Category: Inland Empire

Battling robot competitions have evolved quite a bit since the days of the nostalgic “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots” action toy from the 1960s. This weekend the California VEX Robotics State Championships, the largest VEX robotics event ever held in the state and second largest in the US. takes place March 14-16 at Damien High School in La Verne. The event showcases over 1,000 of California’s brightest young engineers competing in hundreds of intense robotics matches, according to a news release. Robotics students watch as they wait to compete in the California VEX Robotics State Championships at Damien High School in La Verne on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) A robotics team practices with their robot before the California VEX Robotics State Championships at Damien High School in La Verne on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Sagacious Sea Stars 23347S team members from left Remy Katz, 15, Ella Roh, 15, and Ellie Chung, 17, all of Irvine compete in the California VEX Robotics State Championships at Damien High School in La Verne on Friday, March

The John Wayne Grit Series Pioneertown Half Marathon and 10K, a fundraiser for the John Wayne Cancer Foundation, is coming to Pioneertown, near Joshua Tree National Park, on March 22. The run-walk event starts in Pioneertown, at the Wild West movie set town on Mane Street, which was a backdrop for Western movies in the 1940s. Participants will traverse the Pioneertown Mountain Preserve single-track trails, going through the Sawtooth Mountains, rocky canyons and dusty trails. “The John Wayne Grit Series isn’t just about conquering trails, it’s about giving people the opportunity to fight back against cancer,” Ethan Wayne, director of the John Wayne Cancer Foundation, said in a news release. “Through events like the John Wayne Grit Series, we’re honoring my father’s legacy by raising funds for pioneering cancer programs that prevent, detect and heal cancer.” There are two ways to register for the event. Participants may either pay for registration or commit to fundraise for free registration. All registered participants receive a John Wayne Grit Series shirt and finisher mug, and all can raise funds to earn rewards and prizes donated by Nathan, YETI, Hooey

Greetings, dream weavers! Last week , we plunged into the depths of our subconscious, exploring the limitless creative potential of dreams. Did you capture the fleeting images of your dreamscapes in a journal, translate them into a surreal painting, or perhaps reimagine the “American Dream” through a creative lens? Even if all you did was follow the clouds across the sky for several minutes, I hope this dream sequence left you creatively refreshed. This week marks our return to the material world with a focus on something tangible for your mandible: a piece of hard candy. Yes, those little, brightly colored, often individually wrapped treats are a staple in every grandmother’s purse. These candies aren’t just for sucking on during a long car ride or keeping hunger at bay between meals. They’re also a surprisingly versatile tool for creative exploration. Their textures, flavors, and even the sounds they make can spark a range of artistic and sensory experiences. Speaking of sensory experiences, I recently pranked myself at my favorite downtown Riverside coffee shop, Back to the Grind. They have this decorative wide-mouthed bowl on the

Battling robot competitions have evolved quite a bit since the days of the nostalgic “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots” action toy from the 1960s. This weekend the California VEX Robotics State Championships, the largest VEX robotics event ever held in the state and second largest in the US. takes place March 14-16 at Damien High School in La Verne. The event showcases over 1,000 of California’s brightest young engineers competing in hundreds of intense robotics matches, according to a news release. Robotics students watch as they wait to compete in the California VEX Robotics State Championships at Damien High School in La Verne on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) A robotics team practices with their robot before the California VEX Robotics State Championships at Damien High School in La Verne on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Sagacious Sea Stars 23347S team members from left Remy Katz, 15, Ella Roh, 15, and Ellie Chung, 17, all of Irvine compete in the California VEX Robotics State Championships at Damien High School in La Verne on Friday, March

Pomona is tackling its biggest traffic and safety issues with a new transportation system that uses AI technology. Designed to improve safety and traffic flow, artificial intelligence technology will gather traffic data along Mission Boulevard and Towne Avenue in Pomona. “The goal of the project is to create a smarter, safer, and more efficient urban transportation system,” according to a March 3 city report. The areas were chosen due to the relative high volume of vehicles, speeding, high truck traffic, and regular emergency vehicle use, said City Engineer Arnold Dichosa. Pomona City Council unanimously approved the $10.6 million project in early March, to launch the “Pomona Emerging Transportation Technologies Project.” Visible video cameras will be installed along Mission Boulevard and Towne Avenue to track traffic, detect congestion, and monitor where accidents happen most frequently. Other major roads like Holt, Garey, and Temple could be next, Dichosa said. Vehicles head west on West Mission Boulevard from South Towne Avenue on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 in Pomona. The city approved a project earlier this month to improve safety and traffic flow in the area. (Photo by Will

The Ontario Chaffey Community Show Band will present “Music From Far Away Places,” a concert of music from around the world, 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 17, at Gardiner W. Spring Auditorium on the campus of Chaffey High School, 1245 N. Euclid Ave., Ontario. Before the concert, the Woodwind Celebration Ensemble will perform beginning at 7 p.m. in the lobby where coffee and cookies will be available. Admission is free. Countries represented in the concert include Ireland, France, Argentina, Spain, Cuba, Italy, Sweden, Germany, Korea, Japan and the United States. Guest artists are Sylvia Lee Mann, director of the Southland Symphony Orchestra and the La Verne Symphony Orchestra, and harpist Ellie Choate. Soloists from the Ontario Chaffey Community Show Band will be dancer Kathy Soderlund and clarinetist Neil Vargas. Sylvia Lee Mann, who is a composer, conductor, violist and educator, is a faculty member at Chaffey College and the University of La Verne and is the pastor and minister of music at Bethel Congregational Church in Ontario. In addition to directing the Southland Symphony Orchestra and the La Verne Symphony Orchestra, Mann directs the Temecula Valley Junior

Restaurants and other food vendors ordered to close and allowed to reopen by San Bernardino County health inspectors from March 6 to March 13. Burger King, 5451 Philadelphia St., Chino Closed: March 6 Reason: Sewage overflow Reopened: March 6 Sharetea, 7873 Monticello Ave., Suite 1017, Rancho Cucamonga Closed: March 6 Reason: Insufficient hot water Related Articles Local News | The Original Pantry Cafe in Los Angeles closes after 101 years of service Local News | San Bernardino County restaurants shut down by health inspectors, Feb. 20-27 Local News | San Bernardino County restaurants shut down by health inspectors, Feb. 12-20 Local News | San Bernardino County restaurants shut down by health inspectors, Feb. 5-13 Local News | San Bernardino County restaurants shut down by health inspectors, Jan. 30-Feb. 6 This list is published weekly with closures since the previous week’s list. Status updates are published the following week. Source: San Bernardino County Department of Public Health — Ian Wheeler

Lancer Hoops Star Commits to One More Season No matter what March looks like for the Lancers, next season is off to a good start with second-time, first-team All-WAC guard Dominique Daniels Jr. signing on to stay in Riverside. Daniels averaged 19.85 points per game, leading the WAC. We can, hopefully, watch him play deep into March Madness. If not, make sure to see him next season. His high-paced style electrifies the arena, and he may be an “I saw him when…” type of player in the future. NCAA Basketball Tournaments It’s NCAA tournament time, and things are moving fast. As of the deadline for this story, all four Riverside teams are still in their conference tournaments. Follow the links below for current progress, and check back here for scores as they come in. WAC Basketball Brackets Big West Basketball Championships Games of the Week Friday, March 14: Poly vs. Woodcrest Christian – Volleyball- 6 p.m. at Woodcrest Tuesday, March 18: Arlington vs. Poly -Volleyball – 5:15 at Poly Tuesday, March 18: CBU vs. SDSU – Baseball – 6 p.m. at CBU

Riverside Celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with Festive Weekend Events Riverside has a solid lineup of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations spanning the entire weekend. From March 15-17, 2025, venues across the city will be decked out in green, offering everything from traditional corned beef dinners and live Celtic music to spirited pub crawls and family-friendly entertainment. Whether you’re looking to enjoy dueling pianos, karaoke, bagpipe performances, or simply throwing back a pint of green beer with the other leprechauns, Riverside’s local establishments have created diverse festive options. The celebrations cover the whole city, from La Sierra to Canyon Crest. Riverside’s finest, including the Riverside City Firefighters Association Pipe and Drum Band, are hosting special events, and musical acts like Cillian’s Bridge and Craic in the Stone will bring authentic Irish sounds to Hangar 24. With raffles, giveaways, special menus, and themed entertainment, Riverside residents and visitors can experience the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day throughout an extended weekend of community celebration. St. Patrick’s Day Events in Riverside Here are just a few local St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Take a look at our calendar for more. Patrick Maloney’s Karaoke Open Mic

Alex Rojas, the ousted general manager of the Central Basin Municipal Water District, is suing his former employer and petitioning a judge to reinstate him on the grounds that his termination did not comply with his contract or the district’s administrative code. Rojas’ attorney, Craig Missakian, asked for a preliminary injunction that would have prevented the district from hiring a replacement for Rojas until the case resolves, but a judge denied the request this week, saying there isn’t enough evidence that such a hiring is forthcoming or that it would impact Rojas’ bid for reinstatement. The district has operated under an interim general manager since Rojas was fired in November and is still in the process of selecting a search firm to find its next leader. The merits of the rest of the case are not likely to come before the judge until this summer. The next hearing is currently scheduled for June, according to the Los Angeles County Superior Court’s website. In an interview, Missakian said Rojas should be returned to his former role due to water board’s failure to follow its own rules.

Casa Colina’s Outdoor Adventures and Wheelchair Sports Program, in collaboration with Triumph Foundation and The Perfect Step, will hold a Roll & Rally Sports Blast, a wheelchair sports event for people of all abilities, Saturday, March 15. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Claremont Club, 1777 Monte Vista Ave., Claremont. With the family-friendly Roll & Rally Sports Blast, these organizations aim to break barriers, promote adaptive athletics and showcase the possibilities for people with disabilities, according to a news release. In the morning session, participants can try wheelchair tennis, rugby and over-the-line baseball. The afternoon session, starting at 1 p.m., will feature a mini-tennis tournament, limited to 12 wheelchair users, who will each be paired with a standing player to compete in an up-down (wheels and heels) tournament. This format fosters teamwork and highlights inclusive competition. “We’re incredibly excited to bring the Roll & Rally Sports Blast to the community,” Lisa Hilborn, Casa Colina’s director of recreational therapy and the Outdoor Adventures and Wheelchair Sports Program, said in the news release. “This event is a fantastic opportunity for individuals

There is still a week of winter, yet our thoughts turn to green. We definitely didn’t see a white Christmas, but perhaps we should find more favorable results with a more attainable goal: a green St. Patrick’s Day. The fulfillment of the dream of a Green St. Paddy’s Day lies somewhere between a sentiment and an omen, maybe a harbinger. Late-season storms have given us a green St. Paddy’s, making our landscape wonderfully lush. It may not be a supernatural signal, but it is a rare peek, a little taste of the city we love at her most beautiful, a reminder that we live someplace special. We may live in a desert for most of the year, but for a few precious weeks, some well-timed rain can give us an enduring deep green landscape that rivals the rolling hills of Ireland. When the winter rains have done their work, our local trails reveal a different side of Riverside County that might make you forget you’re in Southern California altogether. This place greens up quite nicely. There are a few hikes around town where, when the

It was an older crowd than Mikel Jollett is used to. Jollett, 50, leads the indie rock band Airborne Toxic Event. Most of the people at the Hughes Community Center were well into their Medicare years. Jollett was speaking, not performing, on March 8 in support of his acclaimed memoir “Hollywood Park.” The Friends of the Claremont Library had chosen the 2022 book, about his abusive upbringing, part of it in the Synanon cult, for the city’s community read. Before more than 75 bookish people, Jollett gave warm, revealing and witty replies to questions from moderator Emily St. Martin, an editor from our Southern California News Group, and from the audience. Some of those questions dug deep, as people tried to peel back the layers of the prose and of Jollett’s coping mechanisms. Afterward, as he signed copies, an impressed Jollett was heard to remark: “You could tell they read the book.” We would expect no less from college-rich Claremont. My favorite moment during the Q&A was when a woman told Jollett that his song “Glory” helped her through tough times — sample lyric: “you were

The Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra, conducted by Greg Samuel, will present a concert for children 11 a.m. Saturday, March 15, at Bridges Hall of Music on the Pomona College campus, 150 E. Fourth St., Claremont. The concert will feature “Casey at the Bat” by Randol Alan Bass, narrated by actor William Christian; “The Cowboys” overture by John Williams; music from “West Side Story” by Leonard Bernstein; and “Fiddle-Faddle” by Leroy Anderson. In the program, the 85-member Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra will guide the audience through a musical experience featuring all of the instruments of the orchestra, and the concert includes audience participation and prizes for everyone, according to a news release. Admission is free. Before the concert, an eight-member string ensemble will perform in the lobby, beginning at 10:30 a.m. William Christian, who will narrate “Casey at the Bat,” has performed in theater, television and film, including appearing on the daytime TV drama “All My Children” as Officer Derek Frye for 15 years, for which he received an Emmy nomination. He has also appeared on “Good Girls,” “Hannah Montana” and “How to Get Away With

The Claremont Area Chapter and San Bernardino Valley Chapter of the Links Inc. are collaborating with Bethel AME Church of Fontana to host a Black Family Wellness Expo Saturday, March 15. The free community event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the church, 16262 Baseline Ave., Fontana. The expo will include a food giveaway, speakers on health issues, raffles and a kids’ fun zone, plus food vendors and local business vendors, according to a news release. The San Bernardino County Department of Public Health will offer free COVID-19 and flu vaccines, and those who donate gently used adult-size T-shirts may receive free raffle tickets. For information about the Claremont Area Chapter of the Links, go to claremontarealinks.com. For information about the San Bernardino Valley Chapter, go to sbvclinks.org.

Authorities are investigating an attempted homicide after three people were shot Tuesday evening in Colton. At 5:59 p.m. on March 11, Colton Police officers responded to reports of gunfire in the 1400 block of Veterans Way. Upon arrival, they found multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers administered life-saving aid until Colton Fire Department paramedics took over. Two victims were transported to a nearby hospital in serious condition. A third individual, also wounded in the shooting, later arrived at the same hospital seeking treatment. On March 13th, Colton Police PIO Michael Sandoval said, “The victims are in stable condition. There have been no arrests. The Detectives are working the investigation and asking for any witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.” The Colton Police Department’s Detective Division has taken over the case. Investigators urge anyone with information to contact Sergeant Shawn McFarland at (909) 370-5000 or via email at smcfarland@coltonca.gov. Anonymous tips can be submitted through the We-Tip hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME or online at www.wetip.com. Continue Reading

San Diego-based canned tuna giant Bumble Bee Seafoods has known for years that fishing vessels in its supply fleet used forced labor but failed to stop the practice, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in San Diego federal court that’s believed to be the first ever to allege human trafficking against a U.S. seafood company. The plaintiffs, four men from rural Indonesian villages, allege they were promised good jobs on long-line tuna boats that are part of Bumble Bee’s “trusted fleet” but instead were subjected to physical abuse, deprived of adequate food and denied medical care. They allege they were ensnared in debt bondage and subjected to fees and paycheck deductions that left them destitute after months of excruciating labor and isolation at sea. One of the men alleged he was denied medical attention after hot oil from the ship’s kitchen splashed down his body, causing burns so severe that “he felt like his genitals exploded.” Another alleged he was ordered to keep working after a load of fish landed on him, gashing his leg to the bone and overflowing his boot with blood. Two

Downtown Riverside’s streets are packed with weekend party-goers as the city’s nightlife scene continues to bloom, but the evolution has left a noticeable gap for mid-sized live music venues. Live Nation’s management of the Fox Performing Arts Center and Riverside Municipal Auditorium has brought bigger acts more frequently, while investment along University Avenue has created a nightclub district that draws visitors from throughout the Inland Empire. The packed streets on weekend nights demonstrate how Riverside has become a destination for nightlife, attracting young people from well beyond city limits. Despite this growth, venues that once showcased local original music have dwindled. The Concert Lounge and MTL have closed, while Back to the Grind, Pixels, and Lake Alice host live bands less frequently than in previous years. The Hideaway Bar & Grill on Mission Inn Avenue books bands approximately twice monthly, maintaining some live music presence downtown. These shows suggest there remains an audience for live music in smaller settings. The newest addition to downtown’s music scene aims to help fill this gap. The Garden Room, located on the lower level of the Riverside Municipal Auditorium, provides space for acts