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REDLANDS, CA – This past Saturday, Music Changing Lives, (MCL) hosted their 8^th annual Lights on Afterschool celebration at the Redlands Community Center.  Lights on Afterschool is a national celebration recognizing the importance of after-school programs for children, parents and the greater community.

Music Changing Lives celebrated by hosting a musical performance competition, visual arts display and a fashion show!  MCL students worked for several months preparing for the fun and entertaining celebration.  First place in the vocal competition went to 9 year old singer Valeria Solis who sang “Stay” by Rhianna.

Trisha Sherman is the Art Director at the MCL Redlands location and she worked with her student artists on the visual artworks display, along with coordinating the very stylish fashion show.

Two students, Julian Amaro and Angela Pallares from the Art Institute of San Bernardino who intern with MCL showcased their Spring Bloom Collection for the show, while art instructor Eva Urbano, designed the tutu dress collection for the young female art students strut in during the fashion show.

Program Director and lead Audio Engineer for MCL, Steven L. Hernandez organized Saturday’s showcase and commented, “I started at MCL three years ago and when I started I thought this was crazy because I hadn’t heard about a program like this before. But when I started working with kids who had difficulties and problems, I realized this was one of the places they could come to not only be themselves, but could grow and escape from what they may have to deal with every day.”’

Music Changing Lives offers students at the Redlands Community Center recording sessions, vocal coaching, piano lessons, guitar lessons and art lessons Monday – Saturday from 2pm-9pm for only $20.00 a month.

Former student and guest judge for the event, Jose Mariscal of Moreno Valley discovered MCL during his senior year of high school.  Jose credits MCL to opening many doors for him musically and for giving him confidence to perform and audition.

He also enjoys giving back and helping other young artists who were like him a few years ago.

“I was in bad shape, you know, and music got me to focus on what I love doing. I love singing. I love playing the guitar, the piano, the drums. It’s one of my dreams,” he said.

“We plan to celebrate Lights on After School every year because it not only recognizes the important role afterschool programs play in our communities, it also celebrates the kids in our programs, the arts, the music and all of the achievements we’ve reached,” said CEO & Founder of Music Changing Lives Josiah Bruny.

Afterschool programs keep kids safe, help working families and inspire learning. According to data from the Afterschool Alliance, 14.3 million children are without adult supervision in the afternoon hours.

Visit www.musicchanginglives.org to learn more about MCL or follow the movement on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MusicChangingLivesIE

What it do with the LUE is three time Grammy award winner Robert Sylvester Kelly, known to us as R. Kelly, smashed San Manuel on Thursday, October 8! Straight outta Chi Town, known as Chicago (Illinois), the singer, songwriter, record producer, rapper and former; let’s not forget professional basketball player, came out to the Inland Empire and left his mark. He showed us all why he is the King of R&B.

OMG, performing all his hits from his 12 play album such as “Your Body’s Callin'”,”Bump N’ Grind”, “I Believe I Can Fly”, and many more. The house was packed with standing room only. The ladies were out of control and let’s just say that the fellas were waiting patiently. LOL! I had so much fun, it took me way back. I love the fact that he wasn’t stuck up and how he engaged the crowd. He called several ladies from the audience to come on stage and chill while he performed, giving them an up and close performance. Now we all know how Kellez get down, don’t we according to history.

A lot of artists are only good studio singers and suck live; however, R. Kelly is the truth. This man made sure that the crowd knew what was up by singing long drawn out hook runs. His voice is butta’, so with that being said, “Can I get a Toot! Toot! Can I get a Beep! Beep!”. Until next time, and please support ya’ girl and like our face book page under LUE Productions. L’Z!

SACRAMENTO – AB 914, a measure by Assemblymember Cheryl R. Brown (D-San Bernardino), has been signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown. The bill authorizes the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) to implement an Express Lane program in San Bernardino County on the I-10 and the I-15 corridors.

“The Inland Empire is the fastest growing region in the state; and as result, we are subject to the worst traffic and air quality conditions,” stated Assemblymember Brown. “AB 914 gives SANBAG additional tools to reduce congestion and improve our air quality. Additionally, the project creates a significant number of new jobs.”

San Bernardino County is projected to have 3.4 million residents in 2060. The I-10 and I-15 corridors are among the most congested and urbanized in the state, seeing up to 483,000 vehicles per day.  By 2045, these numbers are expected to reach 668,500 vehicles per day, a 38 percent increase.

“AB 914 gives our region the ability to reduce congestion and improve mobility for those that travel within and through our county.  The projects being considered for the I-10 and I-15 corridors are anticipated to produce 11,000 jobs for our region and save $40 million annually in delay costs for travelers countywide by 2045,” said Raymond Wolfe, Executive Director of SANBAG. “AB 914 appropriately requires that we reinvest funds generated from any projects developed on these corridors on local street and road improvements, which means that all drivers would see benefits, even if they were to never use Express Lanes.”

Submitted by Angela Coggs

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- On Tuesday, October 20, parents, students, and community members in San Bernardino will demand that San Bernardino City Unified School District adopt the Progressive Discipline Policy to do more to reform the district’s discipline that funnel students of color through the school-to-prison pipeline.  The district has used the Progressive Discipline Matrix as a guide to help schools change their practices by adopting strategies such as School-wide Positive Behavior Support and Restorative Justice which has resulted in significant drops in overall student suspension rates from 11% in 2010-2011 school year to 6.4% in 2014-2015 school year.

The community believes that the criminalization of youth of color remains a threat, especially to African American students who continue to experience significantly disproportionate discipline for disruption/willful defiance and face higher rates of school related arrests and referrals to law enforcement than other subgroups of students. Research has shown that when committing the same or similar subjective behavior offenses, African American students are inclined to receive more severe disciplinary consequences (Noltemeyer & Mcloughlin, 2010a; Noltemeyer & Mcloughlin, 2010b; Skiba, et al., 2002).  African American and Latino students combined experience school-based arrests at higher rates than those who complete A-G course requirements and are prepared for college and career.

As California is home to a significant number of state and federal prisons consequently, schools in San Bernardino County experience higher rates of suspension, citations, and school-based arrests in comparison to other counties in the state making this region a direct feeder into the school-to-prison pipeline.  Parents, students, and the community members a new policy that will, among many things, end to willful defiance suspensions, define articulate the role of police on campus and the use of alternative strategies to reduce the use of citations and student arrests in disciplinary matters, and establish a structure for community oversight.

This is effort is being organized by Inland Congregations United for Change, Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement, Youth Action Project, American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, in solidarity with Pico California Network and the Statewide School Discipline Action Team, a coalition of community-based and advocacy groups working to reform school discipline practices across the state of California.

Kevin Merida

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) congratulates member Kevin Merida on his appointment as editor of “The Undefeated,” ESPN’s website centering on the intersection of race, culture, and sports.

Merida will be a senior vice president and editor and oversee the content, the direction, and the strategic initiatives undertaken by the site. He joins “The Undefeated” from The Washington Post where he had been managing editor since February 2013 and on staff for 22 years. Upon his appointment at the Post, he became the paper’s first African-American managing editor.

“Kevin is an exceptional journalist who has worked his way up from reporter to editor covering a range of topics, from news of the day to national politics,” said NABJ President Sarah Glover. “Kevin is a transformative leader who has driven pointed editorial coverage of important news stories while balancing the need to create newsrooms that are nimble, flexible, adaptable, and creative. He has mentored talented journalists and helped them to create notable work.”

“Kevin is a remarkably accomplished journalist, editor and leader whom we have long admired and desired to join ‘The Undefeated,'” said Marie Donoghue, ESPN Executive Vice President for Global Strategy and Original Content.  “Today’s announcement represents a key step in the evolution of the site and ESPN’s commitment to this ambitious project.”

Before serving as managing editor Merida was the paper’s national editor.  Merida was named NABJ’s Journalist of the Year in 2000 in recognition of his storytelling abilities, his commitment to the craft of journalism, and his drive to be an industry influencer by encouraging others to raise the bar.

Merida a Washington, D.C.-area native graduated from Boston University with a degree in journalism. He is the co-author of the biography “Supreme Discomfort: The Divided Soul of Clarence Thomas” and co-author of the bestselling “Obama: The Historic Campaign in Photographs.” Merida who will remain in Washington, D.C., is married to author and former Post columnist Donna Britt with whom he has three sons. NABJ congratulates ESPN on this appointment and wishes Mr. Merida much success at ESPN.

An advocacy group established in 1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization for journalists of color in the nation, and provides career development as well as educational and other support to its members worldwide. For additional information, please visit, www.nabj.org.

Members of National Coalition of 100 Black Women (NCBW) participated in a raffle from Embassy Suites by Hilton and Homewood Suites by Hilton at the NCBW 17th Biennial Conference in Long Beach, California. Winners received free accommodations at Embassy Suites by Hilton or Homewood Suites by Hilton as part of “Count on It,” a multicultural marking campaign focused on simplifying family reunion planning. All raffle participants were enrolled in Hilton HHonors, the free, award-winning guest-loyalty program for Hilton Worldwide’s distinct hotel brands. (Photo Credit: CaughtInTheMoment.com)

Hilton Worldwide’s Embassy Suites by Hilton and Homewood Suites by Hilton (NYSE: HLT) recently hosted a special breakfast event during the National Coalition of 100 Black Women(NCBW) 17th Biennial Conference in Long Beach, California.

The NCBW conference theme was “From Protest to Policy– Making Advocacy Count.” It engaged attendees with workshops and discussions on health, education, economic empowerment and civic engagement from experts in their fields.

Michele McNeill-Emery, National President of National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., shares welcome remarks during the organization’s awards banquet held October 7-11 at the Hilton Long Beach Hotel, Long Beach, California. Also sharing the special moment are NCBW’s newly elected Third Vice President, Membership and Chapter Development, Paula J. Ward and Beverly P. Johnson, national board member. (Photo Credit: CaughtInTheMoment.com)

Andrea Richardson, director of resorts and multicultural marketing for Hilton Worldwide, addressed more than 200 conference attendees Oct. 9. Richardson discussed “Count On It”, a multicultural marketing initiative from Embassy Suites by Hilton and Homewood Suites by Hilton designed to help make planning family reunions easy and stress-free, as well as Hilton’s commitment to embracing diversity and strengthening communities through public service.

National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., National President, Michele McNeill-Emery, (front center) during the breakfast hosted by Hilton Homewood/Embassy Suites during the organization’s recent 17th Biennial Conference hosted at the Hilton Long Beach Hotel, Long Beach, California. Shown with her on the left is Hilton Worldwide director of resorts and multicultural marketing, Andrea Richardson. On her right, Lorraine Miller, Account Director, Burrell Communications. They are surrounded by members of the Coalition’s national board of directors. (Photo Credit: CaughtInTheMoment.com)

Hilton Worldwide director of resorts and multicultural marketing, Andrea Richardson, delivered a compelling speech at a breakfast event at the National Coalition of 100 Black Women’s 17th Biennial Conference on Oct.9. Embassy Suites by Hilton and Homewood Suites by Hilton sponsored the breakfast as part of “Count on It,” a multicultural marketing program designed to help make family reunions easy and stress-free for all participants. (Photo Credit: CaughtInTheMoment.com)

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

Well Mama always said, “A hard head makes a soft-behind.” You made a decision and now you must accept its consequences. Stop your crying! You went and found out that what they said was true….“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and will cost you far more than you want to pay.” Sinful choices… severe consequences! God’s message is simple. If you do not lay down your idols and repent of your sin, He has no other choice than to allow you to be consumed (perish) with those He directs His judgment towards; spiritually as well as physically. Listen, there is a time of divine ultimatum when we must make a decision to remain in our sin or repent and follow God in holiness and purity. The angels in Genesis 19:15 “hastened” Lot to get his family together and get out. Time was up! Yet in verse sixteen, Lot lingered (question, hesitate, was reluctant) He may, as many of us, still think we have plenty of time. But Romans 13: 11-14 says, “This is all the more urgent, for you to know how late it is; time is running out!” Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Paul challenges his readers to “Understand the present time.” Do you know what time it is? It’s time to wake up! Why? Because salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The long night is fading away, the sun is peeking over the eastern horizon, and Jesus is coming soon!

I want you to know that in Genesis chapter 13 a division occurred between the herdsman Abraham and Lot. Abraham took Lot to the mountain top to see all the lands round about them. He told Lot, “You choose your direction. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right.”Abraham had a mission to accomplish. He was looking for a city whose builder and maker was God. He had to separate himself from those who had not put their whole heart into the journey. As Lot surveyed the territory, he was drawn to the Jordan valley for his sheep, yet pitched his tent toward Sodom. He describes this as “the valley of the Lord” yet it was full of slime pits, homosexuality, violence, murder and every sin imaginable. Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom because his heart was there and it would soon cost him dearly. He was saved, but because his heart was not fully surrendered to the Lord he sacrificed his sons, daughters, daughters-in-law and his wife to Sodom. He entered into an incestuous relationship with his two remaining daughters that produced the heads of two pagans, God hating tribes. What a testimony! But Lot was not too different than many in the church of today. Some have an attitude of so-what if I sin, this is a time of grace. God doesn’t judge sin the same way as He did in the Old Testament. I want you to know that the truth in both the Old and New Testaments will ring in our ears throughout eternity. The wages of sin is death! Get your heart out of Sodom! God is drawing a line in these last days. Those who refuse to heed the warnings will, like Lot, probably sacrifice the things that mean the most to them. Maybe their own soul as well. As the judgment of the Lord increases on our country and persecution towards the Church intensifies, those who are not fully persuaded like Abraham will not make it. They will not believe that a loving God would cut them off. Some believe that all their shouting, praising, dancing and tongue talking somehow pacify a holy God as they continue to compromise with the god of this world. Wrong!

In Luke 17:31-32, Jesus tells us that when he returns we must be ready and willing to forsake everything or we will miss Him. He confirms it with, “Remember Lot’s wife.” Although she accepted the mercy of the Lord to save her life, her heart remained in Sodom. She was told, “Don’t look back.” When she did she was turned into a pillar of salt. God is drawing a line in His Body in preparation for His return. On one side of the line will be those who have forsaken everything in order to follow Him. On the other side of the line are those who will not take the warning seriously. They will no doubt perish. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance 2Peter 3:9. The Bible makes it very clear: Backsliding is an evil, bitter thing – and it has awful consequences! “Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee…” Jeremiah 2:19.   For every action there is a reaction, and for every choice there is a consequence.  May the examples of such men like Lot and David…Teach us the importance of making Wise Choices!

(L. Ofelia Gallegos, Francine Gatewood, Celeste Clemons, Lori McCarver, Brenda Daniels)

By Naomi Riggins

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Westside Christian Center Church, located at 785 N. Arrowhead Avenue in San Bernardino is the home of Westside Kinship Support Services. Many grandparents, and other relatives are providing care to children who are unable to live with their birth parents. When situations arise and a child can no longer safely reside with their birth parent/legal guardian, Children and Family Services (CFS) first looks for those who are familiar to the child to provide care.  Relatives and family are usually known to a child and by providing a safe and nurturing environment, can often help ease the trauma of separating from a birth parent.

Westside Kinship Support Services (WKSS) was created to ensure that caregivers who open their heart and their home will never feel alone and helpless. Our program provides a place where caregivers can receive a wealth of resources, training and support. Kinship’s focus is to strengthen and develop viable support systems for the caregiver which helps to promote a stable home for the lives in their care. WKSS offers weekly (morning and evening) support groups—Tuesday mornings at 10:00 am; and Thursday evenings at 6:00 pm. WKSS also offers fun and educational activities for youth and independent living skills for teens.

Caregivers often have special needs linked to age, poverty, poor health, social isolation, and inadequate access to information and services. As with most social services programs, our program receives limited funding. . With state tax dollars constantly in short supply, the pressure for cuts is always immediate and pressing. As a result, we endeavor to solicit funding each year from community partners. It is vital that the child welfare community becomes more aware of, and helps support, kinship families outside of the formal child welfare system. Child welfare policy makers and administrators can use information from this report to learn more about the demographic characteristics of kinship caregivers, as well as what services and supports they find most necessary and helpful. Instituting policies and programs that provide basic, front-end support could help prevent caregivers and kinchildren from approaching crisis.

If you provide 24/7 care for a relative child, there are benefits that you may be eligible to receive.  Caregivers that are living in San Bernardino and surrounding areas (Colton, Highland, Redlands, Loma Linda, Yucaipa and other areas) are encouraged to apply. Give them a call today at the Westside Kinship Support Services Office (909) 889-5757 or contact them through their Website:www.westsidechristiancenter.net or you may access additional information about Kinship at www.cakinship.org.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA – The Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE) at Cal State San Bernardino has announced the finalists for the 2015 Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards program. Award winners will be announced on November 10 at the black-tie gala at the Riverside Convention Center.  Now in its 13^th year, the Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards event has honored the top business leaders of the Inland region since its inception in 2003.

“We continue to be amazed at the truly unique entrepreneurial success stories in the Inland Empire,” said Mike Stull, founder of the event and director of IECE. “This year’s finalists are another group of advanced companies that represent the type of innovation and risk taking that this event celebrates.”

The program will feature awards given out in nine categories, and also presentation of the 2015 “Best of the Best” award to one of the nine (9) award recipients that best exemplifies what it means to be an entrepreneur in terms of taking risks and building a successful enterprise that creates jobs and value where none existed before.

Entrepreneurial finalists for 2015 include: Consulting Entrepreneur: Mary Barnett, Another Brilliant Idea, Inc. – Corona; Patti Drinville – The PLD Group Inc. – Thousand Palms; and Virgal Woolfolk – VIRTEK Company – Menifee. The Corporate Entrepreneur includes Kathy Griset, Cibaria International, Inc. – Riverside; David J. Greiner, Greiner Buick GMC – Victorville; Antonio Myrell, Premier Medical Transportation, Inc.- Colton; and David Hsu & Ching Liu, SolarMax Technology, Inc. – Riverside.

In the Family Business category is Bud Luppino, Bud’s Tire Pros – Riverside; Mark Peabody and Larry Peabody, Peabody Engineering & Supply, Inc. – Corona; and Wesley L. Golay, Redlands Prosthetic & Orthotic Group, Inc.  – Redlands.

The General Entrepreneur section includes Angela Weymar & Tony Di Guglielmo, ICON Vehicle Dynamics, LLC – Riverside; DeAnne Stidham – LuLaRoe – Corona; and Jeff Van Dam, That Solar Guy – Murrieta.

The Innovator/Technology Entrepreneur includes Shahriar “Nick” Niakan, Advanced Flow Engineering, Inc.   – Corona; David Bertolini – HotelRSV – Murrieta; and Eddie Rowland – Nexbelt LLC – Rancho Cucamonga. The Manufacturing Entrepreneur includes Taylor Hale, Crown Paper Converting, Inc.  – Ontario; Dave Grimes, Edge Plastics Inc. / ODI Grips – Riverside; and Jack Fovell, Southwest Sign Co. – Corona.

The Service Based Entrepreneur includes Daniel Hallisey, Artic Mechanical, Inc. – Rancho Cucamonga; Cory Chalmers, Crime Scene Steri-Clean, LLC – Rancho Cucamonga; and Manuel Acosta, Pepe’s Towing Service – Moreno Valley. The Small/Emerging Enterprise consists of Don Gilmartin, APRIS Fire & Water Restoration – Corona; Nathan Greenberg, Arkside Marketing, Inc. – Riverside; and Gene Sherman – Vocademy – The Makerspace – Riverside. Lastly the Social Entrepreneur consists of Jed Davis, HomeStrong USA – Rancho Cucamonga; Dr. Temetry A. Lindsey, Inland Behavioral and Health Services, Inc. – San Bernardino; Damien O’Farrell, Path of Life Ministries – Riverside; and Karen DiCarlo, Santa Claus, Inc. of Greater San Bernardino – San Bernardino.

The finalists and award recipients are selected by an independent panel of judges consisting of past Spirit Award recipients.  The 29 finalists represent the culmination of a nomination and evaluation process that included more than 130 nominees.

Individual tickets for the Nov. 10 event are $110 per person and tables of 10 can be purchased for $1,000. Special Premier VIP experience ticket packages are also available. For more information or to make reservations, call (909) 537-3708 or visit www.spiritawardsie.com

Commencing at 5:30 p.m., the gala includes a cocktail reception, dinner, special entertainment guests and the awards presentation. All proceeds benefit the Spirit of the Entrepreneur Scholarship at Cal State San Bernardino.

Enrique Medina

By Lou Coleman

If you are looking for a mechanic, whether it is electrical or repairs for your car or truck, then look no further. Enrique Medina is his name.  He is a very humble man who is honest, very reasonable, and gets the job done in a very timely manner. Call him up and tell him what you need. He will do it for you, and don’t forget to mention that you read about him in the Westside Story Newspaper. His telephone number is (909) 202-3512.