Local

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—For 17 years, San Bernardino High School has held the Miss Cardinal City Pageant in the fall and the Mr. Cardinal City Pageant in the spring. The COVID-19 pandemic changed that when first the 2020 Mr. Cardinal City Pageant had to be cancelled, then the 2020 Miss Cardinal City Pageant and 2021 Mr. Cardinal City Pageant.

With the 2021–2022 school year underway with in-person learning and in-person Board meetings, pageant director and bilingual school outreach worker Jaime Rios decided it was the right time to bring back the Cardinal City Pageants, but this time as a combined event in the fall.

“Since we missed two Mr. Cardinal City Pageants due to COVID, I didn’t want the students to wait until spring for that event,” Rios said. “Plus, since we’re coming back from an enforced hiatus, it seemed like a great opportunity to rethink the pageants to make them better than ever.”

Being crowned Mr. or Miss Cardinal City is an honor and a responsibility that many San Bernardino High School (SBHS) students desire.

To earn the title, contestants spend hours at rehearsals and mock interviews. They volunteer their free time to read to young children and help the homeless. Even before the young men and women take the stage for the formalwear and interview portions of the competition, they have all proven their dedication to SBHS and their community.

The school is asking local businesses and individuals to help make the pageant a success by donating time and resources. Any donations are welcome, from cash to in-kind donations. To become a sponsor, contact pageant director Jaime Rios at (909) 881-8217.

The combined Mr. & Miss Cardinal City Pageant is Saturday, September 25, 2021, 6 p.m., at Sturges Center for the Performing Arts, 780 North E Street in San Bernardino. Tickets are available from Rios or any Mr. or Miss Cardinal City contestant. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door.

SBHS and Sturges will comply with the latest COVID safety guidelines during the event. Due to changing circumstances, safety guidelines may change between now and the pageant.

Did you know that the Family Assistance Program has a free after school program for youth ages 11-21? The FamSpot Youth Drop-In Center, located at 16857 C Street in Victorville, provides a safe and positive environment for youth to get tutoring assistance, mentoring, resume workshops, and more. The center also has a game room and offers free snacks, WiFi and a variety of activities throughout the week. Activities include Movin & Music on Mondays, Tastin’ Tuesdays, World Wednesdays, Teach Me Thursdays, and Fiscal Fridays. Want to learn more? Call (760) 843-0701 or visit them online.

RIALTO, CA— Allanah was honored on August 10 by the City of Rialto Mayor Deborah Robertson, The State Senate Connie Leyva and the County of San Bernardino Joe Baca for her academic accomplishments. In the words of Madame Mayor “It takes a village.”

“Thank you all so much for demonstrating to my baby that all of her hard work has not gone unnoticed,” Vickie Davis, mother of Ms. Mouton, states. “She has accomplished something that many people will only see on TV or through periodic news stories that make their way into social media pages.”

She continues, “How blessed we are to have a front row seat. I’ve said it at least a hundred times and I’ll say one hundred more, I COULD NOT BE ANY MORE PROUD. Thanks to the love of my family, the beautiful support and encouragement of my community and unmatched joy that I have the privilege of knowing via watching my children grow I AM RICH. #richblessings.”

By Edward Henderson | California Black Media

Paulette Brown-Hinds, publisher of the Black Voice News has been named one of 10 recipients of Stanford University’s John S. Knight (JSK) Fellowship. The JSK Fellowship Program made the announcement August 4.

“As a lifelong learner, I’m excited to join the innovative cohort of journalism professionals — and especially excited to have access to some of Stanford’s finest minds and the JSK community of support as I work on my proposed project,” Brown Hinds said.

The JSK fellowship began in 1984 with a $4 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to provide a permanent endowment for the program. Their goal is to empower seasoned and emerging journalism leaders to close the information gap growing within minority communities. Fellows will receive stipends up to $75,000, advising on strategy and execution, cohort membership, and access to Stanford University resources.

“We’re thrilled by the wide range of experience levels, talents and types of local organizations around the U.S. that our new JSK Community Impact Fellows represent,” said JSK Director Dawn Garcia. “Their news and information projects will provide essential information to communities of people who are too often overlooked.”

With nearly 50 years of service to the Black community in Riverside County and surrounding areas, Black Voice News has been a family venture since Brown-Hinds parents, Hardy Brown and retired California Assemblymember Cheryl Brown became publishers in 1980. Brown-Hinds took over as publisher of the company in 2012 and has since focused on transitioning the print publication to a digital leader driven by what she describes as “solutions-based data journalism.”

During her 10-month fellowship, the information challenge Brown-Hinds proposed builds on the work of two Black Voice News data journalism focused initiatives: Mapping Black California and ‘DaHUB’, a data hub and content sharing platform currently in development.

The fellowship affords her the time, Brown-Hinds says, to explore how to make the visualization tools and datasets needed for solutions-focused data reporting on racial justice accessible to the Black Press in California.

Beyond the fellowship, Brown-Hinds is interested in providing assets for interested publishers.

“This includes a toolkit for news publishers on how to identify the right datasets, evaluate sources and translate statistics and numbers into meaningful narratives identifying solutions to systemic racism,” Brown Hinds says. “And drafting a playbook for Black media and Black community-based organizations interested in pursuing story collaborations utilizing data to solve community and systemic issues.

Museum Celebrates JTHAR’s 15-Year Anniversary with Exhibition

Innovative Art Inspired by Regional Desert Landscapes Opening September 18

The San Bernardino County Museum is honored to showcase the Joshua Tree Highlands Artist Residency (JTHAR) 15-year anniversary celebration exhibition from September 18, 2021 – January 3, 2022. The exhibition celebrates this anniversary by showcasing thirty-five artworks completed during the residency.  The artists selected are at all stages of their careers and work in all media, including drawing, painting, photography, film, video, new media, installation, fiction and non-fiction writing, interdisciplinary, social practice and architecture.

The museum recognizes JTHAR’s important work to engage emerging and seasoned artists in the Joshua Tree experience which allows for remarkable creativity as demonstrated in this upcoming exhibition. They also acknowledge the power of these resident artists and their resulting literal, abstract, and conceptual expressions to serve the cause of environmental sustainability, through influencing public opinion. Museum Director, Melissa Russo shared, “The San Bernardino County Museum is proud to host this 15-year anniversary exhibition of the Joshua Tree Highlands Artist Residency (JTHAR). The museum has a long-standing relationship with artists and art organizations throughout our Southern California region, supporting vibrant and unique creative community through exhibitions and programs.”

Over the past 15 years, JTHAR has hosted 110 national and international artists from Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and over 17 states across the United States. Curator and JTHAR advisory board member Alma Ruiz praised the organization’s achievements, “We can only marvel at what the JTHAR founders have accomplished in a relatively short time. The residency’s reach in its short existence is to be commended and encouraged. Its positive impact on the artists’ professional growth is evident.”

Established in 2007 by founders Fredrick Fulmer and James Berg, JTHAR is a non-profit artist residency that awards an international community of artists the gifts of time and space amidst the extraordinary natural beauty of Joshua Tree National Park. Group and solo residencies of six to seven weeks include scholarship funds, living accommodations, studio space designed to accommodate a broad range of artistic activity and a gallery exhibition.

The San Bernardino County Museum’s exhibits of regional, cultural and natural history and the Museum’s other exciting events and programs reflect the effort by the Board of Supervisors to achieve the Countywide Vision by celebrating arts, culture, and education in the county, creating quality of life for residents and visitors.

The San Bernardino County Museum is at 2024 Orange Tree Lane, at the California Street exit from Interstate 10 in Redlands. The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Parking is free. For more information, visit http://www.sbcounty.gov/museum. The museum is accessible to persons with disabilities.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— On August 14th, Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr. hosted a community dump day in Arrowhead Farms with San Bernardino County Department of Public Works. The event brought in 49 cars/truckloads of household trash and tires, equating to a total of 12.25 tons being hauled off to the landfill with the assistance of Burrtec Waste. The clean-up comes on the heels of previous clean-ups in Little Third, Muscoy, and Bloomington.  Hosting community cleanups, providing additional resources to code enforcement, and infrastructure improvements have been the focus of Supervisor’s Baca’s first year in office.  

“I am honored to work with public works and local residents to improve the quality of life in Arrowhead Farms. I want all County residents to know that my office and county departments are dedicated to ensuring that we are responsive to their needs,” Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr. stated.

Supervisor Joe Baca Jr. is the Fifth District member of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. The Fifth District includes Colton, Fontana, Rialto, San Bernardino, Arrowhead Farms, Bloomington, Devore, El Rancho Verde, Glen Helen, Little Third, Muscoy, and Rosena Ranch. 

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Dr. Scott Thayer has been named the interim president of San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) for the 2021-22 academic year, coinciding with the start of former president Diana Z. Rodriguez’s transition to chancellor of the San Bernardino Community College District, which includes San Bernardino Valley College in San Bernardino and Crafton Hills College in Yucaipa. Prior to being named interim president, Dr. Thayer served for four years as SBVC’s Vice President of Student Services and in numerous administrative, leadership and faculty roles at California colleges and universities over the past 23 years.

Dr. Thayer is well-known across the California community college system as an advocate for historically underrepresented students, as well as an authority on student access, retention, equity, success, enrollment management, and K-20 partnerships. He is a founding member of two non-profit organizations: Have Faith, Be Strong (HFBS)—a non-profit organization for childhood cancer awareness—and the African American Male Education Network and Development (A²MEND), a service organization that promotes the increased involvement and representation of young men of color in higher education. Dr. Thayer also teaches part-time in San Diego State University’s Community College Leadership program, where he mentors the next generation of community college leaders.

 Dr. Thayer received his doctorate in Higher Education Administration and Leadership from the University of Southern California; his Master of Arts in Counseling and Guidance from Point Loma Nazarene University in California; his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Rollins College in Florida, and his Associate of Arts from Normandale Community College in Minnesota.

“I am confident that Dr. Thayer will be leveraging his extensive higher education expertise for the continued benefit, growth, and success of our campus community,” said Chancellor Rodriguez in an email to campus. “His leadership will be instrumental to our campus and district’s successful transition back to in-person instruction and operations during this upcoming academic year.”

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- On Saturday, June 26, 2021, Café Organix celebrated it’s one year anniversary. The vegan café is co-owned by NBA legend and retiree, John Salley. Their products are primarily made in-house with organic ingredients. “Expect a well-seasoned and tasty vegan cuisine. We will play with the menu to figure out the favorites and the foods we are good at making,” John Salley explained.

In addition to offering drinks and eats, Cafe Organix also stocks frozen packaged goods, tea blends, candles, and other products! There is an art gallery inside the cafe that features new local artist each month. The café also hosts regular events for the community.

Café Organix is located at  420 E Hospitality Ln Suite A10, San Bernardino, CA 92408