It’s beginning to look a lot like HELLMOUTH

--HERE IN Orange County, anyway. From the OC Register:

• Tustin middle school students suspended for repeated hugging: Parents and students protested outside of Hewes Middle School:

Eighth-grader Noah Stillman was suspended and stayed home from school Wednesday after hugging a girl on Tuesday….

A few parents and some students picketed in front of Hewes Middle School Wednesday morning for about an hour with signs that included “Honk for hugs,” “Hugging is not a crime” and “Stop the war on hugs.”

Students who continue to hug after at least one warning violate the state's education code for defiance of authority….

…Another student, Gianna Cammarota, 13, was suspended this month for repeated hugging according to her mother, Christy.

• Fire area threatened by slides and floods, report states:

People, property, water quality, wildlife and infrastructure once threatened by the flames of the Santiago fire are now at risk of floods and landslides caused by rain, according to a report released by the state Tuesday.

All areas near the 28,464-acre fire are at risk, but the risk is the greatest in Modjeska, Williams and the upper reaches of Silverado Canyon, according to the Burned Area Emergency Response report for the blaze. Sixty-eight locations were specifically identified in the report as being at risk of floods, landslides or falling debris….


…About 50 firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service continue to monitor the remnants of the fire 24-hours a day, said Jay Bertek, incident commander with the Forest Service. Authorities said the fire was intentionally set along Santiago Road Oct. 21.

…According to the state report, most of the land affected by the fire belongs to the Irvine Company, with 10,682 acres. Almost 6,000 acres burned were inside the Cleveland National forest and 3,834 acres are owned by small private owners. The County of Orange owns 3,446 acres of the burned area, and 4,507 acres are owned by the toll roads, the federal government or school and water districts.

…Homes near stream channels in Modjeska, Williams, Santiago and Silverado canyons face the prospect of floods, while homes below or on slopes are in danger of unstable soil. A total of 68 sites have been identified as being at risk of landslides, floods, rockslides and debris flow…

…The report also recommends that hydroseeding and mulching not be used to rehabilitate slopes because the strategy prevents natural plants from sprouting and does not help to stabilize the soil. Burned soil doesn't take long to show signs of regeneration, the report states.

Irvine Lake, a source of drinking water for Villa Park and some parts of Orange, should be monitored for debris and sediment flows when it rains, according to the report….

• Turkey bowling a tradition at Los Amigos High:

…[T]hose who think they have all the uses for that big bird down to an art form may have overlooked one option pre-Thanksgiving: turkey bowling.

…Students at Los Amigos High School enjoyed the tradition Wednesday as the school marked the final day of its annual Turkey Olympics, a three-day event that included eating contests on Monday and Tuesday.

…One student from each of the four classes and two teachers rolled a frozen turkey down a 20-foot-stretch of red carpet toward 10 2-liter soda bottles filled with sand at the other end….

• Now arrived: Toy Trains: Nixon Presidential Library hosts 250 toy trains in massive display