🌱 Gun Fired Into The Air On Paramount Blvd + Polar Bear Club's Ready

Hello, Long Beach! Today, we celebrate New Year's Eve! I'm here in your inbox this SoCal winter morning to get you up to speed on everything you need to know that's going on around town. Today you'll read about these stories and more:

• 😸 A cat was stolen from the Rosales Nursery.
• 🚘 Enter a raffle to win a rare luxury 2005 Jaguar S-Type R.
• 🏥 Mpox vaccine limitations are removed.

🌧️ But first, today's weather:

Occasional rain and drizzle. High: 64 Low: 50.

📢 I'm looking for business owners and marketers in Long Beach who want to build awareness, connect with customers and increase sales.

I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our readers to local businesses they need to know. If that's you, then I invite you to learn more and secure your spot now.

⛽ Three of the Cheapest Gas Stations in the City of Long Beach

• ARCO at 3201 E 7th St., $3.83
• Food 4 Less at 6700 Cherry Ave., $3.89
• Rocket Oil at 1701 W Anaheim St., $3.89

📰 2022 News Poll 📍
There was a lot of bad news in 2022. However, there was some great news, too. Which was your favorite good news story of 2022? So far, 44.4% like the collaboration to end plastic pollution, while 33.3% favor the news that Ethiopia's civil war is over. 11.1% like news of a new malaria vaccine, and the final 11.1% are excited about hydrogen-powered trains.

📰 Here are the top stories in Long Beach today:

1. Firing a gun into the air is illegal in Long Beach. A 23-year-old Garden Grove resident learned that this Friday morning at 2:34 a.m. Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) officers visited him in the 6500 block of Paramount Boulevard and booked him for the "willful discharge of a firearm in a grossly negligent manner. His bail is set at $35,000." (LBPD)
2. Who stole Chula, the friendly calico cat, from Rosales Nursery at 6916 Myrtle Avenue? "Those who shop around here, … they know who Chula is, and they know the story behind her," the owner says. Reportedly, two people came in on Monday posing as customers and then took the feline. If you have information, please drop a dime. (Long Beach Post)
3. Help build an orphanage in Barranquilla, Colombia. We learned on Thursday that the owner of "Otto's Pizza Stix is raffling off a rare luxury 2005 Jaguar S-Type R" for this purpose. It costs $100 to enter the raffle, and at least 200 tickets need to sell for the reserve to be met. The goal, however, is to sell 250 tickets. So far, 50 people have participated. You have until January 15 to buy your ticket! (Signal Hill Tribune)
4. The Long Beach Health Department removed limitations on receiving the mpox vaccine. The agency announced on Thursday that it's "now offering mpox vaccination to all who wish to receive it." Schedule an appointment; vaccinations take place at the Long Beach City College's Pacific Coast Campus. (Long Beach Health Department)
5. Is there a better way to kick off the new year than joining the Polar Bear Club at Cabrillo Beach on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.? We didn't think so. The annual tradition, which was derailed the last couple of years, will be going strong this weekend. "The water temperature at Cabrillo Beach is expected to be around 58 degrees on Sunday." (Press-Telegram/paywall)

📆 Today in Long Beach:

• Disney On Ice at the Long Beach Arena (11 AM)
• Big Sandy's Rockin' Luau NYE Party at the PCH Club (7 PM)
• New Year's Eve Night Dive at the Aquarium of the Pacific (8 PM)
• NYE 2023 Pub Crawl on Pine Avenue (8 PM)
• New Year's Eve Fireworks at Shoreline Village/Waterfront (9 PM, midnight)

📓 From my notebook:

• "Thank you fans for coming out to support us for the first conference game of the season 🏀 We'll be back on Saturday at 3pm, see you then LB Nation!" (Long Beach State Athletics via Instagram)
• "⚠️ Long Beach Airport travelers, Southwest Air planned to return to normal operations with minimal disruptions 12/30. ✅ Check your flight status before coming to the airport ✅ Arrive up to two hours before your flight ✅" (Long Beach Airport via Instagram)
• "It's the holiday season and a time to give back to those in need. Consider helping those experiencing homelessness in your community by creating a hygiene kit, donating pet care items, gifting gift cards, or donating gently used clothing." (Long Beach City via Facebook)
• "Leadership Long Beach has been changing lives since 1989, and this year was no exception! If you would like to help support our life changing programs, visit: https://leadershiplb.org/donate/" (Leadership Long Beach via Facebook)
• "Goodbye 2022! As we look forward to 2023, the Historical Society of Long Beach wants to thank all of our community partners, new friends, old friends, volunteers, donors, members, and Board for making our 60th year special." (Historical Society of Long Beach via Facebook)
• "The Long Beach Animal Shelter is in need of blankets to put in kennels of large dogs. - There is a blue donation box in front of the shelter building under the sign that says 'admissions'" (Nextdoor)

Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Saturday. I'll see you soon!

— Sylvia Cochran

About me: Sylvia Cochran works out of sunny Southern California and has been freelance writing full-time since 2005. She loves dogs, cats, books, plays Best Fiends (don't judge), embraces social justice, and tries to live out Micah 6:8.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Long Beach Daily? Contact me at LongBeach-CA@Patch.com