Category: Inland Empire

Shoppers are hurrying to their local 99 Cents Only Stores for last-minute deals before they’re gone for good. Joining fellow discount retailer Dollar Tree, which has announced plans to close 1,000 stores nationwide over the next several years, the 99 Cents Only brand is preparing to shutter its 371 locations across California, Arizona, Nevada and Texas by June 5. Shoppers funneled into a 99 Cents store on Arlington Avenue in Riverside on a recent afternoon, greeted by signs splayed outside the building announcing the closure and promising up to 30% discounts. Kimberly Harrison, who lives in Riverside, exited the store with a few snacks and some cooking and décor items. She said she’s a regular shopper at another Riverside location. “Oh, it’ll be sad,” she said of the pending closures. “It’ll be sad for the older folks; it’ll be sad for the moms who really need to shop here.” Just behind her, another shopper rushed to her car with a box of groceries in one arm and a toddler in the other. A customer leaves with a purchase at a 99 Cents Only Store in

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors last week extended a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the murder of a 46-year-old man in Monrovia. Terry Alford was visiting family members and was shot multiple times on the front porch of their home around 5 p.m. Jan. 29, 2021, according to authorities. Video revealed four male suspects snuck behind Alford and opened fire. LA County Sheriff’s Department detectives believe the shooting was intentional and gang-related, but that Alford was not the intended target.  Supervisors unanimously approved the motion to extend the reward that was introduced by 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “Terry’s life was violently and senselessly ended, leaving his wife, children, and loved ones grieving for the rest of their lives,” Barger said in a statement. “His murder took place over three years ago but law enforcement agencies remain dedicated to finding those responsible for Terry’s murder. I’m hopeful this $10,000 reward encourages someone to step forward. Terry’s family and the community at large deserve justice and closure.” Anyone with information about the fatal shooting can submit tips via the Los

On Monday, go green by taking advantage of free rides on Arcadia Transit’s fixed-route and dial-a-ride transportation systems. Opting for public transportation over driving helps minimize vehicle emissions and Arcadia Transit operates a dial-a-ride fleet primarily composed of minivans, along with fixed-route buses powered by compressed natural gas. The fixed-route provides general public transit service on three bus lines – Green, Blue, and Red, with stops at the Arcadia Metro Station, the Shops at Santa Anita Mall, the Los Angeles County Arboretum, Santa Anita Park and more. No promotional code or ticket is needed to take advantage of this promotion, just board and enjoy.  Whether it’s your first-time riding or you’re a regular Arcadia Transit rider, be sure to use Passio GO!, Arcadia Transit’s fixed route app that provides riders with real-time bus tracking, estimated time of arrivals and more information. To get started, download ‘Passio GO’ for free on Apple or Google Play app stores. Once downloaded, select ‘City of Arcadia’ as the agency to access Arcadia Transit’s customized settings. Dial-A-Ride eligible passengers may also ride for free on Earth Day. Pre-registration for dial-a-ride

The National Orange Show Fair makes its return to San Bernardino on Wednesday, April 17, for the start of a five-day fair. New and old attractions will be back, including carnival rides, games, live music, merchants, food and exhibits. The event will continue until Sunday, April 21. Fairgoers can enjoy a sea lion encounter, a dog show, live sharks and stingrays, Alaskan racing pigs, a reptile show, trapeze artists, a bird show, face painting, a petting zoo and butterflies. Orange Show Speedway auto races and fireworks will be among the other highlights. San Bernardino students will have an art exhibition. Related Articles Local News | Opening day at LA County Fair 2024 is a month away — here’s what you need to know Local News | Embrace the noise and fun of LA’s Chinatown Firecracker race and festival Local News | LA Metro slashes funding for 16 ‘open street’ events like Ciclovia by as much as 20% Local News | Where to celebrate 2024 Lunar New Year in the Inland Empire Performances will include Soul Pointe and Nojac with the San Bernardino Teen Music Workshop, RemiX

Q: I received a letter from a lawyer stating that my tenant is suing me for an “incident” resulting in substantial injuries. The manager of the complex said he thinks the tenant tripped on the side steps in the common area. Nothing that I know of happened in the condo.  Am I responsible, even if his injury happened in the common area? R.W.S., Marina Del Rey Ron Sokol A: As a landlord, you are to conduct periodic inspections of your rental property when you have the legal right of possession. Also, before turning over possession to a tenant, or upon renewal of a lease, or after retaking possession of the premises, the landlord is to inspect the property, and take reasonable precautions to prevent injury from unsafe conditions that were or reasonably should have been discovered. This inspection is to include common areas under the landlord’s control. A key question therefore arises: Is the location of the alleged incident under your control, in whole or in part? Typically, if your condo is part of a homeowner’s association, what happens in or on the common area

Q: Gary Lupo of Riverside asked for an update on the construction of the new Mt. Vernon Avenue bridge in San Bernardino. A: The project is underway. The new bridge is expected to be done and open by summer 2025. Information about it can be found at Mt. Vernon Avenue Bridge – SBCTA (gosbcta.com). You can follow the work by signing up for weekly alerts sent via email or text by subscribing on that page where it says “Get Project Updates.” Here’s a quick look at the background: The old Mt. Vernon Avenue Bridge opened in 1934. For safety reasons, the city of San Bernardino, Caltrans and the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority partnered to tear down the old bridge and rebuild a new one. The old bridge was closed in December 2020 and demolished the following year. Construction of the new bridge began in 2023. It will have wider travel lanes, a center median, wider sidewalks and new bike lanes, and serve pedestrians, bicyclists, cars and commercial vehicles. “The demolition of the old, high-risk structure was successful and opened the door for Burlington Northern

Remember when HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” filmed at Pomona College, way back in March 2023? I’d almost forgotten it myself, and I was there. Nearly 13 months later, the shoot ended up as a scene in the series finale. (Apparently it takes a lot of effort to produce a semi-improvised comedy.) At the time, we looky-loos along Claremont’s College Avenue saw protesters waving handmade signs outside the stately Carnegie Building, which seemed to be standing in for a courthouse in Atlanta. That proved to be true. As the finale April 7 revealed, series star and creator Larry David was heading to court after inadvertently violating Georgia election law. He had casually given an old acquaintance a bottle of water while she was waiting in line to vote. This made him a flash point for voting-rights debates. Outside the courthouse, protesters chanted “Free Larry” or held signs reading “Justice for Larry,” while one counter-protester brandished a sign declaring “I Don’t Trust the Guy.” Ted Danson, a frequent “Curb” guest, was there in Claremont for the scene. “Curb Your Enthusiasm” shot a scene at Pomona College’s Carnegie Building in

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Spectrum today announced a donation of $2,500 to the Eagel Church & Food Ministry through the company’s employee-driven grants program that recognizes the value of community service, Spectrum Employee Community Grants. The Eagel Church & Food Ministry is a food bank located in the Inland Empire that has been serving the community’s needs for the past six years. This is the third Spectrum Employee Community Grant awarded to the nonprofit since 2021, bringing the total donation to $4,500 for the organization from Charter Communications. “We are honored to receive financial support over the years from Spectrum,” said Ralph Herrera, Director of Eagel Church & Food Ministry. “It is our continued mission to do our part in helping end hunger. The support of all our donors make it possible to continue our mission.” The Spectrum Employee Community Grant award was presented to the Eagel Church & Food Ministry at their drive-thru food distribution in Fontana on April 13 alongside Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren. The funding will provide additional food for families in need as well as securing additional food sources. “I extend my gratitude to Spectrum for their ongoing dedication to

Murrieta schools won’t enforce a policy requiring parents to be told if their child identifies as transgender, according to an email sent to parents. The Friday, April 12, email came two days after The California Department of Education ordered the Murrieta Valley Unified School District not to implement the policy, which the district school board approved by a 3-2 vote last August and reaffirmed by a 3-2 vote in March. The email stated that the policy has yet to be enforced while officials work on more detailed rules for implementing it. Board member Nick Pardue, who first proposed the policy with board President Paul Diffley, said Monday, April 15, that the email sent to parents was “very misleading” and “could have been worded much differently.” “It left the impression the issue had been settled,” Pardue said. “It does imply something wrong with our policy to begin with. That’s not true.” Pardue also criticized the state education department’s letter, calling it “an effort to disenfranchise parents and the community of Murrieta.” “This is a process that will make its way through the court system and the

The San Bernardino City Council is expected to consider this week whether to censure one of its members. At their meeting Wednesday, April 17, Mayor Helen Tran and the council are scheduled to discuss censuring Councilmember Kimberly Calvin over “alleged misconduct involving violations of policy, law and fiduciary duty,” a report prepared by city staff reads in part. Censures are public reprimands, and don’t come with a fine or suspension attached. The report does not go into the allegations against Calvin, who last month lost her write-in bid for reelection in the city’s 6th Ward, but references an April 10 special meeting of the council. At that meeting, City Attorney Sonia Carvalho announced the council met in closed session and voted 4-2, with Calvin and Councilmember Damon Alexander opposed, to direct the city manager to add the censure discussion to Wednesday’s agenda. Councilmember Ben Reynoso was absent. In December, the city released the results of a personnel investigation into Calvin’s behavior as a council member. That report alleged she violated city rules and created an “uncomfortable” work environment at San Bernardino City Hall. The investigation had

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California is suing Huntington Beach over its voter identification measure, recently passed by voters, hoping to stop the city from asking residents to present proof of identification when voting at in-person polling locations. “It is violative of California state election law, undermines that process and threatens the constitutionally protected right to vote,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta at a news conference in Los Angeles on Monday, April 15. Secretary of State Shirley Weber, who oversees elections across California, said the voter ID requirement would disenfranchise voters and called it a solution in search of a problem. “This voter ID measure conflicts with state law,” Weber said at the same press conference. “Not only is it a solution in search of a problem, laws like these are harmful to California voters, especially low-income, the elderly, people of color, those with disabilities, and young voters.” Attorney General Rob Bonta announces with Secretary of State Shirley Weber that they filed a lawsuit to challenge Huntington Beach’s voter identification law to protect voter rights in the Orange County city in Los Angeles on Monday, April 15, 2024. (Photo

Jim Goddard was once the key figure in a legal fight that led to a state law declared unconstitutional. But really all he cared about was getting sprung from jail. Goddard in early 1902 pleaded guilty in Needles court of being a vagrant, earning him a free ride to the county jail in San Bernardino. But there, a young lawyer, Henry M. Willis was contacted to find a way for the well-known drifter to avoid 90 days behind bars. Willis, son of a former San Bernardino County district attorney, failed twice to liberate Goddard, arguing Needles Judge L.V. Root made a variety of questionable actions in his ruling. His third try, though, was certainly novel, and remarkably simple. Willis realized that Judge Root convicted Goddard of being a “vagrant,” not of vagrancy. He argued the state’s definition was improper. “The complaint charges Goddard with being ‘a person who roams around from place to place without any lawful business,’” reported the Sun newspaper, Jan. 31, 1902. Such was the description of a vagrant in Subdivision 3 of Section 616 of the state Penal Code. Willis insisted

Renovations at the Baldy View Dog Park are set to begin this month to increase the space for large and small dogs, add shade and improve sidewalks. The final plans for the park include a 20% increase in the size of the play areas for large and small dogs and include new amenities, ramps and tunnels as well as additional shade and seating, new entrances to both dog park areas and new sod and LED lighting. Luca, the white-haired Shepherd mix, catches a tennis ball at Baldy View Dog Park in Upland on Thursday, April 11, 2024. Construction on new additions to the park is set to commence on Monday, April 22, 2024. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) Dogs play together at Baldy View Dog Park in Upland on Thursday, April 11, 2024. Construction on new additions to the park is set to commence on Monday, April 22, 2024. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) A sign at Baldy View Dog Park in Upland, seen on Thursday, April 11, 2024, indicates the date when the Upland City Council voted for reconstruction to commence. On

To say that Zacatecas Cafe has a loyal following in Riverside only begins to tell the story. At a recent event centered on its history, more than 100 people showed up. That would be a respectable weekend crowd at the restaurant. But this was at the Main Library, on a weeknight, where the community room was packing ’em in. People kept coming. More chairs were set out, then still more. The Inlandia Institute organized the panel discussion, as it does each month on Art Walk night, and according to executive director Cati Porter,  this was the biggest audience they’d ever had. The April 4 event was the debut of “Cafe Stories: Riverside’s Zacatecas,” a novel — not a true history — set at the restaurant. This wasn’t a typical literary event. For one thing, lots of people showed up. And author Bill Medina didn’t read from his book. More than 100 people turn out April 4 for the debut of “Cafe Stories,” a novel about Zacatecas Cafe, at the Riverside Main Library. (Photo by David Allen, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Instead, Medina, 66, spoke about

The 49th annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach has nearly arrived. That means a couple of things: On the one hand, downtown Long Beach will essentially be one giant party from Friday to Sunday, April 19-21. But on the other, navigating the area in your car will be a challenge. And not just during the three-day event — but for a few days before and the day after. Staggered street closures, in fact, will begin on Wednesday, April 17, with some remaining closed until Monday, April 22. Here are the streets to avoid over the next week. Wednesday, April 17 All side streets leading into the Grand Prix’s circuit off Shoreline Drive and Seaside Way will close at 4 a.m. A few hours later, at 7 a.m., the northbound Queensway Bridge off-ramp and southbound Queensway Bridge on-ramp for Shoreline Drive will also shut down, along with Aquarium Way south of Shoreline Drive and westbound Shoreline Drive generally. At 3 p.m., Shoreline Drive eastbound from Broadway to Ocean Boulevard will also close. Pine Avenue, according to a recent city news release, will stay open to