Jurupa Valley transgender athlete wins three events in Division 3 finals
Felon found guilty of shooting girl in car near downtown Indio Pg 43
Pg 21
VISIT HEYSOCAL.COM
Local. Relevant. Trusted.
Thursday, May 21-May 27, 2026
Brush fire in river bottom scorches over 1,300 acres, causes injuries; blaze north of Homeland destroys structures, burns over 400 acres
F
Columns of smoke from the Verona Fire fill the sky above westcentral Riverside County. | Photo courtesy of Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department/Facebook
smoke inhalation, while another person suffered unspecified traumatic injuries, according to reports from the scene. All the victims were transported to Riverside Community Hospital for treatment. An evacuation reception center was established at the La Sierra Senior Center, 5215 La Sierra Ave. in Riverside. Three Cal Fire waterdropping helicopters and four air tankers initiated
runs on the brusher just after 1 p.m. Two choppers with night-flying capability were assigned to the blaze. They were slated to remain in operation most of the night. Riverside Police Department officers and sheriff's deputies implemented hard road closures for public safety along Arlington, between Hidden Valley Nature Center Drive and Western Hills See Brush fires Page 43
NO. 276
California attorney general releases scathing report on ICE detention facilities By Joe Taglieri joet@civicnewsgroup.com
By City News Service irefighters on Wednesday achieved 25% containment on a brush fire that erupted in the Santa Ana River bottom in Jurupa Valley that continued to burn and has charred 1,374 acres and threatened dozens of homes in Riverside, leaving four people injured and prompting mandatory evacuations, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. The blaze was reported at 11:24 a.m. Tuesday on the north side of the dry channel, in the area of Bain Street and Limonite Avenue, just north of the Hidden Valley Nature Center, fire officials said. Numerous engine and hand crews from the county, Riverside Fire Department, Corona Fire Department, Ontario Fire Department and other agencies were sent to the location, encountering wind-driven flames moving through thick brush. The flames spread toward groups of homes in the area of Arlington and Western avenues in Riverside, leading to evacuation orders for dozens of residences around that intersection, including adjacent ones that intersect Sunnyvale Drive, Mountain High Drive, Western Avenue and Western Hills Drive. Evacuation warnings were in effect for additional neighborhoods in the area of Sandy Lane and Valley Drive. Specific locations were identifiable via a digital map at protect.genasys.com/search. Three residents suffered
VOL. VOL. 10, 12,
Drive. Later in the afternoon, closures were also put into effect on Van Buren Boulevard, between Jurupa Avenue and Clay Street, in addition to Tyler Street at Jurupa Avenue. The Western Riverside County Animal Shelter at Clay Street and Van Buren Boulevard in Jurupa Valley was under an evacuation warning. "The fire is now 1,374 acres and 10% contained. Air and ground resources will remain on scene overnight, working diligently to build containment lines around the perimeter of the fire," Cal Fire posted on X at 8:30 p.m. "Air resources will also be assigned throughout the evening, dropping water and retardant. Evacuation orders and warnings remain in effect. Please avoid the area, as heavy equipment and personnel continue working and will be entering and exiting the area." Power lines were down in the immediate vicinity of the river bottom, increasing dangers for firefighters and residents. The lines were reportedly de- energized for safety. It was unclear how many SoCal Edison and Riverside Public Utilities customers were without electricity. There was no word on what might have triggered the brusher. The river bottom is teeming with homeless encampments, and debris, cooking and warming fires
C
alifornia Attorney General Rob Bonta on Friday released the state's fifth report on conditions at immigration detention facilities where federal authorities hold detainees before deporting them. During inspections conducted at the seven U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities last year, the California Department of Justice found that conditions have largely worsened as the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign has caused overcrowding and led to limited resources including access to medical care and conditions of confinement. Six detainees died between September and March — the highest number since the DOJ started reviewing immigration facilities in 2017. State inspectors reported declining conditions for detainees experiencing inadequate medical care, delays in medical treatment, overcrowding, inadequate food, excessive use of force by detention facility guards and inadequate clothing, violating standards such as those guaranteeing nutritious meals, an adequate environment, reasonable uses of force, and adequate medical care. State officials said the deaths and substandard conditions that fail to meet ICE’s own standards for facilities raise serious safety concerns as the detainee See ICE report Page 05
population grows and underscore the need for more robust oversight. “This is cruel, inhumane, and unacceptable — and it is past time for the Trump Administration to do something about it," Bonta said in a statement. "My office has worked tirelessly to shine a light on conditions at these facilities — and I hope this report will generate the rightful outrage and urgency necessary to improve conditions and protect detainees’ civil rights.” Bonta said the deportation campaign in California "has led to a shocking increase in detainee populations — and facilities have been alarmingly unprepared to meet this new demand." DOJ facility inspectors "found evidence of inadequate medical care and heard countless reports of disturbing, unsafe, and unsanitary conditions and a lack of basic necessities.” A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security suggested selfdeportation — the federal government is offering people in the nation illegally $2,600 and a free flight to their home country. "We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right, legal way to live the American dream," according to DHS, of which ICE is a division. "If not, you will