SUNDAY, AUGUST 8, 2021 /// Now including Coastline Pilot and Huntington Beach Independent /// dailypilot.com Doctors say more kids are getting sick With Delta variant cases rising in Orange County, pediatricians are reporting an increase in coronavirus infections among children. BY SARA CARDINE As a more contagious Delta variant takes root in Orange County and resi- dents 12 and older get vaccinated, pe- diatricians are reporting a noticeable in- crease in coronavirus infections and COVID-19 hospitalizations among young children, just weeks before the start of school. “Right now, we’re seeing a huge uptick in the number of cases in chil- Photos by Don Leach | Staff Photographer dren,” said Dr. Chulie Ulloa, a pediatric LEGO MASTERS contestants Lauren and Bryan Firks hold a few of their creations, including “Neuschwanstein Castle” on the right. infectious disease physician scientist and assistant professor of Pediatrics at UC Irvine’s School of Medicine. “A nd unlike before, the children tend to be Laguna siblings building more symptomatic.” Arecent report issued by the Ameri- can Academy of Pediatrics indicated the number of infections among children nationwide increased in the previous week to 72,000 from around 39,000 the bond on LEGO Masters week prior to that — a nearly 85% jump in new cases. And while kids were previously Bryan and Lauren Firks when a targeted advertisement thought to be less predisposed to suffer- provided the path toward get- ing the worst symptoms of the virus, as are among the final ting on the show. the Delta variant begins to proliferate, seven teams remaining When Bryan saw it on Face- more children are being admitted into on the show that is in book, he sent a message to his local hospitals. its second season. sister to see if she was inter- Dr. Kate Williamson, a CHOC pediat- ested, and she was all in. rician and immediate past president of BY ANDREW TURNER Getting on the show has the AAP’s Orange County chapter said allowed the siblings to share a after a springtime lull, infections began ost adults have prob- part of themselves that might picking up in early July and have been ably wished at one not otherwise be the first thing on the rise ever since. M point or another that that people learn about them. “We’re seeing the cases go up at they could turn back the clock. For those that know them CHOC, both on the inpatient floor as Growing up is not easy, but well, like their significant oth- well as the ICU,” Williamson said. “And Laguna Beach siblings Bryan ers, it is a different story. we have kids who are really, really sick.” and Lauren Firks have found a “I’ve been building LEGO for Aspokeswoman for Children’s Hospi- lifelong hobby that has kept [my girlfriend] as gifts that tal Orange County on Friday confirmed them young in building with resonate with her,” Bryan said 219 positive coronavirus tests were re- LEGO. of how his hobby spills over corded in July, compared to 48 in June. That passion has now taken THE FIRKS hold two of their favorite LEGO pieces, created in images into his relationship. “Her Among those, 27 children were hospi- the brother-sister duo on an of themselves, at the LEGO store at the Shops in Mission Viejo. favorite animal is a bunny, so I talized with COVID-19 last month, adventure, as they were se- built her a bunny.” whereas only 17 were admitted in June. lected to compete on the sec- gan when their father brought from scratch, and not long after Lauren, 22, said that her Between Thursday and Friday alone, ond season of the show LEGO aset home for him when he that, he invited his sister to get boyfriend also likes LEGO. the daily number of new infections re- Masters. was 3 years old. in on the act, too. They each own a key chain ported by the Orange County Health For Bryan, 26, the obsession Before long, he was disas- It was evident that their with the miniature bricks be- sembling the sets and building hobby had caught up to them See LEGO, page A6 See Sick, page A3 Laguna Beach Live! sets Afterburner Music Festival ALSO FROM THE coming to Huntington Beach dates for 2 jazz concerts DAILY PILOT: BY LILLY NGUYEN also announced it would bring BY MATT SZABO Boulevard at Pacific Coast High- renowned trumpeter Bijon Wat- way. It is the first live music Laguna Beach Live! is return- son and the Latin Jazz Syndi- How about a few tunes to go event to take place on Hunting- ing to the Promenade on Forest cate, featuring Cuban vocalist with your supersonic jets? ton City Beach since 2013, when this Wednesday with Orange Adonis Puentes, to the Women’s The Pacific Airshow will be the U.S. Open of Surfing ended County pianist Carol Roman. Club on St. Ann’s Drive this Sep- providing that this year with the in rioting, more than 100 arrests Roman, a graduate of Cal tember. two-night Afterburner Music and property damage. State Fullerton, is also a teacher, They will perform at 5:30 p.m. Festival, which is coming to Other music festivals have songwriter and composer, and on Sept. 23, and a cocktail hour Huntington City Beach on Oct. 1 taken place since then at Hunt- will begin her performance on is expected to precede the con- and 2. ington State Beach, including Gary Ambrose|For the Times Forest Avenue at 5:30 p.m. cert. The festival will feature a vari- the Surf City Blitz with Social Roman has released four CDs Seating, however, is limited in TEAM USA WOMEN’S WATER ety of musical acts including Distortion and the Offspring in and recently had her single, light of social distancing due to POLO WINS GOLD MEDAL, Sammy Hagar & the Circle, Sam 2018 and the Back to the Beach “Hidden from View,” played on the ongoing coronavirus pan- CORONA DEL MAR HIGH’S Hunt and X Ambassadors. festival in 2018 and 2019. KJAZZ. MADDIE MUSSELMAN IS Afterburner Music Festival The nonprofit organization See Jazz, page A6 OLYMPIC MVP PAGE A7 will take place north of Beach See Festival, page A6 Future of whale mural in Laguna Canyon yet to be decided BY ANDREW TURNER the premises to hold an event to the conservation and protection call attention to an effort to save of marine mammals, so this is an Competing interests have left the mural, which was first seen at incredibly significant public arts an uncertain future for a long- the property in February 1987. project.” standing marine life mural in the Steve Creech, president of the The ceramic tile mural stands Laguna Canyon. Wyland Foundation, said that the along the south wall of Laguna For more than 30 years, a mural group of demonstrators consist- Classic Cars. of a gray whale emerging from the ing of about 20 people that The Dornin Investment Group, water has greeted those that pass showed up in person, were acting which owns the multi-tenant light the property at 2171 Laguna Can- on an anonymous tip that the industrial property, sought to yon Road. mural was going to be demol- make improvements to the space Laguna Beach artist Robert ished. and received design review board Wyland, who was once a tenant in The visual of the gray whale approval on Feb. 13, 2020. that space for his studio, origi- breaching the surface is consid- Included in those improve- nally painted the piece, and then ered one in a series of 100 “whal- ments was a plan to replace the a450-square-foot ceramic tile ing walls” around the world that existing mural with a directory version went through the city’s were created by Wyland between sign that could display the names permitting process in 1995 and 1981 and 2008. of current tenants of the building. was introduced to the building “When he started this project, “We’d like to use that billboard Don Leach | Staff Photographer the next year. there was nothing like it in the sign for something other than a On July 30, members of the world,” Creech said. tenant that does not occupy THE 450-SQUARE-FOOT gray whale mural by artist Robert Wyland. Some Wyland Foundation and support- “Nobody had done anything of protesters showed up and saved it for now. The mural, visible from Laguna ers of Wyland’s work returned to that scale, especially devoted to See Mural, page A3 Canyon Road, used to be at the Wyland Gallery, but it is now a car showroom. A2 SUNDAY, AUGUST 8, 2021 DAILY PILOT | COASTLINE PILOT | HUNTINGTON BEACH INDEPENDENT WWW.DAILYPILOT.COM Committed to you Itake my role as afinancial professional seriously.Thereare many waystoinvest andmyfirst investment is in you.Iamhereto listen, answer questions and help you make goal-oriented financial decisions. 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Davidson &Co. member SIPC WWW.DAILYPILOT.COM DAILY PILOT | COASTLINE PILOT | HUNTINGTON BEACH INDEPENDENT SUNDAY, AUGUST 8, 2021 A3 even those who’ve re- She emphasized the im- THE DAILY SICK ceived a vaccine, to take portance of taking all pre- Continued from page A1 every precaution around cautions to stop the virus COMMUTER unprotected minors.