Top Headlines

Zombies flash mob at Mariners Elementary

Among the kids dressed as everything from cats and angels to Buzz Lightyear and Rapunzel at Mariners Elementary School Thursday night, zombies lurked, waiting to show themselves.

Video: 'Thriller' flash mob

Counting the homeless

An initiative created by the Churches Consortium and Vanguard University is attempting to address Costa Mesa's homeless population, one person and one interview at a time.

CdM, Harbor stop cat dissections

At the urging of a nationwide animal rights group, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District will end in-classroom cat dissections at its high schools.

Man charged in alleged kidnapping plot

Prosecutors charged a Laguna Hills man accused of plotting to have his underage teenage relative kidnapped and taken to Mexico, authorities announced Friday.

Corinthian Cup races start Saturday

The Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club (BCYC) will host its seventh annual Corinthian Cup Regatta this weekend, with about 80 junior sailors expected to participate.

O.C. volunteers read to 21,000 kids at once

Orange County beat its own record by reading to more than 21,000 young children — including at Costa Mesa's Metro Pointe — in October during a national day of shared reading.

Election 2012

Stories: Here you'll see a roundup of all of our recent stories related to the upcoming election.

On the Ballot: Find out what local races will be on the ballot come Nov. 6.

Meet the Candidates: Get a better look at the candidates and their platforms.

Portfolio

Fitzpatrick decries sign vandalism In a small news conference Thursday morning, the Costa Mesa Taxpayers Assn. president repeated concerns about the level of violence...	Test barriers on East Coast Highway to be removed The Newport Beach City Council voted to remove a temporary "pinch point" in Corona del Mar and pay more than $720,000 to repair a Central...
Support for Measure V grows — overseas Costa Mesa's proposed charter measure has a lot of fans in ... Jakarta.	Reward for sign vandal doubled The Costa Mesa Taxpayers Assn. has doubled its reward for the identity of the suspect videotaped vandalizing a "Yes on Measure V" and "3Ms"...
D.A. considers charges in sign vandalism The Orange County district attorney's office is considering misdemeanor charges against a Costa Mesa city employee accused of destroying...	Clinton stumps at UC Irvine President Bill Clinton endorsed a slate of Democratic congressional candidates in a rally Tuesday night at UC Irvine.

MORE POLITICAL NEWS »

Public Safety

Newport officers raise $8,700 for Special Olympics charity Newport Beach police officers served the community and hungry customers at their annual Tip-A-Cop event Wednesday evening to raise money for...	Man arrested on suspicion of plotting to kidnap girl A man accused of molesting a minor was arrested by Costa Mesa police for attempting to have the teenage girl kidnapped, which would have...
Police Files Peterson Place: A vehicle burglary was reported in the 2700 block at 8:05 a.m. Thursday.	Costa Mesa salutes Officer Gilman After nearly three decades on the Costa Mesa Police Department, those who know him said Officer Jess Gilman's impact on the community was...
Sex offender's appeal heard in court The appeal of a registered sex offender, who was arrested under a county ordinance when he visited a park in Fountain Valley, went to...	'Electric surfing safari' focuses on pollution Two Orange County surfers have taken their passion for water activities and transformed it into a passion for the water's health.

MORE PUBLIC SAFETY NEWS »

Business & Real Estate

Newport Harbor girls' volleyball program raises funds with fashion The Newport Harbor High School girls' volleyball program, which has produced the likes of Olympians Misty May-Treanor and April Ross, held a...	Warner Bros. thanks O.C. for 'Hangover' filming The cast of "The Hangover" has taken on Las Vegas and Thailand, Mike Tyson's tiger and an unpredictable gangster in the first two...
Scouts to collect food donations Local Boy and Girl Scouts will collect donations for Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County this Saturday as part of their annual...	Note To Our Readers: Pilot to introduce mobile apps, decrease print by one day The Daily Pilot is evolving to ensure our readers can get their news in a variety of ways — be it print or online, through Facebook...
Architect speaks on Newport's Civic Center Undulating wooden waves borne on glittering glass. Shaded walkways facing walls covered in green. An oculus that will let in light like an...	Newport Chamber of Commerce discusses economic outlook The upcoming election and federal tax reforms were hot topics Friday morning at the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce's Economic Forecast...

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Education

Not just any pie The moral of the story was the importance of learning to work together, but there was also a more delicious take away.	Orchestra in an assembly Baton in hand, Ryan Youd, 8, led his orchestra of invisible violins, drums, French horns, flutes and clarinets with increasingly frenetic...
Leadership celebrated by Girl Scouts The Girl Scouts of Orange County will honor 12 of its alumnae and 12 current Girl Scouts at its third annual Celebrate Leadership Gala on...	Bill Clinton to endorse Democrats at UCI rally Former President Clinton continues to be a hot commodity in contested congressional races.
Farewell, Principal Rafferty Costa Mesa's only magnet school came together Wednesday morning to celebrate its founding principal on his last day of work.	College atmosphere inspires local elementary school students LOS ANGELES — The pre-game excitement before a college football game — where throngs of people are dressed in school colors,...