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Splash into summer
It’s the perfect time to get outside and enjoy the treats of the season – concerts in the park, movies under the stars, hikes on…
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Jun 29, 2026
Irvine parks are ranked second highest in nation again
Allison Plette-Dalton grew up in Irvine, where some of her most important memories – including birthday parties, learning to ride …
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Jun 29, 2026
Try these 5 over-the-top sandwich creations
It has been said that life is a sandwich – what happens between slices of the past and future. We …
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Jun 29, 2026
Celebrating Small Business: Woodbridge Village Center
Students find their rhythm at Focus Dance Center Leah Lederman began taking lessons at Focus Dance Center when she was …
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Elixir, Mixue now open in Irvine
The retail landscape in Irvine continues to grow, welcoming global flavors and wellness-focused dining. Health-conscious diners can head to University…
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Making the most of a 40-year run at The Barclay
Ginny Hayward probably doesn’t have a copy of the classified ad that ran in a local newspaper in late 1985.…
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Q&A: New Swan returns to UC Irvine
This year’s New Swan Shakespeare Festival features “The Merry Wives of Windsor Cove” and “Romeo & Juliet.” Actor Evan Lugo,…
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Wide-open opportunities for volunteers
A nestling red-tailed hawk, its white head visible above a large nest atop a coast live oak, seems to stand…
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New SunWheel on the horizon
The new Spectrum SunWheel is coming to Irvine Spectrum Center this summer. Like its predecessor, it was handcrafted in Casale…
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Try these 5 over-the-top sandwich creations
It has been said that life is a sandwich – what happens between slices of the past and future. We…
HIghlights
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Irvine softball teams win championships
Northwood High School’s softball team won the Division 5 final to earn its first CIF title. Irvine High School captured its second CIF softball title with a victory in the Division 6 final. Irvine starting pitcher Midori De Los Santos pitched a complete game, scattering seven hits and striking out two. The Vaqueros were led by seniors Harper Vandermolen, who was 3 for 5 with five RBIs and two runs scored, and Katie Liu, who was 2 for 4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Northwood had 11 hits in support of starting pitcher Olivia Chen, who went the…
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Q&A: Swim star credits Irvine’s summer swim league for success
Ella Eastin won 12 NCAA titles, broke four American and NCAA records and helped the Stanford swim team win three NCAA championships. She started at…
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Athletes of the year
northwood high school Natalie Keith Softball, flag football The 2026 Pacific Coast League female athlete of the year was a standout on the Northwood varsity…
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UCI basketball signs world’s tallest player
The tallest person ever to play college basketball is making Irvine his new home. Olivier Rioux, a 7-foot-9 center transferring from the University of Florida,…
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IVC men’s tennis wins state championship
The Irvine Valley College men’s tennis team capped a dominant 14-1 season by capturing its second consecutive California Community College Athletic Association state title, sweeping…
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Irvine parks are ranked second highest in nation again
Allison Plette-Dalton grew up in Irvine, where some of her most important memories – including birthday parties, learning to ride her bike and after-school playdates…
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A linear park journey
Jeffrey Open Space Trail is a portal to the past and a connection in the present
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Connecting the missing middle
Jeffrey Open Space Trail is evolving from a scenic area through the villages north of the 5 freeway into a seamless linear park stretching across…
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Irvine ranks No. 2 in the U.S. for parks and open space
Irvine has officially secured its spot as a national leader in urban excellence, capturing the No. 2 spot in the 2026 ParkScore index for the…
Master Plan
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How freeway improvements impact Irvine
Mobility in Irvine is about more than getting from point A to point B; it is about the integration of neighborhoods, retail centers, schools, parks…
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The Irvine advantage
Cities inevitably change. A well-conceived master plan’s value lies in how its fundamentals can remain consistent even as conditions change over the years. By identifying…
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Irvine is area’s best city for renters
Irvine once again affirmed its reputation as one of the nation’s premier places to live by earning the top spot among Southern California cities for…
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Best city for families in Southern California
WalletHub recognized Irvine as the fourth-best city for families in the U.S. for 2025.
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Irvine is top city in the state
Irvine has been named California’s best city to live in – and the fifth best in the U.S. – by Niche, a national platform for…
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Irvine earns Master Plan accolade
The master-planned city of Irvine has been recognized as the nation’s best planned community by Zonda, an international real estate research organization.
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Hidden in plain sight: Subtleties of the Master Plan
A master plan may sound like a formidable document full of statistics and theories, but done right – as in Irvine – it’s a blueprint…
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A secret to Irvine’s beauty
The landscape architecture of Irvine is a key part of why the city is such a desirable place to live. Pick a place in Irvine,…
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Four named National Merit Scholars
Irvine high school students accounted for four of 11 seniors in the county who were awarded prestigious college-sponsored National Merit Scholarships. The Irvine winners are Xiao Jiang (University High), Pragnya Ramkumar (Northwood High), Nicole Ye (Northwood High) and Raymond Kuang, an Irvine resident attending Sage Hill School. The recipients advanced from a pool of 16,000 national semifinalists based on academic records, test scores and extracurricular activities.
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Behind the dynasty
Forget track spikes and starting pistols. At Sierra Vista Middle School, the most fiercely contested sport on campus is played with safety goggles, data sheets…
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UCI professor changed emergency medicine
Kyriacos A. Athanasiou sometimes struggled to not fall asleep while sitting in class during early-morning rounds at the University of Texas Health Science Center in…
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Q&A: Early success for concertmaster
At age 13, Owen Lo is already a familiar face on the stage of Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. The Sierra Vista Middle School…
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Irvine schools earn top state honor
Seven Irvine Unified schools have been named 2026 California Distinguished Schools, the state’s highest honor for public schools. Lakeside, Rancho San Joaquin, Sierra Vista, South…
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Amenities abound at Spectrum Terrace
Some folks spend work breaks gulping coffee, gobbling doughnuts or playing word games on their phones. Bharat Ananth hits the trails. “I’m a big outdoor…
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Beloved surf-born brand finds big stage in Irvine
Bass Pro Shops’ latest purchase has a local vibe that many Irvine shoppers might appreciate. Bass Pro’s White River Marine Group acquired Hobie, the iconic…
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Bacchus Bar & Bistro adds lunch and brunch
Danny Choi was no wine connoisseur when he bought Bacchus Wine Bar in 2017. He preferred Michelob to merlot, had never set foot in a…
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Celebrating Small Business: Quail Hill Shopping Center
OLIVER’S TRATTORIAOpened by chef Erik De Marchi at Quail Hill Shopping Center in 2023 “One of my favorite places in OC. Every detail is perfected…
Sustainability
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Irvine among first Clean California Communities
The city of Irvine has been named one of the first 33 communities in the state to earn the new Clean California Community designation from Caltrans, the state agency responsible for highway maintenance and transportation infrastructure.
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Concepts of environmental sustainability were pioneered in Irvine and continue to guide the city today
Nature was on the minds of Irvine Company planners as far back as 1959. Though “environmental sustainability” is widely recognized today, it was largely unknown…
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Irvine among nation’s greenest cities
Thanks to its abundance of parks, open spaces and trees, Irvine has been named one of the “Greenest Cities in America” by the finance website…
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EV drivers boosted by more city chargers
Electric vehicle owners in Irvine have a growing number of options to charge up.
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Water-wise tips for fall
In September, plants’ water needs drop by approximately 30% even if the temperature is hot. Because the days are shorter, evaporation decreases. Plus, plants begin…
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