MONDAY, JUNE 30, 2014 - JULY 6, 2014
riversideindependent.com
Free lunch programs for youth 18 and under kick-off in Riverside by Vickie Vértiz Last Wednesday the City of Riverside celebrated Summerfest to kick off the Picnics in the Park at Don Lorenzi Park. The Summer Food Service Program offers free meals and activities for young people at Riverside parks and community centers weekdays through August 22, excluding July 4th. According to a city press release, the Riverside Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department is offering different kinds of physical activities and games for kids at some sites. At another site, the UC Cooperative Extension is providing nutrition education classes and physical activities for caregivers and parents. Picnics in the Park features the Riverside and Alvord Unified School Districts’ Summer Food Service Program and is paid for by the California Department of Education Nutrition Services Grant. The program began on June 16 at Summerfest, which featured games and activities like face painting, an obstacle course, and a farmers’ market with fresh produce. Also present were local vendors, nutrition and wellness booths, and cooking demonstrations.
the Outstanding in State award: Senior Individual Documentary Category: “Waters in the Wilderness: The Right to Utilize or the Responsibility to Protect?” – Rachel Priebe– Martin Luther King High School, Riverside USD Junior Individual DocumenPlease see page 4
Please see page 2
meals were served, 2,061 for kids and 764 for adults. In 2013, the National School Lunch Program served 30,667,024 children, serving 5,097,361,304 lunches. According to First Lady Michelle Obama and her project Please see page 2
Three Riverside County students earn awards at National History Day At the 2014 Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest, seven students from Riverside County competed with nearly 3,000 students from across the United States this week with three students from the county being named as award recipients. Vista Heights Middle School (Moreno Valley Unified School
District) student, Maddison Zipper, placed second overall in the Junior Individual Exhibit Category with her entry titled “Rights Affirmed, Responsibilities Articulated in Tinker v. Des Moines”. Two entries from Riverside County narrowly missed out in the top three of their specific category and were recognized with
British solo rower rescued but puts urgent call out to marine traffic for safe return of vessel British solo rower, Daryl Farmer, who was taking part in the Great Pacific Race rowing from California to Hawaii, was forced to call for assistance four days after beginning the race, having become dangerously dehydrated from sea sickness. Support boat OPA located him and took Daryl and his boat ‘Bojangles’ (Bo) under tow on Saturday 21 June approximately 20nm off the coast of California. Heavy seas and high winds unfortunately snapped both ropes, leading to a dramatic man overboard situation for one of OPA’s crew. This situation left them no choice but to transfer Daryl from his boat to OPA and return him to Monterey safely, but leaving Bo adrift. 39-year-old Daryl, who took on the challenge of rowing 2,400 miles single-handed from California to Hawaii to raise awareness of the need for ocean conservation, is now refusing to return to the UK until he is reunited with his boat. The race is now on to find her again and bring her back in - hopefully in one piece. Bojangles – last known position/description: Marine traffic around Bo’s last known position of 35 43’ 38.40”N, 121 59’ 23.4”W as of 00:01 PDT 23 June is being asked to keep a look out for the vessel and report any sighting immediately, using degrees, minutes, sec-
-Courtesy Photo
The event was a celebration of children kids having places throughout Riverside to eat healthy food and be active throughout the summer. Summerfest was hosted by the City of Riverside and the Riverside and Alvord Unified School Districts. That day, nearly 3,000 healthy
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Native American Day as an official state holiday one step closer Assemblymember Roger Hernández (D – West Covina) announced Assembly Bill 1973 passed the Senate Governmental Organization Committee on a 10-0 bi-partisan vote. AB 1973 elevates the recognition of Native American Day from a proclamation to an official state holiday, recognized annually on the fourth Friday of September. “It is an honor for this bill to move one step closer in recognizing Native Americans in California. As with any recognized holiday, Californians will be able to share, celebrate and honor the contributions of Native Americans across this state. This measure recognizes the significant role of California's native peoples by establishing an official, unpaid state holiday,” stated Hernández. In 1968, California recognized the contributions of Native Americans by establishing Ameri-
can Indian Day. In 1998, the California Legislature passed AB 1953, which changed the name to Native American Day, and authorized public schools to incorporate the contributions of Native American peoples in school curriculum. With the passage of this bill, Native American Day will hold the same status as Lincoln's Birthday and Columbus Day as an unpaid holiday. Currently, the cities of Berkeley, Nevada City, Santa Cruz, and Sebastopol observe Indigenous People Day, to recognize the cultural contributions of Native Americans. “The contributions of the Native American people demonstrate our rich history and add to the diverse ethnic fabric of our great state. This holiday has been long overdue, it is time to honor those individuals who played a major part in our history,” said Hernández.
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British solo rower Continued from page 1
onds format, to Peggy West-Stap on 831.901.3833. Bo is 24ft x 6ft, silver cabins fore and aft; deck is light blue with 11 visible black circular hatch covers with red rim; there is also a yellow hi vis strip running in part across the bow and stern cabins. If inverted, she is black anti-fouled. She carries the #6 on port and starboard sides. There should be a steel light blue rudder attached. Search assistance from fellow oceans conservationists: Three marine conservation organizations are helping to coordinate the search for ‘Bo’. Pete Bethune from Earthrace Conservation is coordinating GPS positions from his home in New Zealand; Peggy West-Stap from Monterey Bay Marine Life Studies is liaising with the US Coastguard and supplying local knowledge and support for Daryl and partner Sabine Grainger; Captain Chris Wade, who skippers Shark Boat Sea Watch, a shark research vessel that works with the Shark Re-
search Institute, is en route to the search area from Los Angeles. About Bo: Bo is one of the strongest, most proven and soughtafter ocean rowing boats in the world, made from a special carbon/ Kevlar foam sandwich construction. She was built with the Pacific in mind and already in the record books as the first and only rowing boat to successfully complete a crossing of the Pacific West to East in 2009 with her crew of Mick Dawson and Chris Martin (Race Director for Great Pacific Race 2014). Daryl said, “I’m heartbroken that I couldn’t continue in the race and leaving Bo out there was the worst feeling in the world. I’m safe though, and want to say a huge and sincere thanks to the crew of OPA for braving those conditions to come and get me, a truly humbling experience for which I will be forever grateful. All I want to do now is find Bo and bring her home.”
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Let’s Move, “Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled, and today, nearly one in three children in America are overweight or obese.” The statistics are higher for African Americans and Latinos where almost 40% of the children are overweight or obese. The Summer Food Service Program makes healthy food options and exercise more readily available, key strategies in combating these obstacles. The Mayor of Riverside, Rusty Bailey, was excited about another opportunity to further the values of the city while encouraging community spirit. Through the press release, Mayor Bailey said that, “Summerfest and the other upcoming picnic lunches represent opportunities for neighbors to eat a healthy meal together and get to know each other.” He added that, “Events like this truly prove that we are better
together here in Riverside.” The Summer Food Service Program is ultimately funded by the United States Department of Agriculture and supported by schools and communities across the country. “School might be out for the summer, but learning never takes a vacation,” says Fay Kazzi, Nutrition Consultant at Alvord Unified School District. “That’s why we believe in summer-meal programs to ensure kids will maximize life learning with the aid of a nourished body and mind.” To find local summer lunch sites and program times within the City of Riverside, families can call 311. The city will also be offering other events and some low cost activities such as dance, martial arts, and arts classes. Those activities can be found inside the Riverside Parks Activity Guide, available http://www.riversideca. gov/park_rec/activityguide/#p=10
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USC Scientists create new battery that’s cheap, clean, rechargeable… and organic Scientists at USC have developed a water-based organic battery that is long lasting, built from cheap, eco-friendly components. The new battery – which uses no metals or toxic materials – is intended for use in power plants, where it can make the energy grid more resilient and efficient by creating a large-scale means to store energy for use as needed. “The batteries last for about 5,000 recharge cycles, giving them an estimated 15year lifespan,” said Sri Narayan, professor of chemistry at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and corresponding author of a paper describing the new batteries that was published online by the Journal of the Electrochemical Society on June 20. “Lithium ion batteries degrade after around 1,000 cycles, and cost 10 times more to manufacture.” Narayan collaborated with Surya Prakash, Prakash, professor of chemistry and director of the USC Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute, as well as USC’s Bo Yang, Lena HooberBurkhardt, and Fang Wang. “Such organic flow batteries will be game-changers for grid electrical energy storage in terms of simplicity, cost, reliability and sustainability,” said Prakash. The batteries could pave the way for renewable energy sources to make up a greater share of the nation’s energy generation. Solar panels can only generate power when the sun’s shining, and wind turbines can only generate power when the wind blows. That inherent unreliability makes it difficult for power companies to rely on them to meet customer demand. With batteries to store surplus energy and then dole it out as needed, that sporadic unreliability could cease to be
such an issue. “‘Mega-scale’ energy storage is a critical problem in the future of the renewable energy, requiring inexpensive and ecofriendly solutions,” Narayan said. The new battery is based on a redox flow design – similar in design to a fuel cell, with two tanks of electroactive materials dissolved in water. The solutions are pumped into a cell containing a membrane between the two fluids with electrodes on either side, releasing energy. The design has the advantage of decoupling power from energy. The tanks of electroactive materials can be made as large as needed – increasing total amount of energy the system can store – or the central cell can be tweaked to release that energy faster or slower, altering the amount of power (energy released over time) that the system can generate. The team’s breakthrough centered around the electroactive materials. While previous battery designs have used metals or toxic chemicals, Narayan and Prakash wanted to find an organic compound that could be dissolved in water. Such a system would create a minimal impact on the environment, and would likely be cheap, they figured. Through a combination of
USC professor Sri Narayan -Courtesy Photo of USC by Gus Ruelas
molecule design and trial-anderror, they found that certain naturally occurring quinones – oxidized organic compounds – fit the bill. Quinones are found in plants, fungi, bacteria, and some animals, and are involved in photosynthesis and cellular respiration. “These are the types of molecules that nature uses for energy transfer,” Narayan said. Currently, the quinones needed for the batteries are manufactured from naturally occurring hydrocarbons. In the future, the potential exists to derive them from carbon dioxide, Narayan said. The team has filed several patents in regards to design of the battery, and next plans to build a larger scale version. This research was funded by the ARPA-E Open-FOA program (DE-AR0000337), the University of Southern California, and the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute.
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Recycling industry launches website dedicated to helping stop metals theft The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) recently announced the launch of StopMetalsTheft.org, a new website designed to assist in the fight against the crime of metals theft. The site serves as an online resource for law enforcement, prosecutors, and the recycling industry by providing practical tools, success stories, news, legal resources, FAQs, and background on fighting metals theft. "The recycling industry is fully committed to being part of the solution when it comes to preventing metals theft," said Robin Wiener, president of ISRI. "StopMetalsTheft.org provides law enforcement,
prosecutors, the recycling industry, and other community stakeholders with key information and techniques that can be used to help prevent metals theft, as well as build cases and prosecute crimes when they do occur. Through our continued outreach efforts, we hope to strengthen our existing partnerships while building new ones." The many benefits available through StopMetalsTheft. org include: -- The ability to send theft alerts to local recyclers; -- Success stories as submitted by law enforcement across the country; -- Tools geared towards law enforcement, prosecutors
and recyclers; -- A comprehensive glossary of terms on stolen commodities; and -- Industry insight and knowledge provided by an ISRI team of experts. StopMetalsTheft.org is part of an expansive approach by the recycling industry to tackle the issue of metals theft. In March, ISRI upgraded ScrapTheftAlert. com, an online alert system to notify scrap yards of nearby metals theft. Also this year, ISRI announced the creation of the Law Enforcement Advisory Council comprised of experienced law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and security personnel from around the
country who are tasked with the development of a multilayered training program to assist law enforcement in metals theft prevention and prosecution. Brady Mills, a retired U.S. Secret Service agent, was hired to serve as the director of law enforcement outreach to work closely with the law enforcement community. Any questions about StopMetalsTheft.org or any of ISRI's other efforts to stop metals theft can be directed to Danielle Waterfield, ISRI's director of government relations and assistant counsel at (202) 662-8516, or Brady Mills, ISRI's director of law enforcement outreach at (202) 6628526.
AYSO 2014 National Games July 3, 8AM - 6PM
Long Beach Office 3780 Kilroy Airport Way Suite 360 Long Beach, CA 90806 Ph. (562) 472-0071 Fx. (562) 689-0071 Los Angeles Office 5701 South Eastern Avenue Suite 100 Los Angeles, CA 90040 Ph. (323) 727-1144 Fx. (323) 727-9198 www.heger-industrial.com Lic. #00814086
The American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) National Games are a unique event in soccer, based on lottery and bringing together a cross section of all of AYSO, from the most skilled players to athletes with disabilities. Included will be teams from U-10 to U-19 from all AYSO youth soccer programs including EXTRA and Very Important Players. AYSO is the largest single-entity youth soccer association in the US with near-
ly 500,000 players and 200,000 volunteers. AYSO develops and delivers quality youth soccer development programs in a fun, safe environment based on the Six Philosophies of Everyone Plays, Balanced Teams, Open Registration, Positive Coaching, Good Sportsmanship and Player Development. Location: Ab Brown Soccer Complex. Contact: Sahar Milani, www.ayso.org, saharmilani@ayso. org, 424-221-7921
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tary Category: “Operation Pied Piper: A Government Right or Irresponsible Action?” - Haley Hocking – Frank Augustus Miller Middle School, Riverside USD Students began preparing their projects in the fall before competing in the county competition in Riverside in March. Sixty Riverside County students advanced to the statewide competition held in Riverside in April. This year’s National History Day theme – Rights and Respon-
sibilities in History – challenged more than 600,000 students in sixth through twelfth grade to think about the rights that citizens are guaranteed along with corresponding personal responsibilities. Students who advanced to the national contest this week were able to clearly examine this year’s theme through their original research projects in one of five categories: exhibits, performances, papers, documentaries, and websites.