Local

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- LEAD and Aztlan Raza Unidos have partnered to once again begin their 3rd Annual Turkey Give-A-Way Drive to help feed those in the community who might otherwise go without, and hungry, this Thanksgiving. They are reaching out to ask your assistance to make this possible, at a time when many people are focused on giving thanks for the many blessings in their lives, while many others are feeling emptiness and need. Their goal this year is to provide 100 individuals and families with a Turkey and associated non-perishable items, in order for them to have a great Thanksgiving meal to put on the table. Last year they raised over $1,000.00 dollars which allowed them to help 32 veterans and their families in need, of which they felt blessed and grateful. Please open your hearts this holiday and help feed a deserving family. Any donation no matter great or small will make a difference. All donations are fully tax-deductible and the appropriate 501(c)(3) information will be provided upon request and will accompany all donation receipts.

To make your donation or should you have any additional questions, please go to www.aztlanrazaunidos.com or please contact Theresia Reyes-Elias or Andrew Elias, via email at aztlanrazaunidos@gmail.com, ATTN: 3rd Annual ARU Turkey Drive, or you may call (909) 815-4003.

RIVERSIDE, CA — The Riverside Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., has set Saturday, October 15 for their Annual Charity Golf Tournament at Shandin Hills Golf Club at 3380 Little Mountain Drive in San Bernardino. The tournament will be benefiting the Chapter’s Guide Right Program.

Guide Right encompasses many of the Chapter’s youth oriented programs such as mentoring, college preparatory programs, and tutoring.   It is a program designed to aid young men of high school age to grow and develop their leadership talents in every phase of human endeavor. Kappa League provides both challenging and rewarding experiences to enhance their lives.

The event begins with a shotgun start promptly at 9 a.m. Registration and cart assignment will be at the Clubhouse starting at 7:30 a.m.

The fee for the event is $100 per person, $400 for a team, and includes golf, cart, door prizes, and lunch. Tee-hole sponsor signs are available for purchase for $200. A Diamond Corporate Sponsorship for $600 includes a golf team, carts, dinner, hole sponsor sign and recognition certificate.

 The field will be limited to 30 teams. Early bird registrations by August 30 receive a price reduction to $90 per person, $360 for a team; payment is due at the time of registration. Check, Cash, and Credit Cards are accepted. Contact the Kappa’s for registration or more information at (949)633-3181 or email: Thomas Fisher at thomas.fisher46@gmail.com go to www.crimsonandcreamevents.com

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- SEVENsCamp’s Grand Opening of the San Bernardino Production Facility was held  on Friday, October 7. The event was well attended. SEVENsCamp is now open to provide superior quality media and music production to its clients. SEVENsCamp’s services include: Aerial Imaging, Aerial Advertising, Music Video Production, Music Sync Licensing, branding jingles, Soundtracks, and all video media services from commercials to documentaries to television and motion picture.  SEVENsCamp also offers live event coverage and live event pay-per-view services.

SEVENsCamp studios are available for live and live to tape production events. SEVENsCamp is bringing a new light to the World. For access to SEVENsCamp and its many services give them a call at 844-577-CAMP (2267).

As Deborah Robertson moves from table to table greeting folks at Mary Stewart’s Southern Soul Food, the Mayor of Rialto looks as comfortable as if she was in her own kitchen.  

In a way, she is. Mayor Robertson has called Rialto home for nearly 30 years and has served in its local government for 16 years, including three terms as a councilwoman and one as Mayor.

As she campaigns for re-election – Election Day is Nov. 8 – Mayor Robertson’s reason for wanting a second term is simple. “I’m not done.”

“I feel the role of the Mayor is a calling, not just a title,” said Mayor Robertson, who is running against current councilmember Ed Palmer. “We keep it real in Rialto. Our foundation is in a common belief of community. We’re middle class, salt of the earth people.”

In her first term, Mayor Robertson accomplished much of what she wanted. Her focus was on keeping Rialto financially sound, moving forward on commercial and business development, generating jobs in Rialto and enhancing open space for healthy recreational usage.

“The community as a whole is concerned about safety and lowering crime in the city,” said Mayor Robertson. Cutting down on crime was also a major focus in her first term as Mayor. 

“I am very proud of the part the city’s police force played in response to the terrorist attack nine months ago in San Bernardino,” said Mayor Robertson.  Rialto’s SWAT Team was one of the first responders in support of San Bernardino’s units.

During her time as Mayor, Rialto was also one of the first cities to have its police force wear body cameras. “As the result of a research project, the Rialto police agreed to wear the cameras for one year,” said Mayor Robertson. The results were positive and Rialto decided to keep the cameras. Robertson said it gave citizens a new perspective into law enforcement.

“It gave us empirical data, not just anecdotal,” Mayor Robertson said. “The number of complaints from citizens went down drastically. It brought about a different level of respect for the police.”

Statistically, both violent crime and property crime have gone down in each year of Robertson’s first term as Mayor. 

In 2014, Rialto dropped below the national average in violent crime rate for the first time in 12 years, according to City-Data.com. Mayor Robertson is also one of four Mayors in San Bernardino County that have been very vocal about the illegal gun problem.

For more information about Mayor Deborah Robertson go to www.DeborahRobertson.org. 

About Rialto Mayor Deborah Robertson

Deborah Robertson was elected Mayor of Rialto in November 2012 – the latest achievement in a distinguished public service career that has included 12 years on the Rialto City Council, leadership positions at the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG), and more than 20 years with the California Department of Transportation.

Under Mayor Robertson’s leadership, Rialto has gained regional and national recognition for innovation in the areas of public-private partnerships, business development and job creation. The City’s refinancing and restructuring of its water and wastewater operations has become a model for other communities in California, pumping millions of dollars into the local economy.

A leading voice on regional and national infrastructure issues, Mayor Robertson chairs the Public Health Subcommittee for SCAG’s 2016 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy, is a member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Water Council and Metro Economies, and member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

She is a founding board member for the NFL/AFL Youth Life Skills Camp, has hosted the annual State of Women event in Rialto for the past seven years, and was recognized by Assembly Member Cheryl Brown as 47th District Woman of the Year.

Mayor Robertson retired from Caltrans in 2012, most recently serving as Deputy District Director of External Affairs. A native Californian, she holds an undergraduate degree in Urban Planning from the University of California, San Diego, a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the City University of New York Bernard Baruch College and is a National Urban Fellows recipient. She is also a scholarship recipient and past participant of the Southern California Leadership Network.

Mayor Robertson was instrumental in developing Rialto’s Transportation Commission and coordinated a transportation summit for the region.  Her wielding influence and determination have helped bring new businesses and housing to the City of Rialto.

With all that she has done Mayor Robertson still has the time for family, two children and six grandchildren, that are the joy of her life.

RIVERSIDE, CA- With the Halloween season fast approaching, Castle Park is getting ready to offer Halloween fun during two different events. Castle Park transforms into its heart-racing, exhilarating Castle Dark in the evening. When darkness falls, the nightmare calls and guests can experience the sheer terror of Castle Dark’s haunted attractions. During the daytime hours, kids of all ages are welcome to join in the Halloween festivities with family friendly fun at Happy Hauntings.

From October 7 to the 30, every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the gate will creek open at 7 p.m. for Castle Dark. Venture inside four haunted house maze attractions set throughout the park. Experience the impending doom of a demonic spirit that consumed the mine and its workers, at the all NEW Demented Doom Mine maze. Experience the NEW Shiverton Manor maze, a mansion full of distorted realities and horrible nightmares. Don’t miss the Ghost Blasters ride, a creature, zombie, and ghost inhabited ride in 3-D.

For guests looking for more cheer than fear, Castle Park’s Happy Hauntings is the perfect place for little ghouls 12 and under. From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday, October 8-30, kids can enjoy pumpkin carving contests, costume contests, and a Trick-or-Treat Street at Happy Hauntings.

Tickets start at $9.99 online for Happy Hauntings daytime fun. Castle Park’s Happy Hauntings activities are included in all park tickets every Saturday and Sunday, October 8-30. Tickets including Castle Dark start at $19.99. Castle Dark opens at 7 pm, Friday through Sunday, from October 7-30. Hours of operation vary. Visit castlepark.com for more details.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA-The San Bernardino Public Library is joining hundreds of libraries across North America to host an Indie Author Day event on October 8th, 2016. This event is designed to bring the local writing communities together to participate in book readings, signings, and workshops.

Authors from throughout the Inland Empire have been invited to discuss their works and sell and sign books at the Norman F. Feldheym Central Library, 555 w. 6^TH St. in San Bernardino on Saturday, October 8, 2016 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

This is a good opportunity to meet local authors who represent many genres, including fiction, non-fiction, science fiction, fantasy, poetry, children’s books, young adult books, local history, and mystery. Over 30 authors, poets and cartoonists have confirmed their participation including Al Ward, Beth Winokur, Dr. Dawn Menge, Dr. Frank Stern, Gary & Isabel Walbourne, George L. Gurney, Gina Rider, Greg McWhorter, Herb Williams, James Rhozon, John Weeks, June Durr, Krista Wagner, Lara Rios, Larry Burns, Madeline Gornell, Mary Ruth Hughes, Michael Palmer, Michael Raff, Mike Kennedy, Mike Walters, Nick Cataldo, Paulina Jaramillo, Phil Yeh, Richard Levesque, Roberta Smith, Suzanne Saunders, T’ana Thompson, Terri Elders, Victoria Taylor, and authors from PoetrIE.

Two workshops will be held during the event: Theresa Elders will present a workshop called ‘How to Write True Stories for Anthologies such as Chicken Soup for the Soul’ at 2:00 PM in the Bing Wong Auditorium. She will talk about the elements of writing a true narrative essay and how to mine your life for story ideas.  Elders’ stories have been featured in over 100 books, including such series as Chicken Soup for the Soul, A Cup of Comfort, Thin Threads, and HCI Ultimate.

Larry Burns will present a workshop called ‘How to Transition From a “Regular” Career to an “Art-Based” Career’ at 3:00 PM in the Bing Wong Auditorium. The topics he will cover are:  Creating your artist’s life support system, what you need and what you can cannibalize from your previous career; making financial sense of your new normal; learning to accept payment for your art…you are worth it; finding your way in social media promotion; how to get more comfortable sharing your success; and setting goals and tracking your progress. In 2015, Larry Burns ended a decade -long administration career to focus on teaching and writing full time, and a year later had his first book contract. He has an MFA in Creative Writing and teaches in the College of Humanities and Sciences at University of Phoenix. He is a founding member of Inlandia Institute, a non-profit literary advocacy group.

Authors from PoetrIE will be doing readings beginning at 4:00 in the Bing Wong Auditorium. PoetrIE started with a handful of writers who were interested in creating a space for other aspiring writers in this area to practice their craft. It has since grown to numerous workshops across the region, monthly reading series, and is now a nonprofit organization.

This event is free and open to the  public, and is sponsored by the Friends of the San Bernardino Library. For more information, call 909. 381.8238 or visit www.sbpl.org or www.facebook.com/SBPLfriends

ONTARIO, CA-Route 66 Cruisin’ Reunion®, powered by the Greater Ontario Convention & Visitors Bureau, has announced the impact to our local economy during the three day event! Route 66 Cruisin’ Reunion®, a 501-(c3) organization, created by the Greater Ontario Visitors & Convention Bureau, is a Southern California ultimate weekend celebration of America’s love affair with the automobile and its world-famous highway, Route 66. Three days of cruising, contests, live entertainment, fabulous food and comradery make it one of the best events of its kind. Route 66 Cruisin’ Reunion is where classic cruisers, convertibles, hot rods, and wicked Woodies fuel a jam-packed jamboree.

Starting on Friday, September 16 at 5:00pm and continuing thru the weekend until Sunday, September 18 at 4:00pm the following numbers have been reported:

• Attendance totaled more than 150,000 people participating in this three (3) day weekend family event.
• Over 1,000 cars registered to participate in Route 66 Cruisin Reunion
• Total economic impact to the area was more than $17,000,000.00
• Total vendors, included : 29 retail vendors and 23 food vendors
• Eight (8) live concerts were performed on the Ontario Town Square Stage
• The Mother Road Revisited exhibit at the Ontario Museum of History and Art was brought in specifically to be apart of this event. A good example of synergy between destinations working together to encourage visitors to explore and discover the Greater Ontario region
• The People’s Choice awards gave the attendees the opportunity to vote. Six categories included: Best of Show, Best Convertible, Cool Paint Job, Best Pick Up, Best Staging, and Best Muscle Car
• Additional contests included the Neon light contest and the Model Car Contest
• Southern California media brought attention to the event with over 572,000 people learning more about the event thru television and print articles

We are proud to announce the success of Route 66 Cruisin Reunion” said Michael Krouse, President and CEO of the Greater Ontario Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Our mission is to bring visitors to our cities, increase overnight stays in our hotels, and boost the local economy” said Krouse. “Our team takes pride in creating family friendly events that lure visitors to our area and has the added benefit of providing a wonderful way for our local community to spend the

weekend – to appreciate our beautiful historic tree lined Euclid Avenue in Ontario, check out the cars, listen to some great music and enjoy all the free family fun!”

If you missed this annual event be sure to mark your 2017 calendars now for the third weekend in September! The timer has already been set to count down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds to the next Route 66 Cruisin’ Reunion. Visit www.Route66CruisinReunion.com.

LOMA LINDA, CA- Arrowhead Regional Medical Center Clinical Social Worker, Kendra Flores?Carter, was recognized this week for her work assisting women who are experiencing postpartum depression (PPD). Following an examination of evidence?based research, Carter developed and implemented a highly successful therapeutic support group for women experiencing symptoms of PPD.

“I am honored to receive this award,” said Carte r, who has been working at ARMC since 2007. “I learned through my research that one in seven women will experience PPD after giving birth, and women who experience PPD are often stigmatized and can feel shame and embarrassment.

“When I started this program about a year ago, it was just me providing the maternal depression educational materials to my patients, but now our whole team provides this education to our patients.”

Carter’s innovative efforts to educate and raise awareness also extend to collaborating with the San Bernardino County Maternal Mental Health (MMH) Work Group and Children’s Network as a means to build and strengthen relationships with community partners.

“Kendra truly embodies and carries out the mission of ARMC, and the Countywide Vision, on a daily basis, as she conducts assessments, provides counseling, and offers valuable education and resources for our patients, their families, and our community,” said ARMC Director, William Gilbert. “We believe that ARMC can serve as a model hospital for this type of education.”

Carter, who has a bachelor’s degree in psychology, obtained her master’s in Social Work (MSW) from California State University, Long Beach in 2007. She is currently working toward her Doctor of Social Work (DSW) through the University of Tennessee, and is expected to earn her doctorate in 2017.

Photo credit Freddie Washington

By Naomi K. Bonman

After a two year process of grinding it out, The Diamond Monologues finally came to life on Saturday, October 1 in Ontario, California. The Diamond Monologues has been in the works by author and now playwright, T’ana Phelice. In order for the play to be a success like it was, Phelice had to ensure that she had the right team in place and the right girls to bring the monologues to life, and it was well worth the wait!

Jacquene Richardson. Photo credit Freddie Washington

The evening began with an empowerment series with speakers Nakea Brown, Rebuild Your Laugh; and Karla Quebec, Mrs. Latina Global (Guatemala) contestant. Brown prophesied on being ‘The Message’. We each have a message that we have been called to give out to the people through our passions, gifts, and purpose. Quebec followed by giving her personal and very deep testimony of what her childhood and teenage years were like and how they formed her into becoming the strong woman that she is today. To compliment the speakers, Jacquene Richardson also gave her testimony through spoken word.

Photo credit Freddie Washington

The pieces of the puzzle would not be complete without the diamond of the show. These five ladies did an excellent job in bringing the characters of the book to life and tapping into what their character went through to relate to it and make the issue their own. The cast included: Asia Smith (Tia), T’ana Phelice (Monqiue, writer), Precious Chapman (Sheena, Director), Karina “KJ” Johns (Bernice), and Ericka Marmolej (Veronica).

For those that missed, you definitely missed a phenomenal show! But you will have another chance to see it in Los Angeles, California in January 2017. To keep updated on the exact show date and time or to purchase a book, please visit www.tanaphelice.com.

Karla Quebec. Photo credit Freddie Washington

Photo credit Freddie Washington

Photo credit Freddie Washington

Photo credit Freddie Washington

RIVERSIDE, CA- Effective October 3, Metrolink’s Pedley station on the Riverside Line will be renamed to the Jurupa Valley/Pedley station.          

The station’s name is being updated to reflect the city’s incorporation as Jurupa Valley.

When the Pedley station was created in 1993, it was located in an unincorporated area of Riverside County. In 2011, this 44-square mile region was incorporated as the City of Jurupa Valley, which encompasses the Metrolink Pedley station.

Due to the renaming of the station, ticket vending machines will require passengers to select “J” for Jurupa Valley/Pedley instead of “P” for fare media to and from the station formerly known as Pedley. 

Pedley station information seen in the Metrolink timetable, station signage, online, and other sources will be listed as Jurupa Valley/Pedley information as of October 3.