🌱 Pike Nike Store Theft Thwarted + 4th Of July Public Safety Stats

Hi all; today is National Dimples Day, which was founded this year by Graceful Grady. I'm back in your inbox this morning to walk you through all the most important things happening in town today. Follow along for the latest.

If you shoplift, remember that there might be off-duty law enforcement in the store with you. Also, we know what the Fourth of July public safety statistics look like. Finally, a murder suspect has been caught!

First, today's weather:

Clouds giving way to sun. High: 81 Low: 64.

FYI: Long Beach Cooling Centers are open daily from noon to 6 p.m. You find them at the Houghton, McBride, and Admiral Kidd community centers as well as the Senior Center and El Dorado Park West.

🏡 Looking for more real estate leads in Long Beach? Let us help you reach prospective home buyers and stand out from the competition. Click here to learn more.

🚗 Three Of The Cheapest Gas Stations In Long Beach 🚗

• Costco at 2200 E Willow St., $5.49
• Del Amo Petroleum at 4990 Long Beach Blvd., $5.69
• Noil USA, Inc. at 1234 W Cowles St., $5.79

💧 Water Crisis Poll! 💧
Residents are limited to watering their landscapes two days per week, before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m. What else should the City do to deal with the water crisis? Please let me know your thoughts! So far, 21.9% want to mandate drought-resistant landscaping, 19.2% want to recycle wastewater for irrigation, another 39.7% want to build a desalination plant at the coast, and 19.2% don’t believe residential water use contributes to the water crisis.

Here are the top five stories today in Long Beach:

1. Shoplifters got more than they bargained for at the Nike Factory Store at the Pike Outlets in the 70 block of Aquarium Way. Right around 4 p.m. on Thursday, an off-duty sheriff’s deputy “saw the suspects stealing Nike items and flashed his badge at them.” After he also drew his gun, “the suspects dropped the bags with an estimated $5,000 to $6,000 worth of Nike products and fled the scene.” (LB Post)
2. The city released its Fourth of July weekend public safety statistics on Thursday. 9-1-1 and non-emergency lines responded to “752 fireworks-related calls.” The fire department “responded to a total of eight fireworks-related incidents.” Lifeguards “made 136 swim rescues and 19 boat rescues.” The police department reported “12 adult felony arrests, five misdemeanor arrests and six fireworks-related citations.” (City of LB)
3. We had spoken earlier about a 72-year-old good Samaritan who interfered in an August 21 altercation, which eventually led to her death in September. It was announced Thursday that homicide detectives had identified “a 19-year-old resident of the city of Bellflower as the suspect responsible for the murder.” He was arrested on Wednesday during a traffic stop. (LB Local News)
4. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ feud with Sheriff Alex Villanueva continues. We learned on Tuesday that the Board “will consider a proposal that would ask voters in November to give the panel power to remove an elected sheriff from office for cause.” Critics question “why it only targets the sheriff and not other county leadership positions.” (Press-Telegram)
5. Are you ready to check out a new “Mixe-powered al pastor” taquería? We learned on Thursday that Tacos Lionel “on the corner of Clark and Atherton in Eastside Long Beach” is a new venue that is well worth a visit. Closed on Mondays, you owe yourself a visit on the other days between 5 p.m. and midnight. (L.A. Taco)

Help us make this newsletter better!

We’ve been getting so much positive feedback about the Long Beach Daily that we’re starting to get a big head. Want to bring us back down to earth with some constructive feedback? If so, take our simple — and quick! — reader survey. Your feedback will help us make sure we’re covering the kind of local news, events and scuttlebutt you really care about. And it will help us toward our goal of being an indispensable local resource and the last email you’d ever unsubscribe from.

We’d be so appreciative of your feedback that, if you take the survey, we’ll enter your email address in a drawing for a small mountain of Patch swag. You know you want that tote bag — so click the link and give it to us straight. Thank you!

Take the Survey 👉

Today in Long Beach:

• Long Beach Pride at the ShoreLine Aquatic Park (11 a.m.)
• Beer Yoga at Trademark Brewing (11 a.m.)
• Practical Magicka's Wellness & Psychic Fair at 4141 Norse Way (11 a.m.)
• Lady Buds Screening w/LIVE Q&A! Art Theatre of Long Beach (1 p.m.)
• Andy & Renee & Hard Rain perform at the Grand Annex (8 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• The City urges you to protect your family by getting your child vaccinated against COVID-19! 💉 Visit the Main Health Facility on Saturdays from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. (Long Beach City via Facebook)
• The Alamitos Neighborhood Library experienced a known COVID-19 exposure. (Long Beach Public Library via Facebook)
• The Smart City LB annual report is uploaded for your review! It outlines the vision, guiding principles, and actionable strategies and objectives for the City to explore and implement emerging technology. (Long Beach City via Facebook)
• Our cat-loving Historic Zaferia Village-Cir neighbor is asking for community assistance for cat food to help feed our stray cat colonies. (Nextdoor)
• Our Alamitos Heights neighbor is sharing good news. DENNIS IS OFF THE STREETS!!! Dennis is 75 and almost blind! He is very frail. He is smart and has had a difficult time accepting help. (Nextdoor)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

• The Appliance Coach — (Visit website)
• Add your business here

Announcements:

• BECOME A VOLUNTEER - NFT Expoverse Los Angeles (Details)
• Add your announcement

Free stuff:

• Win a Free Trip to the Edge of Space 🚀👨‍🚀 - NFT EXPOVERSE L.A. July 29-31 (Details)
• Add your free stuff

Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Saturday. See you all tomorrow morning 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.

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