🌱 New Fire Chief Dennis Buchanan + Sewage Leak Prevented On Pine Ave.

Hello and happy Friday! Today, we explore a new dessert on National Cream Cheese Brownie Day. I'm back in your inbox this sunny winter morning with everything you need to know that's happening locally. Today's briefing includes:

• 👮 A shooting on Parade Street
• 🚘 More license plate readers for the police
• ✈️ New flight slots for Southwest Airlines

💗 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:

Sun and areas of high clouds. High: 78 Low: 51.

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

• American Oil at 6850 Long Beach Blvd., $3.95
• ARCO at 3401 Long Beach Blvd., $4.03
• Noil USA at 1234 W Cowles St., $4.04

⏰ Daylight Saving Time Poll! 🤔
Daylight saving time begins on March 12. According to history, we can thank entomologist George Hudson for coming up with the idea in 1895. Implementation took place in 1918 to save resources and extend the work day during wartime. In 1966, daylight saving time became the law of the land, but states could opt out. So far, only Hawaii and Arizona have done so. Now, dueling studies point to the successes and failures of the practice. Where do you stand on the issue? So far, 63.7% don’t like daylight saving time, while 35.6% do. Only 0.7% don’t care one way or the other.

📰 Here are the top stories today in Long Beach:

1. Two men argued Wednesday in the early evening near the 1500 block of West Parade Street. And, if you’ve been following my newsletter for even a short period of time, you know what comes next: The argument escalated, one man pulled a gun, and the other man ended up with a gunshot wound. Happily, the gunshot wound is non-life-threatening. (Long Beach Police Department)
2. The stretch of Pine Avenue between 1st Street and Ocean Boulevard should be fixed. You may have first noticed the traffic detours on Monday when a “misaligned sewer line” called for emergency repairs. The good news is that the city discovered the problem during a routine inspection, rather than during an incident that would be much messier (and smellier). (Long Beach Post)
3. On Tuesday, the Long Beach City Council unanimously approved the Long Beach Police Department’s purchase of more automatic license plate readers. The money comes from a grant the department received from the Department of Homeland Security. Police Chief Wally Hebeish explained that the department used this technology for almost two decades; council members pointed toward “high crime rates and public safety” when approving the request. However, critics claim that the Police Department isn’t trustworthy in using surveillance. (Signal Tribune)
4. Southwest Airlines will get five more slots at the Long Beach Airport, and it will use them for daily flights to Albuquerque (starting September 5), Colorado Springs and El Paso (both starting July 11). These add to the Kansas City route (beginning March 9) and Orlando (July 15). We’re also getting the seasonal route to Maui back on March 9. And yes, ticket sales started Thursday! (Southwest Media, City of Long Beach)
5. A shoutout to Deputy Chief Dennis Buchanan, who became the 19th Fire Chief at the Long Beach Fire Department on Thursday! He’s now the boss of “545 sworn and civilian staff” members, who are “providing fire and emergency response services spanning four divisions.” Buchanan joined the Fire Department in 1992 and held a number of positions. By the way, he’s an alumnus of California State University, Long Beach. Congratulations! (City of Long Beach)

📆 Today in Long Beach:

• Shop at the Downtown Farmers Market at The Street between 3rd & 5th (10 AM)
• Visit the Preschool Storytime at the Bay Shore Neighborhood Library (11 AM)
• Attend a Black History Month Event honoring Mayor Rex Richardson at the Convention Center (11:30 AM)
• MTW presents "9 to 5, The Musical" at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center (8 PM)
• Join a Reggae Dance Party at DiPiazza's (9 PM)

🖊️ From my notebook:

• "Serving our Long Beach community takes many forms for our officers. In this instance, it means helping these little entrepreneurs by buying a few cups of delicious hot cocoa! Thanks for helping keep our officers warm!" (Long Beach Police Department (CA) via Facebook)
• "🚨 ATTENTION ALL LBSU STUDENTS 🗣 Free admission. Free bucket hats. Final Four Rematch. What more could you ask for? 📣👀 Get to the ‘Mid early on Friday because the first 300 students get LB bucket hats! See you soon LB Nation 😉" (Long Beach State Athletics via Instagram)
• "Dear alumni, we would greatly appreciate your participation in our alumni survey. The survey will take approximately 10–15 minutes to complete, and your responses will remain confidential." (Leadership Long Beach via Facebook)
• "Watch Mayor Rex Richardson and Long Beach Department of Health & Human Services (LBDHHS) Director Kelly Colony give specific information on how to get help from the City when dealing with issues around homelessness in the community." (Long Beach City via Facebook)

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

• Median Listing Home Price $720K
• Median Listing Home Price/Square Foot $603
• Median Sold Home Price $725K

Check out more Long Beach real estate information!

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Featured announcements:

• Attention AETNA and CIGNA plan members! (Details)
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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.

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