🌱 Free OCTA Rides + Worst Mosquito Season Coming + Café Biaani' Opens

Morning, neighbors! Today’s National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day; did you know that Navy cooks would broil them in World War II? I'm here right on time with your fresh copy of the Orange County Patch newsletter. Keep reading to find news on:

• 🎭 Fullerton Union High School honored for theater education
• 🚇 San Clemente railroad tracks reopen
• 🌎 Free rides on Earth Day

💗 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:

Low clouds may break. High: 67 Low: 56.

📢 I'm looking for business owners and marketers in Orange County who want to build awareness, connect with customers and increase sales.

I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our readers to local businesses they need to know. If that's you, then I invite you to learn more and secure your spot now.

⛽ Three of the Cheapest Gas Stations Across Orange County

• Sam’s Club at 1390 S Beach Blvd. in La Habra, $4.29
• OSK Gas at 2800 E Lincoln Ave. in Anaheim, $4.37
• Valero at 3301 E Chapman Avenue in Orange, $4.59

🌎 Earth Day Poll!
Earth Day is on April 22. This year marks the 53rd anniversary of the event. Plenty of organizations will host cleanup events and festivities across the county. What are your plans for the day? So far, 53.8% say it’s a day like any other, 23.1% adopt a bah, humbug approach, and 7.7% each head for a park cleanup, beach cleanup, and beautification project.

📰 Here are the top stories in Orange County today:

1. Earth Day is around the corner, and the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is getting in on the festivities. Everyone can ride Orange County buses and the Metrolink for FREE on April 22. “By taking public transit, riders help the environment.” Just climb aboard, explore the area, and do it for free. (OCTA)
2. Did you enjoy the recent rainfall? So did the mosquitoes. Now, Orange County health experts warn that we’re looking at the “worst mosquito season they've seen in years.” Also, the flying pests are showing up earlier than usual. “Cypress, it’s already started. . . . Los Alamitos, it’s loaded.” Vector Control is spraying wetlands, parks and marshes for the Culex mosquito that could carry infections such as West Nile virus and encephalitis. The real challenge will be the Aedes mosquito, aka ankle biter pest, that prefers humans to other mammals and might carry Zika virus, Mayaro virus and yellow fever. (CBS)
3. The Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) declared Fullerton Union High School on Chapman Avenue “a Premiere Community for Theatre Education.” The association bestows this honor on select schools that go above and beyond the curriculum to exemplify “outstanding commitment to the field.” “Receiving this award is a reflection of the hard work and talent of our teachers and our community and the commitment we have to educate our children well, especially in the Arts,” Principal Laura Rubio explained. If you have a middle schooler interested in theater, you know where to send them. (Fullerton Observer)
4. Do you remember that San Clemente railroad tracks had to be shut down because of erosion? Well, they’ll reopen on Monday, and Metrolink will run its trains to and from Oceanside, reconnecting the OC to the Inland Empire. “Full service will also resume for the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains, which connect Orange and San Diego counties.” (Patch)
5. Café Biaani' at 5120 La Palma in Anaheim celebrated its grand opening and ribbon cutting on Thursday! On hand for the occasion were City Council Members Natalie Meeks and Steve Faessel, along with other politicians. The business’ mission “is to bring Oaxacan culture into the lives of others,” and it does so with (among other dishes) Avocado Toast and Salsa Macha, Molletes, and coffee. (Anaheim Chamber, Café Biaani', 2)

📆 Today in Orange County:

• Participate in Qigong with Sotantar Suraj at Jupiter Yoga Wellness in Newport Beach (11 AM)
  
• The Orange County Museum of Art in Costa Mesa hosts a Winebow Spring Trade Tasting (1 PM)
• Bring the kids to LEGO Wednesday at the Crean Mariners Branch Library in Newport Beach (3 PM)
• Young Sewers (7 and up) meet at the Piecemakers Country Store in Costa Mesa (3 PM)
• Get more exposure for your business at the Greater Irvine Chamber Multi-Leads Group Mixer at II Barone in Newport Beach (5 PM)

🖊️ From my notebook:

• "Happy National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (NPSTW) to the men & women of our Emergency Communications Bureau! ☎️ During NPSTW, we take time to recognize all the hard work they do to ensure the safety of the units in the field & the communities they serve." (Orange County Sheriff's Department, CA, via Facebook)
• "It was an important day for the Orange County Fire Authority as we introduced our first Peer Support K-9, Pax. Donated by Thor’s Hope Foundation and trained by Performance K-9 Training, Pax is a three-year-old Labrador Retriever who is fully trained to support first responders in the wake of crisis situations." (Orange County Fire Authority via Facebook)
• "Did you know our sweet little nugget, Slater, was born with only 1 kidney?!?! Yep! We don’t call him special for no reason! We struggled for a long time to find a food he could eat. Every kibble, including prescription kibble, we tried made him really sick and gave him bladder stones. Testing showed he could never eat meat or fish of any kind. Or, so we thought. Then we found the Hepatic diet from Just Food For Dogs!!" (Orange County Pit Bull Rescue via Facebook)
• "Congrats to the OC Sheriff Baker2Vegas teams, which included over 100 runners total! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️ The other weekend, they competed against other law enforcement teams in a 120-mile relay race. They ran, honoring Deputies Obadiah Louder & Brian Haney. We’re extremely proud of our running teams and support staff!" (Orange County Sheriff's Department, CA, via Facebook)
• "The next Board of Education Meeting will be held on Thursday, April 13. Opening Session begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by Closed Session and the 7:00 p.m. Open Session. For the meeting agenda, links, and schedule of meetings, go to linktr.ee/OUSD." (Orange Unified School District 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 $975K

Check out more Orange County real estate information!

🐶 Meet adorable Orange County area Pets Available To Be Adopted!

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

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Featured events:

• GardenFest 2023 with huge plant sale, flea market, kids activities, garden tool sharpening and more (April 15)
• (July 23rd show date) THE BEATLES vs THE ROLLING STONES! (April 15)
• Earth Day Shop Small Event!! Family & Pet Friendly! Reviving The Kaleidoscope Mall! (April 22)
• OCBCAF CPR Workshops (April 30)
• Add your event

Featured announcements:

• Selling Your Home? 72SOLD A Better Way To Sell Your Home (Details)
• Add your announcement

Other featured classifieds:

• Santa Baby Composer Moonlight Sonata Award Nomination, please vote! (Details)
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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Wednesday. See you all tomorrow morning for another 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 Bee Swarm Simulator (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