🌱 Mike’s Liquor Parking Lot + 18K Gal Sewage + FREE Grand Prix Ticket

Hi there, Long Beach! It’s St. Patrick’s Day; did you know that it celebrates a 5th-century Christian missionary? I'm here in your inbox today to get you caught up on everything you need to know that's going on around town. Hope y'all have a great day! In today's issue, you'll find...

• ⚠️ Information on a Washington neighborhood shooting
• 🚘 A car chase that ended near the Traffic Circle
• 🏡 “The Flipping El Moussas” sold a Long Beach property

💗 Please help us grow! Send a friend or neighbor this link, so they can be in the know, like you!

🌥️ But first, today's weather:

Mostly cloudy. High: 67 Low: 50.

📢 I'm looking for business owners and marketers in Long Beach who want to build awareness, connect with customers and increase sales.

I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our readers to local businesses they need to know. If that's you, then I invite you to learn more and secure your spot now.

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

• Sinclair at 5588 Long Beach Blvd., $4.09
• Food 4 Less at 6700 Cherry Ave., $4.25
• ARCO at 3401 Long Beach Blvd., $4.39

😋 Fair Food Poll!
Fair food is the ultimate cheat meal. Although we all know it’s unhealthy, everyone has a guilty pleasure. Which is your favorite? So far, 30.6% love funnel cake, 22.4% look forward to candy apples, 14.2% munch on corndogs, and 6.1% reach for guacamole. 4.1% each either eat cotton candy, tri-tip sandwiches, or cheesecake. Finally, 2% each favor guacamole with cheese, fried cheese curds, turkey legs, a deep-fried bacon-wrapped pickle, cinnamon rolls, or pork chop on a stick. The rest have the willpower to stay away from fair food.

📰 Here are the top stories today in Long Beach:

1. Early Wednesday evening, the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) was made aware of a shooting near the 100 block of East Pacific Coast Highway. The victim managed to self-transport to a hospital. He said that he was walking along when an “unknown male suspect shot him.” Reportedly, investigators are checking the parking lot of Mike’s Liquor for evidence. (LBPD, Long Beach Post)
2. On Wednesday afternoon, a suspect burgled a Dick’s Sporting Goods store in West Covina. The police department caught wind of the crime and tried to apprehend the suspect; a car chase ensued. The blue Mercedes went onto the 605, took surface streets, and ended at a “parking structure near Ximeno Way and Outer Traffic Circle.” No arrest was reported; however, if you were listening to Conway last night, you know that it looked like a car left the parking structure just as police entered — was it the suspect? (KTLA, Long Beach Post)
3. Sewer capacity limitations and extraordinary rainfall combined to create the third sewage spill in L.A. County within seven months — right next door in Paramount. As a result of Wednesday’s 18,000-gallon spill, Long Beach Health Department officials closed “all swimming areas west of the Belmont Pier.” We don’t have a reopening date yet; officials will conduct daily testing. (Patch)
4. The five-bedroom, one-bathroom house at 8048 East Roper Street sold for $59,500 in 1972. It went on somewhat of a downward spiral involving cockroaches and junk. Then “The Flipping El Moussas” bought it for $1,090,000 in February 2022 and gave it HGTV’s celebrity treatment. It sold again on Monday for $1,635,000, which was $64,900 below the listing price. (Realtor, 2)
5. Would you like to score a FREE ticket to the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach? Your first opportunity is today, Friday. After today, you can score "every Friday and Sunday until April 14." The promotion will run in the news section of print-edition papers such as The Press-Telegram, Daily Breeze, Los Angeles Daily News, and several others. Called the “Free Friday Promotion,” the target audience is the would-be attendee who might have never come to a race but would like to see what it’s like. (The Press-Telegram/paywall)

📆 Today in Long Beach:

• The Downtown Farmers Market sets up at The Streets between 3rd & 5th (10 AM)
• Enjoy a Bilingual Toddler Storytime at the Harte Neighborhood Library (10:30 AM)
• Check in to a massive St. Patrick's Day Bar Crawl & Block Party at The Harbor (4 PM)
• Come to a family-friendly St. Patrick’s Day Celebration at 2ND & PCH (6 PM)
• Check out Gallaghers Pub & Grill's St. Patrick’s Bonanza featuring The American Wake LIVE, Irish dancers, bagpipers, face painting, and boozing till very, very late (7 PM)

🖊️ From my notebook:

• "ICYMI: Our Long Beach Police Department (CA) Chief Wally Hebeish recently announced the expansion of the department’s Quality of Life (QOL) team. Four full-time QOL officers were added, bringing the total to eight full-time QOL officers." (Long Beach City via Facebook)
• "Our staff stays busy keeping our airport and airfield looking in tip-top shape! See Ryan from our Maintenance team repainting centerlines on Taxiway Foxtrot. 🛫" (Long Beach Airport via Instagram)
• "URGENT 🚨 Our City of Long Beach Animal Care Services is OVER CRIT CAPACITY ❗️ Help us reach our goal of 60 homes for 60 big dogs during the Big Dogs Big Savings promotion, where the adoption fees will be waived during the entire month of March. If you are interested in adopting, please visit the shelter Wednesdays through Fridays, 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM, and Saturdays through Sundays, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM." (Long Beach City via Facebook)
• "The menu for crows is scrambled eggs…dried meal worms soaked in water … peanuts …and kitten pellets. - 20 years of waking up to them calling to me for breakfast" (Nextdoor)
• Queen Mary "tours will start in April, and later that month he hopes to open lodging and restaurants and offer Sunday brunch." (LB Post)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured events:

• Artful Rhythms: Silent Disco & Craft Fundraiser for MS Warriors & Friends (March 18)
• 2023 Los Angeles International Flamenco Festival (April 1)
• Spring Break Tennis Camp - April 10-14 - Long Beach, CA (April 10)
• Add your event

🏡 What are homes selling for these days in Long Beach?

• Median Listing Home Price $750K
• Median Listing Home Price/Square Foot $610
• Median Sold Home Price $695K

Check out more Long Beach real estate information!

🐶 Check out cats, dogs, and other Pets Available For Adoption at Long Beach Area Shelters!

That's it for today! 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.

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