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The San Bernardino City Unified School District’s (SBCUSD) high schools are holding drive-thru graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2020.

District graduates have had their traditional commencement ceremonies postponed due to social distancing restrictions implemented as a response to COVID-19. SBCUSD is committed to holding traditional graduation ceremonies as soon as possible. In the meantime, SBCUSD high schools are holding drive-thru graduations. During the ceremonies, graduates and their families and friends arrive in a single vehicle. Party buses and limos are not permitted. Only the graduate exits, has their name read, and walks across the stage. Spectators must remain within their vehicles at all times, and graduates and staff must wear masks.

These drive-thru graduations are not open to the public. The ceremonies are held in multiple shifts during the designated time period. Members of the media who wish to attend should contact the SBCUSD Communications/Community Relations Department.

San Bernardino High School

June 6, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

San Andreas High School

June 9, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cajon High School

June 11, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Pacific High School

June 11, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Indian Springs High School

June 12, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Middle College High School

June 13, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Arroyo Valley High School

June 16, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sierra High School

June 18, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

San Gorgonio High School

June 18, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Kirsten Adair, recent Crafton Hills College graduate and resident of Yucaipa, was awarded a $5,000 scholarship from the Southern California Gas Company. 

This scholarship will provide Adair with the opportunity to pursue her academic and career goals. “I am extremely grateful to have received this generous scholarship,” said Adair. “I plan on continuing my education at California State University of San Bernardino as a biology major. In my future career, I hope to focus on my passion for the environment and the protection of our natural resources.

Each spring SoCalGas, a Sempra Utility Company, awards Scholarships to community college students who are planning to transfer to a four-year university in the fall. The SoCalGas scholarship program is just a small portion of how the local community supports Crafton Hills College and the College’s Foundation.

“I am honored to represent SoCalGas, as they know the value of giving back to the communities we serve,” said Robert Visconti, SoCalGas Regional Affairs Manager and Director of the CHC Foundation Board. “I have been a Crafton Hills College Foundation Director for several years and have awarded an annual $5,000 Scholarship to a worthy student.”

“As a proud resident of Yucaipa, I am absolutely honored to award the 2020 SoCalGas’ Scholarship to a local student that absolutely excelled at Crafton Hills College,” said Visconti. “We anticipate she will have a stellar career at CSUSB studying Environmental Science. SoCalGas has been providing clean, efficient and affordable energy for 150 years and we embrace the Environmental Sciences, as we strive to achieve greater sustainability and clean air goals.”

“The Crafton Hills College Foundation supports the college by raising money and building relationships and partnerships to support the success of our students,” said Michelle Riggs, Director of Institutional Advancement. “Scholarships are made possible by more than 15 organizations, such as SoCalGas, and 100 individual donors. During these difficult times, financial support from our donors is not only appreciated, but vital for our students to stay on course to achieve their educational and career goals.”

This year, the Crafton Hills College Foundation awarded $161,950 in scholarships to more than 170 students. For information about the Crafton Hills College Foundation, establishing a scholarship, or supplementing existing scholarships, please contact Michelle Riggs, at (909) 389-3391.

San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) will continue to provide free grab and go meals to students at 11 locations from June 8 to July 29, 2020.

All SBCUSD students are eligible for free grab and go meals. The to-go meals are available for pick up Mondays and Wednesdays only from 9 to 11 a.m. Distribution ends at 11 a.m. to protect families from heat-related health issues and to prevent food from spoiling in high temperatures. However, students will be provided with multiple meals at a time. Families are encouraged to refrigerate those meals to maintain food safely.

Families can walk, bike, or drive to any of the meal distribution locations. Students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

The Summer Grab and Go Meal distribution sites are at the following San Bernardino locations:

Cajon High School, 1200 West Hill Drive

Chavez Middle School, 6650 North Magnolia Avenue

Del Vallejo Leadership & STEAM Academy, 1885 East Lynwood Drive

Golden Valley Middle School, 3800 North Waterman Avenue

Indian Springs High School, 650 North Del Rosa Drive

Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, 1250 Medical Center Drive

Muscoy Elementary School, 2119 West Blake Street

Pacific High School, 1020 Pacific Street

Richardson PREP HI Middle School, 455 South K Street

San Bernardino High School, 1850 North E Street

San Gorgonio High School, 2299 Pacific Street

For more information, call (909) 381-1224.

YUCAIPA, CA—- The Crafton Hills College Emergency Medical Technician Program has completed final testing, with 76 students graduating the program during one of the most stressful semesters in recent memory.

The class endured extensive changes to the program due to COVID-19. During the first portion of the stay-at-home order, lectures were conducted online. “The transition was taxing for both students and faculty since this program is heavily based in personal contact and teamwork,” said Laurie Green, EMT Program Director.

Later, the students were able to meet on campus with social distancing guidelines in place to complete skills practice and testing. “This had its own challenges,” Green said, “since the students had formed a bond and we now required them to space out every 6 feet.”

After Spring Break, students were not allowed to perform ride outs with community partners. This greatly limited the options students had to gain traditional hands-on experience; however, 10 students were able to get field contacts and the rest were able to conduct patient contact in the simulation lab. “This worked out because of the awesome equipment we have been provided in the lab, though nothing replaces the learning experience of a live patient,” Green said.

Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, students who complete this certificate program are prepared to take the National Registry examination and obtain entry-level employment as an Emergency Medical Technician or an Emergency Department Technician.

For more information about the EMT program, visit https://www.craftonhills.edu/academic-and-career-programs/divs-and-depts/career-ed-and-human-dev/public-safety-and-services/.

Due to current national and international crises, including the COVID-19 social distancing recommendations, in-person commencement ceremonies for all San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) graduates have been postponed until officials lift restrictions. In-person graduations have not been cancelled.

Interim Superintendent Dr. Harold Vollkommer said, “I want to assure you that we remain fully committed to having traditional, in-person graduation ceremonies as soon as we can do so safely.”

In an effort to honor the Class of 2020 during the normal graduation season, SBCUSD will be holding virtual graduation ceremonies and drive-thru graduation ceremonies. Dates, times and links for virtual graduation ceremonies appear below. All virtual ceremonies will premiere on Facebook and YouTube and will be available at the links provided below. Videos and links will not be active until the date of the virtual ceremony. Information about drive-thru graduations will be made available as soon as dates and times have been set.

Anderson School

Highlighted Graduates: Priscilla Contreras, Marcos Gallegos, Ashley Santoyo, Danielle Wayman, Joshua Gresham, Michelle Shreve Watson, and Angelo Macatangay

Graduates: 7^

Arroyo Valley High School

Virtual Graduation: Tuesday, June 9, 5 p.m., https://arroyovalley.sbcusd.com/class2020

Valedictorians: Veronica Banuelos, Edward Dominic Castaneda, and Jesus Giselle Pantoja

Salutatorian: Natalie Luna

Graduates: 580*

Cajon High School

Virtual Graduation: Wednesday, June 10, 5 p.m., https://cajon.sbcusd.com/class2020

Valedictorians: Tomas Ascencion Flores, Randy Gerond Medley, Elysia Rios, Brad Joseph Bolluyt, Serenity Ngoc Chavez, Thu Anh Nguyen, Ryan Daniel Chapin, Trevor Allen Chapin, and Yulissa Guadalupe Sanchez

Salutatorians: Raziel Plata Serrato, Moremi Elize Olora, Saul Mercado, and Abigail Grace Willis

Graduates: 652*

Indian Springs High School

Virtual Graduation: Friday, June 5, 5 p.m., https://indiansprings.sbcusd.com/class2020

Valedictorian: Kyla Duhart

Salutatorian: Kacey Lam

Graduates: 376*

Inland Career Education Center (formerly San Bernardino Adult School)

Graduates: 125*

Middle College High School

Virtual Graduation: Thursday, June 4, 5 p.m., https://middlecollege.sbcusd.com/class2020

Valedictorians: Naeli Marie Mills and Adriana Toledo Calvillo

Salutatorians: Lester Cedeno, Antonia Lopez-Vega, and Samuel Rojo-Aguayo

Graduates: 62*

Pacific High School

Virtual Graduation: Monday, June 8, 5 p.m., https://pacific.sbcusd.com/class2020

Valedictorian: Valerie Gonzalez-Caloca

Salutatorian: Vanessa Gonzalez-Caloca

Graduates: 224*

San Andreas High School

Virtual Graduation: Monday, June 8, 6 p.m., https://sanandreas.sbcusd.com/class2020

Graduates: 220*

San Bernardino High School

Virtual Graduation: Saturday, June 6, 5 p.m., https://sanbernardino.sbcusd.com/class2020

Valedictorian: Remijia Plascencia

Salutatorians: Anthony Craddock and Jose Rosales-Torres

Graduates: 311*

San Gorgonio High School

Virtual Graduation: Thursday, June 4, 6 p.m., https://sangorgonio.sbcusd.com/class2020

Valedictorians: Matthew Jackson, Henry Luu, and Jeffry Umana

Salutatorians: Maia Garcia and Dennis Phan

Graduates: 400*

Sierra High School

Virtual Graduation: Tuesday, June 9, 6 p.m., https://sierra.sbcusd.com/class2020

Graduates: 200*

Approximately 3,150 San Bernardino City Unified School District students will receive their high school diplomas or GED certification this year. This does not include those graduating from vocational programs.

^Note: Anderson serves students ages 12 to 22 with a variety of physical and intellectual challenges. Graduates receive a certificate of completion, not a high school diploma.

*Note: Graduate counts are approximate at this time.

We are sharing an opportunity for hire from the Riverside Justice Table. See their message below:

Hello, 
The Justice Table, a criminal justice focused civic engagement association based in Riverside County is seeking applicants for the “youth organizer” position.  There are two Youth Organizer positions open at this time. 20 hours a week at $16 to $17 an hour commensurate with work experience and skills. 

The Justice Table focuses on Public Safety and Increasing District Attorney Accountability to the communities that have been impacted by the historic race and class disparities of the Criminal (In)Justice System.  

To learn more about the position and/or apply please see the attached job description and job application. Please send all completed applications to 
Jordanna Wong-Omshehe at justicetable951@gmail.com.   

Click here to view the Job Description and here to download the Application 

SAN BERNARDINO, CA – Yesterday, Rep. Pete Aguilar announced that Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health, Inc has received $383,553 in coronavirus-response funding from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The funding will allow the organization to increase staff and provide protective equipment to prevent further spread of the virus within the region’s tribal communities.

“Since the beginning of this pandemic, I’ve worked with my House colleagues to make sure Inland Empire communities have the resources they need to prevent the spread of this virus and protect essential workers and health care personnel. I’m proud to announce this funding, which will help our tribal communities overcome this crisis and will lead to better health outcomes overall,” said Rep. Aguilar.

“The grant award comes to us at a pivotal time in our battle against this COVID-19 virus. Due to the scarcity in public health infrastructure and emergency management amongst the tribes we serve, our Native American  patient population is dependent on Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health, Inc. to provide risk mitigation in times of crisis,” stated Riverside–San Bernardino County Indian CEO, Jess Montoya.

“This award will enable us to purchase essential equipment and supplies, hire additional support staff, implement appropriate technology, and strengthen our organization’s public health activities to thoroughly care for our patients and reduce the impact of COVID-19 in our tribal communities. We would like to acknowledge Representative Aguilar for his support to Indian County at this time for his assistance in funding this program. This will benefit our patients and clinic system immediately and down the road.”

Rep. Aguilar serves as the Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, the committee responsible for allocating federal funding to agencies such as HHS.

 Starting Thursday, 169 locations will serve customers with appointments, offering limited services. Customers encouraged to use online and expanded virtual services when possible 

Sacramento – The California Department of Motor Vehicles on Thursday, June 11, will reopen its remaining field offices that were temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. With this phase of reopening, employees at 169 field offices will assist customers with current appointments at the specific office and limited transactions that require an in-person visit. Behind-the-wheel drive tests are not yet available, and the DMV continues to recommend that customers use its online services, expanded virtual services and other service channels to complete transactions, including eligible driver license and vehicle registration renewals.

“I continue to encourage Californians to use our online services, the Virtual Field Office, DMV Now kiosks and business partners whenever possible,” DMV Director Steve Gordon said. “Nearly all DMV tasks can be accomplished without an office visit. To keep wait times down and to maintain public health guidelines, I ask you to only visit a DMV office when absolutely necessary and to come prepared.”

Limited service: Employees will continue serving customers with existing appointments and Californians in need of selected transactions that can only be completed in a DMV field office, including:

Paying registration for a vehicle impounded because of registration-related issues

• Reinstating a suspended or revoked driver license
• Applying for a reduced-fee or no-fee identification card
• Processing commercial driver license transactions
• Applying for a disabled person parking placards (this can also be done by mail using the REG 195 form)
• Adding an ambulance certificate or firefighter endorsement to a driver license
• Verifying a transit training document to drive a transit bus
• Processing DMV Express customers for REAL ID transactions, if time and space allow
• Vehicle verifications

Offices will also offer additional services for commercial drivers, including vehicle inspections and basic control tests. The commercial offices will begin contacting previously scheduled applicants to reschedule the vehicle inspection and basic skills components. The DMV also will resume offering motorcycle drive tests.

Appointments: The DMV has already begun rescheduling appointments canceled during the temporary closure and notifying customers of the new date. Once the DMV has accommodated those customers, the DMV will begin offering a limited number of new appointments.

 The DMV plans to resume offering all services to appointment and non-appointment customers in the coming weeks, as space allows. The DMV notes for its customers that the San Bernardino field office is closed until further notice for repairs. 

 Public health measures: Customers will notice numerous changes to safeguard the health of employees and customers. including: Employees are wearing face coverings and maintaining physical distancing and have access to disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer, facial shields, gloves and soap and water. The DMV also is providing hand-washing stations for customer use in select locations. Customers are required to wear a face covering and remain 6 feet apart in line. Customers are offered a text message that will allow them to wait outside the building until notified they are ready to be served. Entry into the building is metered, and customers may experience extended wait times.

Behind-the-wheel drive tests: Behind-the-wheel tests are currently not available due to physical distancing concerns. The DMV plans to resume behind-the-wheel exams for both commercial and non-commercial drivers in the coming weeks. The DMV suspended the tests in March to comply with physical distancing guidelines. The DMV will reschedule canceled appointments for drive tests automatically when testing resumes.

Credit cards: The DMV has expanded credit card and digital wallet (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay) payment options to all offices statewide.

REAL ID: The DMV has expanded its “DMV Express” option to all field offices, allowing customers to fill out the online application for REAL ID, upload documents at home and receive an expedited experience at a local DMV office. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government extended the REAL ID enforcement date to October 1, 2021, a year later than previously announced, to give people more time to apply.

“We appreciate the public’s patience as we navigate this time of unprecedented challenges,” Director Gordon said. “We will continue to monitor the situation and act in the best interest of our customers and employees.”

Edwin Benard Benson, age 74, received his heavenly wings on Friday, May 15, 2020.

Benard was born May 6, 1946, to John Henry and Rebecca Benson in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He accepted Christ at an early age at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church. John Henry ensured that the Benson kids were in church. This is where Benard developed his solid foundation of honesty, respect, and compassion. These core values he carried with him throughout his life.

He attended Anderson High School where he graduated in 1964, then immediately enlisted in the United States Army. He returned to Winston-Salem after serving honorably for 7 years, and later moved to Los Angeles, California, where he met and married Vanessa. From that union, he had a daughter, Regina.

In 1991, he married Claire Laverne. They enjoyed a loving and fun-filled marriage for 29 years. They loved traveling, family gatherings, and enjoyed spending time with their grandchildren. Benard’s second love was refurbishing vintage cars, but he also truly enjoyed home-remodeling projects, and playing the lottery.

He enjoyed a remarkable career with the California Department of Corrections for 27 years in various capacities, including Correctional Officer, Correctional Sergeant, and Correctional Lieutenant, before retiring in 2002. He inspired and motivated through his consummate leadership, and was loved and highly respected by all.

He was preceded in death by his parents John Henry and Rebecca Benson, one sister Mary Jordan, brothers-in-law, Robert Earl Key, Lawrence Lindsay, Charlie Jordan, Melvin Brown, and sister-in-law Annie Benson. He leaves to cherish his memory, his devoted and loving wife, Claire Laverne, a daughter, Regina, two stepsons, Lamont and Lawrence, four sisters, Margretta Key, Alice Lindsay, Roxie Burns (Carl), and Queen Withee (Al), three brothers, Leroy, John, and George (Sharon), one Aunt, Naomi Thomas, 5 grandchildren, and a special life-long friend, George Fields, all whom he adored, and they loved him as well. Also to cherish his memory are a host of other relatives and friends who will remember his kind heart and his gentle and good nature. He will be truly missed and will be always remembered as the level-headed, caring, and fun person that he was.

By Laushaun Turner

Hello Everyone, hope you’re staying safe through Covid19. I wanted to share with everyone that I will be leaving KCAA as of July 1st and have launched my own platform at Cali.FM.

Cali.FM is a fully licensed digital platform headquartered in Southern California streaming worldwide- Hiphop, House, Latin/Reggaeton and Caribbean music. Real Music, Real Talk all the time! 

Cali.FM is a platform for sharing the voices, narratives, and cultures of urban communities nationwide. Music programming alternates with songs from various genre’s in 2-4-hour blocks between them, with special programming including Cali’s Best Radio Show- to be slotted from 4-6pm pst. Spinning mainstream hits and Independent music in all genre’s, Cali.FM provides a media outlet for Artists, Entrepreneurs and Guru’s worldwide to expose their talents, be seen and be heard.

The station and its web platform are looking for content contributors with meaningful and if need be, politically incorrect dialogue, – that means as our slogan says Real Talk! Cali.FM is especially interested in blogs and shows that matter to the urban communities, trending topics, and music news. Cali.FM has welcomed its first serial blogger, Blonde Intelligence aka Ms. Roni, and each Friday her posts are where you will “experience exquisite cranial repertoire”.  To be considered for a blogging opportunity email attn: BLOGGER to CaliFm247@gmail.com. If you have a sample of your writing, you can include it.

The station is owned and programmed by Lashaun Turner, owner of Urban Starz Media &P.R. -Lashaun (aka Lady I.M.PRE$S) is a 10 year industry Music Publicist, Media Talent, and 5 yr KCAA, CNBC/NBC affiliate, radio broadcaster and host of “Cali’s Best Radio Show”.  The station will be ad supported and will offer ( fee for service) promotions to Artists and Entrepreneurs in the form of Interviews, Advertisements, Blog posts and Song rotation. Ascap, Sesac, BMI, Sound Exchange & Socan royalties paid through Live 365. The station also is monitored by Digital Radio Tracker for music charting purposes. The station is heard on site and via the Tunein App. The station launches officially June 13, 2020 and is running an estimated 45K visitors monthly to the site since its been up. Radio listeners are tuning in from all over the globe. Real Music, Real Talk  #YouShouldBeOn