Sacramento, California – A bill aimed at removing a key certification test for teachers in California successfully passed the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday without much opposition. Senate Bill 1263, supported by the California Teachers Association, will now proceed to the Senate Appropriations Committee. If it passes there and is ultimately approved by the full Legislature, it will eliminate the California Teaching Performance Assessment, or CalTPA. Read also: Riverside Community College District Board of Trustees approves full health insurance coverage for associate faculty This ass ..read more

Riverside, California – Last month, the Riverside Community College District Board of Trustees unanimously decided to pay the full health insurance premiums for eligible associate faculty members at all three colleges within the district. This decision affects over half of the associate faculty, benefiting not only the professors at RCC but also those across the entire district. Read also: Riverside residents face financial challenges amid rising costs, survey finds “With most classes in the district being taught by part-time instructors, this program will give associate faculty comfort and st ..read more

Riverside, California – Nearly half of the households in Riverside, California, find it challenging to cover typical expenses, and around one-third experienced difficulties in paying their energy bills over the past year, as revealed by a survey from the Census Bureau. Among the 15 largest metropolitan areas in the US, Riverside reported the highest percentage of people facing significant financial hardships. Furthermore, one out of every seven individuals reported that they occasionally or frequently lacked enough food at home in the week prior to the survey. Read also: Temecula Planning Comm ..read more

Temecula, California – At a recent meeting, the Temecula Planning Commission unanimously agreed to demolish the old Claim Jumper Restaurant & Saloon in Temecula Town Center and replace it with two new buildings. The decision, which was made with minimal public objection, will allow for the construction of an Ono Hawaiian BBQ and a Better Buzz Coffee Roasters at 29540 Rancho California Road. The abandoned Claim Jumper, which has been closed since 2018 and occupies 11,200 square feet, will be cleared to make room for the smaller Ono Hawaiian BBQ and Better Buzz buildings, totaling 2,839 and ..read more

Riverside, California – Clearway Energy Group declared on April 17 that their Victory Pass and Arica solar projects, including energy storage, are now operational in Riverside County, California. These installations have a total capacity of 463 MW from solar power and 186 MW from battery storage, capable of supplying electricity to about 205,000 households. “We are delighted to bring online the Victory Pass and Arica solar and energy storage complex and begin providing cost-competitive clean energy for California homes and businesses with these projects,” said Valerie Wooley, SVP of Originatio ..read more

Riverside County, California – The Riverside University Health System (RUHS) and the County of Riverside Housing and Workforce Solutions (HWS) will commemorate the annual “Longest Night” Homeless Persons Memorial Day throughout the region on Thursday, Dec. 21. This observance, aligning with the winter solstice – the year’s longest night – aims to bring attention to the struggles of the homeless population and to honor those who have passed away. People experiencing homelessness have a ninefold higher risk of suicide and generally shorter lifespans than the broader population. Check also: El Do ..read more

Riverside, California – Prosecutors say that two brothers from Riverside County who ran a heroin delivery service and used code words like “taco” for phone orders will each spend 24 years in federal prison. The brother, aged 45 and 46, are from Riverside Julio Cesar Martinez, 45, from Riverside, and Victor Martinez, 46, were sentenced this week, on Monday. They had pleaded guilty in August to conspiring to distribute heroin, admitting they distributed over 29 kilograms (64 pounds) of it in Orange County, as per the U.S. attorney’s office statement. Their operation, which ran from September 200 ..read more

Santa Ana, California – Soon, many Californians might be using recycled wastewater as their drinking water. On Tuesday, California authorities set new standards allowing water providers to process wastewater and reintroduce it into the drinking water supply. Under these regulations, water agencies are permitted, but not required, to recycle wastewater and funnel it back into the system that provides water to residences, schools, and businesses. California will become the second state to adopt this practice, following Colorado’s lead. The state has a history of using recycled wastewater. For ex ..read more

Riverside County, California – If you’re on CalFresh and think someone stole your food benefits electronically from October 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023, you might get back the benefits you lost. This kind of theft happens when someone illegally takes money off your Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. This can be done through skimming, cloning, or other scams. If your EBT card shows a zero balance or less money than before, even though you didn’t lose the card, your benefits might have been stolen. You can still get these lost benefits back even if you were previously told no, only got p ..read more

Riverside County, California – On December 19th, Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies carried out a mission in Eastvale to stop shoplifting. This led to the arrest of six people, who are now facing different charges. The Sheriff’s Office of Riverside County shared details about working with local stores to prevent theft in the city. The operation took place near Hamner Avenue’s 6100 block, and the people caught were between 27 and 58 years old, coming from different places in Riverside County. The people arrested include David Frotson from Moreno Valley, Maria Alarcon Zabala of Eastvale, and Za ..read more