Category: Inland Empire

June 2024 marked a pivotal moment in Riverside’s housing market, characterized by a “flight to quality.” Buyers flocked to homes in pristine condition, especially those priced over $700,000, sparking bidding wars for properties ranging from $700,000 to $1.7 million. This trend underscores the resilience and appeal of Riverside real estate amidst economic fluctuations and evolving buyer preferences. Let’s delve into the key statistics that shaped last month’s Riverside real estate landscape. Riverside Housing Stats, June 2024 Closed Transactions: 213 Average Sold Price: $719,779 Days on Market Avg: 30 New Listings: 178 A Robust Number of Closed Transactions June 2024 saw 213 closed transactions, indicating a healthy level of market activity. This figure suggests that despite economic uncertainties and fluctuating interest rates, buyers and sellers in Riverside remain confident in the market’s direction. Riverside’s strategic location within the Inland Empire, rich cultural heritage, and robust local economy make it an attractive destination for homebuyers. Additionally, the city’s ongoing investments in infrastructure and community amenities continue to enhance its livability, drawing in both new residents and investors. Rising Home Values The average sold price in June 2024

Restaurants and other food establishments ordered to close and allowed to reopen by San Bernardino County health inspectors from June 27 to July 4. Hoji, 721 Nevada St., Suite 407, Redlands Closed: June 27 Reason: Insufficient hot water DQ Grill & Chill, 2238 N. Arden Ave., San Bernardino Closed: July 2 Reason: Cockroach infestation KFC, 2007 E. Highland Ave., San Bernardino Closed: June 28 Reason: Food contamination due to water leak Reopened: July 1 Los Arcos, 934 E. Highland Ave., San Bernardino Closed: June 27 Reason: None provided 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 Related Articles Local News | Hooters closes several ‘underperforming’ restaurants Local News | San Bernardino County restaurants shut down by health inspectors, June 13-20 Local News | San Bernardino County restaurants shut down by health inspectors, June 6-13 Local News | San Bernardino County restaurants shut down by health inspectors, May 29-June 6 Local News | Rubio’s files for bankruptcy days after closing 48 restaurants in California

Guided tours of the historic Mission Inn Hotel & Spa will be coming back.  Duane and Kelly Roberts owners of the iconic Riverside hotel, said in a news release that tours will resume in the fall. “Kelly and I believe that the Mission Inn is a treasure, not just for Riverside, but for everyone who appreciates history, architecture and culture,” Duane Roberts said in the release. Beginning Sept. 5, tours will be offered three times a day from Thursdays to Sundays. However, the excursions will be led by a new group of tour guides. Mission Inn Foundation Vice President Rich Vandenburg and Mission Inn Foundation President Jennifer Gamble stand in front of the former Mission Inn Museum in downtown Riverside on Wednesday, July 3, 2024. The museum closed after a dispute between the foundation and the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, but tours of the historic inn will resume in fall. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) Mission Inn Foundation Vice President Rich Vandenburg and Mission Inn Foundation President Jennifer Gamble are seen near the former Mission Inn Museum in downtown Riverside on Wednesday, July

New Yorker magazine journalist Calvin Trillin formed a special relationship with an unpretentious restaurant on the opposite coast, Riverside’s Zacatecas Cafe. This was in 1978 and ’79. Trillin came to Riverside on reporting trips that resulted in two long stories for the magazine, one of them a classic. While here, he became a regular at the family-owned Mexican restaurant — founded in 1963 and still going strong — and mentioned it in an essay. I knew that Trillin wrote “Todo Se Paga” (Everything Gets Repaid), an article on a notorious Riverside feud in the Casa Blanca neighborhood. It was reprinted in “Inlandia: A Literary Journey Through California’s Inland Empire,” the 2006 anthology of Inland Empire writing. Trillin’s name came up at a tribute to Zacatecas Cafe at the Riverside Main Library in April. I wanted to know more. How did Trillin end up in Riverside and how did he discover the restaurant? A chance encounter in May with Jim Richardson, the Press-Enterprise‘s courts reporter from 1976-83, provided the answers. He’d co-written a series of stories in 1978 about the two feuding families. A Riverside lawyer

By Greg Archer | Contributing Columnist Those running Home of Neighborly Service, in a historic, 102-year-old San Bernardino building, want everybody to know how much of a saving grace the building has become. Since 1922, the Home of Neighborly Service has been at its unique location at 839 North Mt. Vernon Ave., and has made strides for people in need. Through the decades, it has played a key role in assisting San Bernardino residents, often with food assistance. Other events, including clothing and toy drives, help children and families in the region. The organization’s weekly food pantry and distribution has become a go-to, and the center relies mostly on donations and other funding. “The historic building has been here for 102 years, serving the community with different resources,” said Charlene M. Smith, executive director of the Home of Neighborly Service. “Our weekly food distribution is one of the biggest programs we have. Even during the pandemic, when everything was shut down, we continued to somehow feed over 100 families a week every Friday. We basically have one staff member.” The Home of Neighborly Service in

A forecast calling for triple-digit temperatures was no match for Ontario, where residents gathered early Thursday, July 4, for the annual parade and picnic celebrating U.S. independence. Parade attendees show their excitement as they watch the Independence Day Parade along Euclid Avenue in downtown Ontario on Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Oliver Puerto, 3, from Ontario, sits on the shoulders of his father, Gerson, as he waves an American flag while watching the Independence Day Parade in downtown Ontario on Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) A parade participant carries an American flag down Euclid Avenue during the Independence Day Parade in downtown Ontario on Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Parade participants wave the red, white and blue patriotic colors as their vehicle drives down Euclid Avenue during the Independence Day Parade in downtown Ontario on Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Cheerleaders make their way down Euclid Avenue during the Independence Day Parade in downtown Ontario on Thursday

Musical notes and fireworks saluted veterans and the nation’s birthday on Wednesday night, July 3. RELATED: Where to find July 4th fireworks in the Inland Empire It was another Concert for Heroes, held under the stars at Riverside National Cemetery. The Riverside Philharmonic played patriotic tunes as guests filled the amphitheater and the surrounding grass on lawn chairs and blankets. The free event culminated with the blasts of pyrotechnics on the night before Independence Day. The Riverside Philharmonic performs Wednesday, July 3, 2024, with music director Tomasz Golka during the Concert for Heroes at the Riverside National Cemetery. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) Anelle Snowball, Mark R. Root Sr. and Ileana Pardillo enjoy the Riverside Philharmonic performance on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, at Riverside National Cemetery. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) Guests sit by the pond on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, during the Concert for Heroes at Riverside National Cemetery. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) Van and Lynne Watt listen to the National Anthem on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, at Riverside National Cemetery. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) Garik Terzian, a

A crowd gathered on Railroad Avenue in Casa Blanca, one of Riverside’s oldest neighborhoods. Food trucks, a DJ, and Lowrider cars lined the block. No one needs a reason for a block party in July, but they were here to celebrate. The Casa Blanca Home of Neighborly Service hosted the community gathering to support a locally set,  filmed,  and produced movie ¡RAZA!.  Breanna Adame, an actor in the film, was glad to see such a show of love for the film. “It was amazing to see the community come together and represent Riverside. The support was overwhelming, and we can’t wait for everyone to see the full feature film.” Victor Adame, a Riverside native and Chapman University Master of Fine Art in Screenwriting recipient, has written a screenplay based loosely on his family’s experience growing up in and around Casa Blanca. ¡RAZA! tells the story of a family torn apart by a false murder conviction. Adame calls the narrative “semi-autobiographical” based on the incarceration of a relative outside of his immediate family. “We created a trailer for our upcoming film about a Chicano family in Riverside struggling to

A bone from the arm of St. Jude Thaddeus, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus, is in the Inland Empire this week, with future stops planned. The first-class relic, venerated in Rome from ancient times, has been on pilgrimage in the United States since September 2023 and has been touring Southern California. It has made stops in more than 100 cities, a website for the relic states. RELATED: Long line forms at first Orange County stop in tour of St. Jude relic The faithful came Wednesday, July 3, to see the relic at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Upland. It was scheduled for a display from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., with a Mass at 7 p.m., but people had already started lining up by 10 a.m., parish Administrator the Rev. Alex Rodarte said. Visitors look Wednesday, July 3, 2024, at a case holding a relic of St. Jude Thaddeus at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Upland. The relic is a piece of bone from the arm of St. Jude Thaddeus. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Claremont resident Yolanda Rodriguez prays

Lake Elsinore has big plans for the Fourth of July weekend. So big that they include a six-story tall rubber duck. RELATED: Where to find July 4th fireworks in the Inland Empire Dubbed “Mama Duck,” it’s billed as the “world’s largest rubber duck.” The “world’s largest rubber duck” lays flat Wednesday, July 3, 2024, before it’s inflated in Lake Elsinore near The Diamond stadium. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) The “world’s largest rubber duck” slowly inflates Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Lake Elsinore. It will be on display from Thursday, July 4, 2024, until Saturday, July 6, 2024. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) The “world’s largest rubber duck” slowly inflates in Lake Elsinore on Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) The “world’s largest rubber duck” stands at an estimated 61 feet tall in Lake Elsinore on Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) The “world’s largest rubber duck” slowly inflates Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Lake Elsinore. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) The “world’s largest rubber duck” slowly inflates in Lake Elsinore on Wednesday, July

The Rotary Club of Colton hosted its 4th Annual Teen and Miss Colton Pageant on Saturday, June 22, 2024, in a dazzling celebration of beauty, talent, and community spirit. The event culminated in the crowning of Reyna Chaves as Miss Colton 2024 and Mia Perez as Teen Miss Colton 2024. Four princesses were also honored: Jennifer Puga and Aurora Calderon in the Miss Division, and Yaiza Mesa and Sienna Fernandez in the Teen Division. The evening was electric with anticipation as Dr. G entertained the crowd, setting the stage for an unforgettable night. The Colton NJROTC Color Guard presented the colors, and the audience was moved by 6-year-old Victoria Perez’s stirring rendition of the National Anthem. The pageant festivities began early in the day, with contestants participating in interviews at the Colton Chamber of Commerce. They then moved to the Whitmer Theater, where they showcased their athleticism and passions in the sportswear division. Contestants displayed their favorite sports, hobbies, and future professions, adding a unique personal touch to the competition. The elegance of the evening gown segment, combined with the poise and intelligence shown during

California is a land of superlatives. The state is number one in population. We are the top national producer of about 100 crops and even the number one international producer of some of those (e.g., almonds). California’s General Sherman Giant Sequoia is the world’s largest tree. Death Valley is the hottest and the lowest place on the continent. Mt. Whitney is the highest point in the 48 contiguous states. But you don’t have to go far from Riverside to find a California superlative. Jurupa Valley is home to California’s oldest tree (and, as we shall see, one of the oldest trees in the world). The road to fame for what has come to be known as the “Jurupa Oak” (or “Hurungna Oak” ) started at the University of California Riverside (UCR). When UCR botanist Mitch Provance found a Palmer’s Oak (Quercus palmeri) growing on a steep hillside in Jurupa Valley in 2003, he knew he was onto something special. Palmer’s Oaks typically live in the mountains, thousands of feet above sea level. This oak lives on a hill barely over 1200 feet above sea level, making it

By James Coats | Contributing Columnist James Coats attends a Poetry After Dark open mic in February at Cafe Con Libros in Pomona. (Courtesy of James Coats) In summer 2016, I walked into a Luxury Salon in Fontana for my first open mic. I thought a hair salon was an odd place for an open mic but was encouraged to attend by a gentleman I had recently met, a poet and community organizer named Ipyani Lockert. I had just written my first social justice poem and to say I was nervous would have been an understatement. My hands were shaking so much I could barely read my poem to the audience, but after I finished, I felt accomplished, brave even. I had expressed my voice on a meaningful topic and I felt heard. Eight years and hundreds of open mics later I’m so happy I took Ipyani up on his invitation. The oral tradition of storytelling dates back millennia, but when we think of poetry for performance, we often think of the Greeks writing epic poems like the Odyssey, as well as odes for grand

At the end of lessons each school day in the mid-1890s, Redlands teacher Mary Fackler would decide if students had behaved and done their schoolwork properly. If all had gone well, one student would be selected to hold a small American flag while the rest of the class was rewarded by being permitted to recite these words: “I pledge allegiance to my flag, and to the Republic for which it stands: one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all.” No, the kids weren’t wrong in their recitation – this was the original wording of the Pledge of Allegiance more than 125 years ago. They also had no idea that they were among the first students in America to regularly recite the Pledge in a classroom. “The children understood that to be good citizens they must appreciate the value of time, and they valued the privilege of saluting the flag,” Fackler told the Redlands Daily Facts, April 21, 1930. Trisha Aurelio, an archivist with the University of Redlands, looks over a flag in the university’s collection. It was originally given to local teacher Mary Fackler

“Swift swings” takes a quick peek at one economic trend. The number: The pandemic helped to slash by nearly one-third the number of Southern California workers with 90-minute-plus commutes. The source: My trusty spreadsheet looked at Census Bureau stats focusing on what’s dubbed “super commuters” – folks in the five-county region with workday trips of an hour and a half or longer. Sadly, the latest data is for 2022, which we compared with pre-coronavirus 2019. Quick analysis A host of factors – everything from changes in remote work to swings in where people live – dramatically altered how Southern Californians get to work. And it’s probably good news that crazy-long commutes have been trimmed. Southern California had 299,619 super commuters in 2022, down 30% or 130,640 in three years. Still, that equals 3.5% of all commuters with these long hauls, compared with 4.5% in 2019. And note that commuting overall dropped 11% in the period. This is, in no way, just a Southern California quirk. Statewide, there were 550,257 super commuters in 2022, a drop of 32% or 261,030 in three years. That was 3.6%

Metrolink Arrow’s new zero-emission train — the first of its kind in the U.S. — has arrived in San Bernardino County. The approximately 108-seat train, called a Zero Emission Multiple Unit, or ZEMU for short, will be making rides between San Bernardino and Redlands much cleaner. The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority had planned for the train to arrive in May, but it rolled into San Bernardino’s Santa Fe Depot on Thursday, June 20, after further testing. By the end of this year, travel on one of the three Arrow line trains will be more environmentally friendly thanks to the launch of the first self-powered, zero-emission train. Transit officials anticipate it will be the most environmentally efficient railcar in the United States when it starts operating. A zero-emission passenger train arrives Thursday, June 20, 2024, at the Santa Fe Depot in San Bernardino. It will be part of the Arrow line from San Bernardino to Redlands by the end of the year. (Courtesy of San Bernardino County Transportation Authority) An overview of the zero-emission passenger train is seen Thursday, June 20, 2024, as it pulls

A large-scale law enforcement operation led to the seizure of over 1000 pounds of illegal fireworks and 100 destructive devices, as well as several firearms, in the Hillside neighborhood. The bust, which took place on June 20, was the result of a joint effort by the Riverside Police Department’s Technical Services Unit (TSU) and the Riverside Fire Department’s Arson Investigations Unit. The operation was carried out with assistance from the West Post-Release & Accountability Team (PACT) and the California Office of the State Fire Marshal. The illegal fireworks were found on the backyard patio of a home in the Hillside neighborhood where officers arrested the resident, Vincent Lozano III, 23. Lozano was also booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center for child endangerment since the illegal fireworks and destructive devices were accessible to children living at the home. He was later released on $35,000 bail. In the course of the investigation, officers also recovered several firearms, some of which are illegal to possess under California law. Police seized the fireworks and the firearms and booked Lozano into the Robert Presley Detention Center for processing. The

Thirteen Inland Empire Girl Scouts have earned the highest honor possible for a Girl Scout. They’ve been named to the 2024 class of Gold Award Girl Scouts by the Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio, which serves the Inland Empire. Across California, 415 girls earned the recognition. The girls “have dedicated themselves to meaningful change in their communities,” a news release states. The Gold Award goes to high school girls who “tackle significant issues with innovative solutions and sustainable impact,” the release states. Their projects address issues such as mental health awareness and environmental conservation. “Each of the Gold Award recipients has shown extraordinary dedication and creativity,” Cynthia Breunig, president & CEO of Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio said in the release. The honorees, who were recognized at a Saturday, June 8, event, are: Alyssa Cromwell, from Troop 1133 in Apple Valley — She installed a reflection bench at Apple Valley High School and created brochures to educate students about mental health. Sydnie Dantes, from Troop 183 in Palm Desert — The student at Temecula Preparatory School created a project to raise awareness about gluten-related issues

Unhoused people in Fontana are being shown a way forward with the city’s new transitional housing. City and San Bernardino County officials gathered Monday, July 1, to celebrate the opening of The Path, at 17133 Valley Blvd., a homeless resource center aimed at getting people not only off the streets but on their way to permanent housing. According to city officials, the 26,418-square-foot facility, housed in a former hotel, will initially house 30 people from Fontana’s Emergency Motel Voucher program. Upon full operation, The Path will provide accommodation for up to 120 people. Yazmin Ruiz, 42, one of the new tenants who is living at a former motel that was repurposed to serve as transitional housing for homeless people, and officer Jazmyne White, who helped her, pose for a photo in Fontana on Monday, July 1, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) Hilario Fonseca, 70, is one of the tenants at the city of Fontana “The Path” that serves as transitional housing for homeless people on Monday, July 1, 2024. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer) Yazmin Ruiz, 42, one of the new tenants