July 2008 Archives

A magnitude-5.4 earthquake shook Southern California at 11:42 a.m. on Tuesday, July 29. The epicenter was about 40 miles northeast of Long Beach. No one was hurt, very little damage. But the bosses wanted a story...

WILMINGTON - Victor Garcia, the father of Sgt. Israel "Ira" Garcia, hangs his head during his funeral in Wilmington, Calif. Garcia, 24, was among nine soldiers killed in combat in Afghanistan. He and his fellow soldiers were fatally injured when their outpost was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades from enemy forces in the Wanat area, according to the Department of Defense. See more photos>>

Wim Griffith in his Lakewood, Calif. home on July 22, 2008. His 25-piece exhibit, "Wim Noir-Men in Suits." includes a series of oil paintings that are inspired by film noir. The exhibit runs July 26 to Sept. 6 at Flazh! Alley Studios in San Pedro.

Chad Dominguez, 19, is all smiles as he runs towards his sister, Kris Georgeson after getting a ride on a water craft at Marina Stadium. The Catalina Ski Club sponsored a day of water-related activities for children with special needs, including boat rides, tubing, kayaking, PWC rides, and In-N-Out. Dominguez suffers from Downs Syndrom. See more pictures/buy reprints>>

An exuberant Lori Stuart throws dirt on Mayor Bob Foster during the groundbreaking for a revamped Tot Lot in Livingston Park in the Belmont Shore neighborhood of Long Beach, Calif.

Michael Goessling shows off Thumbelina, the world's smallest horse, to patients at Miller Children's Hospital in Long Beach, Calif. on July 8, 2008. Thumbelina, at just 171⁄2 inches tall and 57 pounds, holds the Guinness World Record as the worlds smallest living horse and works as a therapy horse for many sick and needy children. Thumbelina's stop at Miller Children's Hospital is part of The Thumbelina Children's Tour.

As far as summer sequels go, this one wasn't too exciting. That's probably a good thing because no one was injured when a fire broke out in the 11th floor kitchen of Myra Steiner around noon Saturday. It was a different story 15 months ago when a man jumped to his death when his kitchen caught fire.
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I've had my share of people tell me to F*$# off when taking their pictures. Usually its when I show up after someone has been shot or when someone is convicted of a crime in court. So shooting an Independence Day parade on a block that is celebrating its 50th. 4th of July party should be a fun thing. But then I met Uncle Sam. While everyone on this street was very nice to me. Uncle Sam was not. After taking a picture of him leading a parade I asked him his name. When he found out I was with the Press-Telegram he replied while laughing, "No, no, no." I thought he was joking. I mean who wouldn't give out their name during a 4th. of July parade on a public street - especially since they invited the press to the party. So I asked again and found out he was serious. Then he walked away. I went on about shooting pictures of the parade. As I was leaving I walked by Uncle Sam standing next to a woman. She said, "I'll give you his name" and as she told me the man's name, Tom Grau, who has played Uncle Sam for over 30 years, said in a defeated tone, "She told me I had to give you my name."See more photos/buy reprints

We've started a new weekly feature in the paper and the name pretty much says it all. Every Wednesday, in print and online, we'll feature a photo from our archives along side a picture from the same angle shot today. This week is the view from the roof of the main library in Long Beach looking toward the corner of Pacific and Broadway. The old photo was taken in 1978.

Alex Scheinmann celebrates as he defeats Jonathan Huang during the championship match of the USTA National Open in El Dorado Park. The tournament is part of the Long Beach Sea Festival. See more photos/buy reprints