South Bay Community News by SPMG Media

News and Information from the cities that make up South Bay Los Angeles! Published by SPMG Media

www.spmgmedia.net spmgmedia@gmail.net

carsonsouthbaycommunitynews.wordpress.com/ Vol. 9 Issue 5

March 1 – 15, 2015

Gas Prices Rise After Torrance Refinery Blast The impact on gas prices was immediate after an explosion at the Exxon refinery in Torrance last month. The impact on gas prices was immediate after an explosion at a Torrance oil refinery Wednesday. A worker at a Mobil gas station in nearby Hermosa Beach says he received a call from his boss to raise the price by 5 cents. "He said it can go up tomorrow again," said the clerk, Romesh Fernando. Some residents were feeling the pinch as prices began to rise across Southern California.

"Unfortunately gas prices tend to be volatile, and anything they can do to take advantage or raise the prices, they do," said Kevin Lamb of Redondo Beach. The explosion "most likely will contribute to upward pressure on (gas) prices,'' Marie Montgomery of the Automobile Club of Southern California told City News Service. "If there is extensive damage that results in a longer-term closure, obviously that (would) have a bigger impact.'' Montgomery said.

GasBuddy.com said prices could jump by 10 cents in the next month because of the blast.

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The ExxonMobil Refinery, where about 155,000 barrels of crude oil are processed each day, has been part of the South Bay landscape since the 1920s.

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Our Business Partners: Each One Teach One, California Black Business Expo, Unified Small Business Alliance

Male Success Alliance’s Annual Spring Summit: ‘Reclaiming Our Legacy’ on March 6

USBA Hosts Roundtable Discussion and Networking March 18th The Unified Small Business Alliance would like to invite you to this free small business roundtable discussion & networking event. Held in Torrance right behind Hof's Hut on Crenshaw Blvd. Hope to see you there. Every 3rd Wednesday for Torrance Area. Register at https://www.facebook.com/eve nts/1416892961936470/

Carson Relay For Life Kickoff Meeting

Friday March 6, the CSUDH Male Success Alliance will host its annual Spring Summit designed to motivate and inspire African American and Latino male students to achieve their potential. As major outreach effort to promote a collegegoing culture, the summit will welcome approximately 700 young men from local middle and high schools. CSUDH students also are encouraged to attend! More info at http://www.csudhnews.com/2015/02/msasummit-event/

Celebrating over 10 Years of Relay! August 8 2014 at the Stub Hub Center in Carson CA.Help us fight back against cancer! Register your group now! Relayforlifecarsonca@gmail.com https://www.RelayForLife.org/CarsonCA

Dr. Chris L. Hickey, Sr. Brings CSU’s "Super Sunday" to Bethel AME Church The CSU African American Initiative embarked on its annual Super Sunday last month. Together

with its church partners, the CSU works to improve the preparation and graduation rate of African American students at the CSU. Partnering with the CSU on Super Sunday and Super Saturday for the past six years, Dr. Hickey has encouraged, inspired and challenged students to understand the value of education; the community to understand their role in creating a college going culture and providing resource connections to make higher education a reality. It is a well-known fact that education is the key to a better future for our young people. It has become the necessary admission ticket to good jobs and a middle-class life-style. In today’s booming high-tech economy, higher education has replaced a high school diploma as the gateway to a better life. "I'm honored to partner with CSU for the Super Sunday presentations," says Dr. Hickey. During Super Sunday CSU leaders , including the chancellor and trustees visit more than 100 churches across the state of California to deliver a message, directly from the pulpit, that encourages youth to pursue a higher education . More than 100,000 congregants receive this important message each year. They also receive important resources from the CSU to help them foster a college going culture at home. 2

How the Affordable Care Act may affect your tax refund

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) brings a lot of changes to this year's tax code. Do you know if and how it will affect your tax refund? Here are five tips from H&R Block to help you understand how your taxes and tax refund will be affected as a result of the biggest tax code change in more than 20 years. 1. Understand what will be different on your return as a result of the ACA. The ACA has created a new intersection between health care and taxes. Starting this year, three elements are administered through your tax return, including: * Reporting if you and members of your household have qualified health insurance. * Accounting if you received any government assistance to help pay for your health insurance through your state's exchange or HealthCare.gov.

3. If you received the Advance Premium Tax Credit, understand what will happen at tax time this year to settle up your credit. If you or someone in your household received the credit, you must file a tax return so the credit can be reconciled. The estimated income you reported will be compared to your actual income. This could affect you in two ways:

South LA Saves Teaches Money Management at Recent Event

* If your actual household income was more than you estimated, you may have to pay back some or all of the credit you received - up to the maximum repayment cap amount. This will likely reduce the amount of your tax refund, or add to your taxes due. * If your actual household income was less than you estimated, you may get money credited to your return. Learn more at https://carsonsouthbaycommunitynews.wordp ress.com/2015/03/04/how-the-affordable-careact-may-affect-your-tax-refund/

Ms. Lena Cole Dennis: LAWD hep her hep dem!

* Determining a penalty, or exemption, if you, or someone in your household, don't have insurance. 2. Be aware if you fall into one of the two main categories that could be affected the most: * You purchased insurance through the federal marketplace or state marketplace. * You don't have insurance and may have to pay the tax penalty. If one of these applies to you, you might see the biggest change on your tax return.

South LA Saves is a coalition of nonprofit organizations, businesses, financial institutions, and government agencies working to promote saving through information, motivation, and action. They encourage good saving behavior throughout the community by motivating and supporting individuals and families to save money, reduce debt, and build wealth. Learn more at http://www.southlasaves.org/

CSUDH Student James Harris Receives Torrance Chamber’s Inspirational Spirit Award James Harris, a business accounting major and Africana studies minor at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), is more than happy to help high school student Raul Ruiz when he calls looking for a ride to school, a few bucks or for Harris to let his teachers know he can’t make it to school. Ruiz has come a long way since Harris began mentoring him at Bethune Middle School in Los Angeles, one of the schools he has been assigned as an academic mentor in CSUDH’s Male Success Alliance (MSA). “I met Raul when he was involved in a gang. He was very quiet when we first met. I found out he had failing grades in all his classes, that his parents neglected him, and that sometimes he didn’t have a place to sleep,” said Harris, who joined the MSA in fall 2014 “We talked and I learned the ways in which he wanted to grow. After mentoring and tutoring him for a while, he began calling me up when he needed help with something. I now talk to him every day. Eventually, he got all A’s. He was proud and sent his grades to my phone.” Harris, a 22-year-old sophomore who lives in Carson but grew up in Rialto, was honored with the Inspirational Spirit Award during the 18th Annual Black History Celebrationluncheon, hosted by the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce at the Torrance Marriot on Feb. 26. He’s was honored alongside renowned African American figures in entertainment, business and sports, such as Clarence Ulrich, lead vocalists of The Drifters, former Los Angeles Lakers power forward A.C. Green, and Ted Lance, who portrayed beloved bartender Isaac Washington on the 1970s television series The Love Boat. READ MORE AT https://carsonsouthbaycommunitynews.wordpress.com/2015/03/04/csudh-student-james-harris-receives-torrance-chambersinspirational-spirit-award/

Long Beach Century Club to Honor Six Vikings at Annual Sports Night Banquet Five Long Beach City College student-athletes as well as a long-time supporter of Viking athletics will be honored on Tuesday at the 59th annual Long Beach Century Club Sports Night Banquet at The Grand. Anterio Bateman, Abbey Goodsell, Brock Dale, Jasmine Hyacinth, Evair Marin, and August "Augie" Luuga are just six among the dozens of individuals that will be recognized at the City of Long Beach's premiere sports event. Bateman of LBCC football and Goodsell from women's basketball were named the 2014 community college athletes of the year. Bateman's explosive play on the field helped lead the Viking football team to a 9-2 overall record this past fall. He became LBCC's first 1,000yard rusher since 2004 after collecting 1,135 yards on 158 carries over 11 games. For his efforts, Bateman earned first-team All-State as well as Southern California Football Association All-Central League honors. Goodsell led the 2013-14 LBCC women's basketball team to a school-record 26 wins as the Vikings advanced to the fourth-round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs. She earned first-team All-State honors and was also selected as the South Coast Conference South Division Most Valuable Player. READ MORE: In November, Goodsell committed to Sacramento State University and will play for the Hornets next season. READ MORE https://carsonsouthbaycommunitynews.wordpress.com/2015/03/04/long-beach-century-club-to-honor-six-vikings-at-annual-sports-night-banquet/

Nokia Theatre LA Live March 25-26, 2015 TICKETS: http://www.nokiatheatrelalive.com/event s/detail/charlie-wilson

Grammy nominated artist Charlie Wilson announced his national tour Forever Charlie will kick off on February 12, 2015 in Cleveland, OH. Charlie Wilson’s new single “Goodnight Kisses” was the #1 most added song at Urban Radio and Billboard says about the single “…Over snap-and-swing doowop-inspired production, the GAP Band co-founder sings sweetly about his loved one’s smoochies. Wilson is still as convincing a romantic as ever.” Charlie is joined on Tour by highly regarded “Kem” and “Joe.” Both of whom will perform all of their numerous hits. The Forever Charlie Tour will truly be the “R&B Event of 2015”. “I am so glad to be on the road once again and to bring my show to so many cities across the country. It’s going to be a special night for all the ladies that will join me and my special guests!” says Charlie Wilson.

Wilson has received seven Grammy nominations and multiple awards throughout his career; he was named Billboard magazine’s #1 Adult R&B Artist and has had eight #1 records that topped the Billboard Urban Adult Contemporary radio chart including, “Without You,” “Charlie, Last Name Wilson,” “Magic,” “There Goes My Baby,” “Can’t Live Without You,” “You Are,” “Life of the Party” and “My Love Is All I Have.” Most recently, Wilson received a Grammy nomination for the songs “If I Believe” in the Gospel category; he was also an NAACP Outstanding Album Award winner for the album Love, Charlie and BET presented to Wilson a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013. For more information on Charlie Wilson please visit his official website athttp://www.charliewilsonmusic.com

This is why keeping track of the types and amount of carbohydrates in your diet will help you shed pounds. A scientificallyproven approach to maintaining weight loss is eating an optimal protein, high fiber, healthy fats, low-carb diet as it can keep you feeling full and satisfied and eliminates unnecessary snacking or overeating.

When it comes to losing weight, finding an eating plan that offers flexibility and food variety makes it easier to create a sustainable foundation for healthier lifestyle choices. Two important aspects of weight loss are understanding how your body uses the food you consume and selecting a program you can live with long-term. On average, a person following a balanced diet consistent with dietary guidelines eats 2,000 calories a day, which translates into approximately 225 to 325 grams of carbohydrates a day. When you consume more carbohydrates than your body can handle, your body will store the carbs you are eating as fat which has a direct impact on weight gain.

RESTAURANT PROFILE: Lou’s On The Hill - Torrance

Atkins 40 is designed for people who have 40 pounds or less to lose. With a daily allowance of 40 grams net carbs, people can customize their diet with a wide variety of nutritious foods to lose weight and maintain it. This approach focuses on the quality and quantity of carbs consumed, while avoiding or limiting added sugar and overly refined carbs such as white flour, which are low in nutritional value. Instead, you get your carbs from high-fiber vegetables and other good-for-you foods such as nuts and seeds, a variety of fruits, whole grains, legumes and dairy. Read more at https://carsonsouthbaycommunitynews.w ordpress.com/2015/03/06/a-flexible-wayto-lose-weight/

24590 Hawthorne Blvd Torrance, CA 90505 Phone number (310) 378-4288

REVIEW: ROCHELLE Z.

2/8/2015 We were extremely pleased in the food, service and entertainment. The food was excellent we all had different entrees and everyone enjoyed their meal.

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The service was beyond fabulous being our first time we got unbelievable attention with a smile and a laugh. The owner Lou greeted us at our table not only did he serve the wine, check with us all thru the dinner, but he also sang a song! Wow it was so great. You will not be disappointed!! Great place...

USBA Roundtable Discussion & Networking Event (Torrance): March 18, 2015, 6pm, 2501 W. 237th St. Suite, A., Torrance, CA 90505, Register at https://www.facebook.com/events/1416892961936 470/

USBA & Straightways FREE Workshop & Networing Event (Gardena): March 25, 2015, 6pm, 2818 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Gardena, CA. Register at https://www.facebook.com/events/7700841997481 70/

9th Annual Easter Egg Hunt StubHub Center Friday, April 3, 2015 (Good Friday), 12pm Registration is open at www.stubhubcenter.com

South Bay Pavilion at Carson's Fashion Show

41st Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach April 17 – 19, 2015, Shoreline Village, 7:30am – 5pm http://www.gplb.com/

is almost here! See the latest Spring Trends from rue21, The Children's Place, The District, Old Navy, and more!

Rancho Day March 28, 2015, 1pm – 5pm Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum 18127 S. Alameda St. , Compton, CA 90220 https://www.facebook.com/events/1605 588389658322/

SouthBay Pavilion Mall - We are searching 4 more boy models ranging from the age 4- 25 years old. Please privately message them photos with your contact information if you have someone who is interested. PLEASE keep in mind that the boys will have to walk down a runway smile emoticon *no experience needed!