GRADS: The biggest local happenings this week are high school and intermediate commencements.
On Tuesday, La Quinta High will hold its commencement at 6 p.m. at the Bolsa Grande Stadium.
Wednesday will be a lot busier, with seven graduation ceremonies involving area high school campuses.
Bolsa Grande will hold its event at its campus stadium at 1:30 p.m. Garden Grove High will conduct commencement at 1:30 p.m. at its stadium. Hare Continuation High School’s event will be on campus at 6 p.m.
Los Amigos takes the stage at Garden Grove Stadium at 5 p.m., with Santiago following at 8 p.m. Over at Bolsa Grande Stadium, Pacifica is up at 4:30 and Rancho Alamitos at 8 p.m.
Intermediate school commencements are all set for Wednesday.
MEETINGS: The Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education meets Tuesday at 7 p.m., 10331 Stanford Ave.
The Westminster School District board meets on Thursday at 7 p.m, 12141 Cedarwood., Westminster.
ANGELS: The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim started the 2012 season with high expectations and low execution. The offense was erratic and the pitching handicapped by an unreliable bullpen.
In recent weeks, though, the Angels’ offense has come alive and now the pitching staff is looking ready for prime-time as well. Sunday’s 2-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Anaheim was the Halos’ 18th win in their last 24 games and helped establish them as the hottest team in the major leagues.
The victory improved their record to 36-31 and a season-high five games over. 500. They remained four games behind the Texas Rangers in the American League West race as the Rangers defeated the Houston Astros 9-3 Sunday.
Garrett Richards pitched four-hit ball into the ninth inning and Albert Pujols homered and made two great defensive plays in the win. Richards, in the rotation while Jered Weaver recovers, has allowed just two earned runs in 21 innings.
That victory came the night after a 2-0 win by the Halos Saturday when Ervin Santana threw a one-hitter.
Sunday’s win came at the expense of a local favorite, Ian Kennedy, who starred at Westminster’s La Quinta High School in his youth. Kennedy won 21 games last year, but has a 5-7 record so far in 2012 thanks largely to a lack of support.
The D-backs, for example, haven’t scored in 21 consecutive innings.
The Angels have now won 12 of their last 13 interleague series, and have the best record in the major leagues in interleague play since 2007, going 70-32.
On Monday the Angels start a three-game series with the San Francisco Giants. They’ll have Thursday off, and then host the Dodgers for three games Friday through Sunday (June 22-24).
MOVIES: The new animated Disney/Pixar film “Brave” about a fiesty medieval flame-haired princess tops this weekend’s list of new releases. Kelly McDonald voices the lead role.It’s rated PG and also comes in a 3-D version.
Also in the cinemas this weekend are “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” (rated R) and “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World,” a dark comedy starring Steve Carell and Keira Knightley. An asteroid is coming to destroy the planet but there is still some unfinished business. Rated R.
