SAN BERNARDINO, CA- For those who love to travel and have the time, then you should be at the San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce information meeting where they will be discussing the details for a trip to Russia, cruising Moscow to St. Petersburg. The meeting will be taking place on Tuesday, December 3 at the Chamber office, 546 W. 6th Street, San Bernardino. The trip is scheduled for September 22 to October 4, 2014 and includes round trip airfare from LAX, 13 days, tour guides, cruise ship and port charges and 27 meals. The trip itinerary includes Moscow, Red Square, Volga River, St. Basil’s Cathedral, Blini and Caviar and the Kremlin with Armory Museum. In addition, there will also be local school and family home visits, a Piroshki Tea Party, a visit to the St. Petersburg Hermitage Museum, Vodka tasting and a visit to Catherine Palace and Kizhi Island. Those who are interested should attend the meeting where they will be given an information packet. To RSVP call Lupe Castaneda at 909-885-7515 or email sba.chamber@verizon.net.

LOS ANGELES, CA – Women of Color, Inc. will be presenting their 3rd Annual Girls Night Out, “Shopping 4 a Cause” (benefit fundraiser) on Thursday, December 5 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the California African American Museum, 600 State Drive (Exposition Park) in Los Angeles. This is a night to enjoy with you girls as you guys enjoy cocktails, live entertainment, gourmet foods and much more. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, which includes a gift bag. For more information, please call 310-674-6700 or visit www.woci.org.

Hey Inland Empire, it’s ya’ girl back with “What It Do with Lue!” So many families have been displaced and left out in the cold due to the downfall of the economy, and I truly believe that you haven’t lived until your experience the joy of helping someone in need. With that being said, our entertainment company, along with several others in the community and neighboring cities that came together to provide and distribute Thanksgiving meals for the homeless population in downtown San Bernardino.
We are living in harsh times and it is all about survival. While driving down the streets in downtown San Bernardino you will spot several makeshift homes located in dirt fields and under freeway passes. Our mission was to prepare and pass out 300 or more hot meals. I can’t begin to tell you how quick the plan manifested, and how giving people were.
I want to give a special thanks to the artists, entertainment companies, local businesses and LUE Productions artists (Paul Douglas and Speaker Junkiez), Southern California Black Chamber of Commerce, Fanbase Entertainment, Team SP (Sdot Freaky, Daneisha and Nya Banxx), PAC Entertainment (Misfit), B.A.F. Family (Chubbs), Westside Story Newspaper, Krystal Yvonne, Knock it Off Ladies Car Club, Stree Free Living (Lea Noir) Cold Cutz Barbershop (Mike), Freddie Washington Photography, Stene’s Southern Kitchen (Ruby Holmes), Three Kings Catering (Lawanna Lee) and Youth Build Charter School. (Photo by Naomi Bonman)

Tyrone Jones helped establish the Westside Nubians in 2007 to help stop the violence in his San Bernardino West Side community. The Nubians patrolled the streets, gave block parties and held community meetings with the goal of helping to keep the peace among the area’s youth. About six weeks ago, on October 14, Jones was shot while sitting in the carport of his home.  According to the police report, the killer leaned over and looked into Tyrone’s face before shooting him in the back of the head.  He is described as about 5 feet 8 inches tall, stocky, approximately 200 pounds and was seen wearing a black t-shirt and camouflage shorts. Tyrone stood up for his community. It is now time for someone to stand up for Tyrone!
If you have or think you have any information that can help capture Tyrone Jones’ killer, contact Sgt. Gary Robertson at the San Bernardino Police department.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Volunteers and staff from the San Bernardino Boys & Girls Club packed Thanksgiving food baskets for the underserved community on Tuesday, November 26. Over 500 food baskets were prepared and given away. Director of the Boys & Girls Club, A. Majadi, said that he was extremely proud of the volunteers and very thankful to the sponsors, and that this event was successful because of the support from the Community Action Partnership, The Westside Action Group and Stater Bros.

MORENO VALLEY, CA – The California School Boards Association (CSBA) recently recognized the Moreno Valley Unified School District as a winner of the prestigious Golden Bell Award for 2013. This award recognizes the academic success of Health Careers Academy on the campus of Canyon Springs High School. The CSBA recognized 59 public school programs in the state this year. It created the Golden Bell Awards program in 1980 to recognize innovative and successful programs that make a difference in students’ success, and focus on meeting the needs of all students. Health Careers Academy is the oldest of several vocational academies Moreno Valley Unified School District has created.
While students in these programs receive a well-rounded education, by following a recommended pathway of courses, they can either begin an entry-level career in their area of interest, or more easily transition to a college or university level education in the health career field after high school graduation. Students enter the Health Careers Academy as sophomores. In the academies, students have the same core requirements, such as English, social studies, and science as they would in a regular high school program, but take these courses from teachers at the academy. Students also take vocational education courses through the academy.  In the introductory course, Introduction to Health Care, students learn medical technology, learn how to take vital signs, research health careers, develop resumes and are certified in first aid and CPR. The academy also offers extra-curricular organizations.
The students usually have between 160 to 240 hours of internship experience by the time they graduate from high school. In the 2012-2013 school year, 27 of the 31 seniors had internships with either Riverside County Regional Medical Center, the Riverside County ROP/CTE, Charter Hospice or medical clinics.
“The Canyon Springs Health Careers Academy has consistently produced students with a plethora of knowledge, genuine concern about all health issues and most importantly a passion to be proactive and responsive,” Dr. White said. “The level of student engagement and compassion for others has propelled this program above the rest. Students participating in this program live and breathe commitment to health.”

LOS ANGELES, CA-  Transitioning to college will be a bit easier for 30 Los Angeles-area students as they receive a $1,000 college scholarship and a tablet, courtesy of Aio Wireless’ 30 Days, 30 Dreams program, designed to reinvigorate nonprofit programs that create opportunities for future leaders in the communities it serves, 30 Days, 30 Dreams enables Aio to collaborate with community-based organizations to identify the recipients. For more information visit www.aiowireless.com, www.facebook.com/aiowireless and www.twitter.com/aiowireless.

ROSEMEAD, CA — Thanksgiving Day is usually full of food, family and football. Southern California Edison (SCE) reminds its customers to add safety to the list since cooking fires are three times more likely on Turkey Day than any other day, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
Cooking equipment, overloaded circuits and extension cords are leading causes of electrical accidents and home fires during the holiday season, according to the Electrical Safety Foundation International. About 2,000 fires occur annually in the U.S. on Thanksgiving Day, causing an average of five fatalities, 15 injuries and $21 million in property damage, said the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA).
“An increase in indoor activities combined with cooking and entertaining family and friends can cause many customers to forget basic home safety,” said Bill Messner, principal manager of Health and Safety at SCE. “Safety should never take a holiday.”
The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking, said the USFA. Never leave cooking equipment or appliances, such as toaster ovens, unattended. Turn them off if you leave the room. Another key precaution is to check for the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) mark on appliances. UL is the leading independent product safety organization and is a trusted symbol among consumers and manufacturers.
SCE recommends some other safety tips for Thanksgiving:
•         Plug countertop appliances into Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)-protected outlets.
•         Replace appliances that have frayed electrical cords. Contact with them can cause electric shock and serious injury.
•         When using electrical appliances, keep electric cords out of reach of children.
•         Do not overload outlets with multiple adaptors or power strips.
•         Do not use extension cords with major appliances.
•         Unplug appliances that aren’t in use, preventing them from being turned on accidentally.
•         Locate all appliances away from the sink. Remember that water and electricity do not mix.
•         Never fight an electrical or grease fire with water. Keep a fire extinguisher, UL listed and rated for electrical fires and grease, nearby.
For more on electrical safety at home, visit www.sce.com/safety. Follow SCE on Twitter and Facebook.
About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Young Visionary Youth Leadership Academy in partnership with the Black Voice Foundation have been awarded a major grant by the San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health to provide a resilience promotion in African-American children and their families within San Bernardino County targeting students primarily within the San Bernardino  Unified School District (SBUSD). The three year funded grant, Successfully Motivating  African-Americans in Resiliency Training (SMAART), is a 12-week, multi-year, intensive K-8 program that will be a hub of high expectations. The program will directly support the SBUSD strategic plan.
“Our goal is to support community organizations, parents and students to achieve the goal of inspiring families toward their successful future” Terrance Stone, CEO of Young Visionaries, said.
SMAART is partnered with the Department of Equity and Targeted Student Achievement, and the African-American Parent Advisory Council from the San Bernardino City Unified School District and Hardy Brown College Prep, a charter school located in downtown San Bernardino.
The program’s goals and objectives include:   reducing the risks of juvenile justice involvement; weekly lessons completed in collaboration with SBUSD schools; conflict resolution among students; effective Black parenting; mentor workshops; history and heritage that will bring greater understanding to families; and health and wellness workshops to increase awareness.

Linda L. Smith

A Profile of Courage: Linda L. Smith. On Saturday, December 21 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at The Hour Glass Wine and Art Gallery, 8200 Haven Avenue, Suite 103, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730; the screening of independent filmmaker, Reginald D. Brown’s documentary “A Profile of Courage: Linda L Smith” will be screened. Smith is the Founder and CEO of Four-D College, a vocational nursing school in Colton and Victorville.  Today, she remains the only African American to have a fully accredited career college offering vocational nursing and other allied health programs in the State of California. Light hors d’oeuvres will be served. For tickets please visit www.eventbrite.com/e/a-profile-in-courage-linda-l-smith-tickets-9251474409.