Michael Coleman

The battle of Gettysburg, considered the turning point of the Civil War, has been analyzed, discussed, written about in countless books and even turned into a movie. But it's unlikely this famous conflict ever inspired a musical. Until now, right here in Orange County. Michael Coleman, a Costa Mesa composer and long-time Disney employee, has nearly completed "GETTYSBURG, the Musical."

The battle of Gettysburg, considered the turning point of the Civil War, has been analyzed, discussed, written about in countless books and even turned into a movie. But it's unlikely this famous conflict ever inspired a musical. Until now, right here in Orange County. Michael Coleman, a Costa Mesa composer and long-time Disney employee, has nearly completed "GETTYSBURG, the Musical."

The jagged foothills, withered pastures and a web of horse trails along the Santa Ana River give the state's newest city a hint of the Wild West. Jurupa Valley's money troubles, though, are pure modern-day California. Jurupa Valley may be broke in a year, even though the city is so new that it has no permanent employees, no generous employee pension plan and runs City Hall out of a leased strip-mall storefront next to the Lucky Wok Chinese restaurant. Without a financial rescue, the city will have to shut its doors, sending the mishmash of Jurupa Valley communities back into the ether of unincorporated Riverside County.

Michael Coleman, above, a 1984 graduate of Mater Dei High, has plenty of jobs: teacher, principal and school district superintendent in the Sierra foothill town of Woody. "I'm so busy, there isn't a free minute," he says of his work at the state's smallest public school, where, yes, he mows the lawn too.

McDonnell Douglas Computer Systems Company in Irvine has appointed James H. Lawson as national sales director, a new position. Lawson replaces Michael Coleman, the company's vice president of sales and marketing, who had been acting national sales director. Lawson will be responsible for the company's nationwide network of direct sales branches.

The Crystal Cathedral's attempt to cut costs for its Christmas and Easter pageants by hiring preacher Robert Schuller's son-in-law, Paul David Dunn, has embittered some workers. Michael Coleman and Conwell Worthington, producers-directors who put on the "The Glory of Christmas" and "The Glory of Easter," say they hold copyrights for the shows but haven't received payment since Dunn was named director last year. Dunn said Wednesday the copyright belongs to him.

With the theatrical set of the Crystal Cathedral's Christmas pageant as a backdrop, the Rev. Robert Schuller declared himself "completely vindicated" in a $55-million lawsuit over ownership of the production. The suit, filed by two directors of the "Glory of Christmas" pageant who were fired by Schuller in 1986, was dismissed in Santa Ana by U.S. District Judge J. Spencer Letts, who strongly rebuked the plaintiffs.

A 19-year-old Oceanside man was killed early Sunday when he lost control of his car on Interstate 5 and the vehicle spun off the road and hit a tree, authorities said. The San Diego County coroner's office identified the victim as Effren C. Spears (also known as Michael Coleman). He resided on Dogwood Avenue in Oceanside. The California Highway Patrol said that the accident occurred at about 1:40 a.m.

The wife of Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman pleaded guilty to being drunk when she ran into a parked pickup truck with her car in October, and a judge sentenced her to three days in jail. "I made a mistake, I've accepted the consequences and I want to move on with my life. That's all," Frankie Coleman said in Franklin County Municipal Court.

The dobro is not an easy instrument to love. It's a type of acoustic guitar with an aluminum resonator. The dobro is sometimes jokingly referred to as a guitar with a pie tin stuck in the middle. Mike Auldridge, who will play with his band Chesapeake in Northridge on Friday night, loves the dobro. His interest in it was originally sparked because an uncle played the instrument on some old recordings with country music legend Jimmie Rodgers in the 1920s.