December 2008 Archives
A woman was robbed after withdrawing $200 from an ampm mini mart ATM today
The robber approached the woman when she got into her car outside the store at the corner of Base Line Road and Seine Avenue, San Bernardino County sheriff's officials said.
The man said, "Give me the money." Deputies said he didn't show a weapon, but the woman was afraid she would be harmed. After she handed over the cash, the robber fled in a dark green Dodge Caravan, deputies said.
The victim and a witness followed the robber to the 215 Freeway at University Parkway where they lost sight of him.
Anyone with information may call deputies at, (909) 425-9793. Anonymous callers may contact WeTip, (800) 78-CRIME.
melissa.pinion-whitt@inlandnewspapers.com
A proposal to build 133 single family homes on Greenspot Road, east of the Golden Triangle, will be reviewed and discussed at the Design Review Board's Jan. 6 meeting.
Santa Ana-based Centerstone Communities is planning to build the homes on the southeast corner of Greenspot Road and Orange Street, near Beattie Middle School and across from the Village Lakes neighborhood.
It should take about four to six months for the project to go through the various approval processes at the city level before any grading can begin.
The developer hopes to start building by the end of 2009, said Bernie Mayer, president of Yucaipa-based Sitetech, Inc., a civil engineering company hired by the developer to prepare the grading and infrastructure plans.
"We're early on in the review process here," said John Jaquess, Highland's community development director. "It'll probably go to the Planning Commission some time in February or March."
In other news, the board is expected to review and approve building and monument sign proposals for a new Farmer Boys restaurant being built on the northwest corner of Palm Avenue and Fifth Street.
The restaurant is being built on a 1 1/2-acre parcel, and is expected to be finished in the Spring, Jaquess said.
Tracy Morgan, stand-up comedian and cast member of the hit television series "30 Rock," will bring his routine to San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino on Jan. 8.
Tickets are available now at Ticketmaster.com and at the San Manuel Box Office for
$20, $30, and $40.
Aside from his role on "30 Rock," Morgan, a native of New York City, blazed a comedic trail as a performer on "Saturday Night Live" and in a number of supporting roles in featured
films. During his seven seasons on "SNL", he portrayed memorable
characters such as "Astronaut Jones," "Brian Fellows," "Dominican
Lou," "Reggie Owens" and "Captain Munclair." He is also known for his many celebrity impersonations, including poet Maya Angelou, actor Cuba Gooding Jr., TV personality Star Jones, musician/actor Busta Rhymes, actor Mr. T and former boxing
champ Mike Tyson.
For more information on San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino, please visit their Web site at www.sanmanuel.com or call 800-359-2464.
Both Burrtec and Cal Disposal are offering curbside Christmas tree recycling. Just place your Christmas tree at the curb on your regularly scheduled collection day. Burrtec customers must put their trees out from through Jan. 9, and Cal Disposal customers from Jan. 5-9.
Trees more than six feet tall in height must be cut in half. Please remove all tinsel, ornaments, plastic, bags, braces, wire and nails from the tree before putting them out.
Lastly, artificial, flocked or fireproofed trees will not be accepted.
For more information call the following:
* Burrtec: (909) 889-1969
* Cal Disposal: (909) 885-1023
* City of Highland Public Services Coordinator Andrea Saavedra at (909) 864-8732, ext. 271.
The Lake Arrowhead Community Services received a Water Conservation/Efficiency Flex Your Power Award at the annual Flex Your Power Awards ceremony Dec. 15 at the City Club in San Francisco.
In response to the growing water shortage, the Lake Arrowhead Community Services District enacted an ordinance in June, Ordinance 69, aimed at restricting lawn watering times and maximizing outdoor irrigation efficiency. The district's customers are now subject to fines if they use too much water.
Since the ordinance took effect, customers have saved about 152 gallons of water over the same time period last year. Two customers in particular saved a combined total of four acre feet. Both reported that, despite using 40 percent less water, their outdoor landscapes are still attractive and well maintained.
SOURCE: Press release
Sheriff's deputies have kept on their toes in the last two weeks, responding to reports of burglaries, an attemped kidnapping and the arrest of two people in connection with the brutal beating and robbery of a church pastor.
About 6:35 p.m. Saturday, a man reportedly tried to lure a 13-year-old boy into his car near Chanticleer and Gold Buckle roads, in east Highland. His vehicle is described as a black, four-door car with tinted windows, a spoiler on the trunk lid and an antenna with what appeared to be a red shotgun shell crowning it.
The man stopped his car aside the boy and asked for directions somewhere, then he offered the boy candy if he would help him find the street, according to a sheriff's news release.
Startled, the boy briskly walked away.
Authorities described the driver of the vehicle as a black man between 30 and 40 years old, about six feet tall with a thin build and short black hair.
About 10:40 p.m. on Christmas night, someone broke into the Lowes Home Improvement Center on Greenspot Road, just east of the 210 Freeway, and stole circuit breakers valued at about $20,000. The perpetrator/perpetrators were able to cut the power to the breaker room inside the store, authorities said.
And on Dec. 22, investigators arrested 20-year-old Allan Gomez and his 16-year-old unnamed girlfriend in connection with the Dec. 6 assault and robbery of James Warman, pastor of Church of the Valley in Highland. Warman was hanging Christmas decorations with his wife and teen-age daughter outside the church when he was attacked by two men, beaten repeatedly over the head with a blunt object and robbed os his wallet, authorities said.
Investigators learned early on in the investigation that Warman's credit cards were used to make online purchases within hours of his assault, authorities said.
The purchases were traced to a home in the 7400 block of Hillview Street, where deputies served a search warrant and found several items of evidence tying Gomez and his girlfriend to Warman's credit cards.
Investigators are still investigating if Gomez had anything to do with Warman's assault and robbery.
Warman recently returned home from the hospital and is reportedly recovering well, according to a family blog.
Anyone with any information on any of these crimes is asked to call the Highland sheriff's station at (909) 425-9793.
A Highland pastor who was beaten outside his church while hanging Christmas decorations is back home and his family is settling in for a blessed holiday week, according to a family blog.
James Dennis Warman, who was attacked Dec. 6 outside Church of the Valley on Base Line, was released from the hospital Tuesday afternoon and apparently spent the remainder of the day sleeping at home.
Warman was released the day after San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies arrested two people who are accused of using the pastor's stolen credit cards to buy items online within two hours of the assault.
Allan Gomez, 20, and his unidentified 16-year-old girlfriend were taken into custody on suspicion of receiving stolen property Monday afternoon. Deputies have not said whether Gomez was involved in the beating and robbery of Warman.
"We were told by one of the detectives that in his years of service in Highland, they have never been so busy with calls from people who love Dennis and are concerned with the attackers being caught and brought to justice," wrote the pastor's wife, Mendy Warman, on the family blog. "I have always loved my beloved husband, but it has been such a blessing to hear that so many others have been impacted by his life too!"
As for the family's Christmas plans, she wrote: "We will spend a quiet week loving each other, resting, and thanking God for bringing Dennis home to us. We are celebrating the miracle of life and the healing power of God in our lives physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually."
The county has entered into an agreement with the Highland Redevelopment Agency for the sale of a 20-acre parcel of land on the north side of Greenspot Road, adjacent the 210 Freeway.
The city wants to buy the land, then resell it to Long Beach-based developer Vestar Highland GV, LLC. The developer plans to transform the vacant swath of land on the north side of Greenspot Road between the freeway and Boulder Avenue into a mix of retail and residential units.
It would round out development of the Golden Triangle, the area destined to become the go-to retail and dining spot for Highland residents.
In exchange for the county selling its land to the city, the city will seek out alternative land for the county to use, said John Jaquess, Highland's community development director.
For years, the county has used the land to stockpile debris removed from flood control basins and stream beds after storms, where it remains until it is hauled off, said Kevin Blakeslee, deputy director of the county flood control district.
"The first step is to find an alternative site for us to move our operation to. We can't really declare that property surplus until that happens," Blakeslee said.
A price for the 20-acre parcel is still under negotiation, Jaquess said.
Vestar Highland GV, LLC. already has the shard-shaped parcel included in its Greenspot Village Marketplace specific plan. The development will be anchored by a Target and also includes about 800 residential units.
The city is pushing to have the deal finalized in the next three to four months, but it is dependent upon the city's ability to find replacement land for the county, Jaquess said.
Sheriff's deputies arrested 24 motorists at a sobriety checkpoint in Highland on Friday.
The checkpoint was set up at Base Line and Reedy Avenue and deputies stopped 205 vehicles. Below is the breakdown of arrests:
DUI Arrests --- 3
Drug Possession Arrests --- 1
Unlicensed Driver's Arrested --- 14
Warrant Arrests --- 6
Other Citations --- 2
Vehicles Towed --- 7
Vehicles Contacted --- 205
Big Bear Lake residents can dispose of their Christmas trees at Clean Bear Site #1, at 41970 Garstin Dr., from Dec. 26 through Jan. 17.
Trees should be placed in the marked location on the east side of the recycle center. Trees will not be accepted if decorations, tinsel, ornaments, lights or strands are still attached. Residents should remove these items prior to arriving at the collection site. Flocked trees, however, will be allowed.
For more information, call (909) 866-3942.
Water pipe break on Temple Street threatened to flood several homes Sunday morning, forcing city officials to line the streets with sandbags.
The pipe broke beneath the asphalt north of Ninth Street at 8:30 a.m. and sheriff's deputies assisted with putting down sandbags and stopping traffic.
Water was shut off to dozens of houses in the area until the pipe could be fixed. No flooding damages were reported, officials said.
A 71-year-old woman who had been drinking hit another vehicle and two trees Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
Betty Dunn was booked at Central Detention Center in San Bernardino on suspicion of driving under the influence.
San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies were called to Church Street and Greenspot Road around 3:45 p.m. for a traffic collision.
Witnesses said Dunn ran into a car, turned around and slammed into two trees on the north side of Greenspot Road before stopping her vehicle.
Dunn suffered a head injury. The other motorist was not injured.
It wasn't the most wonderful time of the year for Gregory Dean Potter after he was clobbered in the head with a beer bottle during a Christmas party at the UCLA Conference Center in Lake Arrowhead.
Christopher Vincent Vitto, a Federal Express employee from Massachusetts, was attending a company conference at the center Tuesday evening when he and a colleague decided to check out the Christmas party underway in a banguet room.
A physician from St. Bernardine Medical Center in San Bernardino hosted the private Christmas party, and Potter and his unnamed colleague, both of whom authorities said had been drinking, were not among the invited.
"They were disruptive, and they were asked to leave," sheriff's spokeswoman Jodi Miller said.
About 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Christmas party ended and people started leaving. Vitto confronted Potter as he was leaving, and an altercation ensued. Vitto struck Potter in the head with a beer bottle, authorities said.
Potter was taken by ambulance to a hospital for treatment, and sheriff's deputies later found Vitto, who witnesses identified as Potter's assailant, holed up in his room at the conference center.
Potter was booked into the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. He posted bail and was released from custody on Wednesday, Miller said.
The District Attorney's Office had not received the case from sheriff's detectives as of Friday, said Susan Mickey, spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office.
City planners today received what they hope is the final draft of an environmental impact report on the 104-acre Greenspot Village Marketplace.
"This will actually be our third review, so hopefully this one should be relatively quick," said Bruce Meikle, the city's senior planner.
The project calls for nearly 820,000-square-feet of retail, office, entertainment and restaurant development, anchored by a Target, on the north side of Greenspot Road, east of the 210 Freeway. It also calls for about 800 residential units.
Plans to bring a movie theater to the area fizzled out when Krikorian Theaters announced plans to open a second theater in Redlands, off San Bernardino Avenue, said John Jaquess, the city's community development director.
Key environmental issues that needed to be ironed out were mitigating traffic impacts and greenhouse emissions laws that recently took effect, Meikle said.
A final draft of the report should be made available to the public for a 45-day review period in early January, officials said.
A Lowes Home Improvement Center opened last month on the south side of Greenspot Road, directly across the street from the planned Greenspot Village Marketplace.
A Staples office supply store will open in the same plaza, next to Lowes, in the near future.
Los Angeles-based Regency Centers is building an L.A. Fitness just east of the Highland Crossings Plaza.
The area along Greenspot Road between the 210 Freeway and Boulder Avenue, dubbed the Golden Triangle, will serve as the city's future shopping and dining hub.
joe.nelson@inlandnewspapers.com
Highway 38 between Bryant Avenue and Big Bear City has been closed due to the inclement weather, but people who live in Mentone and Forest Falls will be allowed through, said California Highway Patrol Officer Gary Fernandez.
Highway 18 remains closed in the Little Arctic Circle, which is from the Big Bear Dam to Coulder Bay. Motorists may take an alternative route on North Shore Drive, although that is reportedly delayed by several disabled vehicles.
A new water exhibit is the latest addition to the Sam J. Racadio Library and Environmental Learning Center, featuring historical photos and interactive features for a fun, hands-on learning experience.
The Highland Environmental Education Coalition funded the exhibit through donations from the East Valley Water District, San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority and INland Empire Chapter of the Association of the Environmental Professionals.
The center is located at 7863 Central Ave.
An environmental impact report on the 104-acre Greenspot Village Marketplace development is expected to wrap up this week, and should be going out for public review in early January, John Jaquess, the city's community development director, said today.
The plan calls for nearly 820,000 square feet of retail, office, entertainment and restaurant development, anchored by a Target, on the north side of Greenspot Road, east of the 210 Freeway. It It also calls for about 800 residential units.
Plans to bring a movie theater to the area fizzled out when Krikorian Theaters announced plans to open a second theater in Redlands, off San Bernardino Avenue, Jaquess said.
A Lowes Home Improvement Center opened last month on the south side of Greenspot Road, east of the 210 Freeway, in the Highland Crossings plaza. A Staples office supply store will open in the same plaza in the near future.
To the west of Highland Crossings, Los Angeles-based Regency Centers is building an L.A. Fitness.
The Wonderelles Rockin' Christmas Revue will perform a free concert of classic 50s and 60s songs from 1-3 p.m. Saturday at the Christmas tree lot at the corner of Pine Knot Avenue and Village Drive. Gates open at noon, and seating will be available. Make sure to dress warmly for cold weather. No alcohol will be permitted. For more information go to www.wonderelles.com/xmas/html
Brian Foster is lamenting the fact that his East Highlands Ranch home has run out of space to hang more Christmas lights.
Over the last three years, he has built upon his holiday light display on Crest View Lane, which has now grown to a whopping 30,000 lights, all synchronized to music.
He got just as zealous at his old house.
"I had a really small house and made it look like Chevy Chase's 'Christmas Vacation.' I put 20,000 lights all over the house so it just glowed," said Foster, 34, a director of information technology at a company that manufactures kitchen housewares in Rancho Cucamonga.
An ersatz Christmas tree outside his home has also grown, from about 20 feet last year to 30 feet this year.
His big money-saving secret isn't really a secret. He buys his lights the day after Christmas when everything is on sale, dropping about $500 for lights that would otherwise cost him four times that during the busy season, he said.
His elaborate display has taken home the East Highlands Ranch Master Homeowners Association's "Over the Top" award for the last three years. It is one of several categories of the association's annual holiday lighting contest.
"It's breathtaking. When you drive by there's always a crowd," said Melanie Johnson, recreation director for the association. "What I love about what they do is the entire family comes outside and greets everyone. Their house is the magnet of the neighborhood during the holiday season."
Address: 29558 Crest View Lane.
Google Maps link: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=115255010888443696509.00045e2ee40a5874d5ea9&ll=34.12344,-117.157935&spn=0.006208,0.009613&z=17
San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies plan to set up a DUI checkpoint from 6 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday at Baseline and Palm Avenue.
All drivers will be stopped and checked to ensure they are not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The checkpoint is funded by the state Office of Traffic Safety.
If they keep this up, San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino could become as big a household name as Britney Spears.
In a lucrative five-year contract with the Staples Center in Carson, signs advertising the casino will be posted inside the 20,000-seat arena, on the venue's Web site and on signs and electronic billboards outside the arena adjacent the Herculean L.A. Live development currently under construction.
It is the latest in a series of cross-promotional ventures the tribe has embarked on in the last couple of years. Most recently, the tribe negotiated a deal with concert promoter Live Nation over the summer to rename the former Glen Helen Pavilion in Devore San Manuel Amphitheater.
"San Manuel is to the Inland Empire as the Staples Center is to L.A. It's about getting our name out," said Steve Lengel, executive director of operations for San Manuel.
Representatives from Staples Center and the L.A. Kings hockey team will welcome San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino as the "official casino" of the Staples Center during a special celebration Wednesday night inside the arena's exclusive VIP restaurant, recently renamed the San Manuel Club.
"Partnering with (Staples) gives us the ability to have a relationship with other like-minded businesses. It allows us to focus on a specific audience," said Lengel. "It just makes sense for us to be partners."
Lee Zeidman, Staples' senior vice president and general manager, said the partnership is a great way for both Staples and San Manuel to push for the same goal: creating the ultimate entertainment experience for their clients.
"I think it's a fantastic partnership," Zeidman said.
San Manuel has also entered into sponsorship agreements with Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, the Honda Center in Anaheim and Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Lengel said.
Representatives of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians will join San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris Wednesday at Big 5 Sporting Goods on E Street to shop for sports equipment for 150 needy youth.
The sports equipment will be distributed to qualified youth at the city's community center in the Operation Phoenix areas.
"The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is happy once again to team up with Mayor Morris to make the holidays just a little brighter for some of the children in the city of San Bernardino," said James Ramos, chairman of the San Manuel.
Big Bear High School student Mariah Jimenez should be allowed to wear the "Prop. 8 Equals Hate" T-shirt she was banned from wearing on campus, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
The 16-year-old sophomore, who serves as her class president, wore the tie-dyed T-shirt to school on Nov. 3, the day before voters approved the controversial law prohibiting same sex marriage in California.
Jimenez's sixth period teacher, Sue Reynolds, ordered her to remove the shirt during a meeting of the associated student body.
When Jimenez protested, Reynolds sent her to the principal's office.
"She said I shouldn't be wearing such divisive shirts, and my shirt draws a line down the school," said Jimenez, who also plays on her school's golf and softball teams and has been involved in school politics since the seventh grade.
Principal Michael Ghelber gave Jimenez an ultimatum: remove the shirt or remain in his office.
Under protest, Jimenez removed the T-shirt and returned to class. Then, she went to the ACLU.
"I would really appreciate the acknowledgement that my rights were violated, because when it comes down to it, that's what happened," Jimenez said.
Ghelber and Bear Valley Unified Superintendent Carole Ferraud didn't return repeated telephone calls seeking comment.
Peter Bibring and Lori Rifkin, attorneys for the ACLU of Southern California, sent Ferraud a 5-page letter dated Dec. 15 protesting the actions of Ghelber and Reynolds, alleging they violated federal and state free speech laws. They demanded that school officials admit they were wrong and apologize to Jimenez.
"It seems to be a pretty clear violation of Mariah's rights to express herself, and we feel it's a very important right to be vindicated," Rifkin said.
In their letter, Bibring and Rifkin stress that Jimenez's right to wear her politically-charged shirt is "core political speech that lies at the heart of the First Amendment." They cited a 1971 California case in which a student's right to wear a jacket with an anti-draft message on it was determined to be protected by the First Amendment.
The lawyers also made reference to the highly publicized 1968 case in Des Moines, Iowa in which the school district was found to be violating students' Constitutional rights by suspending them for wearing black armbands in protest of the Vietnam War.
"It is well established that students do not shed their Constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate," the letter stated.
Ferraud sent Jimenez's mother a letter dated Dec. 3 indicating the school's decision was more about Jimenez's personal safety than about restricting free speech. She said school district officials "were concerned about the potential disruption resulting from the fact that the shirt seemed to imply that those students who supported Proposition 8 were expressing 'hate.'
Jimenez said she got a similar response from Reynolds when she approached her on Nov. 21 seeking an apology.
"She said that her intent was not to violate my rights, but to protect me because the shirt could have compromised my safety," Jimenez said.
If that's the case, Rifkin said the school may have bigger problems on its hands.
"To suggest that a student wouldn't be safe at that school is extremeley concerning," Rifkin said. "I think that the school, instead of focusing on Mariah's speech, should focus on making itself a safe place for all students, regardless of their opinions and regardless of their sexual orientations."
It may be Christmas time, but the city is already promoting its annual revenue-maker: the Citrus Harvest Festival.
The 13th annual festival is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. March 28 in the city's Historic District at the intersection of Main Street and Palm Avenue. A rain date is set for April 4 for the same time.
Festivities include lots of swing music and people decked out in turn-of-the-century regalia to evoke fond thoughts of the city in its early days. The one-day street festival celebrates the city's rich citrus history and also includes a historic home tour, arts and crafts booths, food, games and much more.
For more information call (909) 864-8732, ext. 204.
The city's Community Trails Committee is pushing for a program that would help promote the city's vast trail networks by seeking corporate sponsorship.
At its Dec. 11 meeting, the committee decided to move forward and seek City Council approval on the Mile Makers program. It would honor businesses and individuals who donate $100 to the committee with special plaques, engraved with their names, that would be mounted to posts at trail entrances.
City staff will present sign and plaque options to the committee in February, and the matter is expected to go before the City Council for action sometime in early spring, said Sean Kelleher, assistant planner for the city.
The plaques would be mounted to concrete-filled trail posts throughout the city. City officials have determined there are about 50 posts at various trail entrances that would be ideal candidates for plaques, according to a city staff report.
In addition, the committee is also proposing that a larger, stand-alone sign be placed at each of the 10 trail entrances in the city promoting the program to the business community.
San Bernardino Community College District trustees named San Manuel Chairman James Ramos president of the district's board of trustees at its Dec. 11 meeting.
Ramos was elected to the district board in 2005, and served as vice president of the board last year. This is his first stint as board president, a one-year term.
"Community colleges are an important link to our educational systems within the state," Ramos said. "Our trustees are equally committed to continually improving our standards and providing a quality educational experience for our students. I am blessed to be teamed up with such outstanding leaders in education who serve on the board of trustees."
Ramos was the first American Indian to be elected to the district board. He is one of the founders of the California Indian Awareness Conference held annually at Cal State San Bernardino since 1999, in which about 2,000 children participate.
In other news, Carleton Lockwood Jr. was appointed vice president of the board and Donald Singer was appointed clerk.
The San Bernardino Community College District encompasses San Bernardino Valley College, Crafton Hills College, KVCR-FM/TV and the Division of Corporate and Economic Development.
The Highland Senior Center is offering ukelele lessons from 10-11 a.m. on Wednesdays. Beginner classes are $5 per lesson and advanced lessons are $15 per lesson.
For more information call (909) 862-8104.
The Highland Senior Center will host its annual Holiday Open House beginning at 2 p.m. Friday.
Clarinetist Miles Davis (not the world famous jazz trumpeter) and entertainer Jacqi Bowe will perform. Refreshments will be served.
Please R.S.V.P. no later than Wednesday by calling (909) 862-8104.
The Highland Senior Center is located at 3102 E. Highland Ave., just inside the gates of Patton State Hospital.
Big Bear Lake's two snow play parks, Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain and Big Bear Snow Play, are now open for the holiday season.
Both parks feature their special Magic Carpet lifts, conveyor belts that transport people from the bottom to the top of the slope. which ensure maximum snowplay time.
"You can get more tubing in an hour than you would in a whole day if you were walking," said Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain General Manager Bruce Voigt.
Both parks have become a favorite holiday spot for children and adults alike, many of who make it an annual tradition to glide down the slopes on inner tubes.
Each park grooms its snow runs nightly with ski-resort quality snowmaking systems to ensure optimum sliding conditions, and have such great snowmaking capability that inner tubing is expected to last through April.
All day snow-play passes are available at Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain for $25 per person. All day passes at Big Bear Snow Play are also $25 per person. All day passes include inner tube rental and Magic Carpet use. The parks are open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Night tubing is also available at Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain on Fridays, Saturdays and holidays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and cost $15. Midweek, non-holiday group discounts are also available for groups of 35 people or more. Please call 909-866-4626 for more details.
To get more information about all winter activities in Big Bear Lake, to book lodging reservations, or to request a Visitors Guide, log on to www.bigbear.com or call 1-800-4-BIG-BEAR (1-800-424-4232).
joe.nelson@inlandnewspapers.com
A San Manuel tribal member, who was recently sentenced in a murder conspiracy case, is scheduled to appear in court Thursday for a hearing on alleged probation violations.
A defense lawyer for Stacy Barajas Nunez described his client's new alleged violations of her probation as "small, technical issues."
Stacy Barajas-Nunez was arrested last month by Sheriff's deputies on suspicion of trespassing on casino property. San Manuel security contacted deputies after Barajas-Nunez was seen blocking a tribal road to pick up a friend, was in a parking lot and at a guard station to fill out a complaint about an employee.
The defendant did not go into the casino, where she was has been barred since October 2007, lawyers said.
In addition to trespassing, prosecutors alleged Barajas-Nunez did not have a copy of her probation terms with her. Perez said the paperwork was at his client's home, on the reservation.
"It's not fair. It's not fair what they're doing," defense lawyer Albert Perez Jr., said of the new petition.
Deputy District Attorney Douglas Poston has said what the defense is calling technicalities are called terms of probation. "I'll do everything I can to see they are enforced," Poston said.
On Nov. 6, Barajas-Nunez was sentenced to a year of electronic monitoring and five years of supervised probation for attempted murder, transportation of drugs and possession of drugs in jail, according to court records.
Judge Michael Dest warned the defendant, at the time, that she faced at least 10 years in state prison if she violated her probation.
A different brand of motorcycle cops will be delivering bundles of toys to the San Manuel Village plaza from 11-11:30 a.m. Saturday for San Manuel's annual toy drive.
The Choir Boys motorcycle club, composed of motorcycle-enthusiast police officers who support and contribute to the widows and children of fallen police and firefighters, will be rolling into the plaza with bundles of toys lashed to the back of their hogs.
Officers from San Manuel's Department of Public Safety will join the more than 30 Choir Boys in the event. The toys will be gathered and delivered to children for Christmas.
Authorities have identified the 23-year-old San Bernardino man who was shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy Monday night during a Highland home invasion robbery.
Shawn Dwayne Fox was taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he died during surgery at 8:47 p.m.
Fox and another man entered an apartment in the 25000 block of Ninth Street and demanded money from the residents. Sheriff's officials said there were five adults and four children in the home, including 6-month-old twins.
Fox and 23-year-old Sergio Jimenez started firing at deputies as they walked out of the apartment, and deputies said they returned fire. Fox was wounded but Jimenez was not injured.
Deputies used a police dog to take Jimenez into custody about a block away. He had property stolen from the residence.
Jimenez was booked into Central Detention Center in San Bernardino on suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer and residential robbery.
Anyone with information about may call sheriff's Detective Steve Pennington or Sgt. Tom Bradford, 909-387-3589.
The East Valley Water District's budget committee has approved an $869,000 design proposal for the expansion of one of its treatment plants on Highland Avenue.
The upgrade and expansion would double the water treatment capacity at the plant east of Highway 330, from four million gallons a day to eight million, said Robert Martin, the district's general manager.
In return, the district's approximately 20,000 customers could expect an increased water supply that has gone through a more refined purification process, Martin said.
At its Monday meeting, the district's budget committee gave the green light to Ontario-based CDM Engineering's design proposal. It now goes before the district's board of directors on Dec. 23 for action.
If approved, it would pave the way for the plant's $16 million expansion, Martin said, adding that no additional space or acreage will be required for the expansion project.
"We're able to use the same footprint of property," said Martin. "We're going to convert some of the filtration beds and use a lot of the same facilities."
The expanded plant, when complete, should be able to accommodate the projected influx of new customers, which is expected to double in the next 20 to 30 years, according to the district's master plan.
In other news, the district's board of directors also authorized an appraisal of a 10-acre parcel of land on Highland Avenue, across from Patton State Hospital, that it is looking to sale.
It is one of dozens of small plots of land, less than an acre in size, that the district has acquired over the last 50 years, Martin said.
If no governmental agencies are interested in the property, then the district can list it with a broker on the private market, Martin said.
The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians will donate $4 million to various nonprofit organizations ansd other entities across the county at its Forging Hope Community Luncheon on Dec. 17.
Tribal members will present each of the 22 organizations with checks from its "Giving Tree" following lunch in the Renaissance Room at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino.
Among the organizations to receive donations are the Highland Senior Center, the Southern California Indian Center, the Operation Phoenix Foundation, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Second Harvest Food Bank of San Bernardino and Riverside counties and the American Red Cross Inland Empire chapter.
A representative of Health Net will be at the Highland Senior Center on Thursday, providing information on health care options and enrollment plans. Free pizza will be served.
To RSVP, call (909) 862-8104.
The senior center is located at 3102 E. Highland Ave., just inside the gates of Patton State Hospital.
Sheriff's deputies arrested a man following a fatal deputy-involved shooting in Highland on Monday night.
Sergio Jimenez, 23, of San Bernardino was booked into Central Detention Center in San Bernardino on suspicion of attempted murder of a police officer and residential robbery, sheriff's officials said.
He and another 23-year-old man entered a home in the 25000 block of 9th Street and demanded money from the residents. Sheriff's officials said there were five adults and four children in the home, including 6-month-old twins.
A gun battle began when deputies arrived at the home. The unnamed robber was wounded by bullets and died during surgery at Loma Linda University Medical Center at 8:47 p.m.
Deputies used a police dog to take Jimenez into custody. He had property stolen from the residence.
Anyone with information about may call sheriff's Detective Steve Pennington or Sgt. Tom Bradford, 909-387-3589.
melissa.pinion-whitt@inlandnewspapers.com
The California Water Environment Association's Desert and Mountain Section awarded its "2008 Treatment Plant of the Year" award to the Lake Arrowhead Community Services District's Grass Valley Treatment Plant on Dec. 5.
It is the ninth time the facility has been honored since it began operating in 1988. Additionally, the plant received the "2008 Plant Safety Award" recognizing the culture of safety that resulted in a perfect safety record for the year.
Facilities that compete for this annual award are scored on facility accomplishments and innovations, regulatory compliance, training and safety, wastewater treatment process control, biosolids processes, maintenance strategy and efficiency, energy conservation, public relations and other criteria.
"I am very proud of the district's wastewater operations staff for another year of hard work, culminating in this well-earned recognition," said operation's manager Ken Nelsen.
Bob Bobik, wastewater operations supervisor, added, "This is the first time we've received the award for the fourth year in a row. It's quite an honor. We are also very proud of our culture of safety that has resulted in 2,869 days without a lost-time work injury at the plant. Given that staff routinely handles hazardous materials, our safety record has controlled a significant potential expense to the District."
SOURCE: California Water Environment Association news release
The City Council on Tuesday is expected to authorize the city manager to sign an agreement with the city's architectural firm to design an aquatic center.
The proposed aquatic center would be built behind the Highland Athletic Center on Central Avenue and would be between 20,000 to 25,000 square feet. It would include a competition swimming pool, recreational features, showers and changing rooms.
Alternativer energy options, including solar panels, will be considered during the design process to ensure the building is environmentally friendly.
The City Council on Tuesday is expected to authorize an agreement with the city's architectural firm for an alternative energy study for the Jerry Lewis Community Center and the Highland Athletic Center for installation of solar panels.
Included in the study would be an energy analysis, structural analysis and architectural analysis to determine the potential to install solar panels in both buildings.
The city's redevelopment agency is funding the study.
Highland residents and those living in unincorporated pockets of the East Valley and certain parts of San Bernardino serviced by the East Valley Water District can now pay their water bills over the telephone, 24 hours a day, using the water district's new Quick Pay Service program.
Payments can be made using Visa, Master Card, American Express or a bank card or checking account number by calling (909) 889-9501 and selecting option "1."
Platinum-selling rock bands Staind, with special guest Papa Roach, are coming to San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino on Dec. 18.
Tickets are available now at Ticketmaster.com and the San Manuel box office for $30, $40, and $50.
Staind's latest album, "The Illusion of Progress," debuted on the Billboard 200 this summer at number three, making it the band's fourth consecutive album to hit the charts in the top three. In the last decade, the group has sold more than 12 million records and have had four number one singles including "It's Been Awhile" and "Right Here."
Papa Roach broke into the mainstream with their triple-platinum major label debut album "Infest" in 2000. The group's success continued with their follow-up albums "Lovehatetragedy" in 2002 and "Getting Away with Murder" in 2004.
The group's fourth album, "The Paramour Sessions", debuted at number 16 on the Billboard 200 Charts. Their new album, "Metamorphosis," will be released in March.
For more information on San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino, please visit their Web site at www.sanmanuel.com or call 800-359-2464.
Staples, the big box office supply retailer, got the go-ahead from the Design Review Board on Tuesday to put up a 50-square-foot sign on the eastern side of its building in the Highland Crossings plaza on Greenspot Road.
The sign will face the neighboring Regency Centers development, which courted Staples for its plaza but lost out to the Highland Crossings developer, Newport Beach-based JLM Treh VIII Hwy. 30, LLC. By opting to lease space in the Highland Crossings plaza, Staples can advertise on the freeway pylon sign adjacent the 210 Freeway.
Staples wouldn't have been allowed to advertise on the freeway sign if it leased space at Regency Centers because JLM Treh has sole control over which tenants get to advertise on the sign.
Lowes Home Improvement Center was the first business to open in the Highland Crossings plaza, which sits in the Golden Triangle, the city's future retail and entertainment hub.
jmailto:joe.nelson@inlandnewspapers.com
After less than a day of deliberation, a jury has found Christopher Turelle White guilty on all charges in the March 2005 robbery and deadly shooting of Cee Vee Liquor store owner Steven Hall and clerk Brian Gregorio in Highland.
Lawyers are still awaiting verdicts for a second defendant, 22-year-old Darwin Lamont Richardson, who has a separate jury.
Closing arguments in the case were given by the lawyers Monday, however White's jury reached verdicts later that day. Court officials waited until this morning to announce the verdicts in San Bernardino Superior Court.
Friends and family for both the victims and the defendant filled several rows in the courtroom to hear the outcome of the emotional trial. The shootings greatly impacted the Highland community, whose residents turned out for vigils for Hall and Gregorio in the days and weeks after.
"We're pretty satisfied," said Evangeline Gregorio, the mother of 25-year-old Brian Gregorio. "It has been a long time. It's been a long wait."
The seven-woman, five-man jury found White guilty on two counts of murder, two counts of second-degree robbery and multiple special allegations, including for using a firearm during the acts and committing multiple murders.
Hall, 54, had moved with his mother and was her caretaker when the shootings happened.
"I miss my son so much," said Elizabeth Hall, after attending the court proceedings. "He was a wonderful person."
White faces up to life in state prison when he is sentenced Feb. 13.
Prosecutors said evidence shows Richardson, 22, cased the Cee Vee Liquor and Couch Potato Video store, located on Palm Avenue in Highland, on March 16, 2005. White, 21, and another man later robbed the store at gunpoint and escaped with money and lottery tickets.
Hall and Gregorio were shot even after complying with robbers' demands.
"There's a question that still lingers in my mind, and the question is why," said Hall family friend, Roger Sadler.
A third defendant, Tristan Darnell Allan, is still awaiting trial.
For more details and coverage of the closing remarks, click here.
The Highland Stitchin' Group meets at 6:30 p.m. the first Thursday of the month at the Highland Senior Center, 3102 E. Highland Ave., Highland. All ages and levels of quilting and experience is welcome. Free. Information: (909) 862-8104.
The city has launched its new Web site - a slimmed-down design with more community links and downloads.
Users can still access City Council, Planning Commission and other public meeting agendas, along with the city's weekly and annual reports. And they can now access links to other cities, colleges and civic organizations like the YMCA.
To peruse the new site, go to http://www.ci.highland.ca.us/
Word of warning: It looks as though there are still a few kinks that need to be worked out on the site.
The five-day charitable event Arrowhead Gives Back starts Wednesday with the Taste of Lake Arrowhead at the Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa 27984 Highway 189.
The event, held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., costs $25 per person.
Everyone who attends is encouraged to bring a toy, gift card or bag of food for charity.
Visit here to sign up.
American Idol finalist Haley Scarnato will perform at the Taste and will appear in the mountain communities during Arrowhead Gives Back.
Every year, firefighters here brace themselves for the inevitable tragedy at Jackson Lake.
At least one person drowns every winter after the thin layer of ice covering the lake breaches and they fall through, said Wrightwood Fire Capt. Steve Roeber.
No one seems to pay much attention to the numerous signs reading 'Danger, thin ice" in both English and Spanish surrounding the lake, west of Wrightwood in the Angeles National Forest.
Thanks to a $2,800 donation from the Timberline Lions Club, firefighters now have at their disposal four ice rescue suits that allow them to stay in sub-zero temperature waters for up to six hours, Roeber said.
"We're hoping with these ice rescue suits, it will give us a better chance to save these people," Roeber said.
Wrightwood firefighters will give a demonstration of the new suits at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Wrightwood Community Building, 1275 Hwy. 2. The Lions club will also be honored for their contribution.
The suits are much needed.
Roeber recalls an incident two years ago when his firefighters were dispatched to the lake on a report that 300 people were playing on the ice.
"We get down there, and there's literally about 300 people walking around on this ice. There's families out there with kids, with babies in their arms, moving around on the ice," Roeber said. "And as they moved on the ice, it moved like waves on the water.
Roeber said he and his team were left with no choice but to get on a public address system and order the people off the ice as quickly and as calmly as possible. Luckily, no one was injured in that incident.
But there have been numerous others where people weren't so lucky.
"Every year it happens, and it's so tragic," said Marion Mackenzie, a longtime member of the Timberline Lions Club in Wrightwood. "Firemen, their hands are tied when they can't get to these people."
If an evening of chocalate and stargazing sounds attractive, then the Big Bear Discovery Center is where you'll want to be from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5. The free event will feature a chocalate fountain presented by Big Bear Getaway.com, the Big Bear Lake Resort Association and S&H Cakes, a chocalate dessert demonstration and a healthy chocalate revolution booth.
Santa and Mrs. Claus will make a special appearance to visit the kids, and Dr. Frank Murray and Randy Fear will present a 'Starry, Starry Night' of stargazing, making available telescopes on the patio and a slide presentation about the cosmos at 6:30 p.m.
For more information, call Kat Sawyer Productions at (909) 584-1066.
The surveillance video played over and over before the jury of seven women and five men, showing the final moments in the lives of Steve Hall and Brian Gregorio.
The two were shot to death during a notorious robbery at Cee Vee's Liquor and Couch Potato Video in Highland the night of March 16, 2005.
Family and friends of the two victims choked back tears as the video played Monday during closing arguments in the murder trial of suspects Christoper Turelle White and Darwin Lamont Richardson in San Bernardino Superior Court.
White, the 21-year-old alleged gunman, and a second suspect, Darwin Lamont Richardson, 22, were tried together, but each had separate juries. Both juries heard closing arguments on Monday, White's in the morning and Richardson's in the afternoon.
Both juries are now in deliberation and will decide the fate of the two men.
A third suspect, Tristan Darnell Allan, is representing himself and awaits trial. He is White's brother.
The surveillance video was the crux of prosecutor Dan Detienne's evidence. It shows the alleged gunman, face partially veiled by a blue bandanna, jump the counter and fatally shoot store owner Hall, 54, in the face and clerk Gregorio, 25, in the back of the neck before fleeing the store.
Both Hall and Gregorio complied with their assailants during the robbery and kept their hands in the air, Detienne said.
"What Christopher White did was a cold, calculated killing. Actually, it was an execution of two people just trying to do their job," Detienne said. "And for what? Some petty cash and a handful of lottery tickets."
Two of the suspects tried cashing in the lottery tickets at a 7-Eleven in Corona following the robbery, which was one of the factors that led to their capture.
Detienne told the jury the evidence supports a conviction of first degree murder.
All three suspects face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted of first degree murder.
White's attorney, Richard Crouter, said it wasn't in dispute as to whether or not White killed the two men, but rather White's intent.
He said White was coerced to commit the robbery, and was told the gun he was using, a .22-caliber pistol, was not powerful enought to kill anyone.
"He was in a situation where he was led, and to a certain extent, coerced by a number of older people, one his brother," Crouter said.
White shot Hall and Gregorio because he thought they were going to "jump him," and he panicked, Crouter said.
He said the evidence justifies, at most, a conviction of voluntary or involuntary manslaughter.
For Hall's and Gregorio's relatives, having to sit through the horrific surveillance footage of the robbery over and over again has been one of the most emotionally taxing experiences of their lives.
"It's very emotionally draining, but we have to go through it, for Brian's sake," said Gregorio's mother, Evangeline Gregario, following Monday's proceedings.
She doesn't buy Crouter's argument that White was forced to commit the robbery, or that he was acting in self defense.
"Those guys had their own choice, and they chose to kill," Gregorio said. "My son wasn't given a chance."
Hall's niece, Melissa Romo, said it was very discouraging to hear Crouter's theories on coercion and self defense.
"It's kind of insulting to the families," said Romo. "We're just glad it's almost over."
Recent Comments