Power outage in Westminster caused by metallic balloons

• June 5, 2025

A few stray metallic balloons caught on utility equipment caused a power outage in Westminster, affecting over 4,600 Southern California Edison customers, including several businesses, on Wednesday, June 4, authorities said.

Power was expected to be fully restored early Thursday morning, officials said.

SCE spokesperson David Eisenhauer said the outage was reported at 3:38 p.m. and affected approximately 4,631 customers within a mile of the Westminster Boulevard and Goldenwest Street area. By 7 p.m., at least 700 customers remained without power, which was expected to be restored by 3 a.m. on Thursday, June 5.

The following neighborhoods remained affected by the power outage on Wednesday evening:

• Cherry Street and Westminster Boulevard
• Trask Avenue and Yosemite Drive

Metallic or Mylar balloons are a common cause of power outages, which have nearly doubled within the last five years. By state law, balloons should always be tied to a weight and never released outdoors due to safety risks. The silver metallic coating is highly conductive and can cause hazardous consequences, such as power outages and even explosions, if it comes into contact with a power line or electrical equipment, officials said.

In 2024, Southern California Edison reported a spike in repair outages caused by metallic balloons between February and June, as people celebrate graduations and other holidays. More than 113,000 customers were affected last year.

​ Orange County Register 

WCWS finals: Reese Atwood, Texas rally past Texas Tech in Game 1

• June 5, 2025

By TIM WILLERT The Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY — Reese Atwood hit a go-ahead, two-run single for Texas when Texas Tech ace NiJaree Canady was trying to walk her intentionally in the sixth inning, and the Longhorns beat the Red Raiders, 2-1, in Game 1 of the Women’s College World Series finals on Wednesday night.

Teagan Kavan pitched a three-hitter for Texas (54-11), which can secure its first national title with a victory in Game 2 on Thursday night (5 p.m. PT, ESPN). Texas Tech (53-12) would have to win two straight to claim its first championship in its first WCWS appearance.

Canady allowed four hits and struck out seven, but she has lost four of five career starts against Texas, with two of those defeats coming this season and two for her previous school, Stanford.

This one came down to a pitch that Canady tried but failed to throw well out of the strike zone.

“I made that mistake,” she said. “I think that loss is on me, and I apologize to my team.”

Canady struck out the first two batters in the sixth but ran into trouble when Kayden Henry singled to left and stole second. Mia Scott reached on an infield single, moving Henry to third, and Scott took second without a throw.

With first base open and a 3-and-0 count on Atwood, Texas Tech catcher Victoria Valdez stood up to set a target well out of the zone for Canady, but the pitch came in letter-high and Atwood hit a hard grounder through the left side.

“You’ve got to give credit to Atwood there,” Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco said. “She wanted to play ball. She wanted to make a play. She made a difference in the game at a time we were trying to take her out of the game.”

Texas Tech scored in the fifth inning with the help of an obstruction call. Pinch-hitter Logan Halleman reached on a fielding error and Atwood threw her out trying to steal second. Texas Tech challenged the call, and umpires ruled that shortstop Leighanne Goode had obstructed Halleman’s path to the bag.

Mihya Davis singled to right-center to drive in Halleman.

Kavan has not allowed an earned run in four WCWS appearances. Over 24 innings, she has allowed 12 hits and struck out 15. She got 10 groundouts on Wednesday night.

The Red Raiders threatened in the first, loading the bases with no outs. Canady, who leads Texas Tech with 11 homers, hit a grounder to third to start a 5-2-3 double play, and Alexa Langeliers grounded out to the pitcher to end the inning.

“Obviously it was a hard-fought game,” Texas coach Mike White said. “It could have gone either way, a game of inches. A lot of things happening for a 2-1 ballgame for sure. Fortunately we were able to come out on top of it. NiJaree Canady is just an extremely good pitcher. We have one on our side too with Teagan Kavan. They kind of matched toe-to-toe for quite a while, and it was good.”

​ Orange County Register 

University softball beats Marquez in SoCal regional after weather delay

• June 5, 2025

University’s softball team waited an extra day but still notched another historic victory Wednesday.

Carson Cruz pitched a complete game and Leighton Lee sparked the offense as the Trojans defeated visiting Marquez of Huntington Park 5-3 in a Division IV first round game in the CIF Southern California Regional.

University (17-10) notched its first regional victory in school history after the game was suspended Tuesday because of lightning, thunder and heavy rain at University.

Cruz, a junior, pitched her sixth complete game of the postseason to improve to 14-9.

Lee had a bunt in the second inning that led to a pair of runs scoring. The sophomore scored herself the third and later added an RBI single as University opened a 5-0 lead.

The Trojans advanced to play at No. 2 seed Woodlake of Tulare County in the semifinals Thursday at 4 p.m.

University is making its regional debut after capturing Division 6 for its first CIF-SS title.

In other results, Poway defeated Ayala 4-1 in Division I to advance to Thursday’s semifinal at No. 1 El Modena.

​ Orange County Register 

Jarett Sabol’s mammoth home run leads South to win in the OC All-Star Game

• June 5, 2025

IRVINE – Jarett Sabol’s long home run in the sixth inning provided the winning run for the South in a 3-1 victory over the North in the Orange County All-Star Baseball Game on Wednesday at Great Park.

Wednesday’s game was the 57th edition of the event. It was organized and managed by The Ryan Lemmon Foundation.

The South has won the game for three years in a row. The South holds a 33-23-1 lead in the series.

Sabol was named the South team’s MVP. Huntington Beach’s Trevor Goldenetz, who hit a double and had three stolen bases, was the North MVP.

Servite’s Miles Scott won the game’s Hustle Award.

Sabol’s homer that he pulled to right field was estimated at 380 feet.

The South scored first. Gavin Lauridsen of Foothill singled to lead off the fourth inning. He scored on a double by Canyon’s Blake Hesper for a 1-0 lead.

The North tied it in the bottom of the fifth inning. Scott reached on a two-base error. An errant throw on Scott’s steal of third base rolled down the left-field line, allowing Scott to score to make it 1-1.

Sabol’s solo home run on a 2-0 fastball in the top of the sixth inning to put the South on top 2-1.

Sabol, who signed with USC and whose brother Blake Sabol is a catcher for the Boston Red Sox, hit two home runs during the regular season.

Has he ever hit one as far as Wednesday’s home run?

“I don’t think so,” Sabol said. “I think that was the farthest I’ve hit in a while. I was like ‘take a hack and I miss’ or ‘take a hack and I connect.’”

The South made it 3-1 in the top of the seventh. Becker Sybirski of Laguna Beach doubled to right-center field. Sybirski eventually scored when JSerra’s Jordan Marian reached on a fielder’s choice.

The North had Edison’s Gavin Johnson on third base with one out. Sybirski got consecutive strikeouts to end the inning and keep the score at 3-1.

Sabol said being part of the county all-star game is a highlight of his high school baseball career.

“It’s been really fun coming out here,” he said. “I’ve known a lot of these kids, playing summer ball and in high school as well. To come out here as a team is a big blessing and to top if off with that home run just made my day.”

​ Orange County Register 

Estancia baseball beats Mary Star; Santa Margarita loses in regional playoffs

• June 5, 2025

Nico Viramontes pitched a four-hitter for the Estancia baseball team as it defeated Mary Star of the Sea 2-1 in the first round of the CIF Southern California Regional Division IV playoffs Wednesday at Estancia High.

The Eagles (21-13) will play at Bakersfield Ridgeview (22-11) in the semifinals Thursday.

The Mary Star-Estancia game was suspended Tuesday because of rain and lightning and resumed Wednesday, as were two other regional games Wednesday for Orange County teams.

Viramontes gave up one unearned run, no walks and had one strikeout.

Athan Perez was 3 for 3 and drove in a run for Estancia.

The Eagles won the CIF Southern Section Division 6 championship on Saturday.

In other first-round regional games Wednesday:

DIVISION I

Patrick Henry 2, Santa Margarita 0: The Eagles (20-14) were limited to three hits and were eliminated at home.

Brody Schumacher had two hits for Santa Margarita. Carter Enoch had the other Eagles hit.

Santa Margarita lost to St. John Bosco in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 final last week.

DIVISION II

Rancho Bernardo 4, Fountain Valley 2: The Barons lost in the first round at home.

Josh Grack hit a two-run home run for Fountain Valley in the first inning

Fountain Valley (18-15) reached the CIF Southern Section Division 2 semifinals, where they lost to Mater Dei.

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers can’t slow Alonso or solve Canning in loss to Mets

• June 5, 2025

LOS ANGELES — A season of fits and starts hit another snag on Wednesday night, the Dodgers sputtering out of the gate during a shaky first inning that set the tone for a 6-1 loss to the New York Mets before a crowd of 45,733 at Chavez Ravine.

Pete Alonso capped a three-run first inning with a two-run homer to right-center field off Dodgers starter Tony Gonsolin, and the Mets slugger crushed a 447-foot, three-run shot to left-center off reliever Ryan Loutos in the eighth to put the game out of reach.

Mets right-hander Griffin Canning, a former Angel, gave up three hits over six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and one walk to earn the win, continuing a resurgent season in which he is 6-2 with a 2.90 ERA in 12 starts.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, failed to build on the momentum they generated with Tuesday night’s 6-5, 10-inning comeback win against the Mets, advancing only one runner to third base before Andy Pages hit a one-out solo homer in the bottom of the ninth.

They are still in first place in the National League West, their 37-25 record keeping them a game ahead of the San Diego Padres, but they are 29-25 since their blistering 8-0 start and have not won more than three games in a row since the beginning of May.

Of course, it hasn’t helped that the Dodgers have three front-line starting pitchers (Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki) and four top relievers (Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech, Kirby Yates) on the injured list.

“Teams win consistently by preventing runs, and it’s hard to do that when you’re piecing together a pitching staff,” Manager Dave Roberts said. “For us, it’s getting a quality start and good innings out of the bullpen.

“We haven’t been able to do that for the last few weeks, and that’s the reason we’ve played .500 baseball. It’s been hard to gain traction as far as winning seven of eight games, things like that.”

The Dodgers made a mess of the first inning on Wednesday night, Gonsolin hitting leadoff man Francisco Lindor in the right foot with a pitch and second baseman Kiké Hernández allowing Brandon Nimmo’s potential double-play grounder to roll under his glove for an error that put runners on first and third with no outs.

Juan Soto grounded out to second, Lindor scoring for a 1-0 lead, and Alonso drove a first-pitch 86 mph slider on the outer half of the plate over the right-center field wall for a two-run home run – his 13th of the season – and a 3-0 Mets lead.

“I felt pretty good from the beginning, but I pulled that slider that got Lindor, and then I threw a bad one to Pete, and he didn’t miss it,” said Gonsolin, who fell to 3-2 with a 5.00 ERA in seven starts. “He’s got good power. He’s able to go to all fields, and he hit that ball hard.”

Gonsolin rebounded from his rocky first inning to blank the Mets on two hits over the next four innings, which resulted in a respectable line score of five innings, three runs – two earned – three hits, six strikeouts and three walks.

“I thought after that first inning Tony recovered and pitched well and kept us in the ballgame,” Roberts said, “and we were in there until we weren’t.”

Canning kept the Dodgers at arm’s length, shutting down an offense that entered Wednesday leading the major leagues in runs (352), home runs (100), batting average (.267), slugging percentage (.469) and OPS (.812) and leading the NL in walks (233), extra-base hits (214) and on-base percentage (.343).

Canning went 25-34 with a 4.78 ERA in five seasons with the Angels, including a 6-13 record and 5.19 ERA in 32 games last season, before being traded to Atlanta for slugger Jorge Soler last October.

The Braves did not extend a contract offer to the arbitration-eligible Canning in December, freeing up the former Santa Margarita High and UCLA standout to sign a one-year, $4.25 million deal with the Mets, who made some adjustments to Canning’s pitch mix and encouraged him to try a new fastball grip.

The early returns have been promising, Canning providing quality depth and consistency to a rotation that leads the major leagues with a 2.87 ERA.

“Much different,” Roberts said, when asked how this season’s version of Canning compared to past year’s. “Obviously, he’s healthy. The stuff is playing up. The velocity is up. There’s a cutter, the slider is good, there’s a changeup. He’s a much better pitcher, with more weapons than he’s had in the past.”

Canning did not allow a runner to reach second base, and his only real stress came in the fifth inning, when he gave up a one-out single to Dalton Rushing before dotting a 95-mph fastball on the outside corner to Kiké Hernández for a called third strike.

Up stepped dangerous leadoff man Shohei Ohtani, Canning’s former Angels teammate, who had singled sharply to right field in the third inning.

Canning fell behind with a 3-and-1 count but responded with two of his best pitches of the night, an 87 mph slider on the outside corner for a called strike and a 91 mph changeup on the inside corner that the Dodgers slugger took for an inning-ending strikeout that left Ohtani shaking his head on the way back to the dugout.

Canning retired the heart of the Dodgers lineup – Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández – in order in the sixth, pushing his pitch count to 99, before yielding to left-hander Jose Castillo, who escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the seventh by striking out Rushing and Kiké Hernández.

Dodgers relievers Anthony Banda and Lou Trivino each threw hitless innings to hold the 3-0 deficit, but Loutos hit Nimmo with a pitch and walked Soto before Alonso drove a 93 mph sinker deep into the left-field pavilion for a 6-0 lead and his 22nd career multi-homer game.

With Wednesday night’s win, the Mets clinched the season series against the Dodgers and home-field advantage in the playoffs in case a tiebreaker is necessary.

New York has won four of six games, with the teams meeting for the final time in the regular season on Thursday afternoon, and have limited the Dodgers to 22 runs, an average of 3.7 per game.

“They’ve pitched us really well, the execution, the sequencing … we’re kind of one step behind as far as anticipating what they’re going to do, and then when we do get opportunities with mistakes in the hitting zone, we’re not cashing in,” Roberts said. “I don’t know the answer, but I do know you have to give those guys credit for pitching us well.”

​ Orange County Register 

Utah Valley set to join Big West Conference in 2026-27

• June 5, 2025

OREM, Utah — Utah Valley is joining the Big West Conference for the 2026-27 athletic year, giving the league a presence in that state for the first time since Utah State ended a 27-year run in 2005.

The conference said Wednesday it remained open to the possibility of adding a 12th member but anticipated being an 11-school league when Utah Valley and Cal Baptist officially join July 1, 2026.

The Big West doesn’t have football, and Hawaii and UC Davis are leaving to join the Mountain West Conference in 2026-27. Hawaii has been a football-only member of the Mountain West since 2012. UC Davis has been a football-only member of the Big Sky Conference.

Utah Valley is leaving the Western Athletic Conference, and the Wolverines will compete in 13 Big West-sponsored sports, including men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and softball.

“Their addition expands our geographic footprint into a vibrant and strategically significant region, while elevating the level of competition across the board,” Big West commissioner Dan Butterly said.

Utah Valley will be the largest school in the Big West with an enrollment of 47,000. Barring further realignment, Utah Valley will replace Hawaii as the only school in the conference outside California.

​ Orange County Register 

Resilient through fire losses, Pali High seniors graduate at the Hollywood Bowl

• June 5, 2025

Under the bright June sun, Palisades Charter High School seniors marched into the Hollywood Bowl, clad in bright blue graduation robes, ready to celebrate their graduation – an occasion of joy after the Palisades fire damaged their school and destroyed much of their surrounding community.

Administrators, guest speakers and students on Wednesday, June 4, all referenced the difficult path this group of seniors have walked, from a freshman year where they walked onto campus masked amidst the still raging COVID-19 pandemic, to the end of their senior year being rocked by the Palisades fire.

The Hollywood Bowl was not the Palisades view, where most imagined their graduation taking place. But the iconic venue was a source of excitement for many students.

Friends Ilan Ahdout and Tristan Bahmanyar, both 18 and headed to UCLA in the fall, were excited to graduate at the Hollywood Bowl, the “big, beautiful” location making the festivities all the more memorable.

“As much as we love our own school, it doesn’t really get much better than the Hollywood Bowl,” Ahdout said.

“I think it’s the best thing that could have come of a bad situation,”  Bahmanyar added.

In April, following the search for a new campus, the school welcomed students back to in-person instruction at a new campus, Pali South, located south of the Pacific Palisades in Santa Monica.

The school transformed the old Sears building into classrooms, allowing students to once again see teachers and peers face-to-face after the students were online for nearly three months after the Palisades fire. This was this cohort’s second time thrust into online learning, which they first experienced during the pandemic.

“I’m very happy that we overcame everything and still are able to graduate in person, because we were on Zoom for a while,” senior Diara Hartley, 18 said.

For Hartley, who will attend Los Angeles Trade Tech for culinary school in the fall, graduation is extra special because of her generational ties to the high school. Her mom, aunt and cousin all attended the school.

“For us to have to move, during our last year, it was kind of emotional,” she said of the school’s relocation.

“If you can’t have an ocean view, this isn’t a bad consolation prize,” Nick Melvoin, LAUSD District 4 representative said. “When things around you have gone low, you have gone Pali high,” he joked.

The Bowl, a “beautiful, magical, historic location,” was the top response from the senior class when they were asked what their dream location for graduation would be, Pam Magee, executive director and principal of the high school, said.

Many students walked the stage just months after losing their homes in the fire, still displaced, or having to move because of the damage the fire caused to many structures that still stand. They are unlivable due to smoke and other contaminants.

Dmitry Fradkin sat in the crowd holding an oversized fan, on it written “Emma’s biggest fan.” He attended the graduation to watch his niece, Emma Yoffey, walk the stage. Though her family’s home didn’t burn, it is unlivable and the family has been displaced.

Throughout the difficult months following the fire, Yoffey, a member of the Palisades Charter High School, also known as Pali High, girls’ lacrosse team, won a championship title.

Fradkin, her uncle and a Pali High 2007 alumnus himself, was excited to be among family celebrating her graduation before she heads to Syracuse University in the fall.

Senior Isabella Canela, 17, was in disbelief that graduation had come so quickly. She did not lose her home in the fire, but had many friends who did, which affected their year deeply.

“I did house a few of them and it was really difficult because my friends are like my family, so it really hurt me,” she said. “They lost everything and it’s really heartbreaking and I felt helpless that I couldn’t do anything.”

“Like my friend said, I think that graduating feels really surreal, but a part of that is because we lost so many school hours because of the fires while we were online,” senior Kamille Agustin, 18, said. “I think we had a lot less time to really appreciate high school life than everyone else because of the fires.”

Canela plans to attend Santa Monica College and Agustin will be off to UC Santa Cruz.

The invincible class of 2025, as their principal calls them, may not have been able to graduate on the field they spent years attending football games at, looking out at the quintessentially Palisades ocean view, but the teens still came together to celebrate their accomplishments.

“What we learned from you is the importance of community,” Magee, the principal, said.

The ceremony’s featured speakers were kicked off by a video message recorded for the class from Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Newsom spoke of the “pandemic, social unrest… drought and then… simultaneous floods and obviously, the devastation of these fires.”

“But the fact that you’re here is a testament to your grit, to your hard work and your determination, your willingness to not give in to the fear and not to give in to any of that anxiety,” he said.

Golden State Warriors head coach and Palisades Charter High School alum Steve Kerr took the stage to congratulate the class of 2025 and reflect on his journey since he graduated at Pali High’s “stadium by the sea.”

“A mere 42 years ago, I was in your shoes,” he said.

Kerr, who lost his own Pacific Palisades home in the January fire, traced back his career success to his days playing basketball at Palisades High and the local Palisades YMCA, to collegiate years at the University of Arizona. The coach invoked wisdom he has learned from the game of basketball, reminding the graduates of the power of emotional intelligence and encouraging them to search for their passions.

“Congrats my fellow Pali Dolphins, let’s rebuild the Palisades…” Kerr said as he closed out his speech.

Comedian and actor Billy Crystal candidly reflected on the losses suffered from the fire, using his comedic prowess to make light of the difficulties the students have faced in his speech. Crystal joked he was here to celebrate the “Pali High/abandoned Sears building class of 2025,”referencing the unique location the students were relocated to.

The “When Harry Met Sally” actor, who lost his home in the fire, acknowledged the pain of the fire so swiftly destroying the Palisades.

“For many of you, it was the same. And, to compound this fracture, we lost our town and you lost your school– monumental anchors of all of our lives. But from this disruption, chaos and tragedy, comes something very important: perspective,” Crystal said.

Actress Jennifer Coolidge graced the screens of the Hollywood Bowl to deliver a message to the Pali High seniors, speaking admirably of the group who survived a “catastrophic” year.

“Its an amazing feat and you made it through an incredibly hard year,” Coolidge said. “I’m just incredibly proud of you and happy for you…”

A montage of the senior class’ activities across the year played to the soundtrack of Tongue Tied by Grouplove. Seniors shared their favorite memories, from hanging out with one another at lunchtime and getting through online school to fun activities like a senior pool party.

Associated Student Body President Charlie Speiser, Senior Class President Taylor Beljon-Regen and Valedictorian Annalisa Hurd spoke to their fellow seniors, reflecting on their journeys as students at Pali High and the excitement the students feel at the end of their time as high school students, but at the precipice of their new journeys to college and the working world.

The crowd erupted into applause and cheers as the students walked the stage, draped with leis, cords, stoles and medals. In the crowd, cutouts of graduates were waved overhead as parents, family and friends took cover from the sun under umbrellas. Many supporters in the crowd wore hats referencing the Palisades community rebuilding, reading “Pali Strong” and “Pali Rising.”

The students tossed their Pali High blue caps into the air, marking the end of high school years marked by unconventional events and proving their resiliency in the face of it all.

​ Orange County Register