Angels need more arms the next half
ARTS&LIVING/5
SPORTS/10
A school full of history
‘Grown Ups 2’ isn’t
NEWS&VIEWS/3
Over 25,000 readers weekly n Thursday, July 18, 2013 n www.ggjournal.com n Vol. 31, No. 57 n Phone: 714-539-6018 n Fax: 714-539-6079
Hearing is set in NB mall shooting incident
MARCOS GURROLA Shooting suspect
A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, July 30 for a Garden Grove man accused of firing dozens of shots in the Fashion Island shopping center in Newport Beach on Dec. 15, 2012. According to the Orange County District Attorney’s office, the hearing for Marcos Sarinana Gurrola will be held at 8:30 a.m. at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport.
The suspect, a former security guard, was 42 at the time of the incident. Authorities allege that Gurrola got out of his car at the center armed with a Glock .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun and six magazines and proceeded to fire off 54 rounds in the direction of the Macy’s department store building. No one was hit, but since
a mother and her 4-year-old daughter were knocked down and injured as they fled, he is being charged with two counts of assault as well as discharging a gun in public. He was also charged with 10 more counts after prosecutors linked him to a similar incident on Nov. 16, 2011 at the same mall. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 29.
FASHION ISLAND in Newport Center.
‘Relay’ is battling cancer in long run
n GARDEN GROVE SCHOOL BOARD
Property tax rate will rise on bond sales Residents living in the Garden Grove Unified School District will see a tax increase this year, as the school board voted unanimously to issue the selling of the remaining Measure A bonds after hearing a presentation about the bond initiative. An increase of $7.22 will appear on the “typical” property tax bill. The bond initiative, approved in 2010, allocates about $250 million to modernization projects for the District. However, new State Allocation Board regulations put the projects in jeopardy of losing the state’s matching funds if the district did not have the correct funds. The GGUSD staff proposed to the board to issue
the remaining $120 million this summer to keep the current timeline with the state funding. A special study session was held with the bond’s financial advising firm, George K. Baum and Company, in June. During the study session, board members asked the firm to come up with options that featured only current interest bonds and offered the lowest tax rate increase. The first series included 1.6 percent of the controversial capital appreciation bonds. Staff also met with their financial advising firm, Fieldman, Rolapp and Associates, to discuss its recommendations. Adam Bauer, the firm’s financial advisor the district, said that the firm’s recom-
Continued on page 9
Two facing charges in Westminster murder
n INDEX Arts & Living/5 Don Alexander/10 Jim Tortolano/3 Journalisms/3 Legal notices/6-8 News & Views/3-4 Sports/10 This Week/3
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The wife had obtained a restraining order against her husband and had an abuse case pending against him. Authorities believe that Faiz, then a respiratory therapist, planned to kill her because he wanted to avoid the cost of divorce, and that a felony spousal abuse conviction would result in the loss of his medical license. Westminster police say that two men entered the Girgis home on Plum Street in Westminster in the early morning hours. The 17-yearold son, Ryan, was bound and gagged and forced into a closet. The wife, Ariet, was then murdered with a sharp object. Ryan told police that when he heard a car drive away he broke free of his ties and called 911, and arriving officers found the body. A preliminary hearing in the case was conducted Monday, also in West Justice Center.
ALYSSA BRADAC and Thomas Bradac, daughter and father, will co-direct “Twelfth Night,” which opens this week at the Festival Amphitheatre in Garden Grove, produced by Shakespeare Orange County.
Double the directors Dad-daughter team launch ‘Twelfth Night’
By Esther Ro Garden Grove Journal
Shakespeare Orange County is kicking off its 22nd season today (Thursday) with “Twelfth Night,” a comedic tale involving mistaken identities and a convoluted love triangle, at the Festival Amphitheatre in Garden Grove. The renowned playwright’s last romantic comedy is being co-directed by father-daughter duo, Thomas and Alyssa Bradac. Alyssa, who just completed a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Canada, is home for the time being before returningto her alma mater to assume a teaching position in the fall. “I feel like it’s a blessing to have her
here,” said Thomas. “We’ve had a lot of fun. The poetry is very dense, but it’s also very well-written. It’s been a great play to work on [together].” Having grown up observing and learning from her father, Alyssa developed a personal aesthetic that reflects his influence. Their shared affinity for Shakespeare, similar directing styles and roughly 20 years of collaboration experience are what allows the pair to be an effective team. “There are times when I think we share a brain,” said Alyssa. “And there are times when I can translate for him when needed to other people who don’t share that brain.” The original plan called for Alyssa Continued on page 2
FINAL TRIBUTE PHOTO GASTON CASTELLANOS
Two suspects connected to the murder of a Westminster woman will appear in a pretrial hearing on Friday, Sept. 13. Faiz Magdi Girgis and Anthony Edward Bridget will faces homicide charges in West Justice Center in Westminster at 8:30 a.m. According to the Orange County District Attorney’s office, the death of Ariet Girgis, 55, wife of Faiz Girgis on Sept. 24, 2004, followed allegations of domestic abuse.
JOURNAL PHOTO ESTHER RO
Firefighters and others from across the United States came to Garden Grove’s Christ Cathedral Tuesday for memorial services for Kevin J. Woyjeck, one of the 19 men who perished battling a wildfire in Arizona on June 30.
COMING UP: Dear Marilyn returns ... Coverage of local city council meetings ... Review of “Twelfth Night” at Festival Amphitheater in Garden Grove ... Preview of Westminster school board meeting.
FIVE-DAY WEATHER
By Jonathan Smith Garden Grove Journal
By Jonathan Smith Garden Grove Journal
Thursday
Mostly Sunny 86/65
Precip Chance: 5%
Friday
Mostly Sunny 85/65
Precip Chance: 5%
Saturday
Partly Cloudy 83/64
Precip Chance: 10%
A hot, scorching sun did not deter Melanie Brese from entering the Garden Grove High football stadium Saturday morning. Along with other volunteers, Brese spent most of her day boiling hot weather at an event with a topic that she knew too well. It was the 30-year breast cancer survivors first time participating in a “Relay for Life” and she was not going to miss it. “It’s my first time,” she said. “It’s all new to me, but it’s been fun. It’s interesting.” “We have a very, very nice response from the Garden
THE RELAY FOR LIFE was at Garden Grove High School. Grove community,” she added “I give them all the credit for their hard work.” Runners, walkers and volunteers packed the stadium as they participated in the Garden Grove Relay for Life event. Sponsored by the Garden Grove chapter, the event serves to raise awareness about the different cancer diseases and also helps fundraise for the American Cancer Society. The event offered various entertaining and educational activities for people to enjoy. Popular tunes like Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” could be heard blaring across the entire as runners and walkers from all skill levels participated in the 24-hour marathon.
Continued on page 8
Sunday
Partly Cloudy 82/64
Precip Chance: 10%
Monday
Partly Cloudy 81/61
Precip Chance: 10%
Tu
Mostl 7
Precip C