Longtime Coastal Advocate's Legacy is Large

For a generation, Peter M. Douglas controversially fought to ensure the public's waterfront was preserved and the California Coastal Commission's autonomy untouched.

Funeral Set for Long Beach Hit-Run Witness

Yon Chreng, a young Cambodian-American who tried to flag down a dangerous driver and was dragged to his death, will be honored this weekend.

A funeral service will be held this Sunday, April 1st, for Yon Chreng, who was killed by a hit-run driver he tried to flag down and stop on a Long Beach street last week. Chreng, 27, who is known as Eley, was fatally injured by the driver of a green Dodge pick-up truck that struck the car of Chreng's girlfriend at 12:50 a.m. Saturday in the 1100 block of Stanley Avenue. Chreng ran out to the street upon hearing the crash, tried to flag down the driver and instead, was intentionally hit and dragged several feet. The driver hit three more cars. Long Beach Police Department detectives are still searching for the driver, who abandoned the truck and fled that night. Services will be held Sunday at Stricklin Mortuary, 1952 Long Beach Blvd.: --…

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Slideshow: Nini Horn To Be Celebrated Today

The advocate for arts, education and stem cell research will be fondly honored. She was key in the success and legacy of late husband Steve Horn, congressman and Cal State Long Beach president.

The warmth toward Nini Horn is universal and broad in Long Beach, but especially so in the fields where her efforts leave their own legacy--arts and education. It says a lot that an entire university is planning today's public "Celebration of Life," and that Cal State Long Beach is opening up free parking for the 5 p.m. memorial. The service for Nini Horn will be held at the Steve and Nini Horn Center. A reception with light refreshment will follow. Nini Horn passed away in Long Beach Feb. 21 at the age of 80. She won her fight against breast cancer for 16 long years, her family and the California State University, Long Beach memorial organizers. The CSULB media information office offered the following details about today's event, and key …

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Whitney Houston: Best Cover-'I Will Always Love You'

We remember the late singer with what serves as a fan farewell as she is laid to rest, with Chris Cornell's starkly beautiful version, just learned, with which he closed his performance Thursday night.

A Fallen Marine Returns Home

Family, friends, and community members come together for the Hero Mission to honor the arrival of Camp Pendleton Marine Cpl. Christopher G. Singer, 23, of Temecula.

The silence was broken only by the sound of American flags billowing in the wind and the sobs and moans of a family that came to collect the coffin of 23-year-old Cpl. Christopher G. Singer, a Marine, a husband, a father and a son. More than a hundred family, friends, and community members gathered Tuesday to honor the arrival of Singer, a Temecula native and Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton. Singer died in combat Jan. 21 in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. His coffin was flown in to Los Alamitos, where a Hero Mission was held to honor the sacrifice of the Singer family. The procession was dignified and simple. Patriot Guard Riders, clad in black leather or denim blue vests with embroidered patches stamping them as veterans, sped in on …

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Funeral Services Friday for Former LB Port Executive

James H. McJunkin died Monday, January 2, and will be laid to rest in Long Beach on Friday.

James H. McJunkin, who served as the Port of Long Beach General Manager from 1977 to 1988, died Monday, January 2. McJunkin, 82, first joined the Port in 1963 in the Operations Division. Under his leadership, the Port of Long Beach announced Tuesday, the port became one of the largest seaports in the world and the nation’s second busiest container port. (Los Angeles, which shares the same harbor, is the largest). After serving in the operations division, McJunkin was promoted to Assistant General Manager before succeeding Thomas J. Thorley as the Port’s top exective. According to an obituary by the Port of Long Beach, McJunkin oversaw the development of the World Trade Center complex, and has been credited with spearheading some of the …

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Those Who Passed On in 2011: Who Meant the Most to You?

Steve Jobs, Elizabeth Taylor and Amy Winehouse were just some of the people who left us this year.

The inventor of Doritos. The actor who played TV's Columbo.  The creator of Gilligan’s island. The writer of Jailhouse Rock. Famous or infamous, many people passed away in 2011. And many touched our lives.   As the new year approaches, we here at Patch would like to give you a place to talk about someone you lost in 2011.  Someone you cared about. It could be someone famous, or it could be a family member. It could be someone you knew closely, or it could be a face on the silver screen. Sometimes it helps to remember. Speaking of remembering, Yahoo has a touching tribute to those who died this year. 

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Plane Crash Kills Seal Beach CEO

Brian Robertson, who ran the solar energy firm Amonix, flew out of Long Beach and leaves behind a wife and three children.

Brian Robertson, CEO of the Seal Beach-based solar power company Amonix, died Thursday in a plane crash in Pennsylvania. The married father of three was 38. His family is planning three services for loved ones in Pennsylvania, his hometown of Toronto and California, Amonix spokeswoman Carla Pihowich said.Robertson was flying to York County to spend the Christmas holiday with family there. ``It's such an extreme loss for us. He was such an extraordinary man,'' Pihowich said. ``In talking to our executives today, we all just said we feel grateful to have known him.'' Robertson was known as the kind of executive who was first in the office and the last to leave each day, Pihowich said. ``We always joked at the office that he was superhuman…

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Updated: Long Beach Chamber Advocate and Publisher Killed

Shaun Lumachi, political consultant and co-founder of LB Post, died Saturday after a car crash on a City of LB workforce development trip in Florida.

Updated Tuesday, 5 p.m. The Long Beach City Attorney is investigating the fatal crash, as is a matter of routine when a city contractor or staffer or volunteer is involved in an incident that might one day involve litigation, LBReport.com reported today. Updated Monday with further crash details and biographical information. Updated with others injured: Shaun Lumachi, longtime advocate for the Greater Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and formerly its political action committee head, was killed in a car accident Saturday while on a city business trip in Florida, city officials confirmed. Two other members of a regional business and workforce development group were also injured, one of them a City of Long Beach employee. City officials …

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UPDATE: Local Firefighter Remembered for Faith and Generosity

Darren Rockett will be remembered as a loyal member of his church and outstanding member of society.

Darren Rockett, a 14-year veteran of the Long Beach Fire Department, died Nov. 6 from work-related injuries. Rockett joined the LBFD in September of 1997, serving as a firefighther at Station 10 and 11. Rockett was then promoted to Fire Engineer in June of 2002, serving at fire stations 11-C and 18-C. Rockett, at the time of his death, served as the life safety inspector for all high-rise buildings in Long Beach as a part of the Fire Prevention Bureau.  Having graduated from Van Nuys High School in 1981 and studying fire technology at Santa Ana College, Rockett was known for his leadership involvement with the LBFD Rescue Youth Program. At the youth program, he worked closely with at-risk teenagers throughout the city. During his career, …

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