Category: Inland Empire

An argument that started on a Metro bus and spilled outside in Woodland Hills left the driver stabbed and in critical condition and police searching for the boyish-looking man who was captured on surveillance video, authorities said. The confrontation occurred about 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 24, near Erwin Street and Topanga Canyon Boulevard. It is unclear what sparked the violence; the driver was stabbed more than once, officials said. Suspect pic.twitter.com/fW54nRX4xw — LAPD PIO (@LAPDPIO) May 25, 2023 Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who also serves as a Metro board member, was at the hospital Wednesday night. She met the family of the driver, who had surgery that night. He is a husband and a father. “The driver is still not out of the woods yet,” the mayor said during Metro Board of Directors meeting on Thursday. “We need to keep him in our prayers.” LA Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins said at the meeting she had heard from doctors on Thursday morning: “He did try to open his eyes this morning, and the doctor said that was a good sign,” she said. LA Metro is

When Shelly Dillingham signed the lease to open The Pet Stop, the parking lot in the still-under-construction Murrieta Town Center was dirt. That was 33 years ago, before Murrieta was a city and the town itself was still a lot of dirt roads. Now a bustling city of more than 100,000, Dillingham and The Pet Stop endured until this month, when its doors closed because she said she couldn’t afford to pay an approximately 50% increase on the lease at the center on Murrieta Hot Springs Road, east of the 215 Freeway. She and her longtime pet groomer, Laura Warfield, said they ran what they fondly call a “mom-and-pop” business, meaning they knew many of their customers by name, they always handled their many animals with TLC and advertising was word of mouth. It was a win-win situation because Dillingham said the place, about 1,500 square feet, had always been profitable thanks to her faithful clientele. Also, she saved many customers money with her advice of when —  and when not to — take their pets to a vet, something animal owners know can be

It isn’t often that a person gets streets named for their first, middle and last names. But, in Banning, that unique distinction goes to Charles Wesley Filkins, an early investor and promoter of that city. Filkins was born in New York in 1844. His parents moved the family to Michigan, where Filkins spent his childhood. At some point, he moved to Minnesota where, as an adult, he entered into the wholesale dry goods business. Unfortunately, though Filkins was still a young man, he began suffering health problems, most likely from tuberculosis. He moved to the San Francisco area, where he met and married his wife Ella in 1880. They later had one son, Fred. At that time Ella was living in St. Helena, in the Napa Valley area, and there they made their home until they moved south. According to Filkins’ obituary in the Riverside papers, the couple moved to Riverside in 1881. However, In November 1880, the Press and Horticulturalist reported that they had arrived that month to make Riverside their home. Filkins almost immediately opened a dry goods store in downtown Riverside. In

Cheered on by their family and friends, members of the Class of 2023 bid farewell to A.B. Miller High School as commencement season continued Wednesday, May 24. The school’s ceremony early Wednesday afternoon at the Toyota Arena in Ontario was the first of Fontana Unified School District’s commencement events for its five comprehensive high schools. Students from A.B. Miller High School show off creative cap designs while graduating at the Toyota Arena in Ontario on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) A student from A.B. Miller High School embraces his loved ones after graduating in the Toyota Arena in Ontario on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) A student from A.B. Miller High School stands tall with his neck high leis after graduating in the Toyota Arena in Ontario on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) A student from A.B. Miller High School stops to smile outside Toyota Arena after graduating in Ontario on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) A student from A.B. Miller High School shows off

Cheered on by their family and friends, members of the Class of 2023 bid farewell to A.B. Miller High School as commencement season continued Wednesday, May 24. The school’s ceremony early Wednesday afternoon at the Toyota Arena in Ontario was the first of Fontana Unified School District’s commencement events for its five comprehensive high schools. Students from A.B. Miller High School show off creative cap designs while graduating at the Toyota Arena in Ontario on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) A student from A.B. Miller High School embraces his loved ones after graduating in the Toyota Arena in Ontario on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) A student from A.B. Miller High School stands tall with his neck high leis after graduating in the Toyota Arena in Ontario on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) A student from A.B. Miller High School stops to smile outside Toyota Arena after graduating in Ontario on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) A student from A.B. Miller High School shows off

Welcoming Resource Center is what the front of the three-story building planned for E and Seventh streets in downtown San Bernardino will say once construction concludes late next year. But most within the San Bernardino City Unified School District will know the state-of-the-art facility by another name. The House the Parents Built. An artist’s rendering is seen on display as San Bernardino City Unified School District Superintendent Maruicio Arellano speaks during a ground breaking ceremony for the soon to be built Welcoming Resource Center in San Bernardino on Wednesday, May. 24, 2023. The SBCUSD Welcoming Resource Center is a $45-million transformative project set to streamline services for families and breathe new life into the downtown San Bernardino area. The state-of-the-art, three-story facility will serve as a hub for supporting and empowering families within the community, fostering a sense of unity and providing essential resources for strudnt’s educational journey. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Artist’s renderings are seen on display during a ground breaking ceremony for the San Bernardino City Unified School District’s Welcoming Resource Center in San Bernardino on Wednesday, May. 24

GOVERNMENT OFFICES: All federal, state, Riverside County, San Bernardino county and city offices will be closed Monday. MAIL DELIVERY: Mail will not be delivered Monday. FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS: Will be closed Monday. STORES: Most major stores and supermarkets will be open Monday. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Riverside Transit Agency, Dial-A-Ride will not operate on Monday. The administrative offices and the Customer Information Center will also be closed. Bus services and facilities will resume regular operations on Tuesday. Omnitrans Bus will not operate on Monday. Administrative offices and the San Bernardino Transit Center will also be closed Monday. Bus service and facilities will resume regular operations on Tuesday. Foothill Transit buses will run on weekend or Sunday schedules on Monday. Metrolink will operate its Saturday schedule on Monday on the Antelope Valley, Orange County, 91/Perris Valley, San Bernardino, Inland Empire-Orange County and Ventura County lines with a $10 Holiday Pass. The $10 Weekend Day Pass will be available on Saturday and Sunday, May 27 and 28. Metrolink trains will not operate on the Riverside Line on Memorial Day. The $10 Holiday Pass can be purchased on the Metrolink Mobile App

While the Hemet Public Library and its patrons wait for a new air conditioning system, they’ll find relief from a temporary cooler. Because of a broken air conditioning system, Hemet’s library has reduced its hours. (Photo by Monserrat Solis, The Press-Enterprise/SCN­G) Because of a broken air conditioner, the library has been open fewer hours, from 9 a.m. to noon, or until the internal temperature reaches 85 degrees, a sign on the library’s doors states. The Hemet City Council unanimously voted Tuesday, May 23, to rent a cooler system from June through October because the library’s air conditioner broke last month. The cost is not exceed $250,000. The rental will cost the city $75,000, with an additional $1,090 per month to insure the system. The rental cooler will take about one week to install, a city report states. “I am thrilled that the city council is supporting and getting us back on our feet in supporting the public,” Senior Librarian Kathye Caines said after the vote. The library’s current air conditioner system is 20 years old and started failing in late April, the report states. Caines said the

The Community Chorus of Redlands will present its annual Family Music Festival 4 p.m. Sunday, May 28, in the parish hall of Redlands’ Trinity Episcopal Church. Jeffrey H. Rickard, who founded the chorus in 1979, will direct the singers in a variety of music celebrating American heritage. The program opens with music for for flute, cello and piano, with Rickard at the keyboard, joined by flutist Margaret Winter and cellist Becky Long. Long and her husband, Gary, playing marimba, will also play a couple pieces in the middle of the program, including an arrangement of “In the Good Old Summertime.” Choral music will include “Down by the Riverside,” arranged by John Rutter; Dan Forrest’s arrangement of “The Nightingale,” an American variant of an English folk song; K. Lee Scott’s arrangement of the spiritual “The Old Ship of Zion”; “I Will Be a Child of Peace,” a traditional Shaker hymn arranged by Elaine Hagenberg; and “Fraulein Bo-Peepen” and “Jack der Spratt” from “Songs Mein Grossmama Sang” by Lloyd Pfautsch. Violinist Renata Quijada will be featured in “Appalachian Fiddler” by John Purifoy. The concert will conclude with

There will be motorcycles, skydivers and bagpipes. And, of course, there will be speeches, songs and the laying of wreaths. All will commemorate Memorial Day this year across the Inland Empire. Here are highlights of events planned across Riverside and San Bernardino counties to salute those who gave their lives while serving in the military. Riverside County CORONA The Corona Chamber Foundation’s Annual Memorial Mile March is set for Saturday, March 27. It departs at 8 a.m. from the Corona Chamber of Commerce’s office, 904 E. 6th St. The march will go to the Historic Civic Center, where flags will be placed in the ground in honor of fallen service members. — Nova Blanco-Rico LAKE ELSINORE Lake Elsinore will host a Memorial Day Service on Monday, May 29. The 10 a.m. event will be at Elsinore Valley Cemetery, 18170 Collier Ave. It will include skydivers, live music and a 21-gun salute. — Nova Blanco-Rico MENIFEE Menifee will host a Memorial Day ceremony and a 5K run Monday, May 29. The event starts at 7 a.m. at Central Park, 30268 Civic Plaza Drive. Guests can submit

Rubidoux High School seniors became graduates Tuesday night, May 23, as graduations across the Inland Empire continue. RELATED: Graduation 2023 schedule: Dates, times for Riverside County high schools, universities Commencement ceremonies for the Jurupa Unified School District’s comprehensive high schools began Tuesday with the event at Rubidoux High’s stadium in Jurupa Valley. Eriberto Clara sports a decorated mortarboard during Rubidoux High School’s graduation in Jurupa Valley on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Rubidoux High School Principal Kevin Corridan speaks during Rubidoux High School’s graduation in Jurupa Valley on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Cristian Ochoa dances down the aisle with his diploma during Rubidoux High School’s graduation in Jurupa Valley on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Riley Nicole Villanueva, left, smiles after getting a hug from Assistant Principal Nancy Reyna during the Rubidoux High School graduation in Jurupa Valley on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Stephanie Ortega waves to her family as she walks into the stadium for the Rubidoux High School graduation in Jurupa

Q: “In Yucaipa we have a number of roundabouts,” said Sandy Mason, who lives in the city. She asked if she should use her turn signal to let oncoming traffic know what her intentions are when approaching and using the roundabouts, “or cross my fingers and hope they yield.” A: In a roundabout, traffic goes in one direction around a central island. Guidelines for using a roundabout are shared in the California Driver Handbook and include signaling when one changes lanes or exits a roundabout. Other guidelines include: slowing down as one approaches, yielding to all traffic already in the roundabout, watching for signs and lane markings, traveling in a counter-clockwise direction and not stopping or passing. Generally, when driving, it’s a good idea to use a turn signal to communicate intentions to nearby drivers and, in some cases, the law requires it. Reader shares DMV success story We enjoy success stories and like to report positive news. First, thanks to Redlands resident Bruce Adams for sharing his successful experience renewing his driver’s license at the San Bernardino Department of Motor Vehicles office – and

The owners of Arrowhead Country Club in San Bernardino will assume management duties at Shandin Hills Golf Club next month, ending a three-year period of uncertainty surrounding who will run operations there going forward. Mike and Fariel Winn, the husband and wife duo who bought Arrowhead Country Club two years ago, will oversee the daily goings-on at Shandin Hills, the public golf course on Little Mountain Drive, beginning June 1. Last week, the City Council unanimously approved the five-year agreement. Shandin Hills Golf Club in San Bernardino is seen on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) A golfer at Shandin Hills Golf Club in San Bernardino plays on the course on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) The Shandin Hills Golf Club in San Bernardino is seen on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) Shandin Hills Golf Club in San Bernardino is seen on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) Shandin Hills Golf Club in San Bernardino has a gazebo used for weddings and special events. Little Mountain serves

By David Downey | Contributing Writer Remember those days in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic when driving across the Inland Empire was a breeze? “There was nobody on the freeways,” said Kome Ajise, executive director for the Southern California Association of Governments, a regional planning agency. Those days, of course, are now a distant memory. Southern California-style traffic congestion has been back for some time. But is the congestion as awful as it was before the coronavirus upended our lives? In a number of places, the answer is no. Commuters travel west on the 10 Freeway during the morning rush hour in Ontario on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Westbound traffic on the 10 Freeway in Ontario moves Wednesday, May 17, 2023. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Morning commuters make their way west on the 10 Freeway in Ontario on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. Freeway congestion improved during the worst days of the coronavirus pandemic but in many places in the Inland Empire, traffic levels are slightly better than the pre-pandemic levels. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The

For Charlie Plumb, a retired Navy captain shot down after 74 successful missions, seeing many of the guys he was held with in a North Vietnamese prison was an indescribable experience on Tuesday, May 23. “Seeing these guys I haven’t seen in a long time is really neat, especially when you’re in a prison cell with nothing else to do; you get to know these guys really well,” said Plumb, who spent six years in the “Hanoi Hilton” prison. “It’s a bond that can’t be replicated and can’t be broken. Some of the guys saved my life, and some guys said I saved their lives.” Nearly 170 American prisoners of war, including Plumb, marked on Tuesday the 50th anniversary of their release following the Paris Peace Accords that ended U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War with a visit to the Nixon Presidential Library & Museum in Yorba Linda. It was the first day of what will be three days of events at the library. Jim Linehan and his granddaughter, Ellie Paxton. 5, pause near POW flags in front of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library as

Thousands of family members and well-wishers will the University Quad this week as Cal Poly Pomona hosts a dozen commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2023. Ceremonies began Monday, May 22, with the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences and the College of Engineering. On Tuesday, graduates from the College of Business Administration and the College of Science celebrated their achievement. The Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture, College of Environmental Design, College of Education and Integrative Studies and the Collins College of Hospitality Management will close our commencement week on Wednesday. A Cal Poly Pomona graduate gestures towards family and friends after receiving his diploma from the College of Business Administration during the university’s 67th Commencement Ceremonies in Pomona on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Cal Poly Pomona graduates from the College of Business Administration walk in the processional during the university’s 67th Commencement Ceremonies in Pomona on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. The school is holding a total of 12 commencement ceremonies over the week with approximately 7,500 students receiving degrees. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland

A California regulatory board has ordered Los Angeles County to remove 275 youths from its troubled juvenile halls in Sylmar and Boyle Heights by the end of July. The Board of State and Community Corrections voted Tuesday, May 23, to declare the Barry J. Nidorf and Central juvenile halls “unsuitable.” Such a declaration gives the county 60 days to empty the halls of all “pre-disposition youths,” a category that covers juvenile detainees who have not been sentenced. At the meeting, county officials asked the board to delay the decision and to instead give them 150 days to implement a plan to consolidate their staff and youths to a soon-to-be reopened Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey, but the board members declined that option, saying the proposal was “too little, too late.” The county promised sweeping reforms when the BSCC declared the same halls unsuitable more than a year ago, and yet the facilities, which narrowly avoided a shutdown at that time, are now once again out of compliance, BSCC Chair Linda Penner said. “I have heard this before from Los Angeles County, and I think

Frantz Cleaners is part of the fabric of Pomona. The business has been cleaning and pressing clothes since the 1930s, first on West Holt Avenue, then at Garey and Orange Grove avenues. Every day, thousands of motorists pass the dry cleaner and its 1950s rooftop sign as they round the corner on Garey on their way to or from the adjacent 10 Freeway. “It’s such an icon for the city,” says owner Kay Richards as we admire the sign and its beckoning arrow from the sidewalk on Monday morning. “The neon finally gave out, so we don’t have that anymore. But it’s a nice sign.” Within days, though, Frantz Cleaners will be returning its last garment. Richards turned 81 on May 13. Her husband, Frank, who ran the business with her, died in 2019. Readying to relocate to the couple’s second home in Wickenburg, Arizona, she’s sold the property to a couple who tell her they don’t intend to keep the cleaners. Her last day of business is June 7, or possibly a few days earlier. “It’s time to retire,” Richards says. Longtime customer Alicia

The Redlands Festival of Arts, which returned in 2022 as a live event, will be held again over Memorial Day weekend in Redlands’ Smiley Park. The event, featuring a juried art show, live music, a Youth Art Expo and student chalk art competition, food, a wine and beer garden and children’s activities, runs 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 27 and 28. Activities and exhibits will stretch from Eureka Street, near the Redlands Bowl, across the park outside the A.K. Smiley Public Library and beyond, to a stage for musical performances at the First Presbyterian Church’s parklet. Other music stages will be at Mission Gables on Eureka Street and at the festival’s wine and beer garden. More than 50 artists are scheduled to show their work, in media including paintings, ceramics, fiber art, glass, jewelry, photography and wood. This year’s featured artist is David Schepps, exhibiting oil paintings and sketches in graphite and charcoal, according to the event’s website. In conjunction with the Redlands Festival of Arts, the Redlands Art Association will hold its Art-in-the-Park show between the Redlands Bowl and Eureka Street. The

Temecula Valley schools are investigating after a substitute teacher was captured on video using the N-word in a middle school classroom. The video shows him sitting at a desk and in a conversation with students at Bella Vista Middle School near Murrieta in which he discusses use of the word “negroes,” and says that using that word is OK. The substitute says “the word that people don’t like is …” before saying the N-word. He then says the word a few times as students react with laughter and what appears to be shock. The video appears edited, with parts not being continuous. Also, children’s faces are obscured. James Evans, Temecula Valley Unified School District spokesperson, said in an email Monday, May 22, that the district learned of the video Thursday, May 18, and immediately blocked him from serving at any of its schools. “The District does not tolerate the use of racial slurs … the District will appropriately investigate this matter and take all appropriate measures,” Evans wrote. Of the approximately 300 comments about the video on TikTok, most viewers criticized use of the racial slur