Local

Left to right: Jordan Brown, Sabrina Cook, Cierra Gilmore, Rachel Harris, LA Kaya Hodge, Alexis Hoxie, Sydni McKinley-Parson, Makayla Marshall, and Diamond Tabron.

ONTARIO, CA- Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Eta Nu Omega Chapter presented ten young ladies various scholarships and recognition awards on Sunday, March 29 at the Radisson Hotel in Ontario.  These young ladies have performed various community service projects, etiquette training, college preparation, mother-daughter tea leading up to their début to society.  The culmination of the debutante season will come to an end at the Debutante Ball that will be held on Saturday, April 4 at the Radisson Hotel in Ontario.  Tickets are available and may be purchased in advance for $65.00.  For more information, please contact Nancy Ross, Chairman at tntross@aol.com.

Dr. Comunale Portrait with Invention 03-13-15_34652

COLTON, CA- Mark E. Comunale, M.D., chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) and chief medical officer for patient safety, has invented a mobile Patient Isolation Transport Unit (PITU) that is currently U.S. Patent Pending. Dr. Comunale, who received his undergraduate degree from Boston University, his medical degree from Tufts, and taught for more than a dozen years at Harvard Medical School, came up with the idea for the PITU while trying to solve a practical problem.

“The need for this patient isolation transport unit arose during a period when we were screening for Ebola and other diseases,” said Dr. Comunale, a member of ARMC’s medical staff since 2006. “Once a patient says ‘yes’ to screening questions, the staff must don appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and must have an anteroom available to dress and undress.”

The challenge has been how and where to hold patients while they are assessed and then transported to an appropriate location.

Dr. Comunale sketched out his design for the PITU while thinking about possible low-cost solutions to patient isolation. The result, according to his patent proposal, was “a novel blending and application of existing technology to create a low-cost, disposable bio-secure environment in which to temporarily hold and transport patients who are suspected of having an infectious or contagious disease.”

The PITU is unique in its design because it is disposable and relatively inexpensive. The frame is designed to integrate with hospital stretchers and beds.

“This device is large enough for a patient to sit up and allows movement of the arms and legs and the ability to eat and drink while isolated on a bed,” said Dr. Comunale. “The PITU utilizes the same technology as a Power Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR), which is an already-existing technology that is used to purify air.”

The PITU is stored adjacent to the hospital’s Emergency Room entrance for easy access, but can also be moved to the front entrance of the hospital or to the Medical Office Building north of the medical center.

“As a Trauma Center, constant readiness is essential,” said Dr. Comunale. “The PITU has already been tested in drills and will be used as an integral part of our trauma and emergency services.”

Besides taking care of patients, running his department and solving practical problems, Dr. Comunale also recently authored an article titled, “An Assessment of Basic Patient Safety Skills in Residents Entering the First Year of Clinical Training,” which has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Patient Safety.

ARMC is a 456?bed university?affiliated teaching hospital located on a 70?acre campus in Colton, California, and is a designated Level II trauma center. ARMC operates a regional burn center, primary stroke center, a free?standing behavioral health center, four primary care centers including three family health centers, and provides more than 40 outpatient specialty care services. For more information, go to: www.arrowheadmedcenter.org.

REDLANDS, CA- On  Friday, April 10, Music Changing Lives will host their “Changing Lives Dinner Celebration,” a festive dinner that will help raise funds to benefit music and art enrichment programs for at-risk youth in our community. The event will take place at Mu Restaurant located at 309 W. State Street in Redlands at 6 p.m.

The event will be filled with delicious food, music, silent auctions, and entertainment. When members RSVP for the dinner, they will receive a personalized invitation with a puzzle piece.  The puzzle piece carries a symbolic meaning, as each piece signifies a person and their contribution to keep music and art alive and accessible to the children and youth in our community.  At the end of the night, all attendees will put their pieces together to form the Music Changing Lives puzzle. This will be a symbolic moment and represents how important each contribution truly is to the MCL program.

Individuals interested in attending the Changing Lives Dinner Celebration can purchase early bird tickets for only $40 per person by April 5th.  After that date, tickets will be sold at $60 per person. To RSVP or for general event information contact Vanessa Vizard at (951) 533-6180 or email Vanessa@vizardpr.com.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- We are still in the first quarter of the year, and the chaos and violence in the City of San Bernardino have been in an uptime high. Instead of running away from the problem, we are seeing more people who are stepping out on Faith and getting the courage to make things right for their city, which includes the next generation. The United Nation of Consciousness will be hosting a day “Peace, Unity, and Progress” on Saturday, March 28 at 2 p.m. at the 777 Community Warehouse located at 777 South Allen Street in San Bernardino.

They need YOUR support. You say you want to see change in the city, so here’s a chance to BE the CHANGE that you want to see and be sure to bring a friend. If you would like to volunteer in making the event a success, please call (909) 575-8862 or email uconsciousness@gmail.com.

LOS ANGELES, CA- The California African American Museum (CAAM) presents FlashTag, a creative engagement project and exhibition designed to give visitors the opportunity to experience the creative process of “graffiti” artists, and to breakdown the misperceptions about street artists and the aerosol culture. FlashTag features four art crews who will “tag” a gallery at CAAM from March 26 through March 29, during museum hours for public viewing. Their completed artworks will be on view at CAAM from March 29 through August 2, 2015. On Saturday, March 28 from noon until 3 p.m., DJ A Ski will provide music while the artists work.

To avoid problems such as over-spray and poor air quality the artists were quick to adjust and made the decision to flaunt their artistic abilities with brushes.  A minimum of 15 artists will participate in this live and creative endeavor.

“This was not about curating a typical art exhibition, it was about collaborating, engaging others and providing unique experiences.  FlashTag gave me the opportunity to collaborate with some amazing, creative minds who will give the public a chance to experience this form of art from a different perspective,” says CAAM’s Visual Arts Curator Vida L. Brown.  “More importantly, I wanted to give the artists and the public the opportunity to share a visual and verbal dialogue, which I hope will help dispel the common misconceptions about graffiti art being gang related.”

Crew leader of Rockin’ the Nation, Cre8, who considers himself a street writer will fill CAAM’s walls with epic lettering.  Cre8 spends most of his days working on various projects and teaching young street artists how to take their art forms and make something positive such as a commissioned street art design or mural. Cre8’s work can be found on the walls of Venice Beach or in the McDonald’s “Spread Lovin’” commercial that aired during African American Heritage Month 2015.

Crew leader Rufus, has entitled his team’s project for CAAM, Broken Wings.  The mural will feature fallen rappers including 2Pac, from whom the title was inspired by.

Additionally, multi-disciplinary aerosol expressionist Sano will take part in the exhibition.  Sano is responsible for creating plutonium paint, described as an ultra supreme professional grade of aerosol spray paint. Prolific in Los Angeles, Sano worked on MOCA’s Art in the Streets exhibition in 2011, and was part of the 2014 SCRATCH exhibition curated by Getty at the El Segundo Museum of Art.

Exhibitions and events at CAAM are free and open to the public. Parking is $10 in the lot adjacent to CAAM, at 39^th and Figueroa Streets.  CAAM is located at 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, 90037. For more information on CAAM visit www.caamuseum.org. Related Hashtags –  #FlashTag #CAAMinLA #Aerosol #AeroSoul Follow CAAM on Instagram @CAAMinLosAngeles and on Twitter/Facebook @CAAMinLA.

Exhibitions in the CAAM Galleries

CAAM Courtyard Series: From Women’s Hands ongoing through May 3, 2015

Light Catchers opens March 20 – June 7, 2015

Lookin’ Back in Front of Me: Selected Works of Mark Steven Greenfield, 1974-2014 ongoing through July 5, 2015

The African American Journey West – Permanent Collection, ongoing

What it Do Inland Empire? This week, young talented R&B/Pop male singers is what it do with LUE Productions. As some of you know LUE Production’s manages 8 talented acts based out of the Inland Empire. Our goal is to provide platforms for artists of all nationalities.

At this time, we’re looking to add to our entertainment family. We are currently putting together an all-male group as well as a dance team for events, competition, and more.

Our company is currently recruiting for the following:

• (1). Eight dancers (4 males, 4 females) who must be well rounded in multiple dance styles and over the age of 18; and
• (2) We are also looking for four male R&B/Pop singers between the ages of 17 and 19.

Only serious inquiries please! We will be holding auditions soon. Please send in a video with you performing no longer than 3 minutes to Lue.info@yahoo.com.  A LUE Productions REP will contact you with more information on audition date and time. Make sure to include contact number as well. Help us get the word out please.

Till next week, L’s up and always KEEP IT MOVIN! Follow LUE Productions on twitter, Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

By John Coleman

RIVERSIDE, CA- The Barn at the University of California Riverside was overflowing on Friday, March 13,  not with cows or corn, but with the crowd of proud parents, teachers and other supporters at the reception for the inaugural class, USA Riverside, the University Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Academy (STEM Academy) at UCR.

USA at UCR describes itself  as a campus-community collaborative that provides 6th to 9th grade scholars  a high quality, academically robust learning environment with the mission to increase STEM Academy graduates’ academic skills and performance in STEM curricula, and to maximize the numbers and percentage of Academy graduates who proceed on to college and higher education levels.

The UCR campus, obviously, is highly involved in this educational ‘enterprise’.   Beginning ‘a bit later’, (Spring 2014), the list of  ‘community collaborators’  is growing, and include:   California Black Faculty and Staff Association; The Council for the Advancement of Black Engineers; The Los Angeles Council of Black Professional Engineers; The J W Vines Medical Society, (Inland Empire); J W Vines Medical Foundation; Theta Pi Sigma Alumnae Chapter, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc; Riverside NAACP; The Group; Riverside Alumni Chapter, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc; the Universitystemacademy.org parentsassn; and the host of friends, supporters, and others who teach, supervise, raise funds, and provide the range of administrative, organizational maintenance, and other services that keep things working.

Attendees

In her opening remarks and welcome, Carolyn B Murray, PhD, UCR Professor in Psychology and Director, University STEM Academy stated that for years she had been pressing for the restoration of the Saturday Academy Program or the initiation of a new STEM Program at UCR. Many different administrations gave several reasons why it couldn’t be done, but when the concept, issues and needs were presented to Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox his response was positive, enthusiastic, activist…which led to the fact that UCR would be more than just a place where Academy classes and programs could ‘meet’, but the renowned academic institution in the collaboration to enhance to prospects for academic success of Academy participants.

Social Work Policy group with Pal Charter guidance counselor Daniel Ibarra in middle

By Shauna Shalton De Jesus 

It started with an assignment in our social work policy class. We were challenged to make a difference within a community. Our professor, Ms. Gigi Crawley, wanted to teach us about advocacy in action and help us understand the steps it takes to get the wheels in motion. We chose the unincorporated area of Muscoy as our target area and soon discovered Pal Charter High School; the only high school actually within the immediate area. As we learned about the facility and their students, it was perfectly clear to us that we wanted to reach out. We felt such a strong draw to help them continue on and pursue higher education after graduation. Our mission is not only to empower the students themselves, but also to help the community of Muscoy improve their socio-economic status.  So with these goals in mind, we got permission to host a “Road to College” workshop at the school for the juniors and seniors on March 10.

Our workshop will provide step by step instruction on everything these students need to know to get to college. We want to stress that it is their choice, it is their future, and we support them in pursuit of their dreams.

Due to their curriculum at Pal Charter, they do not meet the state criteria for transfer directly to a 4 year university like CSUSB; but, we don’t want them to think because of this that college is out of the question. Many of Pal’s students opt to go directly into the workforce or a trade school post-graduation, thinking that college is not a viable option. But most of us started our path at community college so we’d like to share our journey and our insight.

We feel that since we are also students, they can relate to us more than they would the normal guidance counselors or authority figures. We think this workshop is important because the youth are our future and they deserve to know their potential. Many of Pal’s students have hit rough patches in life that have taken them on a detour or slowed them down; or maybe education has not been emphasized throughout their life.  We want to acknowledge that since they are the future, a brighter one starts with their gains. The socio-economic status of the community can only be changed when we start working toward supporting those who will grow up in it and continue to live there.

As we planned this workshop, it became apparent that we did not want to simply stop here. A workshop is a great source of information but what happens after that? What happens when it is time to put that information to use and start taking action? There will definitely be questions, possibly some confusion because the process is new and unfamiliar.  Sometimes it can be enough to discourage people from continuing on and we did not want that to happen with these students.  So we began planning the launch of a mentoring project that will partner students and alumni from San Bernardino Valley College and Cal State San Bernardino with Pal Charter’s students.  If our pilot program is successful, we’d like to see it grow and branch out to other high schools in the area and work with other colleges as well.

Our group, “S.M.I.L.E – Social Worker’s Movement in Learning Enrichment”, consists of four CSUSB Bachelor of Social work students: Shauna De Jesus, Jannice Burling, Kenya Sanchez, and Ronnie Washington. Our specific area of study within the program is child welfare. We are reaching out to college students and graduates who have the same passion as we do and who share the same dedication to helping other students grow and reach their goals. These high school students are our future and we’d like them to realize how amazing they truly are. We believe in them and want to help them believe in themselves. Thank you and if you have any interest in partnering with us to achieve these goals, please contact us at (909) 322-7666 or by email at 004819616@coyote.csusb.edu.

LOS ANGELES, CA- “Cannabis Talk Radio Show” debuted on Thursday, February 26 via an independent internet based broadcast called “Roscoe’s Media Center” based in Los Angeles.

“Cannabis Talk Radio Show” (CTS) airs weekly on Thursdays at Noon until 1 p.m. (PST) on www.rmconair.com. Replays of “Cannabis Talk Radio Show” are available on YouTube.

CTS is an educational, informative and entertaining show about the billion dollar plus cannabis industry! It is a very organic product with excellent topics, and expert knowledge about everything within the industry! The show is also very commercial friendly which has all the qualities of a great show for syndication for ALL markets in radio and television.

The “Cannabis Talk Radio Show” will introduce a “live” studio audience in April 2015.  The studio audience will be served a catered lunch while viewing the “live” taping of CTS.  Yummy!

Jonathan Beasley with Daughter

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- An 8-year-old girl has been reunited with her father after her mother violated a court order allowing visitation rights.

In February 2014, Tasha Montgomery, 27, of San Bernardino, violated a court order when she failed to allow visitation of her daughter with the biological father, 29-year-old Jonathan Beasley of San Bernardino.

Montgomery’s disregard for the court order led to a modification, wherein the father was granted full custody of the child.

According to District Attorney Investigators, Montgomery was very transitory, complicating efforts to locate her and the child.

On Febraury 26, Investigators from San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Child Abduction Unit located the child in San Bernardino where she was taken into custody pursuant to a Protective Custody Warrant. She was reunited with her father after a separation of one year.