October 2008 Archives

The City of Big Bear Lake would like to remind residents and visitors of the code compliance
hotline, (909) 866-CODE (2633). Callers can voice concerns 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week.

This is a non-emergency line in which callers can report nuisances such as noise
disturbance, barking dogs, overcrowding and parking issues at Private Home Rentals.
For emergencies, citizens should call local law enforcement.

The Code Compliance Division is responsible for enforcing land use and property
maintenance codes that provide for the safety and attractiveness of Big Bear Lake.

For more information, call the City's Code Compliance Division at (909) 866-5831 or email
bblcode@citybigbearlake.com

SOURCE: Big Bear Lake news release

Here's a rundown of items listed in today's Beattie Middle School newsletter:

Football fans: Beattie Bowl five is scheduled for Nov. 4 at lunch time. Congratulations go to the two fine teams that will compete: The Gridiron Gang vs. Los Locos. The winner will take on the teachers on Wednesday (Nov. 5).

Geo Club: Is from 3:20-4:20 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3 in room G-41 with Mrs. Young. The focus will be on Africa.

Book Club announces Third annual Bookmark Contest: All students are invited to enter. Entry forms can be picked up in the library. The contest ends Nov. 17.

National Junior Basketball: Sign ups are open through Nov. 30. Open slot tryouts are every Saturday from 10-10:30 a.m. at Redlands High School. Those still wishing to sign up, call Mary at (909) 838-9576.

The East Valley Water District on Thursday approved rate hikes totaling 20.5 percent following a three-hour public hearing attended by about 70 of its customers in Highland and San Bernardino.

Come next month, the district's approximately 20,000 customers in Highland, eastern San Bernardino and unincporated pockets of the county should start seeing an additional seven to eight dollars tacked onto their water bills, said Robert Martin, general manager for the East Valley Water District.

Following hours of comment from its customers who protested the hikes due to the flagging economy, the district board adopted rate increases of 12.5 percent for water and eight percent for sewer, Martin said.

He said the board will hold a special meeting next week to discuss customer concerns regarding construction of a $25 million district headquarters on Third Street, near Sterling Avenue. Many who spoke at Thursday's meeting said it might not be the best time for the district to be pumping so much money into a new building when the economy is in a slump, Martin said.

"I think that is something the board will want to discuss further," said Martin. "Where those discussions go, right now, I don't know."

Plans were to start construction of the new facility on the 15-acre parcel early next year and have it completed in 2010.

Last year, the district raised its rates by about 10 percent across the board.

Capital needs are driving the rate increases. Those include new state and federal regulations on the treatment of well water for contaminants, mainly perchlorate, Martin said.

Uri Leder, who owns the 19-unit Ridgeview Apartments on Date Street in San Bernardino, was one of those in attendance at Thursday's meeting. He felt the district's timing couldn't be more untimely.

"With the economy what it is, people in San Bernardino have to tighten their belts and make do with what they have, and that's what the water district should do, tighten their belts and make do with what they have now," Leder said.

He feels the district should have taken time to ponder customer's concerns and make some effort as to addressing them before reaching its decision.

"It was just a charade. It was just an item before the vote," Leder said. "They pretend they want to hear what people have to say, however, immediately after they proceeded to vote. They did not consider anything the people had to say. That's not the deocratic way."

joe.nelson@inlandnewspapers.com

Five Big Bear High School sophomores were arrested Wednesday in connection with an alleged plot to go on a shooting spree at the school.

One of the students confessed to having gang ties and was believed to have been forming a gang to commit criminal activity, authorities said.

School officials alerted sheriff's officials about talk of a shooting spree after hearing reports from students, said sheriff's spokeswoman Tiffany Swantek.

After a daylong investigation, deputies, composing five teams, fanned out across the Big Bear Valley to serve the search warrants about 8 p.m.

They arrested two 15-year-old and three 16-year-old boys, 20-year-old Big Bear Lake resident Miguil Hernandez and Anthony Coleman, 20, of Chino.

The five juveniles face charges of felony conspiracy and were booked at San Bernardino Juvenile Hall.

No guns were found during the searches, but investigators did find drug paraphernalia and a large quantity of cash. They also found gang-related photographs and writings.

What they couldn't find was any evidence of how the suspects planned to carry out the shootings.

"There weren't any type of organized plans to put anything into place," Swantek said.

Authorities believe the same kids may be tied to a spate of vandalism and graffiti in the Big Bear area in recent weeks. The writings and photographs found during the searches were similar to the graffiti, Swantek said.

Bear Valley Unified Superintendent Carole Ferraud was out of the office Thursday and unavailable for comment. Joy Oliver, speaking on her behalf, referred inquiries to the Sheriff's Department. She had no information to provide as to whether parents were notified of the foiled plot and other precautions taken at the school Wednesday.

Big Bear High School Principal Michael Ghelber didn't return a phone call seeking comment.

Swantek said the school was not put on lockdown, and that every ranking member of the Big Bear sheriff's office worked the investigation Wednesday.

"If people are going to be up here talking about (how) they're part of a gang, then that's how we're going to treat them," she said.

Hernandez was arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property and using false citizenship documentation. Coleman was arrested on suspicion of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Swantek said the adults weren't involved in the alleged plot, but deputies found the men while serving the search warrants. She said she was not sure what relationship they have with the teenagers.

The Planning Commission on Tuesday will decide on whether to issue permits to two Thai food restaurants authorizing them to serve beer and wine.

One restaurant, the Thai Spoon, is located in the Palm Plaza on the southwest corner of Palm Avenue and Cypress Street. The other is the Orchid Thai restaurant at 27266 Base Line.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in City Council chambers, 27215 Base Line.

joe.nelson@inlandnewspapers.com

San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino, in association with Roy Englebrecht Events, is hosting an evening of championship boxing on Nov. 20 in the casino's Yuhaviatam Room. Here is an updated and officials rundown of the scheduled fights:

Featured bout for the San Manuel Championship Belt: 

Eight Rounds - 135 pounds - Bout 6: John Molina (13-0 9ko), of Covina, squares off with Fernando Lizarraga (16-5-1 12ko), of Tijuana, Mexico.

Six rounds-131 pounds-Bout 5: Rhonda Luna (12-1 1ko), of rowland heights, squares off  with Kina Malpartida (8-2 iko), of Lima, Peru.

Six rounds-144 pounds-Bout 4: Jose Reynoso (1-1), of Mira Loma, squares off with Brian Gordon (4-1 ko), of Barstow.

Four rounds-142 pounds-Bout 3: Artemio Reyes (1-1), of San Bernardino, squares off with David Luna (2-4) of Palmdale.

Four rounds-128 pounds-Bout 2: Luis Cervantes (debut), of Highland, takes on Jorge Magallones (0-1), of Fresno.

Four rounds-160 pounds-Bout 1: Herman Scott (1-0), of Las Vegas, squares off with Chris Perez (debut), if Cathedral City.

Construction is underway at Cypress Elementary School on a 5,000 square-foot special education classroom building.

It is one of 17 such buildings that have been constructed or are planned for construction at elementary schools, middle schools and high schools within the San Bernardino City Unified School District. Contracts were awarded for the projects in the fall of 2006.

At Cypress, construction began in early October on the new building on the east side of the school, which is expected to wrap up in June. The building is scheduled to open next year for the school's approximately 18 special needs students, Principal David Delgado said.

"It's been a long time in coming. It's something that is drastically needed," Delgado said.
The three-room building, being constructed at a cost of $2.9 million, will include two washrooms to teach students life skills such as doing their laundry, in conjunction with their daily course of academics. It will also include showers, a kitchen, a microwave oven and a washer and dryer.

Two rooms will be used as classrooms for students, and another room will accommodate future growth, Delgado said.

Other construction projects in Highland include a five-classroom special education building completed at Serrano Middle School last year at a cost of $3.1 million. At Highland Pacific Elementary, construction commenced in the summer on a building, with an estimated completion date of summer 2009, according to information posted on the school district's Web site.

In San Bernardino, a five-classroom special education building was completed in summer 2007 at San Gorgonio High School, which serves Highland residents.

The construction projects have been fully or partially funded by Measure T, a $140 million bond measure approved by voters in March 2004 to fund new schools, school modernization and special education classroom buildings, said Linda Bardere, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino City Unified School District.

Under Measure T, property owners pay no more than $60 per $100,000 of assessed valuation of property for the next 20 years.

"We do recognize that our students have special needs that are difficult to meet in a standard classroom," Bardere said. "These are modern facilities that can accommodate their needs."

The city's Public Facilities Subcommittee is recommending that city planners look into the feasibility of providing between 20 to 30 additional parking spaces on the east side of Highland Community Park, along Lillian Lane.

Residents voiced concern at a previous City Council meeting about a lack of parking at the park, said City Councilman Larry McCallon, who serves on the two-man subcommittee with fellow Councilman  John Timmer.

Plans initially called for additional parking space on Lillian Lane during construction of the park, but were scrapped.

"All we did was ask staff to resurrect some of those old plans, and we'll take a look at them," McCallon said.

Any additional parking space that is proposed will ultimately have to go before the City Council for approval, McCallon said.

In other news from Tuesday's meeting, the subcommittee agreed to plant several additional trees at Aurantia Park on Greenspot Road for more shade. The move came at the request of a resident, who also suggested lights be installed so the dog park could be used at night. The subcommittee decided against it because the park is designated as a passive park for day use only, McCallon said.

Lastly, the subcommittee rejected a design for a monument honoring Highland's military and public safety veterans, requesting that three glass pylons and steps leading up to the monument be removed from the design. The subcommittee also requested that the Vietnam memorial that currently sits in front of the Highland sheriff's station be included in the new memorial when it is built, McCallon said.

The architect will return with a new design plan at the next subcommittee meeting, McCallon said.

The East Valley Water District is holding a public hearing Thursday on proposed water rate increases of between eight and 12.5 percent.

The hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. in City Council chambers, 27215 Base Line.

Customer water rates are expected to increase by 12.5 percent and sewer rates by about eight percent, said Bob Martin, general manager for the East Valley Water District.

Since customers received news of the proposed hikes, about 50 letters of protest have poured into the water district's office, Martin said. He said many of the district's customers are on fixed incomes and worried about their ability to pay their water bills.

Last year, the district raised it water rates about 11 percent, and sewer rates went up by nine percent. Capital needs, primarily new state regulations implemented last year that has forced water districts to clean up perchlorate-contaminated water in wells, has driven the rising rates, Martin said.

Water in about a half dozen of the district's wells contains perchlorate. Water is currently being treated in two of the wells, and a centralized plant is currently being designed to treat water in four others, Martin said.

A new district headquarters being built on Third Street, near Sterling Avenue, and upgrades to existing treatment plants are also driving the need for the increased rates, Martin said.

Despite customer protest, Martin said the rate increases are neccessary, and he will recommend approving them.

"But the board does have the option to approve something else or nothing at all," he said. "Much of what we have before us is being mandated by regulatory agencies that oversee us, so we're kind of between a rock and a hard place."

Jessica Simpson is leaving Daisy Duke at home and bringing her country music act to San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino on Nov. 13.

Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster.com and at the San Manuel box office for $30, $40 and $50.

 Simpson burst onto the pop music scene in 1999 with her debut release "Sweet Kisses." The album went RIAA-certified double platinum and featured the breakthrough hit, "I Wanna Love you Forever," which hit number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Her follow-up album in 2001, "Irresistible," has several chart-topping hits and her album "In This Skin" went quadruple-platinum.

For more information on San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino, visit their Web site at www.sanmanuel.com or call 800-359-2464.

The East Valley Water District is holding a public hearing at 6 p.m. Thursday on its plan to increase customer water rates by about 12.5 percent for regular customers and between 10 and 12 percent for commercial users.

The meeting will be held in City Council chambers, 27215 Base Line.

Bob Martin, general manager of the water district, said the board has received about 50 letters of protest. People are citing the bad economy and inability to pay as the main reasons.

Last year, the district raised its rates by about 10 percent across the board. Capital needs are driving the increases, Martin said.

Last October, the state began mandating that perchlorate levels in water can be no more than six parts per billion. Water in half a dozen East Valley Water District wells contains perchlorate. Water is being treated in two of the wells, and a central plant is being designed to treat water in the rest, Martin said.

Other factors driving the rate increases include the cost of the new district headquarters going up on Third Street near Sterling Avenue and upgrades to existing treatment plants, Martin said.

The City Council has authorized its interim fire chief to have the Moonridge fire station fully staffed during the winter in an effort to cut in half paramedic response times to the two ski resorts.

At its Monday night meeting, the City Council, acting as the Fire Protection District board, gave interim Fire Chief Mark Mills the green light to place a trailer at the station on Rathbun Drive.

The trailer, expected to be on site and in operation on Nov. 15, will house a communications center. Two paramedics will monitor calls from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the weekends and holidays, and two others will serve as a rover ski patrol unit, rolling out in a 4-wheel-drive Ford Explorer to the Bear Mountain and Bear Valley ski resorts to treat injured skiers and snowboarders, Mills said.

"It's only three minutes travel time from one ski slope to the next," he said.

The department's remaining staff will serve as backup and respond from department headquarters on Big Bear Boulevard as needed.

Mills is pushing to expand the Moonridge fire station to a full-time, fully staffed station that would include sleeping quarters for firefighters and paramedics. It currently houses two fire engines and serves as a "paid call" station only, meaning that paid call firefighters use it when they are called up for service.

Mills says the station can be much better utilized.

In 2007, Big Bear Lake firefighters and paramedics responded to 1,751 incidents across the city, 828 of which were in the Moonridge area, primarily at the two ski resorts. Calls to the Moonridge area comprised more than 47 percent of the department's calls.

As data suggests, Mills expects it will be just as busy this year as in years past.

"We'll go from an average of five to six calls a day to 20 to 25 a day once the ski slopes open," Mills said.

Average response time in the Moonridge area is about six minutes. The goal is to bring that down to three minutes, Mills said.

When the trial run ends on April 15, Mills plans to present the response time data to the City Council in hopes of selling the Council on the idea of fully staffing the Moonridge station. About $750,000 has already been set aside for the expansion.

If the station is expanded, Mills said his department's personnel would be divided into two 3-man engine companies, one working the Moonridge station and the other at headquarters.

Brent Tregaskis, general manager of Bear Mountain Resort, likes the idea of having paramedics closer to the resort.

"Certainly they roll out a lot to the ski resorts. On the surface, it sounds like a pretty good idea," he said.

The Highland Public Safety Subcommittee today approved the installation of an audible pedestrian signal at the intersection of Boulder Avenue and Webster Street.

Several residents requested the signal be installed because a new post office will soon open  on the southeast corner of the intersection, which is expected to generate more traffic in the area, said Mayor Penny Lilburn, who serves on the subcommittee with Councilman Ross Jones.

The project will ultimately go before the City Council for approval before construction commences, Lilburn said.

Cost to install the signal will be about $2,700, and will be paid for out of the city's traffic signal maintenance account, said Dennis Barton, the city's assistant public works director.

Severe drought and recent court decisions limiting pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River delta, which threatens to cut San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District's (Muni)  primary imported water supply by up to 88 percent, will not impact Muni's contract with the Big Bear Municipal Water District (MWD).

Muni delivers water to downstream water rights holders in-lieu of the MWD releasing water from Big Bear Lake. The contract has existed between the two water districts since 1977, and the MWD in that time has spent $14 million on the program, keeping more than 63,000 acre feet of water in the lake, according to a news release issued by the MWD.

In addition to imported water resources, Muni has purchased water from the Yuba County Water Authority, has some carryover water availability from the State Water Project, and access to water wells in the San Bernardino Valley. This combination of sources should be able to meet both their in-lieu obligations and other domestic and irrigation requirements which together total 18,500 acre feet.

SOURCE: MWD news release

The following are among some actions the City Council is expected to vote or act on at tonight's meeting:

1) The awarding of a contract with Ortiz Asphalt Paving for the construction of curbs, gutters, sidewalk and match up paving on the south side of Ninth Street from Elmwood Road to approximately 150 feet west of Sterling Avenue. The more than $350,000 project will be funded by state grants.

2) The Historical and Cultural Preservation Board is recommending the City Council select a date of March 28 for its 13th annual Citrus Harvest Festival, with a rain date of April 4 proposed.

3) City staff is recommending that the redevelopment agency board approve a negotiation agreement ACAA Limited Partnership to secure 55-year affordable housing convenants on 58 units at the Base Line Apartments.

The City Council meeting begins at 6 p.m. in City Council chambers, 27215 Base Line.

The following items appear on the agenda for today's Public Facilties Subcommittee meeting, which is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. in the upright conference room at City Hall, 27215 Base Line:

1) Review minutes of July 8 meeting. ACTION

2) Dog Park. ACTION

3) Parking at Central Park. ACTION

4) Monument at Highland sheriff's station. ACTION

City Councilmen Larry McCallon and John Timmer comprise the subcommittee.

The mother of a teen-age boy who died after being struck by a sheriff's deputy while riding his bicycle filed a lawsuit against the city, Sheriff's Department and county on Monday alleging wrongful death.

In the lawsuit, seeking $3,000 for funeral expenses and general damages yet to be determined, Stacey McCombs alleges the unnamed deputy was speeding and blinded by a setting sun when he struck her son, Justin Ames, at the intersection of Ninth Street and Drummond Avenue the evening of Aug. 22.

The deputy was one of two responding to a call about 6:30 p.m. when the collision occurred. Neither of the deputies, both alleged to have been traveling between 50 and 60 mph, had their sirens or flashing lights on, and the posted speed limit was 35 mph, according to the lawsuit.

Justin, 14, and his friend stopped their bicycles at a posted stop sign at the intersection and watched the first patrol car pass by. Then, Justin's friend rode his bike across the street. Justin followed behind his friend and was struck by the second patrol car, according to the lawsuit.

Justin, a boy who doted on his girlfriend Selena, spent countless hours building bikes in his garage and was remembered for using a whole summer's earnings from mowing lawns to buy a neighborhood girl a bicycle, suffered massive head injuries and was taken off life support five days later.

"The deputy sheriff for the city of Highland and the county of San Bernardino, while acting within the course and scope of his employment as an employee of the defendants, owed a legal duty to the plaintiff and decedent to operate his patrol vehicle in a safe and prudent manner," the lawsuit states.

Sheriff's Sgt. Dave Phelps, who heads the department's public affairs office, said it is department policy not to comment on pending litigation.

County spokesman David Wert said Monday it is also the county's policy not to comment on existing litigation.

Highland City Attorney Craig Steele said Monday the city had not yet been served with the lawsuit and therefore he could not comment.

Witnesses who live at the intersection where the collision occurred have given varying accounts of who was at fault, but McCombs' attorney, Mark McDonald, said the majority of them lean toward the deputy being at fault.

"Three of them put the deputy at fault, one of them didn't (put the deputy at fault)," McDonald said. "In the next few weeks, I'm sure we'll know a lot more than we know now."

McDonald said he hopes to gather in the next few weeks copies of the sheriff's investigative reports, Justin's autopsy report and other evidence now in the hands of the Sheriff's Department in order to give him a clearer picture of what happened.

As for compensation, McDonald said that will be down the road.

"Damages and wrongful death are kind of intangible. At some point we'll make a demand," he said.

Construction is underway at Cypress Elementary School of a 5,000 square-foot special education building, Principal David Delgado said.

Construction began earlier this month on the east side of the school and is expected to wrap up in June. It is scheduled to open next year for its approximately 18 special needs students, Delgado said.

"It's been a long time in coming. It's something that is drastically needed," Delgado said.

The 4-room building, one of several that are being built or have already been built in the district, includes two washrooms to teach students life skills such as  doing their laundry, in conjunction with their daily course of academics. Two rooms will be used as classrooms and the other two are to accommodate future growth, Delgado said.

Interim Big Bear Lake Fire Chief Mark Mills is proposing a trailer be placed at the Moonridge fire station to house eight firefighters during the peak winter months.

Mills is requesting the trailer and additional staff be housed at the fire station for one year to demonstrate the need to expand the Moonridge station and make it a full time staffed station.

City staff has already secured a temporary use permit through the Planning Commission, and if the fire district board approves Mills' request, the project can begin as early as Nov. 15 and conclude by April 15, 2009.

In 2007, Big Bear Lake firefighters and paramedics responded to 1,751 incidents. Of those, 828 (47.3 percent) were in the Moonridge area. The average response time for calls in Big Bear Lake os more than six minutes, and Mills says that beefing up staff at the Moonridge station can cut those response times in half.

Due to the high incident levels year-round in the Moonridge area, its fire station has been earmakred for future expansion. About $750,000 has been placed into a reserve account for the construction of a full-time living quarters for firefighters, which will added onto the existing station.

The fire district board is expected to vote on the matter tonight.

The City Countil tonight is expected to enter into a contract, not to exceed $37,500, with LIN Consulting for the preparation of a phased traffic circulation, parking and lighting study for Big Bear Lake Village.

The two-phase study will address both short-term and long-term traffic circulation and parking plans for the area, focusing on the area near Village Drive and Pineknot Avenue. Among the challenges presented in the study include the feasibility of connecting Pineknot Avenue with Bartlett Road and how to accommodate parking during special events and the peak winter and summer seasons.

It is proposed that phase one of the project consist of a stakeholder workshop in order to ensure that all issues of concern are identified, prioritized and addressed while also providing further clarification as to specific data collection efforts neccessary to finalize the overall scope and budget, according to a city staff report. In addition, the phase one portion of the study would include a specific scope of work and budget for the phase two portion of the project.

Big Bear Lake city staff are recommending that the City Council tonight forward onto the Planning Commission for consideration changes to the Development Code that could enhance the economic viability of vacation rentals and other lodging facilities.

For years, owners and operators of small lodging facilities in the city, such as bed and breakfasts, have voiced their concern over development code regulations in the city providing what they feels is an unfair advantage to vacation rental properties in residential neighborhoods.

In 1999, the city adopted a General Plan providing a land use element that contained policies encouraing lodging facilities in commercial zones with fewer use restrictions.

City staff concluded that the unique resort character of the city justifies a more non-traditional approach in regulating small lodging facilities, but it now appears the regulations may be too "conservative in light of the current second home rental market," according to a city staff report.

It is warranted, therefore, to consider changes to the Development Code requirements for small lodging facilties that are within the scope of the previously identified General Plan policies.

The city has secured a $683,500 grant from the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program to improve traffic safety along Base Line.

Improvements include constructing a raised curb median on Base Line between the 210 Freeway and Boulder Avenue to prevent mid-block left turns and u-turns, extending the eastbound left turn lanes to provide adequate vehicle stacking at Boulder Avenue and Creek Drive, widening Seine Avenue to add more turn lanes at the Base Line/Seine intersection, removing the frontage road between Base Line and the Arco gas station and eliminating the frontage road,/Seine intersection.

SOURCE: Highland Weekly Report newsletter

The city's maintenance staff has begun inspecting each of the city's 150 catch basins. The purpose is to maintain storm drain efficiency and protect downstream receiving waters from harmful debris, sediments and trash.

This year, as a condition of the city's permit from the Regional Water Quality Control Board, material removed from the catch basins will be classified and quantified by type, i.e., sediment, organics, trash.

SOURCE:  Highland Weekly Report newsletter

The Sam J. Racadio Library & Environmental Learning Center is hosting Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 19 in the library's Discovery Zone area.

Children, young adults and adults alike are invited to attend in additional to anyone who is interested in map treasure hunts, map hat making, map puzzles and map coloring.

The library is located at 7863 Central Ave., north of Fifth Street.

For more information call the library at (909) 425-4700 or go to the Web site www.gisday.com

The East Valley Water District is holding a water rate hearing at 6 p.m. Oct. 30 in City Council chambers, 27215 Base Line.

Water rates are expected to increase by about 12.5 percent and sewer rates between 10 and 12 percent, said Bob Martin, the district's general manager.

At its board meeting on Oct. 28, water district officials will discuss the 40 to 50 letters of protest it has received from customers who are against the rate increases.

Protestors mainly cite the bad economy for their opposition to the increases, Martin said.

"A lot of people are on fixed incomes and are real concerned," Martin said.

Last year, the district raised its rates by about 10 percent across the board.

Capital needs are driving the increases, Martin said.

Last October, a new state regulation went into effect mandating that perchlorate levels in the water supply can be no more than six parts per billion. Water in a half a dozen East Valley Water District wells contains perchlorate. Water is currently being treated in two of the wells, and a centralized plant is currently being designed to treat water in four others, Martin said.

Other factors driving the rate increases include the new district headquarters going up on Third Street near Sterling Avenue and upgrades to existing treatment plants, Martin said.

Now hiring!

The Highland Family YMCA is looking for someone interested in working part time at the most popular childcare program in town!

If you have experience in organizing and leading various sports and recreation-style programs, or, have an AA degree in physical education or recreation, please submit a YMCA application with a copy of your college trancripts to:

Child Development Services, 800 E. Lugonia Ave., Suite L, Redlands, Ca., 92374.

The position is available immediately for work in Highland, Loma Linda, Redlands and San Bernardino.

For more information call Jim Peck at (909) 792-0555.

Itty Bitty Rookies Basketball sign ups

Sign ups are underway through Nov. 5 for the Y's Itty Bitty Basketball league for children ages three to six.

Cost is $42 for full facility members and $63 for basic program members.

Games and practices are held on Wednesday evenings at 6 p.m. The league runs through Dec. 17.

Parent orientation will be held at 6 p.m. on Nov. 5.

Anyone interested in coaching is asked to call William Chapman at (909) 425-9622, ext. 200.

The Sam J. Racadio Library and Environmental Learning Center is hosting the Spooktacular Fall Party from 5-7 p.m. Oct. 29 in the children's area of the library.

There will be stories, crafts, games and a contest to see who brings the fanciest pumpkin carved at home. So don't forget your Jack-O-Lantern! The library is located at 7863 Central Ave., just north of Fifth Street.

For more information call (909) 425-4700.

For more information, call (909) 338.5186.

Redlands police said they helped foil a plot to kill a Highland man after a gang member called his girlfriend from prison to order the fellow gang member's death.

Charges were filed Thursday against David Martinez, 34, and his girlfriend, 29-year-old Erika Hernandez, for solicitation to commit murder.

Hernandez was arrested that same day at her home in the 700 block of Baldwin Avenue. Martinez was already in custody at Calipatria State Prison, where he made the phone call in July ordering the murder of a 26-year-old Highland man.

Prison officials recorded the call, where Martinez asked his girlfriend to connect him via a three-way conference call to another gang member to order the murder.

The third suspect, who has not been identified, was arrested in late July on unrelated charges, including possession of a firearm. He has not been charged in connection with the murder plot.

Martinez was transferred Thursday to West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga to face the new charges.

Anyone with further information is asked to call Officer Chad Mayfield or Redlands Police Dispatch at (909) 798-7681.

Today's events:

* Boys varsity water polo team competes against Cajon High School at 3:15 p.m.
* Girls varsity tennis team competes against Cajon High School at 3:15 p.m.
* Girls freshman volleyball team competes agains Cajon High School at 3:15 p.m.
* Boys junior varsity water polo team competes against Cajon High School at 4:15 p.m.
* Girls junior varsity volleyball team competes against Cajon High School at 4:30 p.m.
* Girls varsity volleyball team competes against Cajon High School at 6 p.m.
* Boy varsity football team competes against Arroyo Valley High School at 7 p.m.

All games will be played at San Gorgonio High School.

Saturday's events:

Coed cross country invitational begins at 7 a.m. at Mt. Sac.Commuity College in Walnut.

By Mike Cruz

Staff Writer

A former Patton State Hospital employee was sentenced Thursday to three years probation and time in county jail for sexually assaulting a transgender patient at the hospital.

Daniel I. Alawoya, 58, was sentenced by Judge Robert J. Lemkau under the terms of a plea bargain reached Aug. 26 in San Bernardino Superior Court. He was arrested in March after a transgender male patient alleged the defendant forcefully had sex with him. DNA evidence from the patient's clothing matched Alawoya, according to a probation report.

The Sun does not report the names of victims of sex crimes.

The victim was walking to the bathroom on Jan. 29 when Alawoya called him over, according to the probation report.

According to the victim, Alawaoya said, "If you scream, I'll kill you" while choking him. The sexual activity lasted between 15 and 40 minutes, the probation report said.

The victim's roommate reported the incident two days later.

When asked by a Probation Department officer for a statement last month, Alawoya asked to postpone it until after "everything is final."

The defendant broke the trust placed on him by society, according to the Probation Department.

"His position of authority makes this offense more egregious than other similar offenses," it said

Alawoya had no prior record.

Under the agreement with prosecutors, Alawoya pleaded guilty to one count of committing a lewd and lascivious act upon a dependant adult. In addition to probation, Alawoya received 295 days in county jail.

With credit for time already served plus conduct credits, the defendant's lawyer, Ron Powell, said his client only had about two weeks left to serve in custody.

However, Alawoya now has an immigration hold on him and faces deportation to his native Nigeria at the completion of his sentence.

The defendant plans to fight deportation, his lawyer said after the court hearing.

Here's the latest news from the Beattie Middle School Bulletin:

Get your candy grams!

Today is the last day to buy candy grams, which will be delivered on Friday, Oct. 31. Cost is $1.50 with student ASB card and $2 without.

Creepy Carnival  Dance

The school's Creepy Carnival Dance will be held from 5-7 p.m. tonight.

National Junior Basketball sign-ups

National Junior Basketball sign-ups are open through Nov. 30. Each Saturday from now until then there will be open tryouts from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Redlands High School. For those wishing to sign up please call Mary at (909) 838-9576.

Nine-year-old Redlands resident Abbey Umali has been named the Muscular Dystrophy Association's National Goodwill Ambassador for 2009.

It marks the second year in a row the vivacious and spirited girl has held the title. She and her parents have appeared on the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon for the last three years.

Abbey, a fourth grader at Montessori in Redlands, suffers from a form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, which causes muscle weakness and lack of coordination and balance. She walks with the assistance of leg braces and receives MDA-supported medical services at Loma Linda University Medical Center.

 This year, Abbey and her parents have traveled extensively across the country spreading the word on MDA research programs and services for people who suffer from MDA and related diseases. They will continue making appearances at MDA fund-raisers and special events in 2009.

"Abbey is a delightful bundle of energy and charm," said MDA National Chairman Jerry Lewis. "As young as she is, she really understands the importance of spreading MDA's message of hope and help, so we can win the battle against these devastating diseases."

MDA is a voluntary health agency supporting programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, advocacy and far-reaching professional and public health education for muscular dystrophy and related diseases. The Association's programs are funded almost entirely by individual private contributors.

SOURCE: MDA news release

Here's a select few items from the Oct. 28 City Council agenda:

* Easement acceptance/9th Street sidewalk improvements. 1) Accept grants of easement for road and drainage purposes from Walter D. Swoboda, Ky Banh and Kieu Trinh, and Joe H. Harkey; and 2) Direct the City Clerk to record the grants of easement.

* Bid award - Bid. No. 2008-13 "Ninth Street Improvement Project." RECOMMENDATION: That the City Council award the contract for Bid No. 2008-13 to Ortiz Asphalt Paving, Inc.

* Selection of an event date and budget for the Thirteenth annual Citrus Harvest Festival. RECOMMENDATION: The Historic and Cultural Preservation Board recommends the City Council: 1) Select March 28, 2009 as the event date for the festival, with a rain date of April 4. 2) Approve the draft budget.

* Negotiation agreement with ACAA Limited Partnership to secure 55-year affordable housing covenants on 58 uits at the Base Line Apartments. RECOMMENDATION: That the redevelopment agency board approve the negotiation agreement.

* Appointment to the Design Review Board. RECOMMENDATION: That the City Council appoint one member of the public to the Design Review Board.

 The City Council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. in City Council chambers, 27215 Base Line. To view the agenda in its entirety go to the city's Web site at http://www.ci.highland.ca.us/ and click on "agendas" and then "City Council."

 When San Manuel Chairman James Ramos first stepped foot into the Home of Neighborly Service in 2003, he was touched by the sight of teens dropping their loose change into a plastic water cooler jug.

They were trying to raise money for a new boxing ring. The one they were using at the time for the center's boxing program was on loan from a church.

"These kids would come in and just dump their change - pennies, nickels, quarters," said Ramos. "I asked the coach what was going on, and he told me the plight of the ring."

After talking it over with his wife, Ramos donated the money to the center for the boxing ring. He would eventually go on to serve on its board of directors and become board president.

Despite all the good the center has done in its 86 years of existence, the historic building it is housed in at 893 N. Mount Vernon Avenue has fallen into a state of disrepair. So, San Manuel is stepping up again with a $100,000 donation for the building's renovation. Ramos will present a check to the center today Oct. 24.

"We see this nonprofit doing a service in the community, working with the kids - it's something positive that's out there," Ramos said. "It all goes back to people believing in people. If we can help them out, then I think this is money well spent."

The first orders of business will be to overhaul the center's restrooms and kitchen with new plumbing, then seal off the attic to keep the pigeons out, said John Futch, president of the center's board of directors.

New boxing equipment - punching bags, gloves and other safety gear - and new computers are also on the center's wish list, Futch said.

"A lot of things can go wrong over 86 years," Futch said. "They (San Manuel) have graced us with a donation that we really need at this time."

One of the things that makes the Home of Neighborly Service so special, Ramos says, is a location central to the neighborhood it serves.

"What is unique about it is that the neigborhood kids are able to walk to it, regardless of aspects at home or transportation," Ramos said.

Aside from its youth boxing program (participants must maintain a 2.0 grade point average in school to box), the center also provides homework help and tutoring and a senior meal program, among other things, Futch said.

The Home of Neighborly Service is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information about its services and programs call (909) 885-3491.

The city is working with developer JLM-TREH VIII HWY 30, LLC. - the company building the Highland Crossings plaza on Greenspot Road east of the 210 Freeway - to synchronize two traffic signals in front of the Lowes Home Improvement Center before its grand opening.

Lowes is set to open on Nov. 21, and the city and developer want to get the signals synchronized for smoother traffic flow and turned on at least a week before Lowes opens, said Dennis Barton, the city's assitant public works director.

ABOVE: A slideshow of the August flood damage on the Havasupai Indian reservation along the Colorado River.

PHOENIX, AZ. - San Manuel tribal leaders presented a check for $1 million today to the Havasupai Tribe of Arizona during the National Congress of American Indians Conference at the Phoenix Convention Center.

 The donation is to help in an economic recovery plan following a devastating flood at Supai, the home of the Havasupai tribe at the foot of the Grand Canyon, on Aug. 17, 2008. The flood  displaced about 500 tribal members. It damaged and destroyed homes, washed away hiking trails providing the only access to the reservation and forced the tribe to shut down its only economic driver -tourism. 

Havasupai leaders plan to use San Manuel's donation for a new early warning system, infrastructure improvements and to provide emergency assistance to help members that have lost their jobs, among other things.

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Conference provided the perfect forum for such a philanthropic gesture. Founded in 1944, the NCAI is the oldest civil rights group for Indian peoples, fighting for the rights of tribes to exist as sovereign governments and to do business on their reservations without being taxed.

Accompanying Ramos Thursday in Phoenix were San Manuel Vice Chairwoman Lynn Valbuena and treasurer Audrey Martinez.

The following items are listed on the Public Works Subcommittee's agenda for Tuesday, Oct. 28:

1) Review minutes of Sept. 9 meeting.

2) Naming of commercial project entrance.

3) Redevelopment agency projects cost update

4) Sidewalk on Old Greenspot Road

5) Tree removal requests - Canyon Oak/Oak Park (silk tree), 28794 Glenheather (tree on Oak Park Lane), 7753 Lillian Ln. and Boulder Avenue south of Greenspot Road (at guard rail).

City Councilmembers Larry McCallon and John Timmer comprise the Public Works Subcommittee.

The meeting begins at 3:15 p.m. at City Hall, 26985 Base Line.

For more information call City Hall at (909) 864-6861, ext. 0 for operator.

Here are the items listed on the Public Safety Subcommittee's agenda for Tuesday, Oct. 28:

1) Review minutes of Sept. 23 meeting.

2) Request for audible pedestrian signal at intersection of Boulder Avenue and Webster Street.

3) One Way Base Line Outer Highway

Mayor Penny Lilburn and City Councilman Ross Jones comprise the subcommittee.

The meeting begins at 8 a.m. at City Hall, 27215 Base Line.

For more information call (909) 864-6861, hit O and ask operator for assistance.

San Manuel is teaming up with renowned boxing promoter Roy Englebrecht to bring a night of professional boxing to San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino on Nov. 20.

Local fighter John Molina, a native of Covina known for his speed, power and style, will square off with a yet-to-be-determined fighter in the main event for the San Manuel Championship Belt.

Highly touted lightweight contender Rhondas Luna will square off with Kina Malpartida in a six-round fight. Luna, of Rowland Heights, is an English teacher and softball coach by day. Malpartida, of Irvine, is also a world class surfer.

Others pairing up to fight include Ontario's Jose "El Nino" Reynoso and Barstow's Brian Gordon, Aaron Martinez and Holario Lopez, Ignacio Garcia and Shawn Wate, Artemio Reyes and TBD.

All fights are subject to change.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. the night of the fight, and no one under 21 will be admitted, as per casino policy.

Tickets are available now at Ticketmaster.com or at the San Manuel box office for $35 and $50.

St. Adelaide School has opened a preschool on its campus after receiving its license to operate on Oct. 10.

The full-time program is open to 4-year-olds and runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. A half-day program that runs from 8 a.m. to noon is also available,  said Mary Jo Suquett, head of the preschool program.

Cost is $500 for full-time enrollment and $400 for half-day enrollment, which Suquett said is very competitive for the area. The preschool program is open to the public.

The program emphasizes kindergarten preparation. Students spend the morning hours honing their language arts and math skills and their afternoons engaged in enrichment activities geared toward developing their social skills.

Each day, students will engage in a different afternoon enrichment activity - a computer lab, a gardening project, a hands-on science experiment and a music class. In addition, they will receive weekly Spanish lessons and physical education time twice weekly.

Depending on what the demand is, the preschool may open its program up to 3-year-olds next year.

"This year we're focusing on 4-year-olds and seeing what the needs of the community are. We'll see about adding 3-year-olds, depending on the response we get," Suquett said.

Three years ago, the school began a 2-year kindergarten program for the siblings of St. Adelaide students who were ages 4.9 and older. Teachers saw amazing results.

Suquett said most of the students who started the program before five years of age began reading sooner, tended to be in the top of their class in kindergarten and adapted better socially.

It inspired educators to start the preschool.

"We just new it was something we needed to go forward with in a bigger way," Suquett said.

As of now, the school has a license to operate with 12 students, but the capacity is there for 25 students.

"We can easily change our capacity if we get more demand," Suquett said.

That may soon be the case.

"We're getting phone calls daily right now," she said.

For more information, call St. Adelaide at (909) 862-5851.

An attorney representing the mother of a 14-year-old Highland boy killed after he was struck by a sheriff's deputy's patrol car in August plans to file a lawsuit against the city of Highland, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department and the county no later than Friday.

The city and county have rejected a claim, the predecessor to a lawsuit, filed by San Bernardino attorney Mark McDonald in September. McDonald represents Stacey McCombs, mother of 14-year-old Justin Taylor Ames, who was struck by an unnamed Highland sheriff's deputy at the intersection of Ninth Street and Drummond Avenue on Aug. 22.

This much is fact: Two deputies responding to a disturbance call in the area passed through the intersection where Justin was struck. Justin and a friend were riding their bicycles south on Drummond Avenue about 6:30 p.m. The two deputies were headed west down Ninth Street.

One of the patrol cars, which didn't have its lights or siren on, collided with Justin, who was not wearing a helmet when he rode into the intersection.

At least one witness said the boys did not stop at the intersection, and the deputy didn't have time to stop.

But other witnesses say the deputy was at fault, and actually accelerated prior to the collision, perhaps due to being blinded by the sun and not seeing the boy, said paralegal Denise McDonald, who is assisting Mark McDonald in the litigation.

The boy who was with Justin at the time of collision was never interviewed at length by sheriff's investigators, she said.

Every year come Halloween, the slashers, ghouls and other assorted maniacs come alive at Greenspot Farm.

For 15 years, those who have dared drop by the 28-acre farm on Ward Way after dark for the Haunted Hayride attraction usually get what they come for: a good scare, which is typically followed by a chuckle of relief once the heart starts pounding normal again.

It started out as a haunted house in a barn that was under construction on the farm. When the barn was finished, Kim Buoye, who owns the property, opened up a general store inside and moved the Halloween haunt outside.

Up until about six years ago, the Haunted Hayride was considered by some one of the best kept Halloween secrets in the San Bernardino Valley.

"Only in the last six years has it really blown up," Buoye said. "It was really hard getting people out here at first, and now it's just word of mouth, it's just gotten crazy."

Thursday marks opening night of the Haunted Hayride. It runs from 7-10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday and again from Oct. 29 through Nov. 1. The address is 10133 Ward Way. Cost is $8.

Visitors are given a numbered ticket and await their turn outside the dimly lit barn and general store, sipping hot cocoa near a bonfire and shooeing away masked monsters who pop up behind them and shake coffee cans filled with small rocks behind their ears (quite the popular scare tactic).

Then, a torch-carrying hostess greets guests and escorts them to a trailer hitched to a thrumming tractor, where they are seated and then pulled up a dark and winding dirt road spanning 10 acres of hillside overlooking San Bernardino.

Then, the real action begins.

A horse gallops up along the trailer, and the Headless Horseman shakes his sword furiously at the startled spectators.

Chainsaw-wielding madmen run aside the trailer, waving their chainsaws, motors blaring (don't worry, the chainsaw blades have no chains). Other freaks ride aside the trailer on off road vehicles, and some even climb atop the trailer and paw the patrons.

J.R. Lopatkiewicz and other farm hands spend two to three weeks setting up, making sure the lighting is just right, the scares are spaced evenly apart and that all props are placed just right.

"Just in labor alone, we spend about $2,000, and the cost for props I don't even have a clue. It's just an outrageous number," Lopatkiewicz said.

In the 10 years he's been working the Haunted Hayride, Lopatkiewicz has seen it steadily grow, drawing people from as far away as Riverside and the High Desert.

"They love it! Everybody usually comes back one more time, or they come back for sure the next year," he said. "I always tell them it's worth the drive as long as long as you survive."
For more information call (909) 794-7653<NO1> cq<NO>

The Design Review Board has approved an application to convert a vacant building on Fifth Street into an adult bookstore and boutique, but still has some problems with the grading and landscaping plans.

Project applicant Hui Chi Lim must now resubmit the grading and landscaping plans for the nearly 28,000 square-foot property at 27409 Fifth St., west of Church Avenue, before the board again. This time, it must reflect state criteria for water quality management, Community Development Director John Jaquess said.

Board member John Gamboa said Wednesday the application lacked specifications as to how water runoff would be addressed.

At their Tuesday meeting, Design Review Board members suggested Lim use pervious concrete, which takes in stormwater more rapidly and efficiently, and install a biofilter under the parking lot, which treats water runoff by removing contaminants before it enters the sewer system, Gamboa said.

Once the board approves the grading plan, approval of the landscaping plan is likely to follow, Gamboa said.

Lim and her prepresentatives, Chris Pae and Roger White, couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.

Plans call for an adult bookstore and boutique featuring more than 20 coin and credit-card-operated video booths, where patrons can sit and view pronographic films. The JMK Adult Bookstore would be housed in a 3,678 square-foot building, formerly a western-themed bar.

Construction manager Roger White previously told The Sun that, once the building is renovated, it will actually enhance the area. It is to have a Spanish tile roof and Spanish lanterns dotting the building. A wrought iron fence will enclose the property.

The project has been met with opposition by several residents and a neighboring business, who argue such an establishment will attract crime and lower property values.

White says there is no empirical evidence to suggest that adult bookstores are a causal factor behind crime and declining property values. He said that crime and low-valued properties are typically synonomous with where cities zone adult bookstores.

In other news, the board on Tuesday also rejected a request by developer JLM-TREH VIII HWY 30, LLC., which is developing the Highland Crossings shopping center on Greenspot Road, to revise its landscaping plan in order to reduce the size of shrubs and trees fronting the development east of the 210 Freeway.

Cost to install the specificed number of trees and shrubbery exceeded the developer's projected figures by tens of thousands of dollars.

Gamboa said the developer waited too long to request such a change. The development's anchor business, a Lowes Home Improvement Center, is slated to open next month.

"They could have come to us sooner if they had a problem with it," Gamboa said. He said JLM representatives were involved in a lengthy discussion and review process with the city, and had plenty of time to make the request.

"The board felt that they came in at the last hour, and the amount of plants that they wanted to cut back on, we felt, wasn't neccessary," Gamboa said.

Community Development Director John Jaquess said JLM may appeal the board's decision to the Planning Commission.

Project manager Tom Robinson couldn't be reached for comment.

Emmy Award winners Ray Romano and Brad Garrett, of the hit television comedy "Everybody Loves Raymond," are bringing their act to San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino on Nov. 8.

Tickets are $80, $90 and $100 and are available at Ticketmaster.com or the San Manuel box office.

Romano was first bit by the comedy bug in 1984, when he won a stand-up comedy competition and decided to pursue comedy as a career. He went on to appear on the Tonight Show and David Letterman, among other things.

Garrett began performing stand-up comedy at some of L.A.'s most renown comedy clubs after graduating high school, including the Ice House and The Improv. He made his first appearance on the Tonight Show at age 23, making him one of the youngest comedians ever to perform on the show. He went on to perform with such greats as Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Sammy Davis Jr. and Julio Iglesias.

For more information on San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino, visit their Web site at www.sanmanuel.com or call 800-359-2464.

A new commerical funded by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, promoting the essential services provided by tribal governments, began airing statewide Monday on cable and network television.

The commercial, with the catchline "Government Like Yours," touches on the structure and functioning of tribal governments, and their parallels to local government.

Examples include how some tribes provide public safety and fire services both to their own reservations and outlying areas through joint agreements and memorandums of understanding with city and county governments.

San Manuel, for example, has its own fire department and security force, but also contracts with neighboring cities and the county for joint firefighting and police services to facilitate call response times.

"The whole thrust of it is to continue to provide information that allows the general public to view tribes as any other government," San Manuel spokesman Jacob Coin said. "It allows the citizens to understand tribes as governments, and we think it's helpful and useful."

The commercial will air for five weeks, Coin said.

Immanuel Baptist Church is hosting its Harvest Festival 2008 from 5-8:30 p.m. Oct. 31, featuring a petting zoo, pony rides, a rock climbing wall, hay ride, photography booth and food court.

Other attractions include a jump house, game booths, candyl, a hay maze, live music, prizes and, for the first time, a dog parade featuring cute canines dressed in costumes. Just bring your beloved dog to the church pavilion by 6 p.m. and enter it into the contest.

The church is located at 28355 Base Line.

For more information call (909) 425-1777.

The Highland Family YMCA is hosting its Second annual Halloween at the YMCA from 6-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24.

Activities include a fun maze, costume parades, carnival games, healthy snacks and more.

The Highland Family YMCA is located at 7793 Central Ave., just north of Fifth Street.

For more information call (909) 425-YMCA (9622) or visit the YMCA's Web site at www.ymcaeastvalley.org

Van Nuys resident Aris Armando Martinez took home more than a half a million dollars Sunday from San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino after winning a $505,854 MegaJackpot on a Wheel of Fortune dollar slot machine.

Martinez, 61, owns a pool service business. He always plays the Wheel of Fortune slots when visiting the casino, according to a news release issued by the tribe today.

But on Sunday, Martinez had a hard time playing the machines because they were all full. So he approached someone who was using two machines and asked them if he could use one.

"I asked if I could use one since all the other machines were in use," said Martinez. "Then, Voilá!"

The lucky winner will use his winnings to take care of some of his expenses. He also plans to do something special for his wife.

As to whether Martinez plans to share some of his winnings with the generous casino patron who let him use the machine, well . . .

The city, in partnership with Big Bear Disposal, is participating in the county's "free dump day" for residents from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Clean Bear Site #1, 41970 Garstin Dr.

City residents can dispose of household trash, yard waste and tree trimmings, as well as furniture, appliances, tires (must be off the rim) and electronic gadgets including televisions, cell and mobile phones, microwave ovens, VCRs, space heaters and computer CPUs, among other things.

The event is open to Big Bear Lake residents only. For further information call (909) 866-3942.

Here are some calendar items taken from the Highland Senior Center's monthly newsletter:

* Tickets are now on sale for the senior center's "Fall into Fashion" fashion show and salad luncheon from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 1. Cost is $5 per person. Sign up to bring your favorite salad to share, and enjoy watching the upcoming fashions. The event is sponsored by Arrowhead Credit Union and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. For information call (909) 862-8104.

* The senior center is hosting a dinner show with comedian, dancer and singer Jacqui Bowe from 4:30-6 p.m. on Oct. 30. Catch this highly rated performer for the first time in the Inland Empire. Tickets are $5 each (advanced sales only). The event is sponsored by Inter Valley Health Plan.

* Join the Highland Senior Center on Oct. 31 for some Halloween fun! Festivities begin at 11 a.m.. There will be a costume contest and a free BBQ. The event is sponsored by Primecare. Please RSVP no later that Oct. 29 by calling (909) 862-8104.

The U.S. Forest Service is preparing for another week of Santa Ana winds, bolstering its number of firefighters, aircraft and extended patrols, according to a news release issued  by the service today.

Weather forecasts are calling for weak to moderate Santa Ana winds
Wednesday and Thursday. The Forest Service as 25 of its engines on standby, along with an additional five engines from the Plumas National Forest. They will be at the ready on a 24-hour basis until the winds pass.

In addition, four hotshot crews, three airtankers, three Skycrane
helitankers, two helicopters and an air attack plane are also ready to respond to
fires as they are reported, according to the news release.

The following fire restrictions and guidelines are now in effect in the San Bernardino National Forest: Wood and charcoal fires are permitted only in campgrounds and picnic
grounds (with public road access) and within agency provided fire
rings or camp stoves. Forest Rangers may further restrict
campfires from campgrounds under extreme fire conditions.

Wood and charcoal fires are not permitted at Yellow Post campsites
due to high fire danger.

Campfire permits are required for propane and gas stoves and
lanterns used outside of developed recreation sites.

Recreational shooting is limited to Public Shooting Ranges operated
under special use permit only, except those engaged in legal
hunting.

An approved spark arrester is required for any internal combustion
engine operated on designated forest routes. These include
chainsaws, generators, motorcycles, and off-highway vehicles.

Smoking is limited to enclosed vehicles, developed recreation sites,
and areas cleared of vegetation three feet in diameter.

Fireworks are always prohibited on the San Bernardino National
Forest. Tracer, armor piercing, steel core, and Teflon ammunitions
are also prohibited, as is discharging a firearm at any exploding
target.

Forest Road 1N09 is closed to Motorized Vehicles - State Highway 330
to Bear Creek.

For additional information about the San Bernardino National Forest,
please visit:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardino/

The Design Review Board will decide today if a vacant building on Fifth Street will be transformed into an adult bookstore - a proposal that has several residents and a neighboring business protesting the move.

Applicant Hui Cha Lim has spent four years trying to get the project off the ground. The location at 27409 Fifth St, west of Church Avenue, is a former western-themed bar that has long been sitting vacant. Plans were initially approved in July 2004, but Lim let her application expire and has since had to refile with the city, City Planner Larry Mainez said in a previous interview with The Sun.

Plans call for an adult bookstore and boutique with more than 20 coin-and-credit card-operated booths where patrons can sit and watch pornographic films.

Project manager Roger White said the JMK Bookstore will be an upscale establishment with Mediterranean-style architecture, arched entryways, Spanish tile roof and Spanish lanterns dotting the building. A wrought iron fence will secure the property. Contrary to what opponents say, White said the business will actually enhance the area. 

Opponents of the project, including neighboring URS Corp. - an engineering, construction and technical services firm - say the business will attract crime, lower property values in the area and should be in a less visible area of the city.

The Design Review Board meeting begins at 5 p.m. in City Council chambers, 27215 Base Line.

The Big Bear Lake Performing Arts Center has been tranformed into the "Theater of Horrors Haunted House," providing some ghoulish fun for the family. For the smaller children who are more faint of heart, they can visit the tamer ghouls haunt. 

The event, presented by the Big Bear Lake Performing Arts Center Foundation and Soroptimist International of Big Bear Valley, runs from 7-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 8-10 p.m. on Halloween night. Cost is $5 for adults and $3 for children ages six and under.

The Big Bear Lake Performing Arts Center is located at 39707 Big Bear Blvd.

For more information, call the PAC Box Office at (909) 866-4970.

SOURCE: City of Big Bear Lake Web site

Sheriff's investigators have identified a man sought for questioning in connection with the Oct. 7 hit and run collision on Del Rosa Avenue that left 17-year-old Highland resident April Maher dead.

  Rene Lemus (age not disclosed by authorities) is the registered owner of a pickup found by investigators in Muscoy last week that has front-end damage and evidence on it consistent with a hit and run collision. An anonymous tipster led detectives to the vehicle, according to a sheriff's news release.

April's father, James "Monty" Maher, said the pickup is a dark-colored Toyota, and that investigators are hoping hair samples taken from his daughter's body will match hair taken from the damaged pickup.

Maher is hoping the person responsible for his daughter's death does the right thing and surrenders.

"I'm just curious how soon it will be before somebody in the public comes forward, or for this guy to turn himself in," Maher said.

April was walking with her cousin north on Del Rosa Avenue, north of Base Line, about 10:50 p.m. Oct. 7 when the speeding pickup struck her. The impact shot April about 50 feet forward. She struck the side mirror of a parked pickup before hitting the back of her sister-in-law's parked car, so hard it set off the alarm. She was rushed to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where she later died.

Lemus, a Muscoy resident described as 5-foot-7 and weighing 185 pounds, has not come forward since the collision. His vehicle was seized by investigators and processed for  physical evidence.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Matt Yost at (909) 425-9793 or the WE-TIP hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME.

The developer of the Highland Crossings plaza on Greenspot Road, east of the 210 Freeway, wants to reduce the size of shrubs ansd trees fronting Greenspot Road because the cost to install them is tens of thousands of dollars higher than initally projected.

Edward Horovitz, vice president of developer JLM-TREH VIII HWY30, LLC., is bringing the proposal before the Design Review Board on Tuesday for action.

A Lowes Home Improvement Center, Del Taco and Subway restaurants are among some of the businesses that will soon move into the plaza once it opens.

Lowes is set to open in November.

San Manuel tribal leaders will present a check for $1 million to the Havasupai Tribe of Arizona at the Phoenix Convention Center on Oct. 23.

The donation is to help in an economic recovery plan following a devastating flood at Supai, the home of the Havasupai tribe at the foot of the Grand Canyon, on Aug. 17, 2008. The flood  damaged tribal members' homes, washed away hiking trails providing the only access to the reservation and forced the tribe to shut down its only economic driver -tourism.

Havasupai leaders plan to use San Manuel's donation for a new early warning system, infrastructure improvements and to provide emergency assistance to help members that have lost their jobs, among other things.

Here's the latest from the city's weekly report:

The city and the Highland sheriff's station are kicking off the annual Thanksgiving food drive on Nov. 3, and are encouraging residents and businesses to donate nonperishable food items at designated drop-off points across the city.

Drop-off points include City Hall (27215 Base Line), the Highland sheriff's station (27215 E. Base Line) and the Jerry Lewis Community Center (7793 Central Ave.).

If you would like your business to be a designated food drop location, please contact vounteer services coordinator Denise Garnsey at (909) 864-6861, ext. 203 by Oct. 27.

Donation boxes will be placed at businesses on Nov. 3, and food items will be collected through Nov. 17.

Anyone wishing to donate perishable food items or gift cards, please contact volunteer services at (909) 864-6861, ext. 203 to set up a specific drop off time.

They've opened or are in the process of opening in Yucaipa, Loma Linda, Fontana and Rialto, but when it comes to Highland, the Fresh and Easy Neighborhood Market has remained elusive for more than a year.

The fresh produce retailer pulled out of its decision to build a store at the intersection of Greenspot Road and Boulder Avenue about a year ago, and things have remained relatively quiet ever since.

There is, however, been a faint hint that the retailer is now considering building a store on Base Line, east of Palm Avenue, next to the new Bakers fast food restaurant and CVS Pharmacy.

"We talked to them informally. They had a preliminary review, but we have not received a formal application," said John Jaquess, Highland's community development director.

Fresh & Easy spokesman Brendan Wonnacott could neither confirm nor deny the company's plans to build in the area the city has destined for a future town center.

"It's still in the early stages," Wonnacott said. "Right now I can confirm we're looking in Highland, and we hope to serve neighborhoods there in the near future."

In the last year, development projects in the area of Base Line, between Palm Avenue and the 210 Freeway, have repeatedly popped up on City Council, Planning Commission and Design Review Board agendas.

On Oct. 7, the Design Review Board approved a site plan for a new Dairy Queen fast food restaurant on the southwest corner of Base Line and Bonita Drive. The 2,080 square-foot restaurant will include a drive-through and 10 parking spaces. The existing one across from City Hall will be closed when the new one opens, Jaquess said.

When CVS Pharmacy got approval to build on the northwest corner of Base Line and Palm Avenue, demolition of the existing Bakers restaurant, which faced Palm Avenue, was part of the package deal. The restaurant was rebuilt facing Base Line, east of the new CVS. Both recently opened.

The intersection of Base Line and Palm is one of the busiest in the city, making it a prime spot for new development and a town center. City Hall is located on Base Line just west of Palm Avenue, and a new sheriff's station will be built on Base Line further to the west, at the corner of Olive Tree Lane.

As for when Fresh and Easy will finally make a move in Highland, it remains to be seen.
Wonnacott would not say why the company decided not to build on Greenspot Road, in an area the city has dubbed the Golden Triangle, which will serve as a shopping, dining and entertainment hub once it is fully built out. A Lowes Home Improvement Center, Staples, Del Taco and Subway restaurants are all planned to open soon just east of the 210 Freeway.

Fresh & Easy just opened its 96th store Thursday in Las Vegas. Last week one opened on Base Line and Citrus Avenue in Fontana, Wonnacott said.

A store in Loma Linda is getting ready to open, one opened in Yucaipa last month and two stores are planned for Rialto, Wonnacott said.

The company also plans to open stores in Calimesa and Beaumont.

.

The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is donating $100,000 to the Home of Neighborly Service to renovate the historic building on San Bernardino's Westside.

San Manuel Chairman James Ramos will join with the Home of Neighborly Service's Board of Directors for a tour of the historic property to gain insights on how the
$100,000 donation will be used to renovate and upgrade this San Bernardino institution, according to a San Manuel news release.

The Home of Neighborly Service has been a safe haven for youth and families living on the west side of San Bernardino for more than 86 years. The tribe's
donation will provide for repairs to the home, support for athletic programs, ESL (English as a Second Language) classes, food assistance and job training and
placement.

The Planning Commission has approved construction of a 35-unit senior condominium project next to the Big Bear Valley Senior Center, east of the Stanfield Cutoff.

It would mark the second senior housing project built in the city in a decade, said Jim Miller, the city's director of building and planning.

Persons age 65 and older comprise 17.4 percent of the city's population, according to 2000 Census numbers.

And the city's senior population is expected to grow substantially in the next 20 to 30 years as more seniors retire to mountain resort communities.

About 10 years ago, the 74-unit Mountain Meadows Senior Apartments were built on Pine Knot Avenue, Miller said.

The Commission's Tuesday approval of the development also authorizes a zone change for the area, in the 42000 block of Big Bear Boulevard, from single family residential to multiple family residential. But the City Council still has to approve the zoning change, and will most likely decide on the matter at either its Nov. 10 or Nov. 24 meeting, Miller said.

Commission members have expressed an interest in linking the condominium complex to the senior center next door, possibly by connecting their driveways and building pedestrian paths to and from each facility. A traffic signal is also being proposed at the entrance to the complex, Miller said.

The three-acre project site has a long history with the city. In 1982, the City Council approved the annexation of the land into the city. Upon annexation, the property underwent a series of zoning designations, according to a city staff report.

In August 1999, the city updated its general plan and zoned the area for public use because it was next door to the senior center. But that decision turned out to be in error because the property was not part of the senior center, nor was it intended for public uses.

In 2005, the City Council approved rezoning the land for single family residential use.

Now, the Council is subject to change that designation once again.

If the Council approves the zoning change, the condo project will have to go before the Planning Comission again at a later date for review and approval of design plans, Miller said.

In preparation for looming snowy weather, the city of Big Bear Lake is offering snow poles for pourchase at the Civic Center for $25 a pair or $12.50 each.

The Civic Center is located at 39707 Big Bear Blvd., and is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Berm reduction services are also provided by the city to its residents.

The following is a list of precautions the city recommends to residents during snowy weather:

* Always park vehicles off the road or street right-of-way

* Shovel snow in driveways to the right side (as you face the road)

* Keep roads clear of all snow tools & devices used for shoveling

* Place garbage cans behind property line & berm when setting out for pick-up

* Mark driveway entrances with specially marked snow poles

* Snow poles help snowplow operators identify a driveway entrance when
performing berm reduction services

* Keep small children inside when snow equipment is in your neighborhood

* Mark fences with 6' x 2" x 2" stakes, painted red at the top

* Whenever possible, wait to clear driveways until snowplow has passed

* Do not let children build igloos or caves in the snow banks near streets

Call the City's Snow Removal Hotline at (909) 752-2830 for general
information on snow removal, berm reduction and current snow conditions. The
hotline is accessible 24 hours a day.

Snow removal and berm reduction information can also be
found on the City's website, citybigbearlake.com

The San Bernardino National Forest has released an environmental impact statement on a plan to relocate the Moonridge Animal Park to a 25-acre parcel next to the Big Bear Discovery Center on North Shore Drive.

A 45-day public comment period on the 213-page environmental report closes Nov. 24. The report can be accessed by going to www.fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardino/projects/moonridge.shtml and clicking on the link at the bottom of the page.

The zoo's lease expires in February 2010, and the Big Bear Valley Recreation and Parks District has applied for a special use permit to build and maintain the new animal park on the 25-acre site on the north shore of Big Bear Lake.

It's a long-term project facing some major environmental issues, including potential soil erosion, sedimentation to the lake and displacement of native wildlife such as the California Black Bear and mountain lions, said Paul Bennett, recreation officer for the San Bernardino National Forest.

Other issues include the destruction or disruption of archaeological sites and increased traffic the new zoo would bring, especially in the area of North Shore Drive and the Stanfield Cutoff, Bennett said.

One mitigation measure includes a traffic signal at the north end of the Stanfield Cutoff, Bennett said.

"That's a huge mitigation measure for us. It's probably going to be neccessary," he said.

The Forest Service has discussed the potential environmental impacts with the such groups as the Center for Biological Diversity, the Friends of Fawnskin and the Audubon Society.

"There is no group that I know of that has come out strongly opposed to the proposal," Bennett said.

The plan is for the Forest Service to work in conjunction with the Parks and Recreation District to provide both an animal park and an outlet for environmental education. The multi-phase project, when completed, should include zoological and botanical gardens, an education center and classrooms, an animal hospital, and retail and concession buildings, among other amenities.

"We're estimating about $12 million for the project, and that's a rough number," said Jeff Rigney, director of the county's special districts department.

Once the environmental review process is wrapped up and all public comments and concerns have been addressed, the construction and animal relocation efforts could begin, hopefully by next spring or early summer, Rigney said.

A target completion date is summer 2010.

Written comments on the environmental impact staement can be mailed to U.S. Forest Service Recreation Officer Paul Bennett at P.O. Box 290, Fawnskin, Ca. 92333 or sent via e-mail to comments-pacificsouthwest-sanbernardino-big-bear@fs.fed.us. Please include the words "Moonridge Animal Park Relocation" in the subject line of the e-mail.

For additional information, contact Bennett at (909) 382-2819.

The mother of a man who is sueing two San Manuel tribal members and several others for $50 million has received more than a dozen death threats since news broke of the lawsuit, the man's attorney said.

"They've had at least a dozen or more calls saying they were going to break into the house and kill the family. So it's somewhat disconcerting," said Frank Peterson, the Highland attorney representing Leonard Epps in his lawsuit, which was filed Sept. 24 in San Bernardino Superior Court.

Lt. Scott Paterson, spokesman for the San Bernardino Police Department, could confirm only one death threat made to Epps' mother, and said he was unaware of any others.

Peterson said police have been staying on top of the matter.

"They are over the top as far as doing everything they can to make sure the family is safe," Peterson said.

Named as defendants in the lawsuit are San Manuel tribal members Stacy Nunez-Barajas, 26, her brother Erick Barajas, 35, Jennifer Murphy, 27, Jesus Leyva, 34, and brothers Salvador and Alfred Hernandez, ages 43 and 39, respectively. The Hernandez brothers are both high ranking members of the Mexican Mafia, and Salvador Hernandez reportedly called the shots in the execution of the murder plot, authorities said.

The defendants in the suit have all been convicted for various offenses stemming from a murder conspiracy they hatched against Epps in 2006. The murder conspiracy - spawned by a dispute involving Epps and the Barajases - was unraveled by San Bernardino police, federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents and county prosecutors during a joint investigation into the Mexican Mafia's methamphetamine rackets in the San Bernardino area.

The Barajases have close ties and dealings with the Mexican Mafia, authorities said.

Epps, who authorities say has gang ties - an allegation Peterson denies - now fears for his life and the life of his family. He remains in hiding, Peterson said.

"Leonard wanted to keep his family out of this, but that's how the Mexican Mafia works - they try to get family members," said Peterson.

Epps' only recourse, says Peterson, is settling the lawsuit with the Barajases, who have the financial means to pay him the $50 million he is seeking in compensation.

According to the lawsuit, the Barajases each receive between $3 million and $4 million in stipend from the tribe's casino profits. In addition, they each receive, twice a year, between $500,000 and $750,000 in additional bonuses.

With the settlement money, Epps could safely relocate himself and his family, Peterson said.
"The quicker they settle this, the quicker they (defendants) can get the heat off them and get back to normal," Peterson said. "They could go back to killing one another."

Reached by phone Wednesday, Albert Perez Jr., Stacy Nunez-Barajas's attorney, said that while he has still not been served with the lawsuit, he is aware of the allegations.

"He's probably making it up, like he did a lot of the other stuff, and he should probably dismiss his lawsuit," Perez said of Epps. "I don't think he has any merit."

He declined further comment.

Chuck Nascin, who represented Erik Barajas in the criminal case, wouldn't be reached for comment.

After a long separation, the comedy duo Cheech and Chong have reunited, and are bringing their act to San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino on Oct. 30.

Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com and the San Manuel Box Office for $40, $45, and $50.

Cheech and Chong's extraordinary success began with stand-up comedy, which led to hysterical comedy albums and hit films, breaking box-office records, shattering comedy-album sales, and receiving numerous "Grammy" nominations while exciting fans for more than a decade.

The duo released nine albums between 1972 and 1985, in which they were nominated for four
Grammy Awards. In 1973, they received the Grammy for best comedy album for "Los Cochinos." Their second album, "Big Bambu" was the biggest selling comedy record of all time in 1972.

In 1978, their THC-laced comedy film "Up In Smoke" was the highest grossing comedy of that year, topping $100 million at the box office.

For more information on San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino, please visit their Web site at www.sanmanuel.com or call 800-359-2464.

An engineering firm should be selected within the next week to do a traffic circulation study for the Big Bear Lake Village.

The two-phase study will address both the short-term and long-term traffic circulation and parking plan for the area. It is required as the city prepares to update its specific plan for the village through buildout, said Lyle Haynes<NO1> cq<NO>, the city's redevelopment director.

"It will really help us understand the parking and the traffic circulation elements much better in terms of looking at long-term buildout of the village as we update the specific plan," Haynes said.

The study will address traffic circulation near Village Drive and Pineknot Avenue, the feasibility of connecting Pineknot Avenue with Bartlett Road and how to accommodate parking during special events and the peak winter and summer seasons, Haynes said.

Once an engineering firm has been hired, Haynes expects to have some results from the study back in January or February, but the complete study likely won't be ready until next fall.

That should be about the time city planners will be ready to incorporate the study's findings into the specific plan for the village. The specific plan also addresses development densities, land uses, setback requirements and building heights, among other things, Haynes said.

The Big Bear Lake Village is a quaint, outdoor shopping area robust with specialty retail shops, restaurants and a movie theater. The city hosts many sepcial events there, especially during the holiday season.

"The village is really the heartbeat of Big Bear Lake," Haynes said.

Halloween is fast approaching, meaning tricks and treats for the kiddies and a host of ghoulish fun for adults. But for pets, it can be a spooky time. So, Dale Parker, a health education specialist for San Bernardino County Animal Care and Control, is offering up the following tips to keep your beloved pets safe this Halloween:

* Do not leave your pet out in the yard on Halloween. There are plenty of horror stories of vicious pranksters who have teased, injured, stolen, and even killed pets on this night.

* Keep pets, especially outdoor cats, inside several days before and several days after Halloween; black cats in particular may be at risk from children's pranks or other cruelty-related incidents.

* Trick-or-treat candies are not for pets: Chocolate is poisonous to a lot of animals and tin foil and cellophane candy wrappers can be hazardous if swallowed.

* Keep pets away from lit pumpkins: Pets may knock it over and cause a fire. Curious kittens especially run the risk of getting burned.

* Do not dress your dog or cat in a costume unless you know for sure that he or she loves it. Otherwise, it puts too much stress on the animal. If you do dress up your pet, make sure that the costume is not annoying or unsafe; it should not constrict his/her movement, hearing, or ability to breathe or bark. Also, there should not be small, dangling, or easily chewed-off pieces on the costume that your pet could choke on. Pets should always be supervised, especially one that is dressed up in a costume. If your pet goes trick or treating with you, make sure they are always on a leash!

* All but the most social of dogs and cats should be kept in a separate room during trick-or-treat visiting hours; too many strangers in costumes can be scary for a dog or cat.

* When opening the door for trick-or-treaters, be very careful that your dog or cat does not dart outside. It is best to keep them locked in a separate room where they can feel safe away from all the noise.

* Make sure that your dog or cat is wearing proper identification (ID tag, license, microchip, tattoo, etc.). If for any reason they escape and become lost, you increase the chances that they will be returned to you.

For more information, please call the San Bernardino County Animal Care & Control Program toll free at 1-800-472-5609 or visit www.sbcounty.gov/acc.

More than 100 people poured into the Diocese of San Bernardino's Pastoral Center on Monday to give blood and have their mouths swabbed for an 8-year-old Highland boy in urgent need of a bone marrow transplant.

Edwin Yerena, a Cub Scout and student at St. Adelaide School, suffers from acute myeloid leukemia, a type of cancer in which the bone marrow produces a large number of abnormal blood cells. A blood drive and bone marrow screening, the second in four months, was held at the Diocese on behalf of Edwin.

Eighty-six people gave blood and 72 had their mouths swabbed so their DNA could be entered into a national bone marrow registry, said Mary Kay Plock, spokeswoman for LifeStream, formerly the Blood Bank of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.

Of the 72 people who gave samples of their DNA, 10 were caucasian, 59 were Latino and three were multiethnic, Plock said.

Ethnicity is important in Edwin's case because chances of finding a donor match increase significantly if the donor is of the same ethnicity as the recipient. Edwin is Latino.

During a blood drive and bone marrow screening held at the Highland Family YMCA in July, 119 people donated blood and 90 people had their DNA samples entered into the marrow donor registry, Plock said.

Anyone wishing to donate blood can drop by a donor center near them. Several can be found on LifeStream's Web site at www.Lstream.org.

For more information on the National Marrow Donor Program, go to www.marrow.org.

American Custom Coach Inc. of Redlands will showcase a 43-foot, $400,000 customized bloodmobile, designed for a hospital in Qatar, at 10 a.m. Wednesday at its manufacturing facility as part of a media tour.

The blood donation center on wheels will enable medical officials in Qatar, in southwest Asia, to find blood donors in parts of the country that do not have local clinics.

Since founding American Custom Coach in 2002, President and CEO Charles Mello has expanded his international sales from five percent to 45 percent of the company's annual $5 million revenue - while growing from two employees to 23 full-time staff. 

Redlands Mayor Jon Harrison will present the company with a Certificate of Recognition in honor of its role in helping boost the local economy during Wednesday's event.     

Edwin Yerena hasn't let a terminal illness kill his spirit.

The 8-year-old Highland boy was diagnosed with myeloid leukemia, a type of cancer in which the bone marrow produces a large number of abnormal blood cells, in January 2007. 

   Since then, he has endured more than 30 blood transfusions, 11 bone marrow biopsies, six spinal taps and rigorous chemotherapy treatments that have left him nauseous and writhing in pain at night, his mother, Martha Figueroa said.

"He doesn't complain. He's a strong child. He's my hero," Figueroa said Monday from inside the pastoral center at the Diocese of San Bernardino, where a blood drive and bone marrow screening was held for the stalwart boy, a student at St. Adelaide School.

Edwin's doctors say a bone marrow transplant is his only chance at survival.

"They told us his chances (of survival) without a bone marrow transplant is basically none. He eventually will not respond to the chemo and he will pass away," Figueroa said.

Latino donors are aggressively being sought because chances of finding a match increase greatly if the donor is of the same ethnicity as the donor recipient.

Donors rotated through several stations Monday. They provided their personal information at one station and had their temperature taken and iron levels checked at another to make sure their blood was stable enough for donation. Then, phlebotomists drew a pint of blood from each donor before sending them to a canteen to replenish their fluids and energy levels with bags of Doritos, trail mix and bottles of juice and water.

Blood samples will be taken back to the lab at Life Stream (formerly the Blood Bank of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties), where they will be tested for viruses such as hepatitis and HIV before they are stored, said Anthony Fiori, manager of donor operations for Life Stream.

DNA taken from mouth swabs will be submitted to the national bone marrow registry.
One of the first to arrive at Monday's event, which ran from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., was Connie Muldoon, a preschool teacher at St. Adelaide. She worked as an aide in Edwin's first grade class the year he was diagnosed.

"We have a little prayer corner in our room for him, with his name on a flower," Muldoon said. "We love him. He's very special."

In July, the Highland Family YMCA hosted a blood drive and marrow screening for Edwin. More than 200 people attended.

Should a bone marrow match be found for Edwin, his transplant will take place at City of Hope in Duarte, a comprehensive cancer treatment center, Figueroa said.

Anyone wishing to donate blood and have their mouths swabbed for DNA for the national bone marrow registry is encouraged to drop by a blood donor center near them (several can be found on www.Lstream.org).

"There's many people out there, children and adults, who need it," Figueroa said.
For more information on the National Marrow Donor Program, go to www.marrow.org

The Highland Senior Centers, in conjunction with physicians at Beaver Medical Group and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, is holding its annual Health Fair from 9 a.m. to noon Friday. 

Flu shots will be provided at a cost of $5 by the San Bernardino County Health Department. Free health screenings and testing will be offered for body fat, balance, glucose, cholesterol, pulmonary function, pulse oximetry, grip strength, bone density and ear checks.

Informational literature will also be distributed.

For more information call (909) 862-8104.

A blood drive and bone marrow screening will be held Monday at the Diocese of San Bernardino's pastoral center for 8-year Highland resident Edwin Yerena, whose only chance at survival is a bone marrow transplant.

Edwin was diagnosed in January 2007 with myeloid leukemia, a type of cancer in which bone marrow produces a large number of abnormal blood cells.

  The blood drive and marrow screening will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Diocese of San Bernardino is located at 1201 E. Highland Ave., in San Bernardino.

Along with blood, donors can also have their mouths swabbed and their DNA entered into the National Marrow Donor Registry, which will search for a match for Edwin.

Latino donors are aggressively being sought because chances of finding a match increase greatly if the donor is of the same ethnicity as the donor recipient.

In July, the Highland Family YMCA hosted a blood drive and marrow screening for Edwin. More than 200 people poured in, said Paula Kasprzyk, a family friend whose daughter attends St. Adelaide School in Highland with Edwin.

"It was supposed to end about 7:30 (p.m.) and they wound up staying until about 10," Kasprzyk said of the previous blood drive.

Another blood drive was held at the annual Sheriff's Rodeo on Sept. 26, 27 and 28 at the San Manuel Amphitheater near Devore.

The Diocese of San Bernardino was chosen as the site for Monday's drive because they're equipped to handle a larger crowd. They have also promised to have more technicians and Spanish translators on hand to cut back on wait times for donors, Kasprzyk said.

Should a match be found for Edwin, Kasprzyk said donors need not worry about lengthy hospital stays or surgeries.

"If you're lucky enough to be chosen, and you do have the chance to save somebody's life, it's an outpatient procecdure," she said.

Edwin spent 17 weeks in the hospital between January and August 2007. He underwent five chemotherapy treatments, and was in remission until a recent relapse. He has been at Kaiser Foundation Hospital since June undergoing another rigorous succession of chemotherapy, said Kimberly Romero, the den mother of Edwin's Cub Scout Pac 24 in Highland.

Edwin's mother, Martha Figueroa, couldn't be reached for comment Friday.
"He's such a lively little boy. With everytyhing he's going through, he stays in good spirits all the time. We miss him so much," Romero said.

Edwin has been in Romero's Cub Scout Pac for two years, and in May graduated to the Bear level.

Then, he got sick again.

"He only had a chance to wear his full Bear uniform at graduation," Romero said. "My son misses him so much and all the boys are always asking how he's doing."

Those who cannot attend Monday's drive can still help by going to any blood donor center near them (locations can be found at www.Lstream.com) and donate blood and DNA. When doing so, mention Edwin's name so that he can get credit.

For more information or to make an appointment, call Jerry White, safety manager at the Diocese of San Bernardino, at (909) 475-5171.

Three days after a 17-year-old Highland girl was struck by a pickup in front of her home and killed, sheriff's investigators are no closer to finding the driver of the pickup who fled the scene of the collision.

Detectives at the sheriff's Highland station have been fielding numerous calls from citizens, but the information has been scant and nothing is leading investigators to a suspect as of yet, sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Beavers said.

April Maher had just returned home with her sister-in-law from an errand about 10:50 p.m. Tuesday when she saw her cousin approaching on foot from down the street and ran up to meet her. The two were walking north on Del Rosa Avenue, north of Base Line, toward April's home when the speeding pickup struck her.

The impact threw April about 50 feet. She struck the side mirror of a white work truck and then hit the back of her sister-in-law's car - so hard that it triggered its alarm. She was taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where she died at 1:20 a.m.

On Thursday, investigators released footage of a neighbor's surveillance video that caught the image of the speeding truck. The video is segmented into four frames, the bottom two frames of which show the truck pass by at a high rate of speed and disappear out of frame. Then, a loud crash is heard, followed by a car alarm going off and then screaming.

April was a gifted athlete who aspired to attend Cal State San Bernardino and be a physical edication teacher. She played in numerous sports leagues as a child including, her favorite being basketball. She racked up numerous medals for the many triatholons she participated in, and a picture of her being awarded a medal by San Bernardino's former mayor hangs in the Norman F. Feldhym Library in San Bernardino, said her father, James "Monty" Maher.

Detectives are searching for a dark colored pickup with front end, passenger-side damage.

Anyone with information is asked to call (909) 425-9793.

To see the video surveillance footage, click on the play button below.

The Big Bear Greenthumbs' schedule for the coming months is now available. The Greenthumbs are volunteers who work with the U.S. Forest Service to restore parts of the San Bernardino National Forest.

That work includes collecting seeds, working with plants, removing weeds, picking up trash and planting.

A schedule of the group's events is available at its Web site, http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardino/volunteering/greenthumbs.

Volunteers should meet at the Big Bear Ranger Station's flagpole at 9 a.m. and bring lunch, water sunscreen, warm clothes and work gloves.

The ranger station is located at 41397 North Shore Dr.

Call (909) 382-2837 to let the Forest Service know you're planning to come.

Can you find the biggest pine cone in the world? If so, you may want to attend the Second annual Arrowhead Pine Cone Festival Saturday at the Mountain Community Senior Center and Rotary Centennial Park, in Twin Peaks.

The event is free and runs from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. More than $1,200 in prizes will be given away, and there will be a "biggest pine cone" contest, along with a Pine Cone Olympics and a pine nut recipe contest.

Grand prize: A season ski pass to Snow Valley ski resort near Arrowbear.

The Mountain Community Senior Center is located at 675 Grandview Rd., in Twin Peaks.

For more information, go to www.pineconefestival.com

Feel like getting your hands dirty? Then join the Highland Improvement Team for Make a Difference Day on Oct. 25 by assisting in the cleanup of litter along Greenspot Road and at Aurantia Park.

Volunteers will meet at the park, 29700 Greenspot Rd., at 8 a.m. for a light breakfast and safety training. All tools, water and snacks will beprovided by the city. A BBQ will commence following the day's cleanup efforts.

For further information contact Denise Garnsey at (909) 864-6861, ext. 203.

Here's some excerts from today's Beattie Middle School bulletin, published weekly on the school's Web site (http://beattie.redlandsusd.net/):

Running like the wind!

Congratulations are in order for the Beattie Run Club for their outstanding performance at Moore Middle School. Highlights include Trevor Capestany's time of 11:32, making his the fastest time of all three grades for the two-mile race. Eigth grader Holly Resh had a time of 13:12, sweeping the eighth grade girls for the third year in a row. Seventh grade boys and girls and eigth grade girls brought home the first place wins in the teams' standings, while the eigth grade boys placed second in the overall team scores. Sixth graders gave it their all and did a fantastic job as well.

Felis and Rufus are back!

Do you have a question for Felis or Rufus? If you do, then drop your question off in the Felis and Rufus box located in the Student Center or n the library. This year, Felis and Rufus will be a bit different. Each month the duo will focus on one specific topic. The topic for October is: Conflicts with your BFF. So, if you are going through a tough time with your friends and not quite sure how to handle the situation, and would like some sound advice, then just ask Felis and Rufus! Remember, you don't have to reveal your identity, and can use an alias. All questions for Felis and Rufus are due by Monday, Oct. 20.

Is there an Edgar Allen Poe in you?

Then enter Journalism's 2008 second annual Spooky Fright Tale Contest. Write an original, PG-rated short story (nothing gruesome, violent, or gory) that would make Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe and J.K. Rowling proud. The short story must be at least five paragraphs long and 10 paragraphs maximum. All entries will be evaluated anonymously by Katie Janiskee, Kyle Smith, and Miss. Bennett and the selected winner's spooky story will be published in the Paw Print's October issue, along with a short bio and picture of the writer. This contest will end on Friday, October 17. Please turn in the short story (typed, black ink, point size 12, Times New Roman font) to Miss Bennett in room E.13. If you have any questions, contact Miss Bennett in E13.

Reflections is here!

The PTSA Reflections contest is here! The theme this year is "WOW." The categories are: film/video production, music composition, literature, dance choreography, photography and visual arts. Pick up your entry form from the Student Center, or check with your favorite teacher. The deadline to have your entries turned in to Ms. Purvine is October 17th. There will be a special awards for participates as well as those who win. 

TODAY'S EVENTS. OCT. 10:

* Girls freshman and junior varsity volleyball teams will play Arroyo Valley High School's freshman and junior varsity teams in the San G gym at 3:15 p.m.

* Girls varsity tennis team will play Arroyo Valley High School on the San G tennis court at 3:15 p.m.

* Girls varsity volleyball team will play Arroyo Valley's in the San G gym at 6 p.m.

* Boys varsity football team will play Apple Valley High School at the San G stadium at 7 p.m.

SOURCE: San Gorgonio High School Web site

The City Council on Tuesday will award a contract to the Conceptual Design & Planning Company for preparation of a design and construction landscape plan for Greenspot Road between the 210 Freeway and Boulder Avenue, in the Golden Triangle.

Cost is expected to be no more than $66,500.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in City Council chambers, 27215 Base Line.

 A site plan for an adult bookstore and boutique that faces scrutiny from several residents and a neighboring business goes before the Design Review Board on Oct. 21.

For four years, Hui Cha Lim has been fighting to open the JMK Adult Bookstore in what was once a former western-themed bar at 27409 Fifth St., east of Palm Avenue. Plans were initially approved in July 2004, but Lim let her application expire and has since reapplied, City Planner Larry Mainez said.

Plans call for an adult bookstore and boutique and more than 20 coin and credit card-operated video viewing booths, Mainez said.

Opponents feel the bookstore will attract crime, decrease property values and should be in a less visible area of the city.

The city has received about a dozen letters from people voicing their concerns.

"Simply stated, we are opposed to this establishment or any like it, to be located this close to our business," Daniel L. Trembly, business manager for the Washington division of URS Corp., a global engineering, construction and technical services firm that has an office across from where the adult bookstore is proposed, wrote in his Oct. 3 letter to the city.

Aside from potentially attracting crime and decreasing property values, Trembly said the bookstore would be a negative influence to nearby Thompson Elementary School on Church Street.

Speaking on behalf of Hui Cha Lim, Roger White, the project's construction manager, said adult bookstores do not attract crime, and that crime is incidental to where city's typically zone adult bookstores.

He cited a study done by an economics professor at the University of Southern California, who observed crime patterns near an adult bookstore in Tacoma, Wash. and determined that crime was relevant to the area in general, and not the adult bookstore itself.

"They zoned the adult bookstores to a downtown area near a waterfont in Tacoma, Wash. It was essentially skid row," White said. "So of course the crime is going to be higher around there."

In another letter to the city, Lisa Stiefken, executive director of the Pregnancy Resource Center in San Bernardino, said pornography was a "huge" problem in our society.

"This very real problem is resulting in more and more sexually oriented crimes against women and children," she wrote.

Lim bought the 27,000 square-foot property in 2000, and has been battling the city ever since to get her business off the ground, White said.

Costs have jumped more than 114 percent - from $350,000 to about $750,000, due to stringent project specifications the city has placed on Lim, he said.

In the end, however, White said the bookstore will actually enhance the area, with Mediterranean-style architecture, arched entryways, Spanish tile roof and Spanish lanterns around the building. A wrought iron fence will enclose the property.

"This isn't going to be a sleazy little adult bookstore, it will be an adult boutique," White said. "It's going to look out of place where it's at because nothing is going to compare in standard to what we're going to have."

April Maher, 17, was walking north on Del Rosa Avenue, north of Base Line, with her cousin about 10:50 p.m. when she was struck by the dark colored pickup. The driver of the pickup didn't stop, and sped off north on Del Rosa Avenue, turning west onto Fisher Street, authorities said.

The video footage, gleaned from a neighbor's surveillance cameras, is segmented into four frames, with the clearest footage of the vehicle in the bottom two frames. It shows the truck speeding by and disappearing from the frame, followed by a loud crashing sound and then screams.

The suspect vehicle is described as a dark colored pickup with front end, passenger side damage.

Highland detectives continue their investigation today, and are encouraging anyone who may information to come forward and call them at (909) 425-9793. Witnesses wishing to remain anonymous can call the WeTip hotline at 1-800-78CRIME (800-782-7463).

Sometimes, the most unlikely people, or in this case canines, become heroes.

On Oct. 6, Pearl, a 14-year-old boxer-Great Dane mix, became the recipient of the Humane Society of the United States' Dogs of Valor award for calling 911 in 2003 when her owner, Adrian McKee of Big Bear City, passed out due to low potassium levels.

When efforts by Pearl to nudge McKee awake with her nose were unsuccessful, the dog did what it was trained to do: She went to the phone, knocked the receiver off the hook with her nose and, using her paw, pressed a 2-inch button on the phone that called 911.

When the 911 operator didn't get a vocal response, police were dispatched to McKee's home, where Pearl greeted them outside with a yellow tennis ball in her mouth.

Due to Pearl's initimidating size, she was trained to hold the ball in her mouth so visitors would know she was friendly.

When police and paramedics arrived at McKee's home, Pearl led the way.

"She had to unlatch the door to get back in. Then she came in and sat back down next to me," said McKee, 61.

 McKee was taken to Bear Valley Community Hospital, where she was nursed back to health overnight.

About five months ago, McKee said she spotted the Humane Society's ad on its Web site that asked the question: "Do you know of a dog that has done something valorous?"

Did she!

McKee entered Pearl into the contest.

On Monday, Pearl was lavished with plaques from both the county and the Humane Society at the Big Bear City Community Services District.

"We talk about the unique bond we share with man's best friend," said Paul Bruce of the Humane Society's West Coast regional office. "Pearl's determination to help her owner shows just how deeply that bond is shared, truly making her a dog of valor."

Pearl also received assorted chew toys, Milk Bone biscuits, a couple of large dog bowls, jerky treats, Snausages and a new doggy bed.

"She slept soundly on it last night," McKee said.

Sheriff's investigators are searching for a dark, full-size pickup with front end damage in connection with the fatal hit and run of a teen-age girl late Tuesday night in front of her home.

Seventeen-year-old April Maher, whom her father called a gifted athlete who aspired to be a physical education teacher, was walking north on Del Rosa Avenue, north of Base Line, with her cousin about 10:50 p.m. when she was struck from behind by the speeding pickup, authorities said.

She was rushed to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where she died at 1:20 a.m.
Her father, James "Monty" Maher, said his daughter had just returned home with her sister-in-law, got out of the car, and saw her cousin down the street and met up with her. The two started walking back to the house when the truck struck his daughter.

He heard the whole thing.

"You could hear the hit, then you could hear my cousin Sam yell, 'April! April!,'" said Maher, who spent the day Wednesday being comforted by throngs of friends and neighbors who poured into his home offering their condolences.

A resident's surveillance camera recorded the image of the speeding pickup and the horrific sound of the collision and its aftermath a split-second later, Highland sheriff's Sgt. Don Lupear said.

"You can tell it's the vehicle. You can hear it hit the kid from the noise on the video," Lupear said.

The suspect vehicle, last seen turning west onto Fisher Street from Del Rosa Avenue, is described as a dark colored pickup. It will have front-end, passenger side damage, Lupear said, adding that the sheriff's High-Tech Crime Unit is working on enhancing the surveillance footage.

April recently completed her GED, and was planning on applying to Cal State San Bernardino to pursue a career as a physical education teacher, James Maher said.

She was a gifted athlete who spent most of her young life engaged in some sort of physical activity, racking up numerous medals for the various triathlons and marathons she participated in, Maher said.

April divided her time between her father's home in Highland and her mother's home in Tonapoh, Nev., where she attended high school before deciding to take the GED.

Though her favorite sport was basketball, it didn't keep her from playing other sports including soccer baseball and football.

"She was on the football team in high school. She was the only girl on the team," Maher said. "Anything that was challenging, she did. She was a natural athlete."

Anyone who has any information about the driver or the accident is asked to call (909) 425-9793.

The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is hosting its annual Pow Wow at Cal State San Bernardino beginning at 4 p.m. Friday and continuing through the weekend.

About 4,000 people are expected to attend the event during its three-day run, and 300 to 400 of them will be members of various Indian tribes across North America, from as far away as Alaska and Canada.

Registration opens at 4 p.m., followed by a blessing of the grounds ceremony on the lower athletic fields, where the Pow Wow is being held.

Spectators are encouraged to participate in the celebration of tribal dance, music and life.
Each day, dancers will perform in full regalia, and guests can indulge in Native American cuisine like frybread, a deep fried dough that can be eaten as a dessert with sugar and honey or as an Indian taco, with beans and meat piled atop it.

"It's just a way of showing different examples of all the Native American cultures, not just ours but from across the nation," said Cruz Chacon, a San Manuel tribal member and event organizer. "It's a way to keep a certain part of our culture alive, to let people know we're still out there and still doing our thing."

San Manuel launched the inaugural Pow Wow at the university in 1994, Chacon said.
More than 50 vendors will also be on site selling Native American arts and crafts.

The event runs from 4 p.m. to midnight Friday, 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Cal State San Bernardino is located at 5500 University Pkwy.

World-famous rock band Chicago, which brought us such memorable tunes like "Saturday in the Park" and "Hard Habit to Break" are coming to San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino on Oct. 23.

Tickets are available now through Ticketmaster.com or the San Manuel box office for $35, $45 and $55.

In their 40-plus year career, the band has sold more than 120 million records and has had 50 chart-topping hits in the U.S. alone.

For more information, visit San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino's Web site at www.sanmanuel.com or call 800-359-2464.

A new Dairy Queen is coming to the southwest corner of Base Line and Bonita Drive.

The Design Review Board on Tuesday approved a site plan from applicant Young Shin to build the new fast food restaurant on the 1/2-acre parcel of land, across from where the city is planning to build a Town Center.

The 2,080 square-foot restaurant will include a drive-through and 10 parking spaces, and Shin's architect has tailored the building design to incorporate various architectural features from the city's Historic District, according to a city staff report.

Shin owns the Dairy Queen across from City Hall, which will close when the new one opens, Community Development Director John Jaquess said.

The Board of Supervisors today adopted an ordinance requiring all mountain residents to replace their wood shake shingle roofs with fire resistant roofs within five years from the time the ordinance takes effect on Jan. 1.

The Board also approved the revision of an existing ordinance that requires mountain residents to have a 100-foot firebreak around their homes. It now mandates that green vegetation, such as small bushes and small trees, also be cleared from properties along with dry grasses and dead brush. It takes effect in 30 days.

The move is to help protect mountain residents from devastating wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes in the San Bernardino Mountains in the last five years.

"It puts the responsibility on the property owner and lessens the responsibility for taxpayers," said Peter Brierty, assistant county fire chief and county fire marshal, during a news conference hosted by Third District Supervisor Dennis Hansberger.

Randy Rogers, head of code enforcement, said his department will work with the various fire chiefs and fire safe councils to target areas where enforcement is most needed and fan out from there.

Residents who can't afford the cost of clearing their property can seek financial assistance through the National Forest Association's Forest Care program. They can call 1 (888) 883-THIN or go to the program's Web site at www.sbnfa.org for more information, said Shawna Meyer, executive director of Forest Care.

About 4,000 residents will need to replace their wood shake shingle roofs, and owners of 89,000 parcels of land across the mountains will have to bring their properties up to code, Hansberger said.

The cost, he said, is well worth it.

Last November, the Grass Valley Fire, which burned more than 1,200 acres and destroyed nearly 200 homes, roared through Deer Lodge Park northwest of Lake Arrowhead. Had it not been for fire crews cutting a swath of defensible space in the area weeks before the devastating fire, hundreds of other homes could have been destroyed, Hansberger said.

Though the economy is in a slump right now and many citizens are struggling to make ends meet, Hansberger feels confident that most will be able to handle the cost of replacing their combustible roofs.

"It will create some hardships. That's why we're giving them five years," he said.

Graduate student Cynthia Stivers is hosting a workshop on organic nutrition from 4-5 p.m. Wednesday at the Sam J. Racadio Library and Environmental Learning Center.

Adults interested in eating with an eco-conscious mind are encouraged to attend.

The center is located at 7863 Central Avenue, north of Fifth Street.

For more information call (909) 425-4700

Bids open today for a sidewalk project on the south side of Ninth Street, between Elmwood Road and Sterling Avenue, Assistant Public Works Director Dennis Barton said.

The project is being funded through the city and a state Safe Route to School grant, and the City Council will award a contract for the project at its Oct. 21 meeting, Barton said.

Another project calling for sidewalks, curbs and gutters on Roger's Lane, between Base Line and Ninth Street, is also on the books. Advertising of bids is underway, with bids slated to open in about three weeks, Barton said.

That project will be funded through the city's redevelopment agency.

The Planning Commission will vote tonight on whether to allow a bar owner to sell hard liquor at his business along with beer and wine.

Bryce Warren, owner of The Bell Bar at 6917 Palm Ave., is requesting an upgraded ABC permit.

The meeting will be begin at 6 p.m. tonight in City Council chambers, 27215 Base Line.

A man was charged Monday with one count of murder in the beating-related death of a man at a Highland trailer park.

Harold "Bear" Mercier Jr., 58, of Highland, repeatedly struck Paul Timothy Wolfe, 55, with his fists as Wolfe lay motionless on the ground outside his ex-girlfriend's trailer, said Richard Young, a supervising county prosecutor who reviewed the case.

Several bystanders, including Mercier's girlfriend - Wolfe's ex-girlfriend - pleaded with Mercier to stop beating Wolfe, Young said.

Mercier will be arraigned Tuesday in San Bernardino Superior Court.

The medical examiner performed an autopsy on Wolfe Monday. A cause of death is still pending, Young said.

Wolfe's cause of death could factor into the case, which is still under investigation. He suffered from high blood pressure and asthma, and the facts surrounding the fight remain fuzzy.

This much prosecutors do know:

Mercier and the unnamed woman arrived at the Palm Grove Mobile Estates on Base Line, west of Palm Avenue, on Mercier's motorcycle just before 9:30 p.m. Oct. 1. Wolfe spotted the two arrive and confronted them.

Wolfe and the woman, who dated about 10 years, live in separate trailers at the park, authorities said.

"There's an argument, and then a fight ensues, but who was the first to throw a punch has not been ascertained," Young said. "At one point he (Wolfe) was in a headlock, and they went to the ground and the fight continued on the ground."

Once it became apparent that Wolfe was not responsive, at least two people tried performing CPR on him, including Mercier, Young said.

Mercier was administering CPR on Wolfe when paramedics arrived, Young said.

Wolfe was taken to St. Bernardine Medical Center in San Bernardino, where he died at 10:19 p.m.

For Wolfe's sister, Barbara Wolfe, it was a day of celebration turned tragic. Oct. 1 was her birthday, and she, her brother and her sister, Mary Conway, had gone out to dinner that evening at Applebees restaurant on Highland Avenue.

After dinner, the three went back to Barbara Wolfe's home, where her sister cut her brother a slice of chocalate ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins, which Paul took home to enjoy.
It was the last time they saw their brother alive.

Conway said she's happy, at least as of now, with the decision county prosecutors have made.

"Right now my family is really happy that he is being charged with murder. It seems only right," Conway said.

For Conway's family, it has been a year of extreme hardships.

Their father died in May of cancer. Conway's son recently left for Iraq, and now, she and her sisters have to bury their brother.

"It's more than I can take," Conway said.

Supervisor Dennis Hansberger and officials from various county fire agencies and citizen-based safety organizations will discuss Tuesday new ordinances aimed at making homes in the San Bernardino Mountains more fire resistant.

The news briefing will follow the regularly scheduled Board of Supervisors meeting at the county government center. The new ordinances, which the board is exptected to pass at its meeting, will require homeowners in the mountains to replace their existing flammable roofs with fire-resistant roofs, create firebreaks around their homes and remove flammable vegetation, according to county news release.

I've been perusing the Highland school Web sites and pulled some information from the latest Beattie Middle School Bulletin. Here are some highlights:

* Canned food drive: The school is collecting canned goods through Friday, Oct. 10, to benefit families in need throughout the community. Each student will receive a list of needed foods. The grade with the most donated pounds of food will win early lunch for one week. Each teacher has a box in their classroom for students to put the canned goods in.

* The school's thespian group, the Dramatic Cats, will perform three short scenes for student enjoyment during lunch on Friday, Oct. 10 in room E-21 as part of its Lunch Box Theatre program. Seating is limited to the first 80 students who arrive. Students must be seated by noon during first lunch and by 1 p.m. during second lunch. No food or drink will be allowed in the room during the performances. Students will not be allowed to leave the room during performances.

* Is there an Edgar Allen Poe or Stephen King in you? If you are a budding writer with a flair for the spooky or supernatural, you may want to give the Spooky Fright Tale Contest a whirl. Here's how it works: Write a PG-rated short story, five paragraphs minimum and 10 paragraphs maximum (nothing gruesome, violent or gory) that would make Poe, King or J.K. Rowling proud and enter it into the contest. All entries must be typed in black ink, 12-point size with a Times New Roman font. Please submit your entry to Ms. Bennett in room E-13 no later than Friday, Oct. 17. The winner will have their story published in the Paw Print's October  issue along with a short bio of the themself.

Big Bear Lake welcomes Halloween this year with the 'Theatre of Horrors' Haunted House" at the Big Bear Lake Performing Arts Center.

Thrillseekers in search of a good scare can drop by the haunted house from 7-11 p.m. Oct. 17, 18, 24 and 25 and from 8-10 p.m.on Halloween night.

Cost is $5 for adults and $3 for children age 6 and under.

The Performing Arts Center is located at 39707 Big Bear Blvd.
 
Tickets are available online or at the Performing Arts Center box office. Box office hours are 1-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

For more information call (909) 866-4970.

Highland residents looking to dispose of old tires from light trucks or cars can do so at City Hall from 8 a.m. to noon Oct. 25.

The city's public works department is hosting "Waste Tire Amnesty Day," and will be recycling the old tires in an effort to reduce the number of illegally dumped tires across the city.

Waste Tire Amnesty Day is open only to Highland residents, and proof of residency (driver's license, utility bill, etc.) will be required. Tires must be derimmed, clean and dry, and residents can dispose up to 10 tires per vehicle, per household, for free.

Businesses that accept or generate waste tires are not eligible to participate in the event.

The city's public works department picks up an average of 700 discarded tires a year. Discarded tires can be lures for misquitos and potentially cause fires.

Highland City Hall is located at 27215 Base Line.

For more information, call the city's public services division at (909) 864-8732. ext. 271.

 A recent brush fire on the eastern edge of the city has reignited concern among residents living in a neighborhood north of Greenspot Road that their safety is jeopardized.

Fifty-eight residents in the Ventana/Entrada subdivision between Sunrise Drive and Plunge Creek Road signed a letter and sent it to the Highland City Council and Planning Commission on Sept. 18. Their concern: Being trapped in their neighborhood should Greenspot Road be closed off during a fire, flood or other emergency.

The only way in or out of the mountain-backed neighborhood is via Greenspot Road.

"East Highlands remains a residential community that is secluded because of its geographical nature. Yet we do not want that seclusion to continue to jeopardize the safety of our families," the letter stated. "During any disaster, the closure of Greenspot Road leaves us trapped."

On Sept. 2, an abandoned house caught fire on Gold Buckle Court just before 5 p.m., igniting dry brush and quickly spreading east toward Plunge Creek Road. It scorched 80 acres south of Greenspot Road before it was quelled, said Yucaipa Fire Chief Steve Shaw, who worked the blaze.

The fire, determined to be human caused and still under investigation, prompted firefighters to close Greenspot Road from Church Street to the Greenspot Road bridge until they had the blaze under control, Shaw said.

La Nita Street resident Rodney Jones, who signed the letter submitted to the Council and Planning Commission, said he was delayed in getting home the day of the fire by two hours.
"They had the road closed on either side of my development. I couldn't get home until 7:30, and I normally get home about 5:30," Jones said.

One option, some residents say, is to extend Base Line from where it ends at Tuolumne Lane in East Highlands Ranch to the city limits south of Greenspot Road.

The city's general plan initially called for Base Line to be extended to the city limits south of Greenspot road, but many residents in East Highlands Ranch opposed it, arguing it would bring additional traffic and blight the landscape.

So, the city ejected the Base Line extension plan from the general plan.
It is an issue the City Council has grappled with over the last six years. The matter has resurfaced on Council agendas repeatedly, the most recent of which was Sept. 23. No action was taken.

"The fire proved that you need to keep the traffic flow open, and the bottom line is the general plan was done with traffic in mind," Jones said. "To change it because one development doesn't like it drastically affects the city of Highland."

The issue has divided the City Council. Councilman Ross Jones and Councilwoman Jody Scott support the Base Line extension, but Councilmen John Timmer and Larry McCallon oppose it and say it is unneccessary.

Mayor Penny Lilburn said she is undecided, but does have some issues with the proposal.
When Toll Brothers, Inc. proposed a development in the hills above the Ventana/Entrada subdivision two years ago, residents came out in droves opposing it, saying they didn't want the additional traffic, Lilburn said.

Extending Base Line would do exactly what residents in East Highlands Ranch have opposed: bring more traffic through the neighborhood.

"I find it odd that we have residents screaming they don't want additional traffic for 50-something houses, but they want to put an extention there for a corridor," Lilburn said.
She said that doesn't mean she is discounting residents' concerns. If a Councilmember requests the item be put on the city's work program for next year, they can do so.

"I think if it's a priority with other Council members, then I anticipate it being put on the work program. What priority it will hold, I don't know," Lilburn said.

As far as public safety is concerned, Lilburn said she doesn't feel the residents are imperiled, and the decision by firefighters to close off Greenspot Road was to protect residents.

"They (firefighters) were just trying to keep them safe until they put out the fire. They weren't trapped. They weren't stuck," she said. "They were inconvenienced for a little while until they put the fire out."

Had an evacuation of the Ventana/Entrada neighborhood become neccessary during the fire, residents would have been evacuated through the road closures, Shaw said.

Despite those reassurances, it's of little comfort to Susan Mendoza, a Mission Street resident of six years.

She said the Old Fire of October 2003 gave her a scare, and the recent fire off Greenspot Road and the subsequent road closure only solidified her concerns.

"You don't think of it until something happens," she said.

One public member position remains open on the city's Design Review Board, and applications are still being accepted by the city.

The Design Review Board, comprised of two members of the Planning Commission and three city residents with backgrounds in architecture, landscape design and civil engineering, review and approve design proposals for development projects in the city.

The City Council is tentatively scheduled to appoint someone to the position at its Oct. 28 meeting.

Qualified candidates must be city residents and, once appointed, will have to submit a statement of economic interest from the Fair Political Practices Commission and complete an ethics training course.

Interested residents must file an application with the City Clerk prior to the close of business on Oct. 20. Application can be picked up at City Hall, 27215 Base Line.

Noticing fresh coats of paint, brand new roofs and luscious green lawns popping up across the city? That may be because more and more people are taking advantage of the city's Neighborhood Pride Grant Program, which allows certain homeowners to receive one-time grants of $25,000 to make exterior improvements to their homes.

The city is continually seeking participation from all owner-occuppied single family homeowners living in the target area to participate in the grant program. The main boundaries of the traget area are south of Base Line and between Palm and Victoria avenues.

If you are a homeowner residing in this area of the city, and want to see if you qualify for the grant, stop by City Hall at 27215 Base Line, or, call city's housing technicians Judith Jaurigue at (909) 864-8732, ext. 250 or Leilani Garcia at ext. 259.

Sanctus Real, the Dove-award-winning Christian rock band from Toledo, OH., will perform at Immanuel Baptist Church on Oct. 18. Opening act will be the West Palm Beach-based Tenth Avenue North.

In their 12-year history, Sanctus Real has released six albums, their latest being "We Need Each Other," released in February. Tenth Avenue North released their debut album, "Over and Underneath," in May.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. VIP tickets are available for $25, and groups of 10 or more pay $10 each per ticket.

Tickets are on sale at the church office Monday through Friday and in the Pavilion on Sunday mornings.

The church is located at 28355 Base Line.

For more information call (909) 425-1777.

San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino is searching for a model for its annual SportsWatch Girls Calendar. One lucky girl will be selected to be the new face of San Manuel's 2009 print campaign.

The search was launched Sept. 15 and continues through Dec. 1.

KFRG-FM 95.1 Afternoon Drive DeeJay's "Hoppy" and "Toady" will broadcast live from The Pines restaurant at the casino during Monday Night Football. During half time, the search will be underway for models, and the two DJs will be emceeing the contest.

One out of 15 contestants will be selected each week, and each weekly model winner will receive $500 and have their picture on one of the 2009 calendar pages. They also get a chance to compete for $1,000, the cover spot of the calendar and to be the face of San Manuel Casino's 2009 SportsWatch football campaign.

The Inland Empire 66ers Dance Team will perform at the Highland Area Chamber of Commerce's 14th annual Benefit Golf Tournament on Oct. 16.

Cost is $75 per person or $300 for groups of four, which includes 4-person scramble play, 18 holes of golf and cart, a loaded goodie bag at check-in and tickets to the evening awards dinner.

Sponsorship packages are available to help promote businesses and allow businesses to show their support of the chamber.

For more information, call (909) 864-4073.

The Design Review Board will decide Tuesday on a site plan for a new Dairy Queen on the southwest corner of Base Line and Bonita Drive.

Property owner Young Shin is proposing a 2,080 square-foot restaurant with drive-through, which will replace the existing Dairy Queen restaurant in a shopping plaza across from City Hall, which doesn't have a drive-through.

The driveway would be off Bonita Drive, and more than 3,000 square-feet of the nearly half-acre site will be landscaped, with 10 parking spaces.

Once the new restaurant is built, the current one will close, officials said.

The meeting begins at 5 p.m. in City Council chambers, 27215 Base Line.

 The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians will host its annual San Manuel Pow Wow at Cal State San Bernardino October 10, 11 and 12, featuring American Indian dancers in full regalia demonstrating both exhibition and competitive dances.

The free event, which celebrates the dance, music and lifestlyes of American Indians, will take place on the lower athletic fields at the university, and the public is invited to attend.

Schedule of Events:

Friday, Oct. 10:

4:00 p.m. Blessing of the Grounds/Registration Opens

6:00 p.m. Bird Singing and Dancing

8:00 p.m. Grand Entry

8:30 p.m. Intertribal, Contest, and Exhibition Dancing

12:00 a.m. Retreat of Colors

Saturday, Oct. 11:

11:00 a.m. Gourd Dancing

12:00 p.m. Bird Singing and Dancing

1:00 p.m. Grand Entry

1:30 p.m. Intertribal, Contest, and Exhibition Dancing

8:00 p.m. Grand Entry

8:30 p.m. Intertribal, Contest, and Exhibition Dancing

12:00 a.m. End of Event


Sunday, Oct. 12:

11:00 a.m. Gourd Dancing

12:00 p.m. Bird Singing and Dancing

1:00 p.m. Grand Entry

1:30 p.m. Intertribal, Contest, and Exhibition Dancing

6:00 p.m. Awarding of Contest Winners

WHERE:

California State University San Bernardino Campus

5500 University Parkway

Lower Athletic Fields

San Bernardino, Calif., 92407

Contact: (909) 537-7204

A man was beaten unconscious and later died following an altercation outside his ex-girlfriend's mobile home Wednesday.

Paul Timothy Wolfe, 55, was rushed to St. Bernardine Medical Center in San Bernardino following the altercation, where he died at 10:19 p.m., according to the San Bernardino Coroner's Office.

Sheriff's deputies and paramedics were called to the Palm Grove Mobile Estates at 27261 Base Line, west of Palm Avenue, just before 9:30 p.m. and found Wolfe laying unconscious on the ground and a bystander performing CPR on him, sheriff's spokeswoman Arden Wiltshire said.

Investigators learned from witnesses that suspect Harold Mercier, 58, and his girlfriend, who witnesses could identify only by her first name, Joanne, arrived at the mobile home park just before 9:30 p.m. and were confronted by Wolfe, who lived at the park. A fight erupted between the two men, and Wolfe was knocked unconscious, sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Beavers said. 

Witnesses said Mercier continued striking Wolfe while he was unconscious, Beavers said.

Neighbor Rusty Michelson heard the commotion and ran outside to see what was going on. He saw his friend sprawled on the ground.

"I tried to go next to him (Wolfe), but the police told me to stay back," said Michelson, 58. "They were still doing CPR on him."

Michelson said Joanne works as a bartender at a local bar, and had dated Wolfe about 14 years.

Wolfe and his ex-girlfriend had lived in separate trailers in the park, but Mercier did not live at the park, park owner Jim Davidson said.

A beige Mustang sat parked outside the woman's trailer Thursday. There was no answer at her door. A piece of white printer paper was taped to her chain link fence with a note from her neighbors offering their condolences and letting her know they were there for her if she needed them.

A trio of wilted red, orange and yellow flowers were affixed to the fence under the note.

Wolfe suffered from asthma, used an inhaler and wasn't in the best of health, Michelson said.

"He told me just a few days ago he was having a hard time breathing," he said.

An autopsy will be done to determine Wolfe's cause of death, according to the coroner's office.

Wolfe has a sister who also lives in Highland. She couldn't be reached for comment Thursday.

Mercier was arrested and booked into jail on suspision of murder.

"It's just a sad thing. Jealously is such a negative emotion," Davidson said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Sgt. Tony DeCecio at (909) 387-3589.

The Brass Key, once a popular haunt for San Manuel tribal members until it became associated with a murder conspiracy case involving its former manager, tribal members and the Mexican Mafia, has closed.

The Highland Avenue bar closed Aug. 15 and its owner, San Manuel tribal member Greg Duro, is looking for a buyer for the 1,880-square-foot building north of the 210 Freeway and west of Victoria Avenue, said Ted Desmet, a semi-retired restaurant consultant who is working with Duro on the sale of the property.

Duro, brother of former San Manuel tribal chairman Henry Duro and uncle of current tribal vice chairman Vince Duro, bought the property in March 2004 and spent $200,000 in renovations over the last two years. Those renovations include new tiled walls, six televisions, a state-of-the-art surveillance system, new karaoke equipment, all new booths and tables and a new bar with marble countertop, Desmet said.

Asking price will be in the neighborhood of $750,000, and includes the license to sell alcohol and serve food, Desmet said.

"Whoever buys it can just walk in, buy some inventory and start operating," he said.

Duro decided his schedule was too hectic to be bogged down with the day-to-day responsibilities and upkeep of a bar and restaurant, Desmet said.

"He basically just doesn't have time and doesn't want to run a restaurant," Desmet said. "He's one of the owners of the casino, and has pretty much all he can handle on his plate."

Duro's Highland attorney, Frank Peterson, said the closure had nothing to do with any negative publicity surrounding the bar over the last two years, when its name surfaced in a series of newspaper articles about a murder-for-hire scheme in which the bar's former manager was the target.

"I doubt if there was any pressure from the tribe. It was a decision that Greg decided to make because he didn't need the additional hassel," Peterson said.

The murder conspiracy stemmed from a confrontration that occurred at the bar between San Manuel tribal member Erik Barajas, several gang members and the bar's manager, Leonard Epps. Barajas and his sister, Stacy Barajas-Nunez, accused Epps and the others of trying to extort $65,000 from Erik Barajas because they thought his brother was a "snitch," court records show.

As part of a plea agreement, the Barajases were convicted in April in that case, as well as Salvador Hernandez, 43, and his brother Alfred Hernandez, 39, both high ranking members of the Mexican Mafia, authorities said.

Also convicted in the case were Jennifer Murphy, 27, and Jesus Leyva, 34.
On Sept. 24, Epps sued his conspirators for $50 million. Peterson is also representing Epps in his lawsuit, and said his client has been living in fear and secrecy since learning he was targeted for murder in September 2006, when he was forced to fake his death and flee the state.

Peterson said there is no conflict of interest in representing both Duro in the legal matters surrounding the sale of the Brass Key and Epps in his civil suit.

Duro has known Epps since childhood, Peterson said.

There is no record of any disciplinary action or licensing violations at the Brass Key during Duro's tenure as owner, according to California Department of Alcoholic and Beverage Control records.

Though the real estate market is in a drastic slump right now, and even more so for restaurants and bars, there have been numerous inquiries from interested parties, Desmet said.

"Quite a number of local people would really like to have it," said Desmet. "The restaurant has always been very successful and well patronized."

Boys' Freshman football. Location: Chino Hills High School. Time: 3:15 p.m.

Boys JV football. Versus Chino Hills High School. Location: San Gorgonio Stadium. Time: 3:15 p.m.

Boys varsity water polo. Versus Eisenhower High School. Location: San Gorgonio swimming pool. Time: 3:15 p.m. 

Boys JV water polo. Versus Eisenhower High School. Location: San Gorgonio swimming pool. Time: 4:15 p.m.

A man claiming he is marked for death by a half a dozen people, including two San Manuel tribal members and two high-ranking members of the Mexican Mafia, is suing them for $50 million.

Leonard Epps, 37, filed the lawsuit in San Bernardino Superior Court on Sept. 24, alleging conspiracy to commit murder, negligence and intentional infliction of mental distress.

His Highland attorney, Frank Peterson, said Epps has been living in fear and secrecy since police warned him of the contract on his life in September 2006. The defendants named in his lawsuit have all been convicted of various offenses stemming from the murder-conspiracy case.

Epps has been "unable to work, be with his family or maintain a life without fear of being murdered at any time," according to the lawsuit.

"He had a good job. He was able to buy a house and was finishing college. He had everything, and suddenly he doesn't have that," Peterson said.

Epps hopes to get enough money that will allow him to move on with his life and find some sense of security and normalcy, Peterson said.

"I hope he gets enough to where he can live out his life in comfort and be able to take care of his family," said Peterson. "He would like to have the same things that you and I take for granted, and what everyone else takes for granted and has."

Named as defendants in the lawsuit are San Manuel tribal members Stacy Nunez-Barajas, 25; her brother Erik Barajas, 35; and siblings Salvador Hernandez, 43, and Alfred Hernandez, 39; both high-ranking members of the Mexican Mafia.

Also named as defendants are Jennifer Murphy, 27, and Jesus Leyva, 34, who were also charged in 2006 in the murder-conspiracy case, which was discovered during an investigation into the Mexican Mafia's drug rackets in the San Bernardino area by police and federal drug agents.

Though the primary suspects have all been convicted, Peterson said the hit is still out on Epps.

"Let's just say that the information we've received is that it (the contract) was renewed in the last month or so," Peterson said.

The Hernandez brothers pleaded guilty to attempted murder with street gang enhancements in April and were sentenced in August to 10 years in prison.

Stacy Nunez-Barajas pleaded guilty to attempted murder with a gang enhancement, and her brother, Erik Barajas, pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon with a gang enhancement. They will be sentenced in November and are facing felony probation.

Murphy pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit a crime and was sentenced in December 2007 to three years' probation. Leyva was convicted of receiving stolen property being an accessory to a crime and sentenced in November 2007 to three years' probation.

Epps believes the $50 million he seeks is justified because the Barajases each receive annually a $3 million to $4 million in stipend from the tribe's casino profits. In addition, they each receive, twice a year, between $500,000 and $750,000 in additional bonuses from the tribe, according to the lawsuit.

The plot against Epps stemmed from a confrontation he had at the Brass Key with Erik Barajas, Stacy Nunez-Barajas and about eight gang members in September 2005. They accused Epps and several gang members of trying to extort $65,000 from Erik Barajas earlier that week because they thought his brother was a snitch.

Stacy Nunez-Barajas ordered one of her friends to shoot Epps, but an off-duty police officer patronizing the bar thwarted that effort, and the gunman dropped the weapon in the hallway and ran off, the lawsuit states.

More than a year later, on Sept. 30, 2006, Epps was contacted at the bar by authorities, who told him to get out of town because he was to be killed that night. His vehicle was taken to the desert and abandoned as an effort to fake his death, and Epps fled the state.

Epps later learned that an informant told police that the Barajases had put out the word that whoever kills Epps would be paid $150,000, according to the lawsuit.

Attorneys for the defendants either declined comment or didn't return phone calls seeking comment

The Highland Senior Center is hosting a New Member Tea and Orientation starting at 10 a.m. Oct. 14.

All new residents of the community interested in becoming a member of the center is encouraged to drop by to ask questions and meet new people.

The Highland Senior Center is located at 3102 Highland Ave.

For more information call:  (909) 862-8104

King of the Cage returns to San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino on Oct. 16 for an evening of mixed martial arts. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. the night of the fights. No one under the age of 21 will be admitted - no exceptions.

Tickets are now available at Ticketmaster.com and the San Manuel Box Office for $50, $75, and $110.

A Light Heavyweight title fight is scheduled between Southern California native Tony "Kryptonite" Lopez, of Huntington Beach, and grappling sensation Bryan Harper from Detroit, MI. Lopez, with a win-loss-draw record of 9-2-0, will battle for the title against Harper who has a record of 5-1-0, according to a San Manuel press release.

Also scheduled to fight is James "The Educator" Fanshier (15-9-0) verses Rick "Bad Boy" Legere who remains undefeated at 5-0-0.

In addition, Ray Lezama will take on another Southern California native Fernando Gonzalez, who is from Temecula. Lezama has a record of 6-5-0 while Gonzalez has a record of 13-5-0.

Other fights scheduled are: Gabe Rivas vs. Tony Hervey; Brett Medley vs. Dave Rivas; Eric Meadors vs. Brian Warren; Alex Cisine vs. Mourice Doucett; Miguel Cosio vs. Ben Lagman; and Jimmy Stromo vs. David Vessup.

For more information on San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino,  visit their Web site at www.sanmanuel.com or call 800-359-2464.