Friday, May 18, 2012
Eric Naposki and Nanette Ann Packard-McNeal were convicted in the 1994 murder of her former boyfriend, a Newport Beach millionaire. Victim's brother calls Packard-McNeal a "black widow" in court today while the prosecutor labels Naposki a coward.
An Orange County woman convicted of first-degree murder in the death of her millionaire boyfriend was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility parole today while her co-conspirator secret lover, former NFL linebacker Eric Naposki, had his sentencing delayed until Aug. 10. Nanette Ann Packard-McNeal, 46, received her punishment for the the Dec. 15, 1994, shooting of 55-year-old Bill McLaughlin this morning from Judge William Froeberg at the Orange County courthouse in Santa Ana. Authorities say Packard-McNeal was romantically involved with both McLaughlin and Naposki, 45, and the pair plotted to kill McLaughlin in order to reap the benefits of his savings account and $1-million life insurance policy. Naposki refused to appear in …
Experts at OC Water Summit debate how to fix and expand the state's water infrastructure.
Water officials, experts and businesses converged Friday on the Grand Californian Hotel in Anaheim to learn what they can do to be more water-wise. The occasion was the Orange County Water District's 2012 Water Summit, and the topics ranged from water-stingy fabrics to global warming. "Essentially, we keep talking about the same things with water: where the problems are, how do we address them, how do we get people together?" said OCWD District 6 Director Cathy Green. "That's pretty much what the genesis of all of this is. What we're trying to do is -- all the people who are involved in water, business in particular -- to realize all the challenges they have, and see if we can get together and come up with a solution." The highlight of the…
The Office of Protective Services patrols five centers for the developmentally disabled, including Fairview in Orange County.
Overtime pay for a small, state-run police force has soared in recent years, according to a California Watch investigation. Last year, the Office of Protective Services paid roughly $2 million in overtime to 80 of its officers, who patrol five centers for the developmentally disabled, including Orange County's Fairview Developmental Center in Costa Mesa. "An unusually high number of [OPS] officers ... have doubled their salaries with overtime, enabling some to earn more than $150,000 a year," California Watch reported, noting that the number of officers collecting overtime "far exceeds" other agencies. At Fairview, patrolman Daniel Butler "regularly collected more money from overtime than from his base pay" and "netted at least $60,000 a …
Katniss was brought to the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach in January and thanks to the donations from local Girl Scouts, the sea lion pup will be released into the wild on Sunday.
With a love of animals and a commitment to making the world a better place, Aliso Viejo Girl Scout Troop #1751 donated $300 to the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, helping to save the life of a sea lion pup named Katniss. Katniss will be released back into the ocean on Sunday after approximately four months of rehabilitation at the Laguna Beach center. “[The troop] is very excited that she is so much healthier, has gained weight and is ready for her new life to begin,” said Cathy Rooney, Girl Scout Troop leader. “Making the world a better place is part of the Girl Scout law, as well as being friendly and helpful, considerate and caring. And these girls stand by it. I know for me it will be an emotional and touching experience, one that will …
Deal gives a value of about $1.5 billion to the Facebook rival.
Facebook isn’t the only Silicon Valley social networking company making news, according to a report in Business Week. On Thursday, the same day Mark Zuckerberg’s company announced it had raised $16 billion in the biggest IPO by a technology company, Rakuten, the Japanese e-commmerce giant that owns the Aliso Viejo-based e-commerce site Buy.com, announced it is leading a group to invest $100 million in the up-and-coming Internet sharing site Pinterest. The deal gives a valuation of about $1.5 billion to Pinterest, which allows people to share pictures with their friends, comment on those pictures, and more. It's unclear if Rakuten will be brokering a deal for Pinterest to link with its various e-commerce sites, however, a portion of …
Selected calls from Aliso Viejo to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, May 15-18.
Deputies responding to a death threat report in the 23500 block of Windsong said they were unable to find a suspect upon patrolling the area, according to Lt. Gary Strachan with the Orange County Sheriffs Department. The initial report was made when a man's ex-girlfriend threatened to kill him. The terrorist threats report was made 9:27 p.m. Tuesday. Below are more items from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department blotter. Disturbance-mechanical. 6:08 a.m. Friday. 6300 block City Lights Drive. Disturbance-family dispute. 3:23 a.m. Friday. 0 block of Enterprise. Burglary alarm-audible. 12:45 a.m. Friday. 28000 block Wolverine Way. Assault report. 8:30 p.m. Thursday. 100 block Briarwood Lane. Disturbance. 3:48 p.m. Thursday. Grand and Vantis…
The solar-powered Orange County Green Fair showcases luxury electric vehicles, whale-tail-shaped tortilla chips and other eco-friendly items.
Encased in a heart-shaped box, sheets of yellow paper with little green specks were displayed prominently at the buygreen.com booth. They originated from an elephant, or more precisely the animal’s excrement, before being repurposed into decorative gifts called Ellie Pooh Paper. “The Ellie Pooh paper is pretty unique,” said Nicole Roach of buygreen.com, which aims to become the Amazon.com of green products. “It is definitely a big seller.” Ellie Pooh Paper was one of hundreds of items -- from whale tail tortilla chips to a luxury electric car -- on display during Thursday’s Orange County Green Fair in Santa Ana. While larger companies like Home Depot, Whole Foods, Southern California Edison and Google helped sponsor the event, smaller …
In honor of National Bike to Work Day, Patch wants to give you a shiny beach cruiser.
Friday is National Bike to Work Day. Patch has a shiny new bicycle, and we're looking to give it a shiny new home! To enter to win the Patch cruiser bicycle, post a photo of you doing something bike-related or with something bike-related. Whether you're riding to work, riding a beach trail or yearning for a new bike, post a photo. Don't have a bike? Be creative—anything goes! Please note: To qualify, the photo must depict at least one person. Uploading a photo is easy. Just click on the big "Upload Photos & Videos" button on this page and choose the photo you want to post. You may enter only once. We'll choose one winner over the weekend in a random drawing from all photos uploaded before midnight tonight. For complete rules, see the …
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Preeclampsia impacts nearly 300,000 pregnancies annually.
At 24-weeks pregnant, your unborn baby is about the size of an ear of corn and the parents, who may already know the gender, are busy planning and prepping for their new addition. At 24-weeks pregnant, Meredith Drews lost her unborn twin girls to a disorder that was relatively unknown. Drews, an Aliso Viejo resident, became sick with the preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome in 2007, which led to the death of her unborn babies. At this time, there still wasn’t much information about the disorder, Drews said. Preeclampsia, which affects both the fetus and the mother, can occur during pregnancy or in the postpartum period. It affects the mother's kidneys, liver and other vital organs. If undetected or untreated it can lead to seizures, cerebral …
Read the latest message from Mayor Donald Garcia.
A message from the mayor — "Each year, over 100 golfers take part in the Aliso Viejo Community Cup. It's always a great day of golf, sun and fun at the Aliso Viejo Country Club. After 18 holes, a dinner and special reception are held to recognize the golfers who won the coveted perpetual Community Cup trophy and made an impression that day. To me, every person who takes part in this event makes a huge impression because he or she is not just doing it for fun. Instead, there's a bigger, more lasting reason for taking part in this event. It's about giving back to our young leaders of tomorrow. The Aliso Viejo Community Cup, which this year takes place on June 8, is hosted by the Aliso Viejo Community Foundation and benefits the foundation's …
Ashley Brown
8:55 pm on Friday, May 18, 2012
As you can see I'm just going around in circles on this carousel. I would have moved a lot faster if I was on a bike instead. more ›