🌱 Fires On Claremore, LB Blvd + Don’t Pick CA Brittlebush Flower

Get on up, Long Beach, and happy St. Valentine’s Day! Let's get you all caught up to start this day off on an informed note.

There’ve been a couple of fires the LBFD knocked down. Also, don’t pick California Brittlebush flowers! Finally, the LBPD arrested a 54-year-old murder suspect.

First, today's weather:

Partly sunny and not as warm. High: 72 Low: 53.

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Here are the top five stories in Long Beach today:

1. On Saturday, around 2:52 p.m., the LBFD responded to a neighbor’s report of a single-family house fire on the 3400 block of Claremore. Smoke was coming out of the home “from multiple openings.” The FD extinguished what proved to be a stove fire that “had extended to the overhead cabinets.” There were no injuries and the damage was only in the kitchen. (Long Beach Fire Department)
2. On Sunday, around 4 a.m., an abandoned two-story Victorian at 928 Long Beach Blvd. caught fire. It is interesting to note that this building appears prone to going up in flames. “This is the fourth time the structure has caught fire in the last four years.” (LB Post)
3. Don’t pick the flowers! Insiders are alerting residents that California Brittlebush is currently in bloom at El Dorado Park. However, they need to be left to go to seed so that the next generation will “grow and flourish.” (Beachcomber)
4. On Saturday, around 5:40 p.m., the LBPD found a 22-year-old man shot to death in the 5400 block of Long Beach Blvd. Detectives learned that a male suspect was seen “driving a silver van.” On Sunday morning, at 6:44 a.m., they had tracked down the 54-year-old male suspect in L.A. He was arrested and “booked into the Long Beach City Jail on one count of murder and held without bail on an outstanding parole violation.” (LBPD)
5. Are you hip to Ottimo Pizzeria at 2938 Clark Avenue? It opened on February 2 and serves all the pizzas you would expect. However, there are also some you wouldn’t. Examples include an “Alfredo sauce, mozzarella, shiitake and button mushrooms, ricotta, Parmesan, green onions and ranch” pizza or a “mozzarella, house-made barbecue sauce (with a pepper kick), pulled pork, bacon, pepperoni, crispy garlic, chili flakes and oregano” pie. And yes, they have dessert pizzas. (The HiLo)

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Today in Long Beach:

• How To Set Up & Register Your Business by the LB Area Chamber of Commerce (online) (10 AM)
• The First Royal Tea Party with Princess Belle at SteelCraft Long Beach (10 AM)
• Free Grab N' Go Lunches for K-12 Students at Kingdom Life Christian Fellowship (2:15 PM to 5 PM)
• Fall in Love at The Bamboo Club and Enjoy Special Valentine’s Day Offerings (6 PM)
• Salsa Bachata Monday at The PCH Club (9 PM)

From my notebook:

• The Long Beach Public Library recommends The Forgotten First: Kenny Washington, Woody Strode, Marion Motley, Bill Willis, and the Breaking of the NFL Color Barrier by Keyshawn Johnson and Bob Glauber. (Facebook)
• A Willmore City-South neighbor lost their dog. Have you seen it? (Nextdoor)
• Our East Village neighbor is looking for a groomer & veterinary recommendations for a 10-month-old Maine Coon. (Nextdoor)
• A neighbor in Cal Heights is looking for a referral for a gardener who maintains low water, drought resistant lawns. (Nextdoor)
• Our Historic Zaferia Village-NW is wondering if non-service dogs are allowed to go inside any stores & food places? (Nextdoor)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed! I'll see you soon.

— 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.