The VW bus is 75 years old, here’s a look at its history

• March 15, 2025

The buzz about the bus

75 years ago this month the VW bus began production.

On March 8, 1950, Volkswagen, maker of the Beetle automobile, began producing its second vehicle, the microbus, known officially as the Volkswagen Type 2 (the Beetle was the Type 1) or the Transporter.

The VW bus was reportedly the brainchild of Dutch businessman Ben Pon, an importer of Beetles to the Netherlands, who saw a market for a small bus and in 1947 sketched out his concept. Volkswagen engineers further developed the idea. The bus eventually collected a number of nicknames, including the Combi (for combined-use vehicle), the Splittie (for its split windshield) and in Germany it was known as the Bulli.

According to “Bug” by Phil Patton, when Grateful Dead musician Jerry Garcia died in 1995, Volkswagen ran an ad featuring a drawing of the front of a bus with a tear streaming down it. The bus was a favorite of the hippie counterculture in the 1960s and surfers still today.

In the 1950s, the Volkswagen arrived in the U.S., and the initial reception was not very good but after a successful advertising campaign from the ad agency Doyle Dane Bernbach sales increased dramatically. VW became the top-selling auto import in the U.S. In 1972, the VW Beetle passed the iconic Ford Model T as the world’s best-selling car, with over 15 million vehicles produced.

Although the bus saw much success for over 40 years, its sales declined in the ’90s with so many minivans on the market. While the newer-model buses continued to struggle with sales, the classic VW Bus was finding huge sales at auction.

At the 2013 Palm Beach Barrett-Jackson classic car auction, a 1963 23-Window Safari Samba Microbus sold for $126,500. In Scottsdale the following year, a bidder bought a 1961 Deluxe 23-Window Microbus for $148,500 and every year since then, the sales of classic VW buses continually grows. Last year at a Barrett-Jackson auction in Palm Beach, Florida, a 1961 23-Window sold for $291,500.

Sources: Volkswagen, Ratwell.com, Car and Driver, History.com, motor1.com, invaluble.com, The Associated Press

​ Orange County Register 

UC Irvine women bounced by UC Davis in Big West Tournament semifinals

• March 15, 2025

It might have seemed unusual the way the game unfolded between the UC Irvine and UC Davis women’s basketball teams on Friday afternoon, except a very similar scenario played out in the other Big West Tournament semifinal an hour earlier.

Second-seeded UCI fell into a big first-half hole against Davis, clawed its way back in the second half, but could never get over the hump and ultimately lost, 63-56, at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada.

The third-seeded Aggies (21-11) advanced to play fourth-seeded UC San Diego (19-15) in the championship game on Saturday at 3 p.m.

UCSD, which became eligible to play in the Big West Tournament this season after joining the conference four years ago, raced out to a 22-4 lead after the first quarter against top-seeded Hawaii, led by as much as 27 late in the second, but needed a layup at the buzzer by Sumayah Sugapong to beat the top-seeded Rainbow Wahine, 51-49.

Hawaii (22-9) and UCI (21-10) had earned double byes into the semifinals by finishing in the top two spots in the regular-season standings.

UCI coach Tamara Inoue said there’s some benefit to UCSD and Davis having a game under their belt heading into the semifinals, but she doesn’t believe the top two seeds were at a disadvantage.

“This conference has done a tremendous job of protecting your one and two seeds in the best way possible,” Inoue said.

The Anteaters didn’t have to storm from as far back as Hawaii, but they did trail by 10 after the first quarter and by as many as 21 in the second.

UCI scored the first 11 points of the second half to trim the deficit to eight, was within five to begin the fourth quarter and made it a one-point game on a free throw by Summah Hanson with 5:37 remaining, and again on drive by Ines Gnahore with 4:34 left.

That was as close as the Anteaters could get, however.

Tova Sabel, who scored a game-high 21 points for UCD, sank a deep 3-pointer to beat the shot clock and then finished off a 2-on-1 break to give the Aggies a 58-52 lead with 2:19 left.

“They made that one 3 in the second half that really gutted us,” Inoue said.

The possibility of a comeback still looked promising when Sabel fouled out on a three-point play by Deja Lee, trimming the lead to 58-56 with 1:02 left, but Nya Epps made a difficult left-handed bank shot on the run with 41 seconds remaining to extend the lead back to two possessions.

Hunter Hernandez scored 15 points, Lee scored 13 and Gnahore scored 10 off the bench for the Anteaters, who were trying to advance to the championship game for the fourth time in the past five seasons.

They beat Davis in the championship game last season for their first Big West Tournament title since 1995, and knocked off the Aggies in both regular-season meetings this year, including on a last-second shot by Nikki Tom on March 6.

“Watching another team cut down the nets last year, it sticks with you,” UCD coach Jennifer Gross said. “It motivates you, it drives you, and our goal was to give ourselves that opportunity again.”

Something that has been an Achilles heel for UCI flared up again in the first half against the Aggies and that dampened its chances of keeping the score close.

UCI shot 6 for 30 (20%) from the floor in the first half, including 1 for 13 from 3-point range.

“It wasn’t our offense,” Inoue said. “It was just about making shots in tournament time. That’s what matters and the way we shot the ball, I was happy with what we looked at, it just didn’t go down.”

The Anteaters missed six of their first seven shots to start the game, while the Aggies made five of their first seven to open an early 15-2 lead.

Davis then went without a field goal for the final 6:02 of the opening quarter, but the Anteaters couldn’t take advantage and only trimmed the lead to 15-7 before the Aggies re-established a double-digit lead entering the second.

UCI shot 3 for 16 from the field in the opening quarter and missed all seven of its 3-point attempts.

“After that first media timeout, I just wanted to go check (the rim), just put a ball through that hoop to see if there was anything on it,” Inoue joked. “I thought we got really good looks, they were in and out.”

The Aggies continued to expand their lead in the second quarter.

Ryann Bennett, Sabel and Mazatlan Harris each hit deep 3-pointers in the opening three minutes to increase the lead to 28-11.

Bennett was inadvertently elbowed in the face by Lee with 3:32 left in the half and Sabel made both free throws to give UC Davis its biggest lead of the game at 32-11.

Bennett, the team’s fourth-leading scorer, did not return.

The lone bright spot in the opening 20 minutes for UCI was Gnahore, who more than doubled her season average (3.4 ppg) by scoring seven points in the first half, the same as the starting five for UCI, and she made the only 3-pointer against 12 misses for the Anteaters.

UCI found its rhythm in the third quarter, shooting 4 for 5 from behind the arc and 10 for 16 overall while outscoring the Aggies 26-12 to cut the lead to five entering the fourth.

​ Orange County Register 

Here’s what the symbolism of the California State Seal means

• March 15, 2025

The deal with seals

California is turning 175 years old later this year. To mark the occasion, we will be looking at several aspects of the state seal, as well as the nation’s seal and those of other states.

The seal of a nation or state is used for authenticating documents of high importance or high ceremony issued in the name of the sovereign or the chief executive authority, such as the president or governor. The California seal has changed several times over the years. The most recent version, the full-color version, was accepted as official in 1978.

The California State Capitol Museum tells the seal’s history:

“The Great Seal of the State of California was designed and approved at the 1849 Monterey Constitutional Convention. The complex imagery on the Great Seal serves as a snapshot in time, capturing some of the main issues facing the convention members. These included many activities and localities in the future state that were important to them – mining, farming and water transportation.

After the Constitutional Convention, the first set of seals were engraved, with further changes following over the next century. The Great Seal also includes two other state symbols: the grizzly bear and the state motto Eureka.”

The State Seal is stamped on official documents including California drivers’ licenses. It is on the badge for the California Highway Patrol.

If you look to the upper left you’ll see a tiny building in the distance. There is no official explanation as to what the building is and what it symbolizes. There are theories that it could be Fort Point in San Francisco as well as other urban legends that say it could be San Quentin Prison.

Sources: capitolmuseum.ca.gov, American Heritage Education Foundation.

​ Orange County Register 

Edison, victims’ experts to begin physical inspection of towers suspected in Eaton fire

• March 15, 2025

For the first time since the Eaton fire ignited Jan. 7, Southern California Edison and investigators for the victims next week will begin physically inspecting the equipment that more than 130 lawsuits allege sparked the deadly blaze.

The close-up inspections will include scaling three transmission towers and testing power lines under investigation for possible links to the fire’s origin, said Edison spokesperson Kathleen Dunleavy. To date, the towers have only been inspected by drones.

Besides Edison investigators, electrical engineers representing the plaintiffs in the litigation — including Los Angeles County and the cities of Pasadena and Sierra Madre — will be collaborating in the inspection.

“It’s a huge step toward determining the mechanism of the fire,” said attorney Michael Artinian, one of the lawyers representing victims of the Eaton fire, which destroyed more than 9,000 structures and killed 17 people. “We already have a lot of evidence to show the sparking that caused the fire, now we’re looking at the mechanism, the ‘how.’ “

Alexander Robertson, another attorney representing victims, said plaintiffs have been requesting access to Edison’s transmission towers and power lines since the fire occurred.

“It’s unfortunate that it took multiple court hearings to make this happen,” Robertson said.

Dunleavy responded: “We recognize that not all counsel is familiar with the complexity of utilities. It’s a complex business.”

The lawsuits point to eyewitness accounts, photographs and videos depicting arcing from Edison power lines and flames burning at the bottom of transmission towers. The suits contend that sparks from the lines or current from an exposed grounding wire made contact with the brush. They also criticize SCE for not deenergizing all the power lines in Eaton Canyon after the utility was warned days ahead that powerful winds were coming.

Edison has notified the Public Utilities Commission of irregularities in the system when it reenergized lines in the canyon, noting a “small flash of white light.”

A state and county investigation into the official cause of the fire is underway.

Much of the physical inspection will focus on three towers in the area where lawsuits allege the fire began, including one tower that was deenergized more than 50 years ago. One of the allegations is that the tower somehow became reenergized and triggered the fire.

In a news release, SCE said it does not anticipate having an immediate update following the upcoming inspection and testing, expecting its investigation will not be completed for several months.

The inspection announcement by SCE comes ahead of a court hearing Monday to set the protocol for preserving and providing evidence in the lawsuits. The court also is expected to appoint a trio of attorneys to act as liaisons between the court and more than 40 other law firms in the mass tort.

The firms are asking that the following lawyers be appointed as liaisons: Amanda L. Riddle of Corey, Luzaich, de Ghetaldi & Riddle; Gerald Singleton of Singleton Schreiber; and Rahul Ravipudi of Panish Shea Ravipudi.

SCE also announced Friday its efforts to rebuild the electrical system in the aftermath of the fierce windstorms that turned the Palisades and Eaton fires into hellscapes. SCE workers have set more than 1,860 poles, installed more than 690 transformers and strung at least 161 miles of power lines, officials said.

The utility said it also has expedited undergrounding projects and begun work to underground multiple sections of lines in Altadena and Malibu, where permits have been approved and projects were already engineered.

​ Orange County Register 

Rams re-sign DT Larrell Murchison to 1-year deal

• March 15, 2025

The Rams re-signed defensive tackle Larrell Murchison to a one-year contract, the team announced on Friday.

Murchison spent the previous three seasons with the Rams, providing depth along the defensive line. But he spent the entire 2024 season on injured reserve with different injuries.

With Bobby Brown III (Carolina Panthers) and Neville Gallimore (Indianapolis Colts) signing with other teams, Murchison’s return gives the Rams valuable defensive tackle depth behind Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Tyler Davis and free agent acquisition Poona Ford.

​ Orange County Register 

Huntington Hospital emergency room on lockdown after ‘credible threat’

• March 15, 2025

Huntington Hospital is on at least a partial lockdown after what was deemed to be a credible threat was made on Friday, March 14.

The emergency room of the hospital has been placed on lockdown, but it is unknown if the rest of the hospital was locked down, as well, Pasadena city spokesperson Lisa Derderian said.

The hospital received a threat from a man that was deemed credible, though he was not believed to be at the hospital or in the immediate area as of Friday evening, according to Derderian.

All ambulances have been diverted to other hospitals in the area.

The Pasadena Police Department is investigating. Specifics regarding the content of the threat and how it was made have not been provided.

This is a developing story. More information will be added when it becomes available.

​ Orange County Register 

SpaceX launches a new crew to the space station to replace NASA’s stuck astronauts

• March 14, 2025

By MARCIA DUNN, Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The replacements for NASA’s two stuck astronauts launched to the International Space Station on Friday night, paving the way for the pair’s return after nine long months.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams need SpaceX to get this relief team to the space station before they can check out. Arrival is set for late Saturday night.

NASA wants overlap between the two crews so Wilmore and Williams can fill in the newcomers on happenings aboard the orbiting lab. That would put them on course for an undocking next week and a splashdown off the Florida coast, weather permitting.

The duo will be escorted back by astronauts who flew up on a rescue mission on SpaceX last September alongside two empty seats reserved for Wilmore and Williams on the return leg.

Rocketing toward orbit from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the newest crew includes NASA’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, both military pilots; and Japan’s Takuya Onishi and Russia’s Kirill Peskov, both former airline pilots. They will spend the next six months at the space station, considered the normal stint, after springing Wilmore and Williams free.

As test pilots for Boeing’s new Starliner capsule, Wilmore and Williams expected to be gone just a week or so when they launched from Cape Canaveral on June 5. A series of helium leaks and thruster failures marred their trip to the space station, setting off months of investigation by NASA and Boeing on how best to proceed.

Eventually ruling it unsafe, NASA ordered Starliner to fly back empty last September and moved Wilmore and Williams to a SpaceX flight due back in February. Their return was further delayed when SpaceX’s brand new capsule needed extensive battery repairs before launching their replacements. To save a few weeks, SpaceX switched to a used capsule, moving up Wilmore and Williams’ homecoming to mid-March.

Already capturing the world’s attention, their unexpectedly long mission took a political twist when President Donald Trump and SpaceX’s Elon Musk vowed earlier this year to accelerate the astronauts’ return and blamed the former administration for stalling it.

Retired Navy captains who have lived at the space station before, Wilmore and Williams have repeatedly stressed that they support the decisions made by their NASA bosses since last summer. The two helped keep the station running — fixing a broken toilet, watering plants and conducting experiments — and even went out on a spacewalk together. With nine spacewalks, Williams set a new record for women: the most time spent spacewalking over a career.

A last-minute hydraulics issue delayed Wednesday’s initial launch attempt. Concern arose over one of the two clamp arms on the Falcon rocket’s support structure that needs to tilt away right before liftoff. SpaceX later flushed out the arm’s hydraulics system, removing trapped air.

The duo’s extended stay has been hardest, they said, on their families — Wilmore’s wife and two daughters, and Williams’ husband and mother. Besides reuniting with them, Wilmore, a church elder, is looking forward to getting back to face-to-face ministering and Williams can’t wait to walk her two Labrador retrievers.

“We appreciate all the love and support from everybody,” Williams said in an interview earlier this week. “This mission has brought a little attention. There’s goods and bads to that. But I think the good part is more and more people have been interested in what we’re doing” with space exploration.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

​ Orange County Register 

Marine Harrier plane arrives at Great Park restoration hangar for future aviation museum

• March 14, 2025

A storied AV-8B Harrier — a fighter plane that can lift off vertically — is the most recent historical aircraft delivered to an old Marine Corps Airstation El Toro hangar at the Irvine Great Park that is now being used to ready them for display in a new Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum.

The aircraft, which has the most combat hours for a Harrier while on active duty, arrived on Friday, March 14, after being trucked from the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina, where it most recently served with the Bulldogs of the Marine Attack Squadron 223. That squadron will be the last to use the aircraft through the end of 2026 as the Marines continue with its phase out.

The fighter is considered an aviation and engineering marvel with its vertical and short takeoff and landing capabilities, said retired Marine Brig. Gen. Mike Aguilar, the museum’s CEO and president, who was there to welcome it’s arrival in Irvine. The aircraft’s wings — removed for transport — were brought out first, then crews carried out the fuselage and lastly it’s back tail and fin.

“It’s a great addition to our collection, where we can explain the Marine Corps’ unique capability to deploy off amphibious ships by doing a vertical lift,” said Aguilar, who retired in 2002 after flying Cobra helicopters.

Typically, the Harrier, which the Marines are phasing out along with the F-18s, was used for close air support of ground troops and armed reconnaissance. The aircraft are being replaced with the new-age F-35 II fighters.

While the Harriers were not flown at Camp Pendleton or the Marine’s Miramar Air Station in San Diego, they were employed at Marine Corps Airstation Yuma in Arizona, Aguilar said.

The aircraft’s arrival comes just about a year after the first military planes destined for the future museum “landed” at Hangar 297, which, during its heyday, was the home of an aerial tanker transport squadron.

Once complete, the Great Park museum will showcase more than 40 aircraft, some owned by the museum and others from the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Virgina.

The aircraft there now are all Marine fixed-wing or rotary. Five have been fully renovated, and others are being worked on and stored in preparation for the museum’s opening in late 2026 or early 2027. Aguilar said construction on the museum building could start as early as May 1.

The museum, planned as a 100,000-square-foot facility that will be built close to the old hangar, is a private-public partnership between the Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation, the city of Irvine and the Marine Corps.

The aviation museum is joining the Great Park’s “Cultural Terrace,” where other destinations such as a new Pretend City Children’s Museum and Orange County Music & Dance are planned. The city is also working on grading for the future Heart of the Park features.

Aguilar said the Harrier played a significant role in Marine Aviation history and was a monumental leap forward due to its unique abilities.

This particular aircraft has seen 1,549 combat hours, which is the most of any Harrier still in the inventory. The plane served in Iraq and Afghanistan and in other operations in the Indian Ocean.

​ Orange County Register