San Bernardino Press MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2015 - FEBRUARY 15, 2015
sanbernardinopress.com
Urban Conservation Corps School Determined to Conquer Challenges By VICKIE Vértiz
P
erhaps the greatest challenge that charter school Urban Conservation Corps (UCC) has faced so far is the passing of its co-founder Bobby Vega, who died on Feb. 7, 2014. The school has continued its service; however, for young people who are working on high school diploma and who also need “on-the-job training.” The San Bernardino Sun reported that UCC students also get “life and leadership skills, with 54 people now enrolled.” UCC still concentrates on “people who need a second — or a third — chance” according to Rebecca Miller, 21, who talked to the Sun. Miller started working for UCC after she graduated, while Vega still mostly ran things. The memory of Vega passing still makes some of the students weep when they talk about working with him. Yet UCC persists toward their mission.
A mural celebrating UCC founder Bobby Vega - Photo courtesy of UCC’s Facebook
“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Bobby,” Miller told the Sun. Miller had dropped out of Pacific High School because she needed a job, so desperate at times, that she was “considering suicide
before finding a place with the UCC,” said the paper. “Besides the vocational training and the life skills,” she added, “It mostly gives you Please see page 3
Domestic Violence Assault with a Deadly Weapon On Saturday Jan. 31, at approximately 2:35 a.m., deputies from the Highland Police Department responded to a report of a male assaulting a female in a vacant lot in the 25000 block of 7th Avenue in the City of Highland. Investigating deputies determined suspect Reynozo
was actively assaulting the victim when a security guard, who was walking in the area, intervened. Reynozo picked up a large rock in an apparent attempt to assault the security guard. The guard deployed pepper spray and Reynozo fled the area on foot. Deputies located Reynozo a short distance
away suffering from the effects of the pepper spray. Reynozo was taken into custody without incident. The domestic violence victim sustained minor injuries and the security guard who intervened was uninjured. Reynozo was booked into the Central Detention Center with bail set at $50,000.
VOLUME 2, NO. 6
Commercial Burglary - Public Advisory: Possible Identity Theft On Feb. 1, at approximately 11:56 a.m., deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, Highland Station, responded to Liberty Tax located at 27214 Baseline Street in the City of Highland for a reported burglary. Investigation showed that the suspect(s) forced entry into the business during the early Sunday morning hours after disabling the alarm system. The suspect(s) stole a large number of tax files and computer towers from inside the business. These files and computers contain the names, addresses, personal identifying information and social security numbers of a currently unknown - though suspected to be large - number of clients. In some cases, tax refund checks, credit card or payment information may also have been stolen. The stolen information is likely to be used in identity theft and other types of fraud. Clients of the Liberty Tax Service at the above address are strongly encouraged to immediately check and flag their credit reports with all credit reporting bureaus, and are encouraged to immediately follow up with Liberty Tax Service to see if their files were among those stolen. Credit checks should be conducted on any family members - such as dependent children and adults whose personal informaPlease see page 4
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Snow Many Memories Start With Tubing Snow-Covered Tubing Hills Are Guaranteed All Winter and Into Spring Break Playing in thesnow is one of the greatest ways to bond families together and creates memories that last a lifetime. Families that seek to capture memories in the snow are in good hands because Big Bear Snow Play and Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain guarantee snow-covered hills for tubing all winter long and into spring break, even when Mother Nature is a little slow to deliver. Both Big Bear Snow Play and Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain have ski-resort quality snowmaking systems to ensure there is always snow for inner tube thrill seekers. To ensure optimum sliding conditions each park grooms its runs nightly, just as ski resorts do. As winter continues, Big Bear Snow Play and Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain will blanket
its runs with more snow and should eventually boast more than 15 feet of snow. In fact, the snow play areas in Big Bear have such great snowmaking capability that inner tubing in Big Bear is expected to last
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through April. “Many families have made sliding down the slopes of Big Bear Lake an annual tradition,” said Big Bear Snow Play Director of Operations Scott Voigt. “We have lots of repeat guests, because they know they can always count on us to deliver quality snow conditions. They also return year after year because our Magic Carpet lifts make it so convenient to get up hill for more fun in the snow.” Both snow play parks provide Magic Carpet uphill lifts (one at Alpine Slide and two at Big Bear Snow Play). The Magic Carpet lifts are comprised of a large moving conveyor belt that transports riders to the top of snow-packed slopes, similar to an airport terminal peoplemover. The purpose of Magic Carpet rides is to eliminate the stress of climbing the hill, which in turn provides oppor-
tunity for more downhill fun. For added comfort, Magic Carpet rides come equipped with a Plexiglass cover for those snowy, chilly days. Other features at the parks include a “kiddie area” for the youngest riders, and when it’s time for a winter warm-up, head to the heated base lodge for family-priced snack bar and video games. Both Big Bear Snow Play and Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain are open daily for inner tubing from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. All-day passes including tube rental and Magic Carpet lift are $30, and guests are free to come and go as they please. Night tubing is also available at Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain on Fridays, Saturdays and holidays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and cost $20. Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain is located at 800 Wildrose Lane (just off Big Bear Blvd.). For more information call 909-866-4626 or visit www. AlpineSlideBigBear.com. Big Bear Snow Play is located at 42825 Big Bear Blvd. (three miles east of BigBear Village, next to Motel 6). For more information call 909-585-0075 or visit www.BigBearSnowPlay.com. For all there is to see and do in beautiful Big Bear Lake, make lodging reservations or request a free Visitors Guide, log on towww. bigbear.com or call 800-4244232. #LiveItUpBigBear.
A Valentine Argentine Tango Class & Party Come to My Foxy Valentine Party for an Argentine Tango group class Feb. 14 from 8 p.m. -8:30 p.m. (no partner required) and a Valentine's Day party from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Enjoy light refresh-
ments, prizes to win, and a special show. Only $10 per person or free if you are new to the studio. Fox Dance Studio is located at 330 Alabama St Suite H in Redlands. Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015 8pm-10:30pm.
FEBRUARY 8, 2015 - FEBRUARY 15, 2015 | 3
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Urban Conservation Corps Continued from page 1
hope. We know we [will] be somebody.” Students at UCC are picked through interviews and an assessment that screens applicants for drug use, said the paper. The initial idea Vegas had was to help people who needed it, added the Sun. According to a UCC counselor, that vision remains a firm commitment. Andrew Goodman spoke to the Sun and said that, “We want to give that opportunity to that person who all their life, backs were turned on them.” Goodman said he has been a counselor at UCC for almost five years. UCC students have helped make local improvements; with Seccombe Lake Park, for instance. “[Students] are also taught just an array of skills, from trimming trees to irrigation repair,” said Mickey Valdivia, the director of the city Parks and Recreation Department which maintains the park. “There [is] consistency in what they do. It [is] a great opportunity for the local youth.” While UCC enrollment is good, some students need “a little extra time or do not graduate,” said the Sun. The paper added that, “enrollment tracking for the year ending in June 2014, shows 84 were enrolled for some of that time.” 53 finished the program and 39 were listed as employed. The jobs were at places like “Amazon, Home Depot and Wal-Mart,” said the paper. “It [is] a lot better than being unemployed,” Goodman said. Some graduates say it is even better than that -- UCC has changed everything. “I did [not] really want to be doing this at first,” Alan
Zucca told the Sun. While he could not say exactly what made the difference exactly, he thinks the “people he was working with and the experience of being outdoors changed him.” The great news is that he is now on a Type Two “fire hand crew with the U.S. Forest Service” and will be going back to UCC to “train members in tools and mountain techniques,” the Sun reported. Zucca told the paper that, through UCC, he “... found a work ethic, and I love what I do.”
UCC will start a partnership with the San Bernardino City Unified School District, with plans to expand. Bobby Vega would be proud. Even someone from outside UCC things so. Carrie Rios told the paper she thinks his “spirit is definitely alive, and the Urban Conservation Corps follows him at all times.” She was crime-intervention partnership program coordinator for the Police Department who became assistant director for the UCC, added the paper. “He [is] the voice in all of our heads.”
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4 | FEBRUARY 9, 2015 - FEBRUARY 15, 2015
The Hollywood Costume Exhibit By Ea Nicole Madrigal Last Saturday, I took advantage of L.A. Free Museum Day by traveling to the Hollywood Costume Exhibit on the corner of Fairfax and Wilshire in the old May Company Building. To my pleasant surprise, it was absolutely fantastic. Filled with the inspiring, the elaborate, the sexy, and the statement costumes from the past and recent present, the exhibit reminded viewers about the role of costumes throughout history, and of course, their vital placement in film. The exhibit displays costumes from Hollywood’s most magnetizing films including Raiders of the Lost Ark, Pretty Woman, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Gangs of New York, and Mary Poppins, just to name a few. Not only do viewers (both young and mature) learn about the painstakingly intricate process that goes into making the costumes but they also learn about the intellectual methods taken to come up with exactly the right costume to match the story and theme of each film. The exhibit even includes the famous “ruby slippers” worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz. Yet it is not simply what is on display that makes this exhibit truly excellent; it is how the exhibit is displayed. The
Shakespeare in Love, 1998. Costume courtesy of Miramax
creators and curators of this exhibit aimed for a truly 21st century model for exhibition. They utilized and implemented digital technology throughout the entirety of the exhibit including projections, interactive videos, and film clips. On top of this, visitors walk around in the dark in order to enhance their experience of the digital technology. All in all, the Hollywood Costume exhibit is an extraordinary success and ut-
terly entertaining! I am so glad that I took advantage of the L.A. Free Museum Day since it is a once-a-year event. Yet, I will also add, I would have happily paid to see this exhibit. Nonetheless, you should know that there are other free days at many of the most popular museums across Los Angeles, but you must visit the museum website or call for further information.
– Photo courtesy of Oscars.org
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981. Costume courtesy of Lucasfilm Ltd – Photo courtesy of Oscars.org
Possible Identity Theft Continued from page 1
tion could also have been contained in the stolen tax files. If any unusual activity is noted on credit reports, citizens are encouraged to contact local law enforcement. Investigation into this matter is ongoing and anyone
with information is encouraged to contact the Highland Station Detective Division at (909) 425-9793. Information can also be provided anonymously via WeTip by calling 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or www.wetip.com