Category: Inland Empire

As part of an effort to strengthen leadership in K-12 education, La Sierra University has launched the School Leadership Academy for new administrators. The program, announced at the end of June, is designed to provide fledgling school leaders with the skills and resources they need to succeed in their schools. The academy program includes a four-day cohort of twelve administrators and teachers from California, Arizona, and Hawaii. It covers critical areas such as assessment strategies, effective teacher evaluation methods, school budget management, conflict resolution, and disciplinary best practices. Participants also receive coaching and support from a panel of experienced education leaders. “This academy is not just about education; it’s about empowering school leadership,” explained William Arnold, associate superintendent of schools for the Southeastern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (SECC). “We’re equipping leaders to drive meaningful change and meet high educational standards for all students.” Feedback from education directors at Seventh-day Adventist conferences across the region made the launch of the academy program possible. The next Leadership Academy session will be offered within a year or two. It will be open to local school district partners.

It may be summer, but students attending a special camp at the University of La Verne are expanding their knowledge of new technologies. The STEAM Summer Camp is using hands-on sessions to teach youths about 3D printing, geographic information systems, virtual reality and coding. The camps — which continue into August — are geared toward fourth- through eighth-grade students. Ian Cheng, 11, draws a hat Wednesday, July 17, 2024, using a virtual reality headset with a tilt brush tool while playing Pictionary at the University of La Verne’s STEAM Summer Camp. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) Ian Cheng, 11, Anderson Lee, 12, and Elijah Ayala, 13, work on a project using virtual reality headsets Wednesday, July 17, 2024, during the University of La Verne’s STEAM Summer Camp. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) A 3D printer on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, produces a cellular stand project created by students a few days earlier at the University of La Verne’s STEAM Summer Camp. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) Rosalie Cheng, 12, reacts Wednesday, July 17, 2024, after winning a project contest using a virtual

As part of a marked focus on improving Riverside Parks, Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson has joined The Mayors for Parks Coalition. The Coalition is a nationwide bipartisan group of city leaders advocating for increased federal funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund’s Stateside and Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) programs. The city of Riverside says the programs provide matching grants for creating and expanding parks. “I am excited to work with City Parks Alliance and be a part of this important coalition,” Lock Dawson said. “Historic disinvestment has left many communities without easy access to quality parks and recreation opportunities, and with park assets in need of significant upgrades. As a former park ranger, I’m aware of the benefits of access to outdoor play. Parks really do just make life better for all residents.” The Mayors for Parks Coalition was founded in 2013 and has a history of advocating for increased funding for national, state, and local parks. In 2020, the Great American Outdoors Act was passed, which provided $900 million in permanent and dedicated funding for the Land & Water Conservation Fund. “Mayor

Many recall a history of hate in the Inland Empire, from its outpost of Ku Klux Klan members in the 1920s to the exclusion and harassment that people from LGBTQ+, Asian, Latino and Black communities still face decades later. Today, Inland community leaders are continuing to fight against hate and discrimination. They called for change Tuesday, July 16, during a panel discussion titled “How Does the Inland Empire Strike Back Against Hate?” The event at UC Riverside was hosted by Zócalo Public Square, part of Arizona State University’s Media Enterprise, and California Humanities. Brian Levin, founding director of the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino, speaks to guests at a Tuesday, July 16, 2024, panel discussion on hate crimes at UC Riverside. (Courtesy of Chad Brady, Zócalo Public Square) Candice Mays, project director for the Black Voice News’ Mapping Black California Project, discusses the impact of hate in the Inland Empire during a Tuesday, July 16, 2024, panel discussion at UC Riverside. (Courtesy of Chad Brady/Zócalo Public Square) Assemblymember Corey Jackson, D-Perris, speaks at a panel discussion Tuesday, July 16, 2024, at UC

Britains’s Finest, a Beatles tribute band, plays at Yucaipa Community Park Amphitheater on Sunday, July 14, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) Aude and Shirley Cabaldon and Mary Ruhter dance during a Beatles tribute at Yucaipa Community Park Amphitheater on Sunday, July 14, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) Julia Raynor, Eva Lupis, Michael and Jeffrey Blasquez enjoy a Beatles tribute band at Yucaipa Community Park Amphitheater on Sunday, July 14, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) Laurie Boughaba and Karen Lindwall enjoy a Beatles tribute band at Yucaipa Community Park Amphitheater on Sunday, July 14, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) Britains’s Finest, a Beatles tribute band, plays at Yucaipa Community Park Amphitheater on Sunday, July 14, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) Concert-goers dance during a Beatles tribute band at Yucaipa Community Park Amphitheater on Sunday, July 14, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) Britains’s Finest, a Beatles tribute band, plays at Yucaipa Community Park Amphitheater on Sunday, July 14, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) Britains’s Finest, a Beatles tribute band, plays at Yucaipa Community

They broke bread in Montclair on Wednesday. To christen the latest Panera Bread restaurant and bakery, officials smiled for the cameras and, ceremonially, tore a giant, braided baguette in half. Well, that was different. (To avoid disappointing any traditionalists in the crowd, they also cut a ribbon with big scissors.) I was there for a story, but also because I like Panera. First off, a cup of soup and a half-salad is a good, low-carb lunch. Also, there is sentiment involved. Panera is based in St. Louis, near my hometown. For national expansion, the name Panera, meaning “breadbasket,” was adopted. But — trivia note — locations in St. Louis still use the original name, St. Louis Bread Company. Trivia note: In St. Louis, where ⁦@panerabread⁩ began in 1987, locations go by the original name: St. Louis Bread Co. The logo should still look familiar, though. I shot this while visiting in June. pic.twitter.com/LKu7bD433R — David Allen (@DavidAllen909) July 18, 2024 Another reason to like the chain: It’s modest, reliable, unexciting and inoffensive. America’s political culture should aspire to be like Panera. And so, as a

With three locations of The Dog Bakery in the L.A. area and 7.5 million people who follow his social media campaigns to get animals adopted from shelters, Rocky Kanaka knows his four-legged friends. Anything he does is a big deal. Which brings us to his plan to get the dogs and cats, about 140, at Animal Friends of the Valleys in Wildomar adopted. His week-long campaign starts July 18. It’s ambitious for sure. But if anybody can do it, it’s Kanaka, who lives in North San Diego County with wife Kelly and is a lifelong friend of animals. Rocky Kanaka, who uses social media to get pets adopted, is seen with Bean, a dog rehabilitating at his farm. (Courtesy of Rocky Kanaka) He grew up with them and his family adopted pets. He continued his passion for dogs in his early 30s when he rescued Flip from a shelter in Tehachapi. It was ironic that the guy who operates dog bakeries didn’t have one himself. Kanaka says Flip, whose paws and joints had atrophied, awkwardly followed him around the shelter then tried to jump in

On a recent morning, cars on the 215 Freeway could be seen from a Riverside overpass swerving left and right. Why? To avoid potholes. An Assemblymember is raising concerns about the condition of the 215  — northbound and southbound —  between the 60 Freeway in Riverside and Perris. Assemblymember Corey Jackson, D-Perris, is seen Tuesday, July 16, 2024, on Cactus Avenue above the 215 Freeway near Moreno Valley. Jackson has expressed concerns to Caltrans about the damaged roadway on the 215, between the 60 Freeway interchange in Riverside and also from Harley Knox Boulevard south to Nuevo Road in Perris. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Vehicles enter the northbound 215 Freeway in Moreno Valley on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Vehicles in the fast lane travel through a rough patch of the southbound 215 Freeway in Moreno Valley on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Vehicles in the fast lane drive over rough areas of the southbound 215 Freeway through Moreno Valley on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. Assemblymember Corey

I will be your standing stone; I will stand by you. These words represent the complete lyrics of a soothing choral piece, one of the Riverside Resistance Revival Chorus’s most moving performances. In the fall of 2017, professional musician and choral director Jerri Mendivel called a meeting here in Riverside to address the need for a musical approach to a growing movement of peaceful resistance to unpopular and worrisome changes occurring in the USA at the time. It was there that the Riverside Resistance Revival Chorus was born. That initial meeting gave birth to a board of enthusiastic community women who then personally recruited more singers. Since then, the group has met for an average of two monthly rehearsals (except for the COVID-19 interruption). The Chorus rents rehearsal space at Riverside’s Trinity Lutheran Church. The group has sung at marches, demonstrations, special events, concerts, and celebrations in Riverside and beyond. RRRC singers dress all in white, a nod to America’s suffragists. The songs are often rousing, all performed in multi-part harmony, with and without instrumental accompaniment. The RRRC is grateful for its connection with renowned

Ontario residents are calling for accountability as the City Council met just a week after Councilmember Jim Bowman was arrested on suspicion of DUI and hit-and-run following a July 8 crash. At the council meeting Tuesday, July 16, community members said they fear the council will show favoritism toward Bowman, who has not been formally charged in connection with the case. “The incident has brought forth a critical issue about fairness and accountability. The accusation of driving under the influence and fleeing the scene of an accident is not something you should take lightly,” Stephen May, president of the greater Ontario Democratic Club, told the council during the portion of the meeting reserved for public comment. May said Bowman’s immediate release from police custody — instead of detention at county jail, which May called “standard procedure” — was an act of preferential treatment that “raises serious questions about fairness and transparency within our local justice system.” May called for the council to censure Bowman, as well to have him stripped of any committee assignments, and even urged the veteran councilmember to resign. “By taking these

By Greg Archer | Contributing Columnist The Cultivating Inland Empire Latino Opportunity Fund, or CIELO Fund, is on track to award $107,000 in scholarships to 64 students throughout the region as part of the 2024 CIELO Fund Scholars Program. This round of funding increases the total investments for Latino scholarships to $230,000. Some 148 students have benefitted from the scholarship fund since 2023. “Higher education is a pathway for many young people to break cycles of poverty and obtain middle-class careers,” said Jesse Melgar, founder and chair of the CIELO Fund. “The cost of a college degree can be prohibitive for some in the Inland region and with our committee’s $107,000 investment, we are hoping to help dozens of students achieve their educational and career goals.” The fund is focused on supporting students attending Inland Empire colleges and universities, and an emphasis is on those intending to live and work in the region, Melgar said. Steven Serrano, 24, is a recipient of the Cultivating Inland Empire Latino Opportunity Fund scholarship. (Courtesy of Steven Serrano) For 24-year-old Steven Serrano, it’s an opportunity to finish his education

The “kids these days” crowd would have you believe that the Rock N’ Roll weekend is dead. The caricature of modern youth as screen-juggling, consumption blobs waiting for robots to take over isn’t fair. Sustaining a youth music scene is difficult. It’s not just about a lack of will. Spaces are expensive, the regulations are onerous, and the difficulty of making money without selling alcohol is, unfortunately, a real issue. The Raincross District (RAD) at 3583 Market is doing its best to provide a space for young local bands to perform and foster a scene outside bars and nightclubs. On Friday, July 19, Good Daze returns to RAD as hosts of DAZE FEST. Six Indie bands from Southern California will perform live in the backspace at RAD near the alley entrance.  Good Daze hosts Indie bands from all over Southern California at DAZE FEST. (Courtesy of Good Daze Instagram) Good Daze plays Rock N’ Roll with a meandering jangle. The other acts range from dreamy to fuzzy. Your uncle can bring his air guitar. He won’t be bummed. Dela Deso , the creative persona of

The University of La Verne Choir is back from an 11-day European singing trek. The University of La Verne Choir performs at the Spa Colonnade, which is near Pilsen in the Czech Republic during a recent European tour. (Courtesy of University of La Verne) The 15 students went on tour from June 19 to July 1, performing in Prague and Pilsen in the Czech Republic, a university news release states. Highlights included a performance with a Czech all-male choir as well as at the Peter und Paul Music Festival in Bretten, Germany. During the event, the town transforms into a medieval city as participants wear period costumes, the release states. Related Articles Education | Two ex-UCR professors win $6 million in whistleblower lawsuit Education | He’s won professor of the year four years in a row. What makes him so popular? Education | Courts halt parts of President Biden’s student loan repayment plan Education | UC Riverside students say goodbye at 2024 graduations Education | Complaint filed to U.S. Dept. of Education over Chapman University handling of Jewish students treatment Choir Director Ariel Pisturino said

It’s nighttime in western-themed Old Town Temecula. A line stretches around a building as young people wait. Country tunes blare from the windows. A lighted sign announces the venue’s name: Stampede. Welcome to the place billed as the West Coast’s largest country music venue. Line dancers perform in unison at Stampede, a country-western bar in Temecula, on Friday, June 14, 2024. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) Couples take the dance floor, practicing their country swing at Stampede, a country-western bar in Temecula, on Friday, June 14, 2024. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) Line dancers at Stampede move in unison in Temecula on Friday, June 14, 2024. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) Line dancers kick high on the dance floor at Stampede, a country-western bar in Temecula, on Thursday, June 6, 2024. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) Line dancers at Stampede move in unison in Temecula on Friday, June 14, 2024. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) Stampede owner Brandie Newman is seen Friday, June 14, 2024, in her Temecula bar. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) Stampede, a country-western bar in