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MISSION VIEJO, Calif.—Cyndi Orel worked as a police officer for 25 years and never caught a bank robber. She was apparently saving that hobby for retirement. The retired Long Beach police officer foiled a bank robbery at a grocery store Saturday when she put a 220-pound bank robber in a chokehold until he passed out. Orel is about 5 feet 7 inches and 128 pounds

Several cats have suddenly gone missing in one north Long Beach neighborhood and its feared coyotes may be to blame. Lisa Kamieniecki says she watched a coyote kill her 14-year-old cat named "Bear" around 4 a.m. Saturday morning. The coyote dropped the cat's body when her husband scared it off, Kamieniecki said. She says two coyotes returned minutes later. Kamieniecki called Animal Control, who told her that coyotes commonly feed at that time. But, if the animals make a daytime appearance or don't seem to fear humans or cars, that's something Animal Control would investigate, according to John Keisler, Manager...

Slaying of Deputy Jerry Ortiz triggered four-year investigation HAWAIIAN GARDENS - Almost 1,400 law enforcement officials converged on Hawaiian Gardens in a series of pre-dawn raids Thursday as part of the largest federal indictment against a street gang in United States history. Varrio Hawaiian Gardens, Hawaiian Gardens' oldest and most notorious gang, waged a racist campaign to eliminate black people from the community via attempted murders and other crimes, according to the federal racketeering indictments that werei unsealed Thursday. A total of five indictments charged 147 members and associates of the gang, and federal, state and local law enforcement officials...

Hard quake shakes

Earthquake in southern California. Felt it pretty good in Fullerton

Seal Beach Daily 10:24 pm | May 02, 2009 CA confirms CSULB flu case is H1N1 From the Contra Costa Times: "The State of California today confirmed that the one probable case of swine flu identified earlier this week in a student at California State University, Long Beach has been diagnosed as swine flu (H1N1). This confirmation was provided by the State’s Public Health Laboratory, and is the first confirmed case of swine flu in Long Beach." Read more at contracostatimes.com KABC Channel 7 News and Associated Press 1st confirmed swine flu case in LA County Saturday, May 02,...

A Cal State Long Beach student received a “probable positive” test result for swine flu. The Long Beach Health Department informed the university of the affected student late Tuesday, and early Wednesday morning CSULB Beach President F. King Alexander sent a campus-wide e-mail with information about the student, symptoms of swine flu and a hotline for anyone to call if they have any questions specific to swine flu. The student who may have been infected lived in the Los Alamitos residence hall. The roommate of the possibly infected student has been moved to a different room where he or she...

LONG BEACH, Calif. – A hospital worker shot and killed two employees and then killed himself at a medical center Thursday, sending panicked people fleeing, police and witnesses said. The gunman was identified as Mario Ramirez, 50, of Alhambra, who died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. The victims were Hugo Bustamante, 46, of Cypress, who died at the scene, and Kelly Hales, 56, of Redondo Beach, who was taken to the hospital's emergency room in critical condition and died several hours later.

Police: 2 Dead, 1 Hurt in Calif. Hospital Shooting LONG BEACH, Calif.-- A hospital employee shot another employee to death, critically wounded another and then killed himself Thursday, police said. Police Chief Anthony Batts said the gunfire erupted just before noon at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. Batts would not identify those involved but said all were male. He said the motive remained under investigation but noted the violence came amid a flurry of recent shootings in the country. ''This is a trend of active shooters that you have seen nationwide,'' Batts said at a news conference. ''This is becoming...

<p>A federal judge in Washington refused Wednesday to halt the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach's clean-truck program, which aims to phase out 17,000 polluting big rigs that shuttle freight to and from rail terminals and other transport hubs.</p>

Ammunition update in California & What You Can Do! Please read and see how this will apply to all of us. Long Beach City Council to Vote on Ammunition Registration TuesdayMarch 24 Please Make Your Opposition Heard! On Tuesday, March 24, the Long Beach City Council is set to vote on whether to draft an ordinance to force ammunition sellers in Long Beach to record the identity of all ammunition purchasers, as well as other details of the sales transaction. These records would then be collected and used by the Long Beach Police Department to identify purchasers who are legally...

<p>A federal appeals court on Friday ordered a judge to reconsider her refusal to block portions of a clean-truck program at the nation's busiest port complex.</p> <p>In an opinion that dismayed environmentalists and labor leaders, the three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals based in San Francisco ruled that U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder should grant all or part of the American Trucking Assn.'s request for an injunction halting the implementation of new rules that apply to truck drivers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.</p>

Trade valued annually at more than $100 billion moves through The Port of Long Beach, making it the second-busiest seaport in the United States. Everything from clothing and shoes to toys, furniture and consumer electronics arrives at the Port before making its way to store shelves throughout the country. Specialized terminals also move petroleum, automobiles, cement, lumber, steel and other products. A major economic force, the Port supports more than 30,000 jobs in Long Beach, 316,000 jobs throughout Southern California and 1.4 million jobs throughout the United States. It generates about $16 billion in annual trade-related wages statewide.Port of Long BeachLatest MonthContainer...

February loaded oceangoing cargoes at the side-by-side ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach fell 36.6 percent from the previous February, the two ports showed in separate reports. The slowdown for February is much more pronounced than it was in January, when the year-on-year decrease in cargo traffic at the two Southern California ports was 18.7 percent. The ports are the two busiest in the United States, handling more than 40 percent of imported consumer goods. The two ports showed inbound cargoes down 38.8 percent and outbound cargoes down 32.2 percent in February 2009 from February 2008. The traffic fell...

Obama will be arriving at Long Beach Airport today at 3pm. "Air Force One is scheduled to land at Long Beach Airport at 3 p.m. Wednesday, the White House announced this morning. "

A 2-year old Long Beach girl was hospitalized Tuesday after she was bitten in the face by the family's dog, authorities said. The attack at a home at the 1800 block of Gardenia Avenue in Long Beach was reported around 11:30 p.m. Monday, Long Beach Department of Animal Control Officer Jaime Precado told reporters at the scene.

February imports fall 18.1% in L.A. and Long Beach. Other West Coast harbors see even worse declines. The international trade business is foundering faster than ever seen before, with some U.S. seaports watching cargo traffic fall by more than a third. It's gotten so bad that Los Angeles and Long Beach are slashing cargo rates to keep old customers and lure new business. Oakland's port has laid off 12% of its staff and canceled free tours for the public. The number of ships idled around the world is approaching three times the number that were out of work during the...

Heavy rain and mountain snows will shift southward over California Monday as a strong winter storm drifts toward shore. The focus for drenching rain Monday will be in Southern California, from greater Los Angeles to San Diego. Amounts through Monday here will be a widespread 1-2 inches, with rainfall to 4 inches inundating the mountains and foothills, particularly the southward-facing slopes. Flooding is likely with this event, and mudslides possible, especially in recent burn areas. Some roads may become blocked with debris or completely washed out, and drivers should exercise caution. Gusty winds will further complicate matters, downing trees...

Note: The following text is a quote: http://denver.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/2009/explosivethreats021009.htm February 10, 2009 LONG BEACH CALIFORNIA MAN INDICTED FOR TWO BANK ROBBERIES AS WELL AS THREATENING TO USE EXPLOSIVE DEVICES DENVER – Scott Shawn Kosterow, age 38, of Long Beach, California, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver late yesterday on charges of threatening to use explosive devices and bank robbery, Acting U.S. Attorney David Gaouette and FBI Special Agent in Charge James Davis announced today. Kosterow will likely make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court tomorrow, where he will be advised by a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the...

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Gleaming new Mercedes cars roll one by one out of a huge container ship here and onto a pier. Ordinarily the cars would be loaded on trucks within hours, destined for dealerships around the country. But these are not ordinary times. For now, the port itself is the destination. Unwelcome by dealers and buyers, thousands of cars worth tens of millions of dollars are being warehoused on increasingly crowded port property. And for the first time, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, and Nissan have each asked to lease space from the port for these orphan vehicles. They are turning...