'Wheel Of Fortune' $100K Win; Trapped Dog Rescue: Saturday Smiles

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — These are some of the stories that made us smile in Southern California this week—

Retired OC Fire Chief Wins Big At 'Wheel Of Fortune': Watch

• After choosing C P D and O in the final bonus round, this retired OC Firefighter deciphered a "place" to win $100,000 on' Wheel of Fortune.'

Lottery Ticket With 5 Numbers Sold In San Diego's South Bay

• The SuperLotto Plus numbers were drawn Wednesday evening.

Lakers' Anthony Davis Celebrates Championship At NoHo Taco Truck

• The newly-crowned NBA champion visited La Autentica Birria for some shredded goat tacos.

Rancho Palos Verdes Playgrounds Reopen

• Following months of closures throughout the pandemic, all playgrounds in Rancho Palos Verdes have reopened with new health guidelines.

Trapped Dog Rescued, Reunited With Family

• The incident is a stark reminder of the hazards of fireworks.

Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute Given $3.3M For Mental Health

• The institute was awarded a grant to study the integration of mental health services in the care of patients with type 1 diabetes.

October Whale Watching In Full Swing Off Laguna Beach Coastline

• The whales are back in Orange County!

Women Directors, Writers In Independent Films Reach Record High

• A new report says 38% of directors in narrative features or documentaries were women.

Modernism Week Fall Preview Begins In Palm Springs

• The event is being streamed, so anyone can tune in. Here are the details ...

Sempra Energy Named To Forbes JUST 100 List

• The list "celebrates U.S. publicly traded corporations that outperform on issues that matter most to the American public."

Laguna Surfer Nate Zoller 'Gone' With New Surfing Video

• In homage to his time spent on the road, a Laguna Beach professional surfer shows the world how he's spent his coronavirus shutdown.

Marina Del Rey Woman Sets American Running Record

• A Marina del Rey woman just broke a record for American women in running.

Maggie Gilbert Aquatic Center To Re-Open for Lap Swimming

• Guests can register online to reserve 50-minute swimming slots.

Scholarship Lets Palm Springs Sibling Duo Study Nursing Together

• The University Legacy Scholarship offers up to $7,000 per year for outstanding graduating high school seniors in the Coachella Valley.

Free Flu Shots Available In San Diego County

• Six clinics will provide free flu shots for adults and children ages 6 months and up.

Oceanside Gets 2nd Place In National Water Conservation Challenge

• "The Oceanside community has shown its commitment to sustainability and efficient use of natural resources."

Dwyane Wade Photobombs California Couple's Coastal Proposal

• Who knew Dwyane Wade was a romantic? Probably his wife, Gabrielle Union. Here's what happened when he witnessed a surprise beach engagement.

Mr. Newsom Goes To Disneyland: Park Reopening Hangs In Balance

• The governor's entourage has visited Disney World to view protocols on coronavirus safety measures already in place and working.

New LA County Paramedic Squad Joins Catalina Island

• A new Los Angeles County paramedic squad will join Catalina Island's Baywatch Avalon this week.

Santa Monica City Council Approves Plan For More Bike Lanes

• Santa Monica City Council voted Tuesday to approve more protected bike lanes in the city.

Elegant Cape Cod Style Mansion Listed For $7 Million

• Enjoy the best of both coasts in one spacious abode.

Famous Kaufmann House By Neutra Hits Market In Palm Springs: $25M

• Designed by renowned modernist architect Richard Neutra in the mid-1940s, the Kaufmann Desert House stands as a unique architectural marvel.

Darius Rucker Wants You To Meet This Extraordinary Murrieta Woman

• The singer-songwriter will tell Briarly Wilson's story during the Elizabeth Dole Foundation’s third annual Heroes and History Makers.

San Diego County Supervisors Approve Ozone-Reduction Plan

• The Board of Supervisors approved a plan to reduce ozone pollution in order to improve air quality and comply with federal standards.

SDSU To Host March Madness First And Second Rounds In 2026

• San Diego State University has been selected to host the first and second rounds of the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.

RivCo Animal Services Receives $10K Grant to Assist Pet Owners

• The funding is to be used to help pet parents afford spay and neuter services, vaccination and microchipping.

Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified Schools Rank Top In CA

• The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District was recognized as a top California school district.

Culver City Unified Schools Ranked Top In CA

• The Culver City Unified School District was recognized as a top California school district.

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Named Top CA District

• The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District was recognized as a top California school district.

Pro Skateboarder, Students Share Skills With Seniors In Murrieta

• Professional skateboarder Kurtis Colamonico on Monday led a skateboarding demonstration for Vineyard Place residents.

City Of Temecula, Schools Creating 'WiFi Gardens' For Students

• The gardens will be located at Rotary Park, Margarita Community Park and the CRC Amphitheater.

County OKs More Pandemic Funds For Small Businesses, Food Banks

• County supervisors unanimously approved spending $24 million in federal coronavirus-related money on certain programs and services.

8 Chosen For San Diego County Redistricting Commission

• Commissioners will redraw boundaries for the county's five supervisorial districts by December 2021, based on new federal census numbers.

Surfrider Opens New Water Quality Monitoring Lab In Carlsbad

• The San Diego County chapter of the Surfrider Foundation announced a new water quality monitoring lab in Carlsbad Tuesday.

Palos Verdes Librarians To Host Kids Virtual After School Program

• Are your kids looking for some after school fun? Palos Verdes Library District is hosting a virtual program.

4 Opportunities For Santa Monica Artists

• Here are five opportunities for local Santa Monica artists to check out.

80% Of Fall Drivers Can Expect To Save $16 Per Gas Fill-Up: RivCo

• With declining gas prices, the Automobile Club of Southern California estimates that, compared to one year ago, drivers are saving.

Job Market In Riverside County Makes Modest Gains Amid COVID-19

• The county's unemployment rate dropped for the fourth consecutive month.

Indian Tribes Continue Offering Casino Jobs In Coachella Valley

• The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians is the latest tribe to announce a job fair in an effort to fill the positions.

Coronavirus Recession 'Is Over' In Riverside County: UCR Report

• "As odd as it may sound, technically, this recession is over, making it the deepest, but shortest in U.S. history."

Food and Restaurants

Wolfgang Puck To Open Two West Hollywood Restaurants This Fall

• Both restaurants will reside at The Pendry in West Hollywood.

Craft Beer Week Returns To Murrieta

• This year's lineup includes several local breweries and a golf tournament.

Gladstones Restaurant Coming To San Pedro's West Harbor

• The new West Harbor site isn't expected to be completed until 2022.

Halloween

Secrets Of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion, Is The Park Haunted?

• Halloween at Disneyland Resort is our favorite season. Patch looks at 999 happy haunts, & a few more who may roam the park after dark.

West Hollywood To Host 'Trunk Or Treat' Halloween Event

• A drive-through exhibition will include a pumpkin patch, prizes, and a spooky Halloween DJ.

Halloween Event Guide 2020: Orange County

• Halloween is still on the calendar! Check out OC haunts, pumpkin patches, & trick-or-treating for this most spook-tacular time of the year.

Halloween Haunts, Fun & Pumpkin Patches 2020: San Diego County

• Halloween is still on the calendar! Check out nearby events, corn mazes & trick-or-treating for this most spook-tacular time of the year.

Halloween Haunts, Fun & Pumpkin Patches 2020: Inland Empire

• Don't boo-hoo: Halloween is still on the calendar! Check out slew of events coming up nearby to mark the most spook-tacular time of the year

This article originally appeared on the Redlands-Loma Linda Patch