Dana Point News Blog

Latest News About Dana Point

2008-07-03T08:56:00.001-07:00

eDanaPoint.com is pleased to partner with the Dana Point Times.

Get all the latest Dana Point news here.

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4th of July in Dana Point

2008-07-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

Dana Point: Fireworks will be shot off a barge outside the harbor at 9 p.m. Free shuttle service from Dana Hills High School. Viewable from Heritage Park, 3400 Old Golden Lantern; Lantern Bay Park, 2511 Park Lantern Road; and Capistrano Beach, 35005 Beach Road. (949) 248-3530 www.danapoint.org

San Clemente: Fireworks display off the municipal pier can be seen from the beach. 9 p.m. Free. San Clemente Pier, 611 Avenida Victoria. (949) 361-8254 or www.san-clemente.org

Watch this video of all the folks at T Street beach in San Clemente. If you are going to the beach, get there early!

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Wanted: Visitors to Dana Point Harbor

2008-06-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

Pacific Contours Corp. of Anaheim is exactly the kind of business Dana Point Harbor wants.

The maker of parts for Boeing Co. and other aerospace companies lets down its hair once a year and takes its workers and their families on a fishing trip out of the harbor.

Read the entire story here.

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Dancing All Over the World

2008-06-22T22:57:00.001-07:00

Ok, so this video is not related to Dana Point, but man does it make me feel good. It's basically a video about a guy named Matt that simply travels all over the world and dances...that's it. He dances. Plus, it seems like everyone in the world enjoys his company...and of course, his dancing. Take a moment, watch the video and enjoy the world dancing...better yet, take a trip far away and dance.

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Killer whales make appearance off Dana Point

2008-06-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

A report of a group of orcas, or killer whales, just four miles offshore from Dana Point prompted Dave and Gisele Anderson of Capt. Dave's Dolphin Safari to jump in their tour boat Wednesday afternoon and snap this picture of one of the five orcas they spotted breaching. The husband-and-wife tour operators say that it is rare for the creatures to come close to shore in this region and that it was the first time they've spotted one in more than three years.

Get the details here.

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CUSD Buying Back Teachers

2008-06-05T22:47:00.000-07:00

THE LATEST: In a special meeting Monday night, the Capistrano Unified School District board of trustees approved a proposed budget that would buy back all 269 teachers who received layoff notices earlier this year, allowing for class-size reductions in grades K–3 and maintained class sizes in grades 4–12. The budget also sets aside about $1 million for reserves.

Read the entire Dana Point Times article here.

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Memorial Day in Orange County

2008-05-24T12:06:00.001-07:00

Thank you to all the past veterans and current armed forces. We truly appreciate you.

Learn about Memorial Day's history.

Local OC Memorial Day events.

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Summer Concerts Announced!

2008-05-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

You don't want to miss out on Dana Point summer concerts (in the park). They are so much fun for the entire family.

Get all the dates, times, locations and performer information here.

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Dana Point Town Center Approved at Last

2008-05-17T20:06:00.001-07:00

The Coastal Commission approves Dana Point’s Town Center, giving the green light for the city and developers to proceed

His statement was brief, but the power behind the California Coastal Commission chairman’s words on May 8 will be felt by Dana Point residents for decades to come. “Again, on behalf of all of us, thank you for cooperating and working with our staff,” said Chairman Patrick Kruer. “It looks like you have a very nice project.”

Read the entire Dana Point Times article here.

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Blues Festival will heat up Dana Point

2008-05-17T20:04:00.000-07:00

Bonnie Raitt, Jonny Lang, Robert Cray and heralded guitarist Joe Bonamassa are on the bill for the 11th annual event.

Read the entire OC Register article here.

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Fisherman Catches 311 Pound Shark

2008-05-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

Dana Point, Calif. -- There is one less shark in the waters off Southern California thanks to a team of fishermen from Marina del Rey.

Dorian Khouri, of Sherman Oaks, was participating in a shark sportfishing tournament Saturday when he hooked a 311 pound Thresher shark.

See a photo and read the rest of the article here.

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Therapy Solutions

2008-05-08T17:09:00.000-07:00

The following post was received from the owner of Therapy Solutions:

When the head coach of the US Olympic Volleyball team called there was only one thing to say and that was, Yes! I have been playing volleyball passionately for the last 20 years and just absolutely love the game. Through playing I have had some great experiences athletically but it also exposed me a good number of sports injuries. In fact, the whole reason I do what I do today is because of a nagging upper back injury that resulted from swinging at too many volleyballs. I certainly didn’t want to stop playing so I sought the treatment of several different chiropractors. It took me a few before I found one that actually helped me. At the time I was having a dull and tingling sensation in my back that started migrating into my shoulder then eventually down the back of my arm. I knew that a chiropractor could help me….if I could just find the right one. Eventually I did and the rest is history. Now in my 8th year of practice in Dana Point I’ve been given the chance to not only help my patients here in Dana Point but also assist the U.S. Men’s Volleyball team prepare for Beijing with my chiropractic services. Pretty exciting stuff!

My practice is named Therapy Solutions and it is pretty unique for many reasons. We are located inside the Dana Point Urgent Care facility directly across the street from the Dana Point post office. Our approach combines the most effective elements of chiropractic, rehabilitation, sports medicine, acupuncture and massage therapy all within one practice. Probably our most popular technique is called myofascial release. It combines repetitive stretching with specific massage motions. It is what I have found personally and in my practice to be the most effective thing to break down muscular adhesions, period. It is really exciting to have people come see me that have been hurting for years and then feel dramatically better in a short period of time. Whether it is helping someone get ready to run a marathon or getting someone well enough to pick up the grandkids again it is really gratifying work. You can read on our website www.therapysolutions.us about some of the great results our patients have received by coming to Therapy Solutions.

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Boat Burglary Reported at Dana Point Harbor

2008-05-02T00:24:00.000-07:00

DANA POINT — Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol officers arrested three men they say are suspected of stealing fishing gear from a vessel docked at Dana Point Harbor April 9.

Officers responded to a call made at 4:15 p.m. by a citizen who allegedly witnessed the three men climbing over a locked gate on F Dock, said Harbor Patrol Deputy Joel Monroe.

Read the entire article here.

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Dana Point’s Tsunami Readiness

2008-04-24T13:06:00.000-07:00

By Lacey Nadeau
Dana Point Times

Orange County, including Dana Point, is better prepared for a tsunami than anywhere else along the California coast, but more can be done, concluded the 2007–’08 Orange County Grand Jury in a report released April 14.

Read the entire Dana Point Times article here.

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Smokey's House of BBQ Now Open!

2008-04-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

There is a new sauce in town...

eDanaPoint.com just learned about a new BBQ restaurant in town called Smokey's House of BBQ located here:

32860 Pacific Coast Highway #4
Dana Point, CA 92629
www.smokeyshouseofbbq.com

A little more info about Smokey's...

Smokey's Mission Statement

To take you on a tour of America’s best barbeque regions and satisfy your hankering for melt-in-your-mouth barbecue by offering four distinct flavors. All slow-smoked on the premises the old-fashioned way, using only premium quality meats and the finest ingredients.

A Little History - Mike Christian, Founder

You could say I’ve got smoke in my blood. I admit it; I’m an addict.

Smokehouse meats are my passion. Well, my second passion. My wife is my first — but that’s another story.

See, I’ve been working with meats and their infinite possibilities since grade school — a long, long time ago as my grandkids like to remind me. I appreciate the fine textures and the different ways in which meat can be prepared. I know of every meat’s beginnings and of their potential for bringing great pleasure to the palate.

And by far, the best way to prepare meat is with smoke. Nothing beats the fall-off-the-fork, melt-in-your-mouth flavor and texture of meat prepared in a smokehouse. There is nothing else that is so tender, so traditional and so mouthwatering.

I’ve spent my life working in the meat industry, including time spent on a farm on the East Coast when I was a kid. It was my wife’s family’s farm, come to think of it. See how the two passions come together?

In junior high I got my first real job working for a traditional smokehouse out West, preparing meats the old-fashioned way, by convection for slow cooking that provided natural preservation and flavoring. You could say my love affair — my addiction — started when I was a kid, and I carried through with it. My passion grew so much that my wife and I ended up opening a meat and deli market, which we never would have abandoned had we not discovered the beauty, serenity, cooperativeness and delight of farmers’ markets. For 25 years we ran a series of farmers’ markets across the West. It turned out to be a great environment for raising our kids, as well as nourishing our lives. We always made sure to include the best and finest meat offerings, with an onsite smokehouse, of course. In this arena, I was able to combine my passions for family, culture, community, quality foods and meat.

Always a purveyor of quality, I couldn’t resist the offer to open a meat distributorship with one of the country’s finest meat producers 15 years ago, bringing the best in meat to the public.

But being the lover of smokehouse meats that I am, I couldn’t turn my back on it any longer. In the hope that I can bring my passion to you, my wife and I offer you Smokey’s House of BBQ — a traditional tour of some of America’s best smokehouse traditions.

There’s No Rushing Smoke

The key component to cooking with smoke is time. It takes time for the smoke to slow cook, flavor and preserve the meat. In today’s fast-paced, instant-gratification society, most people don’t slow down and take the time necessary to prepare great meat. And trust me, throwing a chicken breast on the outdoor grill and cooking it over high heat for 15 minutes is not barbecue. Real smokehouse barbecue takes time. And in my opinion, you need smoke to prepare great meat. And smoke needs time to do its job right.

There are several regions in the United States where good smokehouse meat can be found. And trust me, we’ve tried them all. But with a lot of tasting, some serious determination and a very discernable palate (just ask my wife), I narrowed it down to the four best — four flavor-filled regions: Georgia, Texas, Arkansas and Kansas City.

We selected these four regions as the flavors for Smokey’s House of BBQ because each offers a unique treatment of their meats, while still staying true to the smokehouse tradition. You don’t even need sauce to eat these meats. But if you insist, these four regions also have the best flavor combinations in sauces and sides to complement the main course. All are equally good, just different in their own ways.

Each of these four regions has perfected the process, using woods that bring out distinct characteristics and flavors in the meats. After all, what would Texas brisket be without its mesquite smoke flavor?

Smokey’s Difference

That’s why each and every night Smokey’s House of BBQ begins the smoking process for the next day’s menu. You won’t find liquid smoke in our inventory, and our meats aren’t precooked, sealed airtight, frozen and shipped across the country. No, they are cooked right on the premises in our traditionally-designed smokers. This all-natural slow-smoking process allows for the best flavors and helps us avoid unnecessary preservatives or additives.

The Pickings – Find Your Taste

When perusing the menu, you have to know a little bit about your preference. Do you like your meats tart and peppery like the traditional pork out of Georgia? Or how about sweet, tangy and thick as in Kansas City style? Maybe you don’t even like sauce. Then the Texas beef brisket is for you — with its distinct red smoke ring testifying to its slow-cooked origin. And then there’s the catch-all — sweet, spicy, tomato based, but thin like the vinegar-based sauces. That’s the Arkansas style for you. And in Arkansas, you’re welcome to try it on chicken. My wife, she’s a Kansas City style girl all the way. But maybe you’re like me and can’t choose just one — come back and try ‘em all.

Not only am I offering these traditional flavors, but I wanted to enhance the smokehouse and traditional barbecue experience by adding some traditional sides. What would a pulled-pork sandwich be without a batter-fried pickle and some sweet tea? Or baked beans and some fried green tomatoes on the side? And let’s not forget the ol’ standby — coleslaw. And it’s not just any coleslaw. This recipe is light and tasty, made with a vinegar base, the traditional way, like I learned when working in smokehouses all those years ago. This way it complements your chosen main course rather than weighing down the delights of smokehouse. You can put it right on top of your meat like they do in Arkansas, or eat on the side like they do in Georgia.

And we couldn’t stop with the sides. Smokehouse meats have great potential that can’t be ignored. Salads at Smokey’s House of BBQ will fool you in to thinking you’re breaking the rules. Topped with your choice of regional smokehouse meat, your salad becomes the healthful option that delights the taste buds and satisfies your craving for traditional smokehouse that you won’t find anywhere else.

So, come on a tour with us, and let’s pay our respects to some of America’s best smokehouse flavors. You never know; you might just find smoke runs in your blood, too.

www.smokeyshouseofbbq.com

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Dana Point Local
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Earth Day is Coming April 19th

2008-04-10T08:37:00.000-07:00

Surfrider South Orange County Celebrates Earth Day on April 19th at the Ocean Institute!

Sat, April 19, 11:30am - 12:30pm

On "Earth Day" weekend, Ocean Institute, Dana Point, will be opening its new lab programs celebrating International Year of the Reef. There will be booths from Surfrider Foundation, Reef Check, Pacific Marine Mammal Center, and more! Our Special Speakers are Colleen Wisniewski, Southern California Manager for Reef Check, will be speaking from 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM. Mike Epeneter, Chair of the Respect the Beach educational outreach program for Surfrider Foundation will be speaking from 12:00 AM to 12:30 PM. Both speakers will be sharing their ocean expertise on a range of issues from reefs to water quality and how you can become involved! The Ocean Institute will once again be partnering with the Surfrider Foundation, South OC Chapter, to hold a beach clean up at Salt Creek Beach. Check the calendar for location details. Surfrider beach clean-up volunteers receive free admission on the 19th. Ocean Institute hours are 11 AM to 3 PM. Admission is $6.50 for adults and $4.50 for children (3-12 yrs).

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Whale Watching Season

2008-04-10T08:34:00.000-07:00

The whales are headed back north so catch a glimpse of these majestic creatures while you can. The season ends in april. You can whale watch with other whale watching public on a guided tour or you can get your own group together and charter a boat for a guided cruise. The following companies offer various types of whale watching trips from public to private, contact each of them to set sail for your particular adventure.

Dana Wharf Sportfishing – (949) 496-5794 www.danawharfsportfishing.com
Dana Island Yacht Charters – (949) 248-7400 www.danaislandyachts.com
Aventura Sailing Association – (949) 493-9493 www.aventurasailing.com
Ocean Institute – (949) 496-2274 www.ocean-institute.org
Capt. Dave’s Dolphin Safari – (949) 488-2828 www.dolphinsafari.com

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Earth Hour - Will Dana Point Go Dark?

2008-03-29T10:53:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, March 29, 2008, Earth Hour invites people around the world to turn off their lights for one hour – from 8:00pm to 9:00pm in their local time zone. On this day, cities around the world, including Copenhagen, Chicago, Melbourne, Dubai, and Tel Aviv, will hold events to acknowledge their commitment to energy conservation.

Read more here.

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Orange County Supervisors Rename Harbor for Television Show?

2008-03-22T13:57:00.000-07:00

You may know it and love it as “Dana Point Harbor,” but according to the Orange County Board of Supervisors its official new name is “OC Dana Point Harbor.”

In an attempt to add excitement to the names of Orange County departments, county supervisors have voted to change 11 names to include the “OC” brand.

One lump vote changed the name of eight departments, which include: OC Dana Point Harbor, OC Infrastructure, OC Community Services, OC Community Resources, OC Road & Flood, OC Planning, OC Public Works and OC Housing. Additional single votes were then taken to approve the names of OC Libraries, OC Waste and Recycling, and changed the name of Orange County Harbors, Beaches and Parks to the simplified OC Parks.

Read the entire story here.

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Happy Easter!

2008-03-22T07:56:00.001-07:00

Easter, also called Pascha, is the most important religious feast in the Christian liturgical year. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, which Christians believe occurred on the third day after his crucifixion around AD 33. Many non-religious cultural elements have become part of the holiday, and those aspects are often celebrated by many Christians and non-Christians alike.

Read more here.

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Happy St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-16T18:43:00.001-07:00

Click here to learn about the history of the big GREEN day.

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CUSD’s Saga Continues

2008-03-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

District’s leadership faced a barrage of bad news this week, including recall, layoffs and infighting

Summer vacation—three months of travel, leisurely sunny days and forgetting about work—can’t come soon enough for Capistrano Unified School District. These days, bad news has been coming as frequently as excuses for missing homework.

This week district officials learned that a recall effort targeting two longtime school trustees had enough signatures to reach the ballot. Later news broke that the Orange County District Attorney’s Office decided that trustees violated the state’s open meeting law—again. Then came the confirmation that pink slips would go out to 271 teachers that week. To cap it all off, two trustees traded insults during a bitter 12-minute exchange in front of a packed board meeting.

Read the entire Dana Point Times article here.

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Prepare for Daylight-Savings Time Change

2008-03-07T08:37:00.000-08:00

This Sunday marks the start of daylight-saving time, so don't forget to set your clocks ahead one hour.

One of the biggest reasons for the implementation of daylight-saving time is to save energy. Energy use and the demand for electricity are directly related to when people go to bed.

Len Novilla, an associate professor in the Department of Health Science at BYU, said the effects of daylight time on health are both positive and negative.

Novilla said people who suffer from depression might benefit from the time change because the switch encourages people to start their days earlier and adds an hour of sunlight to the day.

There's a safety reason to observe daylight savings time. Research conducted by Susan A. Ferguson, a highway safety research analyst, and published in the American Journal of Public Health showed motor vehicle crashes resulting in pedestrian and vehicle occupant fatalities decrease during daylight-saving time.

On the other hand, a common physical downside to the time shift is the interruption of sleep patterns.

"[Changing the clock] has an affect on our internal clock, and can be disrupted, even by an hour," Novilla said.

Patrick Steffen, an associate professor in BYU's Department of Psychology, said the daylight time change is comparable to jet lag. Losing even one hour can hinder student's performance.

"In general, students that lack sleep don't pay attention in class," he said.

Steffen knows a particular student in one of his courses works long hours and doesn't get much sleep. The other day Steffen said he noticed this student struggling to stay awake in the back of the class.

"I don't think he caught much of the lecture," he said.

Certain steps can be taken to minimize the negative consequences of the time shift.

Some suggestions from the National sleep foundation are slowly going to bed earlier, exercising regularly and making sure your bedroom is dark and quiet.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 established the days and hours of daylight time's clock changes. Clocks are set an hour ahead beginning the second Sunday of March and lose an hour the first Sunday of November.

The practice of changing the clocks began with the Standard Time Act in 1918. A year later, it was repealed and not implemented again nationally until World Ward II. When the war ended, daylight time use varied from state to state.

The Uniform Time Act of 1966 standardized the dates of daylight time as the last Sunday in April and the last Sunday in October. An energy crisis led Congress to move daylight-saving time to early January in 1974, then to late February in 1975. Starting the next year the clocks changed on the last Sunday in April and remained that way for 10 years.

In 1986, a law changed the time shift to begin the first Sunday in April where it remained until the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Daylight-Savings Time

Ways to minimize the negative effects of the daylight-savings time change:

* Sleep more before and after the time change

* Go to sleep and wake up 20 minutes earlier for each of the three days before the change

* Establish a regular sleeping and waking schedule

* Exercise regularly, best if done a few hours before sleeping

* Try a relaxing routine before bedtime

* Sleep in a room that is dark, quiet, comfortable and cool

Source: The National Sleep Foundation, www.sleepfoundation.org

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DP Boaters, Officials Review ‘Prescription’

2008-03-06T16:06:00.000-08:00

March 13 meeting will seek additional public comment.

DANA POINT — Comments from county officials and the public on the Dana Point Boaters Association (DPBA) draft of “A Boater’s Prescription for Dana Point Harbor” have been rolling in — and they are surprisingly upbeat, said Bruce Heyman, association president. Many have also led to improvements and additions to the draft.

Since the “Prescription” draft was released Jan. 17, Heyman has met with Dana Point Harbor Department officials, and he has reviewed comments DPBA received through an online survey.

“We haven’t had any negative feedback, which is very encouraging,” Heyman said.

The “Boater’s Prescription” is a 61-page document that discusses and recommends solutions to issues within Dana Point Harbor.

Included in the draft are alternatives to Orange County’s proposals for the harbor – and several key issues that concern recreational boaters and harbor users are addressed. These include management of the waiting list for slips, the harbor’s decreasing liveaboard population, the need for a “Boaters’ Watch” program, the loss of slips in smaller boat categories and an increase in slips suitable for much larger yachts, the removal of the existing 600 mast-up dry storage areas (decreasing the number of spaces to 93), loss of dedicated boater parking and increasing congestion on the water near the launch ramp.

Read the entire article here.

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37th ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF WHALES

2008-02-28T10:03:00.000-08:00

THE 37th ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF WHALES will blow into town on March 1st, 2nd & 8th & 9th. Join us for two weekends of terrific events including, a community Parade, Music Series, Art Show & Sale, Pancake Breakfast, Ocean Awareness Day, Kids Karnival, Rubber Whale Race, Horseshoe Contest, OC Sailing & Events Center Open House and lots of other activities.

For more information, please visit the website www.festivalofwhales.org or call (949) 472-7888.

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Dana Point Local
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