🌱 Guns For Gift Cards Event + Hippo Dies + Line Of Cargo Ships

Good morning, La Mesa-Mount Helix! Here's everything you need to know to get this Tuesday started off right.

First, today's weather:

Nice with clouds and sun. High: 75 Low: 50.

Here are the top stories today in and around La Mesa-Mount Helix:

1. A total of 293 unwanted firearms were turned in by the public at the Guns for Gift Cards event in the La Mesa Civic Center parking lot. (La Mesa-Mount Helix Patch)
2. Thanksgiving travel is expected to rebound to pre-pandemic levels. More than 53.4 million people are expected to travel this Thanksgiving, according to this year's travel forecast released by AAA. Planning ahead to get out of La Mesa-Mount Helix will help you avoid any delays. (La Mesa-Mount Helix Patch)
3. The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance announced that Otis, a 45-year old hippo, was euthanized following a sharp decline in his health over the weekend. (City News Service)
4. San Diego County public health officials are keeping watch on a new subtype of the delta COVID-19 variant, which is thought to be even more contagious. The variation is known as AY.4.2 and more commonly referred to as "delta plus." (FOX 5 San Diego)
5. The backup of cargo ships heading toward Long Beach and Los Angeles is so bad, you can now see vessels waiting off the coast of San Diego. (CBS News 8)

Today's La Mesa-Mount Helix Daily is brought to you by our friends at Ring, the home security company. Ring does a lot more than doorbells: check out their full suite of smart home products at Ring.com. And thank you Ring for helping to make local news happen in La Mesa-Mount Helix!

Today in La Mesa-Mount Helix:

• La Mesa Community Parking Commission. (5:30 p.m.)

La Mesa-Mount Helix Patch Notebook

• YMCA of San Diego County: "Our popular Be Well webinars continue this week with a new Q&A session featuring Donnie Edwards, former NFL professional and founder of @bestdefensefoundation. Don't miss it! Register for free at ymcasd.org/virtualymca." (Instagram)

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— Kristina Houck

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming La Mesa-Mount Helix Daily? Email kristina.houck@patch.com.