Officials in Orange County are wondering just how in the heck marijuana with an estimated street value of at least $3 million got left floating in the Pacific about 13 miles off the coast of Dana Point. more ›

Rescuers are continuing their search today for a gray whale entangled in discarded netting and fishing buoy off the SoCal coast between Laguna Beach and Dana Point. The mammal is the second to suffer the wrath of fishing nets in the past week. more ›

A whale-watching tour witnessed a dolphin "stampede" off the coast of Dana Point last week. "I don't know exactly what sent them on that stampede, whether they're heading for some bait or whatever the case may be," the boat's captain, Jack Van Dyke told the Orange County Register. "It literally stops your breath." more ›

Two Orange County cities are considering separate ordinances to ban single-use plastic bags. If approved, Dana Point and Laguna Beach would be the first two cities in the OC to put in place such a ban, similar to a ban already implemented in Los Angeles County and cities within LA County. more ›

Orcas are showing up off the coast from Palos Verdes all the way to Dana Point to the delight of whale-watching tours. It's not weird for orcas to show up in Southern California seas, but it is unusual for them to show up around here in such large numbers. more ›

SoCalians have been cozying up with blue whales in recent months. A kayaker encountered a blue whale during an excursion off the coast of Redondo Beach and opted to take a swim with the ocean giant. On Friday, boat passengers off Dana Point enjoyed a visit from one of the mammals. more ›

Michelle Nicole Stearns of San Juan Capistrano was sentenced yesterday to six years in state prison for her role in the death of a cyclist who died after she struck him while she was driving drunk. Stearns, 30, pleaded guilty in March to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated for the 2007 Dana Point collision that took the life of 32-year-old Jose Umberto Barranco-Patino. more ›

Capistrano Beach resident Forrest Lunsway celebrated his 100th birthday with a party on Saturday, surprising attendees by marrying his girlfriend of nearly thirty years, 93-year-old Rose Pollard, reports the OC Register. more ›

Last month, a pod of playful killer whales were seen in the San Pedro Channel (you can watch that video here). Now a group -- possibly the same one? -- was spotted between two whale watching boats yesterday, just three miles from the beaches of Dana Point, feasting upon a dead sea lion. more ›

The whale, who appeared in Dana Point on Monday looking "listless and lethargic" and left for sea on Wednesday after 150 pounds of commercial fishing nets and ropes were disentangled from her body, returned Thursday and died today, CBS2 is reporting. more ›

According to AP, the grey whale that has been swimming in and around Dana Point harbor for two days has begun swimming north. A team of experts from Sea World and Pacific Marine Mammal Center used a pole with a sickle this afternoon to cut away two ropes and removed more than 100 pounds of fishing net and other gear tangled around its tail and left front flipper. more ›

But don't lose faith in the OC just yet if you're wearing blue. Many people screamed "Losers!" as they drove by yesterday's very small protest outside of Dana Point's post office. And one woman was furiously fighting (verbally) one of the protestors about healthcare. Another protestor tried to hide from our cameras. more ›

A break in a sewage line belonging to the Santa Margarita Water District last Tuesday is still causing problems on some beaches in the OC, according to the OC Register. "About three miles of coastline from Dana Point to Capistrano Beach are still closed," thanks to the break, and despite the completion of repair work late Friday night, "Orange County Health Care Agency officials said they will not be able to reopen the beaches until water samples meet state safety standards." Officials need to log two consecutive days of clean samples in order to re-open the beaches; this could happen later this afternoon at the earliest. more ›

More little quakes to get you thinking about being prepared. A minor 3.1 magnitude earthquake struck near Trona, some 30 miles from Ridgecrest, in San Bernardino County at 4:59 p.m. Thus far, there have been no reports of damge or injuries and one reported aftershock, a 1.4 shaker, less than 10 minutes later. Earlier at 2:14 p.m., a 2.6 magnitude microquake struck off the coast of Orange County, near Laguna Beach and Dana Point. There was also a 2.2 quake near Anaheim last night and a 1.4 in Los Angeles this morning. more ›

To borrow from The Daily Show, but to draw more from its non-satirical roots, this is a glimpse of a true California moment of zen. Taken at Salt Creek Beach, Dana Point. If you put your face close enough to the monitor you might be able to catch a whiff of the ocean air. Then again, you might just look like a tool. Better bet: Hit the beach and chill out. more ›

LAist was invited for a day of fishing off the coast of Dana Point to catch fish to help feed the hungry and homeless in Orange County. more ›

State of California, Park Rangers: "'The park system we have is not set up to be an answer to social services' but exists as a recreation and vacation venue, [Roy Stearns, a state Department of Parks and Recreation spokesman,] said. He said churches and community centers would be more appropriate as sites for feeding the homeless." more ›

In a bizarro case that looks like a business deal gone bad, but plays more like a conspiracy theory gone right, a software programmer and his marketing guru partner sailed for San Clemente Island on Saturday to seal a "lucrative" deal with a secret government agency and he never returned. more ›

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John Fogerty, Blind Boys of Alabama, Lowrider Band, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Rod Piazza & the Mighty Flyers, James Cotton, others @ Doheny Blues Festival, Dana Point more ›

New York Times Does Culver City "Clearly, things have changed. Culver City, once considered a place to drive by on your way to somewhere else, has become Los Angeles's newest stylish neighborhood, a magnet for lovers of the arts, good food and culture. One part Hollywood nostalgia, one part modern design, the city-within-a-city now inspires expressions like “nascent Chelsea” and 'L.A.'s new restaurant mecca.'”(New York Times) What's in Your Fish? Pesticide and We Have... more ›

Car tard #1: That guy who smashed the Ferrari in two while speeding through Malibu? It looks like he stole the car. It only took police 6 weeks to arrest him. more ›

"A surge of Easter weekend violence, including a double homicide Sunday night, left at least four Los Angeles County residents dead and two others critically injured, authorities said." more ›