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Sunday, December 30, 2007

Huntington Beach lifeguards featured in reality show


from HB Independent

Better than Baywatch!
Reality show follows Huntington Beach lifeguards as they protect visitors at area’s beautiful beaches. Marine Safety Chief Kyle Lindo is ready for his close-up. Or at least, he thinks his department is.

At 8 p.m. Tuesday, Huntington Beach lifeguards will be front-and-center on the reality show “Ocean Force,” which follows lifeguards around on emergency calls all summer. Renamed from “Beach Patrol” for its fifth season, the show is a major part of the relaunch of cable channel Court TV as the reality-oriented TruTV.

The “COPS”-like show doesn’t start till New Year’s Day, but those interested in the daily challenges of local lifeguards can get a taste at
www.trutv.com. Web videos featuring Huntington Beach lifeguards show them handling a feud between animal owners on Dog Beach, and calming a diabetic man with behavioral problems and dangerously high blood sugar.
Those are minor incidents compared with some of the biggest rescues in the show, Lindo said. It was an intensely busy summer for the Marine Safety Division, with rescues up by 35% over the year before, spinal injuries up by more than half, and four cases in which a defibrillator was needed, he said.
“We were able to resuscitate a 14-year-old child that had a heart defect” in one case, he said. “Medical experts said that if we weren’t there so quickly, they may not have made it.”
In addition to making it into the first episode, that incident will be the basis of a training video for lifeguards throughout the country, Lindo said.
As part of the city delegation reviewing all the footage before it was used, Lindo said he also wanted to make sure nobody got the wrong idea about Huntington Beach.
“Our statistics were up, but the majority of the 10 million people that come to the beach have a great time,” he said. “We didn’t want an imbalance of too many ocean rescues or too many medical aids. We didn’t want the perception to be there that it’s just chaos here.”
The final result is a program that shows off the professionalism of the lifeguards and displays Huntington Beach as a great place to visit the water, he said.
“Watching the events in the show, you see the beautiful beach: sand, fire rings, palm trees,” Lindo said. “When you dream of what an ideal beach is, you’re going to see it in the backdrop of the show.”

Friday, December 28, 2007

Recycle those Christmas Trees!

Have a Christmas Tree to get rid of? Do a good thing and recycle ! Rainbow Disposal will collect discarded Christmas trees for free until January 18. The trees will be ground and recycled into mulch. To recycle a tree, remove all ornaments, hooks, light strings, tinsel and stand and place it next to the trash carts. Do not block assess to the carts and do not put your Christmas tree in the carts. Trees must be cut to six feet maximum, with no stands. For more information, contact Public Works Department at 714-375-5010 or Rainbow Disposal at 714-847-3581.


Still not sure what to do on New Year's Eve ? Check out the holiday page on TheLocalHB.com (under the calendar section)

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

New Year's Day in Huntington Beach

Come on down to the Huntington Beach Pier on New Year's Day for the annual Pier Plaza Plunge at noon. watch or better yet, participate in the plunge - running in to ocean clad in your bathing suit (no wetsuits!). The day starts at 9:30 with a pancake breakfast hosted by the Huntington Beach Lion's Club (who also sponsors the Plunge). For more info or to regsiter, check out www.HBPlunge.com

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Go Green! Recycle, Recycle

Beachside Recycling Center is your local recycling provider for the
Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Westminister, and Irvine areas.

Beachside Recycling Center is a direct recycler, located at
8601 Edison Ave Unit C
Huntington Beach CA 92646
Phone: (714) 969-7638
Fax: (714) 969-0077
Email: info@beachsiderecycling.com

Unlike most other recycling facilities that just buy and resell recycled goods we make products using YOUR recycled materials!

They manufacture a Cal-Trans Certified cellulose fiber mulch out of our blend of recycled papers,
which is used to cultivate new lawns and fields, and aid in erosion control right here in California!
Join us in completing the recycling circle!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Last minute shopping?

Need to do last minute holiday shopping?? Try to support some of the local businesses if you still need to pick up a thing or two! Here are a few suggestions:

HB Skin Spa , 526 Main St. Ste 102. / 969-9713 / ( www.hbskinspa.com ) has gift certificates you can use for a variety of services - all to make you look and feel better. Check out their website to see the list of services.

Is your love one a golfer? Visit GolfTec at 7564 Edinger Ave. 714-861-3882 /
www.golftec.com - give the gift of lessons and watch that gold swing (and score) improve!

Need a new hair style? Can't go wrong at Salon Ambiance , 5075 Warner Ave. Ste 101. / 846-5900 /. You can swing by and pick up a gift certificate for one of their services, or even choose the very relaxing Reflexology Massage!

Here is something new and exciting to try - Extreme Indoor Karting, 1670 Sunflower Ave. Costa Mesa, 92626. / 714-444-1001. Imagine racing around the track in an electric kart, hitting up to 45 mph. That is darn fast on this 1/4 mile track. They are very close to HB (right near the FV Costco) and certainly worth the visit. Check out their website:
www.xindoorkarting.com to learn more about this exhilarating entertainment - gift certificates available of course. What a great, unique gift idea!

You say you were thinking of giving a dog to someone on your gift list? Consider adopting one of the loveable canines waiting for a home at our local animal shelter , at 21632 Newland St. / 536-8480. You can see some of the dogs on
www.TheLocalHb.com - go to the Pet Adoption link on the home page (link on the right hand side). They have an abundance of dogs & cats just waiting to be taken home!

Huntington Beach Luxury homes completed at Hearthside

From The Wave, OC Register
HUNTINGTON BEACH The Cliffs and The Breakers, two luxury neighborhoods at Brightwater at Bolsa Chica, are now completed. The Cliffs' two-story residences have three to six bedrooms and two-and-a-half to four baths within about 2,724 to 3,480 square feet. Garages will accommodate two or three vehicles. Most home plans include a bonus room and a private courtyard, and one plan will feature an optional prep kitchen in addition to a conventional kitchen. Select locations will also feature views of the Bolsa Chica wetlands and the ocean. The Breakers residences span about 3,162 to 4,139 square feet, with four to six bedrooms, three-and-a-half to five-and-a-half baths, plus a three- or four-car garage. There are also private courtyards and bonus rooms. The Brightwater community encompasses 356 homes in four residential neighborhoods. Prices are anticipated to begin at $1.7 million. Information: www.BrightwaterHB.net.

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Thumbs down to Costco - it's a 'no' in Huntington Beach

From the Orange County Register:
The president of Golden West College has recommended against a controversial proposal to build a Costco discount store on 14 acres of the campus, according to a report released Thursday to college trustees.
“I recommend … that the district reject this proposal,” college President Wes Bryan wrote to the board of trustees of the Coast Community College District, which operates the college.
Instead, Bryan, who initially supported the project, recommended that officials move forward with the plans already spelled out in the college’s master plan to develop a six or seven-acre parcel for student or faculty housing, or other needs.
City officials said they’re disappointed in the report.
“We think it made sense and to have gone forward,” said Stanley Smalewitz, the Huntington Beach economic development director. “It would’ve been compatAible with the campus and neighborhood.”
In his report, Bryan reiterated concerns from opponents. He said the Costco project would be too large, provide too much “traffic for an already congested street” and create a negative impact on the community.
The location for the proposed student housing is “too close to high tension wires and may propose real or perceived health risks,” he wrote.
The proposal to build a Costco, student housing and a pedestrian bridge near Gothard Street on land now used for sports and parking has been championed by the city economic development department as a way to bring revenues to the city and college and also provide student housing.
Opponents to the project were ecstatic to hear the news.
“I think he came to the right decision of ‘let’s not sell the college,’” said Robert Sternberg, an opponent who lives a half mile from the site. “It’s not all free money. It has a price. All that glitters is not gold.”

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Relief for fire, water, wind damage with OC Restoration

OC Restoration is located at 15102 Bolsa Chica St. Unit D. Huntington Beach, 92649
Phone: 714-625-8635.
OC Restoration is a service worth knowing. They certainly take care of the Huntington Beach community as well as other areas. They were quite active down at those last fires in San Diego as well.

They know that experiencing wind, water, or fire damage to your home, often your most valuable asset, can be very upsetting, and deciding which restoration company to hire can be difficult. O.C. Restoration Inc. understands this and wants to help in your decision so your home is restored back to its pre-loss condition as quickly as possible. In times like this it is extremely important to address the situation immediately, as to avoid any secondary damage which could result in mold growth. They are available 24/7 with a 90 minute response time. Learn more about them on their website: www.ocrestoration.com - you can also find them on TheLocalHB.com. Welcome to the locals pages OC Restoration!

Monday, December 03, 2007

Builder will add decals on glass wall to help birds

From the OC Register:
Hearthside Homes plans to put special decals on a 6-foot-tall wall surrounding the Brightwater development to keep birds from flying into the glass, officials said today.
The decals are expected to reflect ultraviolet light in such a way that can be seen by birds but remain nearly invisible to humans, said Ed Mountford, senior vice president of Hearthside Homes.
Environmentalists and state officials asked Hearthside to take action earlier this month after at least a dozen birds – including a raptor, meadowlark, yellow rumped warbler and Anna's hummingbird -- were found dead along what they call "the wall of death" in the Bolsa Chica Mesa.
Hearthside ordered 1,500 stickers to be placed on the 4,400-foot-long wall. The decals are expected to be rain resistant and last for up to 18 months, Mountford said.

Read the full story HERE.