 3 Italia Championship. Lewis arrived at the seven-kilometer track (4.35-mile) with high expectations after two previous team tests put him among a group of drivers with top lap times. About halfway through the qualifying session, Lewis [...]
Ill Prepared Hiker Rescued from Hillside
A sheriff’s helicopter was used to extract a hiker who suffered an anxiety attack and was unable to move from a steep trail in Laguna Beach’s open space about 6 p.m. Sunday, June 9, police said. Lifeguards in an all-terrain vehicle coordinated the extraction from thick brush and a steep slope between Alta Laguna Park [...]
