SM PIER
Starting this Memorial Day weekend, the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium will begin offering free admission to military families from May to Sept. 2.
This is the third year the aquarium has collaborated with the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families and the Department of Defense to benefit veterans in the community.
The aquarium will admit all active duty servicemen and women and up to five family members, sans charge all summer long.
The aquarium is closed to the public on Mondays with the exception of Memorial Day and Labor Day.
For more information, visit www.healthebay.com or call (310) 393-6149.
— Henry Crumblish
Top 10 items found during 2012 coastal cleanup
The Ocean Conservancy, a Washington D.C.-based environmental organization, released its 2012 list of trash collected during its International Coastal Cleanup. More than 10 million pounds of debris was collected globally, with more than 769,000 pounds collected in California alone. Santa Monica-based Heal The Bay hosts several beach cleanups annually. The most common items found during the cleanup:
1. Cigarettes/Cigarette Filters: 2,117,931
2. Food Wrappers/Containers: 1,140,222
3. Plastic Beverage Bottles: 1,065,171
4. Plastic Bags: 1,019,902
5. Caps/Lids: 958,893
6. Cups, Plates, Forks, Knives, Spoons: 692,767
7. Straws/Stirrers: 611,048
8. Glass Beverage Bottles: 521,730
9. Beverage Cans: 339,875
10. Paper Bags: 298,332
Source: Ocean Conservancy
— Associated Press