vince lovato: curmudgeon
POB 721514
Pinon Hills, CA 92372
ph: 760-701-2237
alt: 760-713-4754
vince
Vince's Work
The San Bernardino Sun (Circ. 82,000)
American Taliban in Victorville
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 28, 2003
John Walker Lindh, the so-called American Taliban, is a new inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution in Victorville, where he is expected to serve most of his 20-year term.
Walker Lindh, the Marin County youth who was caught fighting for the Taliban in Afghanistan, was flown into Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville around noon Saturday, guarded by U.S. marshals, who took him across Air Expressway to the prison. In July 2002, Walker Lindh pleaded guilty to two
Walker Lindh assault claimed
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: March 5, 2003
VICTORVILLE - The FBI is investigating a reported attack on American Taliban John Walker Lindh by one or more white supremacists at the Federal Correctional Institution here.
"I can confirm there was an incident regarding Lindh (on) Monday night,'said FBI spokeswoman Laura Bosley. "There was a report that Lindh was assaulted by another inmate but I cannot disclose any details beyond that.' At the request of his attorneys, Walker...
Natural gas prices to rise
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: March 17, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Officials for two natural gas companies serving most customers in San Bernardino County asked them to brace for price increases caused by unusually cold weather in the East, dwindling storage and lagging production.
Whereas the increase won't be nearly what was seen two winters ago, Southwest Gas and Southern California Gas Company officials asked customers to adjust usage and take advantage of payment plans and conservation tips that would avert the financial havoc raised in
Volunteers aiming to spruce up Route 66
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: March 13, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
It will be a 66-day tour of Route 66 in what organizers are calling the greatest national media event in the historic road's history.
Route 66 enthusiasts, often known as roadies, will take to the legendary highway for a 66-day caravan from Santa Monica through San Bernardino County to Chicago and back, refurbishing landmarks and erecting shield signs to highlight historic points along the way. <table width=202"border=0"
Mojave Cross Under Wraps
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: March 13, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
CIMA - Wrapped in a tan canvass, the controversial Mojave Cross looked like an oversize kite perched atop a 30-foot-high rock outcropping that towers over the surrounding Joshua tree forest.
Long stringy clouds obscured a half-moon that hung almost straight overhead late Thursday afternoon and a stiff breeze hissed loudly as it bent itself around the craggy rocks. The cross is a few feet east of Cima Road 85 miles northeast of Barstow and 10 miles south of Interstate 15. The
Building takes off in desert
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: March 12, 2003
VICTORVILLE - The more construction there is, the more shopping there will be. The phrase could be the City Hall mantra.
A proposal to build the largest tract ever in the High Desert 1,200 homes comes on the heels of the March 8 grand opening of Kohl's department store. The new store has been packed. The number of construction projects in 2002 was twice the number from 2000, and the population jumped more than 10 percent to nearly 70,000 over the last two years,
Victorville father doesn't want to be 'peacetime Marine'
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: March 4, 2003
VICTORVILE - Keith Frey is a frustrated warrior. The 23-year-old full-time Marine would love nothing more than going to war with Iraq.
But a case of bad timing and a re-enlistment snafu has kept Frey on the sidelines. "I would love to trade places with any one of them,'Frey said. Unlike some Marines whose chances of seeing combat are low, Frey believes his career will not be complete if he does not see front-line combat. His gung-ho attitude
Airline takes off in High Desert
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: March 3, 2003
VICTORVILLE - Soon, Pat Smith will avoid traffic by flying from Victorville to Long Beach.
She is the first customer for Valley Air Express, the Sacramento-based passenger airline that opened Monday at Southern California Logistics Airport. Airport and airline officials hope more business people and commuters will take Smith's attitude as they introduce daily morning and evening round-trips. Smith, 81, of Apple Valley will fly on March 13 to Long Beach, where
Green Eggs and Seuss
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: March 3, 2003
VICTORVILLE - In a famous book, Sam I Am had a friend who did not want to eat green eggs and ham.
But students at Park View Elementary School tried them Monday, and many liked them. Having the title character of Dr. Seuss'classic book "The Cat in the Hat"do the reading must have made the eggs go down smoother. About 100 students usually turn out for the breakfast program, but when Principal Sharon Rib announced the Cat would read
Unions, cities joining forces
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: February 28, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Five of the county's largest and most influential labor unions announced Friday they have joined forces with 16 cities in the county to try to protect the regional economy in the face of an estimated $35 billion state budget gap.
Governments Organized in Association with Labor, or GOAL, represents the first time unions have joined hands on a formal and long-range basis with municipal governments to protect the interests of both sides, said League of California Cities
High-Tech And Comfy
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: February 27, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Keith Frey smiles as he holds up a three-dimensional image of the 28-week-old fetus growing inside his wife, Kimberly.
The detail is so great he can actually see the face of his next baby behind a well-defined forearm and elbow. "He looks just like my son,'Frey said, holding it in front of Raymond, his 2-year-old. "It looks like he's peeking at something like they do at Christmastime.' The new ultrasound
Lawmaker aims to limit iodine
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 29, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
It can be a dangerous set of circumstances: a remote location with no nosy neighbors but close enough to more populated areas, low cost of living and easily acquired ingredients.
The combination is ripe for the manufacture and sale of methamphetamine in the rural areas of the county. Assemblywoman Sharon Runner, R-Lancaster, whose district includes Victorville and Adelanto, recently introduced a bill that would limit the amount of iodine one can possess. Iodine is one of
High school calm day after melee hurt when Latinos, blacks clash
Author: VINCE LOVATO and JOE NELSON Staff Writers
Date: January 24, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Friday's serene Silverado High School campus belied the racial tension students said roiled for years before it erupted Thursday in a melee that involved more than 20 Latino and black students, said schools officials and sheriff's deputies.
The remote, quiet Victorville campus was about half full Friday as school administrators and deputies sorted through video and witness reports of the lunchtime mini-riot that forced deputies to use pepper spray and arrest eight
Harmony hard to find at schools in Adelanto
Author: VINCE LOVATO
ADELANTO Chris van Zee said he learned a lesson from one of
his former bosses: No good deed goes unpunished., Staff Writer
Date: January 23, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Perhaps that's why van Zee has found a way to cope with recently being named the Adelanto Elementary School District's interim superintendent during its most tumultuous period.
The school board is under investigation for alleged violations of the state's open-meeting law, two board members are up for recall, two are up for re-election in November, two new schools will be constructed soon, and state budget cuts loom. Van Zee, a Redlands resident
Some see link between abortion anonymity, unreported sex crimes
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 21, 2003
Abortions in California do not have to be reported, and any licensed doctor can perform them.
As a result, some anti-abortion activists say they suspect that some sex crimes are also going unreported such as incest or rape especially among teenage girls. Although one research group claims more than 236,000 abortions were performed in the state in 2002, most activists on both sides of the argument agree that no one knows how many were performed and that most estimates are not even
HD city moves to shield treasury
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 20, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
VICTORVILLE - If we spend it, they can't take it.
That's the attitude of the Victorville City Council when it comes to protecting critical redevelopment funds from the state Legislature. Fearing cuts in light of the state's projected budget shortfall estimated to be somewhere between $26.1 million and $34.6 million the city has accelerated its latest application for bond money for future public-works projects. The city has long been a
Mayor offers water advice
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 19, 2003
VICTORVILLE - Victorville Mayor Terry Caldwell has challenged High Desert water districts to assure customers that they have enough water or make sure they do by buying it from the California Aqueduct Project.
His charge rose from frustration over a lack of clear information about the Mojave River Basin's overdraft. If put into action, Caldwell's pointed remarks would drastically, and most say expensively, change the way High Desert water districts do
Civilians to the rescue
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 18, 2003
Sometimes you have to reach into the history of war to prepare for modern warfare.
Based on the Civil Air Patrol model popular during World War II and used through the early 1960s, emergency response agencies in the county are using a $319,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to teach residents how to react in a disaster. Many Americans younger than 50 had not had to seriously consider those types of threats before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which
Steady water supply sought
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 18, 2003
Wrightwood water officials are counting on neighboring districts and a ski resort to help stabilize water supplies in case of extended drought.
Wrightwood, a village of about 6,500 in the San Gabriel Mountains, has long been a winter playground for skiers and snowboarders. But when a dry 2001-02 winter dropped groundwater supplies by an unprecedented 40 feet in the area, Southern California Water Co. officials trucked in water. On Tuesday, company officials ended the
Officials move to expand airport
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 16, 2003
Victorville has taken the first step toward adding 2,600 acres to Southern California Logistics Airport to make room for two major rail facilities and almost 16 million square feet of industrial buildings.
Those developments are expected to bring 17,800 jobs with an annual payroll of $602 million to the area by 2015. To comply with recently imposed state water laws, Victorville and Stirling Airports International officials filed a notice of application with the Victor Valley Water
Officials believe airport can be economic force
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: December 5, 2002
Though the gloomy state of the airline industry grounded many commercial airplanes around the world, business at Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville is soaring.
Southern California Aviation, the largest single tenant at the former George Air Force Base, is storing, repairing, maintaining and modifying so many jumbo jets that the company will begin development of an additional 340 acres and hire another 40 employees by March, Vice President John White said. City
Apple Valley Students Work To Save Mojave River
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: December 3, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Eight eighth-graders watched intently as an engineer wearing rubber waders stood thigh-deep in the Mojave River and, using stainless steel equipment, measured how fast the water flowed.
In the shadow of rock formations that jutted hundreds of feet above the riverbed, the leaves on nearby trees shimmered green, yellow and golden in the afternoon sun in a part of the river the locals call The Narrows. As idyllic as that scene was, those students and engineers were there because the
Animal-Keepers Seek Help With Fee
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: December 2, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
The lives of about 14 big exotic felines and several rare reptiles could be in jeopardy if the last-chance sanctuary they live in cannot raise $5,200 for a required permit.
For five years, Joel and Chemaine Almquist of the Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Phelan have been in the business of rescuing lions, tigers, bobcats and snakes that have been abandoned, neglected or abused. For many of the animals, the only other options were death or a lifetime in substandard
Study: Growth cheaper in town
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: December 1, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Developers in the Victor Valley are complaining that it takes about twice as much time and three times as much money to subdivide land in the county as it does in a city.
The difference makes it easier for landowners to improve property in cities, which raises the tax value and provides more money for the cities to provide services such as sewers, roads and crime and fire protection, according to a study. Meanwhile, the vast unincorporated areas will take decades to develop because
Keeping cargo, traffic on move
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: November 30, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Officials believe the High Desert's transportation system will be the primary public service to sustain booming economic growth while maintaining quality of life in the desert.
The High Desert cities are working with the California Department of Transportation and San Bernardino Associated Governments on a variety of projects, amounting to more than $1 billion, designed to keep people and cargo moving safely and quickly through one of Southern California's most
Tandem trip helps kids
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: November 29, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
A British couple leaves Wrightwood today on another leg of a meandering tandem bicycle trek across the U.S. and Canada to raise awareness of leukemia and to gather money to help fight the disease.
For Steve and Stephanie Mountford, the ride is just another chapter in two adventurous lives. "God blessed us with strong, healthy bodies,'Steve Mountford said. Now they are using those bodies to help save others. Their crusade was sparked by a
Officials believe airport can be economic force
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: November 25, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
VICTORVILLE - Though the gloomy state of the airline industry grounded many commercial airplanes around the world, business at Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville is soaring.
Southern California Aviation, the largest single tenant at the converted George Air Force Base, is storing, repairing, maintaining and modifying so many jumbo jets the company will begin development of an added 340 acres and hire another 40 employees by March, Vice President John White said.
Barstow reaches garbage goals
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: November 25, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Reduce, reuse, recycle but, mostly, divert!
That's the mantra many city solid-waste managers in the High Desert have been chanting for about 12 years now. Barstow was the only one of five High Desert cities to meet a state mandate to divert 50 percent of its garbage from county dumps. Adelanto at 33 percent, Apple Valley at 43 percent, Hesperia with 41 percent and Victorville at 45 percent have not met the goal. They are not alone: only seven of 25
Adelanto thirsty for clearer water
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: November 24, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
ADELANTO - It may not always look good, but the water in Adelanto won't make anyone sick, either.
The iron and manganese that sometimes give the water a brownish-red tint must be removed because it does not meet visual drinking-water standards set by the state Department of Health Services. A report by Bookman-Edmonston Engineering, a water management and consulting firm based in Glendora, said the water does not pose any health risks, but persuaded the council to make
Desert Gym Trains Willing Combatants
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: November 22, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
The walls inside the chilly warehouse gym are a garish yellow. The wall-to-wall mats are black.
On the far side is an eight-sided ring, where matches are often held …inside a cage. A faint scent of sweat hangs in the air. This is where several champions in the emerging sport of ultimate fighting are made. The sport is a combination of martial arts, Olympic wrestling, boxing and street fighting. Also known as combat grappling, it has gained a significant hold on
Voters favor two new faces in Adelanto
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: November 5, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Adelanto voters appeared to replace one appointed councilman and finally fill an open City Council seat Tuesday in what many believe is the single most pivotal council election in the city's 31-year history.
The voters also soundly rejected an assessment designed to add $250,000 annually to the park and recreation district budget but resoundingly supported a change to the city charter that allows direct election the mayor. Mired in an often-bitter 2-2 split, the council
Victorville council incumbents lead early
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: November 5, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Victorville City Council incumbents Terry Caldwell and JoAnn Almond were holding off challenger Lionel Dew on Tuesday night in a race with little drama.
That's just the way the long-standing incumbents wanted it as they must continue coping with the booming growth of the city. In early returns, Caldwell and Almond had comfortable leads over challenger Dew. Caldwell was in Ohio for his wife's mother's funeral and could not be reached
Hesperia incumbent lags in council race
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: November 5, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
In early returns Hesperia voters appeared to have re-elected Councilman Jim Lindley but ousted Mayor Bill Jensen on Tuesday night.
Voters chose Ed Pack and Rita Vogler one to fill the third City Council seat and one to replace the popular-but-controversial Jensen. A fire district assessment proposed to raise an extra $1.2 million annually could not garner the two-thirds vote needed to pass. With 7.6 percent of the votes counted, 63 percent of the voters supported the measure
Safety fair features DNA Lifeprint program
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: November 4, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
VICTORVILLE - The 6-year-old girl wriggled in her chair, looked at the tall lady with great suspicion and waited for pain that would not come.
But in a matter of seconds, Nancy Eichert took a Q-Tip, rubbed the inside of Itziar Leano's rosy cheeks and slipped the swab into a vial. Itziar's eyes opened wide in surprise when she was told the painless procedure was done. However painless, the simple process created a DNA sample that could save her life,
High Desert plans flights
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: November 3, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
VICTORVILLE - By the middle of next month travelers will be able to avoid two hours of traffic and get from Victorville to Burbank or Long Beach in 25 minutes thanks to a new airline service at Southern California Logistics Airport.
The City Council recently adopted a five-year agreement with Valley Air Express of Santa Rosa that will qualify the airport for an additional $600,000 to $1 million in Federal Aviation Administration grants, Councilman Bob Hunter said. General Manager
Spirited Researchers
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: October 31, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
The lights in the historic, old Victorville building were dim, and the floorboards squeaked with every step. Signs of old plumbing, two-by-fours and cinder block were visible in the darker corners of the darkest rooms.
Strange noises wafted through the still air. The only things missing were the cobwebs and Vincent Price. Still, it was the perfect atmosphere for a ghost hunt. And that is what a pair of intrepid women wearing matching black T-shirts were doing as they
Adelanto vote likely will set city's course
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: October 31, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Being one member down and mired in an often-bitter 2-2 split, the Adelanto City Council has been stymied on some of the city's biggest issues since Councilman Richard Althouse resigned in January.
The remaining four members were at such odds they could not even agree on how to fill the open seat. The only legal remedy comes in Tuesday's election when the open council seat will be filled and appointed incumbent Jerry Steffanus attempts to win his first
Hesperia City Council
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: October 31, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
HESPERIA - Citing poor treatment from her fellow council members, longtime councilwoman Diana Nourse decided not to run for re-election, leaving seven candidates to compete for three council seats.
Mayor Bill Jensen and incumbent Jim Lindley hope to hold on to their seats in Tuesday's election. The challengers are Cab Burge, Anna Carter, Ed Pack, Alan Lee Trundle and Rita Vogler. Although the list of candidates is long, they all agree on two things: the need for road
Council hopefuls address growth
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: October 28, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
VICTORVILLE - Continuing and coping with the city's booming growth is a big issue for all three candidates as they jockey for the Nov. 5 election's two open City Council seats.
Their differences lie in how they propose to address it. Challenger Lionel Dew hopes to unseat either of two longtime incumbents JoAnn Almond or Terry Caldwell. Dew, a Democrat, said his associations with state government and minority voters would make the all-Republican
Airport authority stalled
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: October 28, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
After spending the last 16 months trying to ease congestion by attracting passengers and cargo away from coastal airports, the Southern California Regional Airport Authority has stagnated.
But one Inland Empire airport official welcomes the idea of forming an Inland Empire airport authority, working in conjunction with San Bernardino Associated Governments and Southern California Area Governments to try to achieve the same goals. The Southern California authority reformed in June
Victor Valley Community College trims tax debt by $1.5M
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: February 27, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
VICTORVILLE - Victor Valley Community College officials have convinced the IRS to reduce a $4.68 million tax burden, saving the college $1.5 million.
The reduction was made because the college did not willfully fail to pay taxes related to bonds issued in 1994, officials said. The college will still pay about $3.1 million in back taxes, penalties and interest, but it will not affect its day-to-day operations because the money will come from a guaranteed-income investment account,
Adelanto moves forward on its first major retail center
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: February 26, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
ADELANTO - Although this cash-strapped city might have to take out loans to secure development of Adelanto Towne Center, its first major retail center, officials believe the investment will repay itself.
The $12 million center will create up to 300 jobs with an estimated $6 million annual payroll and will generate two types of annual revenue for the city an estimated $50,000 in property taxes for the city redevelopment agency and $150,000 in sales tax to the city's general
A big splash
Author: LEIGH MUZSLAY and VINCE LOVATO, Staff writers
Date: February 25, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
A winter storm dumped rain and snow across the county Tuesday morning, stranding motorists and cutting power to some areas.
Snow closed the Cajon Pass from about 7:15 to 11:30 a.m., leaving many commuters stuck on Interstate 15. About 100,000 vehicles pass through that area each day, Caltrans spokeswoman Ivy Estrada said. There were no other closures, she said, but crews were on standby in case the rainy weather persisted. "I just want to emphasize safety
Friends, family remember little girl with big heart
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: February 24, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
VICTORVILLE - Robyn Erin Gillett found a shortcut to heaven.
She only lived four years and 10 months, but that was enough to have a full spiritual life. That was the message Pastor David Denson Jr. of the Burning Bush Baptist Church gave at her funeral services at Emmanuel Temple Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in Victorville on Monday. "She took a shortcut,'Denson said. "A shortcut is the shortest path to destiny. She learned
Lack of water sinking ground
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: February 24, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
The proverbial sky isn't falling, but the ground in the Mojave Desert is.
The ground has settled as much as four inches between 1992 and 1997 in Lucerne Valley, El Mirage, Lockhart and Newberry Springs, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report. Although the phenomenon known as subsidence is not at significant levels, the report confirms suspicions of High Desert water officials who said more water is being pumped out of certain areas in the southwest parts of the
Local reservists to deploy with 1st Marine Regiment
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: February 19, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
CAMP PENDLETON - He might be the toughest guy in the battalion and is certainly one of the oldest.
But when Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper made a quick speech Wednesday to the families of Marines who start deploying today, the thoughts of leaving his family behind almost got to him. Cooper, a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy from Twentynine Palms and the battalion commander, said about 1,000 Marines, mostly reservists, will be leaving for Kuwait over the next few days in
Volunteers prepare in face of terrorism
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: February 18, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
RANCHO CUCAMONGA - It looked real. It was supposed to.
A broken piece of glass stuck grotesquely out of a girl's back as she sprawled facedown. Another "victim'was barely breathing as blood oozed from his abdomen. For years, Southern Californians have been preparing for The Big One. But when the World Trade Center came crashing down, the stakes changed. The threat has a new face: terrorism. The 45 people who took part in the Citizens
'Cow-condos'may lure herds east
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: February 16, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Squeezed by urban sprawl, commercial development and environmental regulations, some urban-based dairy owners are considering a move to greener pastures in the High Desert.
Officials of Harper Dry Lake Energy Park are proposing an ultra-modern dairy consortium that would use a manure-powered plant to supply electricity to the dairies. Park partner Buck Johns calls the concept "cow-condos.' "We're exploring this because
New law, growing need generate idea for energy project
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: February 16, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
HARPER DRY LAKE - Unless the promoters are full of manure, the remote Harper Dry Lake area could become the next California boom town with an economy based on the civilian space industry, renewable energy and dairy farming.
Inland Energy Inc. and Duke Solar Energy have worked for months to find a site for a solar generating plant there and now they want to add a biomass plant that converts cow manure into power and commercial fertilizer. That would mean attracting displaced Southern
Arrests stun pair's boss
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: February 15, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
ADELANTO - The owner of a company that transports bodies for the county Coroner's Office said Saturday he was "floored'over the arrest of two employees in connection with the sexual abuse of a 4-year-old Adelanto girl's body.
All County Transportation owner-operator Mark Costello of Riverside said he has very few details about the arrest or the allegations against his employees. "I have been floored over this and so
Batters Up In Years
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 16, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
It was a typical morning softball practice at Eva Dell Park in Victorville except for the teasing and geriatric jokes.
The batter pulled a sharp ground ball to the third baseman who glided to his right, swept up the ball with his glove and threw to the second baseman, who pivoted and made his throw to first. The whole thing took about seven or eight seconds that's usually plenty of time to turn a double play on runners who are between 56 and 78 years old. And
Marines practice in the desert
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 14, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
The young Marines - a dead enemy beside them knelt amid broken glass and spent shell casings in a dilapidated two-story building in the desert and planned their attack.
Their objective: secure a single-story duplex apartment defended by a handful of enemies. The occupied building was just another steppingstone toward the Marines'goal. A sergeant and lieutenant barked orders on how they would move and cover one another as they stormed the building. As they burst
High Desert Power Project Showing First Signs Of Life
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 13, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
VICTORVILLE - The High Desert Power Project on Saturday produced power for the first time since construction started in April 2001, and project officials said the plant will produce full power well before the July 1 target completion date.
Once complete, the $450-million 750-megawatt combined-cycle plant will produce enough energy for about 750,000 homes and generate more than $4.5 million in annual taxes to local agencies. The tax revenue includes about $2.5 million for the Victorville
Music video crew brings traffic at bridge to a halt
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 11, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Victor Valley motorists were angry Thursday as sheriff's deputies stopped traffic for more than 30 minutes while a crew filming a Foo Fighters music video dumped two cars and other debris in or near the Mojave River from a bridge near Highway 18.
The privately owned 80-year-old bridge, known as the Rainbow Bridge because of its shape, spans the Mojave Narrows in an area where the High Desert's only river flows above ground. Traffic backed up for miles on
Mayor predicts big projects in store for Victorville
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 11, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
VICTORVILLE - Big things are in store for this city, Mayor Terry Caldwell predicted.
A world-renown four-year aeronautics university will locate at Southern California Logistics Airport, the High Desert Power Project will double in size, and Victorville will build a 50-megawatt co-generation plant to supply stable, inexpensive electricity for it businesses at the former George Air Force Base, he said. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is an independent, not-for-profit university
Hesperia A Booming City
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 9, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
After suffering through the growing pains of incorporation in 1988 and a stagnant economy in the 1990s, Hesperia is experiencing an economic boom.
A potential rail spur on the east side, freeway-dependent businesses on the west side and hundreds of new homes in between are indicative of Hesperia's balanced but long-awaited economic growth. On Thursday, workers from Hightech Signs &Graphics who perched about 20 feet off the ground applied 6-foot-tall
Local agencies band together
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 8, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Eliminate about one-third of your household budget this year and see how well you get by.
That's what local officials say they fear they might be asked to do as the state Legislature attempts to absorb a projected budget shortfall estimated to be as high as $34.8 billion. Road projects, senior and youth services, parks, schools, law enforcement and fire protection could all be hurt as the state faces the worst budget crisis in its history. When it had to balance
Hesperia anti-abortion center wins $5,000 in county funding
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 7, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
A nonprofit anti-abortion group was awarded a $5,000 donation of county funds Tuesday on a recommendation by 1st District county Supervisor Bill Postmus and a unanimous vote by the Board of Supervisors.
Fifth District Supervisor Jerry Eaves voiced some concern about the donation and at his request, the action requires a written agreement for Call for Life Pregnancy Help Center in Hesperia outlining how the donation will be spent. Eaves, the only Democrat on the nonpartisan county
Traffic system to emerge
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 5, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Traffic and safety officials throughout the county will have a better way to compile and analyze traffic statistics by using a $280,000 grant to set up a computer database that can be used to track accidents and why they happen.
The state Office of Traffic and Safety grant will supply enough money for the San Bernardino Associated Governments to tie at least 19 of its 24 member cities into the system. The county received a similar Office of Traffic Safety grant in 2002 for use in
State's woe may echo in region
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 4, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
A strong dependence on civil-service jobs and private-sector jobs that depend on government contracts could burden the region's booming economy as the state struggles through its budget deficit.
About 20 percent, or 216,000, of the jobs in San Bernardino and Riverside counties are civil service. And 10 percent to 15 percent of the region's private-sector jobs, such as those in construction and high tech, depend on government contracts. There are about
State releases Prop. 47 funds to area districts
Author: VINCE LOVATO and SELICIA KENNEDY-ROSS, Staff Writers
Date: January 2, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Eighteen San Bernardino County school districts and the county Superintendent of Schools Office will receive more than $400 million this month from the first wave of new construction and modernization projects under Proposition 47, state education officials said Thursday.
The State Allocation Board voted to release at least $5.4 billion of the state bond money during its Dec. 18 meeting. As a result, school districts statewide should receive some of their state-allocated school construction
Author uses book to recall his life
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 1, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
VICTORVILLE - Felix Diaz has been a man of many seemingly conflicting parts: a soldier and a civil rights activist, an academic and an athlete, a politician and a rogue.
But Diaz managed to fight his way out of the barrio to become one of the key figures in the 20th-Century history of the Victor Valley. In his unflinching and sweeping self-published autobiography, Diaz makes it clear how and why he has been able to hold himself together: his deep faith in God, abiding patriotism and
County effort reduced teen sales, but funding in danger
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 1, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
An aggressive grant-funded undercover-and-education operation designed to keep retailers from selling tobacco products to teenagers reduced illegal sales in most parts of the county by 42 percent, to a remarkably low 11 percent.
Despite the success, organizers are concerned that follow-up programs will not be funded due to the state's overwhelming budget deficit. The Military Boys and Girls Clubs used a $228,000 county Department of Health Services grant to conduct the
3 men rescue missing girl
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 1, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
RUNNING SPRINGS - A runaway 16-year-old girl survived an unwanted sexual advance and two nights of below-freezing weather in her tattered pajamas before a group of men out for New Year's Day shooting practice found her in a thicket near Running Springs.
She suffered only dehydration and minor cuts and scrapes, said Scott Hanes, an off-duty San Bernardino Police Department officer who went out for a day of fun and wound up finding the lost girl. The girl, whose first
Animal keepers get some financial help
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: January 1, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
A Phelan couple who operate the Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary went bankrupt and almost lost their home to foreclosure trying to keep their lions, tigers, lynx and reptiles fed and well kept.
For the last five years, Joel and Chemaine Almquist have rescued the creatures that have been abandoned, neglected or abused. Already mired in debts that run hundreds of dollars a week to keep the animals, the entire operation was in jeopardy when the county required them to pay for a
Mostly quiet on roads
Author: VINCE LOVATO and ANDREW SILVA, Staff Writers
Date: January 1, 2003
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
One man was arrested on suspicion of driving the wrong way on a freeway, two men were killed in unrelated traffic accidents and mountain traffic was snarled, but most law enforcement agencies throughout the county said New Year's Day was relatively quiet.
A wrong-way driver struck three oncoming vehicles on Interstate 40 Tuesday before his vehicle was disabled by collision damage about 15 miles east of Ludlow, said CHP Officer James Anderson. Kevin Maloney, 43, of
Drunken drivers targeted
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: December 30, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Armed with a $252,000 grant, 11 rural law-enforcement agencies in San Bernardino County will set up checkpoints to crack down on drunken drivers starting tonight and continuing throughout 2003.
The state Office of Traffic and Safety grant will provide enough money for officer overtime, a checkpoint-booking trailer and nine alcohol-screening devices so that 18 multi-agency checkpoints can be conducted. "We want to show that law enforcement agencies have a zero tolerance
Motorcycle On Maneuvers
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: December 25, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
A Marine wearing a forest-green helmet and battle fatigues rides a camouflage-colored motorcycle down a steep hill on a rugged off-road test course at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base near Oceanside.
He loops around a mud puddle, climbs powerfully up a hill and launches the imposing machine a few feet into the air. The rider is one of a number of Marines at Pendleton that have been putting the motorcycle, developed by Hayes Diversified in Hesperia, through real-world tests.
Let Their Be Lights
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: December 24, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
His girlfriend took their 3-month-old daughter and 2-year-old son and disappeared in January 1986, Randy Robertson said.
Today, after almost 17 years apart, the Victorville resident and his daughter, Brandy, are spending their second Christmas together. A few weeks ago, Robertson stood in his Christmas light display as the glow of 69,000 bulbs danced off his proud face. The lights seem to cover everything as he points out the reindeer on the side lawn that emit tinny
Desert merger proposal advances
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: December 19, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
The privately held Baldy Mesa Water District and the County Service Area Zone L-70 water district could save customers hundreds of thousands of dollars annually if they merged, officials said Thursday after reviewing a draft report.
Money from the savings could be used to enhance pumps, pipes and buildings and ensure long-term water quality and supply, Don Bartz, general manager of the Baldy Mesa district, said Thursday in the first public discussion of the report. Spurred by a
More movies in High Desert
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: October 27, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
VICTORVILLE - The High Desert's first stadium-style movie theater planned for land south of the Mall of Victor Valley on Bear Valley Road should be open by December 2003, officials said.
Cinemark USA Inc. announced recently it will build an art-deco style 18-screen theater complex featuring a 16-inch height difference between rows, 48-inch spacing between aisles, high-backed rocker seats with extra padding and cup-holders in the armrests. The exact location was not
Desert college could be forced to forfeit $1.2M
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: October 26, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Victor Valley Community College might have to reimburse $1.2 million to the state if auditors find it incorrectly or illegally collected fees for community classes administered by off-campus businesses, some officials fear.
The High Desert collaborative off-site learning association partnered the Victorville college with local businesses that regularly perform employee training or education programs. Through the program, a business would enroll each employee as a student in a
Stater Bros. stakes claim in Adelanto
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: October 25, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Adelanto shoppers'dream of no longer having to drive to other cities to fill their cupboards is on the verge of fulfillment.
On Friday, officials announced that work will begin on a Stater Bros. market, the first supermarket in the city. The Stater Bros. will anchor the city's first major shopping center, Adelanto Towne Center, which is expected to create up to 300 jobs with an estimated $6 million annual payroll. It also is expected to generate
Mother Draws Line Over Player Fee Use
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: October 24, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
An Adelanto soccer mom is accusing the local American Youth Soccer Organization commissioner of taking money from all of the players to benefit a few.
Zoila Meyer says it's unfair to charge all players the same price to play and then use some of the money to send a few all-stars into post-season playoffs against players from other areas. Commissioner Fernando Sanchez said he is just watching out for all of his players, many of whom come from low-income families who
Trustee accused of illegal actions
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: October 22, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Allegations that Victor Valley Community College trustee Bettye Underhill violated county, state and federal laws while serving will be forwarded to investigative agencies.
The Victorville college's board 3-2 Tuesday night to forward evidence of three alleged criminal and unethical acts. The accusations are: Underhill signed a contract on behalf of the college without board approval. Underhill enrolled in classes at the college using two different dates
Service in Berlin Airlift honored
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: October 22, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
It was September 1948, and 18-year-old Arturo Aranza and a handful of his fellow airmen were pushing pallets of food out the belly of a Air Force C-54 Skymaster cargo plane.
Aranza could barely see the grateful but steadfast Berliners who stood knee-deep in the rubble of a once-elegant European city and waved at their airborne saviors 200 feet above. Fifty-four years later, Aranza sat at a table in his Victorville home and remembered. "We could see the
Agency fills up on water rights
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: October 21, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
VICTORVILLE - The city's redevelopment agency is spending $2.3 million to buy water rights hoping they will help attract future commercial developments to Southern California Logistics Airport and other industrial areas.
The agency will purchase 1,766 acre-feet of water rights from Western Water, a private water management company based in Port Richmond. An acre-foot of water is the amount one to two typical households use in a year. The agency will bond the money
Desert economy boosted
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: October 20, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
More than $100 million will be pumped into the High Desert economy over the next year, creating or stabilizing good-paying jobs that will help fuel the area's already booming growth.
Inland Empire economist John Husing said the money is a large swatch for an economy the size of the High Desert's and could mushroom to almost twice that size because of a "mining-town effect.' The money is part of a $355 billion defense spending bill
Desert business climate praised
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: October 17, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Lower costs of doing business and a more business friendly political atmosphere are driving economic growth in the High Desert, speakers said Thursday in Victorville.
That was the sentiment of conservative radio talk show host Michael Reagan and Catellus Development Corp. Senior Vice President Pat Cavanagh, who were just two of several speakers featured at the annual High Desert Opportunity gathering. Almost 1,000 attended the eight-hour event, which is designed to promote the High
Adelanto measure lacks voter support
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: October 13, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
ADELANTO - Some Adelanto leaders cannot understand why residents who claim they want to change the city's image have not supported an assessment designed to add parks and recreation services to the cash-strapped city.
Measure U would annually assess $25 per residential structure and $35 per commercial or industrial structure, Planning Director Steve Self said. If passed Nov. 5, Measure U is expected to pour about $250,000 into a special fund that could only be used to
Victorville school to be named for slain educator
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: September 30, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Donna Marie Morgan's thoughts were on her students that December day on a holiday gift-shopping trip in Crestline. She bought them trinkets shaped like silver snowmen.
That night, Dec. 19, 2000, while preparing to celebrate the season with her family, Morgan was killed in the sanctity of her Victorville home when a truck careened off a nearby road and crashed into the house. Morgan grew up in Adelanto, graduated as valedictorian from Victor Valley High School in 1973,
Despite ruling, relief for ratepayers questionable
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: September 29, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Relief for ratepayers is still a long way off despite a recent ruling that El Paso Corp. restricted natural gas supplies to California in 2000-01 causing gas and electric rates to skyrocket.
And there is still a question of how, or if, they will get any relief at all. More than two years after the California Public Utilities Commission filed a complaint against Houston-based El Paso, a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission judge ruled that El Paso and its subsidiaries held back some
Hospital provides flu shots for free
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: September 29, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
With flu season bearing down on the High Desert, the three local hospitals are hoping to curb the flood of patients with a dose of prevention.
As part of that effort, Victor Valley Community Hospital in Victorville recently administered 1,600 free flu shots. The three Victor Valley hospitals experienced increased patient population over the summer and while all have plans to provide services to them, a good way to start is by keeping more of them healthy, Victor Valley Community
High Desert developer seeks to build bridges to Asian nations
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: September 28, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
A representative of Southern California Logistics Airport recently spent 10 days in Asia forging relationships with companies there in hopes they will use the Victorville airport as a U.S. entry point for air cargo.
Stirling Airports International partner Dougall Agan made presentations at a major international aviation industry trade show in Hong Kong and spoke with elected officials from three Asian countries. The Victorville City Council, which acts as the airport's
Victorville tries to sidetrack $150M facility to its airport
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: September 28, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Private development companies are working vigorously behind the scenes in hopes of convincing Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Co. to put its $150 million rail complex in Victorville instead of San Bernardino.
In June, the Pasha Group, one of the world's largest automobile logistics companies, announced it will develop a $150 million, 700-acre rail complex at Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville. The 5,000-acre airport already owns a five-mile
Desert voters weigh new tax
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: September 26, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Supporters of the Hesperia Fire Protection District's Measure B say it will provide enough money to keep open a third fire station while adding a firefighter and paramedic to the staff.
But as a special tax, at least two-thirds of the voters must approve the measure in the Nov. 5 election. If approved, the 10-year annual tax will be $40 per household, $21 per acre for unimproved property and an average of $160 for commercial buildings, said Fire Chief Thomas
Possible brakes on water plan cheered
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: September 26, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Two environmentalists are relieved that a project to store Colorado River water underground near Cadiz Dry Lake met financial obstacles that could delay or curtail the plan.
The two activists accused Los Angeles officials of stealing water from other regions and claimed the Cadiz project would destroy the rugged but fragile habitat of the vast east Mojave Desert. Peter Burk, who was the driving force behind establishing the Mojave National Preserve, lives in Barstow about 80 miles
Employers Seek Talent
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: September 23, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
The High Desert is moving toward a more self-contained economy.
A record 1,500 job seekers attended a recent High Desert employment fair, but unlike most fairs, where entry-level positions make up almost all the offerings, many of the employers were trying to attract employees with high skill levels and were offering high wages to get them. Some of the job seekers who attended the county's Jobs and Employment Services Fair at Victor Valley Community College walked out
Railroad crossing targeted to close
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: September 22, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
SUMMIT VALLEY - Summit Valley residents who use a private road to cross railroad tracks near their homes are upset because soon it will be closed forever, adding 20 minutes to some commutes and decreasing property values.
The state Public Utilities Commission ruled recently that Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Co. had the right to close the railroad crossing, dubbed Post Office Road or Summit Truck Trail. Company officials plan to close it soon. "The crossing
Stilled water running deep
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: September 19, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
As thirsty Southern California communities continue to grow, water reclamation projects have been stalled by a lack of funding, government bureaucracy and public perception, some water officials say.
More than 50 such projects statewide, including six in San Bernardino County, are in a holding pattern. In the Big Bear Lake area, two wastewater reclamation projects are on hold while riparian areas become endangered because of drought and overdraft. Meanwhile, 2,230 acre-feet
Fallout from 9-11 aids local airports Tighter passenger jet security likely to hike air cargo activity
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: July 20, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Plans to reduce the amount of freight carried in passenger jets to lower the risk of bombs being smuggled on board bodes well for regional airports seeking more air cargo business.
Operators and developers of the county's three world-class airports are promoting the advantages of specialized security, less ground congestion and open air space.
Recent developments include:
Officials at Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville have committed to a
Airport welcomes its first cargo flight in eight months
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: July 19, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
After enduring an industry-wide crisis ignited by a stagnant economy and fanned by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Southern California Logistics Airport has received its first air cargo flight in eight months.
Another is expected Monday at the Victorville landing field.
A China-based MK Airlines 747-200 jet delivered 11 tons of electronics and clothing after being turned away from Los Angeles and Ontario International airports due to congestion Thursday, Victorville officials
Roy Rogers museum move due to money
Author: VINCE LOVATO
Date: July 15, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
VICTORVILLE
The city and chamber of commerce here were inundated with inquiries from fans and the media Monday regarding the move of the Roy-Rogers-Dale Evans Museum to Branson, Mo.
Roy "Dusty'Rogers Jr. confirmed Monday the artifacts in the museum would hit the trail in spring 2003 to a new museum and theater in the Midwest tourist city that draws more than 8 million visitors annually.
The Rogers'7,000-square-foot estate on the Apple
Don't count on new power plants, developers warn Construction plans getting shaky, some industry officials are saying
Author: VINCE LOVATO
Date: July 14, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Power plant developers are warning that county residents could soon be left sitting in hot darkness because of a shaky economy and unclear state regulations.
Plans to build new power plants in underpowered California, including two in San Bernardino County, have slowed. The $450 million, 750-megawatt High Desert Power Project is still under construction at Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville. It is expected to go online by July 1, but plans to build a second 750-megawatt
Answers sought on alleged price fixing
Author: VINCE LOVATO
Date: July 14, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Two High Desert assemblymen want an explanation from federal regulators of why a 2-year-old complaint about alleged natural gas price-fixing hasn't been answered.
In April 2000, months before the energy crisis began and which now appears to be rebounding, the California Public Utilities Commission filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission accusing El Paso Natural Gas Co. of a price-fixing scheme.
El Paso provides gas to Southwest Gas Co., which has
Officials get word: Late cowboy star's museum will close
Author: VINCE LOVATO
Date: July 13, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
The Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum, which has attracted thousands of visitors to its Victorville site next to Interstate 15 for 26 years, is closing and the exhibits will be moved to Branson, Mo., city officials said Saturday.
The news comes after years of speculation that the museum would move because attendance fell off drastically after Rogers died in 1998 at the age of 86.
For many years, visitors could greet the cowboy star in the museum.
Rogers and Evans, the down-home
try something like "Hulk means green for HD"'Hulk'brings green to HD 3 or 4 deck
Author: VINCE LOVATO
Date: May 19, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
VICTORVILLE
Universal Pictures will pump more than $1 million into the local economy when it films scenes for the feature film "The Hulk'on closed sets under high security at Southern California Logistics Airport this week.
Universal will pay the airport authority $51,000 to lease buildings near the former George Air Force Base hospital for four days of shooting, city spokeswoman Yvonne Hester said.
In addition she said, the movie maker'
City deals to bring 260 jobs Projects for aerospace giant and L.A. furniture manufacturer are approved
Author: VINCE LOVATO
Date: May 18, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
The Victorville City Council recently approved two unrelated projects that will create 260 local jobs and generate $870,000 annually for the city Redevelopment Agency.
The city will purchase up to 320 acres adjacent to the north-south runway at Southern California Logistics Airport, where international aerospace giant Pratt &Whitney can store, maintain and repair up to 400 aircraft, City Manager Jon Roberts said.
In another job-creating development, a Los Angeles
STEERING TOWARD FAIR A new breed of horseman rides high at yearly cattle drive
Author: VINCE LOVATO
Date: May 18, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
The speckled gray Arabian horse dropped his ears at his trainer's command and powerfully galloped up a steep, sandy, 15-foot embankment on the side of the dry Mojave River.
The rider, who wore a black cowboy hat and a belt buckle the size of a dessert plate, pulled Mickey to a quick stop at the top of the hill with equal power and grace.
"Without my trainer, I wouldn't be here, and Mickey wouldn't either,'observed
City lines up signs at the fair
Author: VINCE LOVATO
Date: May 17, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Sign, sign everywhere a sign.
The popular rebel song from the 1960s could serve as the motto for Victorville's unique store set up at the San Bernardino County Fair.
The city used to take old, worn-out and broken signs to a recycler.
Since the mid 1990s, the city found a way to sell people authentic keepsakes and make back a few dollars for the new signs.
The city sponsors a booth at the fair every year, and employees volunteer to help sell the retired
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| Residents plead for store March on Adelanto City Hall provides people exercise in civic involvement | ||
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| HANDLED WITH CARE Fair features creatures from young farmers | ||
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| Woman has 101 reasons to celebrate on Mother's Day Great-grandmother's birthday falls this year on day for moms | ||
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| Emissions plan would hurt commuters, lawmaker says | ||
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SACRED AND PROFANE Ex-cleric: County once a priestly dumping ground
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: August 31, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
San Bernardino County was used as a dumping ground for pedophile priests when it was part of the San Diego Diocese, a disaffected priest said.
Desmond Ditchfield says he knows of at least four priests who were reassigned from San Diego to Catholic churches in San Bernardino County who were later convicted of child molestation. At least two others with tainted sexual histories were also assigned to San Bernardino from San Diego, he said. Parishes in Apple Valley, Barstow,
Happy days are here for Adelanto
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: August 29, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Despite a regional recession, questionable internal politics and expensive legal wranglings, the often-contentious little city of Adelanto nearly doubled its population and median income between 1989 and 1999.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Adelanto's population went from just under 10,000 to about 18,000 during the period as the annual adjusted median income jumped from $24,228 to $35,254, putting it on par with other small cities and other rural areas of the
SOOTHING COMMUTING Taking a pass on congestion They use alternate route from High Desert to jobs elsewhere
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: August 28, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
To get to work every day, Christopher Henry Lister Sr. uses almost every modern form of locomotion and one primitive car, bus, train, subway and his own two feet.
A physician's assistant, Lister, 40, leaves his Apple Valley home at 6:30 a.m. with his wife, who drives him to a bus depot in nearby Victorville. From there, a commuter bus takes him to the Metrolink Station in San Bernardino, where he boards a train that takes him to Union Station in Los Angeles. From there,
Work to begin in January on youth center
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: August 26, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
HESPERIA Construction of a $5 million juvenile assessment and placement center in Hesperia is scheduled to begin in January, said an official of the company that will build and operate the center.
Once completed in 2003, the 66,000-square-foot center will employ 150 people with an estimated annual payroll of $5 million, said 1st District county Supervisor Bill Postmus. VisionQuest International, the Arizona-based firm that will run the center, operates juvenile placement centers in
MORE INFORMATION The San Gabriel Valley Paranormal Researchers Web site address is home.pacbell.net/cr_angel/INDEX.TSGVPR.html. The phone number for the High Desert Center for the Arts is (760) 243-7493. Spooky scrutiny Paranormal researchers, ps
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: August 24, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Virginia Marco sees dead people almost everywhere.
On Halloween, the psychic will try to see some at the High Desert Center for the Arts in Victorville. Local legend says a benevolent spirit haunts the site of the former USO and community center. The spirit reportedly was aroused about two years ago when the city and the High Desert Cultural Arts Foundation renovated the building at Eighth and C Streets in Old Town. Several people working on the project said they
Homicide rate in Victor Valley soars in August
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: August 24, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
When a body was discovered Friday east of Apple Valley, it brought the the number of Victor Valley body homicide cases to seven in August. Typically, the High Desert averages a dozen homicides a year, but officials are not ready to push the panic button.
A body was found at 11 a.m. on Laguna Seca Road near Highway 18 and after a brief investigation, homicide detectives were called to the scene, sheriff's spokeswoman Robin Hynal said. Hynal said the victim was an adult
Hesperia's land annexation stalls Water, mine issues cited by residents concerned about takeover of rural area
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: August 22, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
HESPERIA Summit Valley property owners, who fear dropping well levels and construction of a rock quarry, lodged a last-minute, formal protest against Hesperia's annexation of 1,111 acres in the pristine, rural area between the Cajon Pass and Silverwood Lake.
Although the protest will prolong the 11-year annexation process of the land from San Bernardino County to Hesperia at least another month, city and county officials seemed sure it would be approved. The Local
Desert salon owner gives royal treatment
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: August 22, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Angel was in for her regular beauty treatment: shampoo, hair trim, pedicure, bath and a gentle massage behind the ears. Bath? Ears?
It is not unusual for Julie Sager to accommodate the needs of a dog like Angel, a Pomeranian that fits in her master's hand. Sager owns Groomingdale's pet salon in Apple Valley, where sophisticated dogs put on the ritz. The salon's regulars include a pair of bichon frise show dogs, cultivated cats and an
Utility told to refund customers in county Southwest Gas told to hand out rebates PUC orders Southwest Gas to pay $3.1 million in rebates
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: August 22, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Southwest Gas customers in San Bernardino County will soon receive $3.1
million in total refunds as ordered by the state Public Utilities Commission on Thursday. But a High Desert activist warns customers not to go on shopping sprees. The average refund will be about $26 for each of the utility's 105,000 customers in the areas of Barstow, Big Bear Lake, Needles and the Victor Valley. "It's probably more of a token type of thing
High Desert airport suffers blow
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: August 21, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
With the announcement Wednesday that BAE Systems-Victorville will close its operation at Southern California Logistics Airport, Victorville officials are talking with aircraft maintenance companies to fill the void.
A month after announcing a marketing plan designed to attract high-profile commercial clients, the international aerospace giant announced it was closing operations, Victorville officials said. Based in London, BAE will lay off 24 of the 28 full-time employees in
High Desert commuters in lap of luxury
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: August 20, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
It may feel like a ritzy business jet with reclining seats, electric plugs for laptop computers or music players and even bathrooms.
But it's the Victor Valley Commuter bus service, operated by the Victor Valley Transit Authority, and its customers get to be pampered on their daily trek to work. "If you're going to get someone out of their SUV, you have to offer them a comfortable ride,'commuter manager Kevin Kane said.
SKATER TURNS HOBBY INTO WEEKEND JOB TWO UPPERCASE DECKS
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: August 19, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
HESPERIA Flipping burgers or selling underwear just didn't sound that appealing to Perris Bird.
So Perris, 14, of Hesperia, figured he might as well mix his hobby with his first job. He works at what is perhaps the High Deserpopular skateboard store, Pharmacy Board Shop on Bear Valley Road. Perris began hanging around the store, getting to know the employees and the business after he moved near the shop two years ago. "I used to help out, and
History haunts abortion clinic in Victorville
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: August 17, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
In 1996, a Barstow woman bled to death after a botched abortion.
In 1998, a Victorville woman had her uterus and bowel perforated during an abortion. According to California Medical Board records, both abortions were performed at clinics owned by Dr. Joseph Durante, who has opened an abortion clinic in Old Town Victorville. The Old Town clinic draws weekly protests, but it is properly zoned, so there's nothing the city can do about it. Durante, 73, of
HIGHWAY HOPEFUL Paralyzed teen-age athlete looks has driving ambition
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: August 16, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Matt Oemig recently earned his first driver's license and is saving up to buy a car.
But both mean a lot more to Matt than to most teens, said his mother, Cynthia Oemig-Langley. "Those cars are his legs,'she said. "He hasn't had a lot of freedom since the accident.' In 1999, Matt used his legs to get around and they worked wonderfully. As an athletic 14-year-old on the Granite Hills High School
Mold plagues family in Phelan once again
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: August 15, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
It seems like deja vu, but it's more like a recurring nightmare for James and Tammy Thompson.
In May, the Phelan couple filed a $1.1 million lawsuit claiming employees for the insurance and construction companies doing storm repair on their manufactured home caused toxic mold to grow, making the family sick, and used a banned herbicide to get rid of the mold. After living with their two daughters in hotel rooms and a recreational vehicle for about 10 months, the
Former employee claims he was dismissed because he is Filipino
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: August 13, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
A Victorville man of Filipino descent has filed suit against American Medical Response, his former employer and the county's largest provider of ambulance service, claiming racial discrimination and unlawful termination.
Sam Mateo, 41, claims that after 13 years with the company and maintaining a spotless record, he was fired in November for something his partner did. The person responsible, he alleges, is white and was not disciplined. Victorville attorney Leland
Customers pan pending hike
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: August 12, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
HESPERIA Southwest Gas Corp. customers were critical of the company's petition to raise rates just weeks after it was ordered to pay rebates of up to $5.7 million to customers whose rates soared as much as seven times higher than the rest of the nation in the winter of 2000-01.
The state Public Utilities Commission held its first rate increase hearing Monday in Hesperia City Council Chambers and will hold another at 7 p.m. tonight at the Big Bear Lake Performing Arts Center in
MORE INFO The state Department of Health Services Web address is www.dhs.ca.gov Funding lack stalls action on molds Experts say good housekeeping still best way to protect health 2 deck
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: August 11, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
Despite legislation intended to protect citizens from potentially toxic mold, help may be a long way off for many who believe airborne spores are making them ill.
And despite the lack of scientific evidence as to how or if molds can cause illnesses, most experts agree the best advice for protecting a home against the fungus may come from Martha Stewart. The best defense against the often greenish-black fuzz is to follow simple home-cleaning practices and keep things relatively dry,
Postmus: Desert immune to crisis Budget impasse not seen as economic blow
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: August 10, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
VICTORVILLE
First District county Supervisor Bill Postmus says he believes the bright economic outlook for the High Desert will continue despite the state budget crisis. He offered numbers to back up that view during an address to hundreds at a Victorville Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting Wednesday. While the average home value is at an all-time high of $157,800 in the High Desert, it is still $28,200 less than the average of $187,000 in the rest of San Bernardino
Another feather in airport cap GE Aircraft Engines breaks ground in desert
Author: VINCE LOVATO, Staff Writer
Date: August 9, 2002
Publication: Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA)
VICTORVILLE
Minutes after dignitaries broke ground for the $15 million GE Aircraft Engines test facility Friday at Southern California Logistics Airport, an MK Airlines jumbo jet from China landed nearby with 130 tons of cargo. While cargo was unloaded from the jet, airport officials talked about making deals with airfreight heavyweights like FedEx and UPS. As dignitaries exchanged greetings in the airport's multimedia theater, airport officials
L.A. Co. Sheriff exceeds overtime budget by 104 percent.
From the Antelope Valley Press PALMDALE - Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officials are re-evaluating its overtime budget after county auditors found the department had exceeded its overtime budget by 104%, or approximately $82.5 million, over the past five years.
Job scams hitting job boards across the U.S.
By Vince Lovato
All Tom wanted was a job.
So he applied for a job with a marketing company that claimed to have Fortune 500 clients and needed trainees to learn how to perform “event marketing” with the chance to make huge commission-based salaries and meet NASCAR dignitaries.
Instead he was drug off with several other potential employees to set-up a card table in front of a shopping center for six hours to sell $50 worth of car wax.
He was paid nothing.
Unfortunately for many desperate job seekers, his story is becoming prevalent across the country.
Jab scams galore
Stories like Tom’s are spangling the Internet on sites like www.ripoffreport.com and they all sound strangely familiar.
And they all say similar things about the pyramid schemes: It’s not illegal, but they are unethical, causing many to raise their expectations only to get them snuffed while wasting a lot of time.
These jobs crop up on Internet job boards by the handful and contain a nugget paragraph similar to this one on Careerbuilder.com:
Tri-Universal OPPORTUNITIES:
We are rapidly expanding! We are currently welcoming individuals with little or no marketing or promotions experience to join our company. We have exciting positions for anyone who wants to get his or her "foot-in-the-door" in the world of business and have excellent "ground floor" positions for individuals who want to grow quickly to a position of GENERAL MANAGEMENT. Qualified candidates will be trained in the areas of: Promotional Sales, Market Research and Campaign Management.
They also contain links to slick, convincing-yet-vague Web sites like www.triuniversalinc.com.
There are countless Web sites and ads around the country but most of the subsidiaries lead back to www.quantum-usa.net.
The folks at the top of the pyramid, just like Amway and Avon gurus, say that workers get as much out of the programs as they put in and that anyone making a lot of money puts in many years and long hours to earn it.
The applicants just say they wish the ads for jobs were a lot clearer.
Dump the job boards
In fact, The New Job Search author Molly Wendell writes that Internet job boards are a waste of time. She was unemployed for more than two years as she posted her impressive resume on every job board she could find to no avail.
After changing her tactics, and leaving the job boards behind, she claims to have secured 60 interviews and 30 job offers in 90 days.
Supervisors renew alien screening deal
SAN BERNARDINO • San Bernardino County will continue to partner with the federal immigration authorities to identify illegal immigrants booked into county jails on criminal charges so they can be deported after serving their sentences. See the whole story here: http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/-15447--.html
Thank God these people understand the strain illegal immigrants place on our social welfare system, health care system, education system, court system and who knows what else?
This is a simple fact that liberals should embrace: There would be a lot more left for the rest of us -- including natives who are using our social systems -- if we could just control our immigration problem.
Want more benefits for unemployment, disability, and other social services? Control immigration. Want better health care especially in emergency rooms and urgent care centers? Control immigration. Want smaller class sizes and fewer costly second-language programs? Control immigration. Want to free up police, courtrooms and jails? Control immigration.
I'm against annexation,
West Ranch should be, too
The Santa Clarita Valley Signal's editorial board suggests folks on the west side of Valencia vote to be annaxed into the city of Santa Clarita.
Not me. Since the start of the nation, government has become larger and had a greater affect on the lives of private citizens. If we have to have some government -- it is a neccessary evil -- then it should be as small as possible and its elected officials ought to live as close to their constituents as possible.
Government always reverts to a one-size-fits-all mentally that drives rural-loving people like me crazy.
I say, you keep your tax money and political beliefs and we'll keep ours.
As I've said before but should re-state: I believe the state and counties are ungovernable simply because they are too large. For years I have advocated splitting California into three or four states. San Francisco and the greater Bay Area should be its own state, just as the greater Los Angeles area should be. Everything north of the Bay Area, which is huge part of the state geographically, should be its own state as well. That leaves San Diego County and the central valleys and deserts who could all become a state.
This way, instead of fighting over such things as gay marriage, medical marijuana and water rights, people with similar interests and political beliefs can live in the same state and govern themselves with a lot less friction.
So if you want gay marriage, go the the governor of the Bay Area State and get one (Like it or not.) You want some kind of universal health care, go to a state that has a plan and enjoy yourself. Gambling? Why does the State of Inland California allow so many urbanites to drive through so they can drop their money on Nevada gaming tables when we've got plenty of wide-open land and cheap labor and could use the gaming revenues, infrastructure and jobs.
The list could go on forever.
Same with the feds. If Obama and Congress didnt shove things down our throats, we wouldn' have so many heated political squabbles.
See, the Mormons got it right.
They moved their persecuted selves out to what became Utah and created a state of their own where they share similar beliefs and lifestyles. I've been to Utah and surrounding states and to this day the religious and politically conservative lifestyle dominates the area.
If you don't like the Utah politics, don't live there. You can move into Bay Area State or Los Angeles State and you can make fun of the Mormons all you want.
As I've said before but can't restate it enough, I'm all for personal freedom as long as it doesn't cost me any money. You want an abortion? Go to a state that allows that. You want the death penalty? Move where they hang 'em high. You want to smog your car? Bay Area`state is the place to be. You want to go hunting and to church? Welcome to Inland California State.
That probably won't happen because the liberals like their electoral college votes, union lobbies and tree huggers.
But why not split the counties?
The north parts of Los Angeles and San Benardino counties just don't have anything in common with the south parts. And it's the same issue we have with the feds and the state: The one-size-fits-all means a lot of political wrangling and great compromise my one set of people or another.
It sucks and it doesn't work.
As for these two counties, everything on and north of the mountain ranges should be cut away from everything in the basins. The North Los Angeles County and North San Bernardino County where more rural and conservative people live, would govern themselves far better than the urban liberals south of the mountains.
Of course, none of this will happen because liberal spenders love to tax fiscal conservatives and take away their freedom.
GLENDALE NEWS-PRESS
Dreamworks looking for holiday cheer after profits drop
(November 12, 2005)
GLENDALE -- Wallace and Gromit took care of the were-rabbit but the film's producers probably wish more film-goers bothered to watch. Third quarter revenues for Glendale-based DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. ending Sept. 30, totaled $87.1 million resulting in a net loss of about $656,000 or one cent per share, the company announced Thursday. That pales in comparison to the same period in 2004 when the company posted revenues of $241.3 million and a net income of $20.3 million, or 26 cents per share.
Armenians may gain Senate power
GLENDALE A bipartisan group of legislators formed the Assembly Armenian American Legislative Caucus on Monday, which they hope will support and create legislation that benefits the state's 700,000 Armenian Americans. Co-founders Dario Frommer, a De...
3.0K - Aug. 16, 2006; scored 1000.0
Students praised by state schools chief
GLENDALE State Department of Education Supt. Jack O'Connell praised Glendale schools Tuesday for improving the standardized test scores of Latino students more than similar districts in the rest of the state. O'Connell gave advice and high-fives to...
4.7K - Aug. 16, 2006; scored 1000.0
Program puts her to work
GLENDALE When Wavy Jackson moved to Glendale three years ago with her teenage daughter to escape a bad relationship, she had very few prospects. She needed a car, a place to live and a job. We had absolutely nothing, Jackson said. We were on [wel...
3.7K - Aug. 15, 2006; scored 1000.0
Boards uneasy as bill passes
GLENDALE Educators and politicians alike are watching the movement of a controversial bill passed in the Assembly on Tuesday that would, if signed by the governor, give the mayor of Los Angeles partial control of the Los Angeles Unified School Dist...
4.9K - Aug. 30, 2006; scored 1000.0
New foundation head takes charge
Olive Magee Warner immigrated to the United States from Northern Ireland in 1960 to take advantage of the opportunities America offered. The Glendale attorney has been trying to give something back to the community ever since, she said. She hopes thi...
3.2K - Sep. 13, 2006; scored 249.0
District has a deal for city
LA CA ADA FLINTRIDGE School officials want to team-up with the city on an estimated $2-million project. But city officials don't even know about the proposal yet. The board supported a recommendation Tuesday from the Palm Drive Property Review Comm...
3.4K - Sep. 13, 2006; scored 249.0
Six decades of friendship
It started as a church social group for young single people. But after more than 60 years, the members of the De La Salle Youth Group of Holy Family Catholic Church still find ways to meet. Originally founded during World War II, members of the group...
2.4K - Sep. 11, 2006; scored 249.0
Festival is a showcase for cars and good cause
Don Zabel sat in the shade talking to several other entrants Saturday during the fifth annual Foothill Festival of Cars Saturday at First Baptist Church at La Crescenta. His 1948 Ford pickup with a wood-slatted bed sat gleaming just a few yards away ...
2.5K - Sep. 11, 2006; scored 249.0
BACK FROM THE SUMMIT
Nine members of Glendale High School's Junior 8 team, which represented the United States at the Group of Eight Summit in Russia in July, shared their experiences with elected officials, dignitaries and fellow students Wednesday during an assembly at...
1.3K - Sep. 7, 2006; scored 249.0
Getting a look at college
Dozens of new Glendale Community College students milled about or clung to the shade in the El Vaquero Plaza area Tuesday eating free hot dogs and talking about schedules, the lack of parking and the heat. They were taking advantage of the college's ...
2.5K - Sep. 6, 2006; scored 249.0
Teachers work on thriving
Palm Crest Elementary School's 30 teachers were cruising on the sea of eternal summers on Friday when a storm blew in and their ship started to sink. As their ship started to sink, they had to decide what items they could take onto a lifeboat to su...
2.4K - Sep. 2, 2006; scored 249.0
City brings truckload of fun
GLENDALE Three elementary-school girls chased recreation leader Vardges Grigoryan, trying to douse him with cupfuls of water. When their zeal caused them to miss, he retaliated with polite but accurate counter splashes. Grigoryan, 18, was supervisi...
2.8K - Aug. 31, 2006; scored 249.0
Fighting for human rights
A La Crescenta girl is at the United Nations today in an attempt to teach people around the world about the struggle for human rights. Nicole Almeida, 17, is helping to organize a workshop today on the heels of the two-day Making Human Rights a Glob...
3.6K - Aug. 27, 2006; scored 249.0
Fighting for human rights
A La Crescenta girl is at the United Nations today in an attempt to teach people around the world about the struggle for human rights. Nicole Almeida, 17, is helping to organize a workshop today on the heels of the two-day "Making Human Rights a Glob...
0.4K - Aug. 26, 2006; scored 249.0
'GETTING TO KNOW NATURE'
Glendale resident and Stanford University student Nicole Bonoff, 20, just returned from a two-week expedition to South Africa where she studied brown hyenas then spent four days in Washington, D.C., at the Nissan-World Wildlife Fund Environmental Lea...
0.8K - Aug. 26, 2006; scored 249.0
L.A. History is shown in photos
It's a century of history told through the art of photography. Forest Lawn Museum officials are hosting the Icons of L.A. exhibit to celebrate the histories of the Los Angeles basin and Forest Lawn cemetery, which was established in Glendale in 190...
2.5K - Aug. 25, 2006; scored 249.0
Principal soars to administrator's award
GLENDALE Eagles are leaders who can help others soar. That's why national Lutheran Church leaders awarded Zion Lutheran School Principal Donna Lucas a Flock of Eagles Award for being one of the nation's top 23 urban Lutheran school administrators...
3.1K - Aug. 25, 2006; scored 249.0
Board postpones test-return vote
LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE School officials want to make sure teachers are using tests as teaching tools by giving students and parents have enough time to review graded tests. But La Ca ada Unified School District board members postponed a vote on the d...
3.1K - Aug. 23, 2006; scored 249.0
Camp builds fun, respect
A handful of 13- and 14-year-olds teased and laughed with one another as they sat under the heavy shade of mature trees Monday at Verdugo Park. They were blowing off steam from their morning Counselor-In-Training session, a 3-year-old city-sponsored ...
2.4K - Aug. 22, 2006; scored 249.0
High schoolers visit Stanford
A group of 14 Glendale High School students have already been to college. Associated Student Body members took a 12-hour train ride up the scenic coast to attend a California Assn. of Student Councils leadership conference at Stanford University, the...
2.5K - Aug. 17, 2006; scored 249.0
An occasion to show off the city's best
Lorie Osborn tapped her foot to the beat of the classic rock tune Mustang Sally played by local band Bandana Blue as Assemblyman Dario Frommer sang background vocals while wearing a Hawaiian shirt, jeans and tennis shoes. It was part of the fifth a...
2.5K - Aug. 14, 2006; scored 249.0
More students, lower test scores
LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE More La Ca ada high school students are taking advanced placement tougher classes at La Ca ada High School, but their standardized state test scores are down slightly in math and science, according to state test results. School...
3.6K - Aug. 12, 2006; scored 249.0
District finds budget surplus
LA CA ADA FLINTRIDGE When school officials closed the books on last year s budget they found an extra $900,000 they didn t know they had. La Ca ada Unified School District officials are calling for a review of prior budgets after discovering the ne...
3.1K - Aug. 11, 2006; scored 249.0
District ponders overspending
LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE School board members will tackle the district s four-year trend of overspending Tuesday when they are asked to approve its $32-million 2006-07 budget, officials said. The La Ca ada Unified School District has spent about $400,0...
3.3K - Aug. 10, 2006; scored 249.0
Class gets hands dirty
Sometimes teaching is a dirty job. But Mary Landau likes it that way. And her R.D. White Elementary School students have proven her teaching methods are effective, winning accolades and blue ribbons for their agricultural crafts and projects over the...
2.3K - Aug. 10, 2006; scored 249.0
District ponders overspending
LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE School board members will tackle the district s four-year trend of overspending Tuesday when they are asked to approve its $32-million 2006-07 budget, officials said. The La Ca ada Unified School District has spent abo...
3.3K - Aug. 5, 2006; scored 249.0
Class gets hands dirty
Sometimes teaching is a dirty job. But Mary Landau likes it that way. And her R.D. White Elementary School students have proven her teaching methods are effective, winning accolades and blue ribbons for their agricultural crafts and projects over the...
2.2K - Aug. 5, 2006; scored 249.0
Camp Fox gets chance to survive
GLENDALE Camp Fox supporters can start raising the $2 million needed to fix the infrastructure and save the Glendale YMCA's lease of the campsite on Catalina Island now that the YMCA and the Catalina Island Conservancy have reached an agre...
3.8K - Jul. 22, 2006; scored 249.0
Back to kindergarten
They were inspired eight years ago. This summer, 14-year-olds Hripsime Bagdasaryan and Natalie Pembedjian hope to do the inspiring. The two were White Elementary School first-graders who benefited when older students volunteered to help teach in thei...
3.1K - Aug. 3, 2006; scored 249.0
Student works for fashion and famine
She loves fashion, but hates famine. And Rosetta Ragusa us doing something about both. The 16-year-old wrote an interview that is coming out in Seventeen magazine next month, and founded a student club that has raised $5,000 for Uganda relie...
3.4K - Aug. 3, 2006; scored 249.0
It's Cell Phone Girl
Who wants to be a superhero? Cell Phone Girl does. Whether she's scanning an area with her built-in camera or downloading information from the Internet directly to her brain, Cell Phone Girl also known as Chelsea Weld wants to show her superpower...
4.7K - Aug. 2, 2006; scored 249.0
Scammer gets probation time
GLENDALE A 22-year-old Glendale woman was sentenced to six months in a halfway house and community service Monday for posing as an American Red Cross volunteer and pocketing money under the guise of helping Hurricane Katrina victims, wire reports s...
1.9K - Aug. 1, 2006; scored 249.0
Anti-violence grant on tap for campuses
GLENDALE School officials will use a $1-million grant from the state Attorney General's office to develop anti-violence programs at Crescenta Valley and Hoover high schools over the next five years. The district will use the money to hire ...
3.6K - Jul. 29, 2006; scored 249.0
Competitive spirits
High above the din of the freeway, a group of eight boys worked through athletic drills on a softball field at the Glendale Sports Complex on Friday. Racing side by side they kicked soccer balls while weaving between cones, then picked up a football ...
2.6K - Jul. 29, 2006; scored 249.0
Class sign-up made easy
GLENDALE There were no long lines and no sweltering heat. But there was a chance to win $200. Glendale Community College officials and volunteers hosted a one-step registration day for June 2006 high-school graduates Thursday in an attempt...
2.6K - Jul. 28, 2006; scored 249.0
District may withhold rest of payment from builder
GLENDALE School officials passed an emergency resolution Tuesday giving them the right to withhold money from a contractor in hopes of prodding him to finish the modernization of Glenoaks Elementary School before school starts in less than six week...
2.7K - Jul. 28, 2006; scored 249.0
Getting the feel for art
A nude model sat in classic repose, surrounded by seven student sculptors Wednesday in a studio at Brand Park. On pedestals in front of each student were pieces of clay in various forms of completion all looking much like the model who did an amazing...
2.6K - Jul. 27, 2006; scored 249.0
School district gets funding to update libraries
GLENDALE When it comes to fiction, old books are often considered classics; but when it comes to science and technology, they are just outdated. Glendale Unified School District officials announced Wednesday that they received nearly $300,...
2.3K - Jul. 27, 2006; scored 249.0
Camp Fox gets chance to survive
GLENDALE Camp Fox supporters can start raising the $2 million needed to fix the infrastructure and save the Glendale YMCA's lease of the campsite on Catalina Island now that the YMCA and the Catalina Island Conservancy have reached an agre...
3.8K - Jul. 25, 2006; scored 249.0
Schools are wrestling with budget guidelines
GLENDALE Glendale Unified School District officials get to spend more money this year, but they don't know how they can spend it. The district will receive millions of additional funds thanks to a robust state budget that went into effect June 30. 2.9K - Jul. 25, 2006; scored 249.0
Fowl play to get blame in power outage, say officials
GLENDALE A crow flew into high-tension power lines Wednesday, shorting out power to an estimated 13,000 Glendale Water and Power customers for about 45 minutes, followed by another outage that affected 1,300 customers, officials said. Glendale Wate...
2.6K - Aug. 3, 2006; scored 249.0
POB 721514
Pinon Hills, CA 92372
ph: 760-701-2237
alt: 760-713-4754
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