Violence in Wilmington Still Prevalent

Story excerpt from The Daily Breeze Newspaper

Man dies following Wilmington shooting

By Larry Altman Staff Writer

Posted: 12/13/2010 07:20:29 PM PST

Updated: 12/14/2010 08:28:47 AM PST

A 29-year-old old man died Monday from wounds suffered in a shooting in Wilmington, police said.

Jose Mercado was shot about 10:20 a.m. Sunday in the 1100 block of Alton Street. Police responding to a call of "shots fired" found Mercado lying on the ground. | » HOMICIDE MAP

He was shot in the head, police said.

Police had no description of any suspects and did not know a motive for the shooting.

Police asked anyone with information about the crime to call detectives at 310-726-7889.

- Larry Altman

Mariachi Christmas Concert

This Sunday, December 5th, La Fiesta Productions bring you and your families first class talent to the local Warner Grand Theater in San Pedro. A wonderful way to celebrate the Christmas Holiday season to the folkloric and traditional Mexican sounds of Mariachis!

For ticket information, please visit The Warner Grand website.

(Click on images to zoom in)

And below is a little video of the mariachi cheer to expect this Sunday! Enjoy!

(It is unknown whether this specific band will be on the show roster).

The 48th Annual LA Harbor Holiday Afloat Parade

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U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port Roger Laferriere to lead the 48th Annual Holiday Afloat Parade. Bundle up your family and friends and head to the waterfront for the 48th Annual Los Angeles Harbor Holiday Afloat Parade, starting at 6 p.m. in the Port of Los Angeles Main Channel. LA-LB Sector, USCG Captain of the Port Roger Laferriere will preside as Grand Marshal for this year's sparkling spectacular of boats decorated in holiday themes.

With the theme of "Peace on Earth," officials and community leaders will take part in the parade as judges or passengers on approximately 50 parade boats. Vessels of all shapes and sizes will participate, including powerboats, sailboats, tall ships and harbor working craft.

The parade, which is sponsored by the Port of Los Angeles, starts in the East Basin near Banning's Landing Community Center in Wilmington and takes approximately 90 minutes to cover the entire parade route up the Port's Main Channel. Spectators may view the procession from several points along the Port's Main Channel, including the Banning's Landing Community Center, 100 E. Water Street, Wilmington; the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, 600 Sampson Way, San Pedro; Ports O' Call Village, 1100 Nagoya Way, San Pedro; the Cruise Ship Promenade at Harbor Boulevard and Swinford Street in San Pedro; 22nd Street Landing, 141 W. 22nd Street, San Pedro; and Cabrillo Marina, 200 Whaler's Walk, San Pedro.

Viewers are invited to enjoy festive pre-parade events beginning at 3 p.m. at Banning's Landing Community Center and post-parade Fanfare Fountain holiday program at 8 p.m. at the entrance to the World Cruise Center in San Pedro. Trophies will be awarded in the following categories: Theme, Traditional, Humorous, Holiday Spirit, Best Animation, Commercial, Most Original, Children's Choice, Judge's Choice, and Grand Marshal's Award. Yacht Clubs will be vying for the coveted Perpetual Trophy, awarded to the club with the most entries.

The Wilmington Winter Wonderland!

The L.B. Rescue Mission to Provide Shelter & Meals to Homeless During Winter

Story derived from: The Press Telegram

A Place for Winter

LONG BEACH: Rescue Mission opens seasonal location on Wednesday.

By Paul Eakins, Staff Writer

Posted: 11/29/2010 08:32:15 PM PST

Updated: 11/29/2010 09:56:10 PM PST

The Rev. Jim Lewis, chief executive officer of the Long Beach Rescue Mission, is busy preparing the winter shelter, which is due to open Wednesday. The shelter will sleep 150 and offer hot food. (Brittany Murray / Press-Telegram)

LONG BEACH - After scrambling to find a winter shelter site year after year, the Long Beach Rescue Mission has bought what may become a permanent location when the shelter opens Wednesday.

The winter shelter will open at the former Atlantic Farms grocery store at 6845 Atlantic Ave. in North Long Beach. The shelter won't take walk-ins, but people can catch a shuttle bus to the shelter each afternoon from Wednesday through March 15 at three locations in Long Beach and San Pedro.

"One of our hopes is to break the cycle of homelessness," said the Rev. Jim Lewis, president and CEO of the nonprofit Rescue Mission, adding that when people go the Multiservice Center to get taken to the shelter they get access to other services as well.

Lewis said that the new building's primary purpose isn't as a shelter, but to serve as a warehouse for clothes, food and other donations the organization receives.

It will also house the winter shelter this year and could continue to be used as a shelter in the future "if it's found to be appropriate," Lewis said.

He noted that the shelter is far from the services on which the homeless rely, such as the downtown Multiservice Center nine miles away.

"That's a concern as far as how will this work on a long-term basis. We have to make sure that it works," Lewis said. "At this point we don't have an alternative."

Finding a location at all has always been a challenge for the Rescue Mission.

Year after year the mission has worked to line up a viable building that could be rented for just three months for the temporary shelter.

In April, the mission's foundation purchased the empty building for $3 million, Lewis said. He said the mission plans to offset the cost by selling nearby property where the mission's thrift store is located on Pine Avenue for a mixed- income housing project.

John Bosselmann smooths the concrete flooring for the Long Beach Rescue Mission as volunteers are busy preparing the Winter Shelter, scheduled to open on December 1. (Brittany Murray / Press Telegram)

At the shelter Monday, volunteers worked to prepare the building for its guests, removing piping and electrical wires left over from the market and filling holes in the concrete floor.

A heater has been installed in the building, along with a dining area where guests will be served breakfast and dinner. Green cots line the warehouse floor. Temporary showers will also be installed once the shelter has the proper permits.

Although the shelter only operates from late afternoon until morning, closing by 8 a.m. after shuttling guests back to downtown or San Pedro, it will remain open all day in the event of rain, Lewis said.

The Rescue Mission runs the shelter under a roughly $300,000 contract with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority for residents of Long Beach and the South Bay, Lewis said. The mission must provide 150 beds and is paid about $20 per guest per night.

About 30 staff members, including two or three case workers, keep the shelter running through the winter, Lewis said.

Calvin J. Fortenberry, director of communications, said the Rescue Mission is one of 13 agencies countywide that provide 1,700 emergency beds during the winter.

LAHSA is funded by the city and county of Los Angeles and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

paul.eakins@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1278

How to get to the winter shelter

The homeless can escape the cold by getting a shuttle to the Long Beach Rescue Mission's winter shelter at the following locations:

1. San Pedro Channel Street Park and Ride, 610 Channel St. Pickup time is 4:15 p.m.
2. Long Beach Multiservice Center, 1301 W. 12th St. Pickup time is 4:30 p.m.
3. Long Beach First Congregational Church,
4. 241 Cedar Ave. (LB) Pickup time is 5:30 p.m.

All pickup times are approximate.

Dinner and breakfast are provided at the shelter, which closes each morning.

No drugs, alcohol or weapons are allowed.

Call 211 or go to www.lahsa.org for information on all of the homeless services available in Los Angeles County.

Scholarships: "Fastweb: Paying for School Just Got Easier"

FASTWEB is a wonderful website that seeks out scholarships for you and/or your kids, for FREE!

A quick & easy registration process that can pay off in the end!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Good Girl vs. Bad Girl: Risky Sexual Behaviors

What does it mean to be a “good girl” or “bad girl,” and who is making the wiser sexual choices? This was a topic discussed at the Breaking The Silence: Black and Latino Women Taking Care of Ourselves while Building Healthy Relationships with Men conference Saturday, November 6th.

According to Dr. Nina T. Harawa, Professor at Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, studies demonstrate that risky sexual behaviors exist in both groups. Unfortunately, certain standards are set on how women are “suppose” to act which often ignore the importance of safe sex practices.

These are some of the factors that were demonstrated in determining a “good” & “bad” girl and some of their risky behavior choices.

“Bad Girls”

• Multiple sex partners
• Sex with known “bad boys” (who may be more exposed to STDs)
• Sex while drunk or high (substance abuse)

“Bad Girls” more likely to…

• Use condoms with her partners
• Have sex with partner infrequently
• Knows how to use condoms properly
• Gets tested and treatment for HIV/STDs

“Good Girls”

• Fewer sexual partners
• Usually with a good guy or believes or wants everyone else to believe that she is with a “good guy”
• Less likely of substance abuse during sex

“Good Girls” more likely to…

• Have unprotected sex
• Repeat unprotected sex with same partner
• Less likely to get tested for HIV/STDS
• Less likely to discuss STD with her partner
• Less likely to insist on condom use with her partner


Unfortunately, society sets norms for both men and women and often categorize certain people based on their behavior. For instance, when good girls are infected they are seen as victims, while the bad girls are seen as deserving it for their "bad" behavior. Even if not put in the same language similar cases still exist. For example, in Latino families the concept of “la mujer de la casa y la mujer de la calle.”

Based on the list above you can see that both are at risk of STDs. It’s not about being a “good” or “bad “girl it's about being safe, especially when there are high numbers of women infected with STDS/HIV, specifically among young Latina & Black women.

What I got out of this discussion is that, women need to be more safe and parents need to talk to their children about about safe sex.

Tips
• Ladies always have condoms handy (if your partner is not safe, it doesn’t mean you don’t have to be)
• Get tested at least once a year, but aim for once every 6 months
• Talk to your partner about getting tested, even if you’re in a monogamous relationship

More Natural Health Tips for Kids with ADHD.

Instead of Medicating your kids...

Did you know if you have a child with ADHD :

1. Their brain is partial dehydrated (in other words they walk around with a hangover all the time) are they always thirsty.
2. If you feed them protein rich food throughout the day they are less likely to have hyper-episodes or at least not as severe.
3. The Omega 3 is beneficial for their brain, however if you buy blue-green algae instead of fish oil you will get maximum benefit, because the omega 3 doesn't come from the fish rather it comes from the algae they eat, that sticks to their fatty tissue.

Thanks again to Jojo Davis for her tips!

NEW Clinic with Acupuncture and Dental Services!

This weekend is the grand opening of Wilmington's very own Tzu Chi Community Clinic which will offer acupuncture and dental services at a minimal cost. The clinic also has a wellness program that focuses on creating a healthy lifestyle. The grand opening ceremony will include guest speakers, a lion dance, and a tour of the clinic.

TZU CHI COMMUNITY CLINIC,

WILMINGTON

A Mother's Natural Remedies for Asthma

Here are a few tips to help you if you have asthma, funny thing your body knows what it needs:

* If you eat apples, eat more of them. they have a way of keeping your lungs from swelling.
* you can also make fresh apple-carrot juice may not sound good but is delicious my kids love it
* onion soup is also good for any respiratory problems
* If you find yourself or child having an attack some good black coffee will help open your
breathing passages
* I like to make a tea for my kids if they are having coughing bouts

--
ingredients :

ginger root
garlic
onion
lemon
honey


Take all ingredients minus lemon and honey
and boil to make tea then add lemon and honey to taste
I like to add vanilla and sugar

it will help clear up your lungs

Guest Blog written by Wilmington Mother Jojo.

7 -Eleven Invasion in Wilmington

Planning and Land Use Committee reaches out to the Wilmington Neighborhood Council to support for the location of 7-Eleven stores in Wilmington. 7-Eleven wants to open two stores, one on the corner of PCH & Avalon, which is currently vacant, and another on PCH & Wilmington Blvd, which is currently occupied by Radio Shack.

Rumors have been spreading that Radio Shack is closed or will be closing but today based on a conversation with a Radio Shack employee he has no idea about Radio Shack being closed down, nothing has been mentioned to employees. In fact, they are hiring. Some members of the Wilmington Neighborhood Council were under the impression that the store was already closed.

At the moment the WNC supports the opening of one 7-Eleven store; the one on PCH and Avalon across from Banning High School, but it has not been voted on yet. However, 7-Eleven owners want the WNC to vote on both of them as part of a package.

If this passes this means that Radio Shack can be bought out and there will be two 7-Elevens less than one mile apart. Currently business owners at the plaza, where the Radio Shack is at, already complaint about limited parking space and are concerned about 7-Eleven worsening the current parking issue.

This matter will be voted on at the next Wilmington Neighborhood Council meeting, Wednesday, November 17, 6PM – 8PM at the Wilmington Senior Citizen Center. All community members are highly encouraged to attend. This is your community. You should be deciding what’s best for it.

Events: Free Royal Palms Guided Geological Nature Walk

(Photo: Nick Carlson. 2007. Flickr link.)

Bring the whole family to see unusual geological formations at our local coastal bluffs!

The Land Conservancy, a non-profit organization, and co-sponsor City of Los Angeles, are leading the guided tour in the Royal Palms Beach area. This area is rich in history dating from the Abalone fishing industry to the late 1800's, followed by a resort with pools fed by natural hot springs. Enjoy breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean while you take a journey back in time.

When: Saturday, October 9th, 2010

Time: 3pm-5pm

Price: FREE!!!

For more information, please visit: Land Conservancy Nature Walks