All Joann stores to close as auction winners plan to liquidate assets

• February 24, 2025

By Dorothy Ma and Jill R. Shah | Bloomberg

A group of term loan lenders, along with GA Group, a liquidation firm backed by Oaktree Capital Management, won an auction to acquire assets of bankrupt fabric and crafts retailer Joann and plan to shutter all of its stores.

GA Joann Retail Partnership LLC, a subsidiary of GA Group, along with the agent on the company’s pre-petition term loan, emerged as the winning bidders of substantially all of Joann’s assets, according to a court filing Saturday.

Also see: Forever 21 laying off 358 employees as it closes L.A. headquarters

The groups now “plan to begin winding down the company’s operations and conduct going-out-of-business sales at all store locations,” according to a company statement posted on Joann’s restructuring website. GA Group’s purchase of Joann and its assets still requires approval from bankruptcy Judge Craig T. Goldblatt. A hearing on the sale will be held on Wednesday.

The chosen bid was enough to pay in full both the pre-petition asset-based loan and first-in-last-out facilities, which totaled about $462.3 million at the time Joann filed for bankruptcy, along with a $105 million credit bid, according to the court filing.

About a week before the auction, a bankruptcy court approved to shut down more than 500 Joann stores as part of an effort to recover value for creditors. The retailer entered into bankruptcy with about 800 locations.

Joann had received an offer from liquidator Gordon Brothers Retail Partners during the beginning of its reorganization process, which became a stalking horse bid that set a floor for the company’s assets.

Oaktree took a majority stake in GA Group, or Great American Holdings, from B. Riley Financial Inc. last year.

–With assistance from Jonathan Randles.

​ Orange County Register 

Hungry mortgage lenders dangling deals and discounts

• February 24, 2025

By Jeff Ostrowski | Bankrate.com

Slashed rates. Discounts on future purchases. Speedy delivery.

No, these are not the promises of an auto dealer or eager e-retailer start-up. They’re coming from mortgage lenders.

The incentives reflect the harsh reality of the residence-financing scene. Since 2021, mortgage rates have more than doubled. The predictable result: American consumers — especially homebuyers — have sharply reduced their appetite for borrowing.

Mortgage originations plunged by 57% from the fourth quarter of 2021 to the fourth quarter of 2022, ATTOM Data Solutions reports. As mortgage rates have remained stubbornly high, borrowers remain reluctant – in the third quarter of 2024, Americans took half as many mortgages as they did in the same period in 2021, ATTOM says.

The drop in applications puts lenders in a tough position — and, like any seller in a slow market, they’ve responded by dangling deals to get homebuyers to look past the run-up in rates. One big lender even has initiated a rewards program echoing those used by retailers, airlines and credit cards.

Here’s how to navigate the borrower-friendly strategies lenders are offering, now that rock-bottom rates no longer are driving business.

Refinance savings: A bet on lower rates

The interest rate rise affected not just purchase loans, but the refinance business: With mortgage rates flirting with 7% as of Bankrate’s Feb. 19 national survey of lenders — double what they were a year ago — there’s little incentive for mortgage-holders to swap out their old loans.

Many housing economists expect mortgage rates to fall below 6.5% by the end of 2025. If that scenario plays out, it might make sense for today’s homebuyers to refinance in the not-too-distant future. Even so, refinancing ain’t cheap – closing costs can total 3% to 5% of the amount of the loan.

The big lenders know that, so they’re trying to sweeten the pot for future refis. Rocket, for example, has responded with what it calls Rate Drop Advantage. A borrower who finances a purchase with Rocket gets discounted closing costs when refinancing between four months and three years after the initial closing. A lender credit at closing will cover fees for appraisal, credit report, recording and other costs. The savings total about $2,200.

In a similar tactic, lender Better in early 2025 unveiled Better Forever, a loyalty initiative designed to reward borrowers by waiving origination fees on future refinance or purchase loans. The discount is open to customers who funded a loan with BetterMortgage any time since 2019. On a $400,000 mortgage, the savings would amount to $2,500, says Vishal Garg, CEO and founder of Better.

Chase Home Lending, for its part, announced in mid-February that it was running a “rate sale” on mortgage refinances. Chase didn’t say how much the discount is worth – the savings will vary by borrower and loan type, the lender said. As of this writing, the offer is good only through March 7.

Rewards for renters

While Better rewards repeat borrowers, Rocket is aiming at first-timers.

On Feb. 18, the digital mortgage giant announced RocketRentRewards, a promotion that gives borrowers a sum that equals 10% of their past year’s rental payments, up to $5,000. The discount is applied to closing costs.

Considering that the national average rent payment is $1,800 a month, or $21,600 a year, the program would be worth $2,160 for a typical buyer.

The promotion is available not just to debut homebuyers, but also to buyers who have sold a place and have been renting while they search for a home, says Bill Banfield, Rocket’s chief business officer.

Fast results and bonus points

Lenders are turning up the volume on a variety of other blandishments. One enticement comes in the form of a fast answer on your mortgage application.

Ally Bank promises applicants preapproval within three minutes. Better.com promises a commitment letter, complete with locked-in rate, in 24 hours, a program it’s dubbing “One-Day Mortgage”; it’ll even throw in $1,000 in lender credits to be applied to closing costs. The name’s a bit of a misnomer, though: While commitment comes fast, it could still take weeks to get to the closing table and actually get your loan.

Touting speedy results is not really new in the industry. For several years, for example, Movement Mortgage has promised qualified applicants fully underwritten preapproval in six hours and complete loan processing within a week.

Rocket Mortgage, for its part, is taking a page from the likes of Starbucks and American Airlines. Its new Rocket Rewards program lets potential homebuyers earn points by completing various activities on the company’s website, including watching videos, reading articles about homeownership and using a mortgage calculator.

Members can earn 7,500 points, the equivalent of $75, just for signing up for an account. The idea: Borrowers will redeem the points when they buy a home – the balance will be deducted from closing costs.

All these promotions can help borrowers feel more comfortable about buying a home at a time of high mortgage rates. Remember, though, that shopping around is perhaps the most powerful weapon in a borrower’s arsenal. The refinance promotions in particular remove that option by locking you in with a specific lender for your next refi. And the promise of fast approval decision doesn’t necessarily mean an approval.

So don’t let a sweet-sounding deal stop you from looking hard at all the fundamentals of a lender’s offer.

​ Orange County Register 

Theranos fraudster Elizabeth Holmes loses her appeal

• February 24, 2025

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has lost her appeal of her fraud conviction.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit on Monday upheld lower court rulings finding Holmes guilty of felony fraud, sentencing her to more than 11 years in prison and ordering her to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in restitution.

Judge Jacqueline Nguyen’s written opinion reflecting the panel’s decision rejected arguments by Holmes’ lawyers — that the trial judge improperly allowed some testimony and improperly prohibited other testimony, and that a regulator’s report could have misled the jury  — on a point-by-point basis.

Holmes’ lawyers did not immediately respond to questions about whether Holmes planned to appeal, or to seek a pardon from President Donald Trump.

Theranos, the now-defunct Palo Alto, California, blood-testing startup Holmes founded in 2003, falsely claimed its machines could use just a few drops of blood from a finger-prick to perform more than a thousand tests, for everything from diabetes and cancer to pregnancy and HIV infection.

Holmes, 41, is incarcerated at a federal minimum-security prison camp outside Houston. She is scheduled to be released in March 2032.

The ruling caps for now a saga that captivated the nation since the charismatic entrepreneur, known for adopting the black turtleneck of legendary Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, was charged with criminal fraud in 2018. Over the six years, Holmes regularly attended proceedings in U.S. District Court in downtown San Jose, California, that were capped by a four-month trial that led to her 2022 conviction on four felony counts of defrauding investors.

Holmes gave birth to a son in July 2021 while awaiting trial. Between her November 2022 sentencing and her imprisonment the following May, she had a baby daughter with hotel heir Billy Evans, also the father of her son.

On June 11, her appeal was heard in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco, with one of her lawyers and a prosecutor facing off before a three-judge panel. Appeals courts can order new trials if they find trial judges made mistakes in applying the law or if proceedings were not fair.

Holmes’s lawyer, Amy Saharia, claimed that Judge Edward Davila, who presided over the trial in the U.S. District Court in San Jose, had improperly allowed former Theranos scientist Dr. Kingshuk Das to give expert testimony before the jury. Appellate court Judge Ryan Nelson said that claim may have represented unfairness toward Holmes, but said her conviction was backed by “pretty overwhelming evidence.”

Saharia argued that the central issue in the case was whether Holmes knowingly misrepresented the capabilities of Theranos’ technology, Saharia said. “She in good faith believed in the accuracy of this technology,” Saharia told the appeals court judges.

Holmes, a Stanford University dropout, was charged in 2018 in connection with $878 million in losses among investors in Theranos, which was once valued at $9 billion. Her trial judge Edward Davila pegged the hit to investors resulting from her criminal conduct at $381 million.

In November 2022, Davila sentenced Holmes to 11 years and three months in prison. Holmes, U.S. Bureau of Prisons inmate No. 24965-111, has slashed more than two years off her term, likely through good behavior and taking programs at her minimum-security prison.

Jurors in Holmes’ trial heard evidence that she doctored internal Theranos documents by adding pilfered pharmaceutical companies’ logos to suggest the firms had validated her technology, and that she and Theranos had falsely suggested to investors that her machines were in battlefield use. The jury also heard that Theranos provided investors with wildly inflated revenue expectations and that it sought to cover up the poor performance of its machines.

Holmes could appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, but its justices only hear about 100 to 150 appeals per year of the more than 7,000 it is typically asked to review, according to the courts system.

​ Orange County Register 

Lifestyle beats genetics on path to premature death, study finds

• February 24, 2025

By Naomi Kresge, Bloomberg News

Environmental and lifestyle factors play a far greater role than genetics in determining the likelihood of dying young, according to the largest study yet to untangle the contributions of nature and nurture to healthy aging.

A range of external factors including exercise and smoking — collectively dubbed the “exposome” — was almost 10 times more likely than genetic risk factors to explain premature mortality, scientists from the University of Oxford and Massachusetts General Hospital said in the Nature Medicine journal.

They analyzed mortality trends in the UK Biobank, which stores medical and genetic data from about 500,000 people.

The study shows how broader social context and environment shapes the likelihood of disease, a crucial factor as governments and payers wrestle with how to deal with rising health-care costs and an aging society. Many of the factors found to be linked to longer life were proxies for wealth and status, such as years of education, gym use and household income.

Understanding the role of environmental factors in aging could have a “profound impact on improving health for all of us,” said Austin Argentieri, a researcher in the analytic and translational genetics unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. “We were surprised at just how stark the difference was, how much more the environment matters.”

Factors from childhood, including whether a mother smoked around the time of her baby’s birth and a person’s being “relatively plumper” at around the age of 10, were also linked to cellular signs of aging as an adult. Being shorter at the age of 10 was associated with a lower mortality risk, however.

“We are not prisoners of our genes,” Aimee Aubeeluck, a professor of health psychology at the University of Surrey, who wasn’t involved in the research, said in a comment reacting to the study distributed by the Science Media Centre. “If we know that where we are born and how we live dictate our chances of aging well — or dying prematurely — why is policy action so slow?”

©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

​ Orange County Register 

Joy Reid is leaving MSNBC as her evening show is canceled

• February 24, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — Joy Reid is leaving MSNBC, the network’s new president announced in a memo to staff on Monday, marking an end to the political analyst and anchor’s prime time news show.

Reid’s namesake show, “The ReidOut,” has been a fixture of MSNBC’s evening programming since 2020. In the hourlong newscast, held at 7 p.m. E.T., Reid conducts extensive interviews with politicians and other newsmakers.

“Joy Reid is leaving the network and we thank her for her countless contributions over the years,” MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler wrote Monday. ”Her work has been recognized with several esteemed honors, including most recently, the 2025 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding News Series.”

In the coming weeks, Kulter added, rotating anchors will host Reid’s hour.

Current hosts of MSNBC’s “The Weekend” — Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele, and Alicia Menendez — will now move to weekdays at 7 p.m. to host a new ensemble news program, Kulter also noted in Monday’s memo.

News reports about MSNBC cancelling “The ReidOut” emerged online over the weekend. Prior to Kulter’s memo, Reid took to social media to thank those who she said had reached out to her with messages of support.

“I just want to say thank you to everyone who has reached out with kindness and encouragement, both personally and in these social media streets,” Reid wrote in a message posted to BlueSky and Instagram just after midnight. “So very proud of The Reidout @joy.msnbc.com team, who are truly family, and all of our supporters & friends. See you tomorrow night at 7, one more time.”

​ Orange County Register 

These little-known bank accounts allow Americans with disabilities to save and invest

• February 24, 2025

By CORA LEWIS

NEW YORK (AP) — Paul Safarik, 32, of Lincoln, Nebraska, has worked in the food industry since he was 21, delivering for quick service restaurants like Raising Cane’s and stocking groceries at stores like Trader Joe’s. With his earnings, Safarik, who has Down syndrome, recently bought a treadmill to stay active when the weather’s bad and helped cover the cost of braces for his teeth.

That’s unusual, financially speaking, and it’s thanks in part to a little-known savings account called an ABLE account, which lets people people with disabilities save money beyond the $2,000 asset limit that’s linked to benefits like Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid. Without the account, Safarik could have risked losing government assistance if he had more than $2,000 in assets saved at one time in a given month.

“With this ABLE account, we don’t have to worry as much,” said Deb Safarik, 71, Paul’s mother, with whom he lives. “It’s nice that he can work and save, and not have that be held against him.”

Named for the 2014 law that created them, the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act, ABLE accounts have been available since 2016 to individuals identified by a doctor as having a disability before the age of 26. Next year, they’ll become available to those identified before the age of 46, which will increase access to an additional 6 million people, including 1 million veterans, according to Indiana State Treasurer Daniel Elliott, who administers the accounts in his state. An estimated 8 million people nationwide already qualify.

“The fact that it used to be that individuals could only save up to $2,000 or they could lose benefits — that was really restricting a lot of families,” Elliot said. “People were forced into a position where they couldn’t save for their futures. Now we’re seeing average account balances of (ABLE accounts) between $11,000 and $12,000.”

Generally, ABLE accounts may reach totals of $100,000 without affecting Supplemental Security Income. Lifetime balance limits for the various state ABLE accounts can range from around $300,000 to over $500,000. They’re administered by state treasurers, and the vast majority can be set up online via their websites. Some ABLE plans accept paper applications as well.

Anyone can contribute to an ABLE account — including the account owner, friends, family, organizations, nonprofits, and employers — up to $19,000 per year in 2025. If the account owner is able to work and not already contributing to a workplace retirement plan, they can contribute an additional amount equal to their yearly gross income. For 2025, that amount is up to an additional $15,560 to $18,810, depending on the state administering the account.

There are also tax advantages. Investment earnings from ABLE accounts remain untaxed as long as money taken from the account is used for “qualified disability expenses,” such as medical treatment, education, tutoring and job training. Account holders may choose from a number of investment options for the funds in their accounts or hold and save the money without investing it further.

Elliot said raising awareness of the accounts is the biggest challenge for the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST), for which he’s also the secretary treasurer.

“Many people are used to the idea that, ‘If I have a disability or my child has one, it could endanger their benefits to save money,’” he said. “We as a state and as a country need to start reaching out to people and saying, ‘Look, you actually can save money now. You could save towards the purchase of a home.’ The hardest thing right now is getting that message out. We need more people to be aware things have changed.”

According to NAST’s data, just 186,641 ABLE accounts existed at the end of 2024, despite an estimated 8 million people qualifying. When the age limit is raised, the accounts will also become available to people whose disabilities may have been the result of an accident in adulthood or developed later in life, such as after a COVID infection.

Andrew Warren, senior associate for policy and research at the Financial Health Network, who studies the financial circumstances of Americans with disabilities, said that the vast majority of people surveyed for a 2023 report by the organization did not know these accounts existed.

“Less than 1% of eligible individuals have these accounts,” Warren said. “Our research show that one of the major barriers to becoming financially healthy for this vulnerable group is asset limits. But there’s an information disconnect between caseworkers and direct services providers on the ground and (administrators of ABLE accounts).”

Here’s what to know:

How do I know if I qualify for an ABLE account?

Two online resources — ABLE Today and the ABLE National Resource Center — can guide you through questions to determine if you or a friend or family member qualifies.

Right now, ABLE accounts are for:

— People whose disability began before age 26, and

— People for whom the disability is “terminal or long-term (more than 12 months)” and for whom the disability causes “marked and severe functional limitations.”

A qualifying person must also meet one of the following criteria:

— Being eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) because of the disability; or

— A doctor has diagnosed the disability (physical or mental).

In 2026, the age limit for ABLE accounts will rise to 46.

What can I do to prepare if I or a family member will qualify next year?

You can begin educating yourself now about the process of setting up the account, so you can add money and fund the account right away beginning in January 2026. Family, friends, and organizations may also begin setting money aside with the intention of contributing it to the account in the individual’s name as of January 1.

The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism.

​ Orange County Register 

The few Republicans who still oppose Trump gather in search of a path to oppose him

• February 24, 2025

By BILL BARROW, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Conservatives from across the country filled a ballroom a few blocks from the White House and lamented that the United States is abandoning the ideals that forged a great nation. Some attendees donned red hats with various inscriptions mocking President Donald Trump and his “Make America Great Again” movement.

It was the largest gathering to date of the “Principles First Summit,” expanded upon Trump’s second term to welcome independents and center-left Democrats under a shared pro-democracy, anti-authoritarian aim.

“This is not a time to bend the knee, to play along,” said Heath Mayo, the Yale-educated attorney who founded Principles First five years ago for self-identified politically homeless conservatives. “This is a time for stiffening your spine, standing up and getting ready for a long fight.”

Yet three days of conversations and recriminations still left 1,200 attendees without a clear roadmap to loosen Trump’s grip on the conservative movement and America’s national identity. There was not even consensus on whether to fight within Republican spheres at all, migrate to the Democratic Party or find a different path altogether.

“It makes you feel better to know that you’re not alone and that you’re not crazy,” said Jeff Oppenheim, a retired U.S. Army colonel from Austin, Texas. “The question is how to translate that into action in a political system that’s very difficult to influence, because it’s structured in a way that two parties have complete control.”

Mark Cuban, the entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” co-host who was one of then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ most prominent surrogates last fall, got a rousing ovation when he took the stage but vowed that he would not run for the White House. He dismissed the Democratic Party, profanely, as unable to sell its own message.

“I’m not here to throw him under the bus,” Cuban said of Trump, praising the Republican president’s ability as a marketer who convinced voters he could help them.

Democrats, Cuban said, make their critiques of Trump moot because they “can’t sell worth s—.”

Trump’s allies mocked the gathering in advance as full of “RINOs,” or Republicans in name only. White House communications director Steven Cheung called it “the Cuck Convention” on his government account. The word “cuck,” which describes a man who likes to watch his wife have sex with other men, was frequently used during the campaign to insult and emasculate rivals.

Trump has far greater control of the Republican Party in his second term, with allies across Congress and the loyalty of most of the party’s base. But his few remaining rivals within the party argue there are still ways to break his hold.

Former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a frequent Trump target who was among the people to receive a preemptive pardon from President Joe Biden, pointed to Republicans’ narrow 218-215 majority in the House and said lawmakers are privately nervous as recent town halls show voter anger over billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk and his sweeping moves to fire federal workers, shut down agencies and limit federal services.

Kinzinger urged critics to ratchet up pressure in public settings because critical town hall audiences, he argued, offer the most “uncomfortable” moments of a politician’s job.

“Right now, Republican members of Congress fear one person: Donald Trump. They don’t fear you,” Kinzinger said. “When they start fearing you, that’s when they start having a different calculus.”

Julie Spilsbury, a councilmember from Mesa, Arizona, wants to maintain her place in Republican ranks. Like more than two dozen attendees and speakers interviewed by The Associated Press, Spilsbury cast her 2024 ballot for Harris for president. But she also publicly endorsed the Democratic nominee, saying it was a matter of “character and integrity.”

She now faces an ongoing recall effort by Trump backers in Mesa.

“If you’re looking for something you can do, send me $10” for her retention campaign, Spilsbury told fellow conference attendees.

When Asa Hutchinson, the former Arkansas governor who ran in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a centrist Democrat, offered carefully measured assessments of Trump’s opening weeks, they got mixed or muted responses. Especially tepid was the reaction when Hutchinson said he believes Trump when the president says he will respect court decisions in the many early challenges to his executive actions.

But roars rang out for the police officers who tried to protect the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and their unyielding assessments of Trump and his pardon of 1,500 supporters who breached the seat of Congress, including many who violently attacked law enforcement.

“We need to hold on to the outrage and hold on to the anger and set aside the fear,” insisted Michael Fanone, a former Washington officer who was attacked by rioters. Asked whether he would accept an invitation to talk to Trump, Fanone said the president is incapable of being convinced he is wrong and dismissed him with a profanity.

Fanone and his fellow officers later were accosted in an upstairs lobby by Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, freshly freed from prison by Trump’s pardon. The following day, Principles First leaders received an emailed bomb threat specifically mentioning Fanone, his mother’s address and other potential targets. The summit space was evacuated as Washington police and Secret Service agents swept the area and found no bomb, allowing the conference to conclude Sunday evening. Organizers blamed the threat on Tarrio, who denied the claim in a post on his social media.

Maria Stephan, a progressive at her first Principles First gathering, called the evacuation “emboldening” given the weekend’s themes.

Yet Rich Logis of Broward County, Florida, offered caution as a former MAGA acolyte whose red hat now reads: “I LEFT MAGA.” Another wave of converts, Logis argued, is coming if Trump continues to impose tariffs, cut public services and impose policies that hurt Americans broadly.

“Everyone has to find their own breaking point,” Logis said. “Our job is to be there talking to people as they find it.”

​ Orange County Register 

Bravo for these teens and businesses being recognized for excellence

• February 24, 2025

Irvine student receives top honors from U.S. Figure Skating

Josephine Lee, a 16-year-old Irvine student athlete, was named to the 2025 Scholastic Honors Team and was recognized by U.S. Figure Skating at the 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships, held Jan. 20-26 in Wichita, Kansas, as well as the 2025 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships, to be held Feb. 26-Mar. 1 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Josephine, a junior at Connections Academy, was one of 10 student athletes selected to be part of this prestigious award program, which rewards top student athletes in the country who not only excel in their figure skating careers, but are also dedicated students and community leaders.

Out of 60 applications, only 10 are selected based on their competitive achievements, academics, and community involvement and service.

South OC teen appears in new movies

A 15-year-old South Orange County actress continues making her name in Hollywood.

Kayden Tokarski is best known for playing a young Julia Roberts in the TV series “Gaslit.” She is now starring in her second thriller of 2024, “Killer in the Woods,” which premiered via Lifetime Movies on Dec. 6. Previously, she starred in “My Professor’s Deadly Secret,” which premiered on the Lifetime Movie Network on Oct. 17.

On top of that, Kayden will play a mean girl in the upcoming sci-fi feature “Roswell Delirium,” directed by Richard Bakewell and starring Anthony Michael Hall, Dee Wallace, Reginald VelJohnson, Sam Jones and others. Variety recently featured the movie, which premiered Jan. 10 on Apple TV.

“Being part of these films and working with amazing directors and actors has been a dream come true, and I am looking forward to audiences really enjoying them,” she said.

Kayden has won more than 30 awards since she embarked on her acting journey in 2020. In July, she won a Young Artists Academy Award for her work in “Gaslit.”

The teen also sings and reached Junior Olympian status on the 1-meter diving board. Her dedication to community service is evident through her keynote speeches at the 33rd annual Walk Against Drugs in Mission Viejo and a Red Cross LA fundraiser as well as her participation in the Joyful Child Foundation’s “Be Brave” pilot and her work as an emcee for Breaking the Chains Foundation’s How to Love YourSelfie Youth Camp.

Irvine artist receives prestigious YoungArts award

Orange County School of the Arts student Ariana Kim of Irvine has been named a 2025 YoungArts winner with distinction in classical music, the highest honor of the organization.

Ariana has been recognized for the caliber of her artistic achievement and joins more than 800 of the most accomplished young visual, literary and performing artists from throughout the country. 2025 YoungArts award winners join a community of artists who are offered creative and professional development support throughout their careers.

As a winner with distinction, Ariana participated in National YoungArts Week, held Jan. 5-12 in Miami. During the week, participants had opportunities to share their own work, which was further evaluated for cash awards of up to $10,000; experience interdisciplinary classes and workshops; and receive mentorship from leading artists in their fields.

2025 winners with distinction had the chance to learn from notable artists such as ballerina Misty Copeland, dance artists Rashaun Mitchell and Silas Reiner, actress Lorna Courtney, multidisciplinary artist Brian Ellison, and national bestselling author and filmmaker Abigail Hing Wen.

Following National YoungArts Week, Ariana is eligible to be nominated to become a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, one of the highest honors given to high school seniors by the president of the United States. YoungArts, the sole nominating agency, nominates 60 artists to the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, from which the 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts are selected.

This year, YoungArts award winners were selected from nearly 11,000 applications across 10 artistic disciplines – classical music, dance, design, film, jazz, photography, theater, visual arts, voice and writing. Each award winner will receive a monetary award of $250.

For the duration of her career, Ariana is eligible for exclusive creative and professional development support, microgrants and financial awards, as well as presentation opportunities in collaboration with major venues and cultural partners nationwide. She has become part of an intergenerational network of more than 22,000 past award winners.

As a YoungArts award winner, Ariana joins a group of accomplished artists such as Daniel Arsham, Jon Batiste, Terence Blanchard, Camille A. Brown, Timothée Chalamet, Viola Davis, Amanda Gorman, Denyce Graves, Judith Hill, Jennifer Koh, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Andrew Rannells, Desmond Richardson, Jean Shin, Hunter Schafer and Shaina Taub.

The YoungArts competition is open to artists 15-18 years old, or in grades 10-12.

– Submitted by YoungArts

California schools named state finalists in national STEM competition

Samsung named 300 public schools state finalists in the 15th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM competition, and nine schools in California were selected, including two in Orange County. Each state finalist will win a $2,500 technology prize pack for the school.

The Orange County finalists are Costa Mesa High School in Costa Mesa and Westminster High School in Westminster.

Following the state finalists announcement, the competition advances to its next phase, culminating in April with the selection of three national winners, each receiving a $100,000 prize package as part of a $2-plus million prize pool.

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is a national competition designed to empower students in grades 6-12 to unleash the power of STEM to create innovative solutions addressing critical issues in their local communities. The competition engages Gen Z and Gen Alpha students in active, hands-on learning that can be applied to real-world problems, making STEM more tangible and showcasing its value both inside and outside the classroom.

The 300 state finalists were chosen from thousands of U.S. entries, with 60% from Title 1 schools, showcasing STEM education’s broad appeal. This year’s entries highlight common student concerns nationwide: the climate crisis, mental health and wellness, and school safety.

Sixty percent of the students’ STEM solutions use emerging technologies like AI, 3D printing and robotics to drive meaningful community change.

– Submitted by Sharon Oh

Orange County hotel employees recognized as Hotel All Stars

The California Hotel & Lodging Association (CHLA) honored 144 remarkable individuals at its new and improved Hotel All Stars awards luncheon. Among the honorees were hotel employees from Orange County.

Hotel All Stars, an evolution of the association’s long-running Stars of the Industry Awards, builds upon past traditions by recognizing all top nominees for their exceptional contributions. This new, inclusive format celebrates a distinguished class of professionals who consistently perform at the highest level.

Awardees from diverse categories showcased their exceptional contributions, from maintaining top-notch facilities to creating unforgettable guest experiences.

The Orange County employees are Jesse Hebner, chief engineer at Pasea Hotel & Spa in Huntington Beach; Nic Hockman, general manager at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa in Anaheim; Barbara Reyes, chef concierge at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa in Anaheim; Katie Pool, director of events and catering at Balboa Bay Resort & Club in Newport Beach; Eric Smith, bell attendant at The Waterfront Beach Resort, a Hilton Hotel in Huntington Beach; Jigna Patel, breakfast supervisor at Homewood Suites Anaheim Main Gate in Garden Grove; Melissa Rodgers, lead barista at Balboa Bay Resort & Club in Newport Beach; Fabrizio Khalona, director of member experience at Balboa Bay Resort & Club in Newport Beach; Julio Flores, engineer at Tiller House A Tribute Portfolio Hotel by Marriott in Laguna Hills; and Sierra Smith, VIP guest services senior guest experience manager at The Hotels of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim.

Irvine students take part in San Bernardino Forestry Challenge

Students from Cambridge Virtual Academy in Anaheim participated in the 2024 San Bernardino Forestry Challenge, among 102 high school students from 13 schools in Southern California.

One of the highlights for the students was the opportunity to learn about mixed conifer-oak woodland forest restoration. Students collected data at the Big Horn Camp area to determine species composition and recommended areas of the property to replicate this forest community.

Teams of students also completed a field test to assess their technical forestry knowledge and data collecting skills.

“It was my first time here,” said Bara’ah Musa-Alzabin, a freshman at Cambridge Virtual Academy. “Honestly, this experience taught me a lot. I highly recommend the Forestry Challenge to anyone who wants to reconnect with nature or to anyone wanting to experience great teamwork.”

– Submitted by Diane Dealey Neill, Founder and Coordinator, Forestry Challenge

University High School Irvine team wins regional chess championship

Chess players at University High School Irvine came out victorious at a regional tournament. The second annual San Diego Regional High School Team Chess Championship saw a surge in participation, drawing teams from across Southern California and even Arizona.

Building upon the success of the inaugural event last May, the tournament expanded beyond San Diego County, attracting a diverse field of 18 high schools, ranging from experienced competitors such as University High School and Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego to newcomers from across the region.

The opening round saw University High School face off against Canyon Crest Academy. Top board matches, including FM Sihan Tao (University) versus David Liu (Canyon Crest) and Warren Zhang (San Marino High) versus NM Vedant Maheshwari (Westview High), were streamed live.

After five rounds of intense competition, University High School emerged victorious with an undefeated record of 5 out of 5 team score.

Canyon Crest Academy secured a strong second place with 4 out of 5 team matches won, followed by Del Norte High School in San Diego with 3.5 out of 5 and San Marino High School with 3 out of 5. Westview High School in San Diego placed fifth on team tiebreaks also with 3 out of 5 points.

The  University High School Irvine team has been awarded a perpetual golden cup championship trophy as the first-place winners. This prestigious trophy will return to San Diego each year for the subsequent High School Team Championships.

The event not only provided a platform for talented young players to showcase their skills but also cultivated a strong sense of sportsmanship, camaraderie and leadership among all participants.

– Submitted by Irina Nizmutdinova, SDCC Board Member, SCCF Board Member

The Bravo! section highlights achievements of our residents and groups. Send news of achievements for consideration to ocrbravo@gmail.com.

​ Orange County Register