Last Sunday, the day before Christmas Eve, at about 3:45pm, NBPD and OCSD responded to a call about a boat theft in Newport Beach.  The 70-foot “Gambler” out of Dana Point was in town off Fernando Street at Edgewater Ave on Balboa Peninsula to watch the Boat Parade, and some guy who was apparently under the heavy influence of hard drugs …

I know the struggles of dining out on Christmas when you aren’t in the midst of a mega-sized family reunion. To help people of different faiths, those with distant families, and those who just want to go out for a good time on Christmas, I made a few phone calls for you, both to the traditional “Chinese Food Christmas” places, …

Welcome to Wintertime!  Today is the first official day of winter, and the shortest day of the year.  According to NASA, the Solstice officially begins when the sun sets today at 4:47pm.   No word on whether or not they cleared this official time with those who first began building monuments like Stonehenge with Solstice in mind during the Bronze age. …

Last night was the first night of the boat parade, but it turned out to be quite the eventful evening for the Peninsula area. First, at 6:57pm, a two-alarm fire was reported on Lido Isle, at 112 Via Dijon.  The fire was responded to by 40 personnel, from Huntington Beach FD, Newport Beach FD, Costa Mesa FD, and an abbreviation …

After about a week of recounting, the Duffy/Stoaks Recount team was unable to turn up a single vote to be flipped.  This speaks volumes for our vote-count integrity in Orange County, done by the Registrar of Voters. The group doing the recount has not replied to our emails, but Tim Stoaks, who missed the win by a mere 36 votes, …

It’s time for the 110th Christmas Boat Parade!  Starting on Wednesday, December 19th through Sunday, December 23rd. With fireworks on the first and last days.  FOR THOSE WITH PETS IN THE AREA: Please make sure they are safe during the fireworks, as they are sensitive to loud noises by a crowded beach– and, of course, the fireworks. PLEASE TAKE NOTE for those …

On Friday, the people pushing for the historically close Duffy/Stoaks election (which was decided by just 36 votes) temporarily halted the recount. There were a number of reasons this could have been, but most seemed to revolve around money. The organizer, Susan Skinner, told the Daily Pilot that she was going to check with the recount status on Tuesday to …

As many of you know, the mayor of Newport Beach is very much a ceremonial position, and contains no actual power. The position somewhat rotates through the council people, and every year in December the council appoints one of themselves to be the member with the title of mayor, and another one of themselves as mayor pro-tem.  Generally speaking, the …

As the ballots were being counted for 3 weeks after the election, it appeared that our Mayor Duffy Duffield had been unseated.  In the final weeks, the ballots counted gave a serious plot twist: Tim Stoaks lost his lead and Duffy began to win.  When the dust settled, Duffy won by 36 votes. Every vote matters, guys. Supporters of Stoaks …

Have you ever seen a mass of HUNDREDS of Santa’s drinking beer?  Well on Saturday December 8th, you can!  Santa Crawl is open to everyone over 21 years old– and if you can come in a Mr or Mrs Santa Suit, you’ll fit right in!  Other holiday costumes are also more than welcome, of course! If you don’t already have …