Bella Terra

State Sen. Tom Harman recently picked former Newport Beach Mayor Evelyn Hart for the honor of Woman on the Year for the 35th Congressional District. “The 35th is a pretty large district, so I was really surprised that he chose me,” Hart said. “There’s a lot of good women in that district.” Hart and other women honored from congressional districts across the state were recognized on the floor of the state Senate last week and Harman took Hart and her family out for lunch after the ceremony.

J.H. Synder offers proposals for the old Montgomery Ward site near Bella Terra mall; some on City Council want Costco.Should it be a Costco? Or maybe a used car dealership? How about another mixed-use development, like Plaza Almeria in downtown Huntington Beach? Developer J.H. Synder is trying to determine what to do with the recently purchased Montgomery Ward building near Bella Terra, the soon-to-be-completed mall. Like the rest of the mall, the Montgomery Ward building had been an eyesore for more than a decade.

1. Jeffrey Woods was accused of what activity or activities at the time of the crash that killed 14-year-old Danny Oates? A. Texting B. Speeding C. Being under the influence of drugs D. All of the above Answer: D. All of the above The case of Jeffrey Woods, 21, who prosecutors say crashed into and killed a boy who was bicycling to school to pick up his class schedule in the summer of 2007, has begun to move forward....

The future of Huntington Beach should include higher-density “city centers” connected by rebuilt streets more friendly for walking, biking and public transportation, consultants told city officials this week. City Council and Planning Commission members met together this week for the unveiling of plans that could shape parts of Huntington Beach for decades to come. After nearly two years of planning and studying, along with numerous hearings to gauge public opinion, consultants presented a draft of the Beach/Edinger Corridor Specific Plan on Monday to a joint session of planning commissioners.

Josef Bischof can move mountains — and he has the plans to prove it. The founder and original constructor of Old World Village in Huntington Beach is in the process of filing building permits with the city to reconstruct the snow-capped rocky façade adorning the village entrance on Center Street. After nearly 30 years as a city icon, the time for change has arrived. The home of the city's Oktoberfest celebrations needs sprucing up, daughter Cyndie Kasko said. This includes the beer garden and hall, where bands like No Doubt got their start more than a decade ago. "This was the home of KROQ, where they used to have all of their live events," Kasko said.

Someone asked me the other day about the first specific event in my life that I can recall. After pondering for a moment, I realized that it was going to see "Return of the Jedi" at the Brea Mall in the summer of 1983. Of course, I have vague recollections of life before then, but if I had to piece together an actual timeline, it would start somewhere in Jabba's Palace when I was 3 years old. My generation grew up taking "Star Wars" for granted. To people of my parents' generation, who once found "Mary Poppins" state-of-the-art, it was astonishing.

Members of Girl Scout Brownie Troop 1520 delivered 30 Thanksgiving dinners to needy families in Huntington Beach and Santa Ana on Nov. 23. The troop, based in Irvine, came up with the idea to donate meals when it realized that not everybody in Orange County would be able to sit down for a special meal on Thanksgiving. This year, the troop came up with a record $2,000 to provide 30 complete dinners. The first drive in 2003 raised $1,200. The smoked turkey dinners were provided by Johnny Rebs in Orange, and fed up to 12 people.

On Tuesday at 7 p.m. at 2000 Main St. the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on The Village at Bella Terra development proposal. The project proposes to change Huntington Beach’s General Plan and zoning for the vacant Montgomery Ward site to allow 538 to 713 high-rise residential units. Huntington Beach Tomorrow wants citizens to know that the project environmental impact report states there will be significant and unavoidable traffic problems on streets north of Warner Avenue, east of Goldenwest Street and on the 405 Freeway for decades to come with this proposed development.