News 24/7

Mountain car crash claims Claremont man's life

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 06:52:35 -0800

A Claremont man was killed Sunday when a vehicle he was driving plunged over the side of Mountain Avenue north of San Antonio Heights.

The California Highway Patrol received a call of the crash at 8:15 p.m., said Officer Jaci Parent.

Officers found the sedan about 10 to 15 feet down the side of Mountain Avenue south of Shinn Road.

Forecast: SB Mountains could see thunderstorms today

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:45:44 -0800

Thunderstorms may develop over the San Bernardino Mountains and part of the High Desert this afternoon, weather forecasters said.

The storms could produce lightning, strong gusty winds and hail, but no heavy rain, the National Weather Service said.

melissa.pinion-whitt@inlandnewspapers.com

Sugarloaf bicyclist seriously injured in accident

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:06:18 -0800

A bicyclist was seriously injured Monday after being hit by a pickup truck pulling out of a parking lot in Big Bear Lake, authorities said.

The condition of Rebecca Harvey, a 30-year-old Sugarloaf woman, was unknown today. She underwent surgery at Loma Linda University Medical Center immediately after the accident on Big Bear Boulevard, just north of Fox Farm Road.

Sheriff's deputies said Denise Edsal was leaving a parking lot and trying to turn right onto the boulevard when Harvey walked in front of her. They were unsure whether Harvey was riding her bicycle or pushing it.

stacia.glenn@inlandnewspapers.com

Big Bear man places in Boston Marathon

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:45:57 -0800

(AP) -- Big Bear's Ryan Hall finished third in the Boston Marathon, the best finish by an American runner in many years.

Ethiopia's Deriba Merga overcame the disappointment of his Olympic fade to win the Boston Marathon, and Kenya's Salina Kosgei won the women's race on Monday.

Merga wilted in the Beijing heat and finished fourth after getting passed in the last quarter-mile. But in Boston he pulled away right before Heartbreak Hill and won in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 42 seconds -- almost a full minute ahead of Kenya's Daniel Rono and Hall.

U.S. Forest Service pile burning set for this morning in Barton Flats

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:36:46 -0800

U.S. Forest Service firefighters will be burning piles of vegetation today in Barton Flats, which will generate smoke visible in the San Bernardino Mountains.

The operation off Highway 38 is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. and may continue until midafternoon, fire officials said.

melissa.pinion-whitt@inlandnewspapers.com

Forest fire chief retires today

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 08:10:36 -0800

San Bernardino National Forest Fire Chief Michael Dietrich retires today, stepping down after more than a decade of working in this forest.

He announced his retirement in late March. Kurt Winchester, a 54-year-old district ranger in the San Bernardino National Forest, will take his place.

Dietrich worked as a park ranger in a North Dakota state park in 1976 and took a job with the federal Bureau of land Management in 1979. He took control of the local mountains in 1998.

"When the time is right to retire, you begin to reflect on your past accomplishments, people you have met and the places you have been," Dietrich has said. "It has been quite a run over the years and I feel that I have made a difference for the agencies and the public I have served."

Cedar Glen man found with drugs during search for parolee

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 06:24:50 -0800

Sheriff's deputies went to the Cedar Glen house on Wednesday looking for a parolee at large, but instead they said they found a 43-year-old man hiding drugs.

They did not release the name of the parolee they were searching for in the Big Tree Lane home. But they arrested James McCary on suspicion of possession of narcotics and being under the influence of a controlled substance. He was booked at Central Detention Center in San Bernardino.

San Bernardino National Forest has new fire chief

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:02:26 -0800

Kurt Winchester, a district ranger in the San Bernardino National Forest, has been named the forest's new fire chief.

He will replace Chief Michael Dietrich, who retires April 3.

Winchester holds a bachelor's of science degree in forest management from Utah State University. He has served as a temporary firefighter, in timber and fire management and in various other positions in national forests.

"I'm excited about my new role on the forest and I look forward to continuing the excellent work established under Chief Dietrich," Winchester, 54, said in a statement.

Winchester is the ranger overseeing the forest's Mountaintop District. He has helped the post since 2007.

Man accused of kidnapping family rolls vehicle on mountain highway

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 07:59:42 -0800

An armed man kidnapped his wife and child late Thursday and drove them to Running Springs, although she and one of the children escaped and hid in the woods after he rolled his vehicle, authorities said.

When a California Highway Patrol officer and sheriff's deputies responded to the rollover on Highway 330, they detained 29-year-old Kevin Carpenter because he was holding a gun.

It was only then that Carpenter's wife and oldest child came out of the woods to describe how they and the couple's youngest child were snatched from San Bernardino by Carpenter, who repeatedly threatened to kill his family, according to a sheriff's news release.

Carpenter fired at his wife inside the vehicle, deputies said.

It is unknown why the Sante Fe Springs man kidnapped his family, but he was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and attempted murder. Bail was set at $1 million.

The wife and oldest child were taken to a hospital with minor injuries. The youngest child, who remained in a car seat during the incident, suffered moderate injuries in the crash.

Deputies also said they found several guns in the vehicle.

stacia.glenn@inlandnewspapers.com

12 bald eagles counted during census in local mountains

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:44:21 -0800

A dozen bald eagles were spotted Saturday in the San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains during the season's only volunteer census.

About 180 volunteers turned out to count the majestic birds for a one-hour period, where eight adult eagles and four juveniles were seen.

Five were counted in the Big Bear/Baldwin Lake area; three at Lake Arrowhead; two at Silverwood Lake; and two at Lake Hemet.

Eagles typically migrate out of the local mountains in late March, and tracking devices have shown they return to Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Canada.

Three other censuses were cancelled this winter due to extreme weather.

stacia.glenn@inlandnewspapers.com

ATF pays tipster $25,000 for information on Big Bear dynamite theft

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:42:13 -0800

A federal agency today awarded $25,000 to a citizen who provided information in 2006 on a man who stole 500 pounds of high explosives from a Big Bear mine company.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives officials said the tipster preferred to remain anonymous.

The theft occurred in May 2006 at the Gold Mountain Mine Company in Big Bear. About 685 sticks of dynamite and a 30-pound bag of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil were taken by Joshua Gawn, who cut through a security gate and pried open the explosives storage magazine.

Gawn pleaded guilty on Aug. 7, 2007, to charges related to the possession of the stolen explosives and possession of a stolen vehicle. In March 2008, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Shortly after the burglary, ATF investigators found 571 sticks of dynamite abandoned at a Riverside fire station. More explosives were found at a Moreno Valley fire station and in a stolen vehicle parked on a city street.

stacia.glenn@inlandnewspapers.com

Volunteers needed to count Bald Eagles in San Bernardino National Forest Saturday

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:55:28 -0800

The San Bernardino National Forest's staff is looking for volunteers to help count Bald Eagles Saturday.

Volunteers will be stationed at lakes in the San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains. They will map and make note of bald Eagles spotted during a one-hour period.

Volunteers don't need experience but should bring binoculars, a watch and warm clothes. Volunteers are needed at Big Bear Lake, Baldwin Lake, Little Green Valley Lake, Lake Gregory, Lake Arrowhead, Silverwood Lake and Lake Hemet.

Forest officials had to cancel previous counts in December and February because of the weather.

For more information, call Robin Eliason at (909) 382-2832 to be stationed at most lakes. Contact Heidi Hoggan at (909) 382-2945 if you are interested in being stationed at Lake Hemet and Kathy Williams at (760) 389-2303 to be stationed at Silverwood Lake.

Cold, overcast weekend weather expected for the I.E.

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 06:13:52 -0800

The weekend will be chilly, cloudy and may include a little bit of rain.

There's a 20 percent chance of showers today and Saturday, the National Weather Service said.

Forecasters also expect 5 to 10 mph winds in San Bernardino and Ontario, along with gusts as high as 20 mph in Ontario. Moderate winds are also expected in the San Bernardino Mountains, where daytime temperatures will be in the 30s and 40s through the weekend.

Temperatures will be in the low 60s through Sunday and part of next week in San Bernardino and surrounding areas.

melissa.pinion-whitt@inlandnewspapers.com

Officials gather to celebrate Big Bear Bridge project

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:21:24 -0800

The long-awaited Big Bear Bridge project is officially ready to begin.

"We've heard a lot of talk for a lot of years, but today we're at the point where we're going to let the machine do the talking," said Dennis Green, a former Caltrans official who is now a consultant working on the project.

Later, while addressing an audience at the Big Bear Performing Arts Center, he added, "From this point forward, we are no longer calling it 'the dam project.' We are calling it the 'Big Bear Bridge project.'"

Ceremony will honor beginnning of new Big Bear Dam Bridge

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:50:47 -0800

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Caltrans will hold a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday morning to mark the beginning of work on a new bridge over the Big Bear Dam.

The ceremony will take place at the Big Bear Permforning Arts Center at 39707 Big Bear Blvd. in Big Bear Lake at 11 a.m.

Work on the bridge, which is part of Highway 18, will not begin this week because of bad weather, said Caltrans spokeswoman Terri Kasinga.

Construction of the bridge will last through 2011, she said, though it will remain open during that period.