April 2025 - Shannon Louis

April 21, 2025

Status Update: JCPenney to be bulldozed in Orange; 99 Ranch opens in Aliso Viejo

City and homebuilding officials will gather Thursday, April 24 to witness the demolition of the long-shuttered JCPenney at the Village at Orange Mall. The mall, now half of its former shape, saw the back end...

April 21, 2025

Gondolas in the Great Park? Irvine could pilot new transportation system.

Great Park visitors one day might get around using a new gondola-like transportation system that delivers aerial views, taking passengers from shops to the park’s famed balloon. The Great Park Board on Tuesday, April 22,...

April 19, 2025

Earth Day celebrations get an early start, with more events planned through the week

The moment of meditation was about more than just sitting still – the intention was to connect with nature. Hundreds of people at four beaches – Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Dana Point and Long Beach...

April 18, 2025

New OC Health Care Agency building opens in Irvine

Orange County officials celebrated this week the grand opening of the OC Health Care Agency’s new Irvine campus, designed to bring several HCA departments under one roof. The $78 million facility includes administrative offices, a...

April 18, 2025

Real estate news: 2-tower office campus in Newport Beach sells at a loss for $33M

Investor and philanthropist Joe C. Wen recently acquired another office property at a discount, this time the two-tower campus 5000 Birch Street in Newport Beach. Wen’s company paid $33 million for the property, which John...

April 17, 2025

Pretend City hosts its own music festival: Kidstock

Two-year-old Levy Armiger plays the drums with his mom Romy at the Kidstock Music & Arts Festival at Pretend City Children’s Museum in Irvine, CA on Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange...

April 17, 2025

Irvine’s Monaco Italian Kitchen reveals menu, grand opening date

More than one year after its announcement, Monaco Italian Kitchen, from chef-restaurateur Tony Monaco, has revealed its opening date. While the Irvine restaurant had its soft opening (i.e., the window of time in which restaurants...

April 17, 2025

Taco Bell will bring back Crispy Chicken Nuggets on April 24

Taco Bell is bringing back Crispy Chicken Nuggets, one of last year’s most popular limited-time items. The snack will be back for another brief run on Thursday, April 24, but the Irvine-based chain plans to...

April 16, 2025

Special election results: Betty Martinez Franco set to become Irvine’s newest councilmember

Betty Martinez Franco appears set to join the Irvine City Council, filling out the seven-member dais as the District 5 representative. A day after polls closed in a special election to fill the vacant seat,...

April 15, 2025

Betty Martinez Franco leads race for Irvine City Council Fifth District seat in early returns Tuesday night

With polls closed and the first wave of mailed-in ballots counted, Betty Martinez Franco leads the race to represent Irvine’s Fifth District on the City Council, according to early returns dropped just after 8 p.m....

Month: April 2025