Senators to question FDA nominee about her views on abortion pill and vaccines

• September 24, 2026

By MATTHEW PERRONE, AP Health Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s nominee to take over the Food and Drug Administration is set to answer questions Thursday, with Senate lawmakers likely to focus on her plans for vaccines, the abortion pill and other products that have come under new scrutiny at the regulatory agency.

Dr. Heidi Overton, a physician and top White House aide, has spent most of her career working for Trump or conservative groups aligned with his agenda. That connection may prompt questions from some members of the Senate health committee which is considering her nomination.

In her current role as a domestic policy adviser, Overton worked on several White House health initiatives, including the revamped food pyramid and efforts to overhaul childhood vaccines. Previously she was an executive at the America First Policy Institute, authoring papers critical of abortion and transgender care. During Trump’s first term, she served as a White House fellow.

If confirmed by the Senate, Overton would inherit a raft of controversial projects, including a safety review of the nation’s principal abortion drug, a plan to break up combination vaccines and new rules that make it easier to sell flavored electronic cigarettes.

All three policies break from FDA’s longstanding positions, especially on the safety of childhood vaccines. Overton stood beside Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy in the Oval Office last month when they falsely suggested that the use of combination vaccines could be a contributor to autism.

Health committee chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician from Louisiana, called Overton’s support for that plan to space out vaccinations “almost disqualifying.”

But Cassidy and other Senate Republicans may find common ground with Overton on abortion. Cassidy and several colleagues have spent months urging the FDA to restrict access to mifepristone, the pill currently used in most abortions in the U.S.

The FDA first approved mifepristone in 2000 and has repeatedly affirmed its safety while broadening access, including allowing it to be sent through the mail. But Kennedy ordered a reevaluation of the drug’s safety last year, following calls from anti-abortion groups and lawmakers aligned with Trump.

FDA officials have said almost nothing about the review, except that it is ongoing.

While working at the America First Policy Institute, Overton blasted the FDA’s 2023 decision — under President Joe Biden — to allow mail delivery of mifepristone, referring to the practice as “chemical abortion on demand.”

She was similarly critical of the administration’s approach to transgender care for children, including providing access to puberty-blocking drugs and gender-affirming surgeries.

Overton co-authored a 2024 article about then-vice presidential candidate and Minnesota governor Tim Walz, titled: “Tim Walz Made Minnesota A ‘Sanctuary’ For Baby Killers And Child Mutilators.”

Overton’s abortion views could complicate her efforts to win over two moderate Republicans on the panel: Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Both have bucked their party on the issue, supporting federal access to abortion. Collins is currently locked in a tight reelection race where abortion access is a central issue.

To become commissioner, Overton will need a majority of votes from the 21-member health committee, followed by a positive vote from the full Senate.

Headquartered in the suburbs outside Washington, the FDA oversees U.S. medical products plus billions of dollars in food, cosmetics, tobacco and vaping products.

Under the current administration, leading the agency has involved balancing Trump’s demands for slashing regulations — such as those for vaping products — alongside Kennedy’s interests in scrutinizing vaccines, drugs and food ingredients.

Those challenges dogged the tenure of the previous FDA head, Dr. Marty Makary, who resigned in May. Makary’s time at the agency was defined by scientific disputes, leadership changes and a string of media stories detailing low morale and internal dysfunction among staffers. The FDA has lost about 20% of its employees to layoffs, buyouts, retirements or resignations since Trump took office.

Overton studied under Makary at Johns Hopkins University, where she received a doctoral degree in clinical research after earning her medical degree at the University of New Mexico.

Like Makary, Overton has no experience running a large bureaucracy, a critical skill for steering the FDA’s 16,000 staffers spread across numerous U.S. and international locations.

In financial disclosure forms, Overton reported no investments in health care or food companies. That’s a stark contrast to Makary and other recent FDA nominees who have had to divest investments or cut other financial ties with companies regulated by the FDA.

Overton reported $50,000 to $100,000 in student loans.

The Associated Press’ health and science coverage receives financial support from the AP Fund for Journalism and private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

​ Orange County Register 

Kings edge Ducks for their 1st win of preseason

• September 24, 2026

ANAHEIM — The Kings outlasted the Ducks to earn their first victory of the preseason, 2-1, on Wednesday night at Honda Center.

Ethan Procyszyn scored the lone goal for the Ducks, who have split their exhibition slate to date. Lukáš Dostál repelled 17 shots. Second-round pick Jayden Kurtz, who was a senior at Rogers High in Minnesota this time last year, skated on the top defensive pairing for the Ducks, blocking three shots and putting another one on goal.

Alex Laferriere and Joel Armia scored less than a minute apart as the first period dwindled down. That was all the Kings needed apart from 24 saves by Anton Forsberg.

“Much better defensively, it was tighter and it wasn’t so wide open. We did a really good job containing the rush,” Kings coach Peter Laviolette said. “Offensively, there were some chances and some looks, I’d still like to see a little bit more.”

Less than 30 seconds into the third period, Ryan Poehling high-sticked newly named Kings captain Drew Doughty, drawing blood from Doughty’s nose. Doughty, who drew plaudits from Laviolette after the game, quickly returned to the ice, and the Ducks killed off the resulting double-minor penalty. But the hosts could not level the count, facing an identical deficit for more than 40 minutes on Wednesday.

“It was special teams, faceoffs and battles. There weren’t a lot of high-quality scoring chances,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. “But we had some good looks, on the power play, a couple times we hit the bar and had some good opportunities where we should have been a little bit more productive.”

A scoreless second period saw the Ducks carry play territorially and in terms of shots on goal (12-6 after a 6-9 first period) but draw no nearer. They headed into the second intermission trailing by the same 2-1 score as they did at the first.

In those opening 20 minutes, the Ducks struck first but the Kings laughed last, taking the lead with two goals in the span of 41 seconds between 18:56 and 19:37.

Armia made it 2-1 in their favor after a won defensive-zone faceoff, an ill-advised pinch by Pavel Mintyukov and a heady Doughty stretch pass that sent Armia into the right circle for a snap shot.

“I saw there was a little opening, and then it was an elite pass from an elite player,” said Armia, who added that he was “really happy how we grinded it out.”

That came on the heels of Laferriere’s equalizer. Andre Lee engulfed Noah Warren’s shot attempt and rambled the other way for his own try. It clanked off the end boards but banked to Laferriere for a backhand tally.

“I saw (Laferriere) had a lot of speed on the right side when I was on the left side. I was trying to get him the puck,” Lee said. “The (defenseman) did a good job and knocked down the pass, when I got (the puck) in my feet again, I thought I’d take a shot, and (Laferriere) followed through to the net and got the rebound.”

The Ducks opened the scoring 8:41 into the contest. Following a neutral-zone turnover by the Kings, the Ducks’ tempered counterattack resulted in Procyszyn flinging a wrist shot on net and then darting toward the crease to push in his own rebound. They later had a second goal wiped away because Tim Washe interfered with Armia during the scoring play.

On Thursday, the Ducks will compete against the Sharks in San Jose. Then both Southern California teams will wrap their preseason dockets on Saturday when the Kings will reciprocate by hosting the Ducks.

​ Orange County Register 

Endorsement: No on Prop. 1. More debt won’t fix California’s housing shortage

• September 24, 2026

Is the answer to California’s housing crisis more bonds and more debt? Of course not. 

Yet that’s what’s being pitched with Proposition 1. 

Placed on the ballot by the California Legislature via Senate Bill 417, Prop. 1 asks voters to approve $11.25 billion in bonds to help finance various programs, including a $500 million down payment assistance program. 

One bond – $1.25 billion – will go toward the Department of Veteran Affairs (CalVet) Home Loan Program. Participants in the program will repay this portion of Prop. 1. 

The other $10 billion bond will be paid out of the state’s General Fund, and will go toward various  programs. Most of it will go toward subsidized housing for low-income residents, while other funds will go toward programs aimed at student housing, tribes and farmworkers. 

According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, Prop. 1 “would provide subsidies for up to 40,000 multifamily rental units, as well as about 2,500 units for farmworkers and about 1,200 beds for university students.” 

Proponents say Prop. 1 is worth the cost given the state’s high rate of homelessness and the high proportion of renters who struggle with high housing costs. In backing the measure, California YIMBY argues that, “Publicly-funded housing subsidies for low-income Californians who cannot afford market-rate rents are a good thing, and they should be more widely available.”

Yeah, no. 

Taxpayer-subsidized housing in California is incredibly expensive to build. As a RAND Corp. report from last year points out, publicly-subsidized “affordable” housing in California costs 1.5 times that of market rate housing “and more than four times the cost of market-rate housing in Texas.” 

There are myriad reasons for this, of course. As much progress as California has made in loosening zoning laws, the state’s land-use policies remain restrictive. Permitting processes in major cities are often incredibly slow. Reprieves from the California Environmental Quality Act always come with costly strings attached, including labor mandates. 

Throwing more money into housing that’s slow and expensive to build simply won’t accomplish very much, because it can’t.

California YIMBY, to its credit, also points out some of the less desirable features of the measure. The down payment assistance program, for example, might be nice for those who benefit from it, but given the low supply of housing, it could end up contributing to higher home prices. 

Then there’s the total bill for all of this. The $10 billion general obligation bond will, after interest, cost far more than that and further crowd-out other spending in the state budget. According to the LAO, the state will be spending $500 million to $600 million a year for 25 years to pay off the bond. 

This, in turn, will only put further pressure on the perpetually precarious state budget and increase the risk of the Legislature approving or seeking new and higher taxes. This is no idle threat considering state lawmakers contemplated hundreds of billions of dollars in new taxes this legislative session. 

Eight years ago, in opposing the very similar Proposition 1 in 2018, we wrote, “If California’s leaders are serious about making California a more affordable place to live, they should concentrate their efforts on curtailing onerous regulations and restrictive land-use policies and making it easier for homebuilders to build. And if they insist on subsidizing housing, they should do so directly, rather than wasting taxpayer money on interest payments.”

We stand by that, though we’d emphasize the need for California to stop fiddling and burdening reforms with mandates. There are those who argue California can both subsidize housing and loosen regulations, but the reality that we’re still having this discussion underscores that state and local leaders are dragging their feet and not deregulating fast enough. 

California needs more housing, yes, but it doesn’t need Prop. 1. 

Prop. 1 squanders billions into expensive housing and other gimmicks to buy political support. 

Vote no and demand better housing policies.

​ Orange County Register 

Walbert Ureña struggles, Mike Trout homers as Angels fall to A’s for 98th loss

• September 24, 2026

WEST SACRAMENTO — Mike Trout found a way to make history again on Wednesday night with a home run in the top of the fourth inning, but it wasn’t nearly enough as the Angels fell to the Athletics, 7-3, for their 98th loss of the season.

With his blast at Sutter Health Park, Trout has now hit a home run in 31 different MLB stadiums. With his 22nd homer of the season, he also has the most career home runs (44) against the A’s since the franchise moved to California in 1968, breaking his tie with Alex Rodríguez and Rafael Palmeiro.

Pittsburgh’s PNC Park, Chicago’s Wrigley Field, Atlanta’s Truist Park and Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park are the only active MLB ballparks where the three-time American League MVP has never homered.

Vaughn Grissom hit back-to-back homers with Trout, and the Angels threatened in the top of the fourth, but a potential game-tying home run off the bat of Christian Moore died on the warning track in center field. They added another run in the top of the fifth when Tyler Heineman scored on an RBI single by Grissom to get them within 5-3.

The last time Walbert Ureña pitched in Sacramento, he went five scoreless innings and didn’t walk a batter. Donovan Walton was also his teammate at the time. Ureña wasn’t nearly as sharp this time, giving up four runs in the first inning with the big blow being a three-run homer from Walton that snuck just inside the right field fair pole.

Ureña was pulled after four innings, giving up five runs (all earned) on seven hits with two strikeouts and one walk.

“Not the way that you want to finish, but that’s what happens when you give up 89 mph exit velo homers,” Ureña joked after the game.

His manager thought he could have been out of the game without allowing a single run, given the low exit velocity of the home run. Walton told Grissom that he broke his bat on the home run.

Heading into Wednesday’s slate of games, the Angels’ pitching staff had a 2.91 ERA since the beginning of August, the second-best mark in the majors. One of the reasons for that late-season surge has been Ureña, who finished his 2026 campaign with a 2.97 ERA.

The last major-league starter who was 22 or younger to record nine or more wins and have a sub-3.00 ERA was Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 2024.

“To come back up and put that season together, I don’t know why they’re not talking more about [AL] Rookie of the Year,” Trout said after the game. “Everybody I talk to – opposing players – tell me that he’s got the nastiest stuff they’ve seen.”

Ureña also finished his season with 142 strikeouts, which ranks No. 2 in franchise history among players in their first major-league season behind Bo Belinsky’s 145 in 1962.

Even with the less-than-stellar end to his season, there has been plenty to build on heading into 2027.

“He’s got a lot of [José] Soriano in him,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said Tuesday, comparing Ureña to a pitcher the Angels traded to the Toronto Blue Jays at the deadline in August. “A hard, heavy sinker that’s explosive. He attacks the zone, and I think that’s what stands out.”

At least one teammate pointed to Ureña’s slow heartbeat.

“The poise is there,” catcher Tyler Heineman said before Wednesday’s game. “He doesn’t really get rattled by anything. I think he’s made for the moment, even though he hasn’t had too many moments right now.”

Heineman also said the Ureña reminds him of Miami Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara, who is Ureña’s favorite pitcher. The key difference between the two is that Alcantara had a little more control coming up through the minor leagues, but the hard sinker and great secondary pitch are tough to ignore.

Ureña smiled after the game when he heard that comparison.

“He’s got one Cy Young [Award],” Ureña said. “He’s Dominican – Soriano too. He’s one of my brothers. He’s amazing. It feels good when they compare you with those guys.”

The young right-hander received plenty of praise from the clubhouse.

“Just fearlessness, man,” Angels relief pitcher Ryan Watson said. “He goes out there every five days and just pounds the strike zone.”

“Every time he takes the ball you feel really good,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said before the game. “He’s been really fun to watch.”

The next step for Ureña’s development will be learning how to harness his pitches on a consistent basis.

“His stuff moves so much,” Suzuki said. “Sometimes it’s hard to control. He’s learning how to harness it now, and when he gets a full understanding of how to harness [his pitches], the sky’s the limit.”

The A’s scored again in the second inning on a Henry Bolte double that scored Alika Williams from second base, but Ureña worked his way out of trouble in the third, stranding a runner at third base.

With the A’s leading 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth, Shea Langeliers roped a two-run double down the right field line to pad the margin.

Zach Neto was checked by the Angels’ training staff in the bottom of the first after a ground ball ricocheted off his glove and into left-center field, scoring the A’s first run of the game. Neto remained in the game. The play was scored a single and an RBI, with that decision leading to four runs being charged to Ureña in the first.

With four games left in a forgettable season, the Angels (60-98) need to win three games in Seattle this week to avoid the first 100-loss season in franchise history.

​ Orange County Register 

Longtime Lakers PA announcer Lawrence Tanter dies at 76

• September 24, 2026

LOS ANGELES — Lawrence Tanter, the voice of Lakers basketball inside The Forum and Crypto.com Arena for 43 years as the franchise’s longtime public address announcer, has died, the Lakers announced late Wednesday night.

Tanter was 76 years old, and served in the role as the team’s public address announcer since 1982. The cause of his death was not released Wednesday night.

“We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of legendary Lakers public address announcer Lawrence Tanter,” the team said in a statement released on Wednesday night. “For 43 years, LT’s voice served as the soundtrack to Lakers games at the arena. He will be remembered as a cherished member of the Lakers family.”

Tanter had recently transitioned in June to a role as “Special Advisor of Game Presentation,” for the Lakers ahead of the 2026-27 season, after having had to step away midseason in March after suffering a stroke, a source told the Southern California News Group then. He never returned to the microphone following his stroke, and he was set to help shape the gameday experience at Lakers games into the future in his new role, which coincided with his retirement as the PA announcer.

The Lakers have yet to announce Tanter’s replacement.

“He’s an iconic voice,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said on March 27 after the Lakers announced Tanter was recovering from a health matter. “There’s just, there’s like, it’s almost a comfort level with him being in this arena.”

Tanter not being behind the microphone was an anomaly at Crypto.com Arena, previously known as Staples Center. For 20 consecutive years – or more than 800 games – he showed up and announced games from his courtside position, before a bout of sickness led him to miss a game in 2018.

Gifted with a baritone voice that also played on jazz radio (most notably on 94.7 FM/KTWV in Los Angeles), Tanter became synonymous with the Lakers during the team’s “Showtime” Era and through the franchise’s extended period of success with the teams led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. Tanter served as a program director at multiple different jazz radio stations during his career as the longest-tenured Lakers PA announcer.

Tanter recorded player intros from his home studio during the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing a sense of normalcy to the gameday experience in the Orlando bubble, where the Lakers won the 2020 NBA title. He was known for his pronunciations of “Laker girlllsss” and his signature “Kobe Bryant” often with a prolonged drawl on the “e” coming after big plays from the late franchise icon. After traveling violations, Tanter would state, “too many steps” exactly and without a mocking tone that many modern-day public address announcers carry with their voice.

Large in size at 6-foot-7 – enough to earn a college scholarship to play basketball for the University of Dubuque in Iowa – but known for his kind demeanor that had employees and press alike fawning over him in the media workroom, Tanter left his mark on the franchise.

The Lakers won 16 Western Conference titles and 10 NBA championships with Tanter behind the mic.

“A true original that added his unique style to Showtime,” Lakers governor Jeanie Buss wrote Wednesday night on X. “Rest in peace, LT.”

From Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Shaq and Kobe to LeBron James and now Luka Doncic, the Lakers have had many stars.

But one man was part of the soundtrack to games featuring all of them.

​ Orange County Register 

Shohei Ohtani looks healthy in return, but Dodgers lose to Padres

• September 24, 2026

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers are just about whole again.

Shohei Ohtani returned to their lineup after two weeks on the injured list and went 1 for 4 with a single and a walk. One night after Andy Pages and Roki Sasaki returned, the Dodgers are slowly emptying their IL with relief pitcher Edgardo Henriquez not eligible until the postseason and backup catcher Dalton Rushing possibly back this weekend.

But they still need one – win or an Atlanta Braves’ loss – to clinch a first-round bye for the National League playoffs after losing to the San Diego Padres, 5-1, on  Wednesday night.

They saw what they wanted to see from Ohtani in only his second game in three weeks – he looked healthy again, not the compromised version who tried to play through increasingly troublesome knee and biceps pain.

“He looked good. He looked good,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I thought the at-bat quality was good. There wasn’t any chase. I thought he hit the ball hard his first at-bat. Just missed a homer in that other at-bat, took a walk, and so it was good. It’s been a while since he’s played in a game, but it just felt like he wasn’t sped up at all, and I think he came out of it pretty well.”

Ohtani declined to be interviewed following the game. Despite repeated requests, he has made himself available for just one interview since Aug. 17 (after his last game before going on the IL).

Ohtani singled in his first at-bat off of Padres left-hander Robbie Ray, sending a 99 mph dart into right field.

He walked in his next time up, taking the count from 1-and-2 to full before reaching base. Ohtani seemed to rediscover patience during his time as a spectator. He saw 18 pitches in his first three plate appearances Wednesday.

“I think it works hand in hand,” Roberts said of Ohtani, who was guilty of less discipline in his swing decisions while batting .122 (6 for 49) in his last 13 games before going on the IL. “I think that when you’re ailing, you’re not feeling as strong, as quick. You typically have to cheat (to get to pitches). I think that when you feel healthy and strong, then you feel like you can just see the baseball, trust your eyes and then take your swing and the barrel will be there. I thought that’s what you saw tonight. I didn’t think he was quick at all. Again, I thought he was seeing the baseball well tonight.”

Before Wednesday’s game, Roberts praised Yoshinobu Yamamoto for his dependability and consistency this season, saying the right-hander only had “one or two clunkers” among his starts this season.

Then he went out and added to that total.

An overturned call went against the Dodgers when a replay review determined Yamamoto had hit Dustin Harris with a pitch, leading off the fourth inning. Yamamoto’s next pitch was a sinker to Manny Machado that didn’t sink – not until it reached the re-entry phase of its 409-foot journey over the wall in straightaway center field.

Machado’s two-run home run put the Padres in the lead. Yamamoto called the pitch to Machado his only mistake of the night. But the Padres got to him in less bombastic fashion an inning later.

Two singles put runners on with no outs. Harris tried bunting them over but dropped a poor bunt that Yamamoto fielded in front of the mound with time to get the lead runner at third base. But his throw was wide of the base and went past Max Muncy. One run scored on the error. Another scored when Machado followed with a sacrifice fly.

It was only the sixth time in 28 starts this season that Yamamoto gave up as many as four runs. His four strikeouts were his lowest total in eight starts since Aug. 1.

Ohtani’s third plate appearance came in the fourth inning with the game just 2-0.

A broken-bat single to first base when Ray was slow to cover first was followed by two soft singles to center field, loading the bases with no outs. Two fly balls scored just one run, but a walk of Mookie Betts loaded the bases for Ohtani.

He worked the count in his favor at 3-and-1 and took a pitch high and away. Home plate umpire Ryan Addison called it a ball, sending Ohtani to first base and the tying run home. But the Padres challenged the call and ABS showed it nipped the strike zone.

With the count now full, Ohtani fouled off two more pitches before swinging and missing at a 98.5 mph fastball from Padres reliever David Morgan, stranding the bases full and leaving the Dodgers trailing.

The Dodgers got a leadoff double from Pages in the sixth (one of his three hits in the game) but didn’t advance him. The closest they came to scoring the rest of the night might have been in Ohtani’s fourth plate appearance. Leading off the seventh inning, he sent a fly ball 384 feet to the warning track in center field where Jackson Merrill caught it.

“I think if you look back at the last couple weeks when he was active, he wasn’t really getting to that pitch,” Roberts said of the 99-mph fastball at the top of the zone from Padres reliever Bradgley Rodriguez. “There might have been one pitch late (in his Sept. 7 start) that he squared up to left field that was at the top of the zone. But outside of that it was hard for him to catch up. I think tonight showed that he’s in a good spot physically.”

The Dodgers turned 15 baserunners (10 hits, five walks) into just one run, going 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position and stranding 12 runners on base.

​ Orange County Register 

Beckman girls flag football hands Mission Viejo its first loss in thriller

• September 24, 2026

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Beckman’s girls flag football team faced a challenging opponent Wednesday night as it aimed to launch a comeback in the South Coast League race.

The Patriots played at undefeated Mission Viejo.

Marina Babayani made certain that Beckman returned to the winning track.

The senior quarterback threw five touchdown passes — three to Giselle Looney and two to Hayden Freedman — as the Patriots defeated Mission Viejo 32-27 in a back-and-fourth game between teams in the Orange County Top 10.

No. 9 Beckman (15-5, 1-2) supported Babayani with two critical defensive stops, including one on fourth down at its 12-yard-line with 3:46 left in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots defeated the No. 7 Diablos (11-1, 2-1) for their first win in the South Coast League after winning the Sea View League title last season.

“We came up in league from last year and we’ve gotten a run for our money so far but it’s just the beginning,” Babayani said. “We’ll clutch back. After the talk we had (on Tuesday), that’s really going to change our team for the rest of the season.”

The game delivered four lead changes in the first half and three in the second half.

Beckman linebacker Jill Bui broke up a pass intended for Kendall Joanis on fourth down with 3:46 left in the final quarter.

Beckman took over at its 12 and ran out the clock thanks to a fourth-down completion by Babayani to Freedman and a 19-yard pass to Kalaya Long on third down.

Beckman linebacker Lucy Chong intercepted a pass near her end zone on the opening drive of the game before the offenses kicked into high gear.

Babayani completed 31 of 38 passes for 327 yards.

The four-year quarterback tossed a 5-yard TD to Freedman on third down on the first play of the fourth quarter to give Beckman a 32-27 lead. The extra-point attempt failed.

The Patriots scored a combined 27 points in opening the league race with losses against Aliso Niguel and Trabuco Hills. Mission Viejo beat both those schools to help stage the stage for Wednesday.

“Marina did a great job being able to find players,” Beckman coach Pierre Sanjurjo said. “Tonight, the offense carried us a little more.”

Mission Viejo showed grit. On the final play of the first half, quarterback Scarlett Wu threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Cody Lambert to give the Diablos a 20-19 lead.

“That’s who this team is. It’s never say die,” Mission Viejo coach Darrel Letcher said. “We were down 18-0 at the half to St. Margaret’s and came back and won that 20-18.”

Wu completed 19 of 30 passes for 263 yards and two TDs. The sophomore and Lambert also each ran for a score.

In other games Wednesday:

In the Sunset League:

Edison 6, Newport Harbor 0: Maddie Phung threw a short touchdown to Lyric Lesui in the second quarter to lift the Chargers (14-5, 5-2) past the No. 3 Sailors (15-4, 5-2).

Huntington Beach 21, Corona del Mar 20: The No. 4 Oilers (15-3, 7-1) edged the No. 6 Sea Kings (11-5, 5-2) to take sole possession of first place.

​ Orange County Register 

20 years after Big Bear Lake woman disappeared, her former husband is charged with murder

• September 24, 2026

Almost 20 years after a Big Bear Lake woman vanished and six years after her remains were found stashed in a crawlspace beneath a home in that San Bernardino Mountains city, her former husband was charged with murder.

Jeff Anthony Maiorca, 53, was arrested on Monday and was charged on Tuesday, when he later appeared in Superior Court in San Bernardino. There, a hearing for him to enter pleas was scheduled for Oct. 12. Maiorca also faces a sentencing enhancement allegation of using a deadly weapon.

His attorney could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday, Sept. 23.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said investigators believe 29-year-old Jill Maiorca was killed in 2006, a news release said. Family members reported her missing in 2007.

Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney’s Office spokespersons would not say Wednesday how they connected Jeff Maiorca to the woman’s death. They were either divorced or separated when the woman disappeared.

The missing-persons investigation turned when someone living in the 39000 block of Forest Road in Big Bear Lake made a “suspicious discovery” below a house there. Investigators recovered remains that had been placed there without the resident’s knowledge, the news release said.

The coroner determined that the person had been killed, the release said, but it wasn’t until 2023 that the Cold Case Homicide Team, assisted by advanced DNA testing, determined that the remains were those of Jill Maiorca.

The Sheriff’s Department asks anyone with information on the case to call Detective Malcolm Page or Sgt. Justin Giles at 909-890-4916. Information may be left anonymously with WeTip at 844-909-3006.

​ Orange County Register