Last night, the Bar and Tavern Association held its first public meeting with Diane Dixon in the old City Hall on the peninsula.  There was not a single negative comment from the crowd, showing that increased education has really helped the public to understand that we live in a truly fantastic community. Police Chief Jay Johnson praised the peninsula for its success in …

Over the last weekend, we reported that the water had reached levels of bacterial quantities deemed unhealthy by the State of California.  Today, nearly all sites are clear with the exception of two: One site that still holds caution is by the bridge to PCH near Lido.  The other is near the Newport Beach Country Club.  Both are expected to be …

McDonalds on the peninsula has always seemed like an unstoppable fixture on the peninsula, rarely seen without a car in line to get food and drink.  But on September the 8th, the fast-food diner closed forever.  Speculation was that it was perhaps due to the “breakfast all day” menu and the closure was simply for a quick kitchen remodel, but the insides …

On this day 14 years ago, the tragedies that occurred in the World Trade Center and Flight 93 changed our country forever… but it was the vivid flash of our collective humanity that really shone through. Volunteers flooded the sites of the tragedy, helping in efforts to rescue survivors. We spoke to our neighbors, our long-lost friends and our loved …

It’s was a rare rain for September!  Yesterday’s showers were a much-needed water for our area, but it also presents a problem: urban runoff and bacterial water infestations. As the chemicals wash off into the ocean and the storm drains flood, it has also washed immeasurable amounts of bacteria right into our local oceanfront.  This is the result of the first-wash urban runoff usually reserved …

The Wedge sure took a pounding this weekend with waves generated by a South Pacific storm, and tomorrow, Wedge waves are again projected to be double-overhead– these will be the highest of the Southeast swell peaks from Hurricane Linda and some minor WSW Jimena leftover swells. Surfline predicts 5-8ft waves, and we can expect the structure of The Wedge to double those sizes, …

On the last day of summer, children near Bay Island on Balboa Peninsula received one of the most memorable send-offs to date. A roofing contractor was on Anade Avenue and Edgewater and was backing up his rig when he hit a fire hydrant.  Bent, the hydrant was still attached.  As people went to investigate, a neighbor who specializes in commercial construction yelled at the group …

It has been a welcome change to have the construction on PCH to have been temporarily halted during the summertime– but all that is coming to an end tomorrow. On Tuesday September 8th, construction will begin once again on the beautiful PCH, and will continue at least until Memorial Day 2016, where they will once again stop for the summertime …

On this day on September 7, 1963, ‘The Balboa Island Punting and Sculling Society’ (a group of ‘millionaire’s and bums’), made the world’s first and only “train trip” to Catalina Island. They left Long Beach Harbor on a barge — pulled by a tug boat, and arrived in Avalon that afternoon. Consisting of one 1914 Parlor Car with 72 passengers, the …

Share this article with your kids and friends who are new to the ocean. This long weekend, we are experiencing some significant rip tides. Growing up, we called these “undertows” or “rip tides”, but the proper name for them is actually “rip currents”.  This is the place where the backwards-wash from the surf exists the beach to rejoin with the rest …