[New] O L T O N C O U R I E R WWe e eekkllyy

On J a n u a r y 7 t h ,

Dunkin’ franchisees

Jeff Shady & Jordon

D i B i a s e a l o n g s i d e C o l t o n

Mayor Frank Navarro, held an official ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the shop

Following the ribbon cutting ceremony, Shady & DiBiase excitedly presented a check f o r $ 5 0 0 t o C o l t o n H i g h School The check was pres e n t e d t o f u r t h e r t h e h i g h school’s mission of establishing an award-winning, exemp l a r y, C a l i f o r n i a D i s t i n g u i s h e d H i g h S c h o o l t h a t p r o v i d e s a s u p p o r t i v e , collaborative, and stimulating learning environment where staff and students can achieve the highest standards of excellence

The new Next Gen restaurant offers Colton a first-hand look at Dunkin’s store of the future e x p e r i e n c e , w i t h a m o d e r n design that provides a fresh, friendly, vibrant, and engaging environment

Complete with a new, warm i n t e r i o r c o l o r p a l e t t e , t h e restaurant also offers atmospheric lighting, a convenient d r i v e - t h r u , c o m p l i m e n t a r y Wi-Fi, and an innovative tap

By Mayor Frank Navarro

First and foremost, I want to thank you, our residents, for continuing to place your trust and confidence in the direction Colton is moving by reelecting me to continue my work as your Mayor

Looking back at the last four years we faced chal- make Colton a better community our biggest challenge essary steps to control the spread, including curtailing operating hours for some businesses During this time city staff worked c l o s e l y w i t h s t a t e a n d county health departments a n d m a d e c h a n g e s t o those mandates as soon as i t w a s s a f e t o d o s o B u s i n e s s e s a d j u s t e d t o these mandates by adjusti n g t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s , including innovative new i d e a s s u c h a s c u r b s i d e pickup and outdoor sales Although our City Staff was placed on modified schedules, including many who worked from home, we were still able to provide continued services to our community I commend our city manager, Bill Smith, his executive staff and our city employees for their commitment to working with the city c o u n c i l a n d m y s e l f i n m a k i n g s u r e t h a t w e returned to normalcy in a safe and expeditious manner

Dunkin’ is located at 1320 E Washington St , Colton take nec-

As your Mayor one of my most important tasks is to work with State, and County elected officials a n d I n t e r- G o v e r n m e n t a l Agencies to secure much needed funding for our community I’m proud to say, during the past four years, we were successful in pursuing opportunities to collaborate and work with State Senator Connie L e y v a a n d A s s e m b l y M a j o

In the o i s e on our request and obtained for Colton $19 million dollars One million will be used to improve the Luque Community Center, to host a larger Library Branch and a Community Resource Center The Resource Center will house the grant funded Homeless Services Coordinator and services such as food distribution, clothing access, connection to mental health services, a computer lab for employment and educational opportunities, and many other services geared to homeless individuals and our residents

The remaining eighteen million will go to the development of a brand new “state of the art” 35 plus acre sports complex in South Colton, which has been a personal dream of mine since losing our chance of having a regional park in that area which would have included a sports complex

We also obtained almost 2 8 million dollars in funding from our county Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr These monies will be used to completely renovate Elizabeth Davis Park as well as make additional improvements to The Colton Avenue bike and pedestrian linear parkway, along with funding for an off-road vehicle and two off road EV motorcycles to combat crime in the Santa Ana Riverbed and elsewhere in an amount of $100,116 99

Most recently we were successful in receiving another funding request through the efforts of congressman Pete Aguilar in the amount of four million one hundred sixty-six thousand for the realignment of Reche Canyon Road and Hunts Lane

This much needed transportation project has been on the books for quite some time and I’m anxious to move forward on this so we can help alleviate some of the traffic issues our Reche Canyon residents deal with daily All in all, we were successful in bringing in additional funding to our community in the amount of $26,066,116 00

In the last several years we were able to secure grants for studies to revitalize both our Downtown and South Colton La Cadena business corridors Work has already begun on a new “paseo” project downtown We are constantly working with developers and property owners to bring quality commercial and retail projects along Valley Blvd in the downtown area as well as the La Cadena corridor and other areas of Colton

Most everyone is aware of the many commercial and retail projects in the west end of our city, namely “The Hub City Centre” located at Pepper Avenue and Valley Blvd near Arrowhead Re- gional Medical Center One of the most exciting projects has been the new California University of Science and Medicine which recently graduated their first class of medical doctors Look for more new developments to come to this area in the near future

New transportation projects are also coming which will benefit Colton The Washington interchange over the 215 is already in the process of being rebuilt and will feature an additional left turn lane onto the southbound 215, along with being widened to include sidewalks and bike lanes

The bridge on La Cadena over the Santa Ana River will be replaced with a new bridge and the new interchange over Interstate 10 at Mt Vernon is scheduled to start construction in late 2023

We are also working diligently to secure additional funding to rebuild and widen the Mt Vernon bridges over the railroad tracks and the Santa Ana River As you drive around town you will see crews working on alley improvements and street rehabilitation projects, these projects are funded through state funding and CDBG grants and are on-going

Moving forward into 2023 my commitment to you, our residents is to continue to improve the quality of life in our Community I would like to sincerely thank our residents for supporting and voting for Measure S which will enable our City to build upon the progress we’ve made in the past several years

Increased crime and homelessness throughout California are issues that are at the forefront of our concerns here in Colton Revenues generated by Measure S will help our City deal with these issues by enhancing our Police and Fire Department staffing and retention Monies from Measure S will also be used to provide quality services that our residents deserve from our Public Works, including streets and parks, Community Services, Development Services and other internal departments

In closing, I’d like to once again thank our residents for the confidence you’ve placed in me and the direction Colton is taking I will continue to maintain the close relationships I’ve developed over the years with Federal, State and local elected officials in order to keep the city of Colton at the forefront and eligible to obtain funding needed for future projects which will benefit our community

I look forward to having a great 2023 and for us to continue our momentum into the future May God continue to bless Colton

By Manny Sandoval

In Spring 2022, San Bernardino Valley College students enrolled in the Film, Television, and Media Department's Survey of TV Studio and Film Production (FTVM 133) and TV Studio Production (FTVM 233) courses produced a 6-episode TV show called Rhythm Lounge, which premiered on KVCR (channel 24) on Sunday, January 8th

The format follows that of the iconic shows Guitar Center Sessions and MTV Unplugged, whereas Rhythm Lounge spotlights the top musical talent from across the inland empire

"This production was great for our students as it gave them a real-world TV production experience that added to their portfolio while at the same time creating original content for KVCR, marketing the Film, Television and Media department, and spotlighting local artists at the same time," said Professor Kevin Lyons

The first episode featured

Classic Rock Band Raincross Drive, which has toured breweries and regional events across the Inland Empire In the episode, the Inland natives performed two of their hits and delved deep into the hardships of being a local musician

But aside from the programming, what is astounding is that the dozen and a half students enrolled in the two courses, some with no prior TV production experience, entirely produced the 6-episode show in just 58 lab hours

"This first take of Rhythm Lounge was a good model, and we're going to do it again this semester It's resulting in elevating our student's critical thinking skills as they are project managing, coordinating with bands and musicians, shooting and editing the show - but pivoting when things go wrong, like a band canceling last minute, which happenedit's all part of the game and reflective of a high budget TV production," concluded Lyons

Rhythm Lounge airs every Sunday at 4 PM on KVCRChannel 24

Community News

Colton Police Department had (1) criminal arrest while conducting a DUI/Driver ’s License checkpoint on January 6, 2023 The checkpoint was conducted in the 1700 block of S La Cadena Drive for southbound traffic between the hours of 6:00 p m and 3:00 a m

In addition, twelve (12) drivers were cited for operating a vehicle unlicensed or with a suspended/revoked license DUI Checkpoints are placed in locations based on collision statistics and frequency of DUI arrests

Drivers caught driving impaired and charged with DUI can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to be approximately $13,500 This includes fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspension and other expenses not to mention possible jail time

Colton Police Department reminds drivers that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze ” Prescription drugs, particularly those with a driving or operating machinery warning on the label, can impair and result in a DUI Marijuana can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs

Funding for this checkpoint was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

By Manny Sandoval

It’s a new dawn, it's a new year and after election results were certified on December 8th, 2022 - a handful of newly electeds in San Bernardino County are resuming office this month

Late last year, the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters reported that out of the 1 138 million registered voters in the County, only 458,946 residents casted their votes, resulting in a measly 40 3 percent voter turnout

Here is a succinct list of election results for the cities of San Bernardino, Colton, Rialto, and the County of San Bernardino:

Congress 23rd Congressional District Jay Obernolte (R) 25th Congressional District Raul Ruiz (D) 33rd Congressional District Pete Aguilar (D) 35th Congressional District Norma J Torres (D)

Assembly 34th Assembly District Tom Lackey (R) 45th Assembly District James C Ramos (D) 50th Assembly District Eloise Gomez Reyes (D) 53rd Assembly District Freddie Rodriguez (D)

San Bernardino County

San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, District 2 Jesse Armendarez

Cities

Colton City Council, Mayor Frank J Navarro

Colton City Council, District 2 Kelly J Chastain

Colton City Council, District 3 Luis S Gonzalez

Colton City Council, District 4 John R Echevarria

Rialto City Council, vote for two Joe Baca Sr Ed Scott

San Bernardino City Council, Mayor Helen Tran

For more information, visit the San Bernardino County Registrar of voters at r e s u l t s r o v s b c o u n t y g o v / R esults/20221108/

Written by Kimberly De Guzman

The winter season has officially arrived and that usually means holiday lights, pumpkins, turkeys, and more!

But what also comes around this time of the year is the annual flu shot What’s more is the latest COVID-19 booster that just became available in September

With all these flu and COVID-19 vaccines, it can get a little confusing about what they are and why we need them Luckily, we’re here to shed some light on these vaccines

What is the COVID vaccine and its booster?

In general, vaccines activate one’s immune system so the body can recognize a specific virus Once the body encounters the virus in the environment, it will know how to fight against it

However, viruses can change over time and create a different version from the original Boosters help fight these mutated viruses

For COVID, a booster is given once an individual completes their primary vaccine series Pfizer and Moderna have recently introduced a “COVID-19 mRNA bivalent booster” to work against the Omicron variant of COVID19

“Bivalent” refers to the booster ’s abil-