San Diego Freeway

Here are a few items the council considered Monday: FREEWAY SIGNAGE Approved 7-0 Tenants and major developments within the North Huntington Center and Bella Terra mall are set to have freeway-oriented signs to improve its access and visibility. WHAT IT MEANS The proposed signs will be installed on an existing parking structure in the northeast of the center facing the San Diego Freeway. About 10 panels will advertise tenants and the city will have rights to the central panel.

An apparent suicide on the freeway brought traffic largely to a halt Wednesday, forcing thousands of cars onto Costa Mesa streets as drivers sought alternate routes. The backup on the southbound San Diego Freeway (405) stretched for miles from the Fairview Road exit, where shortly after 5 a.m. a woman leapt to her death from a Hummer limousine traveling at 65 mph and was struck by several vehicles, authorities said. On the freeway, southbound traffic was funneled into a single lane near Fairview, causing a backup to the junction of the 405 and Garden Grove (22)

Independent staff Looking for a place to take the family? Try visiting some of these local venues. MUSEUMS International Surfing Museum of Huntington Beach, 411 Olive Ave., between 5th and Main streets. (714) 960-3483. Exhibits include artwork and a collection of antique surfboards. Open noon to 5 p.m. daily, June to September. The museum is closed Monday and Tuesday during the rest of the year. Newland House Museum, 19820 Beach Blvd. near Adams Avenue.

A woman in her mid-20s died on the San Diego Freeway (405) early Wednesday morning after she jumped out the window of a limousine traveling at 65 mph and was struck by several vehicles, police said. The incidentbacked up traffic for miles in both directions, disrupting the morning commute of thousands of people. In the southbound lanes of the 405, traffic was channeled to one lane. Police are investigating the incident as a suicide, said Sgt. Marty Carver of the Costa Mesa Police Department.

DINING OUT If you have seen the reality TV program about the opening of Rocco's, a New York restaurant, you will appreciate what owners Tom Simms and his son, Chris, have gone through to present the brick-red Lazy Dog Cafe on Beach Boulevard, located just south of the San Diego Freeway in the recently renovated Target/Pavilions shopping center. The 250-seat restaurant has an energy and eagerness to please that makes it a fun place to be. The decor of well-spaced tables and booths is set off by a huge paining of a terrier named "Maggie" and paw print tabs hold the napkin-wrapped silverware.

The drive to another airport is never easy, even at 10 p.m. in the middle of the week. As you read this on Saturday morning, my wife and I are in New York exercising one of the following options: We are celebrating the return of the home field advantage to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. We are marveling at the pitching skills of Randy Johnson who led his team to victory Friday and all but assured a Yankees series victory. We are about to attend the game that was supposed to be played Friday night but was rained out. Although we have five tickets for the game, we came to New York not to see the Angels in Yankee Stadium but to celebrate the 60th birthday of my brother, Michael.

Paul Clinton A 44-year-old Buena Park man led police on a low-speed pursuit that ended in a 30-minute standoff at Huntington Center. The man, who police said appeared to be suicidal, sat in his black Mustang near the end of the Beach Boulevard offramp of the San Diego Freeway until a medical evaluation team convinced him to surrender. The team worked on behalf of the Long Beach Police Department, who took the man into custody almost two hours after confronting him in that city.

A car theft last week led to a chase between police and the alleged thief running from Huntington Beach to Los Angeles, sometimes reaching speeds of 90 miles an hour before ending in a collision. Anthony Lynn Allen, a 28-year-old Long Beach resident, was charged on suspicion of vehicle theft and felony evading in the chase. Sgt. Chris Filicicchia, of the Huntington Beach Police Department, said a gray 1986 Chevy Blazer was reported stolen from an area near the intersection of Edinger Avenue and Goldenwest Street at about 2:59 a.m. June 21. Officers spotted the vehicle traveling northbound on the San Diego Freeway, then chased it until it to the Orange Street exit in Long Beach -- along the way it ran numerous stop signs and red lights, police said, adding that the Chevy Blazer ultimately returned to the northbound San Diego Freeway at Avalon Boulevard.

Torus Tammer FOUNTAIN VALLEY -- Doug Henry unsuccessfully ran for City Council in 1998. But in this election, he finds himself with another opportunity to serve the city's residents. As a taxpayer, an active voter and president of his homeowners association, Henry said he knows his local community well and would be a great fit on the City Council. He also ran for and was appointed member of the city's Housing and Community Development Advisory Board for two years.