Arrests up again during 2nd weekend of Coachella music fest
Plaza Theatre announces multiyear partnership with PS Gay Men’s Chorus
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Coachella music festival gets political with sharp criticism of Israel
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Moms opposed to vaccine requirements for kids seek appellate court review
By City News Service
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By City News Service
ttorneys representing four mothers — two of whom reside in the Inland Empire — challenging California's denial of religious- based exemptions to vaccination requirements for kids' admission to public schools are federally appealing a lower court's decision siding with the state that there's no bar to mandating the shots. "This law targets families of faith by denying them the basic right to make medical and educational decisions," attorney Robert Tyler with Murrieta-based Advocates for Faith & Freedom said. "The law takes the drastic step of banning children from the schoolhouse due to their sincerely held religious beliefs and those of their families." Last month, U.S. District Judge Marilyn Huff in San Diego dismissed the plaintiffs' federal civil rights lawsuit seeking an injunction against the state's enforcement of Senate Bill 277 without a "personal belief exemption" to the vaccination See Vaccine requirements Page 27
A variety of scenes from the 2025 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. | Photos courtesy of Coachella/Facebook
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olitics and protests are in the spotlight Monday following the final day of the 2025 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. Post Malone and Megan Thee Stallion headlined Sunday, the final day of two days of music and performances, after the annual festival touched off a political controversy with messages of support for Palestinians in Gaza and profane criticism of Israel. The Irish hip-hop band Kneecap displayed a large
sign behind the stage during their set Friday bearing the digital message: "Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. It is being enabled by the US who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes. F___ Israel, Free Palestine." Band member Mo Chara told the crowd that "the Palestinians have nowhere to go. It's their f___ing home. And they're bombing them from the skies. If you're not calling it a genocide what ... are you calling it?" Kneecap are a trio from
Northern Ireland whose music features skillful rapping set to driving electronic beats. They rap in both English and Irish Gaelic, and their lyrics often focus on the theme of independence from Great Britain. The band was featured in the 2024 comedy biopic "Kneecap." Kneecap also displayed similar anti-Israel messages during their set on Coachella's first weekend, but those images were cut from the concert's live feed. "Our messaging on the
US-backed genocide in Gaza somehow never appeared on screens either," they wrote last week: "Back next Friday Coachella and it'll be sorted." The American band Green Day also got political during their set on Saturday, when lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong changed a lyric in the 2004 song "Jesus of Suburbia" from "Runnin' away from pain when you've been victimized" to "Running away from pain like the See Coachella Page 28
San Bernardino County seeks input from residents on fire hazard areas
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By Staff
ocal residents were encouraged to review and give feedback on the state's updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone map, San Bernardino County officials announced last week. In compliance with state law, the updated map from the California Fire Marshal's Office categorizes areas into three wildfire risk levels — moderate, high and very high. The previous Fire Hazard Severity Zone map was last updated from 2008-11 and identified only very high-risk zones in areas served by local fire departments. The new See Fire hazard Page 15
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