🌱 Bluff Park Battery + Fern’s Garden On 2nd Street Closes 1/9

Good morning, Long Beach! Let's get this Wednesday started. Here's everything worth knowing today in town. What happened to the man who threw an object at another man? Also, everything must go at Fern’s Garden. Finally, donate blood in January for a chance to win tickets to the Super Bowl!

First, today's weather:

Cloudy and cool. High: 65 Low: 53.

Here are the top stories today in Long Beach:

1. The folks attending the free yoga at Bluff Park on Monday had to call the LBPD to the 2800 block of Ocean Boulevard. A man threw an unidentified object at another man. Bystanders restrained the individual, and the PD took him to a hospital for a psych evaluation. (LB Post)
2. Fern’s Garden at 5308 East Second Street is closing. Owners anticipate locking the door for the last time around January 9. Shoppers in the market for wind chimes, plants, jewelry, or desktop waterfalls will receive 40% off everything beginning Sunday. Contributing factors to this closure are raised rents, COVID-19, and “unmasked people insisting on remaining that way while shopping.” (LB Post)
3. What would it take for you to give blood in January? The American Red Cross is offering “a chance to win tickets to the Super Bowl and a home theater package.” (Of course, if you are willing to give blood this week without the chance to win a prize, head to the Donation Center at 3150 East 29th Street on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Sunday.) Get in on the deal, and visit the venue on January 4, 5, 6, or 7! (Patch)
4. The City is taking the threat of earthquakes seriously. A December 2 report shows that LB has been proactive. It closed the unsafe City Hall building in 2019 and demolished the old courthouse. A new, safe, Civic Center was built on West Ocean Boulevard where the old courthouse stood. In 2018, the City shut down LB Community Hospital and required retrofitting as a clause of reopening it. Moreover, “the new $1.4 billion Long Beach International Gateway bridge with state-of-the-art seismic safety technology safeguards both trade and travelers in the Long Beach harbor area as it spans the Back Channel.” (Optimum Seismic)
5. Long Beach’s Breakfast Bar and the LGBTQ Center Long Beach are teaming up to “offer the community fellowship and good cheer.” On Friday, there will be volunteers at the Center from noon to 4 p.m. They will give away Christmas meals. “We want to make sure that everyone in the LGBTQ community feels a connection with others during the holidays,” a Center representative explained. (Q Voice News)

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Today in Long Beach:

• Holiday Break STEAM Academy at the Scholars Collective (8 AM)
• Aquarium Of The Pacific’s Crafty Critters for Pre-K Kids (online) (9 AM)
• Ugly Sweater Celebration at the Regency Palms, Long Beach (2:15 PM)
• Marina Stadium Farmers’ Market at Appian Way and Nieto Avenue (3 PM)
• Bear City Presents Stand-Up Comedy at Que Sera (7:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• The Long Beach Police Department is apple-solutely thrilled to receive an early holiday gift of delicious apples from their friends at Farmers & Merchants Bank! (Facebook)
• The Long Beach Public Library is hosting Salsa Saturdays to teach about healthy and mindful eating habits. (Facebook)
• A kind AOC7 neighbor found an EBT card on 10th Street near Gaviota. They dropped it off at the Northgate Market on Cherry and 10th; show ID to the manager. (Nextdoor)
• Our Memorial Heights neighbor is looking for someone to rescue stray cats in the alley of the 3100 - 3200 blocks of Pine and Locust Avenues between 31st and Pepper Drive. Cats are in the alley at night and walk the fences between the homes. (Nextdoor)
• Can you help our Dorado neighbor with recommendations for vinyl fence toppers? (Nextdoor)
• Our Artcraft Manor neighbor is looking for Christmas dinner meal recommendations; preferably a small business. (Nextdoor)

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You're officially in the loop for today. See you all tomorrow for another update!

— 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.