Whether they are home, the office, or somewhere in between, McDonald’s customers in Southern California can now enjoy their favorite burgers, fries, beverages and desserts delivered right to them through UberEATS. Now McDelivery on UberEATS is available at more than 375 McDonald’s restaurants throughout Los Angeles County, Orange County and Riverside County.

“We are excited to bring a new level of convenience and personalization to our customers in Southern California with UberEATS” said Paul Tulaphorn, McDonald’s franchisee and association president of the local McDonald’s owner operators group. “Our customers have told us they enjoy experiencing McDonald’s in new ways, and this is just one more way for them to enjoy their favorite menu items.”

Customers can place McDonald’s orders on the UberEATS mobile app or on UberEATS.com, using the same account they use to take Uber rides and track their order, as an UberEATS delivery partner brings their meal directly to them. The full menu at participating McDonald’s restaurants will be available for delivery with the exception of soft serve cones. An UberEATS booking fee applies to each order.

“With UberEATS, you can get the food you want, where you want it, delivered at Uber speed. We’re thrilled to partner with McDonald’s to give fans in Southern California easy access to their McDonald’s favorites at the tap of a button,” said Allen Narcisse, General Manager of UberEATS Southern California. “People in Southern California search for McDonald’s in the UberEATS app almost daily, so we’re excited to expand our reach and deliver what they’ve been craving.”

Delivery is just one way that McDonald’s is enhancing the customer experience through added convenience. McDonald’s of Southern California is innovating its customer experience by making interior and exterior improvements to their restaurants, which include a more modern design, digital menu boards, table service and self-serve kiosks. Southern California customers can also enjoy a range of balanced menu items that fit their lifestyle, including the Egg White & Turkey Sausage Breakfast Bowl, and smoothies and parfaits made with nonfat vanilla Chobani® Greek Yogurt.

COLTON, CA- Smart & Final Stores, Inc. opened their doors on last week on Wednesday, May 10 in Colton. The new store is located at 1023 N. Mt. Vernon.

The day before the public opening, representatives from Smart & Final and leaders from the Colton civic, business and non-profit communities participated in a ceremonial ribbon cutting during an in-store preview event for business customers. Representatives from the Smart & Final Charitable Foundation also presented checks, each in the amount of $2,500, to the Ken Hubbs Memorial Little League and Seeds of Hope. The donations are part of Smart & Final’s corporate commitment to supporting organizations and causes in the communities where it operates stores.

“We’re excited to bring Smart & Final’s high-quality products at warehouse prices to the Colton community,” said James Christie, Store Manager at the new Colton store. “I’ve had the opportunity to work in a few Smart & Final stores before joining to open Colton, and to see our new Colton store built from the ground up has been incredible. We look forward to welcoming our new friends and neighbors of Colton to visit us. Whether they’re shopping for their family, an event or a business, they’ll discover we offer club-sized products, the quality of a grocery store, and prices that are 25% lower than supermarket.”

The Smart & Final Extra! store in Colton is approximately 27,000 square feet and offers products in both household and club sizes at warehouse prices – without the membership fee. Compared to traditional Smart & Final stores, the new Extra! format Colton store provides an additional 6,000 club size items; high-quality perishables; and expanded frozen, deli and meat sections. Additionally, the Colton store will feature unique products such as cut fruit, floral arrangements, oven-roasted chicken and self-serve dry bulk goods by the pound.

This week, The Home Depot® held the winners’ ceremony to announce the 2017 Retool Your School Campus Improvement Grant Program recipients. This year, nine HBCUs were awarded a total of $360,000 to use towards funding sustainable campus improvement projects of their choosing. To date, the program has awarded more than $1.8 million dollars in grant money to HBCUs. In 2017 alone, 72 HBCUs participated in the voting phase of the program.

Hill Harper/Home Depot Retool. Photography by Christopher Aluka Berry for Ben Rose Photography.

The nine winning schools were selected by a combination of cumulative online voting scores, along with grant proposals that were submitted by the schools and judged by a panel of distinguished judges which included: actor Laz Alonso, Howard University alumni and television & film star; Commissioner Gregory Moore, Esq., Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC); Mr. Michael Tabb, managing partner, Red Rock Global; Dr. Ivory A. Toldson, president and CEO of the Quality Education for Minorities Network; and Mr. Jermaine Luke, store manager, The Home Depot. The ceremony also welcomed author and NAACP award winning actor Hill Harper and special guest Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed to the Home Depot Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.

“The Home Depot is very excited about the continued growth we’ve seen year to year with The Retool Your School Grant Program,” says Melissa Brown, senior marketing manager at The Home Depot. “We always anticipate the overwhelming excitement of the program from the participating schools, but we are most excited about the long-lasting contribution that this program is making to our nation’s treasured Historically Black Colleges and Universities.”

Established in 2010, The Retool Your School Campus Improvement Grant Program strives to give back to our nation’s HBCUs what they have so generously given to the communities that they are a part of. A strong foundation, renewed purpose and distinctive character are just a few of those contributions. The nine winning schools will begin their sustainable projects in the summer of 2017.

The 2017 Home Depot RETOOL YOUR SCHOOL Winners

AWARD                                     CLUSTER 1                               CLUSTER 2                               CLUSTER 3

Within each cluster, there are three winners vying for one $50,000, one $40,000 and one $30,000 grant. Clusters were based on school population size:

• Cluster 1: Student enrollment of 4,000 or more
• Cluster 2: Student enrollment of 3,999–1,201
• Cluster 3 Student enrollment with 1,200 students or less

The Home Depot is the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer, with 2,281 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico. In fiscal 2016, The Home Depot had sales of $94.6 billion and earnings of $8.0 billion. The Company employs more than 400,000 associates. The Home Depot’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: HD) and is included in the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor’s 500 index.

Home Depot Retool. Photography by Christopher Aluka Berry for Ben Rose Photography.

For more information on The Home Depot Retool Your School Grant Program, visit www.retoolyourschool.com.

RIVERSIDE, CA- Starting this month, the School of Medicine at the University of California, Riverside and UCR Health, the clinical arm of the medical school, have been providing people with more access to medical services through a new office space in downtown Riverside. Located at Citrus Tower, 3390 University Ave., Riverside, the new space had its grand opening ceremony on Wednesday, May 10.

“This really is a milestone for the UCR School of Medicine,” said Deborah Deas, M.D., M.P.H, the Mark and Pam Rubin Dean and Chief Executive Officer for Clinical Affairs. “The new clinic puts a platform in place where we are not just training physicians but also treating patients in the area.”

The new office space at Citrus Tower contains a suite for UCR Health psychiatry and a second suite for UCR Health multispecialty services, which includes neurology, primary care, reconstructive and aesthetic plastic surgery, and more. There are also plans to add women’s health and pain management in the near future.

The new clinic anticipates 33,000 patient visits each year. Doors opened to patients on Monday, May 1.

For more information, as well as a slideshow, please visit: https://ucrtoday.ucr.edu/47024.

By Lue Dowdy

Rap artist M16 TheGreat is WHAT IT DO! Cash On Demand Music Group made it happen. Based out of the Inland Empire this newly formed music group is already turning heads and opening ears. I was able to attend an album release party held by the group which featured the release of their talented artist, ‘M16 TheGreat’ new album “LET DA STREETZ KNOW”.

The event took place in the city of Pomona at the‘M16 TheGreat’ and ‘Cash On Demand Music Group’. The night consisted of live performances by artists, Jay Iverson, YL$NMT, and Swazie, along with music provided by ‘DJ Muda’. I was able to conduct interviews and ask guest their view of the project.

The album contains hits such as, “January 28^th”, “Where You From”, “Drippin”, “Pray for Me”, and more. Just by listening you can tell that M16 TheGreat put his all into it. Funny story, I met M16 two years ago in Dallas, Texas. Both of us were on our way to SXSW which is one of the largest film and music conferences in the world. I saw the hustle, the drive, and ambition in his eyes then and I still see it.

Make sure you follow this dude on all social media sites. Download the album ‘LET DA STREETZ KNOW’. You won’t be disappointed. Until next week Lz!

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- On Wednesday, May 24, the community is welcomed to come out to a parent meeting for ‘Rites of Passage’ hosted by United Nations of Consciousness. The meeting will take place at Anne Shirrells Park Community Center located at 1367 N California St, San Bernardino, CA 92411.

Rites of Passage is a rigorous program centered in traditional African values and history. Designed to strengthen, guide, and mentor young males between 10 to 14 years old and to assist them in developing character, career, and life skills. 

For more information or register, please visit uncyouth.org. To stay connected, text UNCYOUTH to 31996.

VICTORVILLE, CA- This Saturday, May 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. the National Council of Negro Women will be unveiling the ‘Dorothy Height Forever Stamp’. The ceremony will be taking place at the Hawthorne Suites located at 11750 Dunia Road in Victorville.

Dorothy Height was a civil rights and women’s rights activist focused primarily on improving the circumstances of and opportunities for African American women.

One of Height’s major accomplishments at the YMCA was directing the integration of all its centers in 1946. She also established its Center for Racial Justice in 1965, which she ran until 1977. In 1957, Height became the president of the National Council of Negro Women.

Through the center and the council, she became one of the leading figures of the Civil Rights Movement. Height worked with Martin Luther King Jr., A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young, John Lewis, and James Farmer, also known as the “Big Six” of the Civil Rights Movement, on different campaigns and initiatives.

Below is our quick survey:

Supporters of a state bill requiring staffing improvements at dialysis clinics say that poor working conditions create a safety risk for the thousands of Californians being treated for end-stage kidney failure.

SB 349, the Dialysis Patient Safety Act, would mandate annual inspections of dialysis clinics. Current law requires inspections every six years; by comparison, nursing homes in California must be inspected every year, and hospitals every two years.

If enacted, owners of dialysis clinics would also be required to adhere to new staff-to-patient ratios designed to ensure that workers have at least 45 minutes to prepare stations between patients.

Dialysis treatment involves the draining and filtering of blood to remove toxins. The blood is then returned to the patient. Blood infections from contaminated equipment are among the dangers if clinic workers do not have time to adequately clean their stations.

The bill’s advocates say dialysis clinic staffing is an important issue in communities of color, citing statistics that kidney failure and dialysis-related infections are higher among African Americans and Latinos.

“Patients are being rushed through the treatment process,” says Joan Allen, a government relations advocate for Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW). “Some patients leave the clinic still bleeding, making them vulnerable to infection. Caregivers need enough time to clean and sanitize the chair … The bill is needed because without enough transition time and enough staff, you can’t treat patients safely.”

Allen spoke at a media forum about the bill on May 4. Dialysis clinic workers are currently trying to organize to join SEIU-UHW because the two companies that dominate the state’s treatment industry – DaVita and Fresenius Medical Care – have been unresponsive to staff concerns, says Megallan Handford, a dialysis nurse from Riverside County.

Handford says he has been required to work with as many as 24 patients at one time.

“It’s all about profits,” he says. “Company policies and procedures set us up to fail … When you bring up issues, you will be targeted and you will be fired. The industry does not want us to have a voice.”

A dialysis patient at the forum – Vince Gonzales of Pomona – says he saw a fellow patient die at a clinic while he was being treated.

“I wondered, ‘Can I be next?’” he says. “The other day, I walked into a dialysis center that had 16 patients and one nurse. To me, this is a wake-up call.”

Gonzales’ son, Emanuel, told reporters he decided to become a dialysis nurse after seeing the dedication some dialysis nurses showed to his father, and wanting to “give back” to other patients.

Diverse patients at the forum also called for staff increases. Brenda Grant of Oakland recounted one experience.

“After the treatment, the nurse told me, ‘Brenda, we need this chair,’” she says. “I felt a little weak but I had to get up and go.”

Cristina Castro, a patient from Sacramento, says her treatment has also been compromised because staff have been overstretched and have had to rush her in and out.

“I support the bill because clinics don’t have enough staff,” she said.

A coalition of dialysis treatment companies oppose the bill, which has passed through two of the committees required to qualify for a full state senate vote. The companies contend that increased costs associated with the measure could force clinic closures throughout the state and reductions in appointment slots.

Some clinics located in communities of color might have to close if the bill is passed, unless the federal government provides more funding for dialysis treatment, according to Dr. Randall Maxey, a provider of kidney treatment in Los Angeles and an owner of clinics in Puerto Rico. Currently, 562 clinics provide dialysis for California’s 63,000 patients.

“This legislation appears to be good, but as practitioner, I know we are heavily regulated,” he says. “We need a better system.”

Cass Gualvez, the organizing director for SEIU-UHW, says evidence doesn’t support the concern that the legislation would trigger reductions in clinic operations. She says eight other states with minimum clinic staffing standards have not had declines in treatment centers.

“[California] dialysis treatment companies made $3 billion in profit in 2015,” Gualvez says. “So there is enough money for more staff.”

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- San Bernardino Public Library will host a free performance by Kinderwise at the Rowe Branch Library at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 22. This is the first day of our Summer Reading Program and is the first program in our busy summer of activities.

Kinderwise is an interactive high-energy musical stage production that presents the topics of love, friendship, imagination, and getting along with others, seen through the eyes of Sparkelina (a magical doll), Busybee (a giant bee), and Sophie (a pink elephant).  Join the world of Kinderwise as the dynamic trio suddenly find themselves in the human world. Throughout their magical journey of singing, dancing, comedic skits, outrageous props and interactivity through the help of audience SUPERHEROES, they soon learn how to get along in this wonderful new world.

Kinderwise is the brainchild of a husband and wife team based in Los Angeles.  They noticed that much of what they taught their child could be described as the How-To’s of Life!  They wanted to present a comprehensive list of topics in a way that children would find entertaining enough to read over and over. The first three books of their bilingual emotional intelligence series are intended to help children with the development of empathy, self-awareness, and illustrate simple ways of getting along with others.  These books will be available for purchase at the show.

This free family performance is sponsored by the Friends of the San Bernardino Public Library. For more information call the library at 909-883-3411 or visit www.sbpl.org or  https://www.facebook.com/SBPLfriends/