Today's top stories from behind The Orange Curtain:

Marine Cpl. Donald J. Hogan, 20, San Clemente; killed by roadside bomb (LAT)
Donald J. Hogan always wanted to be a soldier. As a kid, every year on his birthday, he would ask for a toy gun. Once, his parents remember, he asked for an Apache helicopter. A real one.

Bicyclist injured after collision with car in Irvine (OCR)
Police seek witnesses to crash at Culver and Scottsdale.

Locals fanning out to count homeless men and women (OCR)
Tally will look at those without housing in Costa Mesa.

Foreclosures account for a fourth of home resales (OCR)
Just over one in four existing homes sold in Orange County last month had been through foreclosure some time in the past year, according to MDA DataQuick. That’s the smallest percentage of total home “resales” in 1.5 years.

Are Blue Ribbon schools really the best? (OCR)
Federal recognition is just one measure of school quality.

Financier’s death could be suicide (DP)
Newport businessman who was subject of FBI investigation may have killed himself last weekend, police believe. A federal grand jury indicted him in July.