By Lou Yeboah

The prescription Jesus gives us is to stay awake at all times and pray. Watch and pray! Stay in step with the Holy Spirit, because a day is coming suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. [Luke 21:34-36]. I tell you, there will not be time, as in the past, to get ready. If you do not respond swiftly and fiercely by repenting now, and receiving Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you will suffer massive loss of life. You see, a major war is coming soon, and it will be massive. The players are in place and this coming war will be the birth pangs of the Gog-Magog Wars as foretold by God to the prophet Ezekiel. I tell you, you must prepare and prepare NOW! The ‘End Times’ are here and you must choose a side: heaven or hell. Above all, understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” “But do not forget this one thing: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. I say, and I say again, don’t be caught off guard!

I want you to know that the “End-Time Prophecies” intends to serve as a warning to all of humanity that things are about to end. It urges us to get out of denial, to wake up to the truth, and to look at our spiritual relations and actions. Speaking of this time, which is soon to take place, Jesus said, “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” [Matthew 24:22].

I want you to know that God’s chosen nation is now back in the land of promise. Understanding that country’s position in the arena of the Middle East and world affairs is critical to understanding all other geopolitical realities. [Zechariah 12:2-3]. Yeah, I know, some people think we should avoid the frightening images of what the Bible says will take place in the last days, yet how can we ignore such an important element of the Bible, and the need to be prepared? We cannot ignore the truths about the future as Jesus tells us.

This is a time to stay tuned and watch current events ever more closely. We have entered a different world. Peace and security will never be quite the same. As the apostle Paul tells us in [Romans 13:11], “now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.”

‘But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.’

As [Matthew 24:32-39] tells us, “Learn a lesson from the fig tree: When its branches become green and soft and new leaves appear, you know summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things happening, you will know that the time is near, ready to come. I tell you the truth, all these things will happen while the people of this time are still living. Earth and sky will be destroyed, but the words I have said will never be destroyed. When Will Jesus Come Again? “No one knows when that day or time will be, not the angels in heaven, not even the Son. Only the Father knows. When the Son of Man comes, it will be like what happened during Noah’s time. In those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving their children to be married, until the day Noah entered the boat. They knew nothing about what was happening until the flood came and destroyed them.  I tell you, don’t be caught off guard! The prescription, stay awake and pray!

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

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is currently accepting applications to provide emergency assistance to restaurants and bars.

U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-13) was an original co-sponsor of the proposal to create the lifeline for restaurants and she advocated for its inclusion in the American Rescue Plan (ARP).

“Black and minority-owned restaurants and businesses, as well as women and veteran-owned restaurants and businesses, have been hit hardest by this pandemic,” Lee said in a written statement. “I’m pleased that the SBA will prioritize applications for restaurants in economically or socially disadvantaged communities in the first three weeks of the grant program.”

The $28.6 billion restaurant relief legislation was signed into law as part of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion ARP.

Just 7% of U.S. businesses before the coronavirus pandemic were Black-owned, according to data from compiled by the University of California Santa Cruz study last year. In contrast, about 13% of the United States population is Black, and about 13% of restaurant employees are Black, according to federal data.

The SBA relief fund portal began accepting applications on Friday, April 30 at 6:00 a.m., Pacific Standard Time. In preparation for the grant program’s opening, the SBA released detailed guidance for those seeking relief money through the restaurant revitalization fund.

The SBA has tapped Lendistry, a Southern California-based lending firm, to help administer the restaurant relief funds. The Black-led and operated firm is the largest minority-led firm that has been disbursing both federal and state COVID relief money in California.

The program will provide restaurants with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss — up to $10 million per business and no more than $5 million per physical location. Recipients are not required to repay the funding as long as the funds are used for eligible purposes no later than March 11, 2023.

SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman stated that the visionary leadership of congressional Democrats “laid the groundwork” for the SBA to deliver targeted relief swiftly and efficiently to the millions of small business owners and workers in restaurants.

“We’ve designed the Restaurant Revitalization Fund program to ensure this relief is delivered with a focus on equity. America’s small businesses are the engine of our economy,” Guzman said. “If we’re going to build back better, we must ensure all of our nation’s entrepreneurs have the tools they need to bring businesses back, create jobs and grow our economy.”

Lee encouraged restaurant owners across California to submit applications.

“I encourage all business owners that need funding to cover food costs, payroll, or any other business expenses to apply for this grant,” Lee stated. “My office is here to help you through this process.”

For information about the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, detailed guidance, and how to apply, visit https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/covid-19-relief-options/restaurant-revitalization-fund

By Lou Yeboah

As ‘Mother’s Day’ approaches, words cannot begin to express the gratefulness and appreciation I feel for you, neither can they define the thanks that I would love to give you for everything you have done for me. Thank you for being the first and most influential role model in my life. Thank you for your selfless sacrifice, and your pure, unconditional and eternal love. Your affection, your protection, your maternal kindness and your daily love rocked my life, a treasure of inestimable value. By your life you taught me to trust God with everything. You confirm for me that no matter how big the problem may be, God is bigger. You live a life of trust, a trust that holds firm during the darkest night, a trust that hangs on in the roughest storm, a trust that keep climbing up the steepest mountain, a trust that refuses to give up, a trust that rejects defeat, and relishes a challenge, a trust that rushes to do God’s will, and a trust that replies on the Holy Spirit and rest in Jesus Christ. And for this example of trust, we, your children, and grandchildren, thank you. We thank you for your unshakable example of trust and devotion. A devotion we hope to live out.  Happy ‘Mother’s Day’ to you my dear, sweet, amazing mother, I will always admire, appreciate, and love you!

To mothers, both biological and adopted, connected by blood and by experience, torn apart by circumstance and sometimes by choice. To those who have given life both in birth and in formation, to those who have lost life before birth and before old age, to those who have done what only mother’s can do, to those who have been “the perfect mother,” and to those who live with regrets. To those who are close to their children, and to those who feel like they are a million miles away, we bless you always, not just on “Mother’s Day.” We would not be who we are and where we are if it was not for you. No, we haven’t always done a good job of honoring you, thanking you, appreciating you. We haven’t always loved you as you have loved us. For that we ask for your forgiveness and grace. But may we be people to honor and encourage and bless you from this day forward for whom God has made you. For “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” [Proverbs 31:10-29].

A woman of worth, who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household. Her hands hold the spindle, and all her household are clothed in crimson. She reaches out her hands to the needy. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness her children rise up and call her happy. Her husband, too, and he praises her. [Proverbs 31:25- 27].

Echoing the incredible words of Helen Steiner Rice and Abraham Lincoln ?

“A Mother’s love is something that no one can explain. It is made of deep devotion and of sacrifice and pain, It is endless and unselfish and enduring come what may for nothing can destroy it or take that love away. [Helen Steiner Rice]. ?

“All that I am and hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” [Abraham Lincoln].

For these reasons I pray, Lord God, bless every mother with the finest of your spiritual blessings today. Bless them with the grace of Your presence, and the honor they deserve for their tireless work and love. Fill them with your peace and mercy. Grant forgiveness for mistakes, for we all make them. But let love cover all our memories with a blanket of compassion and joy. Confirm in her heart and spirit the work of her hands and the love that she has freely given to the children under her care.  Let her rest in knowing that she has done all she can and that those she loves truly belong to you. Let her joy be contagious; let her passion be pure; and let her life overflow with all the blessings she deserves—not just on special days, but every day of her life. In Jesus’ name. Amen and Amen!

Happy Mother’s Day to ALL Mothers!