April 2009 Archives

A late night fire destroyed the offices of Tristar Risk Management near the corner of Temple Ave. and 28th. Street in Signal HIll.
See more pictures from the fire aftermath>>
See more picture from the fire>>

Thousands of car enthusiasts clog Main Street during the 22nd Annual Seal Beach Classic Car Show. See more pictures>>

Sopaoan Men celebrates the Cambodian New Year with friends at El Dorado Park. Men moved to the United States from Phnom Penh, Camobdian two weeks ago. See more pictures>>

Students from the BLAST after school program help clean a pedestrian tunnel under the Artesia (91) Freeway at Orizaba Ave. in Long Beach, Calif. See more pictures>>

Business Major Curtis Rauch, works in the computer lab in the new library at Long Beach City College. The college held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Library/Learning Resource Center on its Liberal Arts Campus today. See more pictures>>

Long Beach Transit showed off their one of their 25 new hybrid buses on Thursday. LBT said the technology is the same as their 45 other hybrids these buses are, as Mayor Foster put it, "cuter". Nearly half of Long Beach Transit's 40-foot fleet will be comprised of hybrid buses with the addition of these new buses. See more pictures>>

Wyland's 2.8-acre Earth Day tribute titled, "Earth: The Blue Planet.", atop the Long Beach Arena. He recently finished a renovation of his 1992 whale and marine life mural, "Planet Ocean," on the arena's exterior walls and got permission from the city to paint the roof while in town. See more pictures>>

The Pacific Ocean is starting to appear as mural artist Wyland creates the world's largest painting of the Earth on the roof of the Long Beach (Calif.) Arena on Wednesday morning, April 22, 2009.

South and Central America are visible as mural artist Wyland begins creating the world's largest painting of the Earth on the roof of the Long Beach (Calif.) Arena on Tuesday, April 21, 2009. This view is from the Aqua Towers. The image of the planet will be painted over a 24-hour period and complement "Planet Ocean," the world's largest mural, also by Wyland, painted on the arena's exterior walls. See more pictures>>

In recognition of Earth Day, mural artist Wyland begins creating the world's largest painting of the Earth on the roof of the Long Beach (Calif.) Arena on Tuesday, April 21, 2009. The image of the planet will be painted over a 24-hour period and complement "Planet Ocean," the world's largest mural, also by Wyland, painted on the arena's exterior walls.

Long Beach artist Lamont Whiting is an artist in a temporary medium, Dry Erase boards. He started 'dotting' while working the night-shift at 24-hour fitness. Every night he'd draw a new dot picture, then erase and start over. His work will be auctioned off for charity during Grand Prix weekend. He is also going on the Ellen DeGeneres Show this month with a picture of her to destroy. See more pictures>>

Driver J.R. Hildebrand, racing for the Andretti Green Team, with about 60 children who met him and his car at King Park in Long Beach, Calif. on Wednesday, April 15, 2009. The children, from the Boys & Girls club and the Central Child Development Center, got to ask questions and see a real race car. See more pictures>>

Undercover police officers remove over 300 pot plants from an advanced grow facility in a condo in the Insurance Exchange Building in Long Beach, Calif. on Tuesday, April 14, 2009. See 7 pictures>>

LONG BEACH, CALIF. -- Long Beach Police Chief Anthony Batts, right, shares a laugh with Julio Juarez as he receives the "10851 Award" for their efforts to combat auto theft on Tuesday, April 14, 2009. Batts and California Highway Patrol Captain Chris O'Quinn honored 11 Long Beach police officers with the award.
The 10851 Award Program is named after the vehicle code section for Grand Theft Auto, and is sponsored by the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the CHP, to recognize officers throughout the state who have been proactive in recovering stolen vehicles and apprehending the criminals involved. To qualify for the award, an officer must meet any of the following criteria: make six "rolling stolen" (suspect-occupied stolen vehicle in motion) arrests, recover 12 vehicles (including 3 "rolling stolens"), or help identify a theft ring and arrest at least two suspects and recover at least 10 vehicles. See 15 pictures/buy reprints>>

Muralist Wyland signed the giant painting that surrounds the Long Beach Arena today. Wyland is doing touch up work on the record-setting mural.

Linda Quarto shares a laugh with her grandson, Jase Garnreiter, 4, as they die eggs during the Grandparent/Grandkids Easter Party at the Weingart Senior Center in Lakewood, Calif. See 6 pictures>>

The painter Wyland uses a lift to touch up portions of Whaling Wall 33, Ocean Planet, on the Long Beach Arena. The 116,000-square-foot mural was in the Guinness Book of World Records when it was painted in 1992. The mural took 200 volunteers 6 weeks to complete when it was first painted. See 14 pictures>>

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, of Liberia, at St. Timothy's Episcopal School in Compton, Calif. on April 8, 2009. Johnson-Sirleaf is Africa's first female president. Sh eis in the United States to launch her new book, a biography titled, "This Child Will be Great". See 7 pictures>>

Long Beach Police Explorer Commander Kelsey Myers cuffs a 12 year-old robbery suspect at A Rite Aid during a ride-a-long. Kelsey has been in the Explorer program since she was 14. See 14 pictures>>

First District city councilman Robert Garcia checks his list, then checks it twice, making sure not to forget an 'thank-yous' as he address supporters during his election night party in the Walker Building. Robert Garcia won the election with 966 votes, 41.5%. Evan Braude got 743 votes, 31.9% and Misi Tagaloa got 282 votes, 12.1% See 15 pictures>>

Jody Wynn, Long Beach (Calif.) State's new women's basketball head coach, tries on her new LB jacket after being introduced to media by 49er athletic director Vic Cegles at the Pyramid on the campus of CSULB on Tuesday, April 7, 2009. Wynn spent the last five seasons as the senior assistant, recruiting coordinator and head of scouting at USC. See 5 more pictures >>

I found this mother possum and her four babies in the Cypress trees next to my driveway. Not wanting the rodent near my kids, I called animal control to see if they would "take care of it". They told me possums are considered wild animals and they do not remove them. However, if I wanted to trap it myself they would come get the animal and release it one mile from my home.

I used to see Former Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill alot... when she was mayor. She's been out of office for a few years now but today the Soroptimist Club honored her with their Trail Blazer award for, "...serving as a role model and opening new paths for women..." Soroptimist means "best for women".

Daniel Gomez, along with a few other volunteers, very few, showed up to pick trash out of the lake in Area III at El Dorado Regional Park. Good thing there were only a handful of volunteers because the lake looked pretty clean before they started. See 6 pictures>>

Gene Harris, Terminal Services Manager for Seaside Transportation, tosses a dummy in the water beneath the Vincent Thomas Bridge in the Port of Los Angeles during a safety drill. The drill was part or Ports America's safety week and was designed to test workers on proper procedure incase someone falls in to the water. Dock workers are instructed not to jump in the water if someone falls off the dock. After the 'dummy' was thrown in the ocean the LAFD responded and fished it out. See 4 pictures >>

This is Tommy Robles, Long Beach firefighter by day, and, semi-professional bicycle racer, well, also by day. He's racing in the Long Beach Bike Grand Prix this weekend.

After six weeks off work, I'm back!

I took a month and a half off to spend time with my new daughter.... and potty train my 2 year-old.

Regular blog updates are resuming today - thanks for looking.