More from the mailbag: My March 24 column about the 250th anniversary of Juan Bautista de Anza’s journey through the Inland Empire (wherever it is) explored his path through Riverside. To refresh everyone’s memory, the Mexican soldier and a small contingent left Arizona in a quest for an overland supply route to Mission San Gabriel. This took them through what became Riverside on March 20-21, 1774. (The expedition was forced to camp outdoors overnight because the Farm House Motel wouldn’t open for another 179 years.) The party reached the mission on March 22, which is when the party got starte ..read more

Ontario Christian High student Sebastian Bailey Villaseñor posed for selfies with his father’s rifles, endlessly watched videos about school shooters, used the internet to research ammunition, body armor and police response times to name just a few, and even ordered T-shirts similar to those worn by the teens who carried out the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. When Ontario police interrogated the 18-year-old about his plans to shoot up his school, he laid out what he called his thoughts — where he might park, where he might open fire, how he might defend himself against police — in res ..read more

The Ontario Chaffey Community Show Band will present “An Evening at the Pops,” a concert of music from the concert hall and world of popular music, 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 15, at the Merton E. Hill Auditorium on the campus of Chaffey High School, 1245 N. Euclid Ave., Ontario. Admission is free, and before the concert, the Woodwind Celebration Ensemble will perform at 7 p.m. in the lobby, where coffee and cookies will be available. Featured soloists from the band will be Gary Simpson, Trisha Molina, Francisco Mowatt, Natasha Le and John Holguin. Gary Simpson, a trumpeter in the band, has made a ..read more

Hold those lighters aloft: Fifty years ago this weekend, 200,000 rock fans descended on Ontario for California Jam, a one-day music festival on the grounds of the Ontario Motor Speedway. The April 6, 1974 event — ticket price: $10 — had this concert lineup, in order of appearance: Rare Earth; Earth, Wind and Fire; the Eagles with guest Jackson Browne; Seals and Crofts; Black Oak Arkansas; Black Sabbath, led by Ozzy Osbourne; Deep Purple; and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. If you’re keeping track, that’s two names with “Earth,” two with “Black” and one with “Purple.” Plus one “Browne.” Imagine 200,0 ..read more

Over 3,000 students from throughout California competed Friday, April 5, in the 57th Annual SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference. SkillsUSA, a national nonprofit, works with educators and schools to prepare and empower students to explore career opportunities in various trades. Students participated in 120 competitions, displaying their skills in multiple technical areas such as manufacturing, construction, barbering and robotics. Granite Hills High School students Aiden Walker Butler and Hayden Rice supervised by Judged Greg Gallagher use a simulator to wire a mechatronics sys ..read more

By David Koenig | The Associated Press Alaska Airlines says Boeing has paid the carrier $160 million in “initial compensation” for a panel that blew out of an Alaska Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliner en route to Ontario in January. The airline said Thursday that it expects additional compensation, the terms of which it said are confidential. The payment covered Alaska’s pretax loss related to the accident, including lost revenue and the cost of returning its Max 9 fleet to service after the planes were grounded for three weeks. Also see: NTSB says bolts on Boeing jetliner were missing before a do ..read more

Ontario is adding hundreds of apartments after the recent approval of two housing projects. The developments, on D Street and North Lemon Avenue in the downtown area and Fourth Street and Mountain Avenue, respectively, will bring 426 apartment homes and additional retail space to the city. “From a city perspective, I think this is an incredible project,” Councilmember Alan Wapner said. The Inland Empire population is expected to increase by more than 20% by 2048. San Bernardino County is projected to have 2.6 million residents in 2048, up from 2.2 million today. It’s anticipated that Californi ..read more

A ..read more

A ..read more

A ..read more