Skechers fund contributes $680,000 to struggling Manhattan Beach restaurants; Supervisor Hahn starts grant program

The Skechers Restaurant COVID relief fund has raised $680,000 and disbursed 28 grants to restaurants in downtown and north Manhattan Beach. But Skechers president Michael Greenberg hopes that this is only the beginning of the effort.  Greenberg, who headquartered his company in Manhattan Beach three decades ago after making the city his adoptive hometown, last…

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Dispatch from an ICU: “We see no end in sight.”  

by Anita Sircar, MD, MPH  EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Sircar is an infectious disease specialist who spent the last two decades working internationally, including work with the Center for Disease Control fighting Ebola in Africa. She works at three area hospitals, including Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance, and at a clinic. At…

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Local ICUs are overrun, bracing for another surge

  On Christmas Day, the doctors, nurses, and technicians in the ICU at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center tried to inject a little cheer into their workplace. They held a staff potluck, but the ICU was so busy the food went largely untouched. Seven patients passed away from COVID-19 that day.   “We were…

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LA County says Manhattan Beach is violating outdoor dining ban 

    The City of Manhattan Beach’s attempt to help local restaurants by repurposing outdoor dining decks into city-controlled, public seating has come under direct fire from Los Angeles County Health Officer Muntu Davis.  Davis sent a letter to City Manager Bruce Moe that said the city’s repurposing of the dining decks “violates both the…

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The COVID-19 surge experts saw coming and the public ignored

The week before Thanksgiving, public health experts throughout California not only implored people to forgo family gatherings but provided data points and projections showing what might happen were that advice ignored. In Los Angeles County, forecasts from three respected public health institutions — Johns Hopkins University, UCLA, and UCSD —  each projected an unprecedented spike…

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MBUSD hopes to begin TK-2 December 8, but teachers urge delay until after holidays

  The Manhattan Beach Unified School District intends to welcome some of its youngest students back to part-time, in-person learning on December 8. But many teachers, concerned that parents are not following COVID-19 public health protocols, may not return to classrooms until after the holidays.  Superintendent Mike Matthews in his weekly “Monday Message” email last…

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COVID-19 Cases rise throughout Beach Cities

  The Beach Cities this week experienced its largest increase in new COVID-19 since the summer, in keeping with trends throughout Los Angeles.  El Segundo increased from 168 cases on November 17 to 182 cases November 24, Hermosa Beach increased from 303 to 327, Manhattan Beach from 465 to 497, Redondo Beach from 764 to…

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