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Long Beach’s Plaing Commission will decide Thursday whether to allow plans and permitting for the Belmont Beach and Aquatic Center to move forward. If all the approvals are granted, the $103 million project would move on to the City Council, then the state Coastal Commission. The center is designed to replace the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool, which was to down after engineers determined the natatorium was in danger of collapse in the event of an earthquake. The proposed replacement, designed by architect Michael Rotondi, includes two Olympic-sized pools (one inside a structure, the other outside), an indoor diving well, a recreational pool and other amenities. If approved, a transparent oval ...

Heal the Bay has upgraded its Beach Report Card website and app to include, for the first time, real-time pollution predictions in the surf zones at five Southe Califoia beaches. Until now, Califoia beachgoers had to rely only on water-quality testing results delivered weekly, with delays of a day or two for lab work, to find out if there were unhealthy levels of fecal bacteria or other health-hazardous pollution. The “nowcasts” are a feature on the site and mobile app currently available for only a handful of beaches — including Belmont Pier in Long Beach and Santa Monica Pier, but 20 more surf zones will be added by next year. The environmental nonprofit partnered with Stanford University...

Country music’s Stagecoach Festival is set to ride out with Old Dominion and Steve Moakler on a new tour that stops in L.A. Tickets for the Stagecoach Spotlight: Old Dominion Meat and Candy Tour go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday to the general public — and as soon as Tuesday for fans who head to Old Dominion’s website. The show — with Old Dominion as headliners and Moakler as special guest — is set for Dec. 3 at Novo by Microsoft. “Stagecoach Spotlight Tour allows us to continue and strengthen artist relationships outside of a festival setting as well as creating awareness of the festival nationwide,” said Stacy Vee, talent buyer for Stagecoach and the inaugural Stagecoach Spotlight Tour in an ...

If it seems like toxic algae blooms are appearing almost everywhere across Califoia this summer, that’s because they are. “We’re getting blooms in areas that we’ve not seen them before or not known to have been there before,” said Beverley Anderson-Abbs, an environmental scientist for the State Water Resources Control Board’s Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program. A new interactive map on the Califoia Water Quality Monitoring Council’s website shows the more than 30 lakes and rivers across the state where blooms of cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algae, have developed. In some cases, the blooms are producing dangerous toxins that sicken people and animals, prompting no-swimmin...

It’s a royal makeover for a lady with a long legacy. The Queen Mary’s new leaseholders aounced Wednesday a $15 million renovation of staterooms and other interior spaces of a vessel that once hosted the likes of Winston Churchill and numerous fighting men who embarked upon the ship on their way to the European Theater during World War II. Urban Commons, a Los Angeles real estate firm, has held the master lease for the ship and an adjacent 43 acres since April. Long Beach’s city govement owns the 80-year-old vessel, now in use as a shoreside hotel, and City Hall officials selected Urban Commons to assume control of the ship and nearby land partly due to expectations that the firm’s persoel ha...

It’s a royal makeover for a lady with a long legacy. The Queen Mary’s new leaseholders aounced Wednesday a $15 million renovation of staterooms and other interior spaces of a vessel that once hosted the likes of Winston Churchill and numerous fighting men who embarked upon the ship on their way to the European Theater during World War II. Urban Commons, a Los Angeles real estate firm, has held the master lease for the ship and an adjacent 43 acres since April. Long Beach’s city govement owns the 80-year-old vessel, now in use as a shoreside hotel, and City Hall officials selected Urban Commons to assume control of the ship and nearby land partly due to expectations that the firm’s persoel ha...

The downtown Long Beach intersection where an unknown shooter killed a woman and her young daughter Saturday night has been transformed into a place of public mouing. The intersection, where E. Ninth Street crosses Locust Avenue in a usually quiet neighborhood, was the scene of a Monday night vigil where several mouers gathered to grieve for Carina Mancera, 26, and daughter Jeabel Anaya, 4. Additionally, a gym called Epic Strong aounced plans to host a Saturday evening event called LB Love Your Community Walk. Plans, which organizers said are still pending, call for participants to mee...

What to watch: The United States women’s gymnastics team begin 2016 Olympics competition that will feature Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles and Aly Raisman. The U.S. women’s basketball team led by Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird, will play Senegal in a Group B preliminary round game. The team will look to have the same success the men’s team did in its victory over China. The day will also feature qualify heats in various swimming events. For more check the TV Listings for Sunday, August 7 (Day 2) U.S. Medal Count: Gold: 1 Silver: 4 Bronze: 0 Stories: • Sam Mikulak, U.S. men advance to Olympic gymnastics team final • Miller: Casey Patterson makes some noise at beach volleyball venue • First gold meda...

While Long Beach may not be duplicating the 32-member delegation that represented the city during the London Olympics in 2012, the city will still have a large group of athletes and coaches with coections to Long Beach in Rio. Here’s a look at who’s competing in 2016’s #TeamLB. Regular updates on all the locals will be posted on our Twitter account, @PTGazetteSports. Ricardo Azevedo A Wilson High School alumnus and the father of Bruins’ Olympian Tony Azevedo, Ricardo Azevedo is an impressive entry in his own right. Azevedo will retu to the Olympics once again this year as the head coach of the Chinese women’s national team. Tony Azevedo The star of the Olympics from Long Beach this year, me...

While Long Beach may not be duplicating the 32-member delegation that represented the city during the London Olympics in 2012, the city will still have a large group of athletes and coaches with coections to Long Beach in Rio. Here’s a look at who’s competing in 2016’s #TeamLB. Regular updates on all the locals will be posted on our Twitter account, @PTGazetteSports. Ricardo Azevedo A Wilson High School alumnus and the father of Bruins’ Olympian Tony Azevedo, Ricardo Azevedo is an impressive entry in his own right. Azevedo will retu to the Olympics once again this year as the head coach of the Chinese women’s national team. Tony Azevedo The star of the Olympics from Long Beach this year, me...

While Long Beach may not be duplicating the 32-member delegation that represented the city during the London Olympics in 2012, the city will still have a large group of athletes and coaches with coections to the city in Rio. Here’s a look at who’s competing in 2016’s #TeamLB. Regular updates on all the locals will be posted on our Twitter account, @PTGazetteSports. Ricardo Azevedo A Wilson High School alum and the father of Bruins’ Olympian Tony Azevedo, Ricardo Azevedo is an impressive entry in his own right. Azevedo will retu to the Olympics once again this year as the head coach of the Chinese women’s national team. Tony Azevedo The star of the Olympics from Long Beach this year, men’s w...

A pair of cider aficionados determined to build a business rooted in their enthusiasm for the beverage on Thursday will open a specialty pub devoted almost exclusively on cider and mead, a fermented honey beverage. “What we decided was, right now what the industry really needs was not another cider maker, but a place to drink it at,” said Otto Radtke, co-owner of Great Society Cider & Mead. Radtke and his wife, Brenda, live in Long Beach and own the pub together. Established near the crossing of Broadway and Atlantic Avenue, Great Society is the first business the couple have started. The pub’s interior, appointed with light-colored wood elements, rustic-looking tables, a bartop crafted...

Think of it as a direct coection from the seaside to Silicon Valley. JetBlue Airways Corp. aounced plans to begin direct flights for the first time from Long Beach Airport to Mineta San Jose Inteational Airport in early January. The airline, which operates more flights from LGB than any other carrier, has also committed to increasing its flights from Long Beach to three other destinations in the weste United States — San Francisco, Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. Through June, total passenger departures from LGB are up 3 percent. JetBlue’s latest move to increase flights from the airport follows its March aouncement of new flights to Reno-Tahoe Inteational Airport and June’s arrival of Southwe...

Each year, Americans throw out 66 billion pounds of food — organic material wasting away at the bottom of a landfill. While successful programs recycle tons of aluminum cans, glass, plastic, cardboard, and newspaper and help account for 63 percent of waste diverted from landfills in Califoia, you can’t say the same about table scraps. With no widespread re-use and few programs, food waste has emerged as one of the biggest categories of refuse filling up the nation’s landfills, making up 18 percent of the trash buried in Califoia landfills, according to state records. Aside from the social issues of Americans wasting billions of pounds of food every year, there’s an environmental problem. Or...

Firefighters and lawmakers have been droning on about the need for drone pilots to steer clear when aircraft splash bubble-gum-colored fire retardant or clear water on wildfires. But the message doesn’t seem to be getting through. Stray drones continue to pop up repeatedly around the state when firefighting aircraft are making drops, forcing them to abort missions. And it happened again last week close to home. A firefighting helicopter was prevented from dousing a small brush fire buing along the 134u2009Freeway in the Eagleu2009Rock area of Losu2009Angeles. Photos on social media showed a small white drone flying just beneath a helicopter. Ultimately, water drops proved uecessary. Losu200...

Each year, Americans throw out 66 billion pounds of food — organic material wasting away at the bottom of a landfill. While successful programs recycle tons of aluminum cans, glass, plastic, cardboard, and newspaper and help account for 63 percent of waste diverted from landfills in Califoia, you can’t say the same about table scraps. With no widespread re-use and few programs, food waste has emerged as one of the biggest categories of refuse filling up the nation’s landfills, making up 18 percent of the trash buried in Califoia landfills, according to state records. Aside from the social issues of Americans wasting billions of pounds of food every year, there’s an environmental problem. Or...

A job fair will be held today for people interested in stadium jobs during Los Angeles Rams games. Organizers said more than 1,500 positions will be available at the job fair, which is being held by Contemporary Services Corp. in conjunction with the South Los Angeles WorkSource Center and EXPO Center. Available positions include guest services, ushers, security officers and other event staff. But people plaing to attend must apply in advance through CSC’s website – www.csc-usa.com/branch-folder/los-angeles/apply. The event will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the EXPO Center, 3980 Bill Robertson Lane, Los Angeles. Applicants should bring an ID and Social Security card, and they should wea...

The Democratic National Convention concludes tonight — Thursday, July 28, 2016, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, with Hillary Clinton slated to accept the party’s nomination. The final speeches are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. PST (7 p.m. EST), and Clinton’s speech should end around 8 p.m. PST (11 p.m. EST). Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti took the stage Thursday at 3 p.m. PT not quite primetime, but it was still an opportunity for him to address a national audience. • RELATED STORY: Mayor Eric Garcetti touts LA as model city in DNC speech Here is the list of the speakers scheduled to appear this evening. Exact times are not given but they will take the stage in this order, per th...

The Democratic National Convention continues tonight — Thursday, July 21, 2016 — in Philadelphia with a prime-time speech from former President Bill Clinton. Following the roll call of the states, speeches on this second night of the Democratic convention are slated to begin at 4 p.m. Pacific time (7 p.m. Easte), with former President Clinton’s speech ending around 8 p.m. Pacific time (11 p.m. Easte). Speakers and others appearing are not given exact times but will take the stage in this order: 4-7 p.m. Pacific • U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Califonia, House minority leader, and Democratic women of the House • Former Georgia state Sen. Jason Carter • Former President Jimmy Carter (on video) • ...

Thousands of trees across Southe Califoia are dying because of an invasive beetle for which there is no remedy. The polyphagous shot hole borer is attacking hundreds of tree species and can reproduce in 41 of them, including some of the trees most favored by gardeners, city landscape designers and universities, such as maples, elders, cottonwoods and oaks. The first infections were discovered in 2003 in the Whittier Narrows in L.A. County, and the beetle was implicated for the mass deaths of box elder trees in Long Beach in 2010. Long Beach parks officials say the pest continues to be a conce, noting it has spread from the Box Elder trees to sycamores. Kelly Parkins, a grounds maintenance s...