🌱 Shots On Crystal Court St + LB Airport To Add 5 More Flight Slots

Hey, Long Beach! Today, we count our blessings on National Roof Over Your Head Day. I'm here in your inbox this morning to get you caught up on everything you need to know that's going on around town, including news about...

• 🚒 The November 8 explosion at the Long Beach Fire Department’s training center
• 🎶 The “when” and “where” of the inauguration festivities
• 🍜 Long Beach’s best Cambodian restaurants

🌥️ But first, today's weather:

Cloudy. High: 69 Low: 55.

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

• Del Amo Petroleum at 4990 Long Beach Blvd., $4.29
• Noil USA, Inc. at 1234 W Cowles St., $4.34
• Speedway Express at 3100 Los Coyotes Diagonal, $4.39

🍪 Holiday Treats Poll! 🎄
December is the month for holiday treats and goodies. Which is your favorite? So far, 33.3% love See’s Candies, while 22.2% look forward to King Cake. Peppermint bark appeals to 11.1%, and eggnog has a loyal following of 33.3%.

📰 Here are the top stories in Long Beach today:

1) On Friday around 5:20 a.m., officers from the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) responded to a "shots fired" call in the 600 block of Crystal Court Street. They found evidence, but they later determined that the shots were the results of a “negligent discharge of a firearm.” (LBPD)

2) What caused the explosion at the Long Beach Fire Department’s training center on November 8? You may remember that the blast sent several training participants to local hospitals. We learned on Thursday that the explosion at 2249 Argonne Avenue resulted from a gas buildup that caused flames to go out and then reignite. Before continuing live-fire training, the department will wait for “contractors to assess and repair the gas and electrical systems.” (Long Beach Post)

3) Prepare yourself for more airport noise! So far, the noise ordinance governing flights allows Long Beach Airport to have 53 daily flights. However, we learned on Thursday that this number will increase to 58 daily flights because “additional flight slots must be allocated if a sufficient amount of remaining unused noise budget exists.” The next step is the airport’s requirement to notify carriers of the availability of slots. At this time, five airlines are on the supplemental flight slot waiting list: Breeze, Swoop, American, Hawaiian and Southwest. (City of Long Beach)

4) The official inauguration ceremony will take place on December 20 at 5:30 p.m. at the Terrace Theater. A reception will follow immediately at 7 p.m. in the Convention Center’s Pacific Ballroom. Inaugurations are for Rex Richardson (mayor), Dawn McIntosh (city attorney), Doug Haubert (city prosecutor), and Laura Doud (city auditor). Besides that, members of the City Council to be inaugurated will be Mary Zendejas (Council District (CD) 1), Kristina Duggan (CD 3), Megan Kerr (CD 5), Roberto Uranga (CD 7), and Dr. Joni Ricks-Oddie (CD 9). (LB Inauguration)

5) L.A. Taco traveled to Long Beach to crown the city’s best Cambodian eateries. We learned on Monday that a second-generation Khmer American did the tasting and judging. While several restaurants passed the taste test, a few stood out. For example, if you love Nom p’jok, grab your cash and head to Crystal Thai at 1165 East 10th Street. For Mee Katang, the Kim Sun Kitchen at 449 Cherry Avenue is your destination. Check out the rest of the list for your favorites! (L.A. Taco)

📆 Today in Long Beach:

• Santa Diver at the Aquarium Of the Pacific (9 AM)
• Belmont Shore Christmas Parade (6 PM)
• Long Beach LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce Holiday Party at Portuguese Bend Distilling (4 PM)
• Saturday Night Slam at the Laugh Factory (7 PM)
• Enforced w/Phobophilic, Civerous, and Karst perform at Supply & Demand (9 PM)

📓 From my notebook:

• "It’s that time of year… Bixby the Elf is back! 🎄 💙 Bixby is super excited to start spreading holiday cheer to all our Long Beach residents, and this year, he has a few treats for all our followers 😊 Stay tuned to see where Bixby will go." (Long Beach Police Department (CA) via Facebook)
• "Please join us in celebrating our City of Long Beach Employee of the Month…Kylee Yocky! Kylee Yocky joined the Long Beach Fire Department’s Marine Safety Division in May 2015." (Long Beach Fire Department via Facebook)
• "🗓 Save the date! On Tuesday, Dec. 6, our Long Beach Parks, Recreation & Marine will host a Job Fair at El Dorado Park West from 6 to 8 p.m. Park staff will share information on current and upcoming job openings." (Long Beach City via Facebook)
• Our neighbor South of Conant says to "come share the magic at our holiday light show at 3343 Chatwin, Long Beach. - The show will run through January 1st. The show starts a 5:15 every night and ends at 9:00 P.M. on weekdays and till 10:00 P.M. on Friday and Saturday nights." (Nextdoor)
• An Artcraft Manor neighbor is wondering if "anyone (is) missing a cat? - This cat has been hanging around (and coming in my pet door) for a couple of days. He/she has a collar, but there are no tags on the collar. Please call 562.234.4729" (Nextdoor)

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• 25th Annual Palos Verdes Peninsula Parade of Lights (December 3)
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Thanks for following along and staying informed! I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow morning with 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