Rialto Middle School Holds Annual Career Day

06 Mar 2019 Leave a comment

On Wednesday February 27th Rialto Middle School held their annual career day where fifty three different presenters came out to expose the students to a wide variety of potential careers. Many were your traditional careers like law enforcement, teaching and the medical field. Yet there were many presenters that were from career fields we may not think of when we are preparing kids for their future!

One presenter was John Merchant a local voice actor, professional beat boxer and a radio DJ personality. John Merchant showed off his latest project he worked on was the Missy Elliot Project where musician Christina Hall pays homage to one of the most influential female rappers of the 20th century. John also spoke to the kids about how to be successful in life with something you are passionate about. John Merchant didn’t talk at the students he spoke with them.

We came to this interview unprepared because we thought that Kenny Landreaux just worked for the Dodgers organization in the front office. We were not aware that he played professional baseball. Kenny came to speak to the filed of being a professional athlete and working in other facets in the professional sports arena. It was pretty cool to see that Rialto Middle School had him out to speak to the kids.

We wanted to see Mike Kindrich’s presentation just because of our knowledge of what his employer Mercy Air does. Mercy Air operates private air ambulance service helping get critically injured people to a care facility as quickly and safely as possible. When we found out Mike was a helicopter mechanic that was even better. Mike spoke to his body of work and the many different opportunities that existed in the field he worked in. Mike is a A&P Mechanic this A&P license has given Mike the ability to work as a civilian for the army, a ride mechanic for Disneyland and now a Mechanic for Mercy Air.

One thing that was clear at this career day was that the staff were invested in seeing the students succeed now in school and in the future. This career day event was inventive, exciting and totally an out of the norm type of event for a public school. This event was something you normally see in a private school not a public school setting. I was honored to be able to get a chance to attend and cover this event.

Big thank you has to go out to Mr Rod Campbell who invited us to this event, the principal who was so welcoming, school counselors for going the extra mile and the school security staff that always had a smile each time we saw them on campus!

 

Video by rialto-now

Rialto Unified Head Football Coach Resigns

16 Feb 2019 1 Comment

Only in Rialto can you have a Head Coach of a popular local football program treated poorly and tossed aside.

Normally when coaches are forced out it has to do with poor performance from an amazing team or issues with parents & players. In Rialto we seem to mess things up in a very special way! Three years into his time at Eisenhower High School Head Coach Al Brown has resigned his position with the Football program in Rialto. This news comes on the heels of the Eisenhower Eagles return to greatness with a Division CIF Title the first one in 20 years and a very close second in the State Semi Finals against a very powerful Fontana Kaiser Cats football team.

Things all changed with the removal of Eisenhower High School Principal Scott Sparks who brought on coach Brown three years ago in an effort to return the football program to its former greatness. Coach Brown worked hard for two years under the support of Principal Scott Sparks to build a program that brought Eisenhower to its former glory but more importantly created amazing student athletes that are pillars in the community. The goal was to grow young student athletes that would continue to make Rialto proud.

Coach Brown not only raised up some amazing student athletes but he brought a CIF championship back to the Ronnie Lott stadium! Being close to Coach Brown and some of his prior players (now playing college football) this season was tough on Coach Brown. It was tough because the CTE (career Technical Education) class Life Management was not offered to Coach brown this year as new Principal Frank Camacho took over for the departing Scott Sparks. So in order to feed his family and remain available to coach Eisenhower’s Varsity team this year Coach Brown was forced to take substitute jobs. Working as a substitute offers no job security or medical benefits, also coach Brown had to be prepared for a different teaching situation each day. This fact alone made his CIF season even more amazing given what the coach was dealing with this season.

One constant face at Eisenhower High Football games was former Principal Scott Sparks. The former leader of Eisenhower High and a childhood friend of new Eisenhower High Principal Frank Camacho was at as many of Eisenhower’s games. Scott Sparks watched what he started blossom into a season and record that Eisenhower Alumni could brag about!

According to Coach Brown he was told that he would have a teaching contract this week solidifying his place with the Football team. When the deadline to offer this contract came and went coach Brown had no choice but to resign. Eisenhower High School staff have not been happy this year talking about how much life at the school has changed in just one year. Many people close to what Coach Brown was going through this school year hoped that the CIF season would be enough to prove to Eisenhower Administration that Coach Brown was a vital piece to the positive school culture at Eisenhower.

This writer is left wondering what is going on at District Office and what does Dr Avila and the School Board think this latest problem will do to moral and the culture at Eisenhower? According to Syeda Jafri the Communications Director from Rialto Unified “the district has not received a formal resignation from coach Brown, so it would be difficult to comment further on this matter”. Since posting this story it has come to light that the team is still waiting for the end of the year banquet. We have heard from sources that the school district is waiting for the CIF rings to come in so that they can be presented at the banquet. The rings can take 6 weeks to be ready.

One thing that we learned about this year was how difficult it is for schools in low income communities to get their rings. Kaiser High in Fontana was gifted a grant at the Inland Valley Classic Football game on January 26th to buy their CIF rings. Eisenhower High Schools rings are being taken care of by District Office. 

Most gut wrenching about this move is the $300k video that Westbound Communications did for San Bernardino on how hard Cajon High School in San Bernardino worked to keep an amazing sports program together. People gave up jobs and changed their lives to keep the coach in place and make it impossible for him to want to leave. One thing that Athletic Director Richard Imbriani says in this video is we teach kids life skills and how we don’t quit on people. Well apparently Rialto has a lot to learn from San Bernardino!

Video by rialto-now

Rialto Las Colinas Residents Breath a Collective Sigh of Relief

21 Nov 2018 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in #CA31st, and the unincorporated communities of Bloomington and Muscoy, Ca, City of Rialto, david phillips, davidsMarketing, Fontana, Public Safety, Rialto, Rialto, Rialto Fire, Rialto Police Department, rialto unified school district, RUSD

On Tuesday night at around 9:30 pm a brush fire broke out in North Rialto where Sierra Ave and the 15 freeway meet. With winds gusting to 45 M.P.H the fire quickly took off and became an instant hazard to Las Colinas residents.

By 11:00 pm the fire had grown to 20 acres and when it was all said and done the fire consumed 140 acres. On the news residents could be seen pouring out of the Las Colinas community. Many people worried about people that they knew living in the Las Colinas area. On ABC 7 news shots of palm trees and backyard fences on fire had people on the edge of their seats as they watched this wind driven fire began to try and jump across Riverside Ave.

The quick work of the San Bernardino County Fire Department, a total of 26 engines, seven hand crews, three bulldozers, Rialto Fire and one sheriff’s department patrol helicopter made quick work of this fire and brought it under full containment in a matter of hours.

Rialto Police Department took to the streets of the area making voluntary evacuation notices and securing the area so fire personnel could easily move about and get the work of fire protection done. Alexis and Jessica Alverez residents of the Las Colinas area said that Police were only evacuating residents that lived North of Alder. Alexis Alvarez said “I remember the last fire we had up here my daughter (Jessica) was little and that one was scary so we had no idea what to think with this fire, were glad the Fire Department worked so fast!”

Another resident was in the evacuation area but had nowhere to go with their pets and stuff so they waited it out to see if things would turn for the worse. Steve a person that works in the utility industry pointed out the charred power poles and still smoldering hot spots being addresed by fire personnel at 11:00 am Wednesday. He said “we were lucky they jumped on this so fast”.

Another worry was for two Elementary Schools and one Middle School in the Las Colinas area. School District Spokeswoman Syeda Jafri said that the schools never had to look at shutting down the following day because “Fire Chief Sean Grayson let her know that all the schools were safe and that the fire would not be affecting the schools or community”. Sydea Jafri did say that the schools were on inclement weather schedule due to the strong smell of smoke in the area.

Eisenhower Rolls Through El Rancho to a CIF Semi Finals Win

21 Nov 2018 Leave a comment

Eisenhower High School has officially broken through and done what many called impossible. In a city of Rialto’s size with three major High Schools all competing for the talented young youth building a High School program that can return to a CIF final wasn’t an easy task, but it has been done.

On Friday November 16th in Pico Rivera Eisenhower entered the El Rancho High School with a passion to win and get a chance at a CIF title ring. El Rancho a much different team than the Chaffey Tigers of the week before from the begining you could tell this game wasn’t going to be a cakewalk. El Rancho had stands full of fans and plenty of fan fair and flair to go with it. El Rancho known for trick plays and onside kicks came to play and in the end Eisenhower was to the task.

Eisenhower as an entire team won this game as it was done with touchdowns and field goals this time around under the perfect foot of female player Taylor Jackson. Yes you heard that right a girl playing Varsity Football in a game that mattered scoring points that were crucial! Another stand out in this game and the person responsible for getting Eisenhower on the board early was #14 Dayveon Benton who turned a high snap over the El Rancho Quartbacks Head into a fumble recovery and touchdown!

Quaterback Ceaser Ayala orchestrated a masterful game where the ground and air attack were both viable options. He went 8-17 for 138 yards and 1 touch down.

Joel Ayala a player chosen to stand among other High School Players last week for the title of So Cal Player of the week carried 12 times for 49 yards. Jordan Goodloe put Eisenhower on his back against El Rancho with 23 carries for 237 yards and 2 touch downs! Jordan Goodloe was getting down and dirty on El Rancho’s old style real grass and dirt field and you could see that on his #11 Jersey.

Eisenhower plays the CIF final game against Highland High School from Palmdale on Saturday November 24th at Eisenhower High School. Both teams come into this game with a 13-0 record this season. This final game will be for the title in Division 10 title. Rialto it is time to come out and fill the stands of the NEW stadium. Come out and support our hometown teams return to greatness!

Tickets are:

$5 for students with an ASB card or children 5-13 years old

$12 for adults and students without an ASB card

Cash and Credit Card accepted!

Video by rialto-now

Rialto Welcomes Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

17 Oct 2018 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in Ana Gonzales, and the unincorporated communities of Bloomington and Muscoy, Ca, City of Rialto, Colton, david phillips, davidsMarketing, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Inland Empire, Josef (Joe) Britt, joseph williams, Rialto, Rialto, San Bernardino, youth

After years of trying Rialto finally has a coffee bean and tea leaf!!!!

This corporate business expansion was supposed to happen along with the In and Out burger but poor planning by developer and the city made that an impossible task. Thankfully the opposite corner from the In and Out was open and with some maneuvering and leveraging by the city the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf found a home.

This location is far from perfect especially with all of the poorly planned traffic controls making it virtually impossible to get in and get out of this corner lot. Don’t get us wrong people love having this coffee chain giant in the city they just wish it wasn’t like playing with a rubix cube trying to get out of there.

The staff are super cool and really liked us making our video (see above).

Community Meeting Scheduled For New Rialto High Density Development

17 Oct 2018 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in Ana Gonzales, City of Rialto, Crime, Currupt, david phillips, davidsMarketing, Deborah Robertson, Inland Empire, Nieghborhood Watch, NLRB, Public Safety, Rafael Trujillo, Rialto, Rialto, Rialto Fire, Rialto Parks, Rialto Police Department, rialto unified school district

If there is one area of the city that has been more neglected in the city of Rialto it is the center section of Rialto on the West side of the city known to those who live there as the Flores Park Community. The name of the community comes from the central location of Flores Park to the communities self created boundaries.

There will be a meeting on October 18th at 6:00 pm at Dollahan Elementary School to discuss a proposal to develop a private residential neighborhood on Foothill Blvd. between Larch and Spruce Avenues.

Christopher Development Group, Inc. proposes to develop a private residential neighborhood with 70 single-family residences and 116 attached townhomes on 15.95 acres. The project site is located on the north side of Foothill Boulevard between Larch Avenue and Spruce Avenue.

On June 27, 2018, the Development Review Committee reviewed the project plans and the applicant will prepare revisions based upon the comments received. The Planning Department asked the developer to return with a select set of changes. Non of these changes were ever made available to the public. Yet that hasn’t stopped the Mayor from already getting in cozy with this Orange County developer positioning herself to receive campaign contributions in exchange for a favorable nood to this project.

Even Councilman Rafael Trujillo who’s mother lives right next to this proposed project refuses to engage with the community about the impacts of this project.

There are rumors that this project will be more dense than other projects in the city. Also some of communities in Rialto that have density issues are rife with crime and have become something Rialto try’s not to talk about. Also a large majority of Rialto’s multi family complexes are full of unchecked crime.

If you live in the area or just care to watch how a MASSIVE rich Orange County Developer will tell Rialto what it is going to do come on out and be a part of the circus!

 

NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott returns to Eisenhower High for stadium dedication.

12 May 2018 Leave a comment

Written by: Yazmin Alvarez

Before he was dubbed “the greatest complete player” in the NFL, Ronnie Lott was a standout athlete on the basketball court and the gridiron at Eisenhower High School.

On Thursday, May 10, the Rialto-raised former proballer was invited back to his high school alma mater for yet another recognition, the dedication of the state-of-the-art Ronnie Lott Stadium.

“Wow, it’s amazing,” Lott said walking into the stadium. I’m extremely humbled.”

Eisenhower High Principal Scott Sparks introduced Lott, “his childhood football hero” to the crowd sitting in the new bleachers, including some of Lott’s former classmates and dozens of dignitaries in attendance.

“This Hall of Famer sat in the same classrooms that you are sitting in today. He went to the same cafeteria that you go through every day. He proved to you that you can come from Rialto and be the best,” Sparks said.

https://www.facebook.com/rialtoflooring/

As part of the dedication ceremony, Lott shared how his former coach at Ike, “Coach Christopher,” made a deep impression on his outlook in life.

He remenediced back to when his coach would play a speech given by General George Patton about how “you have to play to win.”

While Lott has seen success in the NFL playing for the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Raiders and the New York Jets, he still feels he has a lot of work to do.

“I’m still trying to win,” Lott said. “I’m still trying to make sure that each kid has a chance to win. I’m forever indebted to (coach).”

Lott also announced that on behalf on him and his wife, Karen, they would be granting a $1,000 scholarship to the top athlete at Eisenhower starting this year.

“We’ll be doing that every year for as long as I’m alive,” Lott said.

The stadium was approved by the Rialto Unified School District Board of Education after a $98 million school bond passed in 2010. The bond, Measure “Y”, was authorized to acquire, construct, and improve classrooms, and support facilities and increase student access to modern technology, according to RUSD.

The $7.3 million dollar stadium can seat 5,000, 4,000 home and 1,000 visitors, features a ticket sales area, concession stands, restrooms for both home and visitors, synthetic turf and field for year-round use, discus and shotput fields, energy efficient LED stadium lights, a state-of-the-art sound system and wireless scoreboard.

Video by rialto-now

New Art Centered Networking Event Has Come To Rialto

01 Apr 2018 Leave a comment

If you haven’t been downtown lately you may not know that there are some changes going on in our towns center. One of those changes is a new event called Lunch Break. Destiny a local young adult wanted to do something for the art community that did force us to drive out of town and fight traffic.

Lunch Break was created as a way to bring together community in the Inland Empire through arts, music, and love. Too often we have to travel to Los Angeles in order to get away, decompress, and take a BREAK from the everyday routine necessary for keeping our community afloat!

Now we have the space in our own backyards!

Join the OPEN MIC portion with a live band to accompany you!

Leave inspired, refreshed, and connected.

EARLY BIRD $5 tickets (Garunteed admission)

DOOR $10 tickets (Available on a first come, first serve basis, based on capacity maximum)

This event is 21 and over.

For more info go to LunchBreak.Live

Video by rialto-now

Glimmer of Hope in the Midst of Tragedy

09 Mar 2018 1 Comment

Photos by: Horacio Garcia

Follow his work at Instagram.com/horacio_photos

A local photographer captured a bright moment in a horrible situation last Friday as a truck crash in Rialto turns fatal. Photographer Horacio Garcia just happened to be in the area and this is what he said:

“I happened to be on the Riverside Avenue overpass overlooking the wreckage when I saw the officer in the distance coming up the eastbound on-ramp with something in his arms and its head bobbing with each step he took. That’s when I saw the dog in his arms. I’m not sure which car the dog came from.”

All to often the story of tragedy takes center stage and the small wins within that tragedy seem to go unnoticed. The Rialto Police Officer pictured carrying the dog is Motor Officer Shaun Mooney. Officer Mooney is a great officer and has been working traffic for the last few years. People from the community have had the chance to get to know this officer through his attendance at many local events and police sponsored meetings. It isn’t surprising that Officer Mooney was captured in this moment as this is just the type of Public Servant the community says they know him to be.

The other side of this story that is equally awesome yet not surprising to the community of Rialto is the dedication of the Animal Control Officers in Rialto. These officers never seem to back down from doing their jobs or refuse a request to help out in an area that may not be their area of responsibility. Animal Control Officer Erica Bluff-Hopp responded to the accident scene even though normally Animal Control does not respond to traffic accident especially on the Freeways those areas are normally handled by Local Fire, the CHP and Caltrans but this accident was anything but normal and required all hands on deck.

It is simply amazing to see how our 1st responders jump into action in situations many of us may never know about. Animal Control is not given the credit they deserve many times for advocating and help animals that have no voice and are at the mercy of compassionate human care. This moment in time also speaks to what our police officers do, they are more than simply a person to offer up a consequence for bad choices. They also do things for people that go unseen or unspoken. This dog was taken away from a crazy accident scene and placed in a place of safety, this dogs owners didn’t have to worry about their animal because strangers decided to step up and help this animal and their family.

We found out later that this dogs owners were the people who passed away in the Red car. The two people inside the car passed away and our thoughts and prayers are with the family who we found out has experienced a lot of unexpected loss recently. The upside is that because Officer Mooney and Animal Control Officer Erica Bluff-Hopp this animal survived such a horrible accident and was reunited with family shortly after the accident.

 

Image by rialto-now

Come out to Menchies & Pieology in Rialto to support our Rialto High School Cheer

26 Jan 2018 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in #CA31st, AFL-CIO, Ana Gonzales, and the unincorporated communities of Bloomington and Muscoy, Andy Carrizales, Ca, City of Rialto, Colton, david phillips, davidsMarketing, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Inland Empire, Public Safety, Rialto, rialto unified school district, San Bernardino, youth

IT’S TODAY IT’S TODAY!! Don’t forget to come out to Menchies in Rialto to support our Rialto High School Cheer 20% of your purchase will be donated to the team! Don’t forget to show them the flyer.

 

***Remember must show flyer (printed or on phone) in order for your purchase to count.***

Come on out to Menchies in Rialto this Friday from 2p.m.-11p.m. Then come join us on Monday at Pieology in Rialto for some pizza! A percentage of your purchases will go towards the Rialto High School cheer team. All support is greatly appreciated!

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