Thieves armed with machetes robbed three people in Costa Mesa Tuesday, and police are unsure of the number of bandits. The suspect could be operating solo, but authorities believe two men may be at large. more ›

Elephant rides at the Orange County Fair are now a thing of the past thanks to a vote by the fair's board this afternoon. The board voted 7-1 to end its contract with the company with Have Trunk Will Travel, which offered elephant rides at the fair in Costa Mesa. more ›

'Tis the season to almost kinda wish you had some stuff on layaway at Kmart, since this year the thing seems to be for donors to swoop in and pay off all the accounts en masse. It happened last week to the shoppers of the Kmart on Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa. more ›

Being foreclosed on is bad enough, but apparently it's worse if you own the house in the neighborhood that has the annual massive Christmas display. Such was the case with Jim Jordan of Costa Mesa, who for 44 years has hosted an over-the-top Peanuts-themed display each December, known locally as the Snoopy House. more ›

Jerry and Jan Barto are brimming with holiday spirit. The Newport Beach couple donated a rather expensive gift to Orange Coast College's (OCC) School of Sailing and Seamanship in Costa Mesa - a $2 million luxury yacht. more ›

Eucalyptus trees have been falling at an alarming rate in recent months, and one of the toppled trees resulted in fatality. On September 15, a eucalyptus tree fell onto the car of 29-year-old Haeyoon Miller, crushing her to death. The incident occurred along the Newport Beach-Costa Mesa border on Irvine Avenue. Public records released on Monday are showing that the city's tree-trimming contractor was well aware that some of the trees were infested by beetles and termites. more ›

If you're a small business owner medical marijuana patient looking to protect those pot plants you have growing in your backyard, you might be tempted to take out an insurance policy to cover your assets medicine in case of the inevitable drug raid that comes from growing an unthoroughly legalized plant. more ›

Atheists in Orange County who have been on a billboard crusade to spread their message forgot to do some research for their latest sign. The billboard features' Thomas Jefferson's mug and the quote: "I do not find in Christianity one redeeming feature. It is founded on fables and mythology." more ›

A eucalyptus tree took a tumble in Corona Del Mar yesterday, hitting four cars and two homes, according to the Daily Pilot. Fortunately, no one was injured. Normally news of a falling tree is as hyperlocal as it gets. It's the sort of thing you might hear about at a neighborhood council meeting. But this latest development seems unsettling, since it's at least the fourth time falling eucalyptus trees have made news within a few weeks. more ›

It all began with a naked couple drinking some booze while parked behind a Laguna Beach restaurant in the wee hours. While cops were having a chat with 38-year-old Diandre Lemont Lopez and 21-year-old Diana May Andara, who were parked behind the White House Restaurant at 3 a.m. on September 19, they discovered "43 fraudulent gift cards and credit cards strewn across the front seat and dashboard of the car." more ›

As a result of the controversial tree incident in Costa Mesa that left one woman dead, officials will remove 100 trees in and around the Costa Mesa area. Irvine Avenue will be closed between Westcliff and Drover Drives until 8pm on Wednesday. more ›

Experts are still trying to figure out what would cause a tree to fall on a woman's car while she waited at a stoplight in Costa Mesa. One theory being floated to explain the tragic and freaky accident is that Thursday morning's 3.5 rattler might have loosened the tree. more ›

Firefighters are disputing the accounts of witnesses who were standing by as rescue teams from Newport Beach and Costa Mesa tried to save a woman who was fatally crushed by a towering eucalyptus tree yesterday. Witnesses initially reported that firefighters conducting the rescue operation dropped the trunk back onto the car, which crushed it even further. more ›

The Orange County Fairgrounds was the site of a small Tea Party rally this morning, where people gathered to hear a speech by Republican presidential candidate hopeful Michele Bachmann. A few hundred fans were there to hear the Congresswoman from Minnesota speak, according to the OC Register. more ›

A woman was killed by a eucalyptus tree in a center divider that fell onto her car, while she was at a stoplight in Costa Mesa this afternoon. A witness told ABC 7 that the woman was crushed a second time — and apparently killed — when firefighters tried to lift the tree off the vehicle and dropped it on the car a second time. more ›

A 50-year-old man committed suicide while in the custody of a Costa Mesa police officer on Monday. While patrolling Fairview Park yesterday afternoon, the officer spotted the man seated in the driver's seat of a 1990 Honda sedan. The driver's record indicated an outstanding traffic warrant, and the officer detained him outside of the vehicle, reports OC Register. more ›

When you send out a press release about a "secret" gig, things aren't so secret anymore. Such is the case with Green Day, the chart-topping rockers who are expected to play a teeny-tiny club-sized benefit show in Costa Mesa Thursday night. more ›

After being advised by police not to bring his guitar into a Costa Mesa City Council meeting, 69-year-old Terry Koken was left with no other option than to sing his troubles a capella. "The self-professed folk musician filled his three-minute public comment slot on June 21 with 'Pig Politics,' written by his brother about the corruption the political system breeds," according to the Orange County Register. more ›

Costa Mesa City Council approved layoffs for 200 city workers, eight police officers and one animal control officer despite an independent audit that found approximately $23 million in the city's general fund for the upcoming year, according to CBS Local. more ›

Estancia High School English teacher Joel Ruben Flores filed a police report last weekend claiming he was assaulted by Costa Mesa Councilman Steve Mensinger after a confrontation following a community fun run. Mensinger countered on Monday by filing a complaint against Flores with the Newport-Mesa Unified School District over an altercation described by Flores to police as a "chest-bumping." more ›

Someone is shooting arrows at the geese in Fountain Valley, and now the authorities are on the lookout for the perp, and a reward has been offered up to help nab the shooter. Three Canada Geese were struck with hunting arrows last week at Mile Square Regional Park, according to the OC Register. more ›

The world's oceans are home to more than 97 percent of all life on Earth. Those resources are dwindling thanks to over-fishing and pollution— a majority from land-based activities. Activist and Incubus front man Brandon Boyd has partnered with surf brand Hurley to raise funds and awareness about ocean conservation with a limited edition clothing line. more ›

Hollywood is about ice picks today, but the OC is making its point with a machete. A true horror-movie scenario luckily un-realized, Costa Mesa police discovered a 25-inch machete hidden under a row of seats at a movie theater. more ›

Costa Mesa is in the process of determining if the adage "there's no such thing as bad PR" is actually true. While the financially troubled city has just given the green light to lay off over 200 employees, they have also just announced they've "hired a communications specialist who will earn up to $3,000 a week," according to the OC Register. News of the impending layoffs was so troubling to one Costa Mesa employee he committed suicide at City Hall. more ›

Costa Mesa city employees by the hundreds met on Monday for a vigil to celebrate the life of Huy Pham, a talented 29-year old maintenance worker who jumped to his death from the Civic Center on Thursday as layoff notices were distributed through City Hall to nearly half the workforce in a city facing a $1.4-million deficit and rising pension costs. more ›

A 29-year-old maintenance worker for the City of Costa Mesa jumped to his death from the roof of the five-story City Hall building this afternoon, according to police. The man, a city employee for four-and-a-half years, was called into work at 2:30 p.m. to receive his layoff notice despite being at home nursing a broken ankle, according to the OC Register. more ›

A parolee led Costa Mesa authorities on a short chase Monday night around 8:45 p.m., when officers reportedly noticed the man driving with his high-beams on the southbound lanes of Harbor Boulevard. more ›

When you were a teenager, how far would you go to keep from getting in trouble? For one Orange County girl, the answer is: make up a story about how you were assaulted in the park and report it to the police, rather than face your mother after being out late. more ›

A male volunteer at the Someone Cares Soup Kitchen took a few hits to the face with a metal pipe Monday afternoon, after he stepped in to stop a fight between a female volunteer and a soup-seeking guest, says to the Daily Pilot. Joseph Athelstan Patterson, 61, pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges of "assault with a deadly weapon, battery with serious bodily injury and misdemeanor criminal threats." Patterson allegedly took "a 2-foot piece of sharpened metal rebar," and hit the volunteer repeatedly in the face, resulting in injuries that sent the victim to the hospital. more ›

A 32-year-old father unintentionally ran over his 23-month-old son on Sunday while moving a truck from his driveway in Costa Mesa, reports the LA Times. According to police, Armando Medina did not know that his youngest son, identified as Alexis Medina, was standing in front of the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado, and felt his vehicle "go over a bump," which he thought was a speed bump, until neighbors began screaming. The boy was take to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival due to massive head injuries, reports the Daily Pilot. Police determined that drugs and alcohol did not play a part in the accident. The investigation is ongoing. more ›