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Canyon Fire Blaze Continues|Suspected Jewelry Thief Nabbed|STD's On The Rise|Dog Walker-Turned-Burglar|Patch PM

Canyon Fire Blaze Continues|Suspected Jewelry Thief Nabbed|STD's On The Rise|Dog Walker-Turned-Burglar|Orange County Patch PM

Share-worthy stories from across the Southland Patch cities to talk about tonight:

Smoke from the Canyon Fire is still affecting air quality across Southern California, but residents have returned home, many to thank the men and women who saved their homes. Firefighters have held the Canyon Fire to 2,000 acres, and containment has raised to 45-percent as of Thursday morning. Crews fought the blaze for a fourth day, and are expecting full containment this weekend.

In Orange County, a suspected jewelry thief was caught by police after allegedly stealing over $200,000 worth of merchandise from the Shops at the Cliffs Laguna Beach. Read more and see photos of the suspect here.

Find out what's happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Across California, sexually transmitted diseases were up 40 percent from five years ago, health officials said, and the same rings true for Los Angeles County. According to the county Department of Public Health, there were 59,176 reported cases of chlamydia last year, up 4 percent from the previous year. There were also 22,361 cases of gonorrhea, up 27 percent; 4,018 cases of syphilis, a 16 percent jump; and 37 cases of congenital syphilis, up 67 percent.

In other news, an Elysian Park man was caught selling counterfeit erectile dysfunction drugs from his vehicle, City Attorney Mike Feuer announced Wednesday. The man was arrested following an undercover investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department and pleaded no contest to one count each of unlawfully furnishing a dangerous drug and possession for sale of a counterfeit mark.

Find out what's happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

In the South Bay, a dog walker-turned-burglar pled not guilty after allegedly burglarizing the Palos Verdes house using a key that the family had given him to walk their dog. The defendant and his 19-year-old accomplice were both from Hermosa Beach.

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