3+ day, 22+ hour ago (432+ words) Irvine-based rock band Thrice closed out their nationwide tour with a banger of a hometown show at the House of Blues Anaheim. The show, the second of two, was supported by Downward and Modern Color, which warmed the crowd with post-hardcore angst and emo-shoegaze. To kick off the set, the group opened with the one-two punch from the new album, "Blackout" and "Gnash," which also serve as the opening tracks to "Horizons/West." Those opening numbers were a solid choice that set a darker ambiance, driven by saw-toothed breakdowns and a strobe-lit stage production that remained throughout the night. Absent from the setlist, which was a whopping 21 songs, were music from 2007s "The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II: Fire & Water" and 2008s "The Alchemy Index Vols. II & IV: Air & Earth." Granted, the show was already packed with a long list of songs, but it…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago (340+ words) The Disneyland After Dark lineup for 2026 will bring back four perennial favorites that are becoming annual traditions and toss in another throwback party celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Anaheim theme park. The 2026 Disneyland After Dark lineup will feature the new 70 Years of Favorites Nite along with the return of Star Wars Nite, Sweethearts" Nite, Pride Nite and Disney Channel Nite. ALSO SEE: Disneyland MAGA Invasion wants to "Make Disney Great Again" The 70 Years of Favorites Nite on March 3 and 5 will include swing dancing in Fantasyland"s Royal Theatre, a Videopolis Dance Party at Tomorrowland Terrace and Woody"s Round Up line dancing in the Golden Horseshoe. Rare characters from the Carousel of Progress, The Sword and the Stone, A Bug"s Life and Fantasmic will make meet-and-greet appearances. The returning Sweethearts" Nite on nine nights in January and February will…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago (158+ words) Under blue skies on Tuesday, Nov. 18, a winter wonderland appeared at the restaurant, a holiday treat for hundreds of local children. The sun came out this week just in time for it to snow in Anaheim. Under blue skies on Tuesday, Nov. 18, a winter wonderland appeared at the Anaheim White House restaurant, a holiday treat for hundreds of children from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Anaheim. The restaurant's owner, Chef Bruno Serato, through his Caterina's Club charity, has spent years making sure children in the area regularly have warm meals " and the effort has grown to surrounding cities and counties, with now thousands being served meals during after-school programs. But each holiday season, Serato makes sure local Anaheim children have a special holiday dinner at his restaurant with a big party that included sledding down a hill of snow, visits…...

2+ week, 1+ day ago (359+ words) A small dog who authorities say has suffered significant abuse before it was thrown over a veterinary clinic's fence in Anaheim remains in critical condition Friday. Surveillance video from the University Veterinary Center on Glenoaks Avenue shows the dog inside a plastic bag being tossed over a fence by a woman around 1:36 a.m. Wednesday morning, landing in the backyard area of the clinic, as shown by the clinic's security and surveillance video. The injured canine was found by Dr. Ash Hakhamian, a veterinarian at the clinic. "I can't find words to describe why anybody would do something like that, and it's hard to find the right words," Hakhamian told numerous broadcast television news organizations. "I mean, thrown is an understatement. He sustained mental trauma, even far beyond his physical trauma." He said the dog sustained several injuries, including to the face....

2+ week, 1+ day ago (245+ words) Community member and educator Jose Paolo Magcalas was unanimously selected this week by the Anaheim Union High School District board to represent the district's Area 3. Magcalas has been appointed to fill a vacancy left by longtime Area 3 Trustee Katherine H. Smith, who resigned from her seat effective Sept. 29 after a decades-long tenure on the board. Magcalas will serve through the November 2026 general election, when the seat will appear on the ballot. Until then, he'll represent the area encompassing Magnolia High School, Savanna High School and Loara High School " his alma mater. Magcalas ran for the Area 3 seat in 2024, coming in second to Smith. Magcalas is a Loara High graduate with "deep roots" in the Anaheim community, Trustee Jessica Guerro said. His experience in education includes serving as an AUHSD instructional aide, AUHSD teacher and, currently, as an assistant professor in the…...

3+ week, 22+ hour ago (304+ words) SANTA ANA " A 41-year-old man Jurupa Valley man pleaded guilty Friday and was immediately sentenced to 10 years in prison for fatally shooting a man in Anaheim eight years ago. Luis Alberto Arias pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury and possession of a gun by a felon, all felonies. He also admitted sentencing enhancements for the personal use of a gun. As part of the plea deal with prosecutors, a murder count was dismissed. Arias was given credit for 2,185 days behind bars, or nearly six years. Arias killed 27-year-old Rafael Luna of Placentia on Nov. 24, 2017 in the 2500 block of East Terrace Street. Arias had been hanging our in an alley claimed by a local gang, prosecutors said in a trial brief. Arias did not associate with a gang but hung out with a…...

3+ week, 3+ day ago (420+ words) At the height of her success, LaWanda " a seasoned drag performer hailing from Las Vegas " was told she'd never perform again. In 2014, a stroke and an aneurysm left the longtime entertainer fighting for her life, uncertain if she'd ever move or speak. "I was told I'd never walk again," she shared during a recent phone call. "But here I am " walking, performing, living, and making people laugh." More than a decade later, LaWanda commands the stage at the House of Blues Anaheim as the radiant host of Bitchiest Brunch, the long-running Palm Springs drag show that recently brought its glittering spectacle and message of resilience to Orange County. The show, which launched its Anaheim run on Oct. 19 and continues biweekly through the end of the year, is more than a brunch filled with dance numbers, laughter, and champagne toasts. It's…...

1+ mon, 1+ day ago (948+ words) A proposal to ask Anaheim voters if the city should collect an entertainment tax died with the City Council Tuesday, Oct. 28. Dozens of community members and leaders attended the meeting to address the dais; the city's proposed entertainment tax on theme park tickets and parking received a mixed reception. Rubalcava found little support among her council colleagues and, in the end, didn't ask them to vote on whether to put the ballot measures before voters. "My intention with this tax is not to hurt business," Rubalcava said. "As a fourth-generation Anaheim resident, I was elected by the people of Anaheim to ensure we are properly funding our city budget, but that we are also creating safe neighborhoods." The way the proposal is written, the tax on admission tickets to entertainment venues, often referred to as a gate tax, would have…...

1+ mon, 6+ day ago (242+ words) The Anaheim City Council will weigh a potential entertainment tax ballot measure next week at its Oct. 28 meeting. Spearheaded by Councilmember Natalie Rubalcava, the "Anaheim Tourism Tax" ballot measure would propose to voters a 3% city tax on admission tickets to theme parks and sports and entertainment venues with a "capacity exceeding 20,000 people." The ballot measure proposal also includes a parking tax of 10% targeting facilities with a capacity of more than 1,500 spaces. The taxes, which would only apply to privately owned or operated venues, would not apply to the Anaheim Convention Center. Honda Center, which has a maximum capacity of 19,000 people, and the OCVibe project under development fall short of that capacity caveat and visitors using the parking structures don't pay at the time of parking. Parking costs are included in their event ticket. The taxes, however, would apply to Disneyland's…...

1+ mon, 1+ week ago (317+ words) Southern California theme parks saw mixed results in the latest attendance report for 2024 with Knott's Berry Farm the biggest winner, Universal Studios Hollywood the biggest loser and Disneyland remaining largely unchanged. The Themed Entertainment Association released its annual Global Experience Index for 2024 on Thursday, Oct. 23 that serves as the definitive attendance rankings for the theme park industry. ALSO SEE: Disney tests Aladdin drone show over movie studio backlot Attendance at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure was up a modest 0.5% in 2024 at both Anaheim theme parks. Knott's Berry Farm attendance was up 6.5% in 2024 " the biggest winner among the Top 20 North American parks on the TEA Index. Universal Studios Hollywood's 2024 attendance was down 9.9% " the biggest loser among the top U.S. parks. Six Flags Magic Mountain (up 0.5%) and SeaWorld San Diego (up 0.8%) both saw slight attendance gains in 2024. Worldwide, Disney's Magic Kingdom (17.8 million) and…...