🌱 Ocean Floods Homes + BMW Bedroom Crash + Community Helps Wildlife

Hello, everybody! It's Wednesday in Orange County and I'm back in your inbox with everything happening in OC, including these stories...

• A BMW crashed into a Huntington Beach home, almost hitting a mother and her baby.
• Damaged wildlife center received an outpouring of community support.
• High tide flooded Surfside homes.

But first, today's weather:

Mostly sunny and cool. High: 61 Low: 41.

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Here are the top stories today in Orange County:

1. A BMW SUV crashed through the Huntington Beach home of Julianne McCarron on Friday the 13th, narrowly missing hitting her as she was changing her 10-month-old baby, Jack, in the bedroom. McCarron said, "I heard this huge sound. I thought an earthquake was happening." The car stopped only three feet away from them. "Luckily, no one was hurt." Officials said the woman driving the car may have experienced a medical emergency. (KABC-TV)
2. The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, damaged in recent storms, is undergoing repairs after an outpouring of support from the community. After heavy storms "damaged the center's roofs and electric supply," center officials said it received $14,000 in donations for its emergency repair fund and another $35,000 for its general fund, to aid the wildlife in its care. (Orange County Patch)
3. Rising surf is an increasing problem for coastal homes in SoCal. The Orange County Fire Authority received a call at 5:40 a.m. Tuesday, when high tide water flooded two Surfside beach homes and the adjacent street. The high surf filled the garages of two beach homes and the adjacent street with 1 to 2 feet of water. The OCFA said it will "continue to monitor the situation with the City of Seal Beach" and provide assistance as needed. (Orange County Fire Authority via Facebook)

Today in Orange County:

• Movie Matinee - Fountain Valley Library (2:00 PM)
• Bilingual Family Storytime (All Ages) at Haskett Branch (3:30 PM)
• Bilingual Chinese Storytime: Irvine Heritage Park Library (3:30 PM)
• Classic Car Show - Placentia Chamber of Commerce (4:00 PM)
• Citizenship Mock Interviews with USCIS at Central Library (4:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Oso Parkway signal fast-tracked: "The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted to fast-track the signal at Oso Parkway and Coto de Caza Drive and the project is in the design phase." (Orange County Register via Facebook)
• Living Mi Vida Loca pop-up event: "We are working on a very special Living Mi Vida Loca pop-up event at our new space in Old Towne Orange! 😱 We know we have a wonderfully talented group of small businesses who sell the most amazing merch." (Orange County Guide and OC events via Instagram)
• Laguna Woods Camera Club announced winners: "Camera Club announces winning images in 2022 competition." (Orange County Register via Facebook)
• Girls water polo team makes Top 10: "Newport Harbor rises after winning a major tournament Jan. 17." (OCRegister)
• New project for solo cello: "Cellist Alisa Weilerstein created FRAGMENTS, an exciting new project for solo cello that weaves together the 36 movements of Bach’s solo cello suites with 27 newly commissioned works." (Philharmonic Society of Orange County via Facebook)

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Events:

• Ada Limón, 24th Poet Laureate of the United States (January 19)
• Holocaust Survivor Dr. Jacob Eisenbach to share his story of survival, resilience & hope. (January 22)
• Shop Small Saturday on Saturday, Feb. 4th, 2023. (February 4)
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Announcements:

• Free self-guided, goal-setting worksheet for 2023 (Details)
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That's it for today! I'll see you soon.

— Paula Constance

About me: Paula is a contributing writer, author, and 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, Instagram, and Twitter.

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