🌱 Flood Watch + Ride In Peace Memorial + NASA Picks Northwood HS Team

Hello all! It’s National Pears Hélène Day; did you know that French Chef Auguste Escoffier named the dessert after an operetta by Jacques Offenbach? Sylvia here, your host of the Orange County Patch newsletter. Here are all the things you need to know about what's happening today, including...

• 🚧 An Orange Plaza Park fountain crash
• 🤔 Trouble with interfaith invocations
• 🚲 Participate in a memorial event for Dr. Michael Mammone

💗 Please help us grow! Send a friend or neighbor this link, so they can be in the know, like you!

🌧️ But first, today's weather:

A couple of morning showers. High: 61 Low: 50.

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⛽ Three of the Cheapest Gas Stations Across Orange County

• Mohsen #3 at 5981 Westminster Blvd. in Westminster, $4.38
• ARCO at 1801 S State College Blvd. in Anaheim, $4.55
• Costco at 27972 Cabot Rd. in Laguna Niguel, $4.69

😋 Fair Food Poll!
Fair food is the ultimate cheat meal. Although we all know it’s unhealthy, everyone has a guilty pleasure. Which is your favorite? So far, 35% love funnel cake, 22.5% look forward to candy apples, 10% munch on corndogs, and 7.5% reach for guacamole. 5% each either eat cotton candy, tri-tip sandwiches, or cheesecake. Finally, 2.5% each favor guacamole with cheese, fried cheese curds, turkey legs, or pork chop on a stick.

📰 Here are the top stories today in Orange County:

1. On Monday, a car crashed into the Orange Plaza Park fountain in Orange. However, this was no normal crash. Rather, it was a police pursuit of a 24-year-old in a Hyundai Sonata. Reportedly, the car was leaving the 100 block of South Parker Street just after 5 a.m. without turning on the headlights. When a police patrol pulled up, the driver fled east on Chapman Avenue, crashed into a barrier, and flipped “several times in midair before landing back down.” The driver was arrested, the police found “an unserialized handgun and a high-capacity magazine,” and the car was stolen from Parker Street. (New Santa Ana, The Orange County Register/paywall)
2. The Huntington Beach City Council has had it with overly pointed invocations by members of the Huntington Beach Interfaith Council before meetings. Councilwoman Gracey Van Der Mark characterized some of the invocations as “political soapboxing opportunities” on February 21. As a result, the City Council is looking for a vetted list of religious leaders who’ll follow set policies for their prayers. Meanwhile, the Interfaith Council says it wasn't advised of any problems, and now has concerns with maintaining spiritual diversity. (Voice of OC)
3. A flood watch is in effect until 2 p.m. today, Wednesday, in Orange County and the Santa Ana Mountains. Heavy rain is expected to cause problems for the already saturated soils. In Newport Beach, several hillside homes were tagged as possibly being at risk during mudslides. (CBS)
4. We learned on Tuesday that Irvine’s Northwood High School sophomores are among the teams winning the NASA TechRise Student Challenge. Along with bragging rights, the team’s winning experiment will hitch a ride on a NASA balloon. This group intends to “test computer chips’ capacity to weather high levels of radiation in the stratosphere, comparing chips made with gallium nitride to more commonly used silicon chips.” (Irvine Standard)
5. Participate in a memorial ride in Mission Viejo this Saturday. Dr. Michael Mammone of Laguna Beach was slain in Dana Point in February. You may remember that he was riding his bike on PCH when a car hit him and the driver then stabbed the doctor. On March 18, the OC’s cycling community will do a “Ride in Peace” memorial event. Cyclists meet at Mission Viejo’s Leonard Cancer Institute. (Patch)

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📆 Today in Orange County:

• Attend the Greater Irvine Chamber's Leads Group (8:45 AM)
• Come to the Asian Business Association OC Business Networking Breakfast at the Hilton Garden Inn in Garden Grove (9 AM)
• Bring the children to Crafty Kids at the Fullerton Community Center (2:30 PM)
• Celebrate Wine Wednesday at Sunset Beach's Romano Cucina (4 PM)
• It's time for Huntington Beach's Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night at Riip Beer (7 PM)

🖊️ From my notebook:

• "The Orange County Fire Authority and Orange County Professional Firefighters Local 3631 honor the life and service of Firefighter John Lawrence on this anniversary of his Line of Duty Death on March 14, 2013." (Orange County Fire Authority via Facebook)
• "More rain coming our way. Are your dogs ready? Please make sure their collars with ID tags are on and they have the ability to stay warm and dry during the next storm." (German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County via Facebook)
• "Be cautious of unsolicited phone calls, mailings, and door-to-door services offers. These are often the first ways scammers contact their victims." (Orange County Sheriff's Department, CA, via Facebook)
• "Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Philharmonic Invitational High School Orchestra Festival welcomes the next generation of orchestra talent to the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall stage on March 27!" (Philharmonic Society of Orange County via Facebook)
• "Parents of kids and teens are invited to join us for our first-ever, Parent Squad - Thursday, March 16, at 6pm. We have a variety of resources in print and online, but this opportunity will allow you to learn firsthand." (South Orange Public Library via Instagram)

🏡 What are homes selling for these days in Orange County?

• Median Listing Home Price $1M
• Median Listing Home Price/Square Foot $598
• Median Sold Home Price $955.4K

Check out more Orange County real estate information!

🐶 Meet Orange County area Pets Available To Be Adopted!

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Featured events:

• The 3 Keys to Ignite Your Inner Artist (March 15)
• Project Access Pickleball Tournament, presented by Freespeed Aviation, LLC (March 23)
• The Wine Militia - Secret POP-UP Blind Wine Tasting featuring Pinot Noir (April 12)
• Add your event

You're officially in the loop for today. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow with a new update!

— 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.

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