Community Corner

5 Things: Great White Sharks, Ironman by Junior Guards, and Heatstroke Prevention

Here are five notables for those living and working in Long Beach.

1. Two dozen children have died of heatstroke in 2013 so far, and today is National Heatstroke Prevention Day. NHTSA, Safe Kids Worldwide, and "safety advocates will be on social media to spread the word about how quickly a child left in a car can die," the group announced. On an 80-degree day, even with a window cracked open two inches, a child left in a car could die after ten minutes, heatstroke awareness advocates say.  "Child heatstroke messaging, statistics and prevention tips will be posted on Facebook and Twitter – using the hashtag #heatstroke – every hour on the hour from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

2. No. It is not Shark Week. Yet we've been hearing a lot about great white shark sightings from Palos Verdes down the Orange County coast, and at least one was spotted by a Long Beach whale watching boat captain. So we found very interesting the report by local waterfront and fishing blogger Phil Friedman Outdoors,' who interviewed shark experts about the flurry of recent sightings. Read more here. 

3. Check out a few photos and post your own from the Long Beach Junior Lifeguards Ironman swim/run Tuesday on the shores of Long Beach. These kids are hardcore tigers, as are the parents who sometimes do the swim-run.

4. L.A. County authorities say they will fire two social workers and two supervisors in response to the death of an 8-year-old Palmdale boy, who was left in his home, despite warnings from multiple sources that he was being abused there, City News Service reported Tuesday. Gabriel Fernandez was hospitalized May 22 with BB pellets embedded in his lungs and groin, a cracked skull, broken ribs, burns, bruises and two missing teeth. He died two days later. Prosecutors allege the youngster's mother, Pearl Sinthia Fernandez, stood by as her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, beat the 8-year-old. The pair have been charged with murder.

5. As the editor of Belmont Shore-Naples and Long Beach Patch sites, I'm moving into another position, effective after Friday, and I bid you a wistful but fond farewell.

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