🌱 RIP Stan Poe (Mr. Preservation) + Marlena Coming To Naples Plaza

Hello, friends! Today is Fat Tuesday, and we celebrate the last day of Carnival. It's Sylvia, your host of the Patch newsletter. Here are all the most important things to know about what's happening in the community today. Today, you'll learn about...

• 🏥 A shooting near Pacific and Broadway
• 😠 Mail theft updates
• 🏁 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach preparations

💗 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:

Cooler with periods of sun. High: 63 Low: 47.

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

• ARCO at 3401 Long Beach Blvd., $4.23
• Food 4 Less at 6700 Cherry Ave., $4.29
• ARCO at 1001 Redondo Ave., $4.35

🍰 Spring Dessert Poll! 🍓
The first day of spring is March 20! Among the things we look forward to in spring are refreshing desserts. Which is your favorite spring dessert? So far, 21.4% each favor fruit tarts, ambrosia salad, and peach cobbler. 7.1% each like mixed berry buckle and lemon bars, and our write-in candidate key lime pie is up to 21.6%.

📰 Here are the top stories today in Long Beach:

1. Long Beach lost a champion for historic preservation. Stan Poe, who some named “Mr. Preservation” or even the “Patriarch of Preservation,” died Valentine’s Day at the age of 76. “Long Beach’s preservation family is very sad today with the loss of Stan Poe,” a member of the Cultural Heritage Commission said. Named “Preservationist of the Year” in 2004, he's credited with setting up the Willmore City Heritage Association in 1976. Aside from preservation, he shaped young minds as a teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District, which he did for 37 years. (Daily Breeze)
2. In the early morning hours on Monday, the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) headed to the area right around Pacific Avenue and Broadway, finding a gunshot victim who was hurt but alive. Officers called in gang detectives, who investigated if it was related to a physical altercation near the 100 block of Pine Avenue. They do know that a suspect shot the victim from a car. (LBPD)
3. Mail theft updates: The South of Conant Neighborhood Watch Coordinator weighed in on mail thefts. In addition to mail being stolen out of a truck, as we discussed recently, he knows of a recent case of people fishing pieces of mail out of the USPS drop box at Rosebay and Lomina. He strongly urges residents not to put outgoing mail on the front porch, not to put it into drop boxes after the last pickup has been made, and to use a residential mailbox that requires a key. (Nextdoor)
4. It’s official, the 48th annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is coming! On Thursday, officials from the racing organization and the city will “ceremonially place the first K-rail downtown.” As you know, the race will be a huge event on April 14 to 16 in the area around the Convention Center. An estimated 180,000 or so race fans will visit the area and line the two-mile course that sports a breathtaking 11 turns. (Press-Telegram/paywall)
5. We know what’s going into the space vacated by Russo’s Italian Neighborhood Ristorante & Bar in 2018. Marlena, a Mediterranean-inspired eatery, will come to 5854 East Naples Plaza. Reportedly, you’ll be able to taste dishes from a “Josper charcoal grill from Spain and a Mugnaini wood-fired oven from Italy” by summer. (The Hi-Lo)

📆 Today in Long Beach:

• Little Aviators are Celebrating Black History Month at the Hangar (10:30 AM)
• The Alpert Jewish Community Center hosts a Retirement, Taxes, and YOU Workshop & Luncheon (11 AM)
• Visit Lee Krasner's "A Through Line" Exhibit at the Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum (12 PM)
• The Pike Restaurant & Bar is hosting a Jazz Jam (8 PM)
• Enjoy a weekly Karaoke event with no cover at Alex's Bar (8 PM)

🖊️ From my notebook:

• "Hey everyone! What an incredible day we had at the Long Beach Antique Market! We want to give a huge thank you to all of our customers and dealers for making it so special. We were blown away by the turnout and the incredible energy!" (Long Beach Antique Market via Instagram)
• "Congratulations to Head Coach Kim Sowder on her 500th career win! An incredible milestone! 🤩 " (Long Beach State Athletics via Instagram)
• "Ian Gilligan of LBSUMGolf is our Player of the Week presented by the Port of Long Beach following a record-setting weekend in Kauai! Gilligan fired a first-round 61, setting the course record at the iconic Ocean Course at Hokuala." (Long Beach State Athletics via Instagram)
• "🚎 Leave the driving to us! Download the 📲 Ride Circuit and enjoy free, on-demand electric shuttle rides in the Downtown-Alamitos Beach and Alamitos Bay-Belmont Shore service areas. ADA-accessible shuttles also available." (Long Beach City via Facebook)
• "Early this morning, your LBFD responded to the 4500 block of Shaw St. to a fire on the first floor of an apartment complex. The fire was contained and extinguished, and no injuries were reported." (Long Beach Fire)

🏡 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 events:

• Wills vs. Trust (February 23)
• Torrance Antique Street Faire (February 26)
• Add your event

Featured announcements:

• Attention AETNA and CIGNA plan members! (Details)
• Add your announcement

Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Tuesday off right. I'll see you around!

— 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