Laguna weathers heavy storm

Laguna Beach breezed through a strong storm this week with little

damage and no injuries.

“We are really lucky compared to some inland cities,” fire

department aid Carrie Joyce said.

“The biggest problem we had was getting sandbags out to people.”

The storm dropped 1.45 inches of rain between Monday and 7 a.m.

Thursday, measured at City Hall.

“Public works received no reports of major damage except for a

hole poked in a roof on Broadway by a eucalyptus branch,” Public

Works Director Steve May said.

Some streets were blocked by debris.

“We had two guys on duty overnight Tuesday,” May said. “Not much

happened until 2 a.m. when we started getting calls about downed tree

branches. They didn’t do any reported damage but they blocked roads.

“There was a lot of debris on Park Avenue, and it was closed in

the early morning while we cleaned it up.”

No clogged city storm drains were reported. Catch basins were

cleared as debris accumulated.

“Our early storm drain cleaning program worked effectively,” May

said.

-- Barbara Diamond

Clinic fundraiser is a success

Supporters of the Laguna Beach Community Clinic raised more than

$100,000 at a fundraiser aimed at helping low-income families receive

health care.

The event was held at the Marconi Automotive Museum in Tustin, and

one of the prizes up for grabs at the live auction was a one-year

lease on a BMW X3. The event also marked another day of recognition

for Laguna physician Dr. Korey Jorgensen, who was named California

Family Physician of the Year by the California Academy of Family

Physicians. Jorgensen, who has worked at the community clinic since

1972, first received the award in April and was recognized again at

the event by the academy’s president, Dr. Dana Ware.

Two other doctors, Chau Ngo of the community clinic and Gwen Parry

of Hoag Hospital, were honored for their support of the clinic.

The Laguna Beach Community Clinic offers medical and dental

services to people of all ages whether or not they are able to pay.

Laguna Beach Live! brings on the jazz

Jazz vocalist Carmen Bradford will perform big band standards at a

benefit concert for jazz education.

She will be joined by trumpeter Bijon Watson, guitarist Bruce

Forman, bassist Roger Shew and pianist Eric Dries. Before the

concert, young musicians in high school and middle school will be

able to take part in a jazz workshop with the musicians.

The workshops will be open from 3 to 6 p.m., and the show will

start at 8 p.m. The events will be at Artists’ Theatre, 625 Park Ave.

Admission to the workshops will cost $5. Concert tickets will cost

$20 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.

For more information, contact Laguna Beach Live! At (949) 497-2787

or https://www.lagunabeachlive.org.

Medical center offers health-care events

South Coast Medical Center will offer a series of free health-care

themed events and lectures.

The first lecture will focus on middle-aged dating, as newspaper

columnist Tom Blake will discuss starting romantic relationships

after the age of 50. Blake will discuss ways to protect the heart,

health and assets while starting relationships during the senior

years. The talk will be from 1:30 to 3 p.m. on Nov. 3.

The second event, “Are You a Candidate for Bariatric Surgery?”,

will touch on gastric bypass procedures that can be considered for

treating people who are more than 80 pounds overweight. The

discussion will be led by two specialists, surgeons Brian Quebbemann

and Ramsey Dallal. The lecture will be from on 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Nov.

3.

A free skin cancer screening will be held with a licensed

dermatologist who will examine patients for melanoma and other

ailments. The 6 to 8 p.m. screening will be held on Nov. 4.

Family practitioner Edward Smith will share tips aimed at helping

seniors stay healthy during the typically hectic holiday season.Smith

will talk about a whole-body approach to senior wellness including

information on nutrition, exercise and managing chronic diseases,

such as diabetes and hypertension. The event will be held from 12:30

to 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 5.

Multiple topics relating to Parkinson’s Disease will be discussed

at a morning symposium with four doctors. Neurologist Michael Rezak

will lecture on the causes of Parkinson’s disease, physiatrist Saira

Lee will talk about physical medicine and rehabilitation treatments,

and neurologist Kenneth Martinez and neurosurgeon Christopher Duma

will discuss a surgical treatment, deep brain stimulation. The

seminar will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Nov. 6.

All events will be at South Coast Medical Center, 31872 S. Coast

Highway. For more information, call (949) 499-7202 or go to

https://www.southcoastmedcenter.com.