January 2010 Archives

While taking pictures of the new Forever 21 flagship store at the Los Cerritos Center reporter Kelly Puente was absolutely giddy. I was roaming the store with my camera gear and she was wondering around with a reporter's notebook in one hand and a shopping bag in the other. As we traversed the giant clothing store that now sits in the building once occupied by Mervyn's she marveled at the amount of clothing options. I told her I just didn't get it - if it were filled with computer gear and gadgets then maybe I could get excited about it. See more photos>>

Bellflower, Calif. resident Ralph Bustrum has been a Boy Scout for 75 years. Last Saturday, he was given an award from the Boy Scouts of America and the city of Bellflower for his service to scouting. In his scout career, he's risen to the level of eagle scout and has received the distinguished Silver Beaver and Bronze Palm awards.

Surfers are back in the water to take advantage of the rare waves in the Belmont Shore neighborhood of Long Beach, Calif. on January 22, 2010. See 20 pictures of people surfing >>

During a break in the clouds a rainbow made a quick appearance over Downtown Long Beach, Calif. on January 22, 2010.

A surfer in the Pacific Ocean may not seem like a big deal - but if you know anything about Long Beach, and the breakwater, then you know rare it is for Dan Lingle to be able to ride a wave in the Belmont Shore neighborhood of Long Beach, Calif. near Claremont Place on January 21, 2010. See more pictures>>

Day three of cruising the city looking for people in the rain.

Nancie Carpenter and her daughter Cassandra Carpenter make their way across flood waters on Lakewood Blvd. at the entrance to Long Beach (Calif.) Airport on January 20, 2010. The pair are going to Seattle to visit their son and brother.See more pictures from the staff of the Press-Telegram>>

Jerry Bridges uses his canoe to check on his wife's car in the 900 blcok of Bennett Ave. in Long Beach, Calif. on January 19, 2010. Long Beach received 1.43 inches of rain during an afternoon storm. Click here to see pictures from the entire staff of the Press-Telegram>>

Olympic swimmer MIchael Phelps hangs out at the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool on Friday morning, January 15, 2010, in Long Beach, Calif. Phelps answered questions from the media and did a half-hour light workout. He is preparing for USA Swimming's Southern California Grand Prix this weekend. See more photos>>

A surfer waits to go in the water near the pier in Seal Beach, Calif. on January 14, 2010. See more pictures>>

As the Earth rotates on its axis the Sun appears to set in the western sky in Long Beach, Calif. on January 12, 2010. This is composite made from seven images stitched together. See more pictures>>

A few items remain on the shelves at the Vons Grocery story in the 600 block of East Broadway in Long Beach, Calif. on January 12, 2010. The store is closing tomorrow for remodeling and is expected to reopen this fall. See more pictures>>

Volunteers clear non-native brush from the Los Cerritos Wetlands just south of Studebaker Road and Second Street in Long Beach, Calif. on Friday, January 8, 2010. The natural habit might not be the happiest place on Earth, but volunteers who spend a few hours as volunt"ears" will earn a free ticket to Disneyland. According to Lenny Arkinstall, Founder and Executive Director Los Cerritos Wetlands Stewards, the DIsney volunteer program has caused a large increase in volunteer interest in his program. On Friday Arkinstall had 12 volunteers, three of them were Wilson High students working on a class project and seven of them were working to earn a free trip to Disneyland. DIsney's Give a Day, Get a Day program works like this; You give a day of volunteer service to one of their approved groups and they'll give you a free ticket to one of their parks. See more photos>> | Disney's GIve a Day, Get a Day site

Police shut down the Long Beach County Building because of a bag left on the front steps. Homeless man Michael Paladino left his bag on the courthouse steps on January 7, 2010. He said he had business inside the court.

Workers have been completing about 50 feet a day of the Termino Ave. Drain Project in Long Beach, Calif. on January 5, 2010. Construction started in October 2009 and is expected to last two years. This project consists of construction of a new underground storm drain, installation of trash excluder screens and a filtration system at the catch basins, construction of a low-flow diversion system to improve the water quality of storm runoff, and the relocation of waterlines. The project will alleviate flooding from Marine Stadium to the Redondo Ave / Anaheim Street area. See more pictures>>

Jaime Nikoletich, Miss April, signs her month inside a pin-up calendar at La Strada Retaurant on Second Street in Long Beach, Calif. on Monday, January 4, 2010. La Strada owner Lisa Ramelow created the calenders to benefit pancreatic cancer but when she had over a thousand left over she decided to send them to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Each calendar is signed by at least one of the girls featured in the calendar (they are also her employees) and a customer of the eatery. She has received hundreds of letters of thanks from American warriors including a flag that was carried in battle in Iraq. See more pictures>>
| La Strada's on Second

Truck driver Jorge Machuca waits as a container is loaded on his rig at Long Beach Container Terminal (LBCT) on Monday, January 4th, 2010, the first business day after January 1st ban ban of 8,000 older, more polluting trucks from harbor area roads. Beginning January 1, 2010, the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles (Calif.) banned drayage trucks with engine model years of 1993 and older under its Clean Trucks Program. The new rigs have helped decrease air pollution almost two years ahead of schedule. See more pictures>>

Long Beach State Head Coach Dan Monson reacts as his team can't come up with enough points in overtime to beat UC Riverside during the Big West season opener in Riverside, Calif. on January 2, 2010. The 49ers lost to UCR 69-67. See more pictures>>

While kids from Maine to Florida are dealing with freezing temperature and Midwesterners are sledding down snow banks the lucky youngster in Long Beach are in their bathing suits. Above, Ryan Brunner joins his friends as they sled down a sand hill on the beach in the Belmont Shore neighborhood of Long Beach, Calif. on January 2, 2010. According to accuweather.com, the high in Belmont Shore was 78 degrees but should cool down to about 70 degrees over the next few days. See more pictures>>

Looking down from the lighthouse at Rainbow Harbor gives you a good idea of how many fans were waiting for Travis Pastrana to jump off the Pine Ave. Pier onto a barge in Long Beach, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 31, 2009. Pastrana set a new world record for the longest jump in a rally car. See more pictures from me and fellow P-T photographer Steven Georges>>

Chris Johnson and Erin Morgan share a kiss at midnight January 1, 2010, on Pine Avenue in Long Beach, Calif. See more pictures>>

The Moon rises above Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach, Calif on December 31, 2009 . This was the second full Moon in December making it a blue Moon.
At right is the Lyons Lighthouse for Sight.