Serving Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Los Cerritos, Wrigley and Signal Hill with 30,000 issues every Friday
VOL. XLI NO. 7
Your Weekly Community Newspaper
www.signaltribune.com
‘If you don’t know what happened in the past, how can you prevent it in the future?’
In this issue OPINION Fishing for cuddles? Consider the cuttlefish!
Exhibit ‘transports’ guests through time with artifacts acknowledging oppression, brutality toward African-Americans.
Exploring the relationship between cuttlefish and serenading significant others on Valentine’s Day. Page 4
Lissette Mendoza Editorial Intern
COMMUNITY Daniel Green | Signal Tribune
Employees at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center gathered to form a giant heart on National Wear Red Day Friday, Feb. 1, to celebrate the beginning of American Heart Month. The event is meant to raise awareness of heart disease in women.
As Valentine’s Day approaches, women should think about more than just their sweethearts SH community weighs in on city’s parks
Residents chime in about desired amenities during public-input meeting for park master plan. Page 5
CSULB business students offering free tax-preparation assistance to low-income families No appointment is required for the event on Saturday. Page 11
February 8, 2019
Health officials bring attention to heart disease for American Heart Month. Daniel Green Production Manager
On Friday, Feb. 1, nearly 100 employees from MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center gathered in front of Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital to form a “human” heart to bring attention to National Wear Red Day, the beginning of American Heart Month. The goal of National Wear Red Day is to spread awareness of heart disease in women, the leading cause of death for women in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Long thought to be a disease that predominantly affects men, the holiday hopes to change this belief. “February is heart month,” Cindy Peters, a women’s cardiac health nurse practitioner,
told the Signal Tribune. “So, we try to get the word out there about women and heart disease and the importance of checking your risk factors by knowing your cholesterol scores and that kind of thing.” According to the CDC, heart disease killed 289,758 women in 2013– about one in every four female deaths. The CDC also reports that even though the illness kills women and men at roughly the same rate, only 54 percent of women surveyed are aware of the dangers of heart disease. “Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women,” Peters said. “A lot of times, women think that [it is] breast cancer, which is not true. So, the word is getting out there more and more that women have a great risk for heart disease just like men.” see HEART page 15
In their seventh year hosting their “Forgotten Images” exhibit, local residents David and Sharon McLucas once again presented their collection of African-American history from Thursday, Jan. 31, to Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Expo Arts Center, 4321 Atlantic Ave. The seasonal exhibition, which has traveled throughout Southern California, showcases African-American cultural artifacts dating back to the 1800s. The McLucas couple guided guests through their 20,000-piece collection, which they began accumulating 25 years ago. Forgotten Images celebrates African-American successes, ranging in the forms of Muhammad Ali action figures, Black Panther coloring books and sections dedicated to the Obamas and African-American athletes from local Polytechnic High School. But it also acknowledges the oppression and brutality see EXHIBIT page 15
Lissette Mendoza | Signal Tribune
Artifacts from the “Alligator Bait” section of the Forgotten Images Collection, on display from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 at the Expo Arts Center, depict how slave children were fed to alligators.
Long Beach City Council concludes hearing on renovation of historic building
Additionally, site of liquor store to become year-round homeless shelter. Cory Bilicko Staff Writer
Acura announced as title sponsor for Grand Prix of LB
Three-day event to take place in April. Page 14
At its Feb. 5 meeting, the Long Beach City Council concluded a public hearing on a change of use of a historic building, approved the purchase of the site of a liquor store to be converted into a year-round homeless shelter and directed staff to develop next steps and a timeline for implementation of a new Ethics Commission.
The Breakers
The council concluded a public hearing and heard appeals concerning a change of use and renovation of The Breakers, 210 E. Ocean Blvd., into a 185-room hotel with food and beverage venues with on-site alcohol, banquet/meeting areas and amenities. Pacific 6 is the developer for the site, which is located in the Downtown Shoreline Planned Development District. Staff indicated that it had received seven written comments and one phone call on see COUNCIL page 6
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