Friday, May 18, 2012
The solar-powered Orange County Green Fair showcases luxury electric vehicles, whale-tail-shaped tortilla chips and other eco-friendly items.
Encased in a heart-shaped box, sheets of yellow paper with little green specks were displayed prominently at the buygreen.com booth. They originated from an elephant, or more precisely the animal’s excrement, before being repurposed into decorative gifts called Ellie Pooh Paper. “The Ellie Pooh paper is pretty unique,” said Nicole Roach of buygreen.com, which aims to become the Amazon.com of green products. “It is definitely a big seller.” Ellie Pooh Paper was one of hundreds of items -- from whale tail tortilla chips to a luxury electric car -- on display during Thursday’s Orange County Green Fair in Santa Ana. While larger companies like Home Depot, Whole Foods, Southern California Edison and Google helped sponsor the event, smaller …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
More than 800 attend Water Awareness Day at Santa Margarita Water District as part of activities associated with Water Awareness Month.
More than 800 people attended a Water Awareness Day event Saturday at the Santa Margarita Water District, where adults and children were able to learn more about water use efficiency and local supply reliability through a variety of crafts, water education presentations and tours. The event is held annually in the spring to celebrate the state’s recognition of May as “Water Awareness Month.” Tours of the 244-million gallon Upper Chiquita Reservoir were given throughout the day to show customers SMWD’s new domestic water storage facility. Completed in October 2011, it is the largest domestic water reservoir built in south Orange County in nearly 45 years and can provide drinking water to approximately 500,000 individuals for one week in …
An analyst hired by environmentalists says the steps being taken by Southern California Edison won't work.
San Onofre could be on ice for 18 months before technicians finally fix the faulty generators that leaked radioactive steam in January, according to a report issued Tuesday by Fairewinds Associates, an energy consulting firm hired by an anti-nuclear group. "The damaged steam generators ... require major modifications with repair and outage time that could last more than 18 months if [Southern California] Edison and [generator manufacturer] Mitsubishi are even able to repair these faulty designed steam generators," the report states. The report, commissioned by the environmental group Friends of the Earth, said replacing the steam generators is the only real solution to the problem. Written by Arnie Gundersen of Fairewinds, the analysis …
Saturday, May 12, 2012
The per-gallon rate jumped 4.9 cents Friday and 6.1 cents today, Saturday.
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Saturday, May 12
The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in the Southland jumped more than a dime in the last two days, according to the latest Auto Club survey. In Orange County, prices jumped up 4.9 cents Friday and 6.1 cents today, Saturday. The Orange County average is now $4.323, which is 11.7 cents more than a week ago, 8.2 cents higher than one month ago and 8.1 cents greater than one year ago. The price went up 4.3 cents Friday and 6.1 cents today in Los Angeles County, and now sits at $4.337. Today's increase was the biggest daily jump since Feb. 23, according to Jeffrey Spring of the Automobile Club of Southern California. The average price is 10.8 cents more than one week ago, 6.9 cents higher than one month ago and also 6.9…
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
CEO John Lynch says: “Miles to go before we sleep.” Club member confirms ‘final talks’ remark.
Updated at 5:25 p.m. May 9, 2012 U-T San Diego is in “final talks” to buy The Orange County Register and 24 community newspapers it owns, according to a witness to the announcement and a reported confirmation by the U-T publisher. John Lynch, CEO of U-T San Diego, reportedly told the Downtown San Diego Lions Club on Tuesday that his “multiplatform media” company is near finalizing purchase of the Pulitzer Prize-winning daily based in Santa Ana. Also in the deal would be Coast magazine and associated local newspapers in Orange County. At 1:10 p.m. Lynch told Patch via email: “No confirmation of anything other than we would like to expand and are looking at all other newspapers in Southern California. Miles to go before we sleep.” But a …
From brunch to botanical beauty, these gifts would make a sweet surprise for Mom.
Mom! The woman who sacrificed her beauty sleep for you, quiet dinners, her career, weekends in Vegas with her still-single girlfriends, all because she had to unbuckle car seats, unfold complicated strollers, and change your dirty diaper in the fitting room. This mom deserves a medal for years of endurance, but the Olympics are still months away so let's do a little shopping in the meantime for the mom in your life. The Mod Mom: For the fashionista, whose fashion ensembles get more likes on Pinterest than the six kittens cuddled in a basket, head over to Kate Spade at Fashion Island to buy her one of their newest Palm Beach poolside inspired handbags. There are many to choose from ranging from $198-$498. The I Need My Cup of Coffee …
The hamburger icon of Southern California heaps praise on Rancho Santa Margarita for being 'business friendly.'
In the same week that Planning Commissioners rubberstamped a move by a longtime small business owner from one location to another, the city of Rancho Santa Margarita was sent a letter from a large business with no roots in the city. And it was a ringing endorsement. In-N-Out, the burger icon of Southern California, called RSM one of the most business friendly cities it has ever worked with. In a letter to the city from In-N-Out Burger project manager Kim Kennedy, the company indicated that it had never had a more pleasant business experience as it readies to build a restaurant on Santa Margarita Parkway. In the letter, Kennedy says: "The city staff and its consultants were extremely professional, courteous and a pleasure to work with. I …
Lotus 7 moves for the third time but is praised for reinventing itself to stay viable as the city shows how it can accommodate small businesses. Planning Commission signs off on CUP.
If anyone was looking for a red flag in the city's business environment, the Rancho Santa Margarita Planning Commission meeting last week was not the place to find it. Providing an example of good business, the light docket—the meeting lasted less than a half hour—showcased a longtime business taking advantage of the city's can-do attitude. The commission unanimously approved a conditional use permit that allowed Lotus 7 Yoga and Pilates to relocate from the Empresa Center to the Aventura Business Park across the street. The new site location will be 22521 Empresa, across the street and facing Daily's Sports Grill. The whole process, from the time Lotus owner Lisa Brabender contacted the city and said she needed an expeditious resolution …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Clean up your resume and come get one of more than 1,000 available jobs.
Looking for work? Know someone who is? More than 1,000 jobs are up for grabs in Mission Viejo Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the community center. Parking and admission are free. More than 3,000 attended last year’s South Orange County Job Fair, sponsored by the county’s Workforce Investment Bureau. About 550 of the jobs involve law enforcement, said Chris Strom, the county's director of business services. Other fields that will be represented Thursday include: Strom expects 1,200 to attend the fair this year. Mission Viejo's unemployment rate stands at 5.9 percent according to state records. California's total unemployment has been around 11 percent since December. Job seekers can also have their resumes critiqued for free at the job …
Monday, May 7, 2012
It doesn't officially open until Friday, but Patch goes inside for a look at Rancho Santa Margarita's newest dining establishment.
The Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant and Bar doesn't officially open until Friday, but Patch went inside over the weekend to snap a few pictures of what the restaurant will look like. A soft opening begins tonight for dinner, and it will be open for lunch and dinner beginning Tuesday to work the kinks out. Then, on Friday, it's showtime for owner Ryan Moore, a third-generation restaurant owner. The site used to be occupied by Agave, El Torito Grill and El Torito. The restaurant will be opening on the heels of Embarcadero California Bistro, which last month began serving lunch as well as dinner. Hours are Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the restaurant stays open until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. There will be $1 Taco Tuesdays in …
Yeparoo
9:24 am on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Joel - Ok, the one thing I cannot seem to get a clear answer on is exactly what is being written off as an expense. Is this whole debate over whether the oil companies are using LIFO or FIFO cost accounting methods, or are they allowed under the tax code to write off imaginary expenses (aka subsidy). I am with you on everything except this: "The hole now has a million dollars less gold in it, so … more ›