Stagecoach 2023: Chris Stapleton, Brooks & Dunn and Diplo wrap up the fest

• May 1, 2023

The third and final day of the Stagecoach Country Music Festival on Sunday, April 30 started off a little slow. Though there were noticeably more fans on-site earlier in the day, the temperatures did not let up over the long weekend, still hitting over 100 degrees by mid-afternoon.

Festivalgoers didn’t seem to be in too much of a hurry to get to any particular place on the venue grounds and instead hung out in the shaded areas, ducked into the buildings and activations that had air-conditioning and continued to enjoy beer and cocktails in the blistering sun.

The wind also picked up in the early evening and large gusts blew the cowboy hats right off the heads of guests and sent them sprinting after them as they tumbled away. When the sun went down, the energy picked up. Some women traded out their cowboy boots for flip flops and were ready to dance along to the closing acts — Tyler Childers in the Palomino, Brooks & Dunn and Chris Stapleton on the Mane Stage and EDM artist and producer Diplo closed out the Late Night in Palomino after-party with an overflowing tent of enthusiastic fans soaking up the final moments of the festival.

Stapleton isn’t one for small talk. Instead, the country outlier let his songs and guitar playing do the talking.

“We’re going to play as much music as we can,” Stapleton said over the screaming crowd. With a soft, iridescent light shining on the band, he skipped any fancy on-stage gimmicks: pyrotechnics, elaborate lighting and special guests.

Stapleton’s band was fully in sync as they explored the elements of his Southern rock and soul sound with guitar solos galore. He opened with a pair of his breakout its: “Nobody to Blame” and “Parachute,” which seemed to please the crowd as fans danced around in the field. The set was pretty slow paced, with several 30 seconds or longer interludes between songs, during which the stage went dark. But even with those pauses, he kept fans screaming as they could be heard calling out “I love you Chris Stapleton!” in the quieter moments.

He played “Second One To Know” and a rendition of Kevin Welch’s “Millionaire,” with his wife, Morgane, by his side providing backing vocals and harmonizing with her beau, too. Stapleton’s voice and guitar playing shined through “Cold,” “Midnight Train to Memphis,” “Arkansas,” “Fire Away” and his cover of David Allan Coe’s “Tennessee Whiskey.”

Country music duo Brooks & Dunn put on a nostalgia-filled, high-energy show that kicked off with the mighty “Brand New Man,” which instantly had the crowd singing along. They also had no problem belting out most of “Red Dirt Road” as Ronnie Dunn pointed his mic out into the front rows and let them take it away. Kix Brooks looked to be overheating a bit as he sang the ballad, “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone.” Whatever may have been bugging him, he shook it off and pounded on his guitar for “Hard Workin’ Man” and the saucy “Rock My World (Little Country Girl).”

Fans swayed and sang along to the heartbreak song “Neon Moon” and tried to keep up with Dunn as he can still hit those very high notes of Daniel Moore and B.W. Stevenson’s “My Maria.” They ended their turn with “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” and “Only in America,” during which they brought out members of different branches of the military in uniform on stage to salute them.

Unlike its Coachella big sister fest, the 15th annual Stagecoach Festival didn’t have too many special guest appearances, which could be due to the fact that most of the genre’s prominent players were performing at Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday party at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on Saturday and Sunday. There were a few quick appearances here and there, however. Lainey Wilson came out with Brooks & Dunn to sing Reba McEntire’s parts on “Cowgirls Don’t Cry,” Kane Brown’s wife, Katelyn Jae, joined him for “Thank God” during his headlining set on Saturday, April 29 and Breland showed up at Nelly’s Late Night in Palomino set for “Country Grammar” on Saturday, too.

Parker McCollum, who was named ACM’s 2022 new male artist of the year, set the mood for the last sunset slot on the Stagecoach Mane Stage. The Texas-based crooner’s knack for creating coming-of-age, heartbroken tales seemed to go over quite well as fans sang each song like their lives depended on it. One woman was even spotted shedding some tears as she sang, “I Can’t Breathe.”

“I’ve been looking forward to this show all year,” McCollum said with a grin. “I’ve dreamed of playing Stagecoach since I was a kid and to have my name under Brooks & Dunn and Chris Stapleton is insane to me.”

In many ways the set was a testament to where he’s going as he played multiple new tracks off his forthcoming record, “Never Enough,” due out on May 12. He also made sure to play “Like A Cowboy,” a song he mentioned that was actually written by Stapleton. Other highlights included his hits “Handle On You” and “Pretty Heart.”

Earlier in the day, singer-songwriter and “Yellowstone” actor Ryan Bingham pulled a sizable crowd for his set in the Palomino. He performed “Sunrise” and got significant crowd reactions when he went into “Southside of Heaven,” which carried more of a Honky Tonk feel than his studio recording and got the crowd to stomp, cheer and dance with their partners. He also played his Oscar-award-winning song “The Weary Kind,” which was featured in the film “Crazy Heart.”

Over at the Mane Stage, the gaps between the crowds filled with anticipation for Lainey Wilson, who also has a role on “Yellowstone.” She was introduced by the TV series’ creator Taylor Sheridan who got the crowd to yell her name before she came out. During her performance, she told the crowd that Sheridan reached out to her about creating a character based on her persona and bell bottom pants for the show.

“‘Yellowstone’ has been really good to me, and they put my music in seasons two and three and allowed me to share music with a whole lot of people,” Wilson said.

Her set was full of twangy bass lines that complimented her Southern accent in songs such as “Grease,” “Watermelon Moonshine,” “Hold My Halo,” a cover of 4 Non Blondes “What’s Up” and her hit “Heart Like a Truck.”

Tyler Childers closed out the Palomino with several songs that caught the audience’s attention including “Old Country Church,” “Honky Tonk Flame” and “Heart You’ve Been Tendin.’” Before his set, Oklahoma-based group Turnpike Troubadours — who are back after announcing an indefinite hiatus in 2019 — fired through hits like “Before The Devil Knows We’re Dead,” “Long Hot Summer Day” and “Good Lord Lorrie.”

 More Stagecoach Country Music Festival news

Stagecoach 2023: 5 fun non-music activities to do at the festival 

Stagecoach 2023: Ready to party, yet stay sober? There’s a tent for that

Stagecoach 2023: See photos of performers and fans from Day 2

Stagecoach 2023: Kane Brown, Bryan Adams and Nelly close out Day 2

Stagecoach 2023: Guy Fieri, Jon Pardi toss barbecued turkey legs to hungry fans 

Stagecoach 2023: Trixie Mattel slays Late Night in Palomino performance 

Stagecoach 2023: See photos of performers and fans from Day 1

Stagecoach 2023: Luke Bryan keeps fans singing, Jon Pardi gets a surprise on stage during Day 1

Stagecoach 2023: Country music fans, performers brave the heat and cut loose during Day 1

​ Orange County Register 

Kings reflect on season, look ahead

• May 1, 2023

EL SEGUNDO –– Mere hours after their sobering elimination at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers in the first round for a second consecutive season, the Kings were reflective but already looking ahead to another opportunity next year.

Even though the Kings advanced no further in the postseason than last year, in fact they lost in six games in this campaign’s first round rather than seven in 2022, they asserted, to a man, that the team had improved considerably year over year.

“We’re definitely a better team this year than we were last year, I don’t think there’s any doubt at all about that. But, unfortunately, (Edmonton) got better, too,” said defenseman Drew Doughty, who, like winger Viktor Arvidsson, missed last year’s series with an injury but played in all six games this time.

Yet 2022-23 was a banner year during the regular season, wherein the Kings fell a point shy of the franchise record 105 points from 1974-75 and posted the second-best conversion rate on the power play in team history. They scored more per game than in any season since 1993-94, the same moment they last had a 40-goal scorer (Luc Robitaille) before Adrian Kempe potted 41 this season. Trade acquisition Kevin Fiala had six points in three playoff games and, during the regular season, became just the second King to average more than a point-per-game over 60 or more contests in a campaign since Ziggy Palffy in 2003-4.

If literally every Kings player and coach proved less than persuasive and the numbers rang hollow, take it from the authority on scoring, Edmonton captain Connor McDavid, whose 153 points this season were a throwback to the 80s and the second most ever for a player other than Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux.

“I saw huge growth offensively. We knew their system, they played their system really well. They’re so well-coached, Todd (McLellan) has that group really dialed in,” said McDavid, who played for McLellan early in his career. “A healthy Arvidsson, a healthy Doughty, you add Fiala to that series, that’s a pretty potent offensive side. And the power play, I remember last year it wasn’t clicking the way it was this year.”

Advancement in their own process as well as keeping pace with Edmonton, defending champion Colorado and division winner Vegas, among others, started Sunday. Where General Manager Rob Blake was able to enrich his roster with significant pieces in each of the past two offseasons –– a trio of pick-ups headlined by free-agent signing Phillip Danault in 2021 and Fiala via trade in 2022 –– the Kings now face salary-cap constraints.

“It’s more shaping, probably, this summer. The growth of some more players that are getting into that mix that are pushing the leadership group,” said Blake, adding he didn’t see many holes to fill. “I’m not sure it’s as easy to go and add like it has been in the past summers because of the salary-cap situation for the year.”

Per CapFriendly, the Kings project to have around $2.6 million in cap space for next season currently, which will likely necessitate moves to accommodate re-signings and acquisitions. All three roster players the Kings scooped up at the trade deadline (defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, goalie Joonas Koripsalo and winger Zack MacEwen) are headed toward some form of free agency, as are several members of the Kings’ bottom-six forward group, most notably Gabe Vilardi.

There’s mutual interest in an extension between unrestricted free agents to be Gavrikov and Korpisalo and the Kings, but the cap space they have following extensions for defenseman Mikey Anderson, forward Trevor Moore and backup goalie Pheonix Copley may not be quite enough to sign either, let alone both. Vilardi is arbitration-eligible, and after 23 goals in 63 games, the Kings would likely strive to avoid a hearing by agreeing to terms.

Vilardi provided an internal boost, the type the Kings hope for from some younger players next season as well. One that has been almost as mercurial as he has been tantalizing is sniping winger Arthur Kaliyev, who flashed brilliance at times early on but found himself scratched and then sick during the playoffs.

“Kaliyev can be an impactful NHL player, and not only can be, but we need him to be,” McLellan said.

Defenseman Alex Edler is an unrestricted free agent and fellow rearguard Sean Walker is in the final year of his contract. Edler said he would have to evaluate several factors including team interest, his health (which he said was fine, in fact there were no offseason surgeries awaiting the Kings) and his family’s wishes before deciding to return to the Kings or perhaps the NHL at all next season. Walker, who surmounted a grisly facial injury two years ago and a career-threatening knee injury last season, said that in looking at the totality of the situation, he wasn’t overly confident that he’d return next season. Then, prospect Brandt Clarke will be back in what was already a deep defense corps for the Kings that excluded solid aspirants such as Jordan Spence.

“You know the guys that are coming up, you know where the cap’s at. So, we’ll see what happens,” Walker said. “I know I can contribute and play here, and that’s where I want to be, but at the end of the day, the organization’s got to do what they think is best.”

Blake threw his support behind McLellan, offering only an affirmative “yes” when asked if McLellan would return as coach for the fifth and, for now, final season of his pact. McLellan expressed satisfaction with assistant coaches Trent Yawney and Jim Hiller as well. Yawney worked with the defenseman and ran the penalty kill, the latter of which faltered in the playoffs and often earlier in the season.

Amid the free-flowing dialogue, the elephant in the room was the future of goalie Cal Petersen, who was once anointed the starter and given $15 million reasons to stop the puck over three years. Year 1 of that meaty extension got off to an acrid start at the NHL level and didn’t improve as much as one might expect even after a demotion to the minors, where he competed for most of the season. He wasn’t claimed off waivers and subsequent interest was also evidently non-existent, leaving the Kings with a reclamation endeavor to add to what McLellan described as a “summer project” doing a deep dive on the woeful PK. Petersen, 28, went 16-20-4 with a .904 save percentage in the minors, and performed poorly in two playoff outings, losing both with a .826 mark.

“We’ve got to get Cal to be an NHL goaltender,” Blake said. “That’s why we signed him to (the contract). It was a tough start to the season, in that situation, he was real good about going down and playing games, but that’s a big summer for him to come back and compete.”

When asked to clarify if that meant he thought Petersen would start the year with the big club, Blake’s response bordered on non-committal.

“Yeah, hopefully, yeah,” he said.

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​ Orange County Register 

LPGA: Hannah Green wins JM Eagle LA Championship in playoff

• May 1, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Australian Hannah Green rallied from behind in Sunday’s final round to win the JM Eagle LA Open at Wilshire Country Club, surviving a three-way playoff with Aditi Ashok and Xiyu Lin to claim her third LPGA title.

With Ashok and Lin already in the clubhouse at 9 under par after making birdies on the par-3 18th hole, Green forced her way into the playoff by making a 25-foot birdie putt. It was just Green’s second birdie of the day, but it provided her with a boost of confidence that propelled her to victory in the playoff.

“Pretty much all day I left every putt short, I guess I knew how quick the greens were in previous years, and I was just frightened to give myself that four- or five-footer coming back,” Green said. “I knew I needed to get it to the hole and I knew I needed to hit it a little bit harder than what I had all day. I don’t often get my caddie to read my putt, but I pulled him in for the last hole, and we both saw the same line, so it was nice to have that confidence that I was seeing the correct line, and yeah, just stroked it and it went perfectly in the hole.”

With all three players having finished regulation at 9-under 275, they headed back to the 18th hole to start the sudden-death playoff where all three hit exceptional tee shots. Ashok was first to putt, with her 15-foot birdie attempt hitting the edge of the cup and spinning off.

Seconds later, Lin eliminated Ashok from the playoff by converting her 12-foot birdie putt. Needing to maker her putt to keep her chances alive, Green calmly holed a 4-foot birdie putt, sending her and Lin back to 18th tee box for the third time on the day.

Lin pushed her tee shot right with it coming to rest in a bunker on the right side of the green. Seizing an opportunity to put the pressure on Lin to get up and down from the bunker, Green hit another great tee shot that left her 25-feet from the cup.

Lin, who had struggled out of the bunkers all week, barely got her bunker shot onto the green, leaving her with an 18-foot par putt, which she was unable to convert.

Green successfully lagged her first putt down close to the hole and then knocked in the two-foot par putt to clinch her first victory since 2019.

Having just one birdie through her first 17 holes, Green admitted she was a bit surprised she had a chance to win as she stood on 18 for the first time on Sunday.

“When I got off the par-5, 13th, I saw someone at 10-under par, so at that stage I was at 7-under, and I thought there’s no chance I’m even in it, but at Wilshire you can’t put yourself out of it because 17 and 18 are both hard holes,” Green said. “Obviously I had a really good finish yesterday, 5-under through six holes, so I kind of was banking on that. But to hole that putt on 18 was huge. I knew that was to get into the playoff. So I’m just proud of myself with all the nerves that I had that I was able to capitalize on it and hole it.”

While the putt got her into the playoff, Green also made a great up and down for par on the 17th hole, thanks to a great wedge shot from just off the green. As she was walking up to the green she thought she could putt from off the green but when she saw three sprinkler heads in her line, she knew she grabbed her wedge.

“I missed probably four greens all day but I was able to putt from each of them so I literally hadn’t hit a chip in four or five hours, so I was like, I have no idea how this is going to come out,” Green said. “Luckily it was actually sitting pretty well and it was all downgrain, so it wasn’t too difficult a chip, but obviously under the circumstances it was still somewhat difficult. So, I think that was just as big, having a tap-in par on 17.”

Heading into 2020 with the momentum created from her wins two wins, including her first major, the KMPG Women’s PGA Championship, Green said things changed once Covid hit. Over the past two seasons Green played solid golf, including finishing third at Wilshire in 2021 and second last season.

Feeling like she needed some help to end her more than two-year winless streak, Green sought out the help of a sports psychologist from the LPGA Tour earlier this week.

“I just wanted to pretty much chat to someone and just make sure that I’m not overthinking things,” Green said. “I made a plan for a post-shot routine versus a pre-shot routine. I didn’t have to do it too much because I played well this week, but I think just keeping things the same for when I play well and when I don’t play so well is what we worked on. It obviously paid off today.”

Having come close to winning at Wilshire the last two years, Green said getting over the hump this year is extra special for her and her fans who loudly voiced their support throughout the tournament.

“I felt like I had my crew that were out watching me all day, but once I got to 18 I felt like everyone was cheering my name a little bit louder,” Green said. “The members have been amazing to me here. It’s such a special place, to play here in LA and have so many people come out, I’m really excited to come back and defend and hopefully keep putting my name on the trophy.”

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​ Orange County Register 

You’ve got a blank canvas; now be creative and live fully alive

• May 1, 2023

Today’s world is rapidly changing, and so are our lifestyles and expectations of aging. Isn’t it just awesome to be alive in such a time as this, with its many beginnings and endings?

Life is truly an exciting adventure. But sometimes, in this open field of opportunities, our choices are of such magnitude that it can seem overwhelming.

Creative living in maturity requires us to once again become like children and endlessly ask, “What else could this be?” or “And now what?”

Pablo Picasso once said: “It takes a long time to become young.” As we mature, let’s also become young. Let’s join in eager explorations of what might be possible and engage in greater learning and greater artistry in our lives. Just as an artist is faced with a blank canvas and the tools of the trade, so are we equipped with the blank canvas of the future and the tools of heart, mind and spirit.

When we enter into our lives with the spirit of creativity, our experience offers us a way to become more original and inventive, and to feel more alive.

There are myths that we may repeat that can inhibit our creativity if we let them – sayings like “I am not artistic” or “I don’t have any talent” or even “I’m too old for that.”

Author Elizabeth Gilbert said, “To me overall, staying creative in old age requires an ongoing commitment to learning, growth and self-expression. With the right mindset and habits, it’s possible to continue to create and innovate throughout your lifetime. Creative living is any life that is guided more strongly by curiosity than fear.”

Fear only keeps us from moving forward into exploring all that we can be. Creativity is our ability to bring something into existence – either something that has never existed before, or something that is a unique combination of what already exists.

Being creative can be something as simple as finding a new use for a familiar object or a unique way of expressing ourselves. What is true is that we don’t have to be artistic to be creative. Sometimes, just using new words to describe ourselves will break us free of self-imposed limitations.

Children will start and then start again, until someone tells them they can’t do something they think they can. Children can be shy or outgoing, boisterous or quiet, and they will choose their own pathway if left alone.

People will say, “It’s just a stage she’s going through.” Let them say that about us!

So what if you are not as strong as you used to be? So what if you can’t see as well as you used to see? So what if there are others who can do more than you?

In a rapidly changing world, we only need to be creative to live fully alive.

The Rev. Linda McNamar is a Laguna Woods Village resident.

​ Orange County Register 

Cold, drizzly week ahead for Southern California

• May 1, 2023

After a warm weekend for much of Southern California, temperatures began to drop on Sunday as a cold storm system makes its way across the region this week.

Light drizzle was expected to begin falling over Los Angeles and Orange counties Sunday evening and carry into the morning, with Sunday’s high temperatures in the 70s dropping into the mid 60s on Monday and slowly decreasing throughout the week, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Dandrea.

Coastline communities will not feel much change after an already foggy weekend kept temperatures in the mid to low 60s.

The brunt of the storm is expected to arrive Tuesday evening and continue through the week, with Thursday as the strongest day, Dandrea said. The rain will be the heaviest in the morning and evening hours.

Riverside County communities will see the most notable drop in temperature this week with clear skies and highs in the 80s on Sunday dropping into the mid-60s on Monday and continuing to cool through Thursday.

There will be a chance of some thunderstorms on Wednesday and Thursday, but the overall rainfall isn’t expected to be more than about a third of an inch across most of the region, Dandrea said.

Meanwhile in San Bernardino County, where mountain residents were pummeled earlier this year by a rare blizzard, about one to two inches of snowfall above 5,500 feet is expected to drop this week. While light snow and drizzle overnight poses a danger to drivers on the mountain roads, there was not much concern on Sunday for any mudslides or debris flow, Dandrea said.

The rain will begin to taper off on Friday with sunny skies expected in time for the weekend, though temperatures should remain on the cooler side with a slight increase heading into the next week.

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​ Orange County Register 

Manhunt continues for Texas shooting suspect, reward offered

• May 1, 2023

By Juan A. Lozano | Associated Press

CLEVELAND, Texas — Law enforcement officers said Sunday they’ve been unable to find a gunman who fled after killing five people in a rural Texas town, offering $80,000 in total reward money in hopes of motivating someone to come forward with information about the suspect’s whereabouts.

“We do not know where he is,” said James Smith, the FBI’s special agent in charge. Police were going door to door looking for the suspect.

The suspect, Francisco Oropesa, 38, was considered armed and dangerous after fleeing the area Friday, likely on foot, San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said late Saturday. He said authorities had widened the search to 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the scene of the shooting, which occurred after the suspect’s neighbors asked him to stop firing off rounds in his yard.

Investigators found clothes and a phone while combing a rural area that includes dense layers of forest, but tracking dogs lost the scent, Capers said. Authorities were able to identify Oropesa by an identity card issued by Mexican authorities to citizens who reside outside the country, as well as doorbell camera footage. He said police have also interviewed the suspect’s wife.

Police recovered the AR-15-style rifle that Oropesa allegedly used in the shootings but authorities were not sure if he was carrying another weapon, the sheriff said. There were other weapons in the suspect’s home, he said.

“He could be anywhere now,” Capers said on Saturday.

The attack happened near the town of Cleveland, north of Houston, on a street where some residents say neighbors often unwind by firing off guns.

It was a much quieter scene Sunday. Police crime scene tape had been removed from around the victims’ home. Some people stopped by to leave flowers.

An FBI agent, several Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and other officers could be seen walking around the neighborhood, going door-to-door and trying to speak with neighbors. The agent and officers declined to comment about what they were doing.

As the troopers were speaking to residents at one house, a red truck pulling a travel trailer drove through the neighborhood. One trooper stopped the truck and asked the driver, “Mind if I take a look inside the truck?”

The driver agreed and allowed the trooper to go inside the vehicle. After inspecting the trailer, the trooper let the driver continue on his way.

Veronica Pineda, 34, who lives across the street from the suspect’s home, said authorities asked if they could search her property to see if he might be hiding there.

“That’s good for them to do that,” said the mother of five, adding that she remained fearful because the gunman hasn’t yet been captured.

“It is kind of scary. You never know where he can be. I don’t think he will be here anymore,” she said.

She said she didn’t know Oropesa well but occasionally saw him, his wife and son ride their horses on the street and believes the family have lived there five or six years. Pineda said neighbors have called authorities in the past to complain about the firing of weapons.

The victims of Friday’s shooting were between the ages of 8 and 31 years old and all were believed to be from Honduras, Capers said. All were shot “from the neck up,” he said. A GoFundMe page was set up to repatriate the bodies of two victims, a mother and son, to their native country.

Enrique Reina, Honduras’ secretary of foreign affairs and international cooperation, said on Twitter that the Honduran Consulate in Houston was contacting the families in connection with the repatriation of remains as well as U.S. authorities to keep apprised of the investigation.

The suspect’s last name was originally given as Oropeza by authorities, but the FBI in Houston said in a Tweet on Sunday that it was now referring to him as Oropesa to “better reflect his identity in law enforcement systems.” The FBI said the case “remains a fluid investigation.”

The attack was the latest act of gun violence in what has been a record pace of mass shootings in the U.S. so far this year, some of which have also involved semiautomatic rifles.

Capers said there were 10 people in the house — some of whom had just moved there earlier in the week — but no one else was injured. He said two of the victims were found in a bedroom laying over two children in an apparent attempt to shield them.

A total of three children found covered in blood in the home were taken to a hospital but found to be uninjured, Capers said.

FBI spokesperson Christina Garza said investigators do not believe those at the home were members of a single family. The victims were identified as Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25; Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21; Julisa Molina Rivera, 31; Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18; and Daniel Enrique Laso, 8.

The confrontation came after the neighbors walked up to a fence and asking the suspect to stop shooting rounds, Capers said. He said the suspect responded by telling them that it was his property. Doorbell video captured him walking up to the front door with a rifle.

The shooting took place on a rural pothole-riddled street where single-story homes sit on 1-acre lots and are surrounded by a thick canopy of trees. A horse could be seen behind the victims’ home, while in the front yard of Oropesa’s house a dog and chickens wandered about.

Rene Arevalo Sr., who lives a few houses down, said he heard gunshots around midnight but didn’t think anything of it.

“It’s a normal thing people do around here, especially on Fridays after work,” Arevalo said. “They get home and start drinking in their backyards and shooting out there.”

Associated Press Writer Susan Haigh in Norwich, Connecticut, contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

Stagecoach 2023: What vegetarians can eat at the barbecue-focused festival

• May 1, 2023

Grilled and smoked meats at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival are a really big deal.

Restaurateur and TV personality Guy Fieri has been manning the Stagecoach Smokehouse now for several years and it has become quiet the spectacle. He brings the heat by hosting cooking demos with pitmasters from across the country and has a good time creating outrageous barbecued meals — like a mac and cheeseburger that included a whopping six pound meat patty — with some of the festival’s Mane Stage talent, too.

But what if you’re a vegetarian or vegan attending this mostly meat-focused fiesta?

Although it’s a stark contrast from the wide variety of eats available during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, there are options for those seeking a plant-based bite or a non-meat dish at Stagecoach.

Here’s some of the vegetarian and vegan food we tried during the three-day festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.

Monty’s Good Burger

The all plant-based spot is slinging chicken tenders and hamburgers all weekend long. The Los Angeles-based joint makes sure to give each customer a cute box with the famous Monty’s dog logo, that also happens to be sporting a cowboy hat for the event. The tenders or burgers come in the box with fries and a handful of crispy tater tots. Each meal also includes a drink and a sauce of choice. Meals start at $21 per box.

Delmys Pupusas

The Salvadoran eatery brings a modern twist in serving pupusas for a variety of diets. Vegetarian options include beans and cheese and vegan pupusas, including farmer’s market veggies and beans. Regardless of the pupusa chosen, each comes with pickled cabbage, caliente salsa and crema. Meals start at $16.

Mac Shack

Serving simple, quick easy bites, the Mac Shack has white cheddar mac and cheese bowls that are reasonable in price. The bowls are filled to the brim with shell pasta and creamy cheese. Meals start at $11.50.

Juniors Munchies

Junior Munchies is the place to hit when attendees are craving a hot corn on the cob. The joint also has esquites, the off-the-cob version of elotes, in a big cup. The esquites and cobs come with butter and parmesan. If vegans want a little something, just let the workers know, and they’ll happily remove the dairy. There’s also a bar with hot sauce, lemon juice, chamoy and other amenities for taste. Meals start at $7.

Heritage Mediterranean Grill

One of the best options for vegetarians, Heritage serves up falafels and rice bowls that are equally large in size and tasty. The falafel sandwiches and bowls come with sliced cucumbers, tomato, red onion, and feta cheese. Plant-based attendees can also grab a bowl without the cheese and dairy. Meals start at $20.

 Spicy Pie

“I Love Spicy Pie” is a well-known slogan on the pizza boxes that come with each order. This is a festival food staple and guests can snag plain cheese and veggies.  Additionally, there is a vegan option, but it needs to be requested and they tend to run out quickly. Prices start at $12.

 More Stagecoach Country Music Festival news

Stagecoach 2023: 5 fun non-music activities to do at the festival 

Stagecoach 2023: Ready to party, yet stay sober? There’s a tent for that

Stagecoach 2023: See photos of performers and fans from Day 2

Stagecoach 2023: Kane Brown, Bryan Adams and Nelly close out Day 2

Stagecoach 2023: Guy Fieri, Jon Pardi toss barbecued turkey legs to hungry fans 

Stagecoach 2023: Trixie Mattel slays Late Night in Palomino performance 

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​ Orange County Register 

Fire at Barnes & Noble in Orange disrupts book-signing event

• May 1, 2023

A book-signing event at a Barnes & Noble in Orange was cut short on Saturday, April 29, after a fire broke out inside the business, leading to the store’s closure for the foreseeable future.

Author and photographer, Maggie St. Thomas, was performing a reading of her new book, “Still Life: The Photographs of Maggie St. Thomas,” to a crowd inside the book store, on the 700 block of South Main Street, when the fire broke out some time around 5 p.m., according to Orange Deputy Fire Marshal Robert Prendergast. Customers and staff were evacuated from the store and no injuries were reported.

The fire quickly grew to a second alarm, with about 45 personnel from Orange County Fire Authority, Anaheim Fire & Rescue and Orange Police called in to assist with the fire.

The blaze was contained around 9 p.m., Prendergast said.

The cause of the fire and an estimate of the damage were under investigation on Sunday.

The Barnes & Noble store was closed on Sunday and would remain so until further notice, the bookseller announced on Instagram.

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​ Orange County Register