🌱 Burglars Caught Red-Handed On El Parque + Saturday Parade Detours

Hi there, Long Beach! Today, we commemorate the end of the American Revolution as we celebrate Ratification Day. I'm here in your inbox this morning to get you up to speed on everything you need to know that's going on around town, including news about...

• 🚓 The possible prevention of a workplace shooting
• 📕 Ongoing To-Go Service at three libraries
• 🛴 Childcare for Long Beach City College students

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🌧️ But first, today's weather:

Rain becoming heavier; cooler. High: 59 Low: 53.

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⛽ Three of the Cheapest Gas Stations in the City of Long Beach

• Sam’s Club at 7480 Carson St., $3.89
• VP Racing Fuels at 3605 E 7th St., $3.98
• Vons at 1818 Ximeno Ave., $3.99

💐 Valentine’s Day Poll! 🥂
Pink hearts, boxes of chocolates, and greeting cards – reminders that Valentine’s Day is coming are everywhere. But responses to the holiday are mixed. What are your feelings about the occasion? Do you celebrate? So far, 50% take a bah-humbug approach, while 41.3% plan on a Valentine’s Day with all the trimmings. 2.2% plan on celebrating Galentine’s Day, and 6.5% focus on Singles Awareness Day.

📰 Here are the top stories today in Long Beach:

1. Officers of the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) arrested two suspects in the process of burglarizing a property in the 5500 block of El Parque Street. The call came in Thursday and involved a garage break-in. “Once in the garage, the suspects stole various power tools, which were subsequently recovered by officers.” The suspects are both 22-year-old residents of the city and are held on $50,000 and $60,000 bail, respectively. (LBPD)
2. In semi-related news, the LBPD might have prevented a workplace shooting. On Monday, officers arrested a 35-year-old suspect who was reportedly “accused of threatening to shoot his coworkers at a Belmont Heights pharmacy.” In addition to an arrest warrant, officers “obtained a Gun Violence Emergency Protective Order.” A search of the suspect’s home yielded “six guns, including several illegal assault rifles.” Although “booked into jail on one count of threatening a crime with intent to terrorize and one count of possession of an assault weapon,” the suspect was “released Tuesday after posting a $100,000 bond.” (Press-Telegram)
3. The To-Go Service model continues until the end of March at the Alamitos, Brewitt and Dana Neighborhood Libraries. To-Go Service means that you can place holds or pick up materials; however, you can’t go in and take advantage of “book browsing, public computers or printing, restroom use or meeting room rentals.” The Long Beach Public Library explained on Thursday that it needs the time to “onboard and train a number of key staff positions, including Senior Librarians who supervise library operations and staff, and General Librarians who provide specialized library services.” You may remember that this problem has been ongoing since last summer. (City of Long Beach)
4. Long Beach City College wants to make it easier for the estimated 1,000 students who are also parents. We learned Thursday that the school partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Long Beach to let students “enroll their school-aged children, ages 6 to 18, in free after-school programming.” The program runs Monday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the school’s “Liberal Arts Campus and the Boys & Girls Club of Long Beach’s John C. & Alice Wallace/Petrolane Center, located one block from LBCC’s Pacific Coast Campus.” (Long Beach Post)
5. Whether you’re heading to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade today, Saturday, or just will be out and about, there’ll be Long Beach Transit “detours and bus stop closures for multiple routes.” Affected routes are the 41, 45, 46, and 71. If your commute takes you to Anaheim Street between Atlantic and Alamitos avenues, make different plans. Transit changes will begin at 7 a.m. and go on until about 12:30 p.m. (Long Beach Transit)

📆 Today in Long Beach:

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade begins at Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. and Anaheim St. (10 AM)
• Sesame Street Live at the Terrace Theater (10:30 AM)
• Houseplants for Healing Plant Swap at Rooted (11 AM)
• Paint & Sip Pop Up at the Hilton Long Beach (12 PM)
• Tom Norman performs at The Boathouse on the Bay (1:30 PM)

🖊️ From my notebook:

• "With the 34th overall selection, the Washington Spirit have selected our very own Lena Silano!" (Long Beach State Athletics via Instagram)
• "To strategically help more people experiencing homelessness in Long Beach, we have started to centralize emergency response efforts in the Downtown area, increase street outreach, and put a new Mobile Access Center vehicle on the road." (Long Beach City via Facebook)
• "In observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the City of Long Beach facilities and services will be impacted on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. Get the full list of closures here ➡️ https://bit.ly/3Xb4xBg" (Long Beach City via Facebook)
• "If you’re coming to the MLK Day of Service kick off event, bring some socks with you! We hope to see you there!" (Leadership Long Beach via Facebook)
• "Follow Long Beach Development Services for updates!" (Long Beach City via Facebook)

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That's it for today! I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow with 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.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Long Beach Daily? Contact me at LongBeach-CA@Patch.com