🌱 Manhole Rescue + Affordable Housing In Fullerton + Funerary Objects

Good morning, Orange County! Today’s Towel Day, which coincides with Geek Pride Day; did you know that fans of late author Douglas Adams created Towel Day in 2001 as a tribute, while Geek Pride Day memorialized the “Star Wars” premiere in 1977? I'm here to tell you about what's going on in the OC, including news on...

• 🎥 Woodbridge High School students winning awards.
• 🚲 The Code 3 Cycling for a Cause memorial bike ride.
• 🏗️ Sixty-five units down, 13,144 to go.

💗 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; cool. High: 69 Low: 55.

⛽ Three of the Cheapest Gas Stations Across Orange County

• Valero at 2050 Harbor Blvd. in Costa Mesa, $4.55
• Shell at 23652 Rockfield Blvd. in Lake Forest, $4.57
• Mobil at 23002 Alicia Parkway in Mission Viejo, $4.79

🦸 Superpower Poll!
A 2018 survey found that Americans would love to have the superpower of healing others. If we take this one off the table, which superpower would you love to have? So far, 33.3 percent chose the ability to time travel, while 11.1 percent each picked the ability to become invisible, fly, teleport, select lotteries and give money away, read minds, or have superhuman strength.

📰 Here are the top stories in Orange County today:

1. Santa Ana firefighters rescued a woman stuck in the sewer system on Tuesday. It’s unclear how she ended up 12 feet “down a manhole” in the 1200 block of North Bush Street. First responders used a pulley system to reach the woman and draw her out of the hole. “It’s not an easy place to access, but people do find their way into the sewer system sometimes, and we’re here to help get them out,” Battalion Chief Chad Gremel explained. (KTLA)
2. The Fullerton City Council voted to construct 65 affordable housing units at 1600 W. Commonwealth Ave. The city owns the parcel next to the yard and wants to build a “two-to-three-story development with 29 one-bedroom units, 19 two-bedroom units, 17 three-bedroom units, and 108 parking spaces.” Construction could begin in about a year, and the location might be move-in ready by 2025. A laudable beginning, it could be considered a drop in the bucket by housing advocates who point to the required 13,209 units Fullerton has to plan for by 2029. (Voice of OC)
3. Reportedly, California State University Fullerton has an estimated 213 Native American human remains. They were located when checking in 3,500 boxes that hadn’t been inventoried. As the school has done once before when making these discoveries, it will return the remains “to their respective tribal nations.” Critics say that the school has been dragging its heels to comply with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990. However, at the request of Assemblymember James Ramos, there’s now an ongoing state audit which is creating urgency to deal with the human remains and funerary objects the school is storing. (Native News Online)
4. A shoutout to Woodbridge High School in Irvine and three of its students! They made a short film “depicting the importance of checking on your friends' mental health.” They submitted the film to the 2023 Directing Change Program and Film Contest, where it won first place in the suicide prevention category. (Orange County Department of Education)
5. On Sunday, the Westminster Police Department sent off 24 cyclists from among its ranks for the 11th annual 600-mile “Code 3 Cycling for a Cause memorial bike ride.” It is a fundraiser that also draws attention to our officers dying in the line of duty. The event begins in Sacramento at the Fallen Peace Officers Memorial and ends at the Westminster Police Officers Memorial. (Patch)

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📆 Today in Orange County:

• Garden Grove's Strawberry Festival Special Needs Day at Village Green Park (9 AM)
• WTS Orange County welcomes OCTA Deputy CEO Jennifer Bergener at Irvine's Andrei's Conscious Cuisine (11:30 AM)
• The Bowers Museum in Santa Ana hosts Music Historian Larry Maurer (1:30 PM)
• MC Studio's Production of "Aladdin" at Mountain View Church in San Juan Capistrano (6:30 PM)
• Siddhartha performs at The Observatory in Santa Ana (7 PM)

🖊️ From my notebook:

• "Always move valuable items to your trunk before you arrive at your destination." (Orange County Sheriff's Department, CA, via Facebook)
• "🐍 Rattlesnakes like this Red Diamond observed at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park are most active from April to October and play an important role in our ecosystem. 🐀 They help keep rodent populations and other small animals in check." (OC Parks via Instagram)
• "Attention, ladies! Are you looking to expand your network, meet like-minded women, and grow your business? If so, we invite you to our upcoming Mujeres in Business Networking Event! This fun event is two hours of meeting like-minded women and making meaningful connections with our 'speed networking' (business speed dating) session." (OC Guide 🍊 Orange County events via Instagram)
• "More than 13,000 Cal State Fullerton students have earned degrees this school year: 11,268 undergraduate and 1,827 graduate students." (Orange County Register via Facebook)
• "Have you checked out our Computer Works store in Santa Ana? It’s your one-stop shop for computer and electronics thrifting! 👀 When any electronics are donated to OC Goodwill – from laptops, keyboards, DVD players, and headphones to desktop computers, TVs, and speakers — they go to this store located at 412 N. Fairview Street in Santa Ana." (Goodwill of Orange County via Facebook)

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Featured events:

• SC Tennis Academy 2023 Summer Tennis Camps @Los Cab (June 1)
• Dutcher Crossing Winemaker Tasting (June 1)
• OCBCAF Family Day Event (June 11)
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Thanks for following along and staying informed. See you all tomorrow for another update!

— Sylvia Cochran

About me: Christ follower. Wife. Book dragon. Proud supporter of the Oxford comma.

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