What it do with Lue

Puraci recognized by Senator Mike Morrell for her career in education 

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— INLAND EMPIRE—- Cristina Puraci, President of the Redlands Unified School District Board of Trustees, released the following statement announcing her candidacy to succeed State Senator Mike Morrell (R-Rancho Cucamonga) in California’s 23rd District: 

“The Inland Empire was once an affordable place to live and raise a family. However, the out of control, rising cost of living in our region has diminished our quality of life,” said Puraci. “How much longer must we listen to Sacramento politicians push the same failed policies while our children, friends, and neighbors leave California for a better life? As your next State Senator, I will advocate for common sense solutions that will lower our cost of living, strengthen public safety and reduce homelessness, attract high-wage jobs, improve education for our youth, and protect our environment while preserving our Constitutional liberties.”

Cristina has dedicated over 15 years to the education field as a teacher and community activist. She was elected to the Redlands Unified School District Board of Trustees in 2016 and currently serves as the President. Cristina is also a member of several boards and committees including the San Bernardino County Drug and Gang Task Force and the Redlands Cultural Arts Council. An active community leader, Cristina is involved in several local organizations, like Refresh & Renew and Hands of Mercy, which provide food, clothing, and shelter to veterans and the homeless. 

Honored for her professional and civic leadership, Cristina has earned numerous awards including the WHO award (We Honor Ours) from the California Teachers Association. In 2017, Cristina was recognized by Senator Mike Morrell and Senate colleagues at the state capitol. “From humble beginnings, Cristina came here with admiration and respect for our Constitution, wanting to embrace the freedoms and opportunities that can only be found here in America,” remarked Morrell. “It was an honor to acknowledge her and the contributions she and her family have made to our community.”

Cristina has been a resident of the Inland Empire since immigrating to the United States in 1992. After attending San Bernardino Valley College, Cristina transferred to California State University, San Bernardino where she earned her bachelor’s degree before earning her master’s degree in Education from National University. Cristina lives in Highland with her husband of 27 years, Adrian, who is also a teacher. Together they have one son, Sebastian, who teaches biology, a daughter-in-law, Simina, and one grandson, Kevin.

State Senator Mike Morrell currently represents the 23rd District but reaches term limits in 2020, making this an open seat. The 23rd Senate District includes all or parts of Banning, Beaumont, Big Bear City, Big Bear Lake, Cedar Glen, Calimesa, Cherry Valley, Crestline, Homeland, Hemet, Highland, Lake Arrowhead, Loma Linda, Menifee, Mentone, Nuevo, Phelan, Pinion Hills, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, San Bernardino, San Jacinto, Wrightwood and Yucaipa.

Are you thirsty? 

Water is essential for life!  Did you know that today in the year 2019, nearly 5,000 children are dying every day due to a lack of clean drinking water? This is hard to believe! A group of high school students have partnered with the Ariix Puritii brand, Rotary E-Club 5300 and The Rotary Club of Manila to create Project: Philippines to address this situation. 

The objective of this partnership is to provide clean drinking water to the children living in the streets, under the bridge and at orphanages in the Philippines. These are the indigenous people of the Philippines; also known as the negrotas.

Right now, in many places in South East Asia there is a severe shortage of clean drinking water. The impact of the groups’ efforts will provide 5 villages and 300 individuals with 1 year’s worth of clean water. In order to accomplish this task the students have already raised $5,000 and need to raise $45,000 more in the next two weeks to reach our total of $50,000!

The $50,000 total includes purchasing 300 water bottles and filters for years worth of clean water and travel accommodations for the students that are traveling. Students were a team of 10 but had to scale back to 3 due to lack of funds. Raising funds would allow more student to travel.

One of our youth soldiers, Myles Keys relates how the students came up with the idea for this years’ project.

“We chose to do the water filter systems so that the Filipino kids would have a source of water readily available when they need it. Especially now, since the devastation from recent earthquakes and aftershocks, the demand for water that is clean and safe to drink is an important and immediate need. We can be there to help with this situation.”

The students are slated to be in the Philippines from June 10-20, 2019. While they are there they will prepare for participation in The Day of Mercy; servicing the children living under the bridge.  Also, students will assist Mercyworldwide offering children cloths, food, vision, medical and dental services at La Huerta Elementary School and at The AETA Children’s home from June 16 – 20th.

Recent earthquakes in the Philippines have intensified the needs of the children at the orphanage. The infrastructure of the affected areas sustained major damage, with more than 30 structures being deemed unfit for use. The entire area has been declared a disaster area.

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If you would like to support the students in this important mission, please CLICK HERE

If you feel compelled to become more deeply involved in this project, and are positioned to do so, there are several ways you can make a deeper contribution. We have many opportunities available to serve, the need is great, and the time is short. 

Please contact: projectphilippines2019@gmail.com 

For more information:

www.aetachildren.org

www.mercyworldwide.org

http://rotaryeclub5300.org

https://rcmanila.org

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA— San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) is switching to a flex week schedule for the summer for most schools and offices.

The first day of the modified schedule is Monday, June 10, 2019. The first Friday that offices will be closed is June 14. SBCUSD offices will also be closed June 21, June 28, July 5, July 12, July 19, and July 26.

All offices will be closed on Thursday, July 4 for the holiday.

Most SBCUSD offices observing the modified summer schedule are open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday, but families and community members are encouraged to call for specific hours of operation.

For transcripts, call Student Records at (909) 880-6615. To report suspicious activity at a school, call the See Something, Say Something Hotline at (909) 388-6043. For Student Work Permits, call College and Career Readiness/Linked Learning at (909) 473-2084. Or call the main SBCUSD office at (909) 381-1100.

Kid-Approved Indoor Theme Park and Playground Experience Opens in Inland Empire June 1

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)–MONTCLAIR, CA— Montclair Place, an Inland Empire shopping center, has officially welcomed Kids Empire, the indoor theme park and playground. Open on June 1, 2019, Kids Empire is filled with every kid’s dream adventure, including play structures, drop-in ball pits, and more!

Kids Empire is designed to foster playfulness for healthy, happy kids, and encourages active play for kids to let out their great kid energy. The indoor theme park includes two main playgrounds: The Maze and a Tots Area. The Maze is fully equipped with a fun block arena, a soccer arena, dance floor, obstacle courses, slides, rides and more. The Tots Area includes age-appropriate structures like slides, ball pits, bouncing trampolines, bicycles, and a dance area. Tickets to Kids Empire are good for readmission the entire day of purchase.

After working up an appetite, guests can stop by the on-site Empire Snack Bar or venture out and enjoy other Montclair Place eateries like Doner & Gyros, Pokeway, Noodle World and more in the Moreno Street Market Food Hall or the newly opened Canyon Grill restaurant located in The Canyon. Kids Empire is also home to many birthday parties, offering exclusive party packages, customizable invitations, and meal options.

Great for after school, weekends, birthday parties and more, toddlers and young kids can enjoy all that Kids Empire at Montclair has to offer. The cost for admission is $15 per child with two adults free per child ($5 charge per additional adult). Socks are mandatory for all guests entering the park and are available for purchase at the front desk for $2.50.

Kids Empire is located on the Lower Level, near Sears. For more information visit https://montclair.kidsempire.us/.

The opening of Kids Empire at Montclair Place is on the heels of other recent developments for the Inland Empire shopping center. New additions include The Canyon, the first US location of Doner and Gyros, an expanded Forever 21 retail store, and a new Spectrum customer service center.

For more information about these developments and other Montclair Place updates, visit www.montclairplace.com.

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Jeremiah Bryant was recently promoted to Director of Strategic Development at Omnitrans, after 12 years of increasing responsibilities at the transit agency.

He will lead a team of 15 employees.  Functions of the newly-formed Strategic Development Department include service planning, development planning, stops and stations, grant writing, and business intelligence.

 “We believe Jeremiah’s skills and experience will help Omnitrans strategically adapt to a rapidly changing landscape within transit and in the San Bernardino Valley,” said Omnitrans CEO/General Manager P. Scott Graham.  

 “I appreciate the investment Omnitrans places in its employees.  Nearly 12 years ago, I joined Omnitrans and hoped to use my analytical abilities to aid the agency.  Over the years, Omnitrans has invested in training, development and provided opportunities for growth,” Bryant said.  “I look forward to leveraging the investment the agency has made in me by leading the Strategic Development Department as we move to enhance Omnitrans’ service in the future.”

Bryant began his career at Omnitrans as a Marketing Analyst in 2007 and was promoted to Planning and Scheduling Manager in 2010.  He has represented Omnitrans on numerous regional committees and served as the Agency’s primary contact with the American Bus Benchmarking Group, a national industry peer group. He recently graduated from the inaugural Omnitrans Leadership Development Academy. 

Prior to working in transit, he held market research positions at Darnell Group.  Bryant also served as an economics instructor at Chaffey College between 2000 and 2016.

Bryant earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics degree from Saint Mary’s College of California and a Master of Arts in Economics from University of California, Davis.

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Come out and support Fighting 4 the Tatas while enjoying an exciting night of 66ers baseball! Come early because the 66ers will be handing out a limited supply of “You’ve Got A Friend in Me” double bobbles, sponsored by LiUNA. With your continued support, Fighting 4 the Tatas is able to carry out our mission on offering support to those suffering from Inflammatory Breast Cancer and other aggressive forms of breast cancer. So come and have some fun under the sky as we enjoy some Good Ole Fashion Baseball.

Saturday, June 8 
6:05 PM – 09:00 PM 
San Manual Stadium

See map

Please Share this post and invite your friends and family to come out and have a good time.

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS

By Rachel Griess

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— The Thorazine haze was beginning to fade when Glenn Towery was discharged from Oakland Naval Hospital. For the last however-many days he had felt listless, “like a non-human being,” making him forget why he was even there in the first place.

Before that, he occupied a hospital cot in the Philippines, next to an injured Marine who was asking about the weeping sores that covered his face and hands. “Where’d you get those Willie Peter burns?” he said — a question that burns into Towery’s memory.

He had been serving on the gunline in Vietnam as a quartermaster for the United States Navy — a ranking many on the ship did not take a liking to given it was 1972 and most other African Americans were low-rank deckhands. In fact, it was the first time Towery had been back on the ship since filing a complaint for the unjust discrimination and harassment he’d experienced.

He’d seen it all: racist graffiti drawn in sharpie all over his workstation; anger from other blacks who seemed less than impressed by his higher rank; an attack from behind that left him beaten, bruised, unconscious and alone.

“When you’re on a small ship, that becomes your world; and if your world is not a world where you feel welcome, it begins to play on you here,” Towery says, pointing to his head.

As a quartermaster, he had undergone months of intense training to navigate the ship and act as a watchman. But on the gunline, he was approached with new orders to “hump shells” and was given on-the-spot training. He spent the next few hours loading and firing as bullets whistled overhead, never thinking twice about the white powder on the shells he was loading.

“Someone tried to kill me,” says Towery, remembering his response to the injured Marine asking about the sores the white phosphorus powder had left on his skin, which begun “oozing out pus, and then crusting over.”

The realization angered him: “I kept replaying it in my head; innocently, not knowing what that powder was as I was working hard, sweating, still doing my duty.” He demanded, once again, to file charges, a request that the doctors ignored repeatedly, until he couldn’t take it anymore.

He pulled the IV out from his arm, slipped on a pair of foam slippers and took off across the field in nothing but his hospital smock. Behind him, military police rushed to stop him. But when they reached the commanding officer’s quarters, Towery “went berserk,” flipping tables, throwing chairs, and grabbing a letter opener, demanding his charges be filed.

By then, the police had drawn their service revolvers. Towery put down the letter opener, and they swarmed him, giving him a shot. He awoke in a daze, on a plane headed to the U.S., where he was transported to Oakland Naval Hospital and subjected to regular Thorazine shots.

It would be years before he could piece together his story through vivid, violent flashbacks and the information on his medical records. And it would be even longer still, until the Navy would recognize that the bouts of depression, hyperventilating and anxiety that left him debilitated, unable to hold down a job, was a “100 percent service-connected disability.”

After Vietnam, returning vets suffered from “Vietnam combat reaction,” but before that it was called “battle fatigue,” in World War II, or “shell shock,” in World War I.  But by 1980, the infernal condition which Towery had been battling for years — at one point, driving him to homelessness — garnered a more permanent title: post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD.

“I call it the feeling of dread. It’s the feeling something terrible is going to happen at any moment. And it swells up. And it grows. Can you imagine living like that for a month?” Towery says, describing his first-ever suicidal thoughts. “I just wanted it to stop.”

Every year, 6,000 veterans kill themselves — an estimated 20 deaths a day — making those who served 50 percent more likely to commit suicide than non-veterans, according to the latest report by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. And PTSD heightens that risk.

“I understand what that feeling is that drives a lot of veterans to commit suicide, because I have been there,” says Towery, who created the Veterans Suicide Prevention Channel. “And I know that art is a great way to dispel that feeling. It’s a form of meditation. It’s a form of release.”

Today, Towery combats those feelings by painting clocks and portraits, playwriting, composing music and even creating and producing his own film, “Starfunk and the Astral Pioneers.” He’s also working to organize the first Austin Veterans Art Festival, which will feature performances by The University of Texas at Austin Warrior Chorus — a scholar-led workshop, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, that brings together veteran communities to study classical literature as it relates to contemporary America — in which he actively participates.

“Warrior Chorus helps you seek out what’s really important through studying the Greek literature, philosophy and characters,” Towery explains. “We are transfixed with these mythological tales that make us think that we are better persons if we experience these so-called glories. But what does it do? It just hardens you as a person.

“For instance, Ajax was a murdering fool,” Towery adds. “He just went out and started killing stuff, trying to figure out why he doesn’t feel anymore.”

Remembering how angry, how injured, how bitter, he was when he came back from war, Towery works every day to preserve the humanistic part of him that once felt so lost.

“My goal is to be whole before I die,” Towery says. “I know that may sound strange, but that’s my goal. I want to be the person who stepped up and said ‘I promise to defend my country, foreign and domestic. I will lay my life down for these United States.’”

Glenn Towery and the UT Austin Warrior Chorus will be performing at the Austin Veterans Arts Festival launch party  on Nov. 15 (tickets required) and at the Austin Public Library Cepeda Branch at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 20.

 Lawndale Mayor and City Councilmembers Join Growing List of Local Elected Officials Backing Herb Wesson

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— LOS ANGELES, CA— Today, Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson solidified his position as the grassroots candidate in the race for LA County Supervisor with endorsements from the entire Lawndale City Council, including Mayor Robert Pullen-Miles, Mayor Pro Tem James Osborne, City Councilmembers Dan Reid, Pat Kearney and Bernadette Suarez, and City Clerk Rhonda Hofmann Gorman. Wesson enjoys widespread support from local elected officials throughout the 2nd Supervisorial District, who represent the Cities of Inglewood, Lynwood, Gardena, Compton, Carson and Hawthorne.

In response to the news, Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson released the following statement:

“I want to thank Lawndale Mayor Robert Pullen-Miles and the entire City Council for their unwavering support. I am proud to have the backing of such passionate, forward-thinking leaders. As Supervisor, I will continue to work closely with the Lawndale City Council to fight the Trump agenda at the local level, protect our communities and ensure that every family has a roof over their head and a safe place to call home.”

Herb J. Wesson, Jr. served the 2nd Supervisorial District as Chief of Staff to legendary LA County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke prior to his election to the State Assembly. Wesson then became only the 2nd African American in California history to serve as Speaker of the Assembly. Mr. Wesson was elected to the LA City Council in 2005 representing Council District 10 and has served as President of the City Council since November 2011.  

Wesson is the first African American to hold the position of Council President in the city’s history and has been re-elected three times to lead the city’s legislative body. During his tenure as Council President, Wesson has presided over monumental policy initiatives making Los Angeles a better place to live, work and raise a family. Not only have local policy initiatives — which include raising the minimum wage, pension reform and consolidating city elections to increase voter turnout — positively affected local residents, but in many cases, the city’s actions have spurred state and national response and served as a model for similar policies.

By Lou Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— The Bible says Christ will come like a thief in the night, when you least expect him. It will happen in the twinkling of an eye, with the sound of a trumpet… Continuing things as you have. What willful ignorance! You must be ready at all times. Listen, Isaiah the prophet was sent to King Hezekiah with an alarming message. “Set thine house in order for thou shalt die and not live.” I tell you, the same warning is for us today, “Set thine house in order for thou shalt die and not live.” Life is short; death is sure and God’s judgment is coming [Hebrews 9:2]. As Paul constantly cried, “Wake up! It is past midnight, and the Lord’s coming has drawn near. Stir yourself and don’t be slothful. “Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light” [Romans 13:11-12]. Jesus announces, “Behold, I come quickly..” [Revelation 22:7].

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow… — yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Don’t dismiss the warnings.  “A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” [Proverbs 22:3]. “Wake up and weep, you drunkards!” “For the Day of the Lord is coming; surely it is near.” [Joel 1:5, 2:1]. “…. Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God; and remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.” [Revelation 3: 1-3]. 

I tell you the signpost reads, “Stop! Look! Listen! Danger ahead!” The Spirit of God, your conscience and your better judgment all join to warn, “Detour! Change! You’re on the wrong road!” God is waving the red flag. His patience is coming to an end. Do not take God’s patience for granted or think lightly of it. Christ demands an immediate and unquestioning response. “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” [Isaiah 55:6-7]

The demand of Jesus to repent goes to all the nations. It comes to us, whoever we are and wherever we are, and lays claim on us. This is the demand of Jesus to every soul: The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near, Repent and believe in the good news! [Mark 1:15]

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:” [Deuteronomy 30:19]

First joint Sanctioned International BBQ Competition 

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— NORCO, CA— Professional barbeque chefs will vie for more than $10,000 in cash, prizes and international bragging rights at the 5th Annual Horse Town Brew n’ Que Festival, June 1, in Norco, CA. The barbeque cook-off is the first joint international barbeque competition sanctioned by the prestigious Kansas City BBQ Society (KCBS). Norco’s winning professional team members will fly to Perth, Australia to compete in Brew n’ Que Australia, Norco’s sister cook-off, October 5, 2019. Australian barbeque team, the Rib Racks, will join over 60 teams participating in the Norco contest. The festival plays host to craft beer tastings from the southern California’s most prized brewers: live entertainment: on site classes: a kids cooking class and a kids barbeque competition. 

“We are very excited to join forces with the Norco barbeque contest”, notes Jason Linto, Australia’s organizer and president of BBQ Events Australia. “Norco’s facility is very unique and the festival represents everything that is all American.” Some the country’s best cooks will be there and we want to compete against the best. “I am thrilled to be involved with the Norco event,” he adds. 

Norco organizer, Debbie Yopp, sees the event as a means to exchange ideas and develop barbeque cooking skills. “The festival and the teams competing are barbeque ambassadors but they are also developing relationships,” says Yopp. “This is now an international arena that allows us to learn from each other.” 

Noted chefs Chris Ferrell, executive chef for Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que restaurant, Donna Fong, professional cook and barbeque instructor and television personality, “Bigg Dane” Florence will be on site overseeing a kids cooking class and kids barbeque competition. A vendor marketplace will include food and activities for adults and youth. Both craft beer and barbeque will be available to sample and attendees may cast a vote for their favorite craft beer or barbecue to determine the people’s choice awards. Additionally, a rare California Certified BBQ Judging (CBJ) class is also scheduled. 

Live entertainment includes: Country-Blues stylist, Wumbloozo; toe stomping, the Blue Henrys; local favorite, the Honeylickers and San Francisco Bay’s hot West Coast Caravan of All Stars who add to the festival’s flavor. Special guest artist Lucky Lloyd and the Blues Shockers will perform a special tribute to BB King both in Norco and Australia. 

Festival Hours: Saturday, June 1, 2019 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.: A Certified Table Captain’s and BBQ Judging Class will be held June 2. 2019. Tickets are now on sale and priced as follows: Advance tickets- General admission tickets, $12.00. BBQ Sampler tickets, $40.00, (includes 15 BBQ taste tickets). Beer Sampler Package, $40.00. Children 11 and under are free. For more information visit www.brewnquefestival.com or call (951) 444-1280.