Last week, California governor Gavin Newsom released his May Revision to the proposed budget for for the 2020-21 fiscal year. Because of a $54 billion deficit associated with revenue loss due to COVID-19 shutdowns, there are significant cuts to education, a harsh blow for the city of Long Beach, where the Long Beach Unified School […]
Author: Mike Guardabascio
Feature: Peyton Watson, Long Beach Poly’s Star Hooper Stuck At Home
A five-star basketball recruit is usually a kid with the world on a string. But for Long Beach Poly junior Peyton Watson, life looks pretty much the same as it does for the other students at his high school and in the city of Long Beach. Were school still open, he’d be turning heads on […]
LBUSD Closed For Summer, Evaluating 2020-21 Sports Plans
The Long Beach Unified School District announced last week that in-person graduation ceremonies are officially off for the class of 2020, and that summer school and other programs will not take place on physical campuses this summer, with a few limited exceptions. There had been some hope of a delayed in-person graduation ceremony, but with […]
Feature: Drew Buggs Carries Mom’s Memory, Love
Drew Buggs had been dreaming about this season of basketball for years. He was going to be a redshirt junior at Hawaii, where he was going to improve on his record-setting career with his best-ever effort. His family was going to come out to the islands to see a game, his first time playing in […]
Three Long Beach Poly Football Alums Giving Back
Three Long Beach Poly football alums have teamed up to help give back to the community during the COVID-19 shutdown. Brothers Cameron and Nolan McDonald and Raymond Graham have been donating food and supplies for the last three weeks and have plans to form a non-profit that will help them continue doing so in the […]
Feature: Tiedemann Brothers Staying Busy At Home
This was supposed to be a truly magical Spring for Tai and Ricky Tiedemann. Two of the six Tiedemann brothers, the sons of Rick and Mimi Tiedemann, both brothers were poised for big seasons on the diamond, Tai as a Minor Leaguer with big expectations in the Rangers’ organization, and Ricky as the senior ace […]
Feature: COVID-19’s Devastating Impact On One Long Beach Family
It’s been an impossible two months for the Alexanders. The family of four, longtime residents of North Long Beach, are a detailed study of the havoc that the COVID-19 virus can wreak on a single household. Lawrence Alexander went to the hospital in the back of an ambulance more than a month ago–he hasn’t been […]
Long Beach State Men’s Volleyball Signs Top National Class
Photo courtesy Long Beach State The future is bright for the Long Beach State men’s volleyball team, which just signed the best recruiting class of any program in the nation according to VolleyballMag.com. “It’s an incredibly talented group with a lot of volleyball IQ and experience,” said LBSU coach Alan Knipe. “We pretty much cover […]
FEATURE: Ili Family Recovering After COVID-19 Scare
Easter in the Ili household in Long Beach is usually a well-choreographed parade of activity. In years past Lina Ili would put on music early in the morning while she, her husband Junior, and their four children got ready for church. At St. Cornelius, those six Ilis would be surrounded by around 80 other members […]
LBUSD Steps Up Facilities Timelines During Shutdown
Schools are closed across the city of Long Beach, but the city’s largest landholder isn’t letting them sit idle. Anyone driving around town during the COVID-19 shutdown has probably noticed green construction tarps around several Long Beach Unified School District facilities. That’s because the district is using this rare time, when all of its campuses […]











