The Orange County Tribune July 27, 2022

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Printed in Garden Grove, California n orangecountytribune.com n Wednesday, July 27, 2022 n orangecountytribune@gmail.com

ONCE IN A BLUE MOON (SHOT)

Coronavirus Cases May Be Leveling Off Hospitalizations are on increase, statistics show

The long-awaited new playground equipment at Garden Grove Park is in the process of being installed. It has a retro “space age” style and will offer room for climbing, sliding, pretending and other activities for youngsters. The new equipment is part of the master plan for upgrading the city’s largest park.

WPD officers find guns and drugs in arrests If you’re going to be driving along with both illegal drugs and a loaded firearm in your car, you’d better drive as carefully as you can.

A Westminster Police Department officer patrolling in the area of Goldenwest Street and Trask Avenue around midnight on Tuesday pulled over an automobile for vehicle code violations.

During the traffic stop, the officer noticed the driver had a suspended driver’s license and spotted what he believed to be methamphetamine “in plain view” in the vehicle.

There were also multiple warrants for the female passenger.

A search of the vehicle followed and officer Continued on page 2

The trend of confirmed new cases of coronavirus in Orange County appear to be leveling off.

Tuesday’s report from the county health care agency covering a fourday stretch showed 4,576 new cases, which is an average of 1,144 per day.

That compares to last Friday’s average of 1,176 cases and the week-ago figure of 1,105.

Among the four major statistic categories mea-

suring the impact of COVID-19 in the county, only one showed an increase.

Deaths fell from 11 a week ago to eight on Friday and six today (Tuesday). The use of intensive care units to treat coronavirus cases is at 35, down from Friday’s 50 and 45 a week ago.

Races are beginning for school board, etc. posts Candidates for local offices are beginning to “throw hats in the ring” for school board and other government posts in the Nov. 8 general election.

Here’s a list (current as of Tuesday p.m.) of people who have taken out nomination papers with the county register of voters.

The deadline for returning completed papers is Friday, Aug. 12.

They include: Garden Grove Unified School District Board of

Hospitalizations, however, have risen. Tuesday’s report shows the total at 341, up from 315 in Friday’s report and 298 a week ago.

To date, Orange County has had 633,223 cases, of which 596,795 are considered recovered. The Continued on page 2

Inside The Rams must “turn the page” PAGES 7 and 8

Education: • Trustee Area 2: Nicole James, Mark Anthony Paredes.

• Trustee Area 4: Bob Harden (incumbent) Huntington Beach Union High School District Board of Trustees (three seats) • Christine Hernandez, Matthew Harper, Diane Dishno (incumbent), Angela Salinadari, Diana Lee Continued on page 2

“American Pie” secrets revealed PAGES 5 AND 6

Three cold case murders solved PAGES 3 AND 4

For breaking news and sports all week long, go to www.orangecountytribune.com

2 WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2022/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

Coronavirus cases leveling?

Continued from page 1

death total is at 7,195.

Across the nation, the trend of new cases, deaths and hospitalizations are up. According to The New York Times – over a 14-day period – new cases are up 10 percent, deaths have risen

34 percent and hospitalizations have risen 12 percent.

In California, new cases are down 12 percent and deaths up by 17 percent, according to Los Angeles Times over a similar period.

Candidates for school boards, other offices off and running Continued from page 1

Carey (incumbent), Brian McClimans, Bonnie Castrey (incumbent).

Huntington Beach City School District Board: • Trustee Area 2: Quinn Stahl.

• Trustee Area 4: Autumn DiGiovanni, Diana Morris.

• Trustee Area 5: Julie Norton, Paul R. Murrow.

Ocean View School District Governing Board (three seats) • Shawn Wood, Elizabeth Westmoreland

Midway City Sanitary District Board (three seats) • Amy Phan West, Sergio Contreras.

Orange County Board of Supervisors • Second District: Kim Bernice Nguyen, Vicente Sarmiento.

Candidates for city council seats file their paperwork with the city clerk in their city.

The Orange County Tribune will update those lists periodically.

Arrests are made for drug and firearms violations Continued from page 1

found a loaded handgun underneath the driver’s seat.

Both occupants of the vehicle were arrested.

The driver was a convicted felon and it was his second ar-

JIm Tortolano Editor and Publisher Marilyn Lewis Tortolano General Manager The Orange County Tribune is published on Wednesdays and Saturdays with some exceptions. Address is 9402 Luders Ave., Garden Grove, 92844.

E-mail is orangecountytribune@gmail. com. Website is: www.orangecountytribune.com.

Phone: (714) 458-1860.

Established Aug. 6, 2016. All opinions expressed in The Tribune, unless otherwise stated, are those of the individual writer or artist and not necessarily those of The Tribune.

A member of The Associated Press, Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce and the Online News Association.

rest by the WPD for possessing a loaded firearm.

Orange County Tribune’s electronic paper is now published on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

And it’s free!

ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2022 3

News&Views

Cold case murders are solved with technology Investigative Genetic Geneology credited

ZODYS GRAND OPENING IN CANOGA PARK Chain got its start in Garden Grove (Wikipedia).

Zodys stores went way out of fashion The Sprouts Farmers Market which recently opened on Chapman Avenue in Garden Grove is welcome, especially as it replaced the long-empty Vons Pavilion store.

Long-timers will recall that the Pavilion building was preceded by a Zodys discount department store, a sort of K-Mart-ish operation which sold cheap goods cheap.

But did you know that Garden Grove’s Zodys – opened in 1960 – was the very first in a chain that eventually reached 44 stores, including locations in Anaheim, Huntington Beach and Buena Park?

The parent company was Hartfield’s, which already had a women’s clothing store across the street in Garden Grove’s Orange County Plaza.

That name always struck us as kind of goofy, but it turns out that it was named after Miss Zody Hartfield of the family that ran the chain.

Beset by financial difficulties, the chain declared bankruptcy and closed or sold all its stores by 1986.

As we’re reported before, one of the very first Trader Joe’s was in Garden Grove, located near Chapman Avenue and West Street. It was originally called a “Pronto” market, a convenience store before 7-11 moved into the area, necessitating a change in format to “Trader Joe’s.”

That only lasted a few years and now it’s a Highland Liquor Market.

Usually Reliable Sources

A real-life tall tale

Josh Lindsay of the Garden Grove Planning Commission tells us that the Nickelodeon Hotel planned for Harbor Boulevard – when completed – will be the tallest hotel in all of Orange County.

Take that, Anaheim!

The cold case murders of three Orange County women have been solved as a result of a joint Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) investigation by the Garden Grove Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

This is the third Garden Grove cold case murder that has been solved with the help of the Orange County District Attorney’s Investigative Genetic Genealogy unit in the last year.

On December 19, 1976, Janet Stallcup, a 19-yearold nursing student, was on her way to a party. She never made it there. Her body was found eight days later, 2 1/2 miles from her apartment.

In 2021, the Orange County District Attorney’s IGG team was able to match the single source male DNA (taken from the crime scene) to Terry Dean Hawkins’

RENEE CUEVAS KIlled in 1989 biological tissue sample and identify him as the person responsible for Janet’s rape and murder.

Hawkins died in Orange County Jail in 1977, before being identified as the suspect.

On May 21, 1987, Shannon Rose Lloyd, 23 years old, was found deceased in a bedroom she rented in the city of Garden Grove. An autopsy revealed that Lloyd was sexually assaulted and died by means of strangulation. All leads were

Santa Ana man killed in G. Grove The body of a 30-year-old Santa Ana resident was found at the scene of what was originally called a traffic accident in Garden Grove.

Arriving officers found a deceased male who had sustained a gunshot wound to the head. Police say no traffic collision had occurred.

The name of the victim is being withheld pending notification of family.

Any witnesses with information about this incident are asked to contact Detective Steve Heine at (714) 741-5422 or GGPD Investigations at (714) 741-5800.

SHANNON LLOYD Killed in 1987

JANET STALLCUP Killed in 1976 pursued, but the case went cold.

In 2003, the Orange County Crime Lab linked Lloyd’s homicide with a 1989 Orange County Sheriff’s Department cold case homicide.

The body of Renee Cuevas, 27-years-old, was found along Lambert Road near the El Toro Marine base in the morning hours of February 19, 1989. Detectives refused to give up the search for the killer.

It wasn’t until 2021 that the Orange County District Attorney’s InvestiContinued on page 4

4 WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2022/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

Cold cases solved by genetic geneaology Continued from page 3

gative Genetic Genealogy team identified a possible suspect – Reuben J. Smith, a Las Vegas man who had committed suicide in 1999 at the age of 39.

A year before committing suicide, in July 1998, Smith was arrested in Las Vegas for sexual assault and attempting to kill a third woman. DNA evidence from Smith’s arrest and the DNA profile found at the crime scenes of Lloyd and Cuevas’s homicides were a positive match.

“The evil in him. I know if I didn’t fight, I was going to die” said the surviving victim from the 1998 attack. The victim, who did not want her identity disclosed, said “It was horrible.

The things that he did, the things that he said. He told me he was going to kill me.”

She fought back and was able to escape, but this attack still haunts her to this day. Tom Lloyd, who is Shannon’s older brother, de-

scribed Shannon by saying, “she was tough. She wasn’t scared of much.” Tom added, “It’s hard for me to fathom how anyone can take another person’s life and just discard them.”

Tom is grateful for all the hard work by everyone involved in the solving of his sister’s murder.

“The advancements in DNA science and the work of the IGG unit has been instrumental in solving our second cold case homicide within the past twelve months,” said Garden Grove Police Chief Tom DaRé.

“I know with our continued partnership with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, we will be able to solve many more cold cases and bring closure to the family members of these victims.”

“The outcome of these cases reflects Orange County law enforcement’s dedication to seeking answers and solving complex crimes,” said Don Barnes, Orange County Sheriff-Corner.

“It reinforces our commitment to the community that no matter how much times passes, we remain steadfast in our pursuit of justice and the work to bring closure to the victims’ families.”

“The loved ones of Renee Cuevas and Shannon Lloyd have the answers to the question they have been asking for more than three decades,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer.

“The justice that every victim deserves was hidden away in DNA, but with advances in IGG technology combined with the relentless dedication of generations of detectives and the talented prosecutors and forensic scientists at the District Attorney’s Office, we now know who killed Renee and Shannon. Justice does not have an expiration date. Whether a crime happened 40 years ago or four minutes ago, the residents of Orange County can have confidence that the law enforcement in this county will not rest until justice is served.”

ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2022 5

Arts&Living

The Ingredients of “American Pie” McLean comes clean about song’s meaning

By Mark Kennedy AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) – Don McLean has listened for decades as people belted out his classic song “American Pie’’ at last call or at karaoke – and applauds you for the effort.

“I’ve heard whole bars burst into this song when I’ve been across the room,’’ McLean tells The Associated Press from a tour bus heading to Des Moines, Iowa. “And they’re so happy singing it that I realized, ‘You don’t really have to worry about how well you sing this song anymore. Even sung badly, people are really happy with it.’’’

Happy might be a bit of an understatement.

“American Pie’’ is considered a masterpiece, voted among the top five Songs of the Century compiled by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.

McLean – and his singular tune about “the day the music died’’ – are now the subject of a fulllength feature documentary, “The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s ‘American Pie,’’’ airing Tuesday on Paramount+.

It’s mandatory viewing for McLean fans or anyone who has marveled at his sonic treasure. It also represents an elegant film blueprint for future deep dives into a song and its wider cultural relevance.

For those fans who have wondered about the lyrics they are singing loudly in bars and cars, McLean shares the secrets.

“That was the fun of writing the song,’’ he tells the AP. “I was up at night, smiling and thinking about what I’m going to do with

STILL SINGING AFTER ALL THESE YEARS I971’s “American Pie” was and remains a musical phenomenon

“So, bye, bye, Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry. Those good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye, singing ‘This’ll be the day that I die.’” this.’’

The documentary starts when a single-engine plane carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and Jiles P. Richardson, the “Big Bopper,’’ plunged into a cornfield north of Clear Lake, Iowa, on Feb. 3, 1959, killing the three stars and their pilot.

McLean was 13, living in a suburban, middle class home in New Rochelle, New York, when the crash occurred. He had bronchial asthma, prompting the description of him in “American Pie’’ as “a lonely teenage

broncin’ buck.’’ The “sacred store’’ he sings about was the House of Music on Main Street, where he bought records and his first guitar.

Young McLean was a paperboy – “every paper I’d deliver’’ – and adored Elvis, Gene Vincent, Bo Diddley but especially Holly, whose death deeply affected him. “I was in absolute shock.

I may have actually cried,’’ he says in the film. “You can’t intellectualize it. It hurt me.’’

Years later, McLean would plumb that pain in “American Pie,’’ baking in his own grief at his father’s passing and writing an eulogy for the American dream. He was creating his second album in 1971 while the nation was racked by assassinations, anti-war protests and civil right marches. He thought he “needed a big song about America.’’ The first verse and melody seemed to just tumble out. “A long, long, time ago...’’

It climaxed in the huge singalong-chorus: “We were singin’,

ALBUM COVER ‘Bye-bye, Miss American pie’/ Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry/Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey `n rye/And singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die.’’

“I said, ‘Wow, that is something.

I don’t know what it is, but it’s exactly what I’ve been wanting to try to get ahold of – that feeling about Buddy Holly – for all these years and that plane crash,” McLean tells the AP. “I always feel a tug inside me Continued on pag e 4

6 WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2022/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

“American Pie” had many ingredients Continued from page 5

whenever I think about Buddy.’’

The 90-minute documentary incorporates news footage of the ‘70s and uses actors in recreations.

Cameras capture McLean visiting the hallowed Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, the last place Holly and his fellow musicians played before their fatal flight in 1959.

There are interviews with musicians – Garth Brooks, “Weird Al’’ Yankovich and Brian Wilson, among them – as well as Valens’ sister, Connie, and actor Peter Gallagher, whose character’s death on “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’’ promoted an onscreen performance of “American Pie.’’ The British singer Jade Bird, Cuban-born producer Rudy Perez and Spanish-language singer Jencarlos Canela speak to how the song has resonated far past America.

The documentary reveals that recording the album was

not exactly a smooth process.

Producer Ed Freeman was unimpressed with McLean’s clutch of songs and didn’t think McLean was up to playing rhythm guitar on “American Pie.’’ He eventually relented.

McLean – along with a few session musicians – rehearsed for two weeks without nailing the song, getting increasingly frustrated. The addition of pianist Paul Griffin at the last minute was a “Hail Mary’’ stroke of genius that made the whole tune click.

But recording the song was just the beginning of trouble ahead. At over 8 minutes, radio stations balked at playing it, and McLean’s record label, Media Arts, went bust just as it was to release the album “American Pie.’’ After seeing the documentary, McLean was struck by a common strand in his career: “What I noticed was that I had to fight so many

battles to get this thing done, to get everything. I’ve been fighting everybody my whole life,’’ he says. “I’m not difficult.

I just want things the way I want them.’’

“American Pie’’ is packed with cultural references, from Chevrolet to nursery rhymes, while name checking The Byrds, John Lennon, Charles Manson and James Dean. The lyrics – dreamlike and impressionistic – have been pored over for decades, dissected for meaning.

The documentary answers some questions, but not all. McLean reveals that his oblique references to a king and a jester have nothing to do with Elvis or Bob Dylan, but he’s open to other interpretations.

He explains that the “marching band’’ means the militaryindustrial complex and “sweet perfume’’ is tear gas.

The line in the chorus “This’ll be the day that I die’’ comes from the John Wayne film “The

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Searchers’’ and the farewell is a riff off “Bye Bye, My Roseanna,’’ a song his friend Pete Seeger sang. McLean was going to use “Miss American apple pie’’ but dropped the fruit.

The end of the song asks for “happy news’’ – an echo of the first verse – but there is none.

The three men McLean admires most – the Father, Son and Holy Ghost – “caught the last train for the coast,’’ meaning Los Angeles. “Even god has been corrupted,’’ McLean says in the film.

“He was glad to open up because he and his manager thought it was the time to do it and this was the platform to do it in,’’ says music producer and songwriter Spencer Proffer, CEO of media production company Meteor 17, which helped make the film. “My hat’s off to Don for writing something this magnificent. My job was to bring it to life.’’

For McLean, the song is a blueprint of his mind at the time and an homage to his musical influences, but also a roadmap for future students of history: “If it starts young people thinking about Buddy Holly, about rock `n’ roll and that music, and then it teaches them maybe about what else happened in the country, maybe look at a little history, maybe ask why John Kennedy was shot and who did it, maybe ask why all our leaders were shot in the 1960s and who did it, maybe start to look at war and the stupidity of it – if that can happen, then the song really is serving a wonderful purpose and a positive purpose.’’

Dodgers lose to Nationals Continued from page 8

Garcia did a lot of the damage Tuesday, collectively going 6-for-10 with three runs scored and two RBIs. The Dodgers will try to get some back against Washington on Wednesday in the final game of the series. On Thursday they will hit the road with a fourgame series in Denver against Rockies through Sunday.

ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2022 7

What can the Rams do for an encore in 2022?

Continued from page 8

“A hangover, to me, what that entails is guys think they’re better than they are,” McVay said.

“They stop working the right way, complacency sets in and the previous success you think is going to have anything to do with your future success. We’ve got the right kind of guys in our locker room, the right kind

of coaches that are intrinsically motivated.”

The Rams have a few practical tasks to perform in camp. They must identify a replacement for departed starting cornerback Darious Williams and right guard Austin Corbett, and they must build teamwork and communication with new receiver Allen Robinson and middle linebacker Bobby Wagner, who must both take on major roles immediately.

The Rams held their first practice at UC Irvine on Sunday.

They’re getting an early jump on camp partly because they’ve got the first game of the new

season as the defending champs: They’ll host Von Miller’s Buffalo Bills on Thursday, Sept. 8.

As for his own future, McVay admitted he contemplated stepping away from the game before deciding to continue with the Rams. He hasn’t finalized a contract extension yet with the team, but he said the negotiations are “in a good place,” and it’s “more than likely’’ they’ll finalize a deal in training camp.

General manager Les Snead is also expected to agree to a

contract extension during training camp to continue their partnership with the Rams, who have five consecutive winning seasons, four playoff berths, three NFC West titles, two Super Bowl appearances and one championship during their halfdecade together.

“Myself and Les, being a pair, when we get that thing finalized, you guys will know,” McVay said. “But I feel really good about the direction that’s going.’’

Angels take two of three Continued from page 8

(sixth) in support of a strong pitching performance by Jose Suarez (2-4), who worked 5.1 shutout innings. He yielded three hits, struck out three batters and walked just one.

Luis Rengifo has a good day at the plate, going 2-for-4 (including a double) and driving in two runs. Magneuris Sierra made a strong debut in center field, going 2-for 4 and scoring a run.

This win improved the Angels’ record to 41-56. They remain in fourth place in the American League West.

The Angels will take on the Royals one more time today (Wednesday) and then come home Thursday to start a four-game series hosting the Texas Rangers.

8 WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2022/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

TheSportsPage

McVay: Rams Must “Turn the Page” What do the Super Bowl champs need to do this season?

By Greg Beacham

AP Sports Writer

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.

(AP) –The Los Angeles Rams threw the last of their lavish offseason parties last week so they could hand out their massive Super Bowl championship rings to their current and former players.

Sean McVay sees the Friday morning after that soiree as the dividing line between the success of last season and the formidable task in front of the Rams this fall as they attempt to become the NFL’s first repeat champions in 18 years.

“It was kind of good timing, because now it represents, ‘Let’s turn the page,” McVay said outside the Rams’ training camp headquarters in balmy Orange County. “Let’s not minimize what a great year last year was, but that’s not going to have anything to do with this year.”

Most successful coaches repeat some version of this philosophy after a title, but McVay believes the Rams have the tal-

SEAN McVAY HAS GUIDED THE RAMS TO TWO SUPER BOWLS So what can be done to keep the team near the top of the NFL? (Rams photo). ent and the leadership to stay in the race for a second ring. Even if the Rams fall short, McVay is determined to make sure it isn’t because of complacency.

“So many things have to go right,’’ McVay said. “We could be a better team this year, and I think we’ve got a chance to do that, and it might not mean we win a Super Bowl, because there are a lot of things that take place throughout the course of a

game – the bounce of a ball here – certain things that are out of your control.’’

The Rams got several of those bounces during their playoff run while winning consecutive thrillers over Tampa Bay, San Francisco and Cincinnati with late-game surges. Those breaks meant the difference between an excellent season and a title-winning campaign, so McVay plans to make sure only that his team

is prepared to get in the position to have another chance.

After the Rams made their first Super Bowl under McVay three seasons ago, they went 9-7 the following year while missing the playoffs for the only time in McVay’s career. The coach credits that slight decline to those bad bounces, not to any post-Super Bowl hangover or preparation flaws.

Continued on page 7

Nationals show some grit in defeating Dodgers, 8-3

Angels put it all together

By David Arthur

By Pete Zarustica Orange County Tribune

Orange County Tribune The Washington Nationals have the worst record in Major League Baseball but you wouldn’t know it from their results against the best team in the National League.

With six late runs on Tuesday, the Nats (34-65) defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers (64-32) 8-3 at Chavez Ravine. Trailing

3-2 going into the final two innings, the visitors scored twice in the eighth and four times in the ninth and have already won the series, with two victories.

Home runs by Mookie Betts (his 23rd of the season) and Cody Bellinger (13th) helped get the Blue Crew that lead, but it was all Nats after that.

Luis Garcia hit a two-run home run in the eighth to put the visitors back in the lead at 4-3 and

the roof fell in the ninth with four runs. Victor Robles and Continued on page 6

It’s a modest accomplishment, to be sure, but the fans will take it. With Tuesday’s solid 6-0 win over the Kansas City Royals, the Los Angeles Angels have actually won two of three games.

The Halos got solo home runs from Shohei Ohtani (his 21st of the season) and Max Stassi Continued on page 7