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The Ghost of John F. Kennedy:

Reporters Desk
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Shadows of doubt and skepticism

James Preston Allen, Publisher

Fifty years ago come this Nov. 22, is the dark anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, which took place in Dallas, Texas’ Dealey Plaza. A lot of dredging up the past has already begun. The doubts and suspicions of this seminal historic act for the Vietnam War generation has cast a question mark over our nation ever since.

In the coming days, we will be treated to a series of documentaries recounting the events, reinforcing the conclusions of the Warren Commission report that the assassination was carried out by “lone gunman” Lee Harvey Oswald, while others assert the assassination was the result of a larger conspiracy involving more than one assassin. Will the truth ever be told for certain?

All I can say is that after all these years, I still find it very hard to write about this national tragedy, one in which the whole nation grieved for the loss of its symbol of youthful optimism. It was perhaps the last time, since the death of President Franklin Roosevelt, that we grieved as nation for a single person.

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Foster Wants to Give Fields The Boot

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Foster Wants to Give Fields The Boot

On Nov. 19, the Long Beach City Council will consider a request by Mayor Bob Foster seeking support for removing Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners President Thomas Fields from his position.

The agenda item would require at least 6 to 9 vote.

On Nov. 11, the Long Beach City Clerk’s office published Mayor Bob Foster’s recommendation for the removal of Thomas Fields as president of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, while Fields was out of the country, on a two-week trip around Asia with port executive staff.

Fields, advertising entrepreneur, served on several city commissions before Foster appointed him to the 6-year term in the Harbor Commissioner.

While he did not state a reason for his recommendation, Foster, who appointed Fields in 2009, indicated that Field’s travel was among many reasons why he is asking for his removal. Budget Oversight Committee Chairman, Councilman Gary DeLong, questioned Fields’ travel spending, including two trips taken without port staff.

In September, the city council limited harbor commissioners to $40,000 in travel spending, as a result. City Auditor Laura Doud is reviewing the 12 trips that the Budget Oversight Committee scrutinized.

Fields spent $77,196.37 on eight overseas trips from Oct. 29, 2011, to June 1 this year, while prior presidents spent considerably less, — at least half on travel, public records show.

Fields reportedly claims that his removal attempts have more to do with his support of the relocation of the port’s headquarters, which was deemed unsafe in the event of an earthquake, to the WorldTradeCenter.

Another point of contention with the mayor is the selection process of a new executive director. The Port of Long Beach hasn’t had a permanent executive director since June, when Chris Lytle resigned after 18 months on the job.

Details:Click here
Venue:City Hall
Location:333 W. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach

Officers Shoot Woman with Replica Handgun

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Officers Shoot Woman with Replica Handgun

Long Beach — On Nov. 16, Long Beach Police Department officers shot a woman waving a replica handgun near 3rdStreet and Long Beach Boulevard, officials said in a released statement.

Long Beach resident Adeline Arroyo, 32, was booked for displaying a replica firearm in the presence of a police officer. She remains at a local hospital, where she is being treated.

Police officers arrived at the scene at about 9:50 a.m., responding to several calls reporting that there was a woman with handgun near the U.S. Post Office in downtown Long Beach.

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West Niles Virus Kills in Long Beach

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West Niles Virus Kills in Long Beach

Long Beach — On Nov. 18, Long Beach Public Health Officer Dr. Mitchell Kushner announced that a resident died due to complications associated with West Niles Virus,— a first for the city since 2004.

The resident, whose name was not released, was hospitalized in October. The resident was in his mid-70s and lived on east side of Long Beach.

Long Beach has reported six human cases to date in 2013. There have been eight West Niles Virus-related fatalities in Los AngelesCounty this year. Statewide, there have been 349 human cases reported, including 13 fatalities, as of November 12, 2013.

To reduce the risk of exposure to the virus, Dr. Kushner is advising residents to take the following precautions:

  • Avoid mosquito-infested areas, especially at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
  • Mosquitoes breed in standing water. Eliminate standing water on your property by dumping or draining water in neglected ponds, birdbaths, fountains, buckets, old tires or anything that can hold water. Dumping or draining water will interrupt the mosquito life cycle.
  • Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants if you plan to be outdoors at dawn or dusk.
  • Use mosquito repellant containing DEET, Picaridin, or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus. Residents should follow instructions on the label. Consult with your child’s pediatrician for appropriate concentrations of DEET to be used on children under the age of 2.
  • Keep tight-fitting screens on doors and windows to prevent mosquitoes from entering homes and check to make sure your window screens are in good condition.
  • Clean and chlorinate swimming pools and drain water from pool covers.
  • Limit the watering of lawns and outdoor plants to twice a week to avoid run off to gutters and around sprinklers.
  • Report dead birds and dead tree squirrels to the California Department of Health Services

Details: (877) 968-2473 or online at www.westnile.ca.gov.

Planning Commission Approves Ponte Vista

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Planning Commission Approves Ponte Vista

Los Angeles — The Los Angeles Planning Commission unanimously approved the 676 to 700 Ponte Vista development plan.

Developer, iStar Financial Inc., scaled down the number of homes they plan to build on the 61.5-acre former Navy parcel at 26900 S. Western Ave., in San Pedro. The latest proposal includes a 2.42-acre park with walking trails, a playground and a dog park.

The development has been a point of contention for the community since developer Bob Bisno proposed 2,300 homes in 2005. Since is iStar Financial took the reigns of the project in 2010, plans were downsized to 830 homes. Now, iStar has reduced the number of homes to 676 with a cap of 700.

The developer would be obliged to annually monitor traffic mitigation effort and report to the Department of Transportation. The project must now be approved by the Los Angeles City Council.

Container Volumes Slip

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Container Volumes Slip

San Pedro — The Port of Los Angeles announced that cargo volumes dropped 4.76 in a released statement Nov. 15.

October overall volumes totaled 684,207 Twenty-Foot Equivalent, TEU, containers, compared to October 2012.

Imports declined by 5.14 percent, from 364,881 TEUs in October 2012 to 346,137 TEUs this October. Exports decreased 5.7 percent, from 179,810 TEUs in October 2012 to 169,568 TEUs in October 2013.

Combined, total loaded imports and exports for October decreased 5.32 percent, from 544,692 TEUs this past October to 515,705 TEUs in October 2013. Factoring in empties, which decreased 3 percent year after year, overall October 2013 volumes (684,207 TEUs) declined 4.76 percent compared to October 2012 (718,406 TEUs).

New Arts Council President Adds an Edge to the Long Beach Establishment, Says Changes Are Coming

Greggory Moore
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New Arts Council President Adds an Edge to the Long Beach Establishment, Says Changes Are Coming

[portfolio_slideshow id=5359]

By Greggory Moore

It didn’t take long for Marco Schindelmann to become immersed in the Long Beach arts scene. In 2005, one year after stumbling across the first iteration of SoundWalk, Schindelmann was a participant in the annual event, filling the Grand Salon of the Cooper Arms with a five-hour sound installation that took over a dozen people to bring to life its thematic play on false senses of security and the aleatory. SoundWalk curators FLOOD were so impressed that by 2006 Schindelmann was a full-fledged member of the team.

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Shakeh, Songs of My Soul CD Release Concert

Terelle Jerricks
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Shakeh, Songs of My Soul CD Release Concert

By B. Noel Barr, Music Writer Dude

Singer and songwriter Shakeh brought life to Grand Annex Nov. 3 with her latest CD release, “Songs of My Soul” with her partners, electric bassist and cellist Brian Asher and percussionist Dwain Roque. Applause for the trio’s performance resounded beyond the wall of the Annex that night through a two set evening.

Kicking off with, “When You’ve Got Hunger,” which is the opening and closing tracks of Songs of My Soul, I found myself immediately immersed in the music and captivated by the positively charged lyrics. Shakeh’s stage-presence is friendly and genuine and she’s a great storyteller too, allowing her to segue seamlessly from one song to the next.

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Obamacare–Left, Right and Center

Terelle Jerricks
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Another fine mess you’ve got us in

By James Preston Allen, Publisher

Contrary to the Tea Party right wingers’ hyperbole these days, the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare is hardly socialized medicine!

It is, however, one of those unholy compromises that nobody really likes but is the only thing that would secure a majority of votes. Let me back up a bit and explain this.

This current health care act is based on the model created by the right-wing Heritage Foundation and was first implemented in Massachusetts under the governorship of Mitt Romney. If you recall, he was President Obama’s Republican opponent in the last election. This model is not a single-payer system like most of the other modern social democracies in the world.

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One Man’s Misadventures with California’s Obamacare Website

Greggory Moore
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One Man’s Misadventures with California’s Obamacare Website

By Greggory Moore

When the Los Angeles Times recently spoke with Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, the state’s registration hub for the Affordable Care Act (or “Obamacare,” as it’s commonly known), apparently he told them that CoveredCA.com is a working Website.

But you can’t believe everything you read, right?

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