Read the rest of 5th Annual Wrigley River Run to Benefit At-Risk Youth in Long Beach

SlapFish has pledged proceeds from the Pounder Melt sandwich to the Seafood for the Future program at the Aquarium of the Pacific.

The Aquarium of the Pacific’s Seafood for the Future (SFF) program has partnered with Huntington Beach, California restaurant SlapFish, which opened to the public April 20. SlapFish will be donating proceeds from its Pounder Melt sandwich to SFF. The dish is made with wild Pacific albacore tuna from SFF partner distributor American Tuna.

“We want to change the way people think about and choose their seafood,” said Executive Chef Andrew Gruel, who, with Jethro Naude, owns SlapFish. “The idea is to get people to eat more seafood, but the right types of seafood, because sustainable tastes better.”

Read the rest of HB Restaurant SlapFish Joins Sustainable Seafood Program With Boat-to-Plate Dining

Read the rest of Viento Y Agua: Drink Candy and Eye Candy

It will be one of the highlights of a multi-million dollar exhibit of historic collectibles including a $3 million 1907 gold coin some researchers believe was owned by President Teddy Roosevelt, and over $300,000 of Babe Ruth memorabilia.

Read the rest of See Inverted Jenny: Stamp Worth $1 Million Goes On Display at Long Beach Coin Expo

Photo by John Williams

Recreational water quality in Long Beach continues to improve, as grades for city beaches “improved drastically” in the Heal the Bay 2012 Annual Beach Report Card.

“I’m proud to see our efforts to clean our coastal waters are paying off,” said Mayor Bob Foster. “We created partnerships and implemented innovative technologies to tackle one of Southern California’s biggest environmental challenges. We’re not done yet, but our efforts have yielded some of our best scores ever – Long Beach should be proud of that. “

Read the rest of Heal the Bay Beach Report Shows Long Beach Recreational Water Quality Continues to Improve

80Z All Stars will kick off 100 Days of Summer in Long Beach with a concert.

From Memorial Day to Labor Day, Long Beach offers hundreds of free or low-cost cultural programs, sports activities and special events throughout the City. “100 Days of Summer” is a partnership between the City of Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine and the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau to bring you unprecedented access to all Long Beach has to offer this summer.

“With over 800 events this summer in Long Beach, you will have plenty of fun and exciting activities to choose from to stay entertained,” Mayor Bob Foster said. “The City of Long Beach is pulling out all the stops to provide something for everyone this summer.”

“100 Days of Summer” kicks off on Friday, May 25, with a performance by 80Z Allstars, the premiere 80′s tribute act in Southern California. From Devo and Bon Jovi to Rick Springfield and Duran Duran, the band covers all the great 80′s music. So style your hair big, wear your bright colors and jelly bracelets and get ready for a great night of fun with family and friends.  

Read the rest of 100 Days of Summer Starts this Friday with 80Z Allstars Concert

Nussbaum’s new novel, “The Promise,” (www.elinussbaum.com) is a story of relationships that unfold across multiple countries and through generations — all springing from a promise made during the Holocaust.

It was inspired by a real-life tragedy: His wife’s aunts and uncles, desperate to escape the Nazis’ scourge, promised their neighbors treasure for hiding them. The neighbors obliged for awhile but then, impatient to collect their treasure, killed the family. 

Read the rest of “The Promise” Tells a Multi-Generational Story

Some residents will get free tickets to see Levitated Mass at LACMA.

To celebrate the grand opening of Michael Heizer’s Levitated Mass on Sunday, June 24, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is offering free admission to residents of the Fourth District who were impacted by the movement of the 340-ton boulder in February for the entire week of June 24-July 1, Supervisor Don Knabe announced today.

“The route to the Museum of Art took the rock through most of the Fourth District, including stops in Rowland Heights, Lakewood, and Long Beach, and this is our small way of saying thank-you to our residents for their patience,” said Supervisor Knabe. “This is an incredible opportunity for residents who have never visited LACMA to experience all the art and culture the museum has to offer.” 

Read the rest of Residents Impacted by “Levitated Mass” Will Get Free Admission to LACMA

The program for this concert features a wide variety of musical selections, so there’s sure to be something everyone will enjoy. From to the upbeat Renaissance madrigal “Sing We and Chant It” by Thomas Morely, to Morton Lauridsen’s wondrous “Sure on this Shining Night,” to the energetic and charming “The Tortoise and the Hare” by Darmon Meader, the Long Beach Chorale will take the audience on a fun and eclectic journey through song. The program also features gospel selections and pop numbers to keep the audience entertained and in high spirits.

Read the rest of Long Beach Chorale Presents Sing Out! June 10th

On Friday, June 1st from 5:30 – 6:30 PM, Councilmember James Johnson invites you to kick-off First Fridays in Bixby Knolls with First Books at First Fridays, a monthly event held at Dana Branch Library.

This month’s guest readers will be the Duchess of Bixby Knolls, Gillian Klinkert, the Knolls Ranger, and Lance Johnson, a 3rd grade student from Longfellow Elementary School. The Duchess of Bixby Knolls invites the whole family to a royal celebration at First Books in honor of the Queen of England’s Diamond Jubilee. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.

Read the rest of A Duchess, Ranger, and Third Grader to Read at First Books at First Fridays

Photo by Brian Dewey

Are you and your family looking to get in shape this summer? Join Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine for brand new classes in preschool, youth, and adult fitness.

Fit for a Kid
This is a fun fitness and nutrition education class for children. From hula-hoops to hopping sacks, we incorporate a variety of activities to develop a good attitude towards fitness. Combining elements of aerobics, yoga, dance, and sports, we create a unique, non-competitive environment for girls and boys. This class will be taught by Naima Woodson at Bixby Knolls Park, and has a cost of $50 per child. Fit for a Kid will take place every Thursday in three sessions: June 7 to 28, July 5 to 26, and August 2 to 23. Preschool class, for children ages 3 to 5, will be held from 10 to 10:45 am. Youth class, for children ages 6 to 10, will be held from 11 to 11:45 am.

Read the rest of Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine Offering Fitness Classes for All Ages

The new, streamlined schedule is designed to give commissioners and the public more time to review agenda items and increase public participation.

“We believe in open and transparent meetings,” said Harbor Commission Vice President Thomas Fields. “We think it is important for the public. We think it is important for our stakeholders to be part of our decision-making process.”

Fields, along with commissioners Rich Dines and Doug Drummond, voted unanimously to approve the new schedule during the Board meeting on Monday, May 21. Board President Susan E. Anderson Wise and Commissioner Nick Sramek were away on Port business.

The new schedule will be implemented during a 90-day trial period, after which the Commission will decide whether or not to make the changes permanent. The next meeting of the Board of Harbor Commissioners is scheduled for Monday, June 4 at 5 p.m. at the Port’s Administration Building, 925 Harbor Plaza.

Agendas will be posted two Fridays before a meeting, with a revised version posted on the Thursday before the meeting if necessary. If a scheduled meeting falls on a holiday, the meeting will be held on the following Monday.

The change is designed to provide better access to the public and other interested parties who want to attend Board meetings and give their input.

“We know we are a public asset, and we ultimately answer to the citizens of this city, this region, this state,” said Fields.

In the past, the Board met three times a month, on Mondays, usually at 1 p.m., with agendas posted on the Friday prior.

For more information about the Board of Harbor Commissioners and schedule of meetings, go to www.polb.com/commission.

Photo by AJ Cann

A list of the nation’s most challenging high schools released by the Washington Post includes seven schools in the Long Beach Unified School District.

The 2012 rankings include schools that surpass 91 percent of other high schools nationwide in terms of their ability to offer rigorous college prep courses.

The Post divides the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or other college-level tests a school gave in 2011 by the number of graduating seniors. Only 9 percent of high schools, or about 1,900 schools nationwide, qualified for the list.

Read the rest of 7 Local High Schools Selected Among Nation’s Best by the Washington Post

Read the rest of Hearing Loss Association Presents Thomas Nantais, Esq., To Speak On “Work Related Hearing Loss”

The SoCal Test Drive Expo is the nation’s first-ever event that pairs a traditional auto show with the opportunity to drive virtually every car on the show floor. Taking place in the Long Beach Convention Center over Father’s Day Weekend, the show will feature new makes and models from more than a dozen manufacturers and brands. Toyota and Acura are new additions to the previously announced lineup of Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Fiat, Ford, Ram, SRT, Subaru and Volkswagen.

Read the rest of First All-Test Drive Auto Show Headed to Long Beach

Read the rest of TEDxSoCal To Return to Long Beach Saturday, July 14th

The story begins on a rainy night in Los Angeles as a plain Joe named Anibal De la Luna picks up and brings home a poor, bedraggled hitchhiker named Celestina del Sol. Celestina is fifty-four years old and has been pregnant for two years. Alone in his little house, sealed off from the wails of the city outside, De la Luna (the moon) and del Sol (the sun) come together, joining their bodies and their dreams.

Read the rest of Magical Realism Meets Time Travel When Cloud Tectonics Opens at the Long Beach Playhouse

Don and Julie Knabe

On May 31, Rancho Los Alamitos will honor Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe and his wife Julie with the inaugural Cottonwood Award for their leadership and support of historic, cultural and environmental preservation. The Cottonwood Award references the meaning of the historic site’s name, Rancho Los Alamitos or “Ranch of the Little Cottonwoods,” as the cottonwood was once plentiful in the area due to natural springs. Today, these trees can be seen in the Native Garden, with the newest “little cottonwood” in the restored Barns Area.

Read the rest of Supervisor Knabe and Wife Julie to Receive Inaugural Rancho Los Alamitos Cottonwood Award

“There are a lot of great changes happening at the Long Beach Airport – a new parking structure, and a new concourse on the way. But one thing that hasn’t changed is that LGB is a very economical airport, with excellent service and a wide range of destinations,” Mayor Bob Foster said.

Read the rest of Holding Steady; LGB Maintains Lowest Airfares In California For Third Consecutive Quarter

Openly LGBT elected and appointed officials from around the world attend the annual gathering, including members of congress, state legislators, city councilmembers, commissioners, presidential appointees and judges. The conference also draws the leadership of national and state LGBT non-profit organizations, as well as media and business professionals.

Read the rest of Long Beach to Host 28th International LGBT Leadership Conference

Read the rest of Dinner Show “Murder at the Conga Club” Extends Stay at Sevilla Restaurant

The preliminary investigation revealed the officer was driving his patrol vehicle when he observed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed in the area of Atlantic Avenue and E. 51st Street. The officer was preparing to initiate a traffic stop when the driver stopped, suddenly exited his vehicle, and began to walk away. The officer ordered the driver, who acted as if he was going to run, to stop. Without warning, the suspect produced a handgun. The officer was forced to protect himself and an officer involved shooting occurred. There were no other occupants in the suspect’s vehicle.

The officer immediately notified the Police Communications Center that he was involved in a shooting and requested medical assistance for the suspect. Long Beach Fire personnel responded and transported the suspect, who sustained gunshot injuries to his lower torso, to a local hospital. He was listed in stable condition, remains hospitalized, and is expected to survive. The suspect, who at this time is only being identified as a 26-year-old Long Beach resident, is in custody and is facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, ex-con with a firearm, and gang enhancements.

In addition to the Long Beach Police Department’s ongoing investigation, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is also conducting an independent investigation, as is routine with all officer-involved hit shootings that occur in Los Angeles County.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to call Long Beach Police Department Homicide Detectives Terri Hubert and Mark Bigel at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous tips can also be submitted via text or web by visiting www.tipsoft.com.

Installed will be: Pat Sargeant, President; Carolyn Magnuson, VP Programs; Lamis Hashem and Flo Pickett, co-VP Membership; Ellen Mathis and Linda Patten, co-AAUW Funds; Elsa Karen-Braden and Cacilia Kim, Co-Secretary; and Kay Hudnall, Treasurer.

Read the rest of The Company Three Trio to Perform at the AAUW Installation Saturday, June 2nd

Since its inaugural 2001-02 season, Cheer LA has performed for the thousands of spectators lining Ocean Boulevard. In fact, Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride was the first festival where the team put its stunting, tumbling, and dancing on “parade”—starting its tradition of raising not only spirits, but also funds, at pride events throughout California. Along the parade route, the charitable cheerleaders have encouraged the enthusiastic crowds to donate for their Cheer For Life Fund beneficiaries into the squad’s signature Spirit Buckets, enabling them to raise approximately $10,000 for Long Beach charities.  This year, Cheer LA is once again collecting donations on behalf of the Comprehensive AIDS Resource and Education (CARE) Program at St. Mary Medical Center.

Read the rest of CHEER LOS ANGELES Raising Spirits and Funds at Long Beach Lesbian and Gay Pride 2012

Read the rest of 2012 Downtown Long Beach Economic Profile Released by DLBA