Week in Review: 405 Closure, Blogging

This week saw gas prices continue to drop, Redondo Beach Patch added a and Travel and Leisure magazine named one of the in the U.S.

Will 405 Closure Bring 'Carmageddon'?

Perhaps the biggest story of the week, Los Angeles city and county officials announced the from July 16-17 for demolition of. Drivers are asked to avoid the area at all costs in hopes of averting a possible "carmageddon."

Vitality City Program Hosts Governor of Okinawa

Hirokazu Nakaima, the governor of Okinawa, Japan, on Tuesday morning to discuss improving community well being with Mayor Mike Gin. Okinawa is one of five "blue zones"—geographical areas where healthy living habits appear to contribute to long lifespans.

The Vitality City program will also during the summer to promote healthy eating, and in the fall, it will launch a "walking school bus," which organizes groups of children and adults to walk to school.

Speaking of healthy living, it's important to keep stress to manageable levels. Morning Motivation columnist Nancy Hovde talks about how therapeutic treatments, ranging from massages to long walks, can help . is Wave Rider columnist Tori MacLennan's stress-buster.

This Week in Groceries

Grocery store chains Albertsons, Vons and Ralphs announced Friday that negotiations between the supermarkets and the unions had made a major step with an . Nevertheless, the , saying the fight over employee contributions to health care plans is still going strong. Earlier in the week, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor announced that it would if they went on strike.

In somewhat-related news, Redondo Mom columnist , and , ultimately deciding that while Trader Joe's was the least expensive, Sprouts had bulk quantities of her favorite snacks and Whole Foods' cheese section was unparalleled.

Before you go grocery shopping, though, check out our Frugal Family article that tracked down that use ingredients that cost less than $10.

Local District Makeup Could Change Substantially

launched the first negative salvo in the runoff election for the 36th Congressional District seat in the House of Representatives with a Republican to Sarah Palin. No matter who wins the runoff, he or she may be competing in a district with a different makeup when it comes time for reelection. The first drafts of new , and Patch took a look at .

Great Students Honored

honored 13 students—one from each school in the district, plus an additional student from —as at a luncheon Monday.

Patch, too, is honoring great students—or more accurately, great graduates. We did our Sunday; if you'd like to honor the graduate in your family (whether it's from kindergarten, college or somewhere in between), just on Redondo Beach Patch. It's free!

Blog Roundup

Personal trainer Grant Pierce explained the technique behind "," a method of self-massage, and Judy Herman's Lexie Kahn examined the history behind the word "."

Want to blog for Patch? It's easy! Just send editor Nicole Mooradian an email.