Featured Articles from the Huntington Beach Independent

Recent inspections of 20 massage parlors in Huntington Beach uncovered 71 municipal code and building safety violations, and at least three parlors are facing temporary closure. The May 5 inspections were part of an ongoing investigation regarding allegations of prostitution and human trafficking, according to a report posted on the Huntington Beach Police Department's Facebook page. The social media posting was confirmed by Police Chief Ken Small. No arrests were made for prostitution or trafficking.

Costco opened its first store in Huntington Beach at Bella Terra at 8 a.m. Wednesday. It had been more than two years since the warehouse chain officials began planning to open the 7562 Center Ave. location. The store features a gas station, bakery, fresh meat and produce, an optical department, tire center, hearing aid center and food court, among other services. Mayor Don Hansen and Councilman Joe Carchio were among the city officials who attended the grand opening.

The teacher has watched the pupil grow under a decade of tutelage. Tyler Donatelli entered Salwa Rizkalla's Southland Ballet Academy in Fountain Valley when the aspiring classical dancer from Huntington Beach was 4 years old. "She has extreme talent," said Rizkalla, who founded the academy at 9527 Garfield Ave. more than 30 years ago. "You cannot tell early enough how the person will turn out, but Tyler possesses the qualities of...

It's one of the prettiest pictures I've ever seen of Huntington Beach. A classic sunset looking through the pier, a rich spectrum of purples framing the yellow sun in violet, indigo, fuchsia, mauve, magenta, plum - it is stunning. And how perfect that it is literally the very first image taken by one of the city's most important citizens. When Alicia Wentworth arrived in Huntington Beach back in 1947, she could not have had a clue the role she was destined to play in city history.

When Austin Brashears was ready to take off for New Zealand, his mother's boss lent him a small item for his travels: a backpack. The Huntington Beach resident had arranged a semester abroad, and he didn't intend to spend all his time outside class lounging in the dorm. "He was not going to be laying around playing Xbox," said Debbie Kagawa, chief financial officer of Capital Resources & Insurance, Inc., where Brashears' mother has worked for more than 10 years. "He was going to be out seeing people.

The Huntington Beach City Council voted Monday to prohibit the sale of dogs and cats unless they're obtained from shelters, a humane society or a rescue organization, a move that seemed to please all parties involved. The council voted 4 to 3 in favor of the ordinance, which is expected to allow the only two pet stores in the city to phase out selling pets that are believed to come from puppy mills. The council was initially scheduled last month to put into law an ordinance that would have banned the sales of dogs and cats altogether, but a compromise was reached after Councilman Joe Shaw suggested city officials work with animal rights groups and pet store owners to come up with a reasonable solution, one that protects animals and businesses.

Police arrested a 21-year-old man early Saturday morning after he allegedly stabbed a man during a fight. Officers responded just before 1:40 p.m. to a 911 call reporting a fight near the intersection of Huntington Street and Rochester Avenue. When they arrived, police found the victim, a 30-year-old Huntington Beach man, bleeding from a "severe" stab wound to the upper torso, according to a release issued by the Huntington Beach Police Department. Paramedics treated the man at the scene and later took him to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana where he was listed in stable condition.

An undefeated run over a three-day period by the Huntington Beach Water Polo Club boys' Under-10 team ended with a divisional championship at the San Diego County Cup. Huntington went 6-0 at the tournament, which started Friday and concluded Sunday. It scored wins over Commerce (8-1), Foothill (7-2), SoCal (9-2), 680 Divers of Northern California (5-0), Laguna Beach (3-1), and in the title game secured a 5-3 overtime win over 680 Divers. The boys' U10 team, which has won three tournament titles this season, is: Jacob Pyle, Ethan Bettino, Josh Bowman, Dane Howell, Garrett Lee, Randal Macias, James Rozolis-Hill, DJ Simpson, Myles Simpson, Charles Slutsky and Brennis Lidecis.

A Huntington Beach resident is scheduled to be arraigned Monday on multiple counts of fraud, theft, money laundering and the 2008 stabbing death of a Santa Monica man. Daniel Edward Becerril II, 35, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of killing a financial investment client shortly after stealing about $550,000 from his investment accounts, said Santa Monica Police Sgt. Richard Lewis. Police began investigating Becerril after discovering the body of Alexander Merman, who worked as a Los Angeles Unified School District elementary school teacher.

Skipper Skipper is a 5-year-old border collie mix. He is a tricolor -- black, white and brown -- and he has been neutered. Poor Skipper has been at the shelter since December 2003. He is a sweet, really pretty dog and no one can understand why he is still there. Skipper is good with other dogs and he is very interested in cats but is not aggressive with them. He would be a wonderful family pet for families with children of any age. Skipper recently went to Dog Beach and loved it. He ran around and played with every dog that came near him. He loves to ride in the car and stick his head out the window.

Pierside Gallery is celebrating its new location at Bella Terra in Huntington Beach (near Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory) with a grand opening sale. Everything in the showroom is reduced through the holidays! It recently relocated from its longtime Pacific Coast Highway spot across from the Huntington Beach Pier. It still represents well-known artists, including Maya, who just had a piece commissioned by the Kardashians; John Dean, whose popular dog beach portrait offers an option of you being painted into the scene; world famous Michael Parkes, Thomas Kinkade, Sabzi, Susan Rios, Howard Behrens, Ron Peters, Christian Lassen, Leonard Wren, Dan Johnson and many more listed at http://www.

The Orange County chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving is gearing up for its fourth annual fundraising walk in Huntington Beach. The event, Walk Like MADD, is scheduled for May 7 at Pacific Coast Highway and Beach Boulevard, said chapter Executive Director Mary Beth Griffin. "We wanted something that would draw people from across Orange County. We picked Huntington Beach because of its great location and beachfront," she said. "We hope that people will come to the event, join in and choose to spend the day in Huntington Beach.