Briefing RSM, July 24: Alleged Sex Offender, SAMLARC Meeting

Taking a look at what's going down and coming up for residents in the Rancho Santa Margarita area. 

• Security was tight on Wednesday for one of the best-attended SAMLARC meetings ever, the first since the drowning death at its Fourth of July celebration. It wasn't perfect, but SAMLARC will move forward with an ad hoc committee to consider policy revisions. Most attendees came away feeling change is imminent as it relates to safety at the Beach Club Lagoon. 

• Do you have a child who attended Robinson Elementary from 2010 to 2012? That's when authorities think Michael Clair Glines may have committed sex crimes against young children in the area; he was arrested last week for allegedly committing lewd acts on four kids under the age of 10. Check the story for phone numbers to call if you think your child might have been assaulted.

• In honor of artery-clogging fast food, today is Drive-Thru Day. Where will you drive through to celebrate, and what will be your meal of choice? Tell us in the comments.

• There was another mountain lion sighting on Monday at Tijeras Creek Golf Course (Hint: Beware the first hole!). The City provided some tips on how to reduce wildlife in your neighborhood.

• Have a strong feeling about marijuana, dude? You may want to share your opinion with the City Council today, 7 p.m., at City Hall. One of the items on the agenda is an ordinance to make it crystal clear that medical marijuana dispensaries are not allowed in the city. Another item has to do with fortune tellers, allowing such mediums to set up shop in neighborhood and general commercial centers. 

• The Orange County Fair continues Wednesday through Sunday with its array of pig races, freaky fried food, carnival rides, exhibits and more. Click here for schedules, directions and other information.

• Rancho Santa Margarita's city council isn't crazy about the way the grand jury offers up grades in its various investigations, and now count Sheriff Sandra Hutchens as someone on the council's side of the street. Hutchens is calling a grand jury report on Orange County jails “imprudent.” The grand jury criticized the Sheriff’s Department for failing to provide data to determine the effectiveness of rehabilitation. Hutchens described the report as “innuendo and sensationalism.”

• Wouldn’t it be cool if there were an off switch when the media go overboard on news events you don’t care about? With that in mind, the London Guardian added a button to its homepage that gave readers the option to eliminate all royal baby coverage. If you could add a similar button to U.S. news sites, what kind of stories would it eliminate? Tell us in the comments.