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Cal State San Bernardino survey shows Inland Empire manufacturing index improves

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Inland Empire manufacturers "registered an impressive gain" in March as firms reported increases in production, new orders and even hiring.

The survey results, released Monday, show that manufacturing activity in San Bernardino and Riverside counties has been on the rise throughout the first quarter of 2012.

What's more, manufacturers who responded to a Cal State San Bernardino survey reported that March was a particularly healthy month for their businesses.

Last month's robust pace of business followed moderate growth over the previous two months, not to mention a sluggish end to 2011 when Inland Empire manufacturing was on the verge of contracting.

"It (growth) is sustained in the sense that it's going on at a weak rate of growth, but all the signals are increasing," said Shel Bockman, of the San Bernardino campus' Institute of Applied Research and a co-author of the Inland Empire Report on Business.

Bockman became more enthusiastic over the course of a telephone interview, noting that local manufacturers' views seem to mirror increasing optimism in other parts of the country and saying Monday's data is "one of the best reports ever" in the history of the campus' manufacturing survey.

The Institute for Applied Research surveys purchasing managers at roughly 30 San Bernardino and Riverside county manufacturing firms for its monthly survey.

Researchers take managers' responses to calculate a Purchasing Manager's Index for the two-county area. Any number above 50 signifies growth, and in March, the index jumped from 53.5 to 60.8.

Also in March, the survey's hiring index, reached 63, its highest point since May 2005.

The index cannot be used to generate numbers on how many people have actually been hired, but analysis from Los Angeles-based Beacon Economics shows San Bernardino and Riverside county manufacturers hired roughly 2,200 people from November to February.

"I would say as of November, things really started making a turn for the better," said Derek Dennis, president of Solar Atmospheres California. "Every month seems to be getting better and better."

Solar Atmospheres has a plant in Fontana where metal components for aircraft and other applications are subjected to heat treatments.

The company has a dozen employees at its Fontana plant and Dennis said the plans are to expand to 45 workers - enough to run the plant seven days a week.

Solar Atmospheres is not counted in the Cal State San Bernardino survey, but Rancho Cucamonga-based aircraft parts maker PneuDraulics is included in the report.

PneuDraulics' materials director Terry Herrmann also said the pace of business at his company has increased in recent months.

"We've continued to hire since the middle of last year," Herrmann said.

PneuDraulics has about 230 employees and has hired about 25 people in the past several months.

In March, the Inland Empire's manufacturing sector grew at a higher pace than that of the United States overall. The local figure of 60.8 compares with a national index of 53.4, according to the Institute for Supply Management.

A big difference between Inland Empire and national trends, however, is that whereas local manufacturers have reported three months of expansion, national manufacturers have reported 32 straight months of growth.


Contact Andrew via email, by phone at 909-386-3872 or 909-483-8550, or on Twitter @InlandBizz.


UPDATE: Ontario police release names of suspects arrested Monday

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Police have released the names of the people arrested in Ontario Monday.

Terry Panto, 39, of Wrightwood, Megan Gray, 19, of Ontario and Daniel Basua, 31, of Rialto were taken into custody in the 2000 block of Fourth Street, Ontario police SGT. David McBride said. They were booked at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga on suspicion of witness intimidation.

Police originally believed the trio was associated with a robbery that occurred last week.

"At this point in the investigation they have not been identified as suspects in the original robbery but they do appear to have a connection with the original robbery investigation," McBride said.

Ontario police dispatchers received a call about 5 p.m. from an individual possibly familiar with the suspects. The caller, whom police refused to identify for his protection, said the suspects were seen in the Stater Bros. parking lot at Fourth and Vineyard Avenue.

Police responded to the area and stopped the suspect's vehicle before handcuffing them and eventually charging them with intimidating a witness. The original robbery happened Wednesday afternoon when three people allegedly stole another man's wallet in the 1500 block of Bonnie Brea, McBride said.

Shortly after the robbery, police stopped a small pickup truck with Florida license plates in the 2000 block of Fourth Street.

Police arrested Richard Williamson, 23 and Steven Tolson, 24, both of Ontario. The third person ran from police, possibly into a nearby mobile home park, McBride said.

Officers looked for the unidentified man for most of the morning, utilizing a helicopter as well as foot patrols to search the area.

As of Monday, the suspect at large was still not arrested, McBride said.


Reach Lori via email or call her at 909-483-9378.

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Autopsy results for painters found dead could take months

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RANCHO CUCAMONGA - Officials are looking into the possibility that carbon monoxide poisoned three painters who were found dead inside a Rancho Cucamonga house last month.

The bodies of Francisco Corado, 27, Oscar Aguirre, 44, and Jahiron Aaron Mejia Morales, 24, all of Cathedral City, were discovered March 16 in the 8400 block of Autumn Leaf Drive, according to the San Bernardino County sheriff-coroner. The homeowner found the unresponsive men, whom she had hired to paint her house, and called the Sheriff's Department.

Rancho Cucamonga firefighters, who also responded, said the men were found in different rooms.

Corado, Aguirre, and Morales were using a paint compressor inside the sealed off residence, officials said. There were no signs of trauma on the bodies and investigators do not suspect foul play.

Autopsies were performed on the men to determine the exact cause of death but it will take about six months for the results to come in, officials said.

Reach Lori via email or call her at 909-483-9378.

Get the latest crime and public safety news on Twitter @IEcrime

ICE arrests 18 in San Bernardino County

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Federal immigration personnel arrested 18 people in San Bernardino County during a six-day nationwide sweep targeting criminal illegal immigrants, officials said Monday.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took more than 3,100 people into custody in its "Cross Check" enforcement operation, the largest of its kind.

"We were looking for people who are immigration violators," said Eric Saldana, an ICE assistant field office director for San Bernardino and Riverside counties. "Most of whom have orders of deportation or removal from an immigration judge or have come back illegally."

Those arrested had some type of contact with immigration officials or their local police departments for crimes like firearm and drug offenses, domestic violence, sexual misconduct, DUI convictions or being a documented gang member, Saldana said.

Agents arrested five people in Rialto and four in San Bernrdino. Immigrants were also arrested in Fontana, Bloomington, Victorville, Colton, Hesperia and Ontario.

Officials also arrested 124 people in Los Angeles County - including one in Pomona - 34 in Orange County and 15 in Riverside County.

More than 70 people arrested in Southern California had already been removed from the country, officials said.

While Operation Cross Check focuses on criminal aliens, ICE officials are continuously looking for immigrants with removal orders.

"We have teams out in the field every day but we have larger scale operations like this at least once or twice a year," Saldana said.

Reach Lori via email or call her at 909-483-9378.

Reach Melissa via email or call her at 909-386-3878.

Former San Bernardino teacher pleads not guilty to child porn

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A former San Bernardino middle school teacher arrested last month for exchanging sexually explicit images with a 13-year-old New Jersey girl has pleaded not guilty to five felony counts.

The FBI says 29-year-old Eugene Ballantyne was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that include sexual exploitation of a minor and producing child pornography. He entered his plea Monday in Los Angeles.

Investigators say the Running Springs resident made illegal contact with four minor victims, meeting them online and exchanging explicit photographs. Ballantyne posed as a 15-year-old boy to lure the girls.

Investigators say Ballantyne admitted traveling 180 miles to have sex with one minor he met online.

Ballantyne taught social studies at Arrowview Middle School.

During an FBI search at his home March 1, Ballantyne admitted to agents that he had been communicating with the girl in South Brunswick, N.J., since January, according to the criminal complaint. He also said he received pornographic images from another girl he met two years earlier, FBI officials said.

Ballantyne went by the name John Baldwin and allegedly sent nude pictures of himself to one of the girls, according to the complaint. He also received partially nude, sexually suggestive photos of the alleged victim.

FBI officials said he was demanding during phone conversations with one of the girls and persuaded her to engage in sexual activity while they talked.

He also asked the victim to delete his pictures, text messages and emails and told the girl not to tell anyone about their relationship, according to the complaint.

The complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office says Ballantyne sent messages expressing his love for the child.

"Really it's so nice to have you in my life. I only wish you were here so I could really express my feelings for you," he wrote in one of his notes.

Ballantyne faces life in prison if convicted of all charges. He remains in federal custody awaiting his May 1 trial.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Driver dies after slamming into tractor trailer

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A 20-year-old man died Monday when his vehicle struck the back of a tractor trailer in an unincorporated area of San Bernardino.

California Highway Patrol officers were called to collision about 11:50 a.m., according to the San Bernardino County sheriff-coroner. A 2000 Dodge pick-up was traveling north on Etiwanda Avenue when the driver failed to stop and struck the back of a semi-truck.

The driver, and only occupant in the pick-up, was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity was withheld pending notification of next of kin.


Reach Lori via email or call her at 909-483-9378.

Get the latest crime and public safety news on Twitter @IEcrime

Former student opens fire at Oakland university, killing 7

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Students at Oikos University recognized the man who entered their classroom Monday morning as a former nursing student who hadn't been around for a few months.

Then he ordered everyone to get up against a wall, and he drew a handgun.

"The people started running, and he started shooting," said Gurpreet Sahota, who relayed an account from his sister-in-law, nursing student Dawinder Kaur, 19.

Seven people died, and three more were wounded in the shooting at the small Christian university, the Bay Area's worst mass killing in almost 20 years.

Police said the victims are six women and one man ranging in age from their 20s to 40s. The man was identified as Tshering Rinzing Bhutia, 38, of San Francisco, killed when the gunman stole his car outside the school Monday morning. Two of the women killed were 21-year-old student Lydia Sim and 24-year-old Kathleen Ping, authorities confirmed.

Police Chief Howard Jordan on Monday evening confirmed the arrest of 43-year-old One Goh, of Oakland, a Korean native and naturalized U.S. citizen. Not much was immediately known about One, but Jordan said he had no known previous criminal record. Officers believe he acted alone.

Following the shooting, One drove Bhutia's car about five miles from the school to an Alameda supermarket, where he announced he had shot people and should be arrested. A security guard detained him until police arrived; a shopper who witnessed a man being handcuffed said he seemed very sedate.

The scene was chaotic back at Oikos, which occupies a small building on Edgewater Drive just north of Hegenberger Road in a business park between Interstate 880 and Oakland International Airport. The scene there was slaughter.

Kaur, 19, a U.S. Army Reservist from Santa Clara, told relatives the gunman had been a student in her class but had been absent for months before reappearing Monday morning. Some panicked when he drew a gun and began firing; she was shot in the arm as she helped a friend who had fallen on the classroom's floor. She then ran outside and called her brother, Paul Singh.

"She told me that a guy went crazy, and she got shot," Singh said. "She was running. She was crying; she was bleeding. It was wrong."

Police received a 911 call at 10:33 a.m. Art Richards, of Oakland, said he arrived at the school right around that time to pick up a friend who's a nursing student there.

Shocking, senseless

Richards said he saw a young woman wearing blue scrubs -- possibly Kaur -- emerge from bushes near the building, with blood running down her right arm from a wound near her elbow. She told him the gunman had fired point-blank at a man's chest, and she had been grazed by a bullet before she fled the building. "She was in shock, fearing for her life, she didn't know what to say," he said. "She had a piece of her arm gone, and that was just a graze from a bullet."

Richards said the wounded woman also told him she had recognized the gunman as a former student who had "seemed kind of weird and that he wasn't all there, and people would pick on him."

Police arrived within a few minutes, swarming the building; soon other buildings nearby were locked down, and police and news helicopters hovered above. Richards said he saw officers tackle an Asian man near the school, but they quickly determined he wasn't the suspect.

Officers advanced into the building, concerned the gunman might still be there and facing doors barricaded by terrified students. Some officers began smashing windows to get in; a police sergeant suffered a cut requiring hospitalization.

"About five or 10 minutes later, they drug out a body and placed it between two police cars. He was limp. They ran and grabbed a blanket, and we knew he was dead," Richards said.

Police moved an armored vehicle in front of the school to provide cover as more than a dozen students and faculty -- some of whom had been found cowering under desks -- were evacuated by SWAT officers. Some of the wounded immediately were whisked away by ambulance while others were treated at the scene.

Authorities said most of those killed and wounded had been in a classroom near the school's entrance, while one was shot in an administrative office. The gunman reportedly fired through another classroom's locked door but didn't hit anyone there.

Student Dechen Yangzom later was credited with having locked that other classroom's door and turned off the lights as soon as she heard the first shots echoing from down the hall, very likely saving her own life and those of seven others inside.

Later, several bodies that had been removed from the school lay covered on the front lawn. Police said five people died at the scene; of five others who were taken to the hospital, two later died.

Kaur's family, standing vigil as she was being treated at Alameda County Medical Center's Highland Hospital, said they saw other victims as well: a man shot in the shoulder and a woman shot in her hand and back.

"It was a very bloody scene, and we have lots of evidence to collect," Jordan said Monday evening. "This was an unprecedented tragedy. These deaths were shocking and senseless."

About 35 people had been in or near the school at the time of the shooting, Jordan said, and the gunman apparently had fled before the first officer arrived. School officials quickly gave police the gunman's name, photo and home address, to which officers were on their way when One turned himself in at the Alameda supermarket. Bhutia's car was towed from there.

Jordan said Monday evening that police would not yet release 911 tapes, photos of One or names and photos of the victims. No one answered the door Monday at an apartment at Westlake Christian Terrace, a high-rise residential building on the 200 block of 28th Street where One's father apparently lived. One's last known address also showed him living in the complex, although his current residence was not immediately clear.

One's brother, U.S. Army Sgt. Su Wan Ko, died in a traffic accident in Virginia in March 2011, while on special assignment from the George C. Marshall Center, an international security and defense studies institute in Garmisch, Germany. One Goh attended a memorial service in Virginia along with their father Young Nam Ko, 72, of Oakland. Their mother Oak Chul Kim, of Seoul, South Korea, attended as well but has since died, according to published reports. The suspect's other brother, Su Kwon Ko, who lives in Virginia did not answer his phone for comment Monday.

Court records show several court judgments and tax liens against One dating back to 2006, when he lived in Virginia. He owed more than $23,000 in federal taxes at one point and thousands of dollars more to banks and apartment owners.

The most recent judgment, in December, was for $985 to Capital One Bank.

Police described Oikos as "a postsecondary vocational school with strong ties to the Korean community and Korean students." A statement on the school's website from founder and president Pastor Jongin Kim says it offers "the opportunity to obtain a Christian education that is based on solid Christian doctrine and ideology. Our main goal is to foster spiritual Christian leaders who abide by God's intentions and to expand God's nation through them."

Gun control issue

Monday's shooting occurred during Christianity's holiest week.

Kim said Monday the shooter had previously been an Oikos nursing student but was no longer enrolled; he was unsure whether the shooter had been expelled or had dropped out voluntarily. Kim did not see the shooting but heard about 30 gunshots. "I stayed in my office," he said, imitating the sound of rapid shots.

Kaur's father, Balvir Singh, via translation by Sahota, said her family is "lucky she is alive. We are thankful that God saved her." The gunman, he said, "should get the full consequences that he deserves for doing this to these people."

Students panicked and ran from the building when the shooting started, said Nam Gong Kyun, a 52-year-old English student from Korea. Students and teachers throughout the building heard the shots, said Lucas Garcia, who has taught English at Oikos for three years. "We heard many gunshots," he said. "Everybody was scared, obviously."

Among those outside the school Sunday afternoon was Timothy Yi, pastor of Hayward Korean Baptist church, who had arrived with the father of Sim, who the family hadn't been able to reach after the shooting. Authorities confirmed later Monday that Sim was among the dead.

The pastor was shocked by the shooting, as the school has a reputation as a religious school. "They just study Bible and nursing," he said.

Monday's body count was the Bay Area's worst since the July 1, 1993, massacre at 101 California St. in San Francisco, when gunman Gian Luigi Ferri rampaged through two floors of a law office, killing eight victims before committing suicide.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan appeared grim as she faced a news conference Monday evening. "No American mayor wants to have this situation," she said. "We'll have to question the availability of guns and the need for other services in our community."

Oakland City Council President Larry Reid, in whose district the carnage occurred, said it's "crazy when seven people lose their lives to an act of senseless violence. We have seven families whose loved ones won't come home tonight. There are no words that anyone can offer them."

A memorial service is planned for 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Berkeley Korean United Methodist Church, 303 Hudson St., in Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood.

Staff writers Karl Fischer, Malaika Fraley, Matt Krupnick, Doug Oakley, Matt O'Brien, Jeremy Owens, Robert Salonga, Jason Sweeney, Thomas Peele and Angela Hill contributed to this story.

Public comment under way for proposed immigration reform

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A 60-day public-comment period began Monday for a proposed policy that would allow illegal immigrants who are immediate family members of U.S. citizens to remain with their families longer while applying for permanent residency.

People can submit their input on U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' proposal at regulations.gov through June 1.

The rule would allow illegal immigrants, through a provisional waiver, to remain with their families longer if they could demonstrate that separation would pose an extreme hardship on their spouse, parents or children.

The government expects the rule to reduce the financial and emotional hardship for families of illegal immigrants and also increase efficiencies in processing visas.

The Department of Homeland Security estimates the 10-year cost for the law, if approved, would be between $100 million and $304 million. Waiver applicants would also be required to submit biometric information, such as electronic fingerprints. Cost for gathering the biometric data is estimated between $28 million and $42.5 million over a 10-year period.

Joe Olague, the president of the League of United Latin American Citizens Inland Empire Council 3163 in San Bernardino, believes the waivers are a step in the right direction. He said he has seen too many families ripped apart through deportation.

"My experience with that is the children are the ones who suffer," Olague said. "It's heartbreaking."

Olague recalls a 4-year-old girl sobbing uncontrollably, after her father, who lived in the U.S. illegally for 23 years, was stopped on the way to work by a police officer for a broken tail light. He was arrested and deported.

Then there was the woman who had dropped her teenage children off at school, made an illegal U-turn and was deported after authorities determined she was in the country illegally. A witness to the arrest had to tell the family what happened, Olague said.

He said neither had any criminal record and were hardworking individuals.

"That's why you have a lot of illegal immigrants here being fearful of law enforcement," Olague said. "Fear overcomes a person when they're put in this awkward situation."

Under the current system, U.S. citizens are subjected to months of separation from their family members as they await their cases to be processed, USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement on Friday.

"The proposed change will have tremendous impact on families by significantly reducing the time of separation," Mayorkas said in the statement.

Once the public-comment period concludes, immigration officials will review all comments and make any changes deemed necessary before issuing a final ruling, said USCIS spokeswoman Mariana Gitomer.

"They estimate (the law) will take effect before or toward the end of the year," Gitomer said.

Reach Joe via email, call him at 909-386-3874, or find him on Twitter @SBCountyNow.


Arrest made in Fontana cockfighting bust

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A San Bernardino man who was arrested over the weekend in connection with a cockfighting ring in Fontana has been released from custody.

Jose Alfredo Yanez was released from West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga at 11:28 a.m. Monday, according to sheriff's jail logs. He has no court appearances scheduled.

Fontana police booked Yanez, 49, at the county jail shortly after 3 p.m. Sunday on suspicion of cruelty to animals.

Police broke up the elaborate ring at a large commercial-trucking company in the 15700 block of Boyle Avenue in Fontana after getting an anonymous call about 8 a.m., officials said in a press statement.

Yanez was arrested at 15732 Boyle Ave., the address for a trucking company, according to jail logs.

No one answered the phone late Monday at the trucking company. The voice-mail service said it was full and would not allow a message to be left.

Police said in their statement that several birds were confiscated, and several arrests were made.

A Fontana police spokesman could not be reached Monday for comment about the arrest.

San Bernardino County prosecutors took aim at cockfighting and the impact it has on communities in a video posted on YouTube in December.

The goal of the District Attorney's Office, which produced the video with help from the Humane Society of the United States and Fontana Animal Services, is to increase awareness about the dangers of cockfighting and inform people about whom to call if they see the activity in their neighborhood.

A reward program is available for tips that lead to arrests and convictions. The District Attorney's Office said in December that it had prosecuted 43 cockfighting-related cases over the past year and that more than 400 roosters were seized.

The bust on Sunday was not Fontana's first brush with cockfighting.

In August, 300 roosters were rescued from a Fontana site that bred the birds for fighting, according to the district attorney's video. Officers found special blades attached to the roosters for fights.

Several months earlier, a Fontana man was arrested after he allegedly made thousands of dollars while operating an unlicensed dental office and a cockfighting arena out of his backyard.

Luis Rosales was arrested last April at his home, which rests on about four acres in the 11100 block of Cypress Avenue. Officers said they found hundreds of fighting roosters there.

Reach Mike via email, call him at 909-386-3880, or find him on Twitter at @sbcourts.

Yucaipa motorcyclist killed in crash

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REDLANDS - A motorcyclist died in a crash late Sunday in Redlands.

Christopher Lee Stanart, 28, of Yucaipa, lost control of his motorcycle while heading east on Lugonia Avenue east of California Street. He veered off the road and was thrown from the motorcycle, San Bernardino County coroner's officials said.

Redlands police and paramedics came to the scene. Stanart was pronounced dead at 10:18 p.m.

Reach Melissa via email or call her at 909-386-3878.

Get the latest crime and public safety news on Twitter @IECrime.

Man injured when car crashes into tree

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SAN BERNARDINO - A 20-year-old Highland man suffered critical injuries when he crashed a car into a tree in San Bernardino on Sunday night.

Carlos Alberto Munoz was taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center for treatment.

Police said Munoz was driving north on Tippecanoe Avenue about 11:30 p.m. when he crossed Harry Sheppard Boulevard, lost control of his vehicle and struck a tree.

Anyone with information may call Detective K. Jeffery at 909-384-5664.

Reach Melissa via email or call her at 909-386-3878.

Get the latest crime and public safety news on Twitter @IECrime.

Banners honor troops from San Bernardino

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SAN BERNARDINO - Remember the troops. That's what the City Council did Monday, and that's what it wants to make sure the rest of the city continues to do.

To help honor those it considers hometown heroes, the City Council unveiled nine large banners that will soon hang along major streets.

Each banner includes the name, face and service branch of a different member of the military who also lives in San Bernardino, graduated from a high school here or has an immediate family member living here.

"The city of San Bernardino is proudly honoring military personnel who are currently serving," said Councilman Rikke Van Johnson, who led the committee in charge of the Hometown Heroes Military Banner program and whose son Julian is one of the people honored.

"It's our way to honor those who constantly place their lives in harm's way to protect our country."

A standing-room-only audience joined in the praise, spontaneously standing up during a rendition of Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA."

The hope is that the banners, which will be hung from light poles throughout the city, will inspire others to remember the people serving in the military.

"I hope they see the banners and say, `Thank you for your service and sacrifice,"' said Darcie Tossetti, whose son Jess is a chief petty officer in the Navy and is one of those who will be honored with a banner. "That's what I do when I see them in other cities."

Many cities have previously honored resident veterans with the Hometown Heroes program, and San Bernardino began preparing its program in August.

The process involved many residents and staff members, said Councilwoman Wendy McCammack, who served with Johnson and Councilwoman Virginia Marquez on the banner committee.

"There are always people who go above and beyond the call of duty, as our military personnel know so well," McCammack said, naming many of them individually. "Thank you so much."

The next group of service members will be honored on banners unveiled in July, with nominations now being accepted. A banner requires a $300 donation, active-duty service in the military and a close connection to the city - either as a resident or high school graduate, or as the spouse, child, grandchild, son-in-law or daughter-in-law of a resident.

More information is available by calling Renee Ramey at 909-384-5188.

This group of banners will hang along Mount Vernon Avenue, Highland Avenue, Hospitality Lane and University Parkway.

Contact Ryan via email, or by phone at 909-386-3916.

Apple Valley fight escalates to shooting

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Sheriff's deputies arrested an Apple Valley man on Monday on suspicion of firing a gun toward at least one person.

David Diaz, 53, was booked into jail on suspicion of attempted homicide, San Bernardino County sheriff's officials said.

Deputies came to the 2200 block of Tehama Road on a report that Diaz was threatening to shoot people at the location. They received an additional call while headed to the scene that the man had opened fire.

No one was struck by the gunfire.

Sheriff's officials said Diaz was intoxicated and had been arguing with his wife and stepson. Another person confronted Diaz, and Diaz fired one round from his bedroom toward the hallway where the person was standing.

Deputies surrounded the home, evacuated the other occupants of the home and then ordered Diaz to surrender.


Reach Melissa via email or call her at 909-386-3878.

Get the latest crime and public safety news on Twitter @IECrime.

Man tied up, beaten in Ontario robbery

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Armed robbers tied up and beat the owner of an Ontario auto restoration business Monday before stealing computers and other items, police said.

Ontario police received a call at 5:15 p.m. from the business owner, who said three to five people came onto his property. Two of the men were armed with handguns, said Ontario police Sgt. Rob Freire.

The owner said the men struck him in the head and tied him up, but he was able to untie himself during the robbery.

He ran out of the business and dialed 9-1-1, telling police he thought the men were still inside.

Police surrounded the area and then called SWAT personnel. Officers could not find the men and cleared the scene at 9:40 p.m., Freire said.

Anyone with information may call Ontario police Detective Jeff Wentz, 909-395-2715.


Reach Melissa via email or call her at 909-386-3878.

Get the latest crime and public safety news on Twitter @IECrime.

Fire burns Victorville apartment complex

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Firefighters battled a blaze at a Victorville apartment complex this morning.

The fire was reported at 4:18 a.m. in the 15600 block of Sueno Lane, San Bernardino County fire dispatchers said.

Firefighters gained control of the blaze at 4:47 a.m. It was not immediately known how many units were burned.


Reach Melissa via email or call her at 909-386-3878.

Get the latest crime and public safety news on Twitter @IECrime.


Inland Valley Development Agency's new oversight board meets to discuss future of funding

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SAN BERNARDINO - The Inland Valley Development Agency's leaders don't know yet how much - if at all - their organization will be affected by the end of redevelopment in California, but they could lose roughly $20 million per year in certain property tax revenue if events do not go their way.

That money could be devoted to improvements at San Bernardino International Airport and its surrounding infrastructure, and at this point, it's uncertain whether the IVDA will be able to continue to collect those dollars or if the money will go to state government.

It's also unknown, thus far, what a loss of that money may mean for the development of San Bernardino International Airport facilities or improvements to nearby roads.

"We assume that we can make payments for the airport, and Tippecanoe and etcetera," said interim IVDA director A.J. Wilson.

Tuesday, the IVDA's new oversight board met to begin the process of unwinding its redevelopment power, in case that becomes necessary.

The IVDA is preparing to go to court to seek a ruling that it is exempt from the state law that ended city and county redevelopment agencies this year, Wilson said.

The IVDA is different from most redevelopment agencies, which were created, typically by a single local government, to stop urban blight.

Instead, San Bernardino County, along with the cities of San Bernardino, Colton and Loma Linda, created the IVDA in 1990 to deal with the then-pending closure of Norton Air Force base.

The IVDA has since provided financial support to San Bernardino International Airport and is also empowered to provide redevelopment incentives for surrounding land and improve nearby roads.

The IVDA's self-preservation lawsuit will be ready for filing soon, Wilson said.

Generally, redevelopment agencies' authority vanished as of Feb. 1.

All redevelopment agencies must create payment schedules to unwind debt that won't be paid off until the passage of decades. Accordingly, the IVDA's oversight board on Tuesday approved a plan to pay $42.1 million worth of debt and other obligations by June 30.

The IVDA has nearly $994.4 million in outstanding obligations.

The repayment schedule will become moot if the courts uphold the IVDA's view that it is exempt from the law that ended redevelopment, Wilson said.

If the IVDA loses its case, a successor agency is likely to take its place. That agency will not be able to collect roughly $20 million in annual property tax dollars that went to the IVDA in support of its redevelopment role.


Reach Andrew via email, call him at 909-386-3872, or find him on Twitter @InlandBizz.

San Bernardino County task force to focus on animal abuse

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A task force of local government agencies has been formed to tackle a growing number of animal abuse cases in San Bernardino County.

From dog abuse to cockfighting to horse neglect, the conversation of a couple dozen people at a meeting Thursday at The Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley in San Bernardino focused on changes to animal-cruelty laws and the prosecution of recent incidents of abuse.

"People get outraged," Deputy District Attorney Debbie Ploghaus said about animal abuse. "People get very outraged because the animals can't defend themselves."

What people don't often see is that animal abuse often extends into domestic abuse and can escalate into other violent behavior, say prosecutors. More than 85percent of women in shelters say animal abuse occurred in their home, Ploghaus said.

District Attorney Michael A. Ramos, whose office is spearheading the San Bernardino County Illegal Animal Fighting and Abuse Task Force, has talked about how dog-fighting and cockfighting rings bring crime into communities.

Guns, drugs, gangs and prostitution are often found at locations where animal fighting takes place, according to prosecutors. Children also sometimes attend the events, they say.

"Our goal is to inform the public that this goes on. It's not in a Third World country. It's in their own backyard," said Claudia Swing, chief of the district attorney's Bureau of Administration.

People who see animal abuse can pick up the phone and call authorities, Swing said. The Humane Society of the United States also accepts calls at 877-TIP-HSUS (847-4787).

Among recent cases, Fontana police busted a cockfighting ring at a commercial trucking company on Sunday, seized more than 200 roosters and arrested three men. On Wednesday, a man was arrested in Rancho Cucamonga after he allegedly dragged a bleeding and unconscious Rottweiler behind a bicycle.

Educating children about abuse also is a crucial component of the task force, according to prosecutors.

Deputy District Attorney Cary Epstein, a veteran gang prosecutor, said he is considering adding an animal-abuse component to his Gang Resistance Intervention Partnership, or GRIP, program for schoolchildren.

GRIP has a presence in the Rialto Unified and High Desert school districts. Chino school officials are interested in the program.

"We're also looking into expanding into other areas," Epstein said.

The task force recently formed its mission statement and meets monthly with representatives from city and county agencies, including code enforcement, animal control, probation, the District Attorney's Office, as well as the Humane Society.


Reach Mike via email, call him at 909-386-3880, or find him on Twitter at @sbcourts.

San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department covers miles quickly by air

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RIALTO - With 22,000 square miles to patrol, it isn't surprising that the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department has a large aviation division.

"There are times when we need to get to Needles, Barstow, Chino Hills or Morongo very quickly," Capt. Jeff Rose, who heads the sheriff's Emergency Operations Division, said here Thursday.

"At a moment's notice, we can utilize our helicopters to get emergency personnel, SWAT team members, VIPs or dignitaries to any location in a timely manner," Rose said at a media briefing in the aviation unit's main operations hangar at the Rialto Municipal Airport.

The sheriff's aviation unit has seven patrol helicopters and three, more powerful, medium-range helicopters for search-and-rescue and fire operations.

The patrol helicopters are equipped with the latest in aviation technology, including FLIR (Foward Looking Infrared) systems, in-flight GPS mapping programs, a powerful spotlight, external hoist systems and high-definition video downlink capability.

The department also has four-fixed wing aircraft for narcotic surveillance and personnel transport.

The Cal Fire San Bernardino Unit and the Sheriff's Department have been partners in cooperative firefighting efforts since 1990.

The department also showed its aerial hoist capabilities by lowering a paramedic from a hovering helicopter to a simulated "injured person" on the ground.

The "injured person," a dummy for this demonstration, was then lifted into the still-hovering helicopter.

The exercise simulates many real-life situations where the department has evacuated injured hikers from some of the county's mountainous areas, Rose said.

Another hat Rose wears as chief of the department's Emergency Operations Division is to direct the department's 1,970 volunteers.

Their hard work in a variety of positions saved the county nearly $13 million in personnel savings last year, he said.

Because the Rialto airport will eventually become a mixed-use real estate development, the Sheriff's Department is planning to move its main hangar to San Bernardino International Airport.


Reach Jim via email, call him at 909-386-3855, or find him on Twitter @JSteinbergsRoad.

Hearing date set in Redlands double-homicide case

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SAN BERNARDINO - The four young men charged in last year's double homicide in Redlands may soon get a chance to hear some of the evidence against them.

The defendants in the case - Anthony Legaspi, John David Salazar, Adrian Powers and Jose Ramon Lara - all stood before Judge Kenneth Barr on Friday in San Bernardino Superior Court as lawyers scheduled a preliminary hearing for May 31, according to court records.

At the preliminary hearing, a judge will hear witness testimony and review evidence to determine if sufficient probable cause exists to hold over the defendants for trial on the charges.

The defendants return to court May 29 to determine whether they are ready for the hearing two days later.

Quinn McCaleb, 17, and Andrew Jackson, 16, were fatally shot at 7 p.m. Jan. 5, 2011, on the playground at the Cinnamon Creek Apartments on Oxford Drive, near Post Street, according to Redlands police.

Two others were wounded, including Jordan James Howard, who was shot in the eye. A fifth person escaped unhurt.

The four suspects were arrested by Redlands police on March 1. All four are documented gang members, police said.

According to the criminal complaint filed in San Bernardino Superior Court, Legaspi is the suspected shooter.

Legaspi and Powers, both 18, and Salazar, 22, are each charged with two counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, and gun and street-gang allegations. Lara, 28, is charged as an accessory to murder after the fact.

Reach Mike via email, call him at 909-386-3880, or find him on Twitter at @sbcourts.

Former deputy seeks new venue for Explorer sex case

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SAN BERNARDINO - A lawyer for former sheriff's deputy Nathan Gastineau is challenging the charges against his client and also seeking a new courthouse for Gastineau's case because of the publicity it has garnered.

Lawyer Andrew Haynal announced Friday at a pretrial hearing for Gastineau in San Bernardino Superior Court that a motion to challenge the charges against his client was already on file with the court.

But Haynal also is requesting a new location for Gastineau's case via a motion for change of venue "due to pretrial publicity," he said in court.

Gastineau returns to court May 25 for a pretrial hearing. The court intends to address both motions at that time.

Gastineau, 31, of Redlands, is suspected of having a sexual relationship with a teenaged girl in the department's Explorer program at its Highland station. As the advisor to the program, he and the girl became close friends and attended Explorer functions.

At a preliminary hearing on Dec. 15, deputies testified about the girl's statement that she had sex with Gastineau about 20 times - six times before she was 16. Deputies said they also had videos of the girl and Gastineau allegedly having sex.

Detective Tyson Niles said at the hearing that Gastineau admitted to him that he had sex with the girl once in his apartment.

Haynal challenged the victim's statement to detectives at the preliminary hearing. He later said her story "stretches the bounds of credibility" and was "all over the board."

A week after the hearing, prosecutors charged an additional two counts each of committing a lewd act upon a child and of having unlawful intercourse. Gastinuea now faces a total of 10 felony counts.

Reach Mike via email, call him at 909-386-3880, or find him on Twitter at @sbcourts.

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