Community Hospital One Step Closer To Reopening
The Long Beach City Council is making a decision next Tuesday, February 19, on an agreement with Molina, Wu, Network (MWN) LLC for the operation of Community Hospital, 4th District Councilmember Daryl Supernaw announced today via his weekly newsletter. The lease agreement for the hospital is slated for review in closed session. “City staff and MWN are using every last minute to craft an agreement that will work for all parties . . . and that especially includes the residents of Long Beach,” Supernaw wrote. Negotiations over the lease agreement have been ongoing since last June, when the city council selected MWN to operate the hospital. Community closed when former operator MemorialCare Health System relinquished its lease in July.

Court Rules Employees Must Be Paid For Time Spent Calling In To Work
California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled last week that on-call retail employees are entitled to pay when required to call in to see if they must report to work. The decision in the class-action lawsuit case Ward v. Tilly’s Inc.  applies specifically to employees governed by Wage Order 7, which encompasses mercantile industries, according to the California Chamber of Commerce (CalChamber). However, in an explanation of the decision, CalChamber noted that it is “only a matter of time before other courts adopt the same rationale for other wage order claims.” CalChamber advised employers governed by Wage Order 7 to consult with legal counsel to determine how they are impacted.

Grand Prix Construction Begins Monday, February 18
Race track construction for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach begins Monday, February 18, at 8 a.m. The first concrete blocks of the track are being laid at the corner of Shoreline Drive and Linden Avenue, according to the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. Construction continues through the next seven weeks, and includes fencing, seating, telephone lines and amenities. The 45th Grand Prix is scheduled for the weekend of April 12-14. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit gplb.com.

Long Beach NAACP To Award 2019 Torch Of Leadership
The Long Beach branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has selected its 2019 NAACP Torch of Leadership honorees. Those selected are being honored during a ceremony at The Grand Long Beach (4101 E. Willow St.) tomorrow, February 16, from 10 a.m. to noon. Honorees are selected by profession in the categories of: law, secondary education, postsecondary education, health, literacy, public service and entrepreneurship. The ceremony also honors Wini Carter, Doris Topsy-Elvord, Charlotte Berry and Dr. Ruth Hayes as iconic African-American history makers in Long Beach. Reverend NJ Kirkpatrick, who established the low-income senior housing program New Hope, and Ernest McBride, Sr., who organized the opposition against blackface and minstrel shows at Long Beach public schools in the 1930s and ’40s, are receiving posthumous awards.