November 2011 Archives

A local stylist is donating 50 or more wigs to women who are suffering from hair loss due to cancer or other illnesses. Ginger Taylor, who works at Hair Peace Salon on Fourth Street, will host an event in January for the chosen women to pick out a wig.

To nominate someone or to nominate yourself, send a letter describing why the person deserves a wig, and include a contact number, to:

Ginger Taylor -- Free wig
11877 Citrus Court
Moreno Valley, CA 92557

The deadline is Dec. 22. Recipients will be notified on Christmas Day.

The Assistance League of the Foothill Communities, 8593 Archibald Ave., will have a thrift shop holiday sale from Dec. 8 to Dec. 24. Used merchandise including home decor, holiday clothing and other items will be on sale from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Proceeds will go toward philanthropic programs that provide clothing, dental care and other services to children in need.

Information: 909-484-7853, 909-987-2813

Sick of turkey sandwiches, turkey noodle soup and turkey cobb salad? There's a number of new turkey-less restaurants in this city.

In today's business page, I wrote about Juanita's, which opened its third location on Archibald and Base Line on Veteran's Day. It's a rough time to be opening a new business but owner David Tucker, who also runs the Juanita's in Ontario, thinks the worst is over.

"2009 was really rough but we pulled through," Tucker said. "People still need to eat."

That's true. And people need to eat Mexican food. If you count the chains like Taco Bell and Del Taco as Mexican food, there are seven Mexican restaurants at the intersection of Archibald and Base Line.

To be clear, the Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga Juanita's, both owned by Tucker, is considered Juanita's III. The original location in Pomona, known simply as Juanita's, is owned by another Tucker relative. There is no Juanita's II; that numeral was retired by the family.

Tucker said Juanita's III doesn't necessarily designate the number of locations. The numeral signifies that he's the third generation in the Tucker family to serve Mexican food based on family recipes dating back to the 1950s.

Juanita's is cheap, think $5 burritos. Ra Pour, on the other end of the dining spectrum at Victoria Gardens, is another new restaurant that opened just last week. It's a bar and lounge offering upscale fare. Their menu ranges from fig and gorgonzola pizza to lobster mac and cheese.

Finally, there's Farrell's. The ice cream parlor on Foothill Boulevard is tentatively scheduled to open Dec. 6. The menu includes burgers, sandwiches and pizza but isn't ice-cream the main reason to go?

Vancouver is cold. Actually, of the Canadian cities, this British Columbia town is probably the warmest. But for this Southern California reporter, Vancouver is too cold to be inhabited by humans.

Having lived in Beijing and New York, I've survived harsh winters before. But there's something about parachuting into someone else's winter that makes the abrupt weather change hard to get used to.

Vancouver is also dripping wet. It seems that if you leave anything outside for long -- an umbrella, a coffee mug, a copy of the Daily Bulletin -- moss will take hold in a matter of hours. As someone who grew up in a place where clouds are seeded and drought-tolerant plants are hailed, all that moisture is just bizarre.

No complaints, however. I had a wonderful vacation jumping over puddles, eating poutine and witnessing the city's first snowfall of the year.

Here I am with the Daily Bulletin on vacation in front of a mural, watching children at a hockey practice and next to a totem pole.

The chilly weather grew on me after 10 days. I'll certainly trade light snow for the 80 degree Thanksgiving weekend we just had.

The Rains House, 8810 Hemlock St., will host a Christmas-themed open house from 3 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 3. There will be hot cider and cookies offered at the Civil War-era residence. Donations are $3; $2 for children age 5 to 11.

Thanks to reader Mariann, who sent these photos of the trees at the senior center. See, leaves do change color in Southern California.

I hope everybody's Thanksgiving is merry. If your turkey is not frozen at this point, you're off to a good start.

Remember, Black Friday this year starts earlier than you think. A number of stores at Victoria Gardens is opening midnight.

Midnight openings:
Aeropostale
Aldo
Banana Republic
Bath & Body Works
The Children's Place
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Cotton On
Express
Express Men
Gap
Gap Kids
Guess?
Levi's
Macy's
New York & Co
PacSun
Ulta Salon
Victoria's Secret
Windsor Fashions
Abercrombie Kids
Abercrombie & Fitch
Hollister Co.

3 a.m. opening
American Eagle

4 a.m. opening
JCPenney

The rest of the mall is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Black Friday.

The Windsong Southland Chorale will perform "Kaleidoscope Christmas" at 4 p.m. Dec. 4. The choral concert will feature "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," "The Little Drummer Boy," "Ding Dong! Merrily on High" and other Christmas classics.

Advanced tickets are $15; $10 for children and $30 for families. Tickets are $20 at the door.

"Kaleidoscope Christmas" takes place at the Northkirk Presbyterian Church, 9101 19th Street. 

You might have noticed a Christmas tree at the Victoria Gardens JC Penney's. The tree, adorned with ornaments bearing the first name of a local senior citizen, is part of the Be a Santa to a Senior program, hosted by Home Instead Senior Care. The Rancho Cucamonga-based in-home service provider, along with other nonprofits, have identified the seniors in need this holiday season to join the program.

To participate, pick up an ornament and buy the item on the wish list. Bring the unwrapped item to the store and organizers will deliver them to the seniors in time for the holidays. Other participating stores include the JCPenney in Montclair and Chino, the Walgreens in Chino and the JC's Star Outlet in Ontario. Be a Santa to a Senior ends Dec. 5.  

Stor-N-Lock on 10975 Arrow Route will host a show featuring antique, classic and hot rod cars this Sunday to benefit the Marine's Toys for Tots Foundation. Entry fee for the car show is either $15 or a new, unwrapped toy. The event is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The self storage facility, across from the post office, is also a drop-off location for Toys for Tots. Drop off any new, unwrapped toys through Dec. 15 to help disadvantaged children during the holidays. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

It's been nice to be back to gray, drizzly weather. Warm California sunshine would have been a shock to the system, having spent 10 days in snowy Vancouver.

I'll share some Daily Bulletin on vacation photos later this week. For now, let me scour the inbox to see if there's upcoming events I should post.

On this Veterans Day, I'm off on a 10-day vacation to Vancouver. They call it Remembrance Day over there. Will be back Nov. 21.

Rarely do we hear of businesses returning.

Cafe Calato, an Italian restaurant located in a business plaza north of Fourth Street, closed earlier this summer but has reopened. Former chef Travis Graham is chef once again and owner of the cafe.

The restaurant serves up mostly pastas, pizzas and salads. Several Daily Bulletin Christmas lunches have been catered by Cafe Calato because of its proximity to the newsroom. The restaurant is on Center and Fourth streets, just west of aLoft Hotel.

A clarification to an item on this blog last week ...

The Archibald Library bookstore is having a Christmas sale through Dec. 18. But only the Christmas items are buy one, get one free; not the entire store.

But still there's plenty there -- children's books, cookbooks, paperbacks, CDs and others.

Proceeds from the sale will benefit library programing.

Information: 909-477-2720

Congratulations to Nacho Gracia, an advocate of the city's Northtown community, for receiving the lifetime achievement award at the Southern California Association of Non-profit Housing's annual conference.

For his work on affordable housing and community development, Gracia received the "Houser's Hero" award during the 2011 Homes Within Reach Awards luncheon.

Gracia, a former executive director of the Northtown Housing Development Corporation and a current board member, was instrumental in bringing basic infrastructure to Northtown. Along with other residents, Gracia convinced city and county leaders that Northtown needed sidewalks, curbs, gutters and lights. Gracia also led efforts to bring Old Town Park and the nearby Northtown Community Center to the Feron Boulevard neighborhood. As NHDC's first executive director, Gracia led the organization through many years of success, bringing affordable housing to seniors and families throughout the region.

   

A community blood drive will take place at Los Osos High School next Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Donors will get a chance to win one of four $500 gift cards to local malls, Target or Wal-mart as well as points that can be redeemed at the Life Stream online store.

There will also be a free bone marrow screening at the blood drive through the Be The Match program. Those interested in the bone marrow screening can also visit bethematch.org and use the promo code 92408 to get a screening kit. 

As noted in this space last week, the city is honoring Veteran's Day with a celebration at Central Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you're not afraid of heights, there will also be free tethered hot air balloon rides at 7 a.m., weather permitting.

After the event, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8680, located 8751 Industrial Lane, will host an open house from 3 p.m. until closing (usually around 9 or 10 p.m.) There will be free hamburgers and hot dogs. This is a great opportunity for veterans to mingle and for the general public to meet and honor the veterans in this community.

Happy Veterans Day.

Visitations will take place this weekend for Sgt. Carlo F. Eugenio, an Etiwanda High School graduate who was killed in action on Oct. 29 in Afghanistan. Eugenio, 29, is the first California National Guardsman to be killed in combat in Afghanistan. His remains are scheduled to arrive at the L.A./Ontario International Airport on Thursday.

From noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday and from 7 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, visitations will take place at the St. Peter and St. Paul Parish, 9135 Banyan St., Rancho Cucamonga.

A church service and memorial Mass will take place 10 a.m. Monday at St. Peter and St. Paul Parish, followed by a graveside service at 12:30 p.m. at Riverside National Cemetery, 22495 Van Buren Blvd., Riverside.

The local chapter of the Sons of Italy is hosting a Texas Hold'em tournament at 6 p.m. on Nov. 19. The fundraiser takes place at the Filippi Winery on 12467 Base Line Road.

Buy-in is $100 and includes dinner, wine, cigars and $2,500 in chips. First place winner gets $1,000, second place gets $750, third place gets $500, fourth through ninth place gets $100 and the tenth place winner gets a free buy-in at next year's tournament.

Money raised will go toward a number of local and regional charities supported by the Italian-American organization. The chapter recently donated $2,500 to the Freedom Courtyard project slated for Central Park.

The city will mark Veterans Day at Central Park next Friday. Starting 7 a.m., there will be free tethered hot air balloon rides, weather permitting. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., there will be performances by the senior center choir, a flag retirement ceremony, and food sales from Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8680. Tom Ruck, author of "Sacred Ground: A Tribute to America's Veterans," is the guest speaker.

A nonprofit specializing in raising money for children with cancer is hosting a wine-tasting event on Nov. 16 from 7 to 10 p.m. Tanjability, an Upland-based community group, is hosting the wine tasting at The Wine Tailor, 8916 Foothill Blvd., Suite K3. The cost is $75 and includes wine and appetizers. Money raised will benefit children and their families dealing with pediatric cancer.

You can RSVP by e-mail or call 909-333-6755 

By the end of the year, the city will install seven new charging stations across the city to charge the new generation of electric vehicles.

The current charging stations were installed in the 1990s and are outdated. They do not have a universal charging feature to accommodate the new electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf or Chevrolet Volt. Through a grant from the California Energy Commission, the city will install two new charging stations at the Metrolink station and one station at City Hall, Archibald Library, Heritage Park, Red Hill Park and the Sports Complex. Cost of the charging stations and the installation will be covered by the grant.

 

Families of active military service members are invited to participate in the annual Founder's Day parade at Victoria Gardens on Nov. 12.

The theme of the annual event is "Up, Up and Away with Superheroes." While Batman and the Incredible Hulk are bound to show up, they won't be the only heroes out there. One city entry on the parade route will honor the service men and women who act as our real-life heroes. Military families are invited to walk the route wearing red, white and blue. They can carry American flags and signs or photos of their loved one serving in the military.

With the unfortunate death of one of Rancho Cucamonga's own, Sgt. Carlo Eugenio, on Saturday, it is especially important to pay tribute to the real superheroes fighting overseas.

If you would like to participate, call Toni Piscuneri at 909-477-2760 ext. 2208 by Monday.  

The City Council tonight voted in favor of revising an ordinance passed this summer regarding the permit process for rallies and protests on public streets. The revision, passed 4-1 with Councilman Bill Alexander dissenting, is a slight variation of the original ordinance but it still requires organizers to obtain a permit to assemble if the rally will impede vehicular or pedestrian traffic.

Ordinance 849, passed unanimously in August, requires organizers of rallies with 75 participants or more to get a permit six days in advance. The revised Ordinance 851 requires a permit four days in advance for rallies with 100 people or more.

Despite passing a slightly less restrictive ordinance, the move drew ire from opponents of the permit process. Mike Rositter, who spoke out against the permit process, said he did not see much difference between the original and revised ordinances.

"More laws do not mean you're better protected," Rositter said. "The Constitution was written for the protection of the people of the United States, not written for the betterment of the police department."

The bookstore at the Archibald Library will hold its annual Christmas Sale starting Friday. Children's books, cookbooks, paperbacks, CDs and other items will be "buy one, get one free." The sale runs through Dec. 18.

Friends of the Library runs the bookstores of both libraries, selling donated items to benefit library programing.

Information: 909-477-2720

The City Council will decide tonight whether to make changes to Ordinance 849, which was passed in August requiring organizers of rallies and protests to obtain a permit from the city. Tonight, sheriff's Capt. Mike Newcombe will propose something slightly different, Ordinance 851.

Under the original ordinance, a permit is required for rallies on a mayor street gathering 75 or more people. The permit requires six days of advanced notice. Under the proposed ordinance, a permit is required for gatherings of 100 or more people and four days of advanced notice is required. Also, a number of restrictions on size of poles, stakes and signs were removed in the new ordinance.

In his report to the council, Newcombe wrote, "Within the past several years, Rancho Cucamonga has experienced a number of public assemblies that have caused some significant traffic disruptions and concerns for vehicular and pedestrian safety. Good advance planning allows appropriate public safety personnel and city staff to prepare for a safe traffic and pedestrian flow, to design an incident action plan and to properly plan for the needed resources."

Organizers of protests have been vocal against such permitting process, saying it's an infringement of their free speech rights.

We mourn the death of Sgt. Carlo Eugenio, 29, who died in Kabul, Afghanistan when a suicide bomber attacked a NATO convoy on Saturday. Eugenio's military banner hung outside the family home today.

Eugenio's remains were flown to the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Monday.

An Etiwanda High graduate, Eugenio is the first California National Guardsman to die in combat in Afghanistan.










Will Lester/Staff Photographer