🌱 Disappearing Beaches + Speeder Hits Tree + Five Women Steal Safe

Good morning, everybody! It's Paula Constance, your host of the Orange County Daily — here to explain the most important things happening in our area today. Including news about:

• Police search for five women who stole a safe.
• Summer weather and wood-burning ban extend through Christmas.
• 19-year-old speeds, hits tree in Yorba Linda.
• What happens when a beach town's beaches disappear?

But first, today's weather:

Sunny and warmer. High: 80 Low: 50.

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Here are the top stories in Orange County today:

1. Police are searching for five women who "covertly" stole a safe from an Orange grocery store. The women posed as shoppers in Produce World and distracted employees with questions so one of the women could slip into the back office to steal the safe. The woman used a hidden device to lift the 80 lb. safe "with one hand" and then concealed it in a shopping cart. Customer Robert Shaw said, "This is a small place and $9,000 means a lot to them." (CBS News)
2. Summer weather returns for the holiday weekend. Temperatures are expected to climb into the 80s Saturday and Sunday, Christmas Day. The warm weather also means that the wood-burning ban has been extended for Christmas weekend, with an Air Quality Alert in effect until Saturday. The wood-burning ban includes wood and manufactured fire logs "in any indoor or outdoor setting." Find out more here: ( Orange County Patch)
3. A 19-year-old is accused of "driving more than 100 m.p.h. on a Yorba Linda street" before losing control of his vehicle, hitting the median and crashing into a tree. The man was charged with Driving Under the Influence. A passenger in the vehicle was killed in the crash, authorities said. (Orange County Register via Facebook)
4. The shoreline from San Clemente to Dana Point is a microcosm" of what can happen when beaches disappear in SoCal. A 700-foot section of San Clemente in Orange County is losing its beach, and rail tracks on an eroding bluff once buffered from the ocean "by a stretch of sand" less than a decade ago are now closed for repair. It's a cautionary tale of what other "beach towns" may face in the coming years. (Headtopics)

Today in Orange County:

• Main Street Creativity Corner In-Person - Huntington Beach (9:00 AM)
• Cozy Family Winter Read - Cypress Library (9:00 AM)
• Family Movie Afternoons - La Palma Library (2:00 PM)
• Christmas Eve Services at Mount of Olives Church - Mission Viejo (2:30 PM)
• Christmas Eve Candlelight Service 2022 - Trabuco Canyon (6:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Trip of a lifetime: "Whether to locations near or far, Girl Scout Destinations are trips of a lifetime. Learn more at https://bit.ly/3efbgZB #GSDestinations #GirlScoutDestinations" (Girl Scouts of Orange County via Facebook)
• A gift to support music: "Thinking of making your first gift in support of the Philharmonic Society? Between now and Dec 31, your gift of any amount will go twice as far in support of the breadth of musical programming designed to impact and educate young people." (Philharmonic Society of Orange County via Facebook)
• Government agencies closed Monday: "Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are both on Sundays this year, meaning government agencies will observe the holidays on the following Mondays." (Orange County Register via Facebook)
• Test your LEGO skills: "In LEGO Mania we will experience everything LEGO. This six-week class will test your LEGO building skills with weekly challenges. We will design and cultivate our very own LEGO city. We will even make LEGO crayons." (Orange County (NC) Recreation via Instagram)

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You're all caught up for today! See you again Dec. 27 with another update. Wishing you a wonderful Holiday.

— Paula Constance

About me: Paula is a contributing writer, author, and award-winning media producer.When she's not writing, you can find her hiking or watching fireflies in the sultry moments before sunset. You can follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Orange County Daily? Contact me at orangecounty@patch.com