Category: Inland Empire

Chaffey College’s bands and choral groups will present holiday concerts Dec. 6 and 7 on the college’s Rancho Cucamonga campus 5885 Haven Ave. The choral concert, by Chaffey’s Chamber Choir and Concert Choir, is 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, and the concert by the Concert Band and Jazz Band is at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. Both concerts, featuring both students and community members, will be in the Chaffey College Theatre. The choral concert, “Voices in Harmony,” will include music ranging from classical pieces by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Anton Bruckner to folk music from the Republic of Georgia and pop and vocal jazz favorites. The program also features songs of love and unity by Melanie DeMore, Ruth Moody, Gwyneth Walker and more. “I’m so excited for our choral students to share the incredible progress they’ve made as singers, musicians and performers this semester,” David Rentz, director of the Chamber Choir, said in a news release. Music student Brianna Raygoza, who is planning to transfer to a four-year university in the spring, said she is excited to perform “Alilo,” a Georgian Christmas song. “I think we

City Council voted 6-1 Tuesday night to approve a controversial 347-unit apartment complex at the former Kmart site in Mission Grove. The decision came after nearly five hours of debate, with residents filling the council chambers to voice concerns about traffic, density, and neighborhood character. Business groups and housing advocates supported the project as necessary to address the city’s housing shortage. The development, proposed by Regional Properties Inc., will transform the vacant 9.92-acre Kmart parcel into five four-story apartment buildings. It includes studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units and amenities like a pool, clubhouse and dog park. Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes cast the lone dissenting vote, citing safety concerns given the site’s proximity to March Air Reserve Base. “When we talk about building, we have to consider safety for our communities,” Cervantes said. “I could not, in my good conscience and faith, go to sleep and vote yes on this.” The project required the council to overrule the Airport Land Use Commission, which found the proposed density of 35 units per acre far exceeded the 6 units per acre maximum for that safety zone. Councilmember Chuck

Poinsettia is up there with Santa, Rudolph, mistletoe, and holly as a symbol of the Christmas season. A.k.a. Euphorbia pulcherimma = (“the most beautiful Euphorbia”), poinsettia is our country’s economically most important potted plant. As many as 70 million are sold per year. That translates into tens of thousands sold in Riverside alone. And the reason for being so popular stems from the efforts of a Southern California family. How did this Mesoamerican native come to settle in SoCal and capture the hearts of Yuletide enthusiasts nationwide? Before we get to that question, let’s go through a bit of a poinsettia primer and address three poinsettia misconceptions: First, don’t make the mistake of calling the plant “POINT-set-ta,” as I used to do. It is named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Minister (ambassador) to the newly born country of Mexico, who introduced it to the United States. The proper pronunciation is “poin-SET-tee-a.” That is, there’s no “point” to the name. Second, the poinsettia’s reputation for being fatally poisonous is overstated. Yes, it is a member of the Euphorbiaceae (spurge) family, which is known

By Anna Christian | Contributing Columnist Several years ago, I joined a writing group at the home of a woman who I knew little about. My friend who had known her and had worked with her on several projects introduced us. We met weekly at her house in South Central L.A. It was a small group, about 10 writers of various experiences. The years I was with the group were the most fruitful in my writing life. Anna Christian is a writer and educator whose most recent novel is “Then Sings My Soul.” She facilitates a creative writing class at the Moreno Valley Senior Center. (Courtesy of Anna Christian) Each week I learned more about this fascinating woman who hosted, organized the group, and shared bits and pieces of her life with us. I felt as if I had stepped into a history book. Her circle of friends included Paul Robeson, Langston Hughes, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Maya Angelou to name a few. She told us anecdotes about their relationships and about her career in Hollywood, and on the world stage. One day, I asked

Artists on Main-Cancelled Unfortunately, there was some difficulty juggling the Festival of Lights and Artists on Main. Artists on Main has been cancelled. There is still plenty to do so don’t cancel your plans if you intended to go. We know many artists rely on income from Artswalk, especially during the Holidays. Please look for ways to support local artists outside of Vendors on Main. Museums and Galleries Still Open The Riverside Art Museum, The Cheech, RCAA, Division 9, and UCR Arts are still open and free to the public for the first Thursday of December. This would be a great night to see what’s going on at the Festival of Lights and avoid the weekend rush. Palabra at the Cheech The Cheech will continue its series of open mic poetry this Thursday night in the lobby. Palabra is a celebration of the spoken word and language. Host Donato Martinez and poets Meliza Bañales, Carlos Ornales, and Antoine Victorin will get the night started. They will turn the microphone over to the public at 8 p.m., and registration begins at 6 p.m. Riversider Magazine Photo Show and Sale

A suspected illegal street race on Sunday night, December 1, claimed the life of a 19-year-old Rialto resident and left two others injured, according to the Rialto Police Department. The crash, which occurred on the 1400 block of South Cactus Avenue at approximately 10:32 p.m., ended in tragedy when one of the drivers lost control and struck a tree. The second driver was arrested at the scene. Authorities identified the victim as Marcques Mena, who was behind the wheel of a white Ford Mustang. Investigators say Mena and 24-year-old Jose Perez-Villafuerte of Fontana were involved in a street race after stopping at the intersection of Cactus Avenue and San Bernardino Avenue. As the two vehicles sped southbound on Cactus Avenue, Mena lost control of his car, which veered off the road and collided with a tree. Rialto Police officers arrived at the scene by 10:35 p.m., followed shortly by Rialto Fire Department paramedics. Despite their swift response, Mena was pronounced dead at 10:45 p.m. Two passengers in Mena’s vehicle were rushed to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. Perez-Villafuerte, driving a gray Ford Mustang

As many of you know, I also serve as Editor-at-Large for the Riversider Magazine. One thing I love about what we do at the Riversider is the durability of the medium, the physical object that we create. I hope the magazine, as an institution, will be around in fifty years, but if it is not, we can be sure that there will be people with collections, and those documents will be part of the city’s record. That is exciting to me. The other thing I love about the magazine is its pictures. We employ the best photographers in Riverside. They consistently give us full-page, full-color reminders that Riverside is an exceptionally beautiful city with so much to offer aesthetically. Zach Cordner, Publisher of the Riversider and career photojournalist, talks about what it means to document the city. “The Riversider is a photography-based magazine founded by a photojournalist, where our goal is to highlight the beauty of our city with unique visuals. We use photography as a tool to tell the stories of the people, places, and events that happen in Riverside.” We get asked a

The iconic Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena is gearing up for a major transformation to enhance guest experience, including upgraded seating and the installation of one of the nation’s largest videoboards, officials announced Monday, Dec. 2. Dubbed the Lasting Legacy Campaign, the $80 million revitalization effort includes eight projects designed to modernize the 102-year-old venue, preserve its infrastructure for future generations and continue driving economic growth in the region, according to the Rose Bowl Operating Company, which oversees the city-owned stadium. The funding for the campaign is led by privately-raised funds cultivated by the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, the Operating Company’s supporting nonprofit, along with contributions from the stadium’s partners and vendors, officials said. The improvements, scheduled for completion by the 2028 Olympics Games and beyond, will be carried out in two phases. Phase 1 is estimated to cost $30-35 million and aims to be completed in 2026. Planned projects include a full refurbishment of the stadium’s historic Rose Bowl marquee sign; an overhaul of the seating bowl sound system (its first since the 1990s);  the addition of safe standing sections for Bruin students on

Hundreds of Lake Elsinore residents have a sharp-eyed former city administrator to thank for taking a close look at his latest county property tax bill. Pat Kilroy, who worked for the city for 20 years and retired in 2014 as its lake, parks and recreation director, says he was quickly drawn to a line item on his Riverside County tax bill marked “CFD 90-2 Lake Elsinore.” Kilroy recognized the charge as a recurring Mello-Roos tax that Kilroy and other Tuscany Hills residents had been paying since 2007 to cover $7.3 million in bond debt for infrastructure improvements in their neighborhood. Kilroy reviewed the city’s annual report for Tuscany Hills and noticed that the special levy, called a Community Facilities District tax, had matured on Oct. 1, was paid off and showed a principal outstanding balance of zero. “I’m a retired administrator from this city. I knew this bond was maturing and I was looking forward to NOT paying $2,000 every year,” said Kilroy, 66. Pat Kilroy, a resident of the Tuscany Hills neighborhood in Lake Elsinore, looks at his tax documents on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, showing the

December is a wild month. We did a little leg work for you so you can carve out a bit of time from juggling holiday duties and take some time to find the holiday spirit. FOX Theater Holiday Schedule The Fox Performing Arts Center has a busy Holiday entertainment schedule in December. From “Merry-Achi” to Christmas with the Beatles, you will surely find something to brighten your Yule Tide. Fox Performing Arts Center – 2024 show schedule & venue information – Live Nation Social Distortion New Year’s Eve at RMA Mike Ness founded Social Distortion in Fullerton, California, over 45 years ago. The band has endured the toughest of times and a few streaks of super success, becoming one of the most influential bands in the Southern California Punk scene.  Ring in the New Year at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium with Social Distortion tickets can be found here. La Sierra University Candlelight Concert For 77 years, La Sierra University has put on a traditional choir and orchestra Christmas Concert on the west side of town. It is a holiday showcase of the school’s incredible Performing Arts

Welcome to our weekly digest on public meetings and agenda items worthy of your attention in the next week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, December 3, in an afternoon session at 1:00 p.m. and an evening session at 6:15 p.m. (agenda). The agenda includes: An overview of Riverside’s water rights, established by two 1969 legal judgments. (Item 6) An update on how the City plans to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into its operations and guidelines for using AI in city operations. (Item 7) Setting the City’s legislative priorities for the next two years, focusing on issues like insurance access, housing affordability, and community improvements while positioning the City to participate in the 2028 Olympics. (Item 8) Updating conflict of interest rules to ensure transparency and comply with state law requirements. (Item 20) A public hearing for a project to transform the vacant K-Mart site in the Mission Grove Plaza into a 347-unit apartment complex, which would provide

Consider the dilemma facing San Bernardino County Sheriff Charles A. Rouse 125 years ago this month. In December 1899, he captured a man he was certain was Charles A. Webber, who disappeared after writing a bunch of bad checks in Redlands. Several residents identified Webber, a landscaper who had skipped town three years earlier, abandoning his wife and new child. The suspect certainly matched Webber’s physical description, though he never wavered from claiming his name was Wilson and that he lived in Santa Barbara County. Rouse figured he could seal the deal by having Webber’s wife identify him. The suspect even shaved his beard to prepare for a confrontation with Mary Webber, who also was in the process of divorcing the missing husband. But she absolutely shocked Rouse by saying the suspect wasn’t her husband, the San Bernardino Daily Times-Index reported Dec. 16, 1899. “When brought face-to-face with the prisoner, (she) stated most positively that this was not ‘her man’ and became very indignant when it was hinted that perhaps she was trying to shield ‘her man’ from San Quentin by denying his identity,” the