News 24/7

Upland police will conduct DUI checkpoint Thursday

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:43:52 -0800

The Upland Police Department will conduct a DUI /driver's license checkpoint from 6 p.m. Thursday until 1:15 a.m. Friday at an undisclosed location in the city.

Officers will check driver's licenses and check motorists for signs of drug and/or alcohol intoxication.

The checkpoint is funded by a grant from the state Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to an Upland police news release.

- lori.consalvo@inlandnewspapers.com

Mother and daughter test negative for swine flu virus

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:56:45 -0800

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health today informed officials at Our Lady of the Assumption School in Claremont, and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, that the swine flu test results on the mother and daughter, who is a student at the school, indicate that neither individual has the swine flu virus.

The school has been thoroughly cleaned in advance of resumption of classes tomorrow.

Four men attack Montclair resident, drive off with his car

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:10:59 -0800

Montclair police are looking for four robbers who beat a man and drove off with his vehicle.

Gary Dean Ramirez, 39, of Montclair was driving his gray Acura TSX to the area of Mission Boulevard and Ramona Avenue to pick-up a friend about 2 a.m. Saturday, according to a police news release.

When he stopped his car near the entrance of the mobile home park at 11250 Ramona Avenue, Ramirez noticed two other men in the area. He asked the men about his friend but one of the suspects pointed a silver semi-automatic weapon at him and told him to get out of the car.

One of the men put Ramirez in a head lock, forced him to the ground and hit him repeatedly as the three other people stood and watched, according to the news release.

After the beating, the robbers took Ramirez' wallet, cell phone, and jewelry.

Three of the attackers drove away in a red Ford Mustang and the last robber followed them in Ramirez' car.

They were last seen driving northbound on Ramona Avenue and then westbound on Mission Boulevard.

Police said all four suspects were white men between 25 and 35 years old. Two of them had blond goatees and all four had shaved heads.

- lori.consalvo@inlandnewspapers.com

Toddler nearly drowns in Eastvale

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:22:19 -0800

A toddler nearly drowned Saturday in Eastvale.

The 1-year-old girl was found breathing when Riverside County Firefighters arrived about 11:45 a.m. at the home in the 6200 block of Cedar Creek Road, according to the department's Web site.

Firefighters from the Eastvale station took the girl to a local hospital.

- lori.consalvo@inlandnewspapers.com

Ex-OC sheriff gets 5 1/2 years in prison

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:08:13 -0800

SANTA ANA (AP) - Former Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona has been sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison for witness tampering.

- The Associated Press

Two men arrested after Rancho Cucamonga resident reports suspicious activity

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:04:43 -0800

Two men were arrested on suspicion of transporting and selling a controlled substance after a concerned citizen reported their behavior.

Clifford Johnson, 24 and Deandre Gosha, 23, both of Pomona were booked at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga Monday, according to a San Bernardino County sheriff's news release. Gosha is currently on parole for similar charges.

A Rancho Cucamonga resident called deputies about 10:50 a.m. and reported that two men sitting in a Cadillac Seville were acting suspiciously, according to the news release. The vehicle was backed into a parking stall at the Town and Country Liquor Store at 19th Street and Archibald Avenue.

Deputies discovered Johnson and Gosha had "several baggies containing a substance believed to be methamphetamine and marijuana," according to the news release.

- lori.consalvo@inlandnewspapers.com

Two stabbed after fight breaks out in Mira Loma

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:21:25 -0800

Riverside County sheriff's deputies are looking for a group of people who stabbed two men in a parking lot.

A fight broke out between the two groups about 2 p.m. Saturday in a business parking lot in the 10900 block of Limonite Avenue in Mira Loma after the two men were approached by about eight people, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

At least one of the attackers took out a knife and a number of them were heard yelling gang affiliation remarks, the victims told sheriff's deputies from the Jurupa Valley station.

When officials arrived, they found one man with minor, non-life threatening stab wounds. Sheriff's deputies also got a report of another man who was being treated at a local hospital for multiple stab wounds, according to the news release.

A friend of the second victim had driven the man to the hospital before deputies had arrived, according to the news release. Hospital staff said the man was in critical, but stable condition after surgery.

The attackers drove away from the area in a red, 4-door vehicle and a blue, 4-door vehicle, according to the news release.

Anyone with information about the stabbing can call the Jurupa Valley sheriff's office at (951) 955-2600.

- lori.consalvo@inlandnewspapers.com

UPDATE: Parent not concerned about swine flu at Claremont school

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:20:59 -0800

Ana Lopez, a parent of three children at Out Lady of the Assumption School in Claremont, said she was leaving her children in school Monday.

"We're just learning the news," Lopez said Monday morning inside the school.

Lopez, who recently traveled to Mexico with her family and had no problems, said she would just tell her children to "wash their hands."

Because the swine flu was not confirmed, Lopez said she did not want to take her children out of school.

- wes.woods@inlandnewspapers.com

UPDATE: Claremont school releases statement about swine flu

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:07:51 -0800

Our Lady of the Assumption School, a private institution in Claremont, has released a statement regarding a possible case of swine flu.

A student and her mother, who went to Mexico this past weekend, are reportedly suffering from flu-like symptoms, according to the school news release. The student and mother have been tested for the swine flu virus, but the results of the testing are not yet available.

School officials found out about the flu late Sunday night and called the San Bernardino Health Department as well as the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Monday.

The family lives in San Bernardino County, according to the news release.

The school was advised to stay open by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and to make sure students and faculty wash their hands and cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing to avoid potential contamination, according to the news release.

Parents can take their children home from school early today and school officials are advising them to keep an eye on their children's health and report any illnesses to health officials immediately.

There will be no classes at the school Tuesday, according to the Archdiocese.

"Parents will be contacted regarding the resumption of classes, pending the outcome of the ill student's test results and further recommendations from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health," according to the news release.

Maintenance staff on the school's campus are currently cleaning the communal areas, including the school auditorium, the affected student's classroom and the rest rooms.

County investigates possible Claremont swine flu case

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:36:40 -0800

In the wake of a global swine flu scare, Los Angeles County Health Services is investigating a possible incident in Claremont, officials said.

There are currently seven confirmed cases of swine flu in California.

"There are no confirmed cases of the swine flu in L.A. County," said spokeswoman Sarah Kissell. "Claremont is one area we are looking at."

Los Angeles County Health Services has a press conference scheduled for today at 3 p.m., Kissell added.

Meanwhile, Our Lady of the Assumption School, a Claremont private school notified County Health Services of a potential problem.

"We have been in touch with the Department of Catholic Schools and the Department of Public health and they will advise us," Bernadette Boyle said.

The principal would not comment further.

Classes remain in session today for the more than 500 students at the K-8 elementary school, according to Boyle.

A parent who declined to give his name said he received a call from the school saying a student might have swine flu.

US health officials say 40 cases of swine flu have been confirmed in the United States.

- amanda.baumfeld@sgvn.com

Swine flu affects Mexico

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:56:58 -0800

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Mexico shut down schools, museums, libraries and state-run theaters across its overcrowded capital Friday in hopes of containing a swine flu outbreak that authorities say killed at least 20 people -- and perhaps dozens more.

World health authorities worried openly that the strange new virus could become a global epidemic.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said tests show some of the Mexico victims died from the same new strain of swine flu that sickened eight people in Texas and California.

- The Associated Press

Fontana High students arrested after random contraband search

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:33:35 -0800

Five Fontana High School students were arrested on suspicion of possessing weapons and drugs during a random contraband search.

One student was accused of having a knife and four others allegedly had illegal drugs on the campus Friday, according to a Fontana police news release. Ten other students were disciplined for bringing tobacco products onto campus and officials confiscated about 100 pens used to graffiti property.

Fontana School police, officers from the city Police Department and San Bernardino County
Probation and Campus Security officers conducted the contraband search about 6:45 a.m.

More than 1,400 students were randomly sent through metal detectors during the operation, which lasted about an hour and a half. About 3,800 students attend Fontana High.

During the search, the students were cooperative and no significant issues were reported, according to the news release.

- lori.consalvo@inlandnewspapers.com

UPDATE: One person dies after traffic collision on the 210 Freeway in Claremont

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:54:41 -0800

The California Highway Patrol incident page has reported at least one person dead after a multi-vehicle collision this morning on the 210 Freeway in Claremont.

At least four people from the collision were transported to local hospitals.

"There is an indication that we have a fatality," said Heather Hoglund, public information officer for the CHP Southern Division. "No coroner was called out to the scene. One of the parties must have died at the hospital."

A Toyota 4-Runner and a Toyota Camry originally collided about 5:40 a.m. on the eastbound 210, just west of North Mills Avenue. At 5:44 a.m., three motorcycles and a Honda hit the original collision and two minutes later another vehicle collided into the chaos, according to the CHP log.

- lori.consalvo@inlandnewspapers.com

Mysterious substance alarms Chino postal workers

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:04:51 -0800

Workers at the Chino Post Office got quite a scare Thursday morning when they discovered an unknown powder inside a Ziploc bag in the mailroom.

Chino Valley Fire District officials arrived about 9:40 a.m. at the post office and tested the substance, which turned out to be onion salt, according to a District news release.

The bag was found on the floor in the back area of the post office, said District Public Information Officer Massiel Ladron De Guevara said.

No one was evacuated from the building at 5375 Walnut Avenue and postal operations were not affected, Ladron De Guevara said.

- lori.consalvo@inlandnewspapers.com

Passenger vehicles cause most big-rig crashes

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:05:47 -0800

IRVINE (AP) --The California Highway Patrol says the majority of traffic crashes involving big-rigs are caused by drivers of passenger vehicles.

The CHP released a report Wednesday showing 56 percent of California's 7,262 collisions involving tractor-trailer rigs last year were caused by unsafe passenger vehicle maneuvers.

The CHP wants to educate drivers on traffic safety when they are around big rigs. Sgt. Ryan Shackleford says officers will soon conduct aircraft and CHP cruiser sweeps in Orange County to enforce traffic laws involving trucks.

- The Associated Press