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10 years after Torrance Refinery explosion, pressure for a ban on MHF builds

As the South Bay community marks the 10th anniversary of an explosion at Torrance Refinery, advocates and elected officials are renewing their efforts to ban modified hydrofluoric acid at the facility — including via federal legislation.The 2015 explosion at the Torrance Refinery, which registered as a small earthquake, left four workers injured and covered the surrounding communities in catalytic dust. But it also ignited a movement against the use of modified hydrofluoric acid, at both the Tor...
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LA County’s homeless count returns next week after wildfire-induced postponement

After being postponed because of the recent wildfires, the Los Angeles County Homeless Services Authority’s 2025 tally of people who are homeless is slated for next week.The count was originally scheduled to take place over three days last month, starting on Tuesday, Jan. 21. But because of the devastation wrought by the Eaton, Palisades and other fires, the county moved the tally back.LAHSA, the agency charged with conducting the homeless count, said previously the survey was postponed because...
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The search for CSULB President Jane Close Conoley’s replacement is underway

With current Cal State Long Beach President Jane Close Conoley set to retire at the end of the academic year, the search for her successor is getting started.Conoley announced her retirement in November, capping off nearly a nearly half-century career in education — the last 10 years of which have been at the helm of CSULB.Her replacement, who will be appointed by the California State University system’s Board of Trustees, with public input, is expected to succeed Conoley sometime around July 1....
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Community leaders, police officers, and others recognized at 11th annual IMPACT Awards

Multiple community leaders, nonprofit workers, police officers and others were recognized for their impact on public safety in Long Beach during the 11th iteration of the City Prosecutor’s IMPACT Awards.The awards, which got underway on Wednesday, Feb. 5, aim to pay tribute to those who made a “a positive, significant impact in the city of Long Beach in the past year,” according to the city prosecutor’s office.“My office is grateful for those who go above and beyond, who help us make a positive...
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As 2028 Olympic Games nears, here’s how Long Beach is prepping for the international stage

In less than four years, Long Beach will take the international stage as a venue city for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which city officials say will be both a massive undertaking and an opportunity to elevate the city’s status, bolster tourism and economic development — and develop a lasting gold-medal legacy that’ll benefit the town for years to come.Though Long Beach isn’t the host city — that’s Los Angeles, of course — it will play a major role in the upcoming Games as a venue city...
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Shelter animals rescued from L.A. fires take off from Long Beach Airport to find new homes

In response to the wildfires in California, Greater Good Charities and Southwest Airlines teamed up to operate an emergency airlift of more than 100 shelter pets impacted by the wildfires from Southern California to Portland to find new homes. The aircraft used in this rescue flight is operating on a humanitarian flight that Southwest is donating as part of relief efforts and departed from Long Beach airport on Saturday morning. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)
In response to...
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Is the air, water safe in LA County after Palisades, Eaton fires? Here’s what you need to know

As firefighters close in on the Palisades and Eaton fires — with both nearly 100% contained as of Tuesday, Jan. 27 — concerns remain about lasting public health impacts across L.A. county from the disasters.Worries about bad air quality from wildfire smoke have been on the rise since the fires broke out and lots of discussion — and misinformation — populates social media these days. Here are some answers to your questions about post-fire air quality, and how to keep yourself safe.Q: Is the air q...
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Long Beach is still waiting on FEMA to reimburse more than $25 million in COVID spending

Five years after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Long Beach is still waiting for the federal government to reimburse it $25.8 million the city spent early on to respond to the public health emergency — money it needs to help with an ongoing budget crisis.Long Beach officials are trying to urge the federal government to quickly pay the city back.The city spent around $45.6 million during the pandemic, with the understanding that those costs would eventually be reimbursed by the Federal Eme...
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Air quality monitoring not equipped to measure full dangers from Eaton, Palisades fires, experts say

A race against time.That’s how one air quality expert describes the current public health situation in Los Angeles, where thousands are coping with destruction wreaked by the Palisades and Eaton fires.Together, the fires have ravaged more than 37,000 acres since they broke out last Tuesday — leaving over 12,000 structures, including homes, business, cars, and more, melted to nothing in their path.And unlike California’s usual wildland fires — which have occurred in mostly forested, sparsely popu...
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Vigil mourns Eaton fire victims at Nickerson Gardens, including grandson of community’s namesake

Candles are held up in honor of the victims who died in the Palisades and Eaton wildfires at a vigil in the Nickerson Gardens housing projects in South Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
City officials and residents light up candles for victims of the Palisades and Eaton wildfires at a vigil in the Nickerson Gardens housing project in South Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer...
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Rodney Nickerson, 83-year-old engineer with ties to Nickerson Gardens, among Eaton fire victims

Rodney Nickerson, an engineer with deep family ties to the broader Los Angeles community, resisted pleas from his family to evacuate as flames approached the Altadena home where he had lived for more than five decades.“Despite the dangerous conditions, my grandfather insisted on staying in his home, a place that was deeply meaningful to our family,” Chase Newton, Nickerson’s grandson, wrote on GoFundMe. “His last words to my mother were, ‘I’ll be here tomorrow,’ but he never made it out.”Family...
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With so many newly homeless amid fires, efforts to help already unhoused get tougher

As fire crews continue to work to gain control of the massive Palisades and Eaton fires, organizations from around Los Angeles County are working to support thousands whose homes were destroyed in an area where housing affordability and availability were already an enduring crisis.Aside from the newly homeless, the Eaton and Palisades fires have complicated efforts for agencies that help people who were already without dwellings long before the deadly fires were unleashed.“Before the crisis of t...
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Long Beach partners with charitable organization to raise funds for wildfire victims at State of the City

As wildfires continue to ravage Los Angeles County, Long Beach has partnered with a local organization to raise funds to help support evacuees and victims.The initiative is a partnership between California Community Foundation, a philanthropic organization serving the county, and Long Beach ahead of Mayor Rex Richardson’s State of the City address — which will get underway on Tuesday, Jan. 14.“We have made incredible progress together over the last two years, and I am thrilled to share exciting...
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