🌱 Gerald Desmond Bridge Falls In May + Two New Fire Engines!

Hey, people of Long Beach, and happy National Pistachio Day! Sylvia here with the latest issue of the Long Beach Daily.

There’s a demolition date for the bridge that the Long Beach International Gateway replaced. Also, we’re getting two new fire engines. Finally, the LBPD is getting a new armored tactical vehicle it can’t use for riot suppression.

First, today's weather:

Sunny, pleasant and warmer. High: 76 Low: 45.

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Here are the top five stories today in Long Beach:

1. Demolition of the Gerald Desmond Bridge will begin in May. It was closed down in October 2020 and replaced by the six-lane Long Beach International Gateway that cost almost $1.5 billion to construct. “The Back Channel, a canal in the port, will be closed to vessels from May 7 and May 9, so crews can disconnect the Gerald Desmond’s 527-foot-long main span.” (CBS)
2. Get a first look at the new fire engines that are coming to the city! The Long Beach Firefighters Association revealed new trucks 11 and 17 on Friday morning. At this time, they are still in Wisconsin for final detailing, but are ready to head this way soon. (@lbfirefighters)
3. A new Lenco BearCat armored tactical vehicle will replace the PD’s 20-year-old model, we learned Thursday. It features “communication equipment, ballistic windows,” “a V8 turbo diesel engine,” and “steel plating . . . (that) can even withstand hits from .50 caliber BMG bullets.” The price tag for the vehicle is around $350,000. It’s interesting to note that the vehicle cannot be used for “riot suppression or to disperse crowds.” (Press-Telegram)
4. The LBPD and Huntington Beach PD collaborated in their effort to get a suspect in custody. On Thursday morning, there was a stabbing in the 2100 block of Atlantic Avenue, vehicle vandalism near 1st Street and Elm Avenue, and another stabbing near 35th Street and Locust Avenue. The PD believed that one suspect was responsible for all incidents; however, it was the HBPD that located the individual. (@LBPD)
5. Lymphoma 101 is the brainchild of five public relations students from Long Beach University and part of the Bateman Competition. The Lymphoma Research Foundation and The Paul Foundation were instrumental in assisting the students to put together “virtual and in-person events planned for February and March to educate the public about Lymphoma in AYAs (adolescents and young adults) and create a platform for those diagnosed.” (Patch)

Today in Long Beach:

• Dancing For Our Stars with Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce (Livestream pay-per-view) (all day)
• African-American Festival 2022 at the Aquarium Of the Pacific (9 AM to 5 PM)
• R.O.O.T.S 2022 at The Reef Restaurant (11 AM)
• Mara Kaye at the Grand Annex (8 PM)
• Lo-Fi Laughs: An Improv Show *LIVE* at The Aurora Theater (8 PM)

From my notebook:

• A neighbor in Belmont Shore is re-homing a dog. (Nextdoor)
• A kind Stratford Square neighbor knows of a special needs dog at Long Beach Animal Care that's in desperate need of a long term foster. She has laryngeal paralysis, and she needs to be kept in a calm environment to help control her breathing. (Nextdoor)

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You're all caught up 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.