Seal Beach

Citing the growing interest but limited understanding of electronic cigarettes, the small Orange County city of Seal Beach has adopted a moratorium that will prevent any new stores from selling the devices. After a brief discussion late Monday, the City Council agreed to a 45-day moratorium on any new e-cigarette and smoke shops, as well as drug paraphernalia vendors. Seal Beach officials said they needed time to study the effects of e-cigarettes before making a recommendation to the city.

Lucky for Neil he lives up by the foothills, and not down by the seashore. The corpulent Sierra Madre resident recently escaped eviction when the tiny town's police chief decided that Neil was actually a potbellied pig, not a hog. Which was a good thing for Neil, because hogs are illegal in town. Any of Neil's relatives enjoying the good life down in Seal Beach, however, may be in for a different fate. The Orange County beach city this week adopted an anti-pig law, adding it to the list of animals that are illegal to keep.

The Seal Beach Historical and Cultural Society has extended the deadline for its fifth annual amateur photo contest to Nov. 30. The contest is titled "Visions of Seal Beach . . . Through the Lens." Photographers should capture their favorite Seal Beach scene. Information: (562) 683-1874.

Residents and city leaders are pushing back against a plan to add toll lanes to a 14-mile stretch of the 405 Freeway in Orange County, a $1.47-billion proposal that would involve reconstructing overpasses and eliminating carpool lanes. Adding toll routes to the freeway - dismissed as "Lexus lanes" by one city mayor - is one of three proposed alternatives for helping untangle the highway congestion from Costa Mesa to the county line in Seal Beach. The most controversial of the alternatives would add a single general-purpose lane and a toll lane in each direction.

Eight people were killed Wednesday when a gunman opened fire at a Seal Beach beauty salon, the deadliest shooting in Orange County history: Michelle Marie Fournier , 48, a licensed cosmetologist and stylist at Salon Meritage, the scene of the shooting. She was formerly married to the suspected shooter, Scott Dekraai. Lived in Los Alamitos. Laura Lee Elody, 46, a stylist at the salon. She lived in Huntington Beach. Her mother, Hattie Stretz, 73, is the lone shooting victim to survive.

Lucky for Neil he lives up by the foothills, and not down by the seashore. The corpulent Sierra Madre resident escaped eviction last week when the tiny town's police chief decided that Neil was actually a potbellied pig, not a hog. Which was a good thing for Neil, because hog's are illegal in town. But if Neil has any relatives enjoying the good life down in Seal Beach, they may be in for a different fate. The Orange County beach city this week adopted an anti-pig law, adding it to the list of animals that are illegal to keep.

In my Sunday column, I argued that there were good reasons for the United States (and its allies, if any) to attack Syria for its government's alleged use of chemical weapons, but also good reasons to be cautious. I came down on the side of limited military action, but reluctantly, with plenty of doubts. Not surprisingly, the column drew a flood of responses from readers. Most disagreed with me -- also not surprising, since polls suggest public opinion is still running 2 to 1 against an attack.

Saturday was supposed to be a big day for Billy DePalma. He envisioned a ribbon cutting and then a steady stream of new customers perusing colorful, pen-shaped electronic cigarettes behind glass cases. They'd gawk at his impressive selection of liquid nicotine - flavors like Hubba Bubba Grape, Gummy Bear and Orange Cream Soda - as he fielded questions about the fast-growing trend of "vaping," so-called because users inhale the vapor produced when the liquid is heated. Instead, drywall litters the floor of his dark shop.

Family members of those killed in a shooting  at a Seal Beach salon two years ago urged a judge Friday to end their "agony" by ordering the accused killer to stand trial this fall. But the judge, though expressing sympathy to family members gathered in the Orange County courtroom, said the case was too complex to be rushed and delayed a trial until at least next year. The trial for Scott Dekraai, who has been in custody since the shooting, had been set to start in November.

Family members of those killed in the Seal Beach salon shooting two years ago urged a judge Friday to end their "agony" by ordering the accused killer to stand trial this fall. "This needs to move on and we need to be allowed to heal," said Paul Wilson, whose wife, Christy, was among the eight people slain. But the judge, though expressing sympathy to family members gathered in the Orange County courtroom, said the case was too complex to be rushed and delayed a trial until at least next year.

Citing the growing interest but limited understanding of electronic cigarettes, the small Orange County city of Seal Beach has adopted a moratorium that will prevent any new stores from selling the devices. After a brief discussion late Monday, the City Council agreed to a 45-day moratorium on any new e-cigarette and smoke shops, as well as drug paraphernalia vendors. Seal Beach officials said they needed time to study the effects of e-cigarettes before making a recommendation to the city.

Fearing a proliferation of electronic cigarettes, Seal Beach is on the brink of being one of the first cities to place restrictions on the smoking devices. The City Council is expected to discuss a citywide moratorium on any new smoke shops at its meeting Monday night. The ordinance follows “a number of inquiries” from prospective business owners.  Jim Basham, Seal Beach director of community development, said the urgency ordinance would give the city time to research the potential effect of e-cigarettes and what restrictions could be placed on the sale of the devices.

Five juvenile burrowing owls flapped across a salt marsh at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station on a recent weekday, matching the loops and curves of dragonflies and moths before snatching their prey midair. Soon, the owls will be feasting on larger prey, including lizards, rodents and birds. That could present a touchy problem for the base's 1,000-acre wildlife refuge, which is also home to a breeding colony of federally endangered least terns. There are four breeding pairs of burrowing owls left along the Southern California coast between Santa Barbara and Encinitas, and all of them nest at the Orange County base.