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SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Spelling was all the buzz at San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools first Spelling Bee on March 24. 

Five winners were announced during a virtual awards ceremony. First place champion Caleb Rodriquez will advance to compete in the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee in July. 

Congratulations to the 2021 Spelling Bee winners:

• First place, Caleb Rodriguez, 8th grader at Edison Academy of Differentiated Learning, Ontario-Montclair
• Second place, Hayden Gonzalez, 8th grader at Foothill Knolls STEM Academy of Innovation, Upland Unified
• Third place, Logan Person, 8th grader at Richardson PREP HI Middle School, San Bernardino City Unified
• Fourth place, Rianna Manalac, 7th grader at Loving Savior Lutheran School, Pacific Southwest 
• Fifth place, Ames Avarell, 4th grader at Inland Leaders Charter Schools, Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified 

Twelve students from nine elementary and middle schools participated in the virtual event. Districts represented included: Adelanto Elementary; Ontario-Montclair; San Bernardino City Unified; Snowline Joint Unified; Upland Unified; Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified; and private school district, Pacific Southwest. 

Scripps National Spelling Bee provides Words of The Champions, a 4,000-word study booklet, to help students prepare for the competition. Each student is given 30 minutes to spell up to 50 words. Rodriguez correctly spelled 44 words out of 50—earning him the title.

The Spelling Bee is sponsored by San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Innovation and Engagement branch. The purpose of the Scripps National Spelling Bee is to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabulary, learn new concepts and develop correct English usage. For more information on the Scripps National Spelling Bee, visit their website

VICTOR VALLEY, CA—- As part of Victor Valley College’s ongoing response to COVID-19, students now have free, immediate, and unlimited access to medical and mental health counseling visits through TimelyMD, a telehealth company that specializes in higher education

TimelyCare, as the program is branded, offers students a complete care solution for campus health, with on-demand and appointment-based medical care and on-demand mental health counseling programs specifically designed for college students.

The program gives students free 24/7 access to licensed physicians and mental health professionals anywhere in the United States. 

“We know that students lead busy, complicated lives. The pandemic has made life, and being a student, even more challenging,” said Vice President of Student Development Dr. Karen Engelsen. “Students, we hope that you’ll utilize TimelyMD and benefit from the 24/7 access to medical, emotional and mental health care providers. It’s free, confidential, and available to all registered VVC students. We care about you and your future. Stay well.”

TimelyMD enhances campus resources by helping limit the spread of illness, reduce the stigma of mental health counseling, and grant peace of mind to students and their families. In fact, a recent survey found the top three things that would boost parents’ confidence in the ability of campuses to support students this fall were 1) on-campus enforcement of social distancing, 2) regular COVID-19 testing and 3) access to 24/7 telehealth resources for physical and mental health – all of which Victor Valley College has implemented.

“The experiences we’ve all gone through during this pandemic have called attention to the need to invest in programs that support mental health and overall well-being,” said Associated Student Body President Bridge Lee. “I’m so appreciative of VVC for bringing care solutions to students at a time when we need it most. I hope that students will take full advantage of this exceptional opportunity and that it will be continued for years to come.”

Seeking care on-demand is as easy as making a video call through TimelyMD. From an app on their phone or other device, students can see the profiles, faces and basic identifying details of a diverse range of medical providers or mental health counselors available to them. They can choose to meet with a specific provider or select the first available. Typically, students are having a video consultation with someone within 5 to 10 minutes. 

“Virtual access to medical and mental health counseling has never been more important, especially for college students who may be learning remotely, need care after hours, and prefer to do so privately on their own devices,” said Luke Hejl, Chief Executive Officer of TimelyMD. “Resuming classes this fall includes anticipating and addressing the concerns, needs and demands of students and their families. TimelyMD is proud to partner with Victor Valley College to take quality medical and mental health care off everyone’s worry list.” 

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The San Bernardino County Committee on School District Organization has one vacancy for an unexpired term in the First District.

The 11-member committee deals with school district organization issues, including the number of trustees, trustee and school district boundary areas, and unification.

Applicants must be registered voters in the First District. County Committee members cannot be employed by a school district in any county, community college district or county superintendent office. School board members are eligible to apply.

Interest forms can be downloaded at www.westsidestorynewspaper.com (look for this story in the newsfeed). The deadline to apply is 4 p.m. May 14. Virtual interviews are planned for Wednesday, May 19, 2021, beginning at 5 p.m.

For more information, contact Angel Arrington at 909-386-9615 or email angel.arrington@sbcss.net.

We are looking for the best and brightest to join our team of multi-disciplinary professionals whose standards are of the highest caliber. Kosmont Companies is founded on the pursuit of four pillars of strength: Innovation, Integration, Intelligence, and Integrity. We provide cutting edge municipal real estate products and services to best serve both the public and private sectors, converging traditional consulting with property brokerage and public finance transactions to achieve financial success for our clients.

Kosmont Companies (www.kosmont.com) is a respected advisory services and transaction firm
offering a full range of real estate and economic advisory, project finance, investment and planning
services for both the public and private sectors. Founded in 1986, Kosmont Companies is a nationally
recognized expert in economic development, public finance and real estate development projects
involving government and private sector partnerships.

Kosmont Companies’ headquarters are located at 1230 Rosecrans Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266.

Job Description
Minimum duties include:

• Contract review and negotiation
• Insurance review and negotiation
• Manage/coordinate virtual office and related technology platforms (using MS 365 Office –
• Teams, Tasks and SharePoint)
• Renewal of various government registrations (i.e., MBE/SBE certs, business license, etc.)
• Annual corporate minutes & filings
• Recruitment, training and retention of employees
• Negotiate and coordinate with various vendors
• Manage the Corporate calendar
• Assist with budget, billing, and accounts receivables
• Consulting activities as designated

Requirements

The ideal candidate will possess exceptional organizational skills, a strong analytical background, a
proactive attitude, excellent oral and written skills, ability to work independently and the capacity to
distill and use complex information. Candidate must be proficient with MS Office 365 applications
(Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams, and SharePoint) and preferably have an understanding about real
estate and local government.

Contract administration experience, understanding of insurance/risk management, and experience with
I.T. will be essential to your success in this position. Experience working for or with California local
government or relevant consulting work is a plus. A degree in Business Administration, law or paralegal
experience is preferred.

Compensation is commensurate with background, education and skills.

Interested candidates should email a cover letter and resume immediately (open until filled) to: Sabrina Pareja, spareja@kosmont.com.

(NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE)

VA Loma Linda Healthcare System has resumed administration of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine. Single-dose clinics are available by walk-in or appointment. Call (909) 825-7084 ext. 5085 for information.

?RIVERSIDE, CA— Burlington Stores, the national retailer delivering amazing deals to customers every time they shop, is growing with the addition of their newest distribution center in Riverside opening May 17. ? 

They’re hiring more than 100 full-time positions, and new hires can expect a base wage of?$16 $18/hour. The available positions include first and second shifts, full-time warehouse associates and supervisors. Perks include health benefits, a 401(k), flexible shift choices, and opportunities for performance-based bonuses. And what’s more, this new distribution center will be equipped with the latest pallet technology and will be one of the largest distribution centers for Burlington – measuring at close to 900,000 square feet.?? 

For Interested candidates looking to schedule an interview, they can select a time that works?best for?them. Job offers are often made on the spot. Additionally, Burlington will have Spanish-speaking associates available to assist with relevant interviews.  

To start filling the open positions, there will be a hiring event on Thursday, May 13 from 9 AM to 1 PM PST. Location address can be found below.  

Burlington Stores: Riverside Distribution Center  
21600 Cactus Avenue Riverside, CA 92518 

The deadline to get a travel-compliant Real ID driver’s license has been extended another 19 months by the Department of Homeland Security. Instead of Oct. 1, 2021, residents will have until May 3, 2023 to get their Real ID in order to board domestic flights and enter some federal buildings. If you choose not to get a Real ID, a U.S. passport or DHS trusted traveler card are also travel compliant. The Transportation Security Administration does not require IDs for children younger than 18 if they are traveling with an adult within the United States.

To apply for a REAL ID card, you must present ONE identity document that includes your date of birth and your true full name (first, middle, and last). You can complete the application online, and then go to the DMV to finish the process.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, Mr. Joseph G. Paulino, Chief of Police for San Bernardino City Unified School District Police Department spent time on Saturday, April 24, speaking virtually to youth and others of the Social Lites, Inc. 54th Beautillion program on leadership. Chief Paulino came across as an inspirational and influential leader sharing words of wisdom on how important to motivate others to be their best.  Chahan JhuMaani Chess stated what he learned was “A leader is someone who helps build others up and not only do they help prevent the chaos and malice of the present, but they also help build the fundamentals and encourage others for the possibilities and greatness of the future.”

The 54th Beautillion program is sponsored by The Social Lites, Inc. of San Bernardino under the leadership of Lisa Blacksher Owens, president, and Tina Darling Beautillion Chair. This past year, due to COVID-19 did not prevent this program from moving forward.  This year the Beautillion program continued to be an extracurricular virtual program which included the signature involvement with civic engagement, academics, and virtual cultural awareness through the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra and virtual workshops that included Dr. Samuel Gibbs who spoke on life skills and health.

The 54th Beautillion program will commence virtually on Saturday, May 22, 2021.  For more information, please contact: knight.beautillion@gmail.com

VICTORVILLE, CA— The City of Victorville announced Tuesday that it will award more than $3.2 million in federal grant money from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to local service organizations and programs designed to increase economic opportunities, improve living conditions, expand affordable housing, and assist with Coronavirus response and recovery for Victorville residents.

The recipients include High Desert Homeless Services, High Desert Second Chance (pictured above), Victor Valley Family Resource Center, Community Health Action Network, Victor Valley Domestic Violence, and San Bernardino Sexual Assault Services. Additionally, monies were awarded to various City programs such as the Library, graffiti abatement program, Senior Home Repair Program, Wellness Center Campus, and the homeless shelter at Westwinds Sports Center.

San Bernardino County continues to make great progress in the fight against COVID-19 and has now administered 1,209,066 doses to our residents.

On Tuesday, the County’s adjusted case rate was 2.9/100,000 with an overall positivity rate of 1.7 percent and an equity positivity rate of 1.8 percent. In order to move into the less restrictive yellow tier, the County’s overall positivity needs to be below 2 percent and equity positivity below 2.3% for at least two weeks. 

“We continue to make progress toward the yellow tier and want to thank our staff, entire community, network of trusted communicators and vaccine providers for that progress,” said County Chief Operating Officer Leonard X. Hernandez.

Hernandez said that Pfizer is currently working on approval with the FDA to administer vaccines to youth ages 12-16, and that the state may be releasing new guidance regarding a “green tier” shortly. As soon as that happens, we’ll be sure to share the information in our newsletter and social media sites.