Kudos To Patricia Albers + Gas Prices + Thanksgiving Virus Surge?

Morning, Huntington Beach! Let's get you all caught up to start this day off on an informed note. Here's everything happening today in town.

See who won the Mayor's Excellence Award. Also, gas is getting a little cheaper. Finally, are we seeing a Thanksgiving Day COVID surge?

First, today's weather:

A.M. sprinkles; partly sunny. High: 63 Low: 52.

Here are the top stories in Huntington Beach today:

1. A shoutout to Patricia Albers, who received the Mayor's Excellence Award earlier this month. She is a senior analyst at the Administrative Services Department. She “demonstrates honest and ethical behavior” among many other positive qualities. (City Manager Report)
2. Gas is getting cheaper in the OC. Over the last eight days, the overall cost of gasoline decreased by 2.6 cents. However, as of Tuesday, the average cost is still 9.6 cents higher than a month ago and “$1.534 higher than one year ago.” (Patch)
3. Referring to it as a “turkey day virus surge,” the OC Tribune is discussing Monday’s COVID numbers. Comparing the number of cases, there’s been an increase from 314 on Thursday to 481 on Monday. However, hospitalizations during this same period went down from 189 to 169. (OC Tribune)
4. Since Wednesday, the winter session of the Huntington Beach Fire Department Junior Lifeguard Surf Team is open for registration. There’s a session running from 01/04/22 to 02/24/22. Participants commit to meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 AM to 7:30 AM. In addition to learning lifesaving techniques, participants also receive preparation for “surf competition, paddling competitions, and other beach competitions.” (Surf City Break)
5. We learned Tuesday that the OC Health Care Agency is getting a new behavior health director. Veronica Kelley, who has worked as behavioral health director for San Bernardino County, will come to Orange County. She promises “to focus on transparency and listening to community members about how to fix gaps in services.” Of course, this is in stark contrast to a September message from the county that asserted, “the County has determined that the public interest in withholding disclosure outweighs the public interest in disclosing the recording because it will have a chilling effect on candid and deliberate and robust discussion at the [advisory board] meetings by [board] members and County staff.” (Voice of OC)

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Today in Huntington Beach:

• Ballet with Mrs. Claus at Bella Terra, 7777 Edinger Avenue (10:30 AM)
• Mix & Mingle with Green Compass at Four Sons Brewing, 18421 Gothard Street (6 PM)
• Live Nativity at FCCHB, 1207 Main Street (6 PM)
• Shark Style BIKE NIGHT at My Place Sports Bar & Grill, 5452 Commercial Drive (6:30 PM)
• Vintage Snowman at Pinot’s Palette, 7811 Edinger Avenue (6:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Prison Fellowship Angel Tree is looking for donations. Your gift helps bring together children and their incarcerated parents. (Prison Fellowship)

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You're officially in the loop for today! See you tomorrow morning for another update. If you're into these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to read along. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Sylvia Cochran

About me: Sylvia Cochran works out of sunny Southern California and has been freelance writing full-time since 2005. She loves dogs, cats, books, plays Best Fiends (don't judge), embraces social justice, and tries to live out Micah 6:8.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Huntington Beach Daily? I'm all ears. You can email me at huntingtonbeach-ca@patch.com.