Long Beach and...

Friends are raising money for local hit-and-run victim Shannon Medina

Editor’s Note: We received a plea for help this morning from a group that is raising money to help their Friends and Colleague Shannon Medina, who was injured last month in a hit-and-run accident. Their letter is published below in its entirety.

Dear Leaders Colleagues, and Friends,

A terrible and heartbreaking tragedy has fallen on one of our industry’s best and brightest and your help is needed.� For those of you who have not heard, on October 14 at 9:30pm Shannon Medina was crossing the street in front of her residence when she was violently hit by a car.� The driver did not stop and fled the scene.� Shannon’s body was thrown more than 20 feet and landed crumpled and broken.

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Green Long Beach is proud to present the first annual 3rd and Elm Holiday Craft-A-Round hosted in collaboration with the local businesses on 3rd street and Elm Street in Long Beach. This free event will be held�Sunday, December 4, 2011 from 11am-4pm, and is open to the public to celebrate a more sustainable holiday by building community, shopping local, and creatively gifting.

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Rancho Los Cerritos

If you are searching for a unique gift that expresses your fondness and appreciation for the special people in your life, Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine’s gift shops are a great place to shop and offer a wide variety of unique items for sale. Relax, have fun and find great gifts for the holidays while supporting educational programs and public events at the City's El Dorado Nature Center and historic Ranchos.

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On December 10, 2011, more than 30 certified therapy dogs and their handlers from BARK (Beach Animals Reading with Kids) will be walking in the Long Beach Daisy Avenue Christmas Tree Lane Parade and giving away 2,200 books to neighborhood children. The parade begins at 5 pm and travels along Daisy Avenue from Hill Street to Pacific Coast Highway and returns. BARK Teams will be handing out the books to encourage reading. For many children in a low-income area, this will be the first book they own.

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Photo by Kin Mun Lee

Long Beach Community Foundation (LBCF) and Long Beach Community Action Partnership (LBCAP) are moving forward with the revival of public access for Long Beach. The Public Access Digital Network (PADNET) being managed by LBCAP will allow locally produced programs to air on local cable channels and through podcasts on the Internet and mobile devices. An Advisory Board of community members and partners is being formalized, and a public meeting for interested producers will be held on December 13 at 4:00 pm at LBCAP's offices (3012 Long Beach Blvd). This producers forum will provide information on how programs can be submitted for broadcast.

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Doctor Grant Uba Photo from Jessica Pollack

It is the end of mile 47 of his 50-mile fund-raising walk and Doctor Grant Uba is maintaining the same pace he has been walking for nearly 12 hours. With a broad smile and friendly demeanor, he greets the last of the walkers who join the last few miles to keep him company. Behind the light-hearted banter, his eyes belie the determination that helped him maintain the blistering pace all the way from San Onofre to Long Beach.

Read the rest of Long Beach Doctor Walks 50 Miles to Raise Funds For Long Beach Boys & Girls Club

Operation Holiday Hearts, a holiday giving program designed by local nonprofit (501c3) organization The Heart of Ida, will deliver personal hygiene kits to dependent senior citizens in Long Beach during the month of December. The Heart of Ida is asking the community to donate personal hygiene items such as soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc… from Now through December 9th. Items can be delivered to the Long Beach Senior Center located at 1150 E. 4th Street, Long Beach.

Read the rest of Local Nonprofit, The Heart of Ida, Collects Supplies For Seniors

Photo by Doug Carlson

Long Beach Resident Brian Keate Opens Brand New Bike Shop in Bixby Knolls Saturday December 3, 2011.

Mr. Brian Keate (a.k.a. Turtle, a.k.a. Tortuga; infamous like a notorious celebrity in the cycling community) is bringing his outrageous professional expertise and vision for bicycling retail and service to Bixby Knolls in Long Beach.

Read the rest of Long Beach Bike Community Grows As New Bike Shop Opens in Bixby Knolls

Heather Nelson and Zach Woodlee choreographer and co-producer of the TV series Glee

Brianne's Basics , a local charity craft business, was featured at The IndiExhibit booth at the 2011 American Music Awards Gifting Suite, hosted by GBK Productions,on November 18 and 19 at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. And now everyone has a chance to own the display piece, a one of a kind Rachel Berry (Glee) amigurumi doll!

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“Good stories need truth and it’s in those moments of honesty that performers and audiences bond. When storytellers are brave, we see how meaningless our superficial differences are.” –Aussietheatre.co

Fresh from the Melbourne Fringe Festival, The Found is proud to present Daniel Kilby’s acclaimed solo show: “The Things I Learned In High School.” Daniel was told a lot in high school, like where Yugoslavia is, and how being gay made him evil…when, in fact, it made him oddly popular. In this hilarious and engaging cabaret show, Daniel explores the coping mechanisms we develop in high school that form our adult personality disorders. After escaping high school, Daniel went on to study at the Melba Memorial Conservatorium of Music, the National Theatre Drama School and Swinburne University. Don’t miss this multi-talented performer in the one and only U.S. engagement of “The Things I Learned In High School.”

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Daniel K. Walker, President, Long Beach Police Foundation (LBPF) is pleased to announce the names of the new LBPF Advisory Board. "We are very pleased to have these corporate and community members as part of our organization," Walker states. "The Advisory Board's role is to provide program and financial advice and suggestions to the Board of Directors of the Long Beach Police Foundation."

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Several restoration projects are under way at El Dorado Nature Center as part of the second phase of the El Dorado Nature Center Master Plan. The work includes habitat restoration, trail reinforcement at priority locations, and replacement of the pedestrian bridge that links the island to the trails.

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On Saturday, November 26, 2011, at approximately 5:31 p.m., officers from the Long Beach Police Department were dispatched to a shooting that had occurred in the 5500 block of Ackerfield Avenue, that resulted in the death of an adult male.

When officers arrived on the scene, they found a male who had sustained a gunshot wound to his upper torso lying in the street. Long Beach Fire Department paramedics responded, but the victim succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. At this time he is only being identified as a black male in his 20′s, pending a positive identification and notification to his next of kin.

Read the rest of Information Sought in Murder Investigation

The 4th Annual Bixby Knolls Tree & Menorah Lighting Ceremony will take place by the fountains at Nino’s Italian Restaurant, 3853 Atlantic Avenue, beginning at 6:00pm. The entire community is invited to come celebrate this tradition with the lighting of the tree and Hanukah Menorah, listen to carols, and enjoy some hot chocolate. Lights get turned on at 6:30pm.

Read the rest of December First Fridays Promises Tree Lighting, Blessings, Carolers, Art, Music, and More!

Photo by Jeremy Wilburn

For the second year in a row, friends, families and community members will come together for the Palliative Care Program Pursuit Walk. The walk is being held to raise awareness of palliative care, a specialized area of care offering physical and emotional support and comfort to pediatric patients with chronic or serious illnesses, as well as to raise funds to expand the supportive/palliative care program at Miller Children's. The palliative care program improves "quality of life" for children with life-threatening illness and to better address the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of pediatric patients and families.

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Leap back more than a century and experience a family style celebration in the lovingly decorated historic Bembridge House 953 Park Circle, Long Beach Sunday December 4th from noon-4 pm. There will be crafts for children in the carriage house, Christmas favors, refreshments, music and a holiday photo opportunity with Santa in a vintage fire truck.

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Photo by Daan Franken

Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS) reminds residents to keep the Thanksgiving holiday fun and safe for all family members, including pets. According to Margaret Lee, Shelter Veterinarian for LBACS, families should practice a few simple tips to keep their pets healthy and safe over Thanksgiving:

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