Press-Telegram Long Beach, CA. back issues from February 2008:
Local events this weekend
Feb 01, 2008 ... Long Beach today If you're a chocoholic, the Belmont Shore Chocolate Festival isfor you. The fourth annual event features chocolate treats, ahomemade dessert contest from 2 to 3 p.m. and a kids' pie-eatingcontest at 3:30 p.m. Festival hours are 1-4 p.m. Adjacent toWashington ...
TALB director put on administrative leave
Feb 01, 2008; ... LONG BEACH - Scott McVarish, the controversial executive directorof the Long Beach teachers union, has been placed on administrativeleave while union leaders review a recently completed audit of unionfinances, a source with knowledge of the situation said Thursday. McVarish could ...
AnnTaylor to cut stores and jobs
Feb 01, 2008 ... Women's apparel retailer AnnTaylor Stores Corp. plans to close117 stores and cut 180 jobs in its New York headquarters in aneffort to save money amid a ...
Walt Disney CEO gets yearly $2 million deal
Feb 01, 2008 ... The Walt Disney Co. said on Friday it signed Chief ExecutiveRobert Iger to a new five-year deal that will pay him a base salaryof at least $2 million a ...
Jobs lost for 1st time since '03
Feb 01, 2008 ... WASHINGTON - In a shower of pink slips, U.S. employers cut jobslast month for the first time in more than four years, the starkestsignal yet that the economy is grinding to a halt if it hasn'talready toppled into recession. Conditions are deteriorating, according to the latest ...
FDA says Chantix suicide link likely
Feb 01, 2008 ... Government regulators said Friday that the connection betweenPfizer's anti-smoking drug Chantix and serious psychiatric problemsis "increasingly likely." The Food and Drug Administration said it has received reports ...
GM's increase bucks U.S. trend
Feb 01, 2008 ... All major automakers except for General Motors Corp. saw theirU.S. sales drop in January to start what industry analysts havepredicted will be the worst auto sales year in the United States inmore than a decade. GM, led by strong crossover vehicle sales, reported an increaseof ...
Bergendorff, 63, was animal activist
Feb 01, 2008; ... LONG BEACH - His job entailed sharing the spotlight with furrycreatures and ending his day with fur-covered clothes. When Fred Bergendorff realized local animal shelters were packedwith abandoned cats and dogs, he focused his efforts on findinghomes for them, creating and hosting ...
TALB director placed on leave
Feb 01, 2008 ... LONG BEACH - Scott McVarish, the controversial executive directorof the Long Beach teachers union, has been placed on administrativeleave while union leaders review a recently completed audit of unionfinances, a source with knowledge of the situation said Friday. McVarish could ...
Call for bank robber ID help
Feb 01, 2008 ... CRIME: FBI releases images in bid to snare "Wrong Slip Bandit." City News Service LOS ANGELES - The FBI released security camera images Friday inhopes of tracking down the "Wrong Slip Bandit," who is suspected insix bank robberies in the Southland between last April and ...
Pamela Hale-Burns: Church fights to find a light
Feb 01, 2008; ... As we celebrate Black History Month, we honor local African-American pastors and the accomplishments and goals of their placesof worship. Today, the Rev. Osie Leon Wood Jr., 68, pastor of North LongBeach Community Prayer Center in Long Beach, speaks out about hisexperiences as a ...
CSULB hosts genocide forum
Feb 01, 2008; ... LONG BEACH - Experts, authors, artists and survivors of masskillings will appear at Cal State Long Beach Feb. 11 through Feb. 13for a forum on "Modern Genocides and Global Responsibility." Part of the college's "President's Forum on International HumanRights," the event consists ...
Setting the record straight
Feb 01, 2008 ... A story in Friday's Press-Telegram had the incorrect spelling ofa bishop's ...
LBUSD stops serving beef
Feb 01, 2008; ... LONG BEACH - The Long Beach Unified School District has suspendedthe serving of nearly all beef products in schools following theannouncement of a federal investigation into a Chino slaughterhousethat supplies beef to the federal government's national school lunchprogram. The ...
Man rescued after falling down ship's cargo shaft
Feb 01, 2008 ... Firefighters on Friday rescued a maintenance worker who fell 12feet down a narrow shaft in the SS Lane Victory's cargo hold at itsSan Pedro berth. The 28-year-old man slipped on a ladder while descending into theshaft to clean a fuel tank about 12:30 p.m., firefighters said ....
Dockworker gets $1.2M in lawsuit
Feb 01, 2008; ... Jurors awarded a dockworker $1.2 million in damages Friday for on-the-job harassment resulting from her promotion at a marine terminalin the Port of Long Beach. Katherine McCoy, a 47-year-old marine clerk who has worked atSouthern California ports since 1988, was awarded the sum ...
Youngest Clinton takes center stage
Feb 01, 2008; ... Facing an enthusiasm gap among younger voters, the HillaryClinton campaign dispatched its most valuable young surrogate -daughter Chelsea Clinton - to a rally Friday in Carson. Clinton, 27, who was generally seen but not heard during herfather's presidency, answered questions at ...
Freeway closures set to begin
Feb 01, 2008 ... The California Department of Transportation announced Friday thefollowing lane and ramp closures for the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOVor carpool) lane reconstruction and pavement replacement project onthe westbound Artesia Freeway (SR-91), from the Harbor Freeway (I-110) to Downey Avenue ...
Community News in Brief
Feb 01, 2008 ... CARSON Artist Marlow Mar featuredGuest artist Marlow Mar is the featured artist at the Carson FineArt Association's meeting on Monday at 7 p.m. The meeting is at 801 E. Carson St. in Carson. Call 310-835-0212. LAKEWOOD Sing your heart out The Mayfair High School ...
$60 billion to be pumped to banks
Feb 01, 2008 ... The Federal Reserve said Friday it will provide $60 billion infresh cash to commercial banks in two auctions in February and willkeep holding auctions every other week for as long as needed to easethe credit ...
High school coach is charged with two felonies
Feb 01, 2008; ... LONG BEACH - Prosecutors filed two felony counts Friday against a32-year-old substitute teacher - and former Poly High Schoolbasketball stand-out - accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-oldboy. Two counts of oral copulation of a person under 16 were filedagainst Dionn Semaj ...
Chief Batts takes the stand in "Lobstergate" trial
Feb 01, 2008; ... LOS ANGELES - Long Beach Police Chief Anthony Batts told a civiljury Friday that he applauded the courage of the officers whobrought the department's so-called "Lobstergate" scandal to lightand denied ever calling them "malcontents." But Batts also said he considered the ...
Two accused of attempting to rob 91-year-old woman
Feb 01, 2008; ... LONG BEACH - A man and woman hired to take care of a 91-year-oldLong Beach woman were arrested and charged over allegations theytried to withdraw on separate occasions a collective $105,000 fromthe alleged victim's bank account. Police this month arrested Long Beach residents ...
Diesel is ranked top port pollutant
Feb 01, 2008; ... Diesel pollution, long identified as a health risk for SouthernCalifornia port communities, is the top contributor to air qualityproblems in cities surrounding the nation's top 10 ports, a newstudy finds. The study, funded by a company involved in the research anddevelopment of ...
Foreign investors feel safe in U.S. real estate
Feb 02, 2008; ... Sometimes being stuck is a good thing. That's the case with the L.A. area's commercial real estatemarket, which remained a safe bet for foreign investors last year. They considered this area the third safest place for their moneyin the United States for the sixth consecutive ...
Smart Spender
Feb 02, 2008; ... To get married cheaply, decide what you care about - whether itis photos, food or funk - and skimp on everything else. Be ruthless.Remember, people want to see you walk down the aisle, boogie alittle, and be a part of your first day as a married couple. Notmuch else matters ....
A look at the week ahead
Feb 02, 2008 ... MONDAY: President Bush's 2009 budget proposal expected to bereleased; News Corp. releases second-quarter financial results. TUESDAY: Walt Disney Co. releases first-quarter financialresults. WEDNESDAY: Labor Department reports on productivity and costs,fourth quarter; Cisco ...
Live music calendar
Feb 02, 2008 ... Unless otherwise noted, tickets available at Ticketmaster, (213)480-3232, (714) 740-2000 or www.ticketmaster.com. Prices listed donot include service charges. Schedule subject to change.JonasBrothers Noon today, Gibson Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza,Universal City ....
Local Book Signings
Feb 02, 2008 ... signings and discussions> >Tuesday Long Beach Great Books Discussion Group takes up "The Epic ofGilgamesh." 6-8 p.m., El Dorado Library, 2900 Studebaker Road, LongBeach. For information, call Barbara Gabriel, (562) 439-0651. California Writers Club of Long Beach ...
Linked In
Feb 02, 2008 ... A few years ago, I began receiving e-mails from people I knew,people I barely knew and people I didn't know at all, asking me tobecome their "friend" or join one of various social networks. I evengot one such "invitation" from the unreceptive receptionist at aformer workplace who barely ...
Despite weak dollar, most visitors from the Americas
Feb 02, 2008; ... Mario Lizada, a machinist visiting Los Angeles from Sydney,Australia, couldn't help but take advantage of all the bargains madepossible by the weak U.S. dollar. During a two-week vacation in L.A., he and his family shelled outthousands of dollars for clothes, electronics and ...
Put Ellis to a vote
Feb 02, 2008 ... Getting signatures to recall a school board member is easy,compared to trying to find people eligible to sign. But that's as itshould be, since recalling a school trustee ought to be a bit of achallenge. The latest target of a recall campaign is a Long Beach UnifiedSchool ...
Sunday's Letters to the Editor
Feb 02, 2008 ... Plastic bag policy Re "Bagged policy" \: It is impossible to accept this newspaper's premise that theBoard of Supervisors' recent decision to reduce plastic shopping bagconsumption by 65 percent over the next few years is worse thanhaving no ban at all. Your claim that ...
A complete list of the P-T's Election endorsements
Feb 02, 2008 ... Tuesday's primaries promise to be 'super' indeed. California counts. The nation's most populous and delegate-richstate will soon have a voice - the loudest of them all - in pickingthe major parties' presidential candidates. Super Tuesday, which includes caucuses and primaries ...
Diary: A tree trimmed in L.B.
Feb 02, 2008 ... A tree trimmed in L.B. Last week, I noticed signs had been put up by the streetdepartment, telling us not to park under the trees in the area -that they were to be pruned. I've lived in the Wrigley area for 15years, and every year have seen our beautiful trees ...
LBCC's funding again up to voters
Feb 02, 2008; ... LONG BEACH - Voters on Tuesday will determine the fate of a $440million bond measure to fund construction projects at Long BeachCity College. Supporters say that Measure E, which requires at least 55 percentvoter approval for passage, is needed to upgrade outdated facilitiesand ...
Super Bowl tale is inspiration to all
Feb 02, 2008; ... A week ago, owing to pressure from eastern relatives, my heartwas with the New England Patriots. But hearts are fickle. And when the Super Bowl kicks off today, Iwill be cheering for the New York Giants. Let me explain why. A few days ago, I received an e-mail from Walt ...
Measure G would extend term limits for Downey City Council
Feb 02, 2008; ... DOWNEY - Is eight years enough or too little? Fifteen years ago, residents voted to limit the number of termsCity Council members can serve to two four-year terms. On Tuesday they will consider Measure G, which would extend theterm limit to three consecutive four-year terms and ...
Hispanics flock to McCain
Feb 02, 2008; ... To understand what happened with Republican voters in Florida,keep in mind four things: No. 1 - The Hispanic vote went to McCain by an overwhelmingmargin of almost 4-1. According to exit polls, Hispanics made up 12percent of Republican voters and, of those Hispanics who voted, ...
Residents prepare for historic primary
Feb 02, 2008; ... LONG BEACH - Some Long Beach residents have made up their minds,others are still on the fence, and some have known since Day 1 whichpresidential candidate they will support in Tuesday's historicprimary election. The fact that the 2008 election could result in a black or afemale ...
Election Q & A
Feb 02, 2008 ... Tens of thousands of residents throughout the Southland will headto the polls Tuesday to vote on various state propositions, bondmeasures, local races and who they think should be party nomineesfor the next president of the United States. Here's how to vote: Q: Can I still ...
A sweet tooth satiating event
Feb 02, 2008; ... Photos Belmont Shore Chocolate Festival LONG BEACH - It's the one day a year in Belmont Shore wherechocolate lovers can binge guilt-free. Mississippi mud brownies, fudge-drizzled apples, triple chocolatecake and chocolate enchiladas were just a few of the delectabletreats ...
Man plans walk along U.S. border
Feb 02, 2008; ... LONG BEACH - He's not leaving exactly on a wing and a prayer, butwhen Byron Motley begins his quest north out of Long Beach todayhe'll be doing it with a lot of faith and little else. After attending church services, Motley, a 43-year-old homelessman, plans to embark on a walk ...
Super Sunday could be stormy
Feb 02, 2008; ... LONG BEACH - A storm was expected to work its way south from SanFrancisco into Southern California overnight, a meteorologist saidSaturday. The heaviest of the rainfall was forecast for this morning, withabout .5 to .75 inches of rain expected by the end of the day, ...
Public safety roundup
Feb 02, 2008 ... CERRITOS City Hall shut down after bomb scare A bomb scare near Cerritos City Hall turned out to be a falsealarm on Friday night after a city employee left a black brief casesitting on the curb. The abandoned brief case was reported at about 8:30 p.m. on thecurb between the ...
Traffic accidents claim two lives
Feb 02, 2008; ... Two motorcyclists were killed in separate traffic collisionsSaturday, authorities said. A 48-year-old woman possibly driving under the influence hit andkilled a motorcyclist on Saturday morning and then plowed into afence bordering Long Beach Airport. The 49-year-old male ...
Comunity news roundup
Feb 02, 2008 ... LONG BEACH Learn how to get money for college A series of free "Cash for College" workshops is coming to theLong Beach area through February. They are conducted throughout the state to help students andtheir families successfully complete the financial aid process. Somehigh ...
Speakout for Monday, Feb. 4
Feb 03, 2008 ... Steroids vs. lobbyists Congress is investigating the use of steroids by baseballplayers. To make it fair, the players should investigate Congressfor the use of lobbyists. Blissful ignorance I haven't listened to a word our so-called president has said infive years ....
Monday's Letters
Feb 03, 2008 ... Economic stimulus? Calling the economic stimulus package proposed by the BushAdministration and the House of Representatives a tax "rebate" wouldimply that those that paid taxes will be getting some of what theypaid refunded to them, and that is the plan for most of us ....
Tom Elias GOP loses Latino vote
Feb 03, 2008 ... There has never been a more self-destructive Republican politicalcampaign than the 1994 reelection drive of former California Gov.Pete Wilson. But this year's campaign might even surpass those levels of GOPself immolation. Wilson's commercials featured grainy ...
Passing game
Feb 03, 2008 ... We are among the types more interested in Super Bowl commercialsthan the game - and that interest usually fades by halftime. But theeditorial wonks around here are indeed talking pigskin, though notabout the Patriots and Giants. After reading P-T sports columnist Bob Keisser's ...
Realty Bites: Developers prepare for Douglas Park changes
Feb 03, 2008 ... Space is the final frontier, but there may be no room for housingin one of the city's biggest developments. Boeing executives and city officials said last week that theyhave been in talks over changing the northern half of the 276-acreDouglas Park development site from residential ...
Hit-and-run man hospitalized
Feb 01, 2008; ... CRIME: Motorist was changing tire when he was struck on 710-N.SOUTH GATE - A motorist who had a flat tire was struck by a hit-and-run driver as he stood on the side of the Long Beach (710)Freeway in South Gate, authorities said Friday. The victim was taken to Saint Francis ...
01/17/07: Legends honors Tori Busch
Feb 02, 2008 ... It was quite a reunion for many who attended the late ToriBusch's induction to the Legends restaurant Wall of Fame on Jan. 17.Tori's friends, old and new - a crowd of 280, showed up to honor hermemory. Legends owner and Belmont Shore Business Association PresidentGene Rotondo ...
Our love story
Feb 03, 2008; ... At 42 years old, divorced, with two children at home, I was moreapt to be killed by a terrorist bullet than find a husband. Thus theheadline story greeted me with my fresh copy of Newsweek. That was in the summer of 1984 and no terrorist had done thedastardly things that they did ...
Taste of victory
Feb 03, 2008; ... The demise of her first Johnny Rebs' restaurant to an earlymorning August fire meant more than the loss of a building to ownerCheryl Carter. "It was like losing a child," the Sunset Beach resident said ofthe 24-year-old eatery at 4663 Long Beach Blvd., which had beenengulfed in ...
Happenings at the Convention Center
Feb 03, 2008 ... Monday The Biophysical Society (Trade Event/Exhibit Halls A-C) Tuesday International City Theatre Presents "Cabaret" Preview 8 p.m.(Open Event/Center Theater) The Biophysical Society (Trade Event/Exhibit Halls A-C) Wednesday ICT's "Cabaret" ...
In Basket: "Real estate exit strategies" seminar
Feb 03, 2008 ... On Feb. 21 Cal State Long Beach and co-sponsor Bank of the Westwill present a seminar, "Real Estate Exit Strategies," at Old RanchCountry Club, 3901 Lampson Ave., Seal Beach.Check-in begins at 11:30 a.m.; the program starts at noon. The $25 registration includes lunch and a ...
Election Day questions answered
Feb 03, 2008 ... Tens of thousands of residents throughout the Southland will headto the polls Tuesday to vote on various state propositions, bondmeasures, local races and who they think should be party nomineesfor the next president of the United States. Here's more information: Q: Can I ...
Want to see yourself here?
Feb 03, 2008 ... Here's your chance to share part of your life with the Press-Telegram's readers each Monday. We're looking for personal stories and photos. They can be ofyour hobby or collection, a good kid, a favorite neighbor, goodSamaritan, your cool pet. We love stories, hometown memories ...
The Canalis Report: A king of more than just bikes
Feb 03, 2008; ... When the 1992 riots ripped through downtown Long Beach, lootersleft the boulevard's King of Bikes untouched. "They respected the shop," said Natasha Mejia, whose grandfather,Arthur N. Lambrose, owned the store for more than 50 years. Arthur, who outfitted generations of ...
After decades, friend's dream finally realized
Feb 03, 2008; ... In 1938, there was a Depression in America, jobs were scarce andHitler's speeches were broadcast in German in the streets ofSpringfield, Ill.The German community listened and an older co-worker of 18-year-old Gene Keefner said, "There is going to be another war. That manHitler ...
Poetry Corner
Feb 03, 2008; ... 'Woe is me' I remember a time Long, long ago When school let out Not a tear would flow. No books to study No homework to writeIt was time for fun Not a book in sight. First things to come off Were my ...
Community News in Brief
Feb 03, 2008 ... LA MIRADA Daughters, dads to dance The city of La Mirada is pleased to announce the Father/DaughterDance: "Black Tie Evening" event. The dance will be held on Fridayfrom 7 to 9 p.m. at the La Mirada Activity Center, 13810 La MiradaBlvd. The evening will include ...
Robbery suspects at large
Feb 03, 2008; ... CERRITOS - A pedestrian was robbed at gunpoint on Saturday night,authorities said. Police responded to Palm Street and Norwalk Boulevard after twomale Hispanics in a white pickup truck approached the pedestrian andtook $100 cash ...