Jaslene Massey, Keaton Robar among athletes scheduled for Saturday’s Irvine Invitational track meet

• March 8, 2025

The Irvine Invitational, annually one of the more-prestigious early-season events in Southern California high school track and field, is Saturday (March 8) at Irvine High.

Among those scheduled to compete is Aliso Niguel junior thrower Jaslene Massey. Massey threw the shot put 47 feet, 10 inches in the Eagle Invitational at Santa Margarita last month. That mark is the fourth-best in Orange County girls track and field history.

Also scheduled to compete in the Irvine meet is Woodcrest Christian senior distance runner Eyan Turk, a CIF Southern Section cross-country champion this past fall.

Newport Harbor versatile senior Keaton Robar is also entered. She finished eighth in the CIF State Cross Country Championships this school year and at the Eagle Invitational ran a personal-record 59.29 in the 400.

The meet begins at 7:45 a.m.

Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for active military and for children 10 and younger. Parking is available in the parking lots in the front and back of Irvine High.

​ Orange County Register 

Look inside Laguna Niguel’s all-time most-expensive home sold at $16.25 million

• March 7, 2025

A transitional Spanish-style mansion in guard-gated Bear Brand Ranch recently set a record sales price in Laguna Niguel, closing for $16.25 million.

The 8,151-square-foot residence, a custom rebuild by interior designer Laura Brophy, offers a blend of contemporary and traditional style, features six bedrooms, eight bathrooms and a separate ocean-view casita with a coffee bar. Records show the property traded hands between trusts on Feb. 14 for slightly more than the $15.995 million asking price.

Perched on a nearly half-acre lot just 2 miles from the beach, the house backs up to a terrace with an infinity-edge pool and spa, outdoor kitchen and linear brick fireplace. It boasts ocean and coastline views.

Access to the grand steel-and-glass pivot front door requires passing through the low-walled and gated entry courtyard, adorned by olive trees, potted shrubs and a stone fountain.

Inside, a custom triple-tier circular chandelier hangs from the double-height foyer crossed by a staircase and the upstairs bridge. There’s a double-sided glass wine cellar under the staircase.

White oak flooring runs throughout the house for a clean, continuous look.

Other features include curved archways, built-ins and steel glass doors and windows, along with vaulted skylights that flood the interior with natural light.

The open-concept floor plan features a great room with a double-sided fireplace. It flows into the eat-in gourmet kitchen, boasting black-and-white checkered European marble floor, two oversized Calacatta Monet islands, Thermador appliances and custom cabinetry.

A sliding window above the kitchen sink stacks to one side, creating a pass-through window to the outdoor kitchen.

Reclaimed wood doors open into the primary suite with a coffee/wet bar, fireplace and spa-inspired bathroom with mosaic tiles, dual vanities and a soaking tub.

A gated cobblestone driveway that ends at a four-car garage, top-of-the-line audio-visual and security systems round out the property.

Phil Caruso and Michael Caruso of Christie’s International Real Estate Southern California listed the property, while A.J. Olson Whitfield of Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty represented the buyer.

​ Orange County Register 

After the Eaton fire, the Altadena Main Library reopens

• March 7, 2025

If, years ago, you’d peered into the children’s section of the Altadena Main Library, you’d have seen a girl reading and keeping an eye on her three younger siblings.

That experience made an impact, because that girl grew up to become the current president of the library’s Board of Trustees, Kameelah Waheed Wilkerson.

“Over in that corner is where I spent a lot of my childhood,” says Wilkerson, who was on hand March 4 as the Altadena Library reopened following the Eaton fire.

Standing by a window looking out onto trees and the San Gabriel Mountains, Wilkerson recalled how that spot, which is now the magazine area, played a huge role in her early life.

“My three younger siblings and I spent a lot of time in the library, especially during the summers. We would walk there from our house, check out books, hang out a while … That corner was my favorite because it had all the books I was interested in.”

She can remember what she was reading, too. “There were two books that I checked out from that corner that were mine and my brothers’ favorites. I would read aloud to them at home and these were ones that we read multiple times,” she shared in a followup email about “Mad Mad Monday” by Herma Silverstein and “The Darkangel” by Meredith Ann Pierce. “I actually bought them as an adult and keep them as memories.”

Wilkerson spoke with gratitude that the library had survived when so many homes and businesses had been destroyed by the wildfire.

“I’m just over the moon – I’m getting goosebumps – that this is one of the places that survived. It’s like a message from the Creator for me,” she says.

As the library doors opened, patrons were met with balloons, words of welcome and VIPs, including Altadena Library District Director Nikki Winslow, Board of Directors president Mark Mariscal and – my own personal VIPs –  the branch librarians, including that Friend of the Book Pages, Librarian Helen. It was great to see them all.

“This is like my happy place,” says Wilkerson, who noted – like a true library fan – that she was pretty sure she had a book on hold  that had been awaiting pickup since the library had been forced to close. (She, like her interviewer, also had a stack of books that had been waiting months to return to the library.)

The branch was a happy place for pretty much everyone there, including Altadena resident John May, a computational mathematician who’d brought his son Wallace and a friend there to read.

“We are extremely happy that the library is open today,” says May with a laugh. “The fact that school was not open today made it the perfect time to come in.”

“This is definitely a bright spot, and it’s going to be a core part of the rebuilding of the community,” says May about the library. “I know it’s going to be years, but having this community hub survive is important.”

Then we talked about the branch’s excellent graphic novel section. May was reading a copy of Lloyd Alexander’s wonderful fantasy novel “The Book of Three,” which I’d just read a few months back, and I’d grabbed the second volume of Pornsak Pichetshote’s noir detective comic series, “The Good Asian.”

As the morning progressed, things began to get back to normal as patrons arrived to use the computers, pick up and drop off books, or perhaps use some of the innumerable offerings in the Fab Lab, a maker space featuring 3D printing, sound mixing equipment and an embroidery machine.

“The community is going to need us now more than ever,” says Winslow. “We’re a trusted resource.”

Maybe the surest sign that the library was back and functioning normally was seeing a patron named Nancy and her three kids leaving with stacks of reading material– including that of her eldest son, who’d loaded up on titles about wild animals, the Bermuda Triangle and other, as he put it, “creepy stuff.”

“We are really excited to be back,” said Nancy as they headed off with their bounty.

This Saturday, March 8, the library will host its Second Saturday concert from 6:30-8:30 p.m. featuring local band Suave. To register, visit www.altadenalibrary.org/programs.

On Tuesday night, I went down to the Los Angeles Public Library Central Branch to watch Banned!, a free event featuring musical adaptations of suppressed works performed by Vox Femina Los Angeles women’s chorus.

The texts were adapted from books such as Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Juno Dawson’s “This Book Is Gay,” and Alex Gino’s “Melissa,” as well as Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor” and “The Merchant of Venice.”

While it’s easy enough to stream music these days, you forget how profoundly moving it is to be in the same room as a group of humans using their powerful voices together in song.

Possibly my favorite pieces of the one-hour program were these: “It Is the Silence,” an adaptation from “Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank; “Heather’s Dream,” based on Lesléa Newman’s “Heather Has Two Mommies”; and a song based on Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” with soloist Angelica Rowell delivering an absolutely stunning performance.

Will an event like this change minds about allowing the rich variety of voices we have to be heard? I don’t know if it’s fair to ask an evening of song to do that in the face of the steady stream of noise on our phones, socials and screens. Maybe creating beauty and thoughtful work out of what’s upsetting and divisive in the world today is enough.

Or maybe art simply provides strength and community during difficult, fractious times, reminding us, like a chorus, we’re better when we can work together and recognize the humanity in each other.

If banning literature is the silencing of voices, the lovely work of these talented women showed the joy, passion and tremendous value that can come from just being open and willing to listen.

Another performance of Banned! is scheduled for March 23 at the Ebell of Los Angeles.

This weekend

My talented colleague Emily St. Martin will be interviewing Mikel Jollett, the author of the acclaimed memoir “Hollywood Park” and frontman of the band Airborne Toxic Event.

The free conversaion will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, in the Padua Room at Hughes Center, 1700 Danbury Road, Claremont.

Not only is Emily a massive book nerd, but she’s also got plenty of experience talking to rock stars, so this should be a terrific event.

For more information, see The Friends of the Claremont Library event page.

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New time for ‘Bookish’

The next event, which is Fri. March 21, at 4 p.m., will salute SCNG’s Notable list of California authors and feature novelist and writer Lidia Yuknavitch.

Sign up for free now.

Want to watch previous Bookish shows? Catch up on virtual events and more!

​ Orange County Register 

JSerra boys soccer to take on Loyola in CIF Southern California Regional final

• March 7, 2025

CIF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS

DIVISION I

Loyola (22-1-4) vs. JSerra (19-0-1)

Where, when: JSerra High, Saturday, 5 p.m.

Outlook: JSerra defeated Loyola 2-0 in the CIF Southern Section Open Division championship game on Feb. 28 at El Modena High. Lions senior Gavin Allegaert and freshman Finn Wilkins scored the goals.JSerra advanced to the regional final by defeating two San Diego teams by 4-0 scores, Del Norte in the first round and St. Augustine in the semifinals. In the first round, Loyola and Birmingham were tied 2-2 through regulation before Loyola won on penalty kicks 3-2. Loyola defeated Hart of Newhall 1-0 in the semifinals. JSerra senior Jake Tatch has scored a team-high 22 goals and Allegaert has scored 19s. JSerra won the CIF Southern California Regional Division I championship in 2023. Loyola won the SoCal Regional Division I title in 2020.

​ Orange County Register 

Ye tentatively settles with former Donda Academy employees

• March 7, 2025

Ye — former known as Kanye West — and his Donda Academy have tentatively settled employment-related lawsuits brought by former employees of the school.

Attorneys for former Assistant Principal Isaiah Meadows, who filed an individual case, and ex-teachers Cecilia Hailey, Chekarey Byers and Timanii Meeks filed court papers in Los Angeles Superior Court stating that there has been a “conditional” resolution in both lawsuits and that requests for dismissal will be filed by March 31. No terms were divulged.

In his suit filed in July 2023, Meadows stated he was hired in August 2020 as an assistant principal and that he repeatedly complained about safety issues at the Yeezy Christian Academy, the predecessor of the Donda Academy.

Meadows alleged a skylight was not replaced, allowing rain to enter the building, soaking the floor and causing a mold odor, all because Ye did not like glass. Meadows also contended the building had exposed telephone and electrical wiring and that an electrical wire close to where students ate was left exposed.

Meadows also maintained that he had to pay $60,000 of his own money to lease a home in Calabasas near the school because Ye did not fulfill his promise to finance the entire rent payments.

The school became Donda Academy in August 2021. Meadows was employed there as a teacher’s assistant and physical education teacher and also taught faith in the morning, but he was fired a year later, about two weeks before the start of the fall semester, without an explanation, the suit stated.

In their suit brought in April 2023, the teachers said they were forced to work in unsafe working conditions and cope with students bullying each other because of a lack of proper discipline. Hailey and Byers contended that their wages were often short by about $1,800 to $2,700 per pay period. All three said they were fired.

​ Orange County Register 

Lakers, with 8 straight wins, feel they can play better

• March 7, 2025

LOS ANGELES — In an 82-game marathon that is the NBA regular season, it isn’t realistic for a team to play up to their standard for every minute of each matchup.

But teams who typically end up finishing the season toward the top of the standings aren’t just the ones that consistently play at a high level. They’re also the ones that find ways to pull out victories even when they don’t feel like they’re playing their best basketball.

The latter is where the Lakers (40-21) have found themselves over their ongoing winning streak, which reached a season-high eight games after Thursday’s thrilling overtime victory over the New York Knicks at Crypto.com Arena.

And Thursday was just the latest example for the Lakers, whose winning streak is their longest since winning nine straight from Dec. 28, 2019, to Jan. 13, 2020.

“I don’t think we played good [on Thursday],” Lakers star Luka Doncic said postgame. “Especially for the first three quarters, I don’t think we played good. So that [shows] the whole group together, everybody cheering for each other and we gave each other a push that we need to win.”

The Lakers struggled on both ends early against the Knicks, who presented the biggest threat to the Lakers’ streak that started with a road win against the Portland Trail Blazers on Feb. 20.

The defensive energy and communication that have become the standard for the Laker over the past several weeks weren’t present early, leading to the Knicks scoring 60 first-half points.

The Lakers also missed 20 of their first 27 3-pointers, contributing to their 13-point deficit in the third quarter and them trailing by 10 midway through the fourth.

But they buckled down defensively in the second half, playing to the standard that led to them having the league’s best defensive rating for nearly two months. They held the Knicks to 15 points in the fourth quarter.

And when they needed them most, their 3-point shots fell, taking advantage of their defensive stops. The Lakers shot 7 for 15 from long range in the fourth and overtime.

“Me and [Jarred Vanderbilt] was just talking about – we probably shouldn’t have won that game,” Austin Reaves said postgame. “I played miserably. Luka and [LeBron James] obviously carried a big weight for us.

“But it was I think midway through the fourth, I think I looked up when we were down six, and it was encouraging we’re down six. It felt like we were down 15. And at that point, I was like, ‘Oh, we have a real chance of winning this game.’ We got a lot of guys that can win us games. And it’s special to not play the way you want to and still come out and win.”

The Lakers are still figuring themselves out just a month after trading for Doncic, who played in his 10th game as a Laker on Thursday, with the Lakers going 8-2 in those games.

Doncic is still rounding into form after being sidelined for 6½ weeks because of a strained left calf before making his Lakers debut on Feb. 10.

But entering their four-game road trip that starts in Boston for a matchup against the longtime rival Celtics on Saturday, the Lakers have climbed from the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference standings to No. 2 in large part because of their ability to simply play hard during their winning streak.

“Big picture, it means a lot to me, frankly,” Redick said. “And it’s a credit to the guys on our team. A few coaches recently, whether it’s been postgame, pregame, after the game, whatever, have said, ‘Man, your team plays really hard.’

“When you get to the playoffs, you have to play hard to have any sort of chance. And our guys’ ability to continually just reach down into the well and give whatever they’ve got on a given night, regardless if the shots are going in, or if there’s defensive mistakes, they just continue to stay the course with their effort. That says a lot about our group.”

LAKERS AT CELTICS

When: 5:30 p.m. PT Saturday

Where: TD Garden, Boston

TV/radio: KABC (Ch. 7)/710 AM

​ Orange County Register 

George Santos’ ex-fundraiser is sentenced to a year in prison for wire fraud

• March 7, 2025

By PHILIP MARCELO

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — A former campaign fundraiser for ex- U.S. Rep. George Santos was sentenced Friday to one year and one day in prison for impersonating a high-ranking congressional aide while raising campaign cash for the disgraced New York Republican.

Sam Miele pleaded guilty in 2023 to a single count of federal wire fraud for his role in the criminal case that led to Santos’ expulsion from office.

The 28-year-old New Jersey native admitted that in 2021 he solicited donations under the name Dan Meyer, then-chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican who went on to serve less than a year as House speaker before leaving Congress in 2023.

Prosecutors said Miele’s impersonation included setting up a dummy email address resembling Meyer’s name while reaching out to over a dozen donors.

Miele also acknowledged he committed access device fraud by charging credit cards without authorization to send money to the campaigns of Santos and other political candidates, and for his own personal use. That fraud totaled about $100,000, prosecutors have said.

Miele faced more than two years in prison but his lawyers, in a court filing ahead of Friday’s hearing, argued that he should be sentenced to probation or house arrest.

They argued that Miele had no prior criminal record, quickly acknowledged his wrongdoing and cooperated with investigators.

His lawyers also cited dozens of letters of support from family and friends, saying he had allowed his ambition to succeed in politics to “overwhelm his good judgment, common sense and the ethical principles.”

“Sam Miele is a young man who made a bad mistake,” they wrote. “But his criminal conduct is not indicative of the person he is. Rather, it represents a complete departure from what has otherwise been a young life marked by integrity, kindness and service to others.”

Prosecutors, in their sentencing memo, recommended a sentence below federal guidelines, which they said called for 27 to 33 months in prison.

Miele, in his plea deal, agreed to pay about $109,000 in restitution, to forfeit another $69,000 and to make a $470,000 payment to a campaign contributor.

Miele was one of two campaign aides to reach a plea deal in the federal probe into Santos’ winning campaign.

Nancy Marks, his former campaign treasurer, pleaded guilty to a fraud conspiracy charge. She faces sentencing in May.

Santos, for his part, is due to be sentenced next month after pleading guilty last August to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, just weeks before he was to stand trial last year.

The 36-year-old admitted he stole multiple people’s credit card numbers and charged them for donations to his campaign, used campaign cash on designer clothing and other personal expenses, falsely collected unemployment benefits while working and lied about his personal wealth in a financial disclosure to Congress.

When he entered his guilty plea, Santos blamed ambition for clouding his judgment.

The then-political unknown gained notoriety for flipping a congressional district that covered a wealthy swath of Queens and Long Island in 2022.

But his fantastical lies about his wealth and background were quickly debunked.

Among other things, Santos lied about having a career at top Wall Street firms and a college degree. He also falsely claimed his mother died in the 9/11 attacks and that his grandparents fled the Holocaust.

Less than a year after taking office, Santos was expelled from the U.S. House, becoming just the sixth ever booted from the chamber.

Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo.

​ Orange County Register 

D’Wayne Wiggins, founding member of the R&B group Tony! Toni! Tone!, has died at 64

• March 7, 2025

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — D’Wayne Wiggins, a founding member of the Grammy-nominated group Tony! Toni! Tone! behind the classic songs “Anniversary,” “It Never Rains (In Southern California)” and (Lay Your Head on My) Pillow,” has died. He was 64.

Wiggins died Friday morning after battling bladder cancer for over the past year, according to a statement released by his family on social media.

“D’Wayne’s life was incomparable, and his music and service impacted millions around the world, including in his hometown of Oakland, California,” his family said in a statement. “He was a guitarist, producer, composer, philanthropist, mentor and founding member of Tony! Toni! Tone! He was deeply passionate about providing artist development and mentorship to emerging young musicians, helping to shape the early careers of many.”

His family added: “Through this fight, he remained committed and present for his family, his music, his fans and his community.”

Wiggins was a vocalist and bass guitarist of the beloved R&B group, which included his brother Raphael Saadiq and their cousin Christian Riley. The group became mainstays of the New Jack Swing movement, blending R&B, jazz and traces of gospel melodies.

The Oakland, California, natives burst onto the music scene with their 1988 debut album, “Who?” with songs like “Baby Doll” and “Little Walter.” But it was their 1990 New Jack Swing-infused “Feels Good” record that gave the group mainstream success, peaking at No. 9 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.

They released two more studio projects together, with party hits like “Let’s Get Down,” featuring DJ Quik, and timeless slow jams including “Whatever You Want,” “It Never Rains (In Southern California),” “(Lay Your Head on My) Pillow” and “Anniversary,” a standard in the Black music romance canon.

The blood relatives also couldn’t predict how their success would affect their relationship. The Tonyies went their separate ways after their fourth album, 1996’s platinum-selling “House of Music.” Fame, finances, miscommunication and creative differences were unsustainable for the group.

Wiggins and Riley toured under the group’s name between 1998 and 2018, with Amar Khalil taking over lead singing duties. Wiggins also produced and helped grow young artists who would become some of today’s brightest young stars, including Zendaya, H.E.R., Kehlani, and even Destiny’s Child.

Ultimately, through Saadiq’s efforts, the group made amends and reunited for a tour in 2023. It was the first road trip featuring the three original members in nearly 30 years.

The family members vowed not to let outside influences like managers, record executives and the entertainment business as a whole drive them apart again, realizing that time — at least in the professional sense — is no longer a luxury.

In a 2023 interview with The AP, The Tonyies had planned on a new project.

“We got a lot of material and now we just want to make sure that we put out the right energy through our music,” Wiggins said.

Associated Press journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register