🌱 Safety Worries Close BJK Library + Weekend Street Closures Loom

Hello, again, friends, and happy National Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Day! I'm back with your new edition of the Long Beach Daily. Let's get this Friday started off right with a quick dive into the most important things going on in town these days, including updates on...

• 🤔 A waning perception of cleanliness downtown
• 🔐 The closure of Western Tube on Dominguez
• 🎶 A sing-along in Bixby Park

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🌤️ But first, today's weather:

Clouds giving way to sun. High: 84 Low: 66.

📢 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 Long Beach Daily readers to local businesses they need to know about. If that’s you, then I invite you to learn more and secure your spot now.

⛽ Three of the Cheapest Gas Stations in Long Beach

• VP Racing Fuels at 3605 E 7th St., $5.69
• Noil USA at 1234 W Cowles St., $5.84
• ARCO at 2601 Santa Fe Ave., $5.95

🎃 Halloween Poll!
Will you celebrate Halloween this year? Tell us your plans! So far, 50% are turning off their porch lights, 40% will hand out candy, and 10% will accompany children to go trick-or-treating.

📰 Here are the top stories today in Long Beach:

1) What’s going on at the new Billie Jean King Main Library at 200 West Broadway? We learned on Thursday that it’s closed for in-person service “due to security concerns among staff.” A full reopening is expected in a few weeks. The Director of Library Services cited “people experiencing mental health issues in and around the facility” as the cause for these concerns. (LB Post)

2) In related news, the Downtown Long Beach Alliance released the results of its survey gauging service awareness of business owners in the area. We learned on Thursday that results included “a decline in the perception of the cleanliness of sidewalks and public space, as well as safety Downtown.” To put this in context, consider that 32% of respondents believed sidewalk cleanliness had improved, which was 40% in 2021 and 62% in 2019. (LB Business Journal)

3) Western Tube & Conduit Corporation at 2001 East Dominguez Street is closing. Zekelman Industries announced on Wednesday that it will close the factory. “Moving forward, customers will be served by the company’s facility in Rochelle, Illinois, and additional distribution centers strategically located on the West Coast.” According to the company, 145 employees will lose their jobs. (Zekelman Industries)

4) The Long Beach Marathon brings rolling street closures! If you anticipate driving in or around affected neighborhoods this weekend, closures begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday and can last until 2 p.m. on Sunday. If your car does get towed, you can reclaim it at 3111 East Willow Street. (LB Local News)

5) If you love a good sing-along, head to Bixby Park on Wednesday at 3 p.m. Meeting at the fountain area, you can participate in The Silver Hour, which is “a musical hour dedicated to celebrating older adults.” This is a FREE event! (Friends of Bixby Park)

Patch deal of the day:

Wine lover alert. We found this amazing deal from Splash Wines — an 18-bottle curated selection of reds and whites for fall — for just $69.99. Shipping isn't cheap at $39.95, but that still comes out to just over $6 per bottle. Splash Wines has a money-back guarantee if you don't like the wine and 4.6 out of 5 rating on TrustPilot. So: recommended.

(The Patch Deals team scours the web for deals we think our subscribers will like. We may earn a commission on products purchased. All promotions are as of publication and could change.)

📆 Today in Long Beach:

• FREE Webinar "What You Need To Know About Accounting And Financial Record Keeping" with the LB Area Chamber of Commerce (9 AM)
• Friday Fellowship Presented by MOM's INC. at Cornerstone Church (9:30 AM)
• Race Expo & Packet Pick-Up at the Long Beach Convention Center, Hall C (12 PM)
• Oktoberfest at the Scottish Rite Event Center (5 PM)
• Jeff Livingstone performs at The Auld Dubliner (10 PM)

📓 From my notebook:

• "Congratulations to Ian Gilligan on being named Big West Golfer of the Month!" (Long Beach State Athletics via Instagram)
• "Long Beach State Athletics needs 🫵 at the pool Saturday Night! It’s a Top 🔟 Matchup you don’t want to miss. BE THERE👊 BE LOUD🗣WEAR BLACK"⚫️ (Long Beach State Athletics via Instagram)
• "What to expect at the 26th Annual Historical Cemetery Tour... For those who have never been, this is a SELF-GUIDED tour, so you can go at your own pace." (Historical Society of Long Beach via Facebook)
• At the last city council meeting, "Long Beach Lifeguards were recognized for their response to the impact of Hurricane Kay in Long Beach." (Long Beach Fire Department via Facebook)
• "If you haven't heard, our first Liwanag Lit Fest is coming to the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library on Oct. 22!" (Long Beach Public Library via Facebook)

🛒 More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

• The Pumpkin Factory at Westminster Mall — (Visit website)
• Add your business here

Events:

• Long Beach Open Studio Tour - Downtown (October 8)
• Funny Bonz, the 'Humerus' Solution (October 9)
• Add your event

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 Daily? Contact me at LongBeach-CA@Patch.com