Rialto Schools Go All Out With Red Ribbon Pride

We got a chance to ride along in a plain white van with judges and dignitaries as Local Rialto Schools vied for a chance to place in the top three in their region (North, Central & South) to show off their school spirit and celebrate the benefits of living a drug free life. We rode in the Southern Region van this year and had the pleasure of joining Rialto Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Cuauhtemoc Avila, Board President Dina Walker, Director of Communications Syeda Jafri, Police Lt. Dean Hardin and Rialto Unified School District Security Chief Leary who drove us around.

Carter High School students greet the judging vehicles with cheers – Photo Provided by Rialto USD

Dr. Avila stated, “I echo our Board of Education’s sentiments that participating in this annual drug-free contest makes all our students, staff and parent-volunteers winners, but to keep the contest fair, I wanted make sure that each of the schools; the north, central and south sections, had their own sets of scoring. Again, the feedback from the judges was positive, and reinforces my faith that great things continue to happen at our schools. It was another proud moment to show the community that our schools have their focus on safety and promoting a drug-free lifestyle for our students.”

Each year has a Nationwide theme and this year the theme is “Your future is key, so stay drug free”. Each school that we saw that participated really took the theme and turned it into a visual representation of the overall message. Some schools really went all out which included a miniature version of District Superintendent Dr. Cuauhtemoc Avila (Garcia Elementary) a life size game of Life (Jehue Middle) or even tombstones of celebrities who died from drug and alcohol abuse (Milor High).

Some schools like Simpson Elementary you could see from a mile away and they made sure to get the judges out of the van and on their feet as they danced the Drug Free theme. Rialto Unified is one of the few school districts that has such a strong level of participation because of the importance that the District puts behind the annual event.

First place winners, Hughbanks Elementary School – Photo Provided by Rialto USD

“For years, Red Ribbon Week, here in Rialto, has become a pretty big deal, and that’s great,” said Rialto Police Lieutenant, Dean Hardin. “It was a fantastic commemoration and I was proud of the way that our students, led by staff and parents, participated. Drug use is a real issue, a serious issue for the younger generation and along with addiction, it can lead to anti-social behavior and lack of focus on education. The Police Department was happy to participate and we thank the District for making sure students understand the dangers of substance abuse.” As the South judging van pulled away from Simpson Elementary Lt Dean Hardin could be heard saying out the van window “Be Drug Free” and each time he said it the whole school repeated the mantra.

Schools earned points from 1 to 10 based on creativity, visibility and message. Judges were warned against giving out 10’s too freely as to help district officials from having to deal with tons of tie’s in the point totals. The Red Ribbon Decorating Contest ended in three-way ties for all three places — first, second and third — as well as a “Spirit” award initiated by Dr. Avila. Prize money is $1,000 for first; $750 for second; and $500 for third. The new “Spirit” award is also $500. Cash awards go to each school and are discretionary for each school.

The winning schools are:

1st Place Winners

Northern: Hughbanks Elementary School – $1,000

Central: Casey Elementary School – $1,000

Southern: Garcia Elementary School – $1,000

2nd Place Winners

Northern: Carter High School – $750

Central: Henry Elementary School – $750

Southern: Jehue Middle School – $750

3rd Place Winners

Northern: Kolb Middle & Kordyak Elementary Schools – $500

Central: Bemis Elementary School– $500 

Southern: Kelley & Simpson Elementary Schools– $500

Honorable Mentions

Milor High School – $250

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Communities Concerns Lead to Attempted Kidnap of a Girl at Flores Park

Photo credit SB Sun
George Molina-flores, 26, of Rialto, was arrested for suspicion of attempted kidnapping at Flores Park Tuesday.

Residents of Flores Park and Parents of Dollahan Elementry have been concerned with the illegal and questionable activities taking place outside the school and park that are only seperated by a single 5 foot chain link fence.

Parents of Dollahan Elementary spoke at recent school meetings with Rialto Unified School District Security officers and School Safety Chief Leary (meetings Rialto Police were absent) about creepy guys harassing moms walking in the park, homeless people sleeping and drinking in the park as well as people being witnessed preforming sexual acts in the park in broad daylight.

Residents say that more drugs and sex go on in the park restrooms than anything else. At a recent Safe Routes to School meeting at Dollahan (meetings Rialto Police were absent) parents marked multiple problem houses on maps where drugs are sold, kids are used as drug mules, gang related and former felons sit in open garages and drink all day and a group home full of mentally disturbed right across the street of a park and elementry school are located all around the school. One attempt to create walking groups to school failed because of a concern that pedophiles were targeting the walking group.

Local resident Marie said “that she has lived in the community for over 10 years and there was a time that we felt like Rialto PD cared about our safety. Now they have removed any officers that wanted to help us keep this neighborhood clean what is worse is a council member and officers still have family living here and we get no help”. Marie is right there were dark times where Lt’s like Burkholder, Crispin and Karol all worked very hard to make sure that good people were taken care of and evil did not prevail. These leaders with a community mindset brought in aggressive officers and staff that made things much safer in the Flores Park Community. Then people like former Captain Joe Cirilo that was witnessed multiple times yell at and threatening residents that were looking for help for their community.

Flores Park Neighborhood Watch now has a new Area Commander who acts a lot like former Area Commander Joe Cirilo. Rialto Police Lt. Paul Stella is the current Area Commander and the leadership among the Neighborhood Watch group have expressed a lack of confidence in his ability to lead the Northern portion of Rialto. Neighborhood Watch leadership asked Lt Stella last summer at a promotion ceremony for officers if they could sit down with him and he barked “why would I meet with you?” When they said we would like to give you a insider look into our community and the ongoing issues. Lt Stella said “I know all about your community and your group I don’t need your help.”

The recent Kidnap attempt at Flores Park after school dismissed yesterday it leaves one to ask does he really know what is going on in the community if these concerns preceded the incident the other day? School Safety officers walk the park when they are on campus and identify people not in the park for valid reasons and multiple people have been removed from the park but not by Rialto Police but by School Safety officers according to sources. Now that this incident has happened Rialto Police will have additional patrols after school and cameras have been looked at and any that are not working have been marked to be fixed according to Sgt Nelson form Rialto PD.

Sgt Nelson said that its sad that sometimes it takes incidents like these to move police into action even though it is the desire and goal to place resources to keep them from ever happening. Sgt Nelson also said that now its vital to remain vigilant in alerting the police to any suspicious persons.

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Comic Con Comes to the Inland Empire

 

For tickets to the Ontario event go to http://vor.us/99c4c

COMIC CON REVOLUTION COMES TO

THE ONTARIO CONVENTION CENTER

 

Ontario and the Inland Empire Get Their Very Own Comic Con at

The Ontario Convention Center in Ontario California Saturday May 13, 2017

 

Ontario, California March 8, 2017 – The Ontario Convention Center located at 2000 E Convention Center Way, Ontario, California will be the home of Comic Con Revolution.  The Inaugural 1-day event at the Ontario Convention Center will be held on Saturday, May 13, 2017.  The show brings Heroes, Villains, Princesses, Pirates, Aliens and so much more to the Inland Empire.

Comic Con Revolution is an event for long time comic collectors as well as first timers and families who want to experience the excitement.  Hardcore fans will recognize many of the names on the guest list while families and first time comic convention attendees will quickly see what makes these events so much fun.

Attending comic cons can be expensive – we want to make it affordable.  Comic Con Revolution offers a variety of pricing options so that the entire family can enjoy the experience.  Adult tickets are $25, teen tickets (13-17 years-old) are $15 and kids 12 and under are free with the purchase of an adult ticket.  One adult ticket allows for up to two free children’s ticket.

For tickets to the Ontario event go to http://vor.us/99c4c

“We are very excited to bring an authentic comic con experience to the City of Ontario and the Inland Empire community as a whole,“ said Atomic Crush Events co-founder Mike Scigliano.  He added, “The team behind Comic Con Revolution is working overtime to bring you an amazing experience.  Come join the revolution!”

“We are thrilled to welcome Atomic Crush Events to the Ontario Convention Center” said Michael Krouse, President and CEO, of Ontario Convention Center.   “Finally our very own Comic Con!  We know visitors to this event will be in for a treat with the planned program, exhibitors, and camaraderie of fellow collectors.”

Comic Con Revolution, a family friendly environment, will feature a full day of programming and events which includes panels featuring screenwriter Doug Jung who wrote the scripts for movies including Star Trek Beyond.  Other panels include creating comics, creator & comic spotlights, cosplay panels, kid’s panels, and capped off with a Cosplay Contest.  Our show floor will feature exhibitors & vendors who sell movie memorabilia, toys, t-shirts as well as full guest list of top industry talent.

For tickets to the Ontario event go to http://vor.us/99c4c

Guests currently scheduled to appear include Karl Altstaetter (Mirror), Tim Bradstreet (Marvel Comics Covers), Sandy King Carpenter (Producer Ghosts of Mars, Vampires), Matthew Clark (Injustice: Ground Zero), Mike Collins (ABC’s of Halloween), Neo Edmund (Clan of the Vein), Joshua Hale Fialkov (The Life After), Derek Fridolfs (Li’l Gothams), Joel Gomez (La Muerta), Steven Gordon (X-Men Evolution Animated Series), Travis Hanson (Life of the Party), Ray-Anthony Height (Midnight Tiger), Doug Jung (Screenwriter Star Trek Beyond, God Particle, Scalped), Scott Koblish (Deadpool), Mike Kunkel (Herobear), Hope Larson (Batgirl), Livesay (Dr. Strange), Scott Lobdell (Red Hood & the Outlaws), Pamela Lovas (Regular Show), Raychul Moore (Cosplayer & Gamer), Todd Nauck (Spider-Man), Whilce Portacio (Comic Legend), Livio Ramondelli (Transformers), Paolo Rivera (Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1953), Patrick Scullin (Super Siblings), Beth Sotelo (Grump), Cat Staggs (Wonder Woman), Art Thibert (Superman), Gus Vazquez (Big Hero Six),  Vivid Vidka (Cosplayer), Dave Wagner (Dot Problems) and Tommy Walker (Actor on Netflix’s Daredevil) .  Additional announcements will be made as guests continue to confirm and support the show.

For tickets to the Ontario event go to http://vor.us/99c4c

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Rialto Police Department Names Erica Duque Officer of the Year

Courtesy Photo/rialto police From left: Cpt. William Wilson, Chief Randy De Anda, Volunteer of the Year Richard Montano, Ofc.of the Year Erica Duque and Councilman Rafael Trujillo. Third annual Rialto Police Awards.

Officer Erica Duque was named the officer of the year at this years awards ceremony for the Rialto Police Department. Officer Duque is a Rialto Native growing up here and going to school here. Officer Duque comes from a long line of Law Enforcement professionals and is a dedicated public servant. Officer Duque still has family that lives here in Rialto and that has kept here up to date on what is going on here in our city both on and off work. Officer Duque has worked with the Community Policing and Reentry Support Program in her most recent assignment. Officer Duque is putting her unique knowledge of Rialto and her care and compassion for everyone to work to help her colleagues solve more problems and obtain results that can make Rialto residents proud.

Photo Courtesy Cpl Gregory Marquez. From left to right Probation Officer Vicky Whitworth, Officer Dwuan Rice, Officer Erica Duque and Cpl Gregory Marquez

Not only did Rialto Recognize Officer Duque for her outstanding work but her whole team was awarded for the work they have done together. Below is what Cpl Gregory Marquez said about his staff:

I chose Officer Dwuan Rice and Officer Erica Duque. I also was allowed by the Probation Department @sbcprobation In the selection of a probation officer who would be assigned to my team. Since my old partner Probation Officer Bradley left there wasn’t a doubt in my mind Probation Officer Vicky Whitworth could easily slide right into his spot. In the last year they have worked non-stop from the time they come into work until the time they leave and even get random texts and phone calls from me asking them to complete a task 😄. Last Friday our team received a Unit Citation which is a great honor recognizing our hard work! I also wanted to add that we could have not completed our tasks without the love and support from our Explorers and Volunteers as well as Code Enforcememt Officer Dave Hernandez and his team!

As someone who had the pleasure of growing up with officer Duque I can attest this is a well deserved award.

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23rd Annual Run Whatcha Brung Car Show & Cruise Night

Run Whatcha Brung Flyer 2016

This weekend is going to be like every other weekend this summer in the Inland Empire full of fun.

The fun were showing off in this post is the 23rd Annual Run Whatcha Brung Car Show & Cruise Night. This car show is the annual kick off to the summer car shows here in Southern California as well as one of the only shows that opens up registration to anyone who wants to show off their ride. Normally cars are limited to sports cars or classic cars but the Rialto Rotary club wanted something that was cool, unique and allowed everyone to enjoy the weekend the way they wanted to.

Years past the Friday night before the car show were held at the Rialto Airport where the cars would park cruise and take part in contests like burn out and open header. The Friday night event got everyone ready for an awesome day in Downtown Rialto for the Show & Shine on Saturday.

Well insurance costs and the cities decision to close the Airport killed off the Friday Night event. In an effort to bring back the fun of Friday Night activities and to showcase Route 66 that cuts right through the heart of town city Administrator Mike Story and the Rotary Club came up with the idea of a Cruise Night on Route 66. A lot of work and resources go into shutting down Foothill Blvd but the task has proved to be well worth the effort with attendance growing each and every year.

cruise night

Victor who comes from Pomona every year says that “this is what movies show Route 66 used to look like when our parents used to cruise the local streets on weekend nights”

What else is awesome is local businesses like Coffee Nutz/Cone Creamery, Brothers Pizza, KFC and Baskin Robins capitalize on the boom in people walking up and down the street in Rialto on a warm summer night and bring out speakers and fun for all ages. One of the businesses that has looked to create a safe yet fun place for local teens Coffee Nutz brought out an import night last year working with Inland Empire Youth 4 today. This year the owner of the coffe/ice cream shop is teaming up with local hip hop icon and graffiti artist Wet Paint Larry who is popular for his Sloppy Parlor apparel and positive modeling of how to be Rialto Proud for youth in the region.

Another great addition to this years cruise is Lighting McQueen will be making an appearance at Ned’s Hardware at 312 West Foothill

lighting mcqueen

12th Annual Puttin’ on the Ritz Fine Arts Gala

The highly anticipated Youth Talent Showcase for the Students of Rialto Unified School District is upon us once again. This event is not only a showcase of Rialtos awesome young talent but a fundraiser for Fine Arts in the District. It also serves as one of the largest collections of the Who’s Who of Rialto. One of this years talent is Sarah Urbieta the Current Youth Chair of the Rialto Community Coalition and an all around awesome young lady. See her preform last year at the Positive Images Conference held at Bob Murphy High School.

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12th Annual Puttin’ on the Ritz Fine Arts Gala are now open! This year’s impressive lineup of talented student performers is sure to leave attendees in awe:

2016 Ritz Talent

Owen Knapper, Jr., 6th Grade – Kucera Middle School

Aimee Monge, 5th Grade – Simpson Elementary School

Aubrey Stevenson, 3rd Grade – Fitzgerald Elementary School

Angelica Gonzales, 6th Grade – Rialto Middle School

Jalen Adams, 7th Grade – Kucera Middle School

Chiana Hedgeman, 12th Grade – Eisenhower High School

Kiarissa Ortega, 11th Grade – Eisenhower High School

Luis Vidana, 5th Grade – Casey Elementary School

Alyssa Edwards, 8th Grade – Kolb Middle School

Jocelyn Vega, 10th Grade – Carter High School

Sarah Urbieta, 6th Grade – Kucera Middle School

Casey Ballet Folklorico,  3rd and 4th Grade – Casey Elementary School

Rialto Royalz (Dance Team), 8th Grade – Rialto Middle School

Noted as the largest fine arts, student based Gala in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, the Ritz has raised over $420,000, benefiting RUSD classroom students and teachers. Since the Ritz’ inception, over 300 students have shared their incredible talents on stage with more than 7,000 audience members throughout the event’s lifetime.

This year, we are proud to welcome esteemed guest emcee, Frank Pine, Executive Editor of the Los Angeles News Group (LANG), which encompasses The San Bernardino Sun and Daily Bulletin. We are also excited to welcome back, as co-emcee, the talented and entertaining 96.7 KCAL Rocks Radio Personality, Jimbo.

Tickets can be purchased by contacting Lana Kosh at (909) 820-7700 ext. 2140 or online by clicking the link HERE

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First round of Rialto Police Area Command meetings for 2016 review

So 2016 is underway and with that comes the first round of Area Command meetings held by the Rialto Police department. With recent retirements and promotions the program has gone through some major changes. Normally change would be bad but these changes have moved key people into great leadership roles. The Area Command program is now anchored once again by to great and passionate leaders in Lt. Kurkusky in the south and newly promoted Lt. Smith in the north.

We missed the first Area Command Meeting on the south end but covered the Area Command meeting in the north and since they share the same info this is a great breakdown of what happened.

Over 50 residents filled up an assembly room at the Sunrise church on north Riverside Ave. The program began with newly promoted Lt. Smith introducing himself.

After Lt. Smith’s introduction he had officer Wilson come up and talk about the Operation Lifesaver Program. Though the programs ideas sound good some are leary of it. One reason that people are leary of this program is the fact that we’re tracking people and creating a regular access point into someone’s home (“to change the battery”). Second is the style of equipment used it’s very old tech and reminds us of what was innovative back in the 80’s. Finally getting grants are good but with every grant comes a long list of rules you must follow and some out there don’t trust Washington at all.

Next up was Cpl. Marquez who had the original task of overseeing the Rialto Reentry Program but now has a long list of other programs that have been added to his plate. The Reentry program is the first thing Cpl. Marquez spoke about:

Next Cpl. Marquez spoke about the next program that he oversees which is the Crime Free Multi Housing Program. This is a program that is aimed at keeping multi housing projects safe:

Next Cpl. Marquez spoke about the Nixle Program a program where you can get direct information from the police department. He also goes over the Text to Tip portion of the program.

Next Cpl. Marquez talks about the Homeless Outreach program and explains what him team will do in this program.

Next up Councilman O’Connell goes over his first quarter Rialto Rap Up. This is where he talks about what is important to the community and he makes himself available to questions from the community. Here is a copy of the Press Release he is reading from:

Shawn PR 2016

Officer Anderson was next up to talk to the community about the Inland Regional Center Terrorist Attack in San Bernardino. Officer Anderson is a longtime SWAT Officer and former K9 Handler. He and his team were in the main fight when the two ISIS Terrorists were shot and killed.

Rialto Fire on scene at the San Bernardino Terrorist Attack.

Officer Anderson also talks about the Foundation that makes the Rialto Police K9 program possible The Friends Of Rialto Police K9 he invites the community to interact with the K9 program through their Facebook Page.

Next the Terrorism Detective from Rialto Police gave us a terrorism threat assessment training of some sort that was a little confusing. We have heard this Detective give presentations before and they seemed to flow better. The title of the powerpoint and a lot of the information that was given didn’t seem to match up.

Run Fight Hide

 

 

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What Happens When The City Can’t Follow Their Own Rules?

Ever since the city of Rialto took on the Water Reductions from the State of California we have been threatened with massive fines if we did not follow the new strict water rules. Even families that ripped out entire lawns were fined by the city and to get anyone to listen to their plight they had to go to a city council meeting.

The city does everything it can to make sure you know what your not supposed to be doing with your water use even to go as far as use http://www.nextdoor.com to beat residents over their digital heads reminding them not to waste water but who is keeping an eye on the City Officials? Even Mayor Deborah Robertson is caught on video claiming that “every drop counts” but does it really?

The park above Flores Park on Etiwanda Ave has long been a park that the city has ignored and left things up to the local residents to make changes. The disdain for this local community made up of all races, young and old, cops/teachers/business owners/laborers has had their speed limit jump up almost 20 MPH, told no on a stop sign, forced to band together to get more police help and protect their children from Fire Ant Infestations and Play ground Equipment that is boarded up and falling apart. Now they want to flood the grass and waste water. The local Community Group Flores Park Group a collection of community members have invited the Mayor and Park Councilman Joe Baca Jr. to many events but they have never came out to see what the community deals with everyday.

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Register Today for the Rialto Police Memorial 5K/3K Run & Save Money

Sign up before January 1st and register for only $35 (plus racewire fee). After January 1st the cost goes up to $40 (plus racewire fee).

Rialto Police Officer Remembrance Day The City of Rialto has declared that January 31st of each year will be “Rialto Police Officer Remembrance Day” to honor those Rialto Police Officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. Members of the Rialto Police Department and the Rialto Police Benefit Association are working toward building a permanent memorial to these officers.

On January 30, 2016, we are holding our second annual Memorial 5K & 3K Run/Walk Fundraiser. The monies from this run will help fund the memorial and future Remembrance Day events. Join us on Saturday, January 30, 2016 to partake in this wonderful event. An awards ceremony and festivities will take place after the race.

Location: Ferguson Park, 2395 Sunrise Drive, Rialto, CA Sign-up begins at 6:30 a.m. Race starts at 8:00 a.m. Follow the link to register.

RaceWire Timing has graciously provided Chip-Timed Technology for our event. All paid participants will receive a Finisher Medal and a “Swag Bag.” Medals will be given to Top-Three Finishing Males and Top-Three Finishing Females in the following divisions: Ages 14 & Under, Ages 15 through 54, and Ages 55 and Over. Trophies will be given to the Top-Three Finishing Teams.

If you are unable to run/walk or form a a team for the run/walk, please consider making a donation to help sponsor a participant and/or a team.

San Bernardino Terrorist Attacks & The Rialto Connection

randy speaks

Were sure you have heard by now that the former county health inspector turned radical terrorist effected the fine city of Rialto and also left his mark on the community. By now you have also heard the scare tactics being spread throughout social media. These tactics are not linked to any fact and have opened the door to sick people using peoples fear to feed their sick minds. As we have stated many times in the last 6 years Rialto is in a unique position to feel safe and know that our public safety officials are more than equal to the task of keeping us safe.

What these terrorist attacks have also shown us is that terror does not play by our set rules of engagement. We also saw that seeing something that doesn’t look right and not reporting it because we didn’t want to sound racist can cost lives. The mantra of SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING is not just a catchy phrase it is a call to let the authorities know if something doesn’t look right. Neighbors and other people in Redlands saw activity that didn’t look right for MONTHS and said nothing. It is beyond comprehension to know we could have saved 14 lives and kept 21 people from being injured if someone had made a phone call.

We cannot change the past but it is beyond vital that we learn from it. Our all time favorite quote is  “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” by George Santayana. If we cannot learn from our past we will keep making the same mistakes. St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, Coffee Nutzz and Carter High School are just a few of the locations that the county health inspector turned radical terrorist had some type of ties. Probably the most chilling tie were the photos found in the terrorists possession of Carter High School. Luckily our public safety officials were equal to the task to see that our schools were safe.

letter from sup

So we need to show our public safety officials that we will not remain silent. We need to share information that they need to keep us safe. One great way yo do that is Area Command Meetings see the flyer below:

Area Command 2016

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