GETTING BAKED: A California Department of Transportation...

GETTING BAKED: A California Department of Transportation freeze on contracts with outside consultants could devastate companies that help the state design its highways and could delay work on several local road projects (D1). . . . Among those badly hurt by the agency’s freeze are minority- and women-owned businesses, such as the land surveying company operated by Adriana Long of Orange. “This is literally going to close our doors,” says an angry Long. “I’m not ready to go back to cookie baking. Been there. Done that.”

HORATIO HERO: When George Argyros of Newport Beach was a Chapman University student, he worked 50 hours a week to help support his family. Now he’s one of the West’s richest developers. This year he won a prestigious Horatio Alger award--another is TV’s Oprah Winfrey--for his “rags-to-riches” story (tonight at 7 on NBC). Argyros says of his struggling years, “If you dream big dreams, and work hard, you can make it happen.”

DUKE MUSIC: The Pacific Symphony will kick off its summer series at Irvine Meadows on July 4th with a musical salute to John Wayne. . . . Included will be a patriotic speech written by the late actor. The symphony found someone special to read it: Wayne’s son Patrick, above.

DERAILED: It looks like plans for two new Orange County commuter trains by the end of the year will be stalled due to state budget woes. The county Transportation Authority says the extra trains are in jeopardy because the agency won’t get up to $5 million earmarked for new train depots and improvements to existing stations. . . . “If we don’t have the stations, we can’t start the new trains, because there will be fewer people than expected able to ride them,” says county transportation chief Stan Oftelie.