C O L T O N C O U R I E R WWe e eekkllyy
By Manny SandovalIn a grand event held on September 20th, 2023 at the Colton City Hall, the c i t y ' s R e c r e a t i o n a n d P a r k s Commission spotlighted the accomplishments of local youth sports teams that have elevated the community's spirit and reputation
The teams that were recognized include:
Nighthawks Carl Rimbaugh All Stars
Pony Youth Soccer
Tee Ball Ken Hubbs Little League
Supervisor Joe Baca Jr and Councilman
John Echevarria presented each team with a certificate of recognition, acknowledging
their hard work, dedication, and contribution to Colton's sports legacy
The council chambers were abuzz with excitement as over 100 proud parents and families filled the room The atmosphere was electric, with attendees eagerly awaiting the moment their child would step onto
S B C o u n t y L e a d e r s U n v e i l N e w A n i m a l C a r e C e n t e r S i g n i n B l o o m i n g t o n
in our care It's a step forward, ensuring countless animals find the care they deserve in a modernized setting As families look to adopt, they'll find their perfect match here I want to express my deep gratitude to Assembly Majority Leader Emeritus Eloise Gómez Reyes, the Board of Supervisors and our dedicated county staff for their unwavering commitment and hard work " San Bernardino County currently offers animal care services at the Devore and Big Bear animal shelters Since the beginning of this year, over 4,200 dogs and cats were taken into the Devore Animal Shelter
“We have outgrown our Devore shelter and we are in desperate need of more space,” said San Bernardino County Chief Executive Officer Luther Snoke “With the new facility, we are going to double our capacity ”
Community News
San Bernardino County leaders on We d n e s d a y u n v e i l e d a " c o m i n g soon" sign for a new state-of-the-art Animal Care Center in Bloomington
The 61,000-square-foot shelter and care facility will offer top-level onsite veterinary care, dedicated dog and cat enrichment areas, and spacious kennels for pets as they
await their forever homes
“This is a huge win for the County of San Bernardino,” said County Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr , whose Fifth District includes Bloomington “We're excited to bring this countywide service to the Bloomington community, addressing a need we've recognized for some time now The new Animal Care Center is our pledge to a safer and more loving environment for every animal
The project cost estimate is $45 million, which includes the demolition of existing obsolete facilities and construction of the new building Completion is expected in spring 2026
“Our new Animal Care Center will not only offer the opportunity to provide services to our animals and residents, but it will also offer the opportunity to strengthen
Sports
the Dias, receive their certificate, and shake hands with the city's leaders
Colton has always had a robust sports following, and the recognition of these teams further cements the city's commitment to
Animal Care
existing partnerships with our community and build new ones,” said Joshua Dugas, director of the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, which oversees County Animal Care
For more information about an-
nurturing and celebrating local talent
The dedication and perseverance of these young athletes have not only made their families proud but have also earned the admiration and respect of the local government and the broader community
imals available for adoption in San Bernardino County’s Big Bear and Devore shelters, please v i s i t animalcare sbcounty gov/pets or call (800) 472-5609
To make a donation to assist animals at the shelter, please visit www arffund org
San Ber nardino City Council Appr oves
$5.7M f or Agg r essive Downtown Economic Development, Elevating Small Businesses & Safety
By Manny SandovalIn a decisive move to reinvigorate the city's downtown area, the San Bernardino City Council unanimously approved a $5 7 million budget for economic development additions and improvements on September 12, 2023
The comprehensive plan includes hiring more police for downtown, social service workers, park positions, and creating new roles to support local businesses
David Friedman, co-owner of Realicore and Viva La Boba, emphasized the importance of supporting local businesses "For instance, in downtown Redlands on State Street, those small businesses bring in 6X the tax revenue than Mountain Grove and Citrus Plaza Shopping Centers
Small businesses keep our cities alive," Friedman said He further highlighted the difference between local and chain businesses, noting, "If you support a local business, that money stays in our community "
The city's new initiatives include:
1 A business retention economic development employee who will liaise with small businesses to understand and support their specific needs.
2. A business outreach position to help small businesses expand
3 Hiring additional police for downtown to enhance safety and cleanliness
4. Engaging more social service workers and park positions to ensure parks are clean and free from after-hour activities
5 Hiring two consultants each for federal and state lobbying efforts to bring significant funds for the city
Friedman also discussed the collaborative approach between the new police hires and social workers "They'll work with businesses and residents and identify the unique issues we face downtown It's a softer touch but a proactive approach "
The Economic Development Advisory Ad Hoc Sub-Committee, established to examine significant projects and provide recommendations, will play a pivotal role in these revitalization efforts This sub-committee, comprising three members of the City Council, will focus on the downtown core for at most twelve months
Interim City Manager Charles McNeely shared his vision for the city's economic development
Read more at IECN com
City Council Recognizes Colton Beauty Salon f or Business Success
(Dr G) Dr Luis S González, community writerAt the recent Council meeting Sept 19, Council Member Dr G (Dr Luis S González) presented the Business Recognition Award to Colton Beauty Salon on behalf of the City Council Maria Bobabilla, owner of Colton Beauty Salon has operated her business in Colton since 2017, and has worked at this same establishment ten years before purchasing the business
For sixteen years, fellow stylists have come and gone, but Maria has been the mainstay of this well-known local business She has worked hard to be consistent with the excellent quality of service, and has built not only a loyal customer base, but has grown her business to employ four other stylists; three of which who attended the meeting; Marta Garcia, Rosa Vaca Cervantes, and Rita Soto
Between the five of them, this salon is wellknown, and many residents in the city come as re-
peat customers They come not only to get a haircut, or get their hair styled, but to visit with these awesome ladies, share stories, and enjoy the fact this successful business welcomes everyone who walks into the front door
They serve men, women, children, and have special deals for families The list goes on and on for the types of services they offer; regular cuts, flat tops, fades, tapers, comb-overs, perms and more Basically, they can handle any style, any length, and any texture, all for a reasonable price If a regular hair cut is needed, a special styling, or if you want to try something unique, this expert team of stylists will be able to help you They are open Monday-Saturday, and someone is always available when you walk in
We are indeed fortunate to have such a successful small business in our community that is wellknown, well-connected, and has a reputation for providing excellent service to the residents of Colton Maria Bobadilla and her team are to be congratulated for their successful business in Colton
Never Stop Grinding Impact Steps Up with Fr ee Walker Distribution f or Senior s in Rialto and acr oss the IE
By Manny SandovalDuring a time where many seniors are going without mobility aids due to prohibitive costs, Arrowhead United Way and Never Stop Grinding Impact distributed much-needed walkers and more at the Grace Vargas Senior Center on September 25
According to a report from the California Department of Aging, a significant number of seniors in the state live on fixed incomes, making it challenging to afford essential items like walkers, bedside commodes, and crutches The cost of these aids can range from $50 to $300, a price tag that is often out of reach for many
About two dozen seniors, aware of the value and importance of these items, eagerly lined up at 11:30 AM One senior recipient, reflecting the sentiments of many, remarked, “This is such an amazing deal What a Godsend, especially since so many seniors try to walk by themselves and end up falling ”
Darious Harris, Founder and CEO of Never Stop Grinding Impact, was hands-on throughout the event Assisting with the distribution, Harris, with a pallet jack, unloaded boxes, disposed of pallets, and loaded items into vehicles His mother's involvement in handling registration and the assortment of goods made the event a
family-driven mission
“Today we are giving back to our seniors I've done plenty of free dental and vision events here at Grace Vargas Senior Center and I thought it was important to come back and provide essential mobility items to our seniors,” said Harris Harris, a Rialto native, emphasized the significance of community support “It's such a blessing to give back to the seniors, especially in the city that I come from Thank you to everyone who made this possible, thank you to Inland Empire Community News and everyone who supports our movement We are never going to stop grinding and will always make an impact,” he concluded
Other items given away with the standing and sitting wheelchairs included commodes and crutches
This event underscored the pressing needs of the senior community in the Inland Empire and the broader state of California
With the rising costs of essential items, initiatives like these, supported by organizations like Arrowhead United Way and Never Stop Grinding Impact, are not just acts of charity but essential lifelines for seniors striving for independence and dignity
Ahouse fire on Monday, September 25, 2023, at 4:38 a m , has left one person dead and another in grave condition in San Bernardino
The San Bernardino County Fire Department responded to a call about a residential fire on the 500 block of West 14th Street, near West Magnolia & North "E" Street The incident, Residential Structure Fire with Fatality (BDC 23-237974), saw initial 911 callers reporting a roof in flames
Upon arrival, crews found a single-story home heavily engulfed Challenges arose with downed power lines in
the front yard and metal-barred windows, but firefighters quickly gained access There were reports of potential victims trapped inside
"We faced immediate challenges with the downed power lines and barred windows, but our team's swift action ensured we could get inside as quickly as possible," said Mike McClintock, Battalion Chief/PIO
Inside, rescue crews found one victim and began Advanced Life Support care The adult was rushed to a nearby hospital in grave condition Tragically, a second individual was found deceased
The fire was under control within 20 minutes of the department's arrival Firefighters noted blocked interior cor-
ridors, barred exterior windows, and a lack of working smoke detectors in the residence The cause of the fire remains under investigation
The response included five engines, a ladder truck, a chief officer, and four fire investigators from the San Bernardino County Fire Department
The department urges residents to ensure they have working smoke detectors on each floor and in every bedroom of their homes They also emphasize the importance of having and practicing an escape plan
For more information, contact Mike McClintock at mmcclintock@sbcfire org
O c t . 1 4 O p e n H o u s e H i g h l i g h t s F i r e P r e v e n t i o n W e e k
Community News
Riverside Community Hospital (RCH) partnered with the Riverside Police Department and City of Riverside Fire Department on Wednesday, September 20 for an active shooter exercise (DRILL) inside the hospital’s Emergency Room and parts of the campus, including medical office buildings
The main objectives for the drill were to enhance interagency communications between RCH, police, the fire dept and AMR, and handle the potential medical surge in patients in the event of a shooting
The hospital will soon initiate a disaster command center as the Emergency Room prepares for an influx in patients
L A A r e a T r i b a l L e a d e r s , L a w E n f o r c e m e n t L e a r n A b o u t N e w To o l t o S t e m
E p i d e m i c o f V i o l e n c e A g a i n s t M i s s i n g a n d M u r d e r e d N a t i v e A m e r i c a n W o m e n
Community News
Tribal leaders, California Native American Legislative Caucus Chairperson Assemblymember James C Ramos (D-San Bernardino), and law enforcement will gather at 5:30 p m on Tuesday, September 26 to learn about implementation of a new law notifying the public when California Native American persons go missing
Ramos authored the measure, AB 1314, known as the Feather Alert, similar to other notification systems such as the AMBER or Silver Alerts used when children are abducted or missing or when seniors are missing Ramos is the first and only California Native American elected to the legislature in the state’s history
Violence against Native American people and in particular against women and girls is a persistent crisis facing tribes across the country Indigenous women are currently victims of murder at rates more than 10 times the national average
California, with more Native Americans than any other state, has the sixth highest death rate of indigenous women in urban areas, and crimes against Native American women are seven times less likely to be solved than any other demographic
The new Feather Alert system will help law enforcement more quickly notify the public and produce leads to help find the missing individuals Ramos has conducted three similar events over the past year in Fresno, San Bernardino and Mendocino Counties for the local tribes and law enforcement in those regions
The Redlands Fire Department will host its annual Open House from 10 a m to 2 p m Saturday, Oct 14, at Fire Station 261, 525 E Citrus Ave , in support of Fire Prevention Week
This fun and educational event is slated to include demonstrations of CPR, “Jaws of Life” rescue tools, and our new aerial ladder truck, as well as children’s activities including meeting Sparky the Fire Dog and fire station tours
The Redlands Fire Department is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association®, the official sponsor of Fire Prevention WeekTM, Oct 8-12, to promote this year ’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Cooking safety starts with YOU Pay attention to fire preventionTM ” The campaign works to educate everyone about simple but important actions they can take when cooking to keep themselves and those around them safe
According to NFPA, cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries in the United States Unattended cooking is the leading cause of cooking fires and deaths
“Year after year, cooking remains the leading cause of home fires by far, accounting for half (49 percent) of all U S home fires,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of outreach and advocacy at NFPA “These numbers tell us that there is still much work to do when it comes to better educating the public about ways to stay safe when cooking ”
The Redlands Fire Department encourages all residents to embrace the 2023 Fire Prevention Week theme, “Cooking safety start with YOU ” Simple ways to promote cooking safety include:
• Watch what you heat Always keep a close eye on what you are cooking Set a timer to remind you that you are cooking
• Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove Always keep a lid nearby when cooking If a small grease fire starts, slide the lid over the pan and turn off the burner
• Have a “kid- and pet-free zone” of at least three feet around the stove or grill and anywhere else hot food or drink is prepared or carried
To find out more about Fire Prevention Week programs and activities in Redlands please contact the Community Risk Reduction Division at (909) 798-7601 or fireprevention@cityofredlands org
For general information about Fire Prevention Week and cooking safety, visit www fpw org For fire safety fun for kids, visit sparky org
Redlands Fire Department press releases and other information are available on the Redlands Fire Department Facebook page at www facebook com/redlandsfiredepartment or on the City’s website at cityofredlands org/fire-department
CSUSB Exhibition Afróntalo’ Focuses on Mexico’s Afr o-descendent Communities and Afr o-descendant Latinos
Community News
Visitors packed the Anthropology Museum on Sept 21 at Cal State San Bernardino to mark the formal opening of the new exhibition, “Afróntalo,” which directs the focus on the often-underrepresented and overlooked history and culture of Mexico’s Afrodescendent communities
“‘Afróntalo’ represents a unique and invaluable effort to shed light on the often-underrepresented narratives of the Costa Chica region in Oaxaca and Guerrero, Tamiahua in Veracruz, Coyolillo in Veracruz and Mascogos in Coahuila,” said Hazel Blackmore, the executive director of Mexico-United States Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange (COMEXUS) “These communities have long held vibrant cultures and histories that deserve to be showcased and celebrated on the world stage ”
Those vibrant cultures are on display at the Anthropology Museum, located on the third floor of CSUSB’s College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, through June 19
Visitors to the exhibition are greeted with art and objects and descriptive displays divided into two sections: one curated by representatives of four Afro-descendant communities in Mexico, and another presenting biographies and original portraits of 21 Afrolatine Californians
And over both is a colorful mural, stretching about two stories high from floor to ceiling, painted by artist Julio “Honter” Antuna Lopez, depicting scenes related to the Afro-descendant communities
“One in four Latin Americans has African ancestry,” the exhibition’s introductory panel states on a 10-foot tapestry crafted by CSUSB student Alessandro Corsaro that hangs at the museum entrance “And yet, there is a general deficit of knowledge regarding the presence and prevalence of blackness throughout the Americas This is more than a simple matter of obscurity It is a problem of erasure, invisibility and dislocation Afróntalo introduces you to four communities in Mexico and twenty-one Californians, all in their own words, to explore the depth and breadth of Afrolatine histories, cultures and identities ”
The four communities that partnered with the Anthropology Museum to bring this exhibition to life are: Tamiahua (Veracruz state, lead curator Doris Careaga-Coleman), Coyolillo (Veracruz state, lead curator Daniela Carreto López), the Negros Mascogos (Coahuila state, lead curator Karla Rivera Tellez), and the Costa Chica region (Oaxaca and Guerrero states, lead curator Sergio Navarrete Pellicer)
All four curators attended the opening reception, which was highlighted by performances by Danza Afrobalele, led by López, and rappers La Cruda Mora Both are affiliated with Centro Cultural Comunitario Casa Coyolillo (the Community Cultural Center of Coyolillo), better known as Casa Coyolillo
Lead curators and their teams were trained in curation and exhibition development by María Fernanda Yáñez Uribe from Museo de Arte Popular in Mexico City
Each curatorial team chose their own focus for the exhibition:
For Tamiahua, the focus is cuisine, cooking, fishing and connecting community traditions to Africa and other Afro-descendant communities in the Americas
The Coyolillo portion focuses on the joys of the community and Blackness, highlighting life in the town, located in Veracruz, that has a rich Afro-descendant heritage
For the Costa Chica community, the focal point is three Afro-descendant dances from the region, with props used in the Danza de la Tortuga (Dance of the Turtle), Danza de Vaqueros (Dance of the Cattle Herders) and Danza de los Diablos
(Dance of the Devils), lining one wall
As for the Negros Mascogos, the exhibit follows the history of enslaved Afro-descendants who made their way to Mexico
“As a Hispanic-Serving Institution, we are always eager to take advantage of opportunities to celebrate the histories, the cultures, present on our campus and in the larger world around us Hispanic Heritage Month is definitely one such occasion,” said CSUSB President Tomás D Morales in his welcoming remarks
The Afrolatine culture is a vibrant part of the Hispanic world, Morales said, pointing to his own Afro-descendant roots from Puerto Rico “This exhibit brings awareness, and provides access to those who view the exhibit, either in person or virtually,” he said, announcing that by the end of the academic year, “Afróntalo” will have a permanent space online with a virtual exhibit developed by CSUSB’s office of Academic Technologies & Innovation
And, to take advantage of the exhibition’s fall and spring run, Morales said, “I am committed to having as many school children come from San Bernardino, Riverside County, to learn about their roots, particularly those from Mexico and Latin America ”
The curators, Blackmore and Matthew Robinson, a program director for the U S Department of Education, credited Anthropology Museum director Arianna Huhn for bringing together the people and resources that became “Afróntalo ” While Sept 22 marked the opening of the exhibition, it also was a celebration of the more than two-year effort to develop it
Robinson, who manages the Fullbright Hays Seminars Abroad Program, said the genesis of “Afróntalo,” can be traced to a four-week 2021 seminar, “Exploring African Heritage in Mexico,” organized by COMEXUS He called the work and the resulting exhibition “exemplary because although Dr Huhn’s time abroad in Mexico for the seminar was just four weeks, the activities that stemmed from that experience continue two years later, with meaningful impacts that will continue to inspire and inform this and many other communities ”
While the main focus is the museum exhibit, the Anthropology Museum organized a slate of programs in the days leading to the opening of “Afróntalo,” with presentations for the campus community by representatives of the exhibition’s four partner communities
And more are planned both on and off campus Visit the Anthropology Museum website for updates
The exhibition has been made possible in part with grants from California Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the U S Embassy in Mexico’s Understanding African Heritage in Mexico through Exchanges Fund, which funded the participation of the exhibition’s curatorial team from Mexico in the opening programs of Afróntalo
Additional sponsors of opening week celebration programming include: The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Office of the Dean, the Division of Student Affairs, the College of Extended and Global Education, the Office of the Provost, the Office of Student Research, the Office of Community Engagement, the Department of Art and Design, the College of Arts and Letters Office of the Dean, the Intellectual Life Fund, the Department of Theatre Arts, Los Amigos Spanish Club and University Advancement
The Anthropology Museum’s hours are 8 a m4:30 p m Monday through Friday During the run of “Afróntalo,” the museum will also be open the second Saturday of each month
