News

The Voice on KVCR is a weekly discussion with the Black Voice News editorial team about important issues in the Inland region. This week KVCR's Megan Jamerson spoke with Executive Editor Stephanie Williams about her report Coronavirus Pandemic Past Due Utility Bills' Crisis Continues for California Households. 

March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month, and the Riverside University Health System has a system in place that they say improves patients’ experience screening and treating colon cancer.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, colon cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women, excluding skin cancers. It’s also the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.

Monday through Thursday at lunchtime, KVCR News has your daily news rundown. Stories highlighted today include:

Riverside County health officials say the latest COVID-19 numbers are looking good, but there are concerns about a fourth wave and how new virus variants might play a role. KVCR’s Megan Jamerson has more from Tuesday’s board of supervisors meeting.

Cal State San Bernardino received recognition for several of its graduate programs in U.S. News and World Report’s latest school rankings. 

Under the 2022 edition of Best Graduate Schools, its public affairs, public health and part-time MBA graduate programs were listed.

Caltrans would like to extend the Brightline West high-speed rail project from Apple Valley to Rancho Cucamonga.

The proposed project called the Cajon Pass Segment would add 50 miles of track along the I-15 corridor, ending with a station near the Rancho Cucamonga Metrolink train station.

Inland News Today reports that the privately funded rail project would first connect Apple Valley to Las Vegas over 170 miles of track.

The public can provide feedback on the Cajon Pass Segment before April thirteenth.

U.C. Riverside’s Center for Social Innovation is hosting an Inland Empire Policy Summit this week with a focus on building a more equitable future during COVID-19 pandemic recovery efforts.

While this is the third policy summit the center has hosted, Director Karthick Ramakrishnan says this time it’s different.

While signatures in support of a recall of Governor Gavin Newsom still need to be counted, there will probably be a special election later this year. KVCR’s Megan Jamerson spoke with a U.C. Riverside political science professor about the big questions leading into what will likely be the state’s second ever recall election of a governor.

Some of the questions Professor Shaun Bowler is asking are who is going to run other than Governor Newsom and what kind of voter turnout will the recall election bring?

The city of Redlands is partnering with local groups and faith organizations to host a vaccine clinic at Citrus Valley High School on March 30. KVCR’s Megan Jamerson has more on the clinic that aims to reach the underserved community. 

For people without transportation who live in the North Redlands area, a bus may be available to bring them to the clinic. Residents should ask about this service when they register for the vaccine according to a city news release.

Three San Bernardino County women allegedly were co-conspirators in an operation to smuggle large amounts of fentanyl and heroin through Southern California airports. 

Inland News Today reports that Chavon Amber Sayles, 28 of Chino was arrested by federal authorities at her home on Wednesday on indictment charges of recruiting drug couriers.

According to the indictment, from June 2018 to March 2019, the couriers moved the drugs through Hollywood Burbank Airport, Long Beach Airport and Ontario International Airport to Ohio, Oregon and elsewhere in the country.

Monday through Thursday at lunchtime, KVCR News has your daily news rundown. Stories highlighted today include:

1.A candlelight vigil honoring and remembering victims of the coronavirus pandemic has been organized by District 47 Assembly member Eloise Gomez Reyes. The vigil is scheduled for Friday, March 26 at 6:30 p.m., virtually on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AsmReyes

A coalition of immigrant advocacy groups is alleging neglectful conduct by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and private prison company GEO Group at the immigrant detention center in Adelanto, leading to three separate incidents that they say harmed detainees inside the facility. KVCR’s Benjamin Purper reports the groups are calling for Adelanto to be shut down, while ICE denies any neglect and maintains that it’s following all proper guidelines. 

Riverside County replaced its top health officer as pandemic recovery efforts continue. KVCR’s Megan Jamerson has more on the Tuesday announcement.

In a press release, the county said Dr. Cameron Kaiser was released early Tuesday of his duties as health director after nearly 10 years.

Then in a closed meeting session the same day, county supervisors chose to appoint Dr. Geoffrey Leung as the next health officer effective immediately.

Monday through Thursday at lunchtime, KVCR News has your daily news rundown. Stories highlighted today include:

1. San Bernardino County’s Public Health Director Corwin Porter officially stepped down to start his retirement today.
2. Riverside County health officials say improvements in vaccine shipments means supply is now outpacing demand.
3. California state lawmakers are introducing a package of bills to increase oversight for nursing homes, which have been devastated by the pandemic.

San Bernardino County’s public health director, Corwin Porter, officially stepped down to start his retirement at Tuesday's county board of supervisors meeting. KVCR’s Megan Jamerson reports on this and more from the latest county board of supervisors meeting.

Porter said after serving the county for 33 years in various roles, he will now be spending alot of time with eight grandchildren.

Riverside County health officials say improvements in vaccine shipments means supply is now outpacing demand. KVCR’s Megan Jamerson reports on the latest from Tuesday's Riverside County board of supervisors meeting.

Dr. Geoffrey Leung, of the Riverside University Health System, told county supervisors this is partly because federal shipments are now going directly to community health centers and retail pharmacies like Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid and Walmart.

Monday through Thursday at lunchtime, KVCR News has your daily news rundown. Stories highlighted today include:

Inland Empire groups joined in a downtown Los Angeles rally Monday in support of the Amazon worker unionization effort in Bessemer, Alabama. KVCR’s Megan Jamerson reports, since Amazon is the Inland region’s biggest employer, a successful union vote in the south could usher in changes in Riverside and San Bernardino County.

Saturday marked the beginning of spring, but it also brought an end to a winter of disappointing rainfall across most of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. 

Since the start of the rainy season last November, precipitation was less than half of what is considered normal. The latest numbers could mean the region is headed for another drought, reports Inland News Today.

Across inland valleys, about five inches was the average. For the desert it was less than one inch in the Coachella Valley and just about three inches at Pinon Hills.

During the immigration surge at the U.S-Mexico border in 2019, Riverside County partnered with local non-profits to help more than 2,800 asylum seekers reach their final destinations. KVCR’s Megan Jamerson reports, as arrivals surge once again, action is already underway to assist these families.

The Galilee Center, located in Mecca in the Eastern Coachella Valley, is one of the non-profits that works with Riverside County. Helping asylum seekers is an intensive process says Claudia Castorena, the center’s CFO and CO-founder.

Monday through Thursday at lunchtime, KVCR News has your daily news rundown. Stories highlighted today include:

1) Disneyland has set a reopening date.

2) A cache of fireworks exploded in Ontario Tuesday afternoon, and authorities have identified two missing people. 

One year into the pandemic and the changes to how Americans work have not all been fair or equal. KVCR’s Megan Jamerson took a look at the Inland Empire’s biggest sector, logistics, and found the pandemic has raised the stakes for changing the future of warehouse jobs.

Joey Alvarado of Hesperia, a 42-year-old husband with two kids, makes $29 an hour at a local Stater Bros. warehouse.

Monday through Thursday at lunchtime, KVCR News has your daily news rundown. Stories highlighted today include:

Authorities have identified two people who are missing after a cache of fireworks exploded, causing a deadly explosion at a home in Ontario. 

The two missing persons, who authorities said haven’t yet been confirmed to be the two known dead from the blast, are cousins Caesar Paez and Alex Paez.

The individuals are 20 and 38, respectively.

The explosion happened Tuesday afternoon around West Francis Street in Ontario and ignited multiple fires, drawing about 50 firefighters to douse the flames.

Californians who are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine have a new way to find out where they can get their shots. KVCR’s Megan Jamerson has more on a new tool from Facebook.

Available in 71 languages, the vaccine finder tool, built in partnership with Boston Children’s Hospital, helps people find vaccination sites close to where they live.