Beer baron Bryan “Whitey” Littlefield used his pipes for giving–and swearing

PHOTO by DANIEL DE BOOM
Memorial services for Bryan “Whitey” Littlefield were yesterday at First Congregational Church downtown, and the beer baron/philanthropist–who died March 7 at 75 of prostate cancer–received a bravura send-off.
The church has two levels and the upstairs stayed relatively empty, but downstairs was [...]

Whitey Littlefield–Long Beach beer baron philanthropist, who rose from delivering brew to owning a Budweiser distributorship with Frank Sinatra–is dead at 75.
We’ll tell you more about Mr. Littlefield in coming days–but it’s already becoming clear that, in the words of his close friend, restaurateur John Morris, “The guy’s had a life.”

The lawyers finished picking a jury of Beachcomber newspaper Publisher Jay Beeler’s peers, and his trial opened yesterday in Long Beach Superior Court.
Beeler, as we noted yesterday, and as the Press-Telegram’s Wendy Thomas Russell has been telling you, faces two misdemeanor charges–obstructing a police officer and disobeying the order of a police officer–for his alleged [...]

The City Council approves a bio-diesel study, turns down a bunker fuel tax

It was 12:45 p.m. yesterday, a day which turned out to be all about diesel.
First District Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal had 15 minutes before her next meeting and she was hungry, so we went to Smooth’s Bar and Grill–but not to eat.

“New” Manhattan Project spy; John Morris on public safety
The Press-Telegram writes compellingly about public safety,

If anybody from the Press-Telegram was actually inside the Grand Salon of the Queen Mary for Tuesday’s meeting of the Long Beach Rotary Club — where downtown restaurateur John Morris gave his practical-yet-visionary State of the City address — I sure didn’t see them. Nothing showed up in the P-T the next day, either.

District Weekly “Best of Long Beach” Bash at Smooth’s

Above Smooth’s on Pine Ave., 400 people, Pabst beer, El Don Tequila—and John Morris, Smooth’s smooth, avuncular chieftan. At 10:10 p.m., Long Beach locals On Blast; lead singer Josh has serious pipes; Andy who plays . . . we didn’t notice: brother looks like a porn star [...]