COLTON COURIER Weekly
August 06, 2026
Vol 154, NO. 38
Meet Colton’s 2026-27 Teen and Miss Royal Courts
IECN.com
SEIU State Workers Picket in San Bernardino Over Wages, Benefits and Telework Pg. 4
PHOTO RICARDO TOMBOC Teen Miss Colton Melissa Alvarez and Miss Colton Kaitlyn Torres stand with the four princesses selected to serve alongside them during a year of leadership, service and community representation across Colton.
By Manny Sandoval
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olton’s 2026-27 Teen and Miss royal courts are led by Teen Miss Colton Melissa Alvarez and Miss Colton Kaitlyn Torres. Alvarez and Torres were crowned July 12 during the sixth annual Teen and Miss
Colton Pageant at Whitmer Auditorium on the Colton High School campus. Thirteen contestants participated after a month of rehearsals, mock interviews and other preparation. Alvarez’s Teen Miss Colton court includes first princess Roxyanne “Roxy” Itozu and second princess Samantha
Sandoval. Torres’ Miss Colton court includes first princess Charlize Flores and second princess Eriyah Delfin. The competition began July 11 with individual interviews at the Colton Chamber of Commerce, the portion carrying the largest share of each contestant’s score. Pageant, cont. next pg.
San Bernardino Residents Protest Cannabis Store Relocation Near Senior Housing and Churches San Bernardino, Caltrans Partner to Address Homeless Encampments Along Freeways Pg. 4
YMCA Camp Edwards Gives Inland Empire Children a Screen-Free Mountain Adventure Pg. 8
PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL Residents and community leaders rally Aug. 2 against the city-approved relocation of a cannabis store to San Bernardino’s Sixth Ward, with attendees including former Assemblymember Cheryl Brown, former City Council members Kimberly Calvin and Rikke Van Johnson, business owner Amy Malone and a representative from U.S. Rep. Pete Aguilar’s office.
By Manny Sandoval Inland Empire Community Newspapers Office: (909) 381-9898 Editorial: iecn1@mac.com Advertising: iecn1@mac.com Legals : iecnlegals@gmail.com
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ixth Ward residents, faith leaders, business owners and former elected officials rallied Sunday afternoon in 100-degree heat against the cityapproved relocation of a cannabis retailer to 1602 W. Highland Ave. Protesters argued the site is too close to senior
housing, homes and churches and was approved without adequate community input.
opposition is focused on the location and approval process, not on cannabis businesses generally.
The Coalition of Westside & 6th Ward Citizens organized the Aug. 2 protest at Highland Avenue and Medical Center Drive under the theme “Community Yes, Cannabis No.” Organizers said their
The proposed retailer would occupy a former neighborhood market through the relocation of an existing commercial cannabis permit. On June 17, the San Protest, cont. next pg.