9 charged with smuggling immigrants or drugs by boat

Officials say the incidents, in which smugglers in rickety boats go up to 100 miles from the coast without basic safety or navigation equipment, show a 'chilling' disregard for safety.

Serial rapist is ordered back to mental hospital

Dougal Samuels, who served 18 years in prison for the rape of two women and the sexual assault of two others, may be committed for life.

Sam Perricone dies at 91; giant of citrus industry

Sam Perricone, a resident of Sunset Beach in Orange County, owned or was a partner in approximately 25 businesses related to agriculture.

KIIS-FM holds top spot in Arbitron ratings

Meanwhile, KFI-AM remains top choice for morning listeners in L.A. and Orange County, June ratings show.

Santa Ana man deported in connection with 1982 Guatemala massacre

Pedro Pimentel Rios is accused of being part of an elite Guatemalan army unit that murdered at least 160 villagers — including nearly 70 children under age 12.

Penske buys Crevier BMW in Santa Ana

The acquisition represents a move to increase the group's presence in Southern California and the luxury auto market.

Wife arrested in penis-severing case; life sentence possible

Catherine Kieu Becker, 48, of Garden Grove is accused of lacing her husband's dinner with drugs and then cutting off his penis with a kitchen knife. The couple were divorcing, police say.

Bankruptcy filings indicate Crystal Cathedral interested in other offers

The embattled church requests partial withdrawal from a plan that would make Greenlaw Partners of Orange County the primary bidder for the property, entitling the group to a fee if outbid.

Shopping: Longchamp opening a shop in South Coast Plaza

The Costa Mesa boutique will be the luxury brand's first West Coast location.

Demand at Los Angeles, Orange County food pantries continues to grow

Food pantries in Los Angeles and Orange counties struggle to keep up with rising demand even as the economy stabilizes.

A community of single parents

A portion of Santa Ana's Willard neighborhood outranks every other Orange County area in the proportion of single-parent households. It may be affordable, but poverty is the norm and the streets aren't always safe.

Diocese of Orange may make bid for Crystal Cathedral

The Crystal Cathedral would provide an instant, 3,000-seat architectural landmark at roughly half the $100 million that was estimated for construction of a new site in Santa Ana.

Seeking labor peace in Costa Mesa

There's a great deal of bargaining room between employee sick days and City Council health benefits.

Judge halts Costa Mesa layoffs

The Orange County city may not proceed with planned layoffs of 213 workers without following proper procedure, judge rules.

Many small cities pay officials hefty health benefits

Laguna Hills council members, for example, receive medical benefits worth an average of $24,300 a year. Some other cities don't offer any health benefits.

News Corp. sells Myspace for $35 million

The new owner, an Orange County digital media firm, paid a fraction of the $580 million that News Corp. paid for the once-dominant social network in 2005.