Friday, May 18, 2012
Eric Naposki and Nanette Ann Packard-McNeal were convicted in the 1994 murder of her former boyfriend, a Newport Beach millionaire. Victim's brother calls Packard-McNeal a "black widow" in court today while the prosecutor labels Naposki a coward.
An Orange County woman convicted of first-degree murder in the death of her millionaire boyfriend was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility parole today while her co-conspirator secret lover, former NFL linebacker Eric Naposki, had his sentencing delayed until Aug. 10. Nanette Ann Packard-McNeal, 46, received her punishment for the the Dec. 15, 1994, shooting of 55-year-old Bill McLaughlin this morning from Judge William Froeberg at the Orange County courthouse in Santa Ana. Authorities say Packard-McNeal was romantically involved with both McLaughlin and Naposki, 45, and the pair plotted to kill McLaughlin in order to reap the benefits of his savings account and $1-million life insurance policy. Naposki refused to appear in …
The Office of Protective Services patrols five centers for the developmentally disabled, including Fairview in Orange County.
Overtime pay for a small, state-run police force has soared in recent years, according to a California Watch investigation. Last year, the Office of Protective Services paid roughly $2 million in overtime to 80 of its officers, who patrol five centers for the developmentally disabled, including Orange County's Fairview Developmental Center in Costa Mesa. "An unusually high number of [OPS] officers ... have doubled their salaries with overtime, enabling some to earn more than $150,000 a year," California Watch reported, noting that the number of officers collecting overtime "far exceeds" other agencies. At Fairview, patrolman Daniel Butler "regularly collected more money from overtime than from his base pay" and "netted at least $60,000 a …
In honor of National Bike to Work Day, Patch wants to give you a shiny beach cruiser.
Friday is National Bike to Work Day. Patch has a shiny new bicycle, and we're looking to give it a shiny new home! To enter to win the Patch cruiser bicycle, post a photo of you doing something bike-related or with something bike-related. Whether you're riding to work, riding a beach trail or yearning for a new bike, post a photo. Don't have a bike? Be creative—anything goes! Please note: To qualify, the photo must depict at least one person. Uploading a photo is easy. Just click on the big "Upload Photos & Videos" button on this page and choose the photo you want to post. You may enter only once. We'll choose one winner over the weekend in a random drawing from all photos uploaded before midnight tonight. For complete rules, see the …
Thursday, May 17, 2012
The 43-year-old is burned by rocks from San Onofre State Beach that mysteriously ignited. She is hospitalized with third-degree burns.
How rocks from a southern Orange County beach caught fire in the pocket of a San Clemente woman's cargo shorts, landing her in a hospital with third-degree burns, remained a mystery today. The 43-year old woman's children picked up the seven orange and green rocks on Saturday at San Onofre State Beach, which is popular with surfers and known locally as Trestles. The rocks combusted and set the woman's shorts on fire and continued to burn the wood floor of her Avenida Estrella house, according Capt. Marc Stone of the Orange County Fire Authority. The woman, whose name was not released, was hospitalized at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana with third-degree burns to her right thigh and knee, Stone said. He said the victim "stopped, dropped…
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
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 …
Monday, May 14, 2012
If voters shoot down a November initiative to temporarily raise taxes, school districts statewide would face $5.5 billion in cuts, about $700 million worse than what the governor estimated in January.
Gov. Jerry Brown continues to lay his hopes for state fiscal soundness on a November tax initiative, but if it doesn’t pass, schools will face additional cuts that could chop three weeks off the next school year. On Monday, Brown revised the 2012-13 budget he first released in January. Called the May revise, his new figures reflect tax revenues that have fallen far short of earlier predictions. “It’s a difficult budget,” Brown acknowledged in a press conference. If voters approve his temporary tax hike measure, Brown’s revised budget would actually increase funding for schools by $15 billion in four years, or $2,500 per student. Brown called the tax initiative reasonable. “I think it’s fair, and I think it provides a reliable source of …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Issues will go to the Planning Commission under tentatively approved measure. The City Council also honors students from Trabuco Mesa Elementary and Melinda Heights Elementary.
Traffic signal locations, speed bumps and other transportation issues will be handled by the city Planning Commission under a plan that won tentative approval from the City Council on Wednesday. In a 4-0 vote, officials tentatively OK’d a measure to give the Planning Commission power to review traffic and transportation issues and to advise the City Council. Council members and staff said the measure would increase the efficiency and transparency of traffic issues by bringing decisions into the public eye. Under the current system, a Traffic Review Panel — made up of the city engineer, the chief of police services and the city traffic engineer — considers traffic issues in-house and makes recommendations to the City Council. Under the new …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Judge finds sufficient evidence to hold over Fullerton cops Manuel Ramos and Jay Cicinelli for trial. The beating of Kelly Thomas was shown for the first time during this week's hearing.
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Wednesday, May 9
Two Fullerton police officers were ordered today to stand trial for the beating death of schizophrenic transient Kelly Thomas. Officer Manuel Anthony Ramos, 38, is charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, while Cpl Jay Cicinelli, 40, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and excessive force in the beating last July 5 at the Fullerton Transportation Center. The 37-year-old homeless man died five days later when his family took him off life support. The 38-year-old Ramos, a 10-year Fullerton police veteran, is free on $1 million bail, one of the highest ever posted in Orange County. Cicinelli, 42, is free on $25,000 bail. They are both on unpaid administrative leave. Ramos faces a potential sentence of 15 years to …
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 …
Monday, May 7, 2012
Lengthy study session yields good news for parents, residents, as Rancho Santa Margarita council members dial in on the city's budget.
A marathon budget study session last week yielded some positive news for the residents of Rancho Santa Margarita. The six-hour meeting, in which members of the City Council scrutinized the proposed budget line by line, produced a surplus and a new member of the police force devoted to RSM's younger residents. Following a $1.2 million budget surplus last year, there is a projected budget surplus of $340,000 for the next fiscal year. As a result, council members authorized the funding of a new position on the police force, a Child Safety Officer dedicated to "ensuring the safety of all children and students in the city," said Mayor Tony Beall. According to Beall, nearly 50 percent of the budget is allocated to public safety. "Since Rancho'…
Ashley Brown
8:55 pm on Friday, May 18, 2012
As you can see I'm just going around in circles on this carousel. I would have moved a lot faster if I was on a bike instead. more ›