🌱 Rio Hackford Has Died + Taco Surf Surfside At 16281 PCH Burned

Good morning, Huntington Beach; today is National Lima Bean Respect Day! Here's everything you need to know to get this Wednesday started off right.

Rio Hackford, who played bounty hunter Riot Mar, has died. Also, we lost a favorite restaurant to fire. Finally, a double-murder trial started.

First, today's weather:

Sunshine and patchy clouds. High: 64 Low: 53.

Here are the top five stories today in Huntington Beach:

1. Actor Rio Hackford has died at the age of 51. He “died of uveal melanoma, a very aggressive and rare form of cancer” in Huntington Beach on Thursday. "We would beg everyone reading this to get their eyes tested at least once a year, which might save their loved ones from this cancer," his family urged. (People)
2. The Taco Surf Surfside location burned down on Thursday night. Located at 16281 PCH, it left "the building completely devastated." “We're so grateful that everyone is safe and there were no injuries; however, we'll be closed indefinitely,” we learned Friday. You can still enjoy Taco Surf dishes at their locations in Seal Beach and Los Alamitos. (Taco Surf)
3. A 47-year-old HB man, who used to be a personal trainer, went to trial Tuesday for the 2019 “execution-style shootings of a man and woman in Newport Beach.” He is facing “life in prison without the possibility of parole.” The defendant’s “attorneys have said their client suffered brain injuries in a car crash in the mid-1990s and from competing as a football player over the years.” (Patch)
4. Heidi Planck is still missing. She has been missing since October 17. Earlier in the week, “Christina Pascucci, a long time KTLA News Reporter, did Live Reports at Huntington Beach Central Park West near Lake Huntington showing Kathy May's Restaurant on Lakeview Drive behind it. She was talking to friends of Heidi Planck.” (HB News)
5. The city invites you to attend the Friday unveiling of a public art installation at Pier Plaza. “Uniquely designed whales have been created by local artists to bring public awareness to the importance of protecting our waterways & coastlines.” (City of HB)

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Today in Huntington Beach:

• Free Citizenship Prep Class at the Huntington Beach Public Library (10 AM)
• Cousins Maine Lobster Food Truck visits The Artisan Residences at Bella Terra (4 PM)
• Better Breathers Club at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center (4 PM)
• Free-To-Play Trivia at Four Sons Brewing (6 PM)
• Video Speed Dating (online) (8 PM)

From my notebook:

• Are you looking to network with other businesses? Join the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce for its After5 Mixer on April 27th at Absolutely Fabulous. (Facebook)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

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• Segerstrom Shelby Event Center — (Visit website)
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Thanks for following along and staying informed. I'll see you around!

— Sylvia Cochran

About me: Sylvia Cochran works out of sunny Southern California and has been freelance writing full-time since 2005. She loves dogs, cats, books, plays Best Fiends (don't judge), embraces social justice, and tries to live out Micah 6:8.