Masseur arrested on suspicion of sexual assault at Riverside acupuncture clinic

• April 30, 2023

An employee has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a patron at an acupuncture clinic in Riverside, police said Saturday, April 29.

In early March, Riverside Police Department officers began an investigation into the reported sexual assault. A woman reported she was assaulted during a massage treatment by an employee at “Healing Tree Acupuncture & Wellness Center,” in the 3900 block of Jackson Street.

Detectives assigned to the Sexual Assault & Child Abuse Unit identified the suspect as 67-year-old Jungsik Mo of Anaheim Hills, Riverside police said in a news release.

It was discovered he worked as an unlicensed masseuse at the clinic and his wife is the owner. Police said they have another location in Fullerton named “Haim Healing Center.” Detectives arrested Mo in Riverside on Monday, April 24, on two counts of suspected sexual assault, and he has since been released on $75,000 bail.

A request for comment on the allegations and the arrest was placed with the Healing Tree business.

Detectives believe there may be additional victims who sought treatment at the Riverside business, the release said.

Anyone with information regarding the investigation can contact Detective Edward Vazquez at (951) 353-7136 or [email protected]

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NYC partly shutters 4 parking garages after deadly collapse

• April 30, 2023

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN

NEW YORK — After the deadly collapse of a parking structure in lower Manhattan, New York City building officials swept through dozens of parking garages and ordered four of them to immediately shutter because of structural defects that “deteriorated to the point where they were now posing an immediate threat to public safety.”

Two of the parking garages have apartments above them — a 25-story high-rise in downtown Manhattan and an eight-story building in Chinatown — but officials said the residential areas appear to be in no danger.

City officials directed the owners of the parking facilities to make immediate repairs to corroded concrete and other damage.

Inspections were launched soon after a three-story stand-alone parking structure, about a century old, imploded into shards of concrete and twisted metal on April 18, crushing to death its manager.

“This work was done in the interest of public safety, and out of an abundance of caution,” said Department of Buildings spokesperson Andrew Rudansky.

“During our sweep of 78 parking structures, we found four locations where structural concerns necessitated areas of the buildings to be immediately vacated,” he said.

FILE — Cars are seen at the partial collapse of a parking garage in the Financial District of New York, April 19, 2023, in New York. After the deadly collapse of a parking structure in lower Manhattan, New York City building officials swept through dozens of parking garages and ordered four of them to immediately shutter because of structural issues that “deteriorated to the point where they were now posing an immediate threat to public safety.” (Tom Kaminski/WCBS 880 News via AP)

The city last year began mandating that parking structures be inspected by owners at least once every six years. The first wave of garages, located from the southern tip of Manhattan to the lower Central Park area, have until the end of the year to complete initial inspections.

The structure that collapsed earlier this month had not yet completed its required inspection, city officials said.

Why it collapsed is still under investigation but the building had been previously cited for various structural defects, including signs of corrosion in concrete called “spalling.”

Two decades ago, city inspectors cited the property owner for failing to properly maintain the building, finding at the time that there were “cracks and defects” in the concrete. A more recent inspection in fall 2013 showed no further structural issues, building officials said.

The garage, a few blocks from City Hall and the Brooklyn Bridge, caved in just as the first trickles of patrons were beginning to return to the garage after work.

The collapse shook nearby buildings and terrified people who described the sound of the falling structure as a massive explosion and compared the experience to a violent earthquake.

Enterprise Ann Parking, which operated the garage on Ann Street, said it was cooperating with authorities on the probe.

Inspectors have since visited 17 parking garages managed by the same company, as well as 61 additional buildings with parking garages that had open structural citations.

They found four properties with structural damage in the parking garages where the damage was so bad, the city issued vacate orders to at least parts of the structures.

Underneath the 25-story building in lower Manhattan, inspectors found concrete slabs “extensively corroded, with spalled concrete on the underside of two-floor slab ceilings.” As a result, more than half of the garage is now off-limits and its operators ordered to provide protected pathways in those places.

But engineers found no need to vacate any residential areas of the building.

Similarly, building officials said residents could stay put in a Chinatown apartment building despite finding “numerous severely deteriorated and rusted steel beams, with excessive cracked and spalling concrete piers.”

A two-story parking structure in Brooklyn was in such disrepair, the city said, that it ordered the shuttering of the entire structure. Another two-story structure in the borough was partially closed because of extensively corroded beams and deteriorated vehicle ramps.

The four buildings can’t reopen until repairs are made and pass inspection.

Because inspections of parking garages continue, officials said there could be more enforcement action to come.

Meanwhile, crews continue clearing debris from the fallen structure.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg had opened an investigation into the collapse.

An initial investigation by the building department noted that all three floors of the garage partially or completely collapsed. The garage’s rear wall partially collapsed, and the front facade bulged.

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SURFscapes rides a wave into Surf City

• April 30, 2023

A new beachside expo, SURFscape, is bringing retailers, surfers and outdoor enthusiasts together at a new festival-style event in Huntington Beach.

The free event, which continues Sunday, offers people an “interactive surf experience” with about 90 booths across right on the shore south of the pier – visitors can try surfboards and wetsuits right in there in the water.

Among the well-known brands participating are Quiksilver, Billabong and O’Neill, as well as up-and-coming newer brands and outdoor-focused brands that tap into the new “van life” trend, with trailers, campers and other accessories on hand, as well as electric bikes.

Native like Water, a surf therapy group, has been showcasing its “SUPsquatch,” an eight-person stand-up paddleboard used for team building, and a Rising Tides panel discussion focused on sustainability and the environment.

SURFscape is said to be the first surf-themed trade show held in Southern California in more than a decade.

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NFL draft: USC OL Andrew Vorhees scooped up by Ravens in 7th round

• April 30, 2023

After a draft process marked by misfortune and inspiration, Andrew Vorhees found his new home on Day 3 of the NFL draft.

The former USC offensive lineman was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the seventh round with the 229th pick of the draft.

Vorhees was viewed as a potential first-round pick following the 2021 season before deciding to return to USC for his extra season of eligibility. He was an integral senior leader in Lincoln Riley’s first year at USC while starting at left guard for the Trojans in 11 games and being named a first-team All American by the Associated Press and Pro Football Focus.

He was still a likely first- or second-day prospect entering this year’s draft. But Vorhees tore his ACL at the NFL combine in March. After learning the extent of the injury the next day, Vorhees still participated in the bench press. He went up to the equipment in crutches and still lifted the most reps of any prospect at the combine.

That viral moment was not enough to stop Vorhees’ slide following knee surgery, but the Ravens traded back into the seventh round to pick the 6-foot-6 lineman, who also has experience at tackle from his time at USC.

Vorhees was the fourth USC player taken in the 2023 draft, joining receiver Jordan Addison (Vikings, first round), defensive end Tuli Tuipulotu (Chargers, second) and corner Mekhi Blackmon (Vikings, third).

It was a tough weekend at the draft for Trojans coming off of injuries. Running back Travis Dye, who broke his ankle in a November game, went undrafted. So did center Brett Neilon, who suffered a leg injury in the Pac-12 championship game.

Dye signed an undrafted free agent deal with the New York Jets, according to the Oregonian.

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University’s James MacDonald, Woodbridge’s Tallakson brothers win titles at Ojai tennis tournament

• April 30, 2023

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The Pacific Coast League showed its strength once again at The Ojai Tennis Tournament on Saturday at Libbey Park.

University, however, is moving toward its own class.

Senior James MacDonald captured the CIF boys singles title and the doubles team of senior Ani Gupta and junior SangHyuk Im reached the semifinals to lead the Trojans to their third consecutive Griggs trophy as the team champion at the prestigious event.

Woodbridge brothers Avery and Brayden Tallakson claimed the doubles title by defeating Rex Harrison and Aden Dorros from The Bishop’s of La Jolla 6-4, 6-2 in the finals of the 121st edition of the tournament.

The Tallaksons beat Gupta and Im in the semifinals 6-2, 6-0 in the semifinals.

Avery Tallakson is committed to New Mexico and Brayden is a freshman.

University has won the Griggs trophy nine times, second all-time to Santa Barbara (14), one of the oldest high schools in the state.

MacDonald, the No. 2 seed, defeated No. 1 Niels Hoffmann of Corona del Mar 6-4, 6-2 in the final to become the third consecutive University player to claim singles title.

The Harvard-bound MacDonald joined University’s Conrad Brown, now at UC Santa Barbara, and Aditya Gupta, now at Penn, as past Ojai singles champions.

The Trojans’ success arrives after an undefeated run in the Pacific Coast League, which includes Woodbridge, and a runner-up finish to Punahou of Hawaii at the All-American tournament in March.

“It is crazy what we are doing,” University coach John Kessler said. “Just historical stuff.”

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Earlier this season, the USC-committed Hoffmann defeated MacDonald during one of the teams’ nonleague matches.

MacDonald has said he hopes to walk-on at Harvard, ranked 12th in the nation.

Orange County swept the singles and doubles titles in Ojai for the second consecutive season. Last April, Brown and Valencia’s doubles teams of Warren Pham and Advik Mareedu produced the county’s first sweep since 2013.

The county has won four straight singles titles in Ojai overall. Stefan Dostanic of Woodbridge, now at USC, won the championship in 2018.

​ Orange County Register 

CIF-SS softball polls: Final 2023

• April 30, 2023

CIF-SS SOFTBALL POLLS

(Selected by the CIF-SS Softball Committee)

DIVISION 1

1. Norco

2. Los Alamitos

3. Huntington Beach

4. Orange Lutheran

5. Murrieta Mesa

6. Oaks Christian

7. La Mirada

8. Esperanza

9. Riverside Poly

10. Pacifica/Garden Grove

DIVISION 2

1. Moorpark

2. Rio Mesa

3. Torrance North

4. Ayala

5. Marina

6. Millikan

7. Valley View

8. JSerra

9. Canyon

10. Grand Terrace

DIVISION 3

1. Cypress

2. Aliso Niguel

3. Santa Margarita

4. St. Paul

5. Ramona

6. Cajon

7. El Toro

8. Capistrano Valley

9. Etiwanda

10. Rancho Cucamonga

DIVISION 4

1. Burroughs

2. Schurr

3. Dos Pueblos

4. Fullerton

5. Mayfair

6. ML King

7. Hillcrest

8. Highland

9. Woodbridge

10. El Dorado

DIVISION 5

1. Trabuco Hills

2. Irvine

3. Northwood

4. Mary Star of the Sea

5. Liberty

6. Silverado

7. Santa Paula

8. Paraclete

9. Covina

10. Santa Clara

DIVISION 6

1. JW North

2. Village Christian

3. Monrovia

4. Valley Christian/Cerritos

5. Artesia

6. Glenn

7. Cantwell Sacred Heart

8. Bloomington

9. Granite Hills

10. Azusa

Others:  None

DIVISION 7

1. Ontario

2. Ganesha

3. Crean Lutheran

4. Baldwin Park

5. Flintridge Prep

6. Tahquitz

7. Maranatha

8. Santa Ana Valley

9. Rubidoux

10. Loma Linda Academy

​ Orange County Register 

Royal Drama: King’s fractious family on stage at coronation

• April 29, 2023

By Danica Kirka | Associated Press

LONDON — King Charles III lives in a palace, travels in a chauffeur-driven Bentley and is one of Britain’s richest men, but he’s similar to many of his subjects in one very basic way: His family life is complicated — very complicated.

There’s a second wife, an embarrassing brother, and an angry son and daughter-in-law, all with allies who aren’t shy about whispering family secrets in the ears of friendly reporters.

The new king will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for Charles’ coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, are attending.

How Charles manages his family drama over the coming weeks and years is crucial to the king’s efforts to preserve and protect the 1,000-year-old hereditary monarchy he now embodies. Without the respect of the public, the House of Windsor risks being lumped together with pop stars, social media influencers and reality TV contestants as fodder for the British tabloids, undermining the cachet that underpins its role in public life.

Royal historian Hugo Vickers says people should look past the sensational headlines and focus on what Charles accomplishes now that he is king.

“In a sense, he sort of becomes a new man when he becomes king,” said Vickers, author of “Coronation: The Crowning of Elizabeth II.”

“Look at him as he is now, look at him the way he is approaching everything, look at his positivity and look at how right he’s been on so many issues,” he added. “Unfortunately, he had those difficult times with his marriages and some of the other issues, but we live in a very tricky era.”

The horror show came back to haunt Charles last week, when the king’s estranged younger son, Prince Harry, dropped a new round of allegations Tuesday about the royal family into the middle of the coronation buildup.

In written evidence for his invasion of privacy claim against a British newspaper, Harry claimed his father prevented him from filing the lawsuit a decade ago. The prince said Charles didn’t want to dredge up graphic testimony about his extramarital affair with the former Camilla Parker-Bowles when he was married to the late Princess Diana.

Diana was the mother of Harry and his elder brother and heir to the throne, William, the Prince of Wales. Camilla, now the queen consort, went on to marry Charles in 2005 and will be crowned alongside her husband at Westminster Abbey.

If the past is any indication, attention will now shift to body language, seating plans and even wardrobe choices during the coronation, as royal watchers look for any signs of a thaw in the family tensions.

But Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, doesn’t expect Harry to have a lot of contact with the rest of his family. In any case, Harry won’t be in the U.K. for long, so there’s not much time for fence mending.

“The stuff that we discovered (Tuesday) is really not going to help his cause,” Little said. “But, you know, will there be time to go over all that with the king and the Prince of Wales? Unlikely.”

The royal soap opera didn’t begin with the current generation of royals. After all, Edward VIII sparked a constitutional crisis in 1936 when he abdicated the throne to marry the twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson.

Charles’ grandfather, George VI, is credited with saving the monarchy with a life of low-key public service after he replaced his flamboyant elder brother. The late Queen Elizabeth II burnished the family’s reputation during a 70-year reign, in which she became a symbol of stability who cheered the nation’s victories and comforted it during darker times.

But Charles grew up in a different era, under the glare of media attention as deference to the monarchy faded.

He has been a controversial figure ever since the very public breakdown of his marriage to Diana, who was revered by many people for her looks and her compassion.

Diana alleged that there had been “three people” in the marriage, pointing the finger at Charles’ longtime love Camilla Parker-Bowles.

Camilla, initially reviled by Diana’s fans, has worked hard to rehabilitate her image. Her ex-husband and their children are expected to attend the coronation, with her grandsons serving as pages of honor.

She supports a raft of causes, ranging from adult literacy to protecting the victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. But even that effort has sparked tensions.

Harry claimed in his memoir “Spare” that the senior royals leaked unflattering stories about him to the news media in return for more favorable coverage, particularly to improve Camilla’s image.

At the time of their marriage in 2018, Harry and Meghan were celebrated as the new face of the monarchy. Meghan, a biracial American actress, brought a touch of Hollywood glamour to the royal family and many observers hoped she would help the Windsors connect with younger people in an increasingly multicultural nation.

Those hopes quickly crumbled amid allegations that palace officials were insensitive to Meghan’s mental health struggles as she adjusted to royal life.

Harry and Meghan walked away from frontline royal duties three years ago and moved to California, from which they have lobbed repeated critiques at the House of Windsor.

In a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey they hinted at racism in the palace, alleging that one unidentified member of the royal family had inquired about the color of their unborn son’s skin before his birth.

Harry, i n a Netflix series broadcast last year, said the episode was an example of unconscious bias and that the royal family needed to “learn and grow” so it could be “part of the solution rather than part of the problem.”

The repeated attacks led to months of speculation about whether the couple would be invited to the coronation. The palace finally answered that question two weeks ago when it announced that Harry would attend but Meghan would remain in California with their two children.

And then there is Charles’ brother Prince Andrew, who became a toxic time bomb inside the royal family when the world learned about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the financier’s long-time girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Epstein, who was convicted of sex crimes in 2008, died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on a second set of charges. Maxwell was convicted last year of helping procure young girls for Epstein and is serving a 20-year sentence at a federal prison in Florida.

Andrew gave up his royal duties in 2019 after a disastrous interview with the BBC in which he tried to explain away his links to Epstein and Maxwell. He was stripped of his honorary military titles and patronages as he prepared to defend a civil lawsuit filed by a woman who said she was forced to have sex with the prince when she was a teenager.

Andrew denied the allegations but settled the suit last year before it came to trial. While terms of the agreement weren’t released, The Sun newspaper reported that Charles and the late queen paid the bulk of the estimated 7 million pound ($8.7 million) settlement.

“I think it was inevitable that when Charles became king, a lot of the personal stuff would come back to haunt him,″ Little said. “I think as far as the king is concerned, he just has to shrug his shoulders and get on with the job in hand.”

Follow AP’s coverage of King Charles III at https://apnews.com/hub/king-charles-iii

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CIF-SS Division 1 softball playoff bracket creates challenging road for O.C. teams

• April 29, 2023

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Huntington Beach might have its best team under veteran softball coach Jeff Forsberg.

Pacifica has found its stride again after a couple of stumbles in league.

But if either team is going to make a deep run in the CIF-SS playoffs, they will have to navigate the early challenges of a very different Division 1 bracket.

Get ready for a 16-team bracket in the premier group of the section playoffs.

The CIF-SS on Saturday released a 16-team, Division 1 playoff bracket, a major break from its traditional 32-team bracket. The schedule features eight wild-card round games Tuesday.

Huntington Beach (22-5) and Pacifca (19-8), ranked third and 10th in the final coaches’ poll for Division 1, will play host to Westlake (18-8-1) and Bonita (18-9), respectively, in wild-card games.

If the county teams win, they will play at Torrance (23-4) and La Mirada (18-7), respectively, in the first round Thursday. Neither Torrance or La Mirada plays in the wild card round, so Huntington Beach and Pacifica face the extra hurdle of managing aces Zoe Prystajko and Brynne Nally.

Forsberg said his team is going after the title regardless of the draw.

“We got to win the games anyway,” said Forsberg, whose squad was ranked No. 1 in the section last week before falling in eight innings at Los Alamitos in the Sunset League title game. “But I’m surprised we’re playing Tuesday.”

Three county contenders avoided the wild-card round: league champions Los Alamitos (24-3), Orange Lutheran (21-5) and Esperanza (19-6). Those three teams will be home in the first round Thursday.

The Griffins and Lancers are seeded second and third, respectively, behind Norco (24-3). Huntington Beach is seeded fourth.

The reason for the 16-team bracket, section assistant commissioner and spokesperson Thom Simmons confirmed, was that the section received 24 playoff entries, one shy of the threshold needed for a 32-team bracket.

The 24 entries came from a pool of 27 teams placed in Division 1 for this season. That means only three teams missed the playoffs in Division 1. They were Mater Dei, La Habra and Upland, all of whom didn’t earn automatic playoff berths from their league and lacked the .500 overall record to apply for at-large spots.

Mission Viejo (14-13-1), the Division 2 champion last year, and Villa Park (17-11), an at-large entry, also will play in the Division 1 wild-card round Tuesday. The Diablos play host to Camarillo (16-5) while Villa Park plays at Chino Hills (15-8).

The remaining six divisions for the playoffs all feature 32-team brackets.

Three Orange County Top 10 teams — Marina (20-7), JSerra (17-10) and Canyon (17-10) — were placed in the upper-half of Division 2. If Canyon and JSerra win home games Thursday, they would meet in the second round May 9.

The county is well-represented in Division 3. Empire League champion Cypress (19-3-1), South Coast League champion Aliso Niguel (22-4) and Trinity League No. 3 Santa Margarita (16-11-1) are seeded first, second and third, respectively.

In Division 4, Fullerton (19-6) is seeded fourth as it makes its first postseason appearance since 2016-17. The Freeway League’s No. 3 entry opens at San Jacinto (14-7) on Thursday.

Pacific Coast League rivals Irvine (16-10) and Northwood (10-7) are seeded first and second in Division 5.

Trabuco Hills (14-11) finished as the No. 1-ranked team in Division 5 but missed the playoffs because the division didn’t have room for any at-large teams and the Mustangs failed to secure an automatic berth in the four-team Sea View League.

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