🌱 Orange County's New Districts + Bed Bath & Beyond Closures

Miranda Ceja
·4 min read

Good morning, Orange County! Let's get this Friday started. Here are the most important things going on today in town.

First, today's weather:

Dense fog will lift. High: 63 Low: 52.

Here are the top stories today in Orange County:

  1. Do you know who supervises your hometown in Orange County? It may not be who you think. Starting Thursday, legislative boundaries have shifted. Following the census, Orange County's local legislators — in this case, the Orange County Board of Supervisors — have selected a new map to ensure all residents get equal representation. (Orange County Patch).

  2. Three Orange County Bed Bath & Beyond stores will close permanently by February, the chain announced this week. A list of 37 locations across the country was released on Thursday, as part of the home goods mega store's continued transformation toward e-commerce, according to CEO Mark Tritton. (Orange County Patch).

  3. One Orange County school district is seeing more COVID-19 related absences than the others. Kids are increasingly staying home from school across the county, and many Orange County parents speculate on their students returning to campus. (VoiceofOC).

  4. Volunteers from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire are being honored as outstanding mentors during National Mentoring Month. Click through to see who the top mentors in your area are. (Orange County Patch).

  5. As the COVID-19 omicron variant continues to roll through the Golden State, hospitals are beginning to feel the strain of crowding. In Orange County, at least nine hospitals have set up surge tents to increase capacity. (Los Angeles Times).

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Today in Orange County:

From my notebook:

  • Orange County Fire Authority: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the @lacountyfd and the family of the firefighter who tragically passed away." (Facebook).

  • OC Parks: "Every winter Arden, the home of Polish actress Helena Modjeska in the canyon named for her, is decorated in the spirit of Polish holiday traditions and customs." (Instagram).

  • Orange County Parks: "Every winter Arden, the home of Polish actress Helena Modjeska in the canyon named for her, is decorated in the spirit of Polish holiday traditions and customs." (Facebook).

  • Orange County Register: "The one-time grants are part of a new $1 billion federally funded program to aid homeowners facing the threat of foreclosure because they lost income during the pandemic." (Facebook).

  • South Orange Public Library: "For the first #tbt of the year, in this photo taken in 1890 is the early site of South Orange Public Library (NJ) over Charles Beck’s store which was located at Scotland Road and South Orange Avenue." (Instagram).

  • Orange County Department of Ed: "The first shipments of rapid antigen tests for students arrived at OCDE’s offices today, but additional shipments will be needed to cover all OC students." (Instagram).

  • LGBTQ Center Orange County: "Introducing our new Director of Marketing, Sydney (She/Her/Hers)! Please give her a warm welcome below. How did you first become involved at The Center OC?" (Facebook).

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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Friday off right! See you all tomorrow for your next update.

— Miranda Ceja

This article originally appeared on the Orange County Patch