Friday, September 29, 2006

Inland Empire Officals want more to say in L.A. Port Issues (Channel ABC 3 San Diego 092906)

nland Empire Officials Want More to Say in L.A. Port Issues (Channel 3ABC san diego 092906)

Inland Empire officials want more say in L.A. port issues

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. Leaders of Southern California's Inland Empire say growth at nearby L-A county ports are affecting traffic, air quality and jobs in their cities.

They say cargo arriving at the Los Angeles-Long Beach seaport complex is continuing past the L-A County line into their region, and they want more infrastructure funding to deal with the influx. Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge says Inland cities are "asking for our fair share." He says two major railroads out of the ports meet in Colton in San Bernardino County and create traffic jams on major roads. Container traffic at the seaport complex is expected to nearly triple in the next 15 years. Southern California Association of Governments figures suggest truck traffic on the ten and 60 freeways moving goods through the area is expected to double by 2025.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

BSRanch Perspective:
You know that is the truth, with the way that things are growing, the Railway and the Freeway's are going to be jam packed with Trains, and trucks. the Rail is a better issue to try and expand, however there again is limited space to expand in some area's especially when they gave up so much of the rail during the deregulation of the railway system, that was when Southern Pacific, and Union Pacific joined into one company, because they could not compete with each other any more. the Deregulation of the rail systems made it to hard for them.
Right now there are over 130 Long freights a day going up and down the Cajon Pass with a heavy Load on its way to the Mojave depot in Mojave, where it will be transformed on to another switching station and be switched off to their other route. The old Train Depot in Colton that was the western repair place is all closed now it is the loading and unloading of Truck boxes for transport of goods, and the other portion of the area that was the train depot for shipping, is now an Auto Delivery from Detroit, and the Ford Twin Cities plant etc etc.. if they are coming to California, especially Southern California then they go to the Colton Auto warehouse in Colton, now!! weird huh? But true.
So, there is a potential for more growth here in the Inland Empire. Rialto's Yard has room to grow, and the area that they just closed in Bloomington can have tracks re-laid and opened and so can that of Colton's Yard in the Southern part of the city!!
BS Ranch

Simple Letter Explaining the Immigration problem, it was so good I had to post it!!

A lady wrote the best letter I have seen in the Editorials in ages!! It explains things better than all the stuff you hear on TV. Here is her letter:

Subject: Good example About the ILLEGAL immigrants.

"Let's say, I break into your house and when you discover me in your house, you insist that I leave. But I say, "I've made all the beds and washed the dishes and did the laundry and swept the floors; I've done all the things you dislike doing. I'm hard-working and a good guest. (except for when I broke into your house)."

"In my opinion, not only you must let me stay, you must pay for me and my family health bills, all the cost of my pregnancies including births, pay for my children's education, my social security and all other benefits that the government will see fit to demand from you. My husband will do your yard work because he too, is hard-working and honest, (except for that breaking in part). If you try to call the police or force me out, I will call my friends who will yell at you, call you names, picket your house carrying signs that proclaim my right to be there!"

"It's only fair. After all, you have a nicer house than I do! I'm just trying to better myself. I'm hard-working and honest ... um, except for ... well, you know.."

"And what a deal it is for me! You are now and for ever in charge of me. I live in your house without being invited or announced, I only contribute with a fraction of the cost of my keep and there is nothing you can do about it... unless you want to be called selfish and mean spirited!"

Did I miss anything? Does this sound reasonable to you? If it does, grab a sign and go picket something. If this sounds insane to you, call your damn senators and enlighten them because these idiots, are stumbling in the darkness right now and really need your help."

Dallas Police Upset by Statements Made by T.O.'s Publisist

Police Upset by Statement from T.O.'s Publicist
NFL.com Wire Reports

DALLAS (Sept. 28, 2006) -- The president of the Dallas Police Association demanded that Terrell Owens and his publicist apologize for statements disputing portions of a police report related to the star receiver's trip to a hospital emergency room.

"These officers, contrary to what Mr. T.O. Owens and his publicist Miss Etheredge alluded to or insinuated or whatever, those officers out there did the job they were supposed to do and did a good job of it," said Senior Cpl. Glenn White, who leads the largest police employee group in the Dallas department with more than 3,500 active and retired members. "We police officers don't go out to these calls and make stuff up."

Owens spent Tuesday night in the hospital after what he later called a big misunderstanding, saying he became groggy after mixing painkillers with supplements. The police report, later redacted in part, referenced an attempted suicide.

Owens' publicist who made the 911 call, Kim Etheredge, said that entries in the police report were inaccurate. She said she did not say he was depressed and "did not take anything out of his mouth," as the report said.

Owens said he could not remember what he said to officers.

Etheredge couldn't be reached because her phone mailbox was full, and she didn't immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

Dallas police officials have declined to comment and calls to Police Chief David Kunkle's office weren't returned. On Sept. 27, police released a heavily-edited version of the police report but declined to discuss it further because of privacy concerns.

"It's a shame that the department doesn't stand up for the officers and say they did everything right," White said. "They haven't, and that's my biggest gripe now."


BSRanch Perspective:

I don't know about you all, but the more that I hear this case on any one of the news channels, and ESPN, or even the NFL Channel (via the Internet my cable company doesn't carry the NFL Channel anymore) I have to come to the conclusion that Terrell Owens and Miss Etheredge have been lying about what they have said. It has been the hurry up and change the story to the right one ever since this whole thing has happened. After all what story did they say when it first broke. That T.O. was taken to a hospital for a possible Overdose of pills. Miss Etheredge herself had been with T.O. all that evening and he probably took the pills to end his life because his wrist will not heal fast enough for him to be the greatest player once again on the team!

Now you have "Neon" Deon Sanders coming to T.O.'s aid in the reports that the Police Officer got some kind of enjoyment out of reporting the story to the press. Well, I have news for Mr. Sanders. I don't know the Police Officer, and I am sure that Mr. Sanders has never met the Police Officer either, so when he made his Press release maybe him being nervous he sounded as if he were a little bit joyful, it might have been that Officer being nervous talking to a national audience, that got him nervous and caused him to sound as if he was in a happy or joking mood when he was just a nervous. I know that would be, and I have had 18 years of Law Enforcement behind me, counting the 6 years of Level II, Level I Reserve time behind me.

So when Deon came onto the NFL Channel during his interview and placed the Officer Down that he didn't know at all, but he Explained it away in this fashioned. Who is the fan going to trust the one that he watches playing and being interviewed each week and learns his personality or those in the media that come on the television out of no where and say that Terrell has a problem with depression, I tell you if I was that fan I would trust that player that I know, and watch play for me every week! So he is saying that the evidence that the Police department collected and saw at the time of the incident, the original statements that were made by the Witnesses at the time of the incident, that are going to be the most truthful (by the way), or the guy that just got released from a hospital after being talked to and interviewed by a mental health professional, with whom more then likely didn't have his stomach pumped but he was probably given a medication called Ipecac, used to make you throw up! You are given this medication and a bucket or pale to throw up into, during your stay in a hospital, the down time is only approximately 10 to 12 hours! so he could very well have been treated for the pills overdose.

Now, I don't know if this happened to Terrell Owens, I can only state this from my years of being in Law Enforcement and seeing this kind of stuff happen to other people. I cannot say that this happened to Terrell for sure, but the symptoms are there that they might very well have!

I am siding with the Dallas Police Department and their original findings, and not the statements made later to try to clear up what the people see and hear about him in the public eye!! This is a guy that has taken down a Super Bowl team in one game, and helped them loose, he not only helped them loose, but he lead them to a loosing season the next year! It is not easy for one player to do that, but not only did he do that for one team but he was able to do that to two, San Francisco lost a good coach, because he didn't know how to handle such behavior as what Terrell is determined to deliver, such as this so called Attempt on his own life, it is just another way to get the Coach to try to give him what ever it was that he was arguing for that afternoon and it more then likely was playing time!!

Still, these are just my opinion and only my opinion, and are not based in anything that I have seen T.O. do or say, but the more that they have talked about it, and the more Football players from the past and present that they have Wheeled out in front of the camera to make their statements has given me this enlightenment to the fact that Mr. Owens really might have done this and now he is trying to play the Dallas PD as a fool, that I don't like! If anything He is the fool for mistaking his pills in the first place! Especially when he mistakenly Misplaced 35 of them in his mouth or stomach or the like.

Yes Miss Etheredge & T.O. Owens both owe the Dallas Police Department, and the Police Officer that personally handled the Case a Face to Face Apology

BSRanch

Rialto in Fight with County, Files Lawsuit, Gonzales Denies Fault (Cheryl Brown The Black Voice News 092806)

Rialto in Fight with County, Files Lawsuit, Gonzales Denies Fault Print
Thursday, 28 September 2006

RIALTO


By Cheryl Brown


The City of Rialto announced that this week they filed a lawsuit against the County of San Bernardino saying they breached the terms of the Development Agreement it signed with the City allowing for the expansion of the Mid Valley Sanitary Landfill in 1998, a charge that is flatly denied by supervisor Josie Gonzales. "We haven't gotten any word of this from the City. We are taking care of our problem and I didn't promise anything to anyone, but I want to help them," said Gonzales.

The issue is complex. According to Gonzales, the city has two plumes of perchlorate one caused by leaching of a landfill and an aggregate user who's leach ponds on county land washed Perchlorate into the water table, the other caused by three or four other users who left contaminates leaching into the groundwater (Goodrich, Black & Decker, Earnhart and the Federal Government's munitions storage area). The County has taken responsibility and erected a treatment plant to treat the edge of the plume from the landfill and the Robert's Ready Mix wash ponds area; however the other plume is growing and the city council voted to allow the Goodrich Company, one of the contributors to the other plume, to give them $1 million dollars to delay even looking at the problem for two years. This is coupled with another one million given to each of the three other signators (City of Colton, the Fontana Water Company, and West Valley Water District) who are all a part the agreement for any settlement that will come from the polluters. "The County's legal response has been to actively add to Rialto's mounting legal and investigative costs. We estimate between $25 and $30 million has been spent to defeat the efforts of Rialto and Colton to force polluters to clean up the mess they left in our drinking water supply," said Owen. "We have a stack of legal documents showing Mr. Moskowitz, the County's Attorney, is the leader of the Joint Defense Group that is leading the defense of actions of the polluting corporations and agencies against Rialto, said Owns. "Not true he (Moskowitz) is no leader in this. We are not defending polluters we are efficiently defending County taxpayers against the lawsuit brought by Rialto, said Gonzales, and the county has only spent $2 million in legal fees for the suit that was filed before I came into office," she said.

"Rialto is filing this lawsuit because of the County's unfortunate unwillingness to negotiate in good faith about the costs Rialto residents have paid for the investigation cleanup and water treatment to remove contamination leaching from the landfill into our water supply," said Robert Owens, Rialto's City Attorney in a press release. The (1998) agreement requires the County to pay attorneys fees and expert costs incurred by the City in defending legal actions arising out of the operations of the landfill, including contamination of the underlying groundwater, which is Rialto's drinking water supply source. The Landfill is leaking perchlorate into the City's drinking water supplies," said the Owen press release.

"The county has been responsible. In 2000 as soon as the County realized the perchlorate was leaking, it was stopped as soon as we found the wash ponds that the Roberts' Company were using was flushing the perchlorate out of the soil. We have been cleaning up our part. We have put in a treatment plant and we have cleaned up the water and we continue to clean up the water. We have paid the city any money that they had to spend to replace the water for their residents. The investigation that he speaks about has nothing to do with the County. They are the ones who filed a lawsuit and it would be irresponsible for us to use taxpayers dollars when we are taking care of our responsibility. We do not owe them any money. There is no evidence of damage to the city," said Gonzales.

Gonzales said she continues to look for the solutions to the problem and that she hasn't given up. In her desire to find a solution she tried to sell a county property close to the Milligan Landfill and thought it would fetch enough to get started on the second plume, that idea did not pan out because they could not get the asking price for the property so that idea failed. "Just because one solution failed it doesn't mean that we are not working to find another one," she said not accepting blame for anything that has happened in this current dispute.

"We even went to Washington to get the funds and we were told by Baca, Lewis, Feinstein and Boxer that the only way they could support the effort is for us all to work together under one umbrella. After we returned Rialto tried to exclude one of the partners. I can't undo it. Filing the lawsuit just takes us further away from getting federal funds to clean up the Perchlorate," said Gonzales.

"They know they are trapped and I can't change that, I feel for them," she said. She said that the Rialto gave Goodrich a free pass. Goodrich gave each of them a million dollars to make the problem go away and now they are just beginning to look the problem."

Owens was not available at presstime to respond to Gonzales' statements.


BS Ranch Perspective:

Here we go again! It seems that The City of Rialto is determined to fight there way to non payment of their fair share of the clean up of the perchlorate from the Ground water pumping stations, they have fought every turn of every corner, and this time filing a law suite, rather then the County and the City, along with the City of Fontana, and San Bernardino and Upland I might add should all work together and spread the cost evenly across their pumps. That is what they did before.

What troubles me is this, Why is it that Fontana, or San Bernardino, or Upland have any problems with the Perchlorate in their water, did they magically get paid to treat it out of their wells? or is it because Rialto is being Ripped off in some way? I am still at a loss on this. I wish I was as smart as Owens, and Garcia It just seems to me that Rialto is afraid to pay for the business that resides in Their city that has been part of the pollution problem. Red Devil, was using the bunkers for storage of Said Fireworks, and they were placing in the bunkers that which was causing the contamination, Gun Powder in the water level. They were allowing that which was getting into the water to flow down into the water table and then causing that which is now known as Perchlorate Pollution.

I suppose that which the City of Rialto was not responsible for should not have to pay for it, but if that were the case they should be going after that which is or was storing their fireworks in the bunkers. Red Devil, and Freedom Fireworks, which are one and the same today! That is who the law suit should be after now! not the county then if it was the devil that caused the poisoning.

WORK TOGETHER!!!

BS Ranch

Bloomington Residents Turn in Signatures in Favor of Incorperation! (Fontana Herald News 092906)

Bloomington residents turn in signatures in favor of incorporation



After two years of pro-cityhood efforts, the Bloomington Incorporation Committee submitted its signatures to the San Bernardino County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) on Sept. 25 - the last day it was allowed to do so.

According to Eric Davenport of the Bloomington Incorporation Committee, the group members submitted 2,106 signatures. Davenport said they needed 25 per cent of the 7,200 registered voters who live in the county unincorporated community, which according to Davenport amounts to 1,789 valid signatures. For the signature to be valid, the signatory must be a registered voter who lives in the unincorporated community of Bloomington.

Turning in the signatures is the first step of what may prove to be an arduous process for the rural community that desperately wants to retain its character.

"We're really happy," Davenport said, referring to the number of signatures the group gathered. "People came out of the woodwork, some came from their sick beds. The one problem we had was the list we got from the County Registrar of Voters is out of date. They left out a whole section of the southeast corner of Bloomington. The issue now lies with the County Registrar of Voters whether or not there was a loss of voters. We pay them for accuracy, not guesstimations. We exceeded what we needed."

San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters Kari Verjil said that Davenport's list was outdated because he had only requested one copy last spring. "His request was dated April 7, 2006; he should have come in after that. We update the information constantly," Verjil said.

Kathleen Rollings-McDonald, executive director of LAFCO, acknowledged that the signatures had been turned in.


"We received the petitions. We will package them and submit them to the Registrar for verification," she said.

When asked how long the community of Bloomington has tried to incorporate, Rollings-McDonald said that the original attempt had started in 1963.

"There have been efforts [to incorporate] since the beginning of LAFCO," she said. "LAFCO was formed in 1963 and LAFCO 5 was submitted to the newly formed agency on Nov. 21, 1963. It was the fifth LAFCO petition submitted. That was 43 ago."

When asked if this is the end of the road for Bloomington, Rollins-MacDonald replied, "Who knows? I don't know."

The San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters has 30 days to determine of there are enough valid signatures. If the incorporation supporters fall short, they will get an additional 15 days to make up the difference. If they are successful in securing the necessary signatures, then the BIC will meet with LAFCO, which has the final say on whether or not Bloomington has the resources necessary to incorporate. If Bloomington fails to incorporate, parts of the community could be annexed by Fontana and Rialto.

Dan Flores, secretary for the Bloomington Municipal Committee, an advisory group for San Bernardino County Supervisor Josie Gonzales, said that his group would not end if the incorporation efforts failed and Bloomington areas are annexed into Fontana and Rialto. "There will still be quite a few residents left in the county unincorporated areas," he said.

Marge Mendoza Ware, a long-time resident of Bloomington and member of the Colton Joint Unified School District Board, said: "I have concerns over the feasibility. I would like to see Bloomington to be in the position to be a city. My concern is that we don't have the tax base to support it and I would be concerned how families would be impacted. I wish the citizens could have made better relationships with the cities of Rialto and Fontana and been part of the decision making process -- especially with the distribution centers in Fontana and Rialto. If the incorporation process doesn't work, then I hope we can be friends with Fontana and Rialto."


BS Ranch Perspective:

I just want those that live in Bloomington, I pray that you get your City! It has been a long battle, and one that was fought for before and lost! Not once but twice I believe, one time before my arrival to the area. The other time when I was on Patrol in the area on Graveyard! In fact for one short three day time Bloomington was that jurisdiction that had been transferred over to that of the Rialto Police Department, however the Residents of Bloomington fought that right away, and that is why I say that it lasted only for a short week or so. In fact we only responded to one call and that call turned into a semi riot situation since the Rialto Police was not wanted in Bloomington and we were not welcome to help. It was the San Bernardino County that responded in and saved our day, that time. But again I believe that was one time around 1991 or 1992, it might have been in 1990 for all I can remember. You have to take into consideration that I had a 50 MPH - 0 MPH Sudden stop syndrome on my head, that kind of still plays tricks on me today, not for fun or anything just tricks, you know..tricks..boo..he he

BSRanch

Mayor's Group Convenes (SB Sun 092806) East Valley Leaders Discuss Area Issues...

Mayor's Group Convenes
East Valley Leaders discuss area issues
Robert Rogers, SB Sun Staff Writer 092806

San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris and the East Valley's top elected officials gathered at an Italian eatery Wednesday afternoon for an intimate, informal round-table discussion about the future of regional affairs, no media allowed.

The meeting of area mayors in San Bernardino was less like a scene from a Francis Ford Coppola film than it was a chance to plant the seeds of an alliance to better represent regional interests on everything from public safety to transportation routes to commercial development.

As the host of the meeting, Morris said he focused on regional environmental issues, specifically the need to maintain open spaces and develop a trail system that links East Valley cities to the Santa Ana River Trail.

"These mayors are all very environmentally conscious, and they were delighted to discuss the interconnected nature of our open-space projects," Morris said after the meeting.

The meeting marked the first gathering of East Valley mayors in years and could launch what Morris hopes is a schedule of quarterly meetings rotated in the various cities, from Colton to Yucaipa.

The next meeting will be in Loma Linda, probably in January, and Mayor Bob Christman has put transportation issues on the agenda.

Some mayors said Wednesday afternoon that such a meeting was long overdue, as issues relating to crime, economic growth and the environment, all of which know no boundaries, demand coordination and cooperation.

Law-enforcement and social- service agencies are ahead of the curve on this type of integration, with coordinated multi- jurisdictional operations and lines of communication that are now the norm.

Among those invited to the meeting Wednesday were the mayors of Yucaipa, Grand Terrace, Loma Linda, Rialto, Redlands and Highland.

"We don't know yet exactly what will come out of this meeting," said Morris' son and chief of staff, Jim Morris. "But the mayor has a very regional way of thinking, and this sort of regular meeting with the leaders of surrounding cities is something he has wanted to do since taking office as a way of identifying common problems and formulating collective solutions."

The idea came into focus at an Earth Day event in May, when Morris and Redlands Mayor Jon Harrison discussed environmental issues affecting the upper Santa Ana River basin.

Before heading to San Bernardino, other mayors said they were eager to discuss other regional issues as well.

Highland Mayor Ross Jones said before the meeting he would put transportation and crime at the top of the group's agenda. He also is interested in altering the oddly shaped Highland-San Bernardino boundary and discussing matters related to San Bernardino International Airport.

"This is new, and I think it's a very good thing," Jones said. "We certainly need to communicate."

Although the meeting is a new concept in the East Valley, mayors of cities on the county's West End already convene regularly to discuss regional issues.

Fontana Mayor Mark Nuaimi said he meets bimonthly with the mayors of Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Chino and other cities to discuss issues of mutual importance in informal, freewheeling sessions. Nuaimi said the hope is that by aligning behind issues of regional significance the city leaders will wield more clout in garnering resources from Washington and Sacramento.

"Out of this dialogue we can strengthen our advocacy at the state and federal levels," Nuaimi said.

On the east end of the county, such a coalition is, at best, in its nascent stage, but Harrison said Wednesday's meeting could be an important step in getting local governments to think regionally.

Christman said public officials should heed the unspoken advice of Inland Empire residents, who glide across city boundaries in vehicles or public transportation without giving the different name on the road signs a second thought.

"Our cities don't stand alone or sit on an island, so neither should we," Christman said.

Christman said he looks forward to future discussions on transportation. As a pilot and member of the board that governs SBIA, Christman said he and his contemporaries need to work together to ensure the airport develops into an economic catalyst.

"It's immediate future is cargo, and eventually it can grow as a passenger airport," Christman said. "But this can really be an economic engine for the entire Inland Empire."

Mayor Morris said he also looks forward to the next meeting.

"Our cities have so much in common, and so many regional issues to discuss," he said.

Contact writer Robert Rogers at (909) 386-3855 or via e-mail at robert.rogers@sbsun.com.


BS Ranch Perspective:

I was happy to see that Rialto was invited, and Grace was so Talkative that she got so many quotes in! LOL.. Actually it is better that she didn't with all that is going on in Rialto lately! You can be well sure that if Ed Scott was there that there would be some kind of remark in the paper about what Ed Scott thinks about the meeting or about the Perchlorate or some issue that really should be better brought up elsewhere. As you can see our Mayor was very smart and didn't give any verbal indication as to what she felt that she should say! That is the sign's of an Intelligent Mayor.

I got the Mailer from Joe Baca Jr. and I liked what he had to say. The writing as always were general blurbs but they were good ones, and there was one general blurb on that Quote that statement that Mayor Vargas was quoted as saying about Jr. on this mailer. This was great, I felt, Grace said, that Joe Baca Jr. has guaranteed that he would stand behind the Police and Fire departments 120%, and to me that is a 120% endorsement that should not be over looked!!

If you liked Grace and felt that she stuck to her campaign Promises, which I know that she did, and well that she stuck by her word. Based upon the Political decisions that Joe Sampson as made here most recently. I feel that Joe Baca Jr. is a smarter man then Joe Sampson, and again this is based solely, on his political decision making of the past 1.5 years by Joe has made me feel that his political decision making is not as sharp as they could be!! Therefore, Joe Baca Jr. is the man behind the words..

I would have normally supported Joe Sampson, but lately Joe has changed his politics really drastically to the point that I am not sure who that guy is any more. this might suffer in the race this year.

BSRanch

Kentucky Constable Attacked at Traffic Stop Dies!! (The Daily Independent 092806) Funeral Information Below

Kentucky Constable Attacked at Traffic Stop Dies

Funeral Information Below

Updated: September 28th, 2006 03:51 PM EDT


Courtesy of Globe Funeral Chapel
Constable Elmer Kiser

KENNETH HART
Courtesy of The Daily Independent


Ashland, Ky.-- A Carter County constable who was assaulted last week, allegedly by a motorist he had pulled over, has died and the man accused of beating him has been charged with murder.

Elmer Kiser, 63, of Olive Hill, died Wednesday morning in the intensive care unit at King’s Daughters Medical Center, where he had been in critical condition.

The charge against Kiser’s alleged assailant, Johnny R. Puckett, 23, of Soldier, has been upgraded to murder as a result of the constable’s death, Kentucky State Police at Ashland said Wednesday.

Puckett was arrested Friday night on a charge of first-degree assault. He remained in custody Wednesday in the Carter County Detention Center. A deputy jailer said he did not know the amount of Puckett’s bond.

Kiser was found lying unconscious on Crawford Avenue, off Ky. 2 just north of the Olive Hill city limits, the evening of Sept. 20. Minutes before he was discovered, the constable had reported that he was following a reckless driver on Ky. 174, the KSP said. He had requested backup from the Olive Hill Police Department.

Carter County 911 dispatchers subsequently received another call from a person who reported a man lying in the roadway on Crawford Avenue. Olive Hill Police Officer Bruce Palmer responded and found Kiser unconscious and injured.

Kiser had served three terms as Carter County’s District 4 constable and was unopposed for a fourth. The retired truck driver defeated challengers Jeffrey Fite and John Stamper in the May Democratic primary and did not have a Republican challenger in the November election.

Constables in Kentucky are elected from each magistrate district. They are constitutional office-holders, and, as such, they have the same county-wide law enforcement authority as sheriffs. However, their activity levels vary from county to county. In some, they work as full-fledged peace officers, while in others, their duties are mostly limited to assisting the sheriff.

Funeral Information

Funeral services for Constable Kiser are scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday at Globe Funeral Chapel. Carter County Jailer Randy Binion will officiate, and Olive Hill Police Chief Bobby Hall and members of his department will serve as pallbearers.

Republished with permission of The Daily Independent.


BS Ranch Perspective:

Now based upon this Constables life, you wonder why the 3% @ 50 Retirement plan is such a good Idea, Now I don't want to use this as a stand off to make my point, but Elmer Kiser was 63, and still "on the job" running around gathering up the bad guys, however the constables work in a court room setting, they also work traffic obviously or this would not have happened. He had made a Traffic Stop, and was attacked by the Driver, Johnny R. Puckett, 23 a soldier, who thought that he could wrestle his way out of the traffic citation or DUI Arrest. Now he sits on Death Row, if Ky, has a death row. and something tells me that they do!

The whole thing boils down to this, Kiser was found laying unconscious next to his car, and only minutes before he was on the radio reporting that he was following a possible reckless. It was then that he requested a Back up Officer to respond to his location, and well a short time later a citizen passerby reported seeing the constable laying on the ground next to his car. I had not known this but the Constable is an elected position, and Kiser was Carter County's 3 term Constable & was running unopposed for his fourth term. So he had to have been well liked in the area. Constables depending upon the County in which they are elected depends upon what kind of power they have, some just assist the Sheriff, and others have full Law Enforcement Power, throughout the county in which they serve. Now he doesn't have a forth term except in heaven and he will do a great job. Unfortunately the guy that Killed him will comment that he is a conscience objector, to the war and this was his way of getting out of going back to Iraq, he will try to Appeal to the court and get off with a super light sentence. I feel that they had better think long and hard on this . he was a public Servant and willing to serve another term to the County in which he loved. I feel for his family and hope that they will be able to get past this. Pray pray & more pray. God is the answer to the loss of Constable Elmer Kiser, 63 of Carter County!!

BS Ranch

Arizona Motorcycle Officer Dies in Wreck (KPHO 092809)

Arizona Motorcycle Officer Dies in Wreck

Updated: September 28th, 2006 01:58 PM EDT


Courtesy of KPHO
Officer Kevin Weeks

Courtesy of KPHO


Tempe, Ariz.-- A Tempe motorcycle officer died Thursday morning after his bike flipped over on the Loop 101.

Police said the officer, 28-year-old Kevin Weeks, was driving south between University Drive and Broadway Road around 4:15 a.m. when he hit debris in the road and his bike rolled off the highway.

Weeks was taken to Scottsdale Osborn Hospital where he died from his injuries.

Weeks was a seven-year veteran of the police force and served on the DUI patrol. Officials said he had just finished an overnight shift and was on his way home.

Copyright 2006 by KPHO.com. All rights reserved.

Republished with permission of KPHO.


BS Ranch Perspective:

It just seems like More and more Collisions across this great Country of ours are taking the lives of our Law Enforcement Officers that have sworn to keep America Safe!! I know that the Motorcycle Officers have a larger percentage of a chance at being killed, but we have so much training that we go through hat sometimes it seem so hard to imagine that some debris in the road would take us down. I say this not to be mean because we are trained to ride through all kinds of debris, and well I am sure that his motor school was no different. I feel so badly for his family, and his wife. I am not trying to read anything into the accident, but he was up all night and might have been tired and struck the debris. that would make sense, I just feel so badly for his family, friends his whole police department, over their loss of a fellow police Officer.

In many ways I feel that I could have been this fellow officer, I have slipped on debris many times, I didn't fall, but slipped. There was one time that my front tire washed out. I was training another motor Officer to ride, and he did just that, Laid the bike down in the center of the busy 30 highway, or Highland Ave as it is known to us, and then walked or ran fast over the bike and sprained his ankle. he was lucky that nothing more serious didn't happen to him. Then I happened to look to see what has bee going on in the news and this is what I read about.

I have been praying for this mans life and his family. I also have placed my self into his shoes, and felt how important it is to pray for the family that remains to have to care for his family. So that is what I have been thinking about, and that is what I have been doing. God Bless, I am so sorry for their loss!!!

BSRanch

Two Ohio Troopers Killed in Crash (NBC4I.com 092806)

Two Ohio Troopers Killed in Crash

Updated: September 28th, 2006 05:44 PM EDT


IBS/WCMH
Sgt. Dale Holcomb and Trooper Joshua Risner

AP Photo/Scott Osborne
Members of the Ohio State Highway Patrol investigate a two-vehicle crash that killed two state troopers.

Story by nbc4i.com


Two Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers and a civilian were killed on Thursday morning in a two-vehicle crash, NBC 4 's Barbra Flannigan reported.

The crash occurred at about 5:50 a.m. at Jackson Pike and Mitchell Road in Gallipolis, according to the patrol.

The troopers were identified as Sgt. Dale Holcomb, 45, and Trooper Joshua Risner, 29, both of the Gallipolis Patrol Post.

The motorist was identified as 32-year-old Lori Smith, of Vinton.

Holcomb was a 21-year veteran, and Risner was a 7-year veteran of the post who followed in the footsteps of his father, a retired trooper.

According to the patrol, Risner is survived by his wife and two children. Holcomb was also survived by his wife and two teenage sons.

Officials held a news conference to address the media, but would not comment on how the crash occurred. Officials said that both vehicles in the crash caught fire and were destroyed.

"We aren't even going to speculate with any of that right now. I can't confirm or deny any of that but I would ask that you give us time to get all the details together," said Col. Paul McClellan, Ohio State Highway Patrol superintendent.

Thursday's crash is the first time a trooper has been killed in the line of duty since the death of Trooper Frank Vazquez, who was killed in a crash on Interstate 270 in 2001.

Investigators said the crash marks the first time when two officers of the patrol were killed in the same incident.

Officials said the crash remains under investigation.

Stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for additional information.

Copyright 2006 by nbc4i.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


BS Ranch Perspective:
Imagine for a second that you hear a call for a fellow officer go out. "93P40 clear to copy on a 1180?"
"93P40?"
"93P40D's can you copy? Unit to clear and respond to an 1180?"
Another unit calls out on the radio, "93P32 En-route"
"P32 Rialto Copy, for information RFD is En-route, and there have been numerous calls. Several of the calls advise that the car involved is a possible Patrol Unit, however they are not sure the vehicle is fully involved in fire....93P40D?"
"93"40D".
Rialto P30 10-97", P-30 be advised that it is P-40's unit that is fully involved, and I cannot see P-40 anywhere!!!!"....
This call happened in Rialto only with a motorcycle, and there was no fire, but a lonely motor officer that had struck the side of a Mazda MPV Mini Van that turned left in front of him. That Officer was me. I was Dead when the first officer was on-scene, and when RFD arrived they started CPR. I was being pumped on the whole time at the scene, and all the way to the Hospital, some 15 Miles away. The dispatcher on duty a great friend of mine called other agencies for mutual aid and got them to block streets, she also got the helicopter to watch intersections before the Ambulance approached so they didn't even have to slow down, they made it from the scene to the hospital in 11 minutes, it was approximately 15 miles to the Hospital from the scene and they did it in 11 minutes, I would have to say that there was a gracious God looking after me. I took some 11 to 13 units of blood, and was then made steady enough to go to surgery. some 13 hours later I was in ICU recovery, and doing who knew, they didn't know if I was going to make it 1 hour let alone 24, they just said pray, it always helps to pray!! and that is what they did. I am convinced it was the prayers from the people of Rialto, and the people that I worked with that saved my life. If it was not for them praying for me I would not have made it.
So I believe in the power of prayer, in this case the department, and the families that lost the two officers will need a whole lot of support and prayers...prayers that we can give to support them, they may not know us but If there is one thing that I know it is the power of prayer!!
After all it is the loss of two trooper's but they were the Father's of two (That is four children) and two wives, that don't have a spouse anymore. I praise God every day that I get to kiss my wife, and say hello, good night, and some days are the best for us, because of what I lost in that accident, but most of me is still here and I love my wife, I feel on some days that she would have been better off and she keeps telling me that is not the truth, and that I had better just be quite or she might start to believe me. so I started to be quiet on that subject as to keep our marriage together. and happy. After all I really Love and need my Wife!! Well, God Bless have a great day, Pray for the families to keep themselves close together, and not so far apart. All the prayers will work magic in their lives!
BSRanch

Rialto Man Found Stabbed to Death (Daily Bulletin 092706)

Rialto Man Found Stabbed to Death
Wes WoodsII, Daily Bulletin Staff Writer
RIALTO --A Rialto man died after being assaulted and stabbed in his home on Saturday.

Rialto Fire Department paramedics found Robert Cordero Jr., 46, dead at 6:20 p.m. Saturday, according to a San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner news release.

The man's residence was in the 600 block of W. Marygold Avenue in Rialto.

Detectives are investigating the death further, and the exact cause of death will be determined later this week in an autopsy, according to the release.


A stabbing like this is a personal death, very intentional and who ever wanted, Robert dead wanted to see him die, for themselves close up and personal. usually it is someone close to them like a family member if not then he owed money to someone and didn't pay the debt back and who ever it was making a message to those others that owe him money!!

BSRanch

PS: this is just my speculation after long time on the job!!

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Fewer S.B. County Students Ready for Collage

Fewer S.B. County Students Ready For Collage
Number of students in S.B. County ready to attend a university on the decline
By Andrea Edwards, Daily Bulletin Staff Writer 092506

When Cal State San Bernardino president Al K. Karnig talks about his school, he paints a rosy picture of the campus, despite a slight drop in enrollment last year.

Karnig said the campus now has more freshmen than ever before -- and also has enough money to allow most students to attend classes without paying any fees, which is why 57 percent of the student body is receiving full financial aid.

But there is one problem that has not gone away.

Like many local and state educators, Karnig is bothered that few San Bernardino County students are qualified to attend the campus when they leave high school.

"I'm disappointed because it's not the best thing for the Inland Empire," Karnig said Friday.

Karnig became the San Bernardino campus's third president in 1997. Since that time, the percentage of county high school graduates who have taken the high school classes needed to attend a state university has shrunk.

California Department of Education numbers show that at the end of the 1997-98 school year, nearly 26 percent of the county's high school graduates had completed course work necessary to enroll at one of California's public universities. By the time the county's graduates earned their diplomas at the end of the 2004-05 school year, slightly less than 23 percent had taken classes needed to enroll.

By end of the 2004-05 school year, the percentage of high school graduates from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties who had completed state university-required classes was more than 10 percent higher than in San Bernardino County.

Other San Bernardino County educators agreed with Karnig that college-readiness levels must improve, for the sake of both individual students and the county's long-term economic future.

School district officials said they are currently relying on programs like AVID, or Advancement Via Individual Determination -- an elective class designed specifically to prepare high school and junior high school students for college. Guidance counselors and teachers face the challenge of encouraging teenagers to go to college even though they live in a county that typically has not produced large numbers of college graduates.

Karnig and County Superintendent of Schools Herbert Fischer both cited different factors as possible reasons why San Bernardino County's college-readiness rates are lower than neighboring counties.

Karnig noted that the San Bernardino area is home to many students who come from social groups that have historically faced racial discrimination and been underrepresented on college campuses. He said the university was trying to attract more people through outreach efforts at predominantly black and Latino churches.

Fischer brought up a different point -- that in the past, people from San Bernardino County did not need a college education to find work. The Inland Empire and San Joaquin Valley both have the lowest rates of college attendance in the state, he said, even though the economic engines that powered those regions in the past have sputtered out.

"Both of these places have had the old work," Fischer said. "They relied on factories. They relied on agriculture. They relied on air bases. All those things are gone."

To enter a state university, students must take an extra year's worth of courses in both math and English than they need to graduate high school. Students wanting to enroll at a University of California or California State University must also study a foreign language for two years and the arts for one year.

But even for students who don't want to go to college, educators said the additional course work is necessary simply to get hired at a decent job.

"If you're going to be in an apprentice program, you're going to have to know the higher math," Fischer said.

A bright spot, Fischer said, is the AVID program, which is in place at 67 schools in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The program, introduced to the county in 1991, is intended to push students who earn average grades into more advanced course work. AVID students take special classes in which they work with teachers and tutors to hone their studying skills.

"They're in an environment where the total focus is on going to college," Fischer said.

In the past five years, Fischer said the college attendance rates for county students has increased by 44 percent. Most attended community colleges after graduating high school.

The Rialto Unified School District and Cal State San Bernardino work together in a similar program called Gear Up, a federally funded program aimed at low-income students. Rialto Unified superintendent Edna Herring said the program includes field trips and tutoring for students who are placed in more challenging courses. Teachers who participate in Gear Up receive additional training.

By the end of the 2004-05 school year, Rialto Unified had more graduates who had taken state university-required classes than any other district in the county -- 59.6 percent.

By comparison, percentages in other districts around San Bernardino ranged between 10 and 30 percent. In San Bernardino City Unified, the number was 14 percent. That figure was 13.7 percent for Fontana Unified, 22.4 percent for Colton Joint Unified, 28.3 percent for Redlands Unified and 30.1 percent for Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified.

San Bernardino City Unified offers the AVID program at all seven of its high schools.

District officials are not content that only a small fraction of their graduates leave school ready for a state university, district spokeswoman Linda Hill said.

"We certainly want our students to do better," she said.

A survey of the district's graduates showed that nearly three-fourths of those who graduated in 2005 went on to attend a university or trade school. That number was higher than in 2001, when about 68 percent of San Bernardino City Unified graduates went on to higher learning.


BS Ranch Perspective:

This is almost hard to write! Part of me believed in the "No Student Left Behind" Policy that was set forth by the Bush Administration! In fact it was one of the first things that he pushed through the House and Senate and got passed, it cost the Government so much more money, because of the Constant follow up testing that goes on between the student and the teacher. I know that you can say that this is just the beginning of the program and they have not started to get the children that belonged in the no children left behind because they were the ones that were supposed to be looked after however the system failed them, and you have to wonder, why what did we do to fail the student! It is to sad to figure what or why the no student left behind has or is failing at this point. Maybe in the near future it will pick up and the students will do better, and be much smarter, it is just the adjustment period that is taking place.

BSRanch

Fontana Police Seek Information on Robbers

Fontana Police Seek Information on Robbers
Wes WoodsII Daily Bulletin Staff Writer 092606

FONTANA -- Police are looking for information about a pair of men who robbed two men in a city park Sunday.

The robbers, both male, approached two Fontana residents in Jack Bulik Park, at 16581 Filbert St., around 8:15 p.m. and asked them what time it was, a Fontana Police Department news release said.

While the victims were distracted, the robbers demanded the victims' property and showed a firearm, police said. After the perpetrators took a wallet with money and jewelry worth about $280, they ran westbound through the park toward Cypress Avenue.

Both men are about 5 feet 4 inches tall, 140 pounds and between the age of 17 and 20. They wore white T-shirts and blue jeans, police said. One man had black hair, and the other man's hair color was unknown, police said.


BS Ranch Perspective:

I know that there is not much opinion that anyone can give to a Robbery Description, but Lets have a second look at the description that is given, they are kind of vague, and there is not a photograph or Sketch of the suspects, to use as a reference either. I just pray that they get caught before they start robbing more people!!

BSRanch

White Mountain Researchers Take the High Road to Knowledge

White Mountain Researchers Take the High Road to Knowledge

A towering flat-topped California peak provides the perfect site for scientists to study the effects of altitude on plants and animals.
By David Kelly, Times Staff Writer
September 25, 2006


WHITE MOUNTAIN RESEARCH STATION, Inyo National Forest, Calif. — Looking small and vulnerable, dozens of college students fanned out among the crags and steep slopes of White Mountain Peak hoping to unlock the secrets of the world's high places.

They ducked between boulders to examine lichens or chronicled the social life of marmot colonies. A few caught butterflies, others studied climate change.

"In California there are no other field stations at this altitude," said Thea Wang, a UCLA graduate student studying marmot behavior. "It's a big advantage to be able to live here and walk out and be with the marmots."

At 14,246 feet, White Mountain Research Station's laboratory is the highest facility of its kind in North America. Scientists and students from all over the world come to the study the effects of altitude on humans, animals and plants. They also investigate climate change, using sensors on peaks throughout the White Mountains. The station's observatory analyzes radiation from space.

Founded in 1950 by the U.S. Navy, the research center is made up of four stations at varying altitudes — 4,000 feet in Bishop, 10,200 feet at Crooked Creek, 12,500 at Barcroft and, at 14,246 feet, a small hut on the summit of White Mountain Peak.

"This was started to study the effects of low oxygen on human physiology," said John Smiley, an entomologist and associate director of the station. "The White Mountains are perfect. They are dry, flat on top and easy to get around."

The landscape is so otherworldly that components of the Mars rover were tested at the station. Research is also being done on altitude sickness to see if the optic nerve expands at higher elevations, causing headaches and other symptoms of the illness.

"The biggest question here for human physiology is who gets acute mountain sickness and who doesn't," Smiley said. "Another question is how you can avoid pulmonary and cerebral edema, which is fatal if you don't get down the mountain."

The facility, run by UC San Diego, has found evidence that plants and animals are increasingly moving up the mountain in response to global climate change.

"Usually plants can't go beyond a certain level because of the cold, but with warming we are seeing them moving up the slopes," Smiley said. "You can see it with sagebrush and the bristlecone pine. We have also found vegetation moving into mountain valleys that used to be too cold at night to support them."

Aerial photos from the 1960s and today show a marked increase in vegetation at higher altitudes, he said.

Except for the Bishop station, getting to the other sites can be difficult. Barcroft is more than a two-hour drive over rough, unpaved roads. The journey passes stands of bristlecone pine, among the earth's oldest living things, with the most ancient estimated at 4,789 years old.

In comparison with the Sierra Nevada, the less-visited White Mountains are smooth, barren and desert-like. Their whiteness comes from heavy dolomite deposits. The undulating tableau seems alien, yet everywhere there is life — marmots, bighorn sheep, beetles, eagles and at least one wild horse.

Barcroft station is a 100-by-40-foot Quonset hut with labs, a cafeteria and living quarters set in rock-strewn terrain. It gets about 100 research visits per year by groups that pay to use its facilities. Inside are chambers where the effect of altitude on sleep is measured and where oxygen levels can be altered to simulate the atmosphere at 16,400 feet.

Life is challenging for the full-time staff. Michael Pawlish, the station's chef, has to deal with the sometimes bizarre effects of altitude on cooking. Food doesn't get done quickly, and less air pressure means containers expand in every direction.

"I have to cook a potato for two hours up here," he said. "The chip bags look like balloons. The ice cream blows up."

The cafeteria has two oxygen bottles in case someone needs to stave off altitude sickness.

Pregnant sheep bleat in a pen outside. When it's time to give birth they are taken down the mountain so researchers at Loma Linda University can study how low oxygen affects the developing fetus.

Paul Addison, a full-time staffer, takes care of the animals and is often here when everyone else is gone. The station closes from the end of October to June 31, but a winter caretaker remains.

"It takes a while to get used to the isolation, and communications can be a problem," he said. "If you get a toothache you're out of luck. The extremes are pretty stark. You go from having to stand in line to take a shower to having no one around. I spent a winter up here once. It can be unnerving to be alone; the mind can play tricks on you."

Researchers sometimes spend months here close to their subjects.

Rowan Sage, a botany professor, recently brought one of his classes from the University of Toronto.

"At White Mountain Peak you get scattered plants with the most extreme adaptability," he said.

His students bundled up against the fierce wind and blazing sun on the mountain.

Uvi Shah, 20, was studying how often beetles nested in certain alpine plants.

"This whole area is untouched," she said.

Others studied the nest orientation of pikas, an animal related to the rabbit, or how butterflies keep warm while feeding.

"I feel like I'm on another planet," said Erin Kelly, 21, who was analyzing the effects of roads and trails on plant populations.

"It looks pretty barren but there is a lot of life out here."

A large radio telescope sits a bit farther up at 13,000 feet. UC Santa Barbara researchers are studying cosmic radiation left over from the Big Bang, a massive explosion that many believe created the universe. The observatory has also measured the climates of the moon, Mars and other planets.

"You want to be above the Earth's atmosphere as much as possible; ideally we'd like to be in space," said Philip Lubin, a UC Santa Barbara physics professor leading the project. "White Mountain's main advantage is that it allows students to go up and immediately have access to front-line research."

The summit looms just beyond the observatory, yet it's a two- or three-hour hike away, each step increasingly difficult as the air thins. A small stone hut with two bunk beds is at the peak.

Across Owens Valley, the enormous Palisade glacier is easily seen beneath the granite spires of the Sierra. In the other direction, the dunes of Death Valley rise from the desert floor.

"This is where you bring people to make them sick," Smiley said.

The Barcroft lab is increasingly used for such experiments because it can simulate the same atmosphere as the White Mountain site. Frank Powell, director of White Mountain Research Station, said a healthy person near the peak would experience what an emphysema sufferer would endure at sea level.

For some students, the effects were obvious.

"You see a pretty rock and pick it up and you're out of breath," said Stacey Gray of the University of Toronto.

Gray, 29, tried smoking as she climbed the mountain. but less oxygen made it tough to keep the cigarette burning.

"I'm so glad I came," she said. "But I think I might stop smoking."

*



BS Ranch Perspective:
Reading this story makes me so home sick for the place that I was born and raised. The InYo National Forest, and High altitudes are a think of the past to me now, but they were at one time something that I was used to. We used to go up in the high country via 4X4 and explore the unknown that we were not supposed to be in, such as a mine. They were active mines which had active markings for claims, but we used to take the adventure and light torches and clime inside their working gold mine for example. These mines gave us a place to drink alcohol and get away with it being that we were not "of Age to Drink". But those were the days. Some of those Mines were pretty deep, and some were pretty dangerous. we learned quick that the deeper that they were the more dangerous they were.. WE would fill a shaft and be gone for the whole day, but we always tried to leave the mine in the condition that it was found in. We didn't want to be accused of being a Vandal, although the vandalism did happen, but not by us.
We had a great child hood in the High Sierra's. I do miss it right now!!
BSRanch

Fontana Police Seek Inforamtion on Robbers (Daily Bulletin 092606)

Fontana Police Seek Information on Robbers
Wes WoodsII Daily Bulletin Staff Writer 092606

FONTANA -- Police are looking for information about a pair of men who robbed two men in a city park Sunday.

The robbers, both male, approached two Fontana residents in Jack Bulik Park, at 16581 Filbert St., around 8:15 p.m. and asked them what time it was, a Fontana Police Department news release said.

While the victims were distracted, the robbers demanded the victims' property and showed a firearm, police said. After the perpetrators took a wallet with money and jewelry worth about $280, they ran westbound through the park toward Cypress Avenue.

Both men are about 5 feet 4 inches tall, 140 pounds and between the age of 17 and 20. They wore white T-shirts and blue jeans, police said. One man had black hair, and the other man's hair color was unknown, police said.


BS Ranch Perspective:

I know that there is not much opinion that anyone can give to a Robbery Description, but Lets have a second look at the description that is given, they are kind of vague, and there is not a photograph or Sketch of the suspects, to use as a reference either. I just pray that they get caught before they start robbing more people!!

BSRanch

Clinics Prepare to give flue Shots (Press Enterprise 092306) INLAND AREA: The time has come for residents to get ready for the influenza season..

Clinics prepare to give flu shots

INLAND AREA: The time has come for residents to get ready for the influenza season.

10:00 PM PDT on Saturday, September 23, 2006

By MARY BENDER
The Press-Enterprise

INLAND FLU SHOT CLINICS DURING OCTOBER

Oct. 16, 9 a.m.-11 a.m., Rialto Senior Center, 1411 S. Riverside Ave.

Oct. 18, 9 a.m.-11 a.m., Redlands Mall, 100 Redlands Blvd.

Oct. 20, 9 a.m.-noon, Highland Senior Center, 3102 E. Highland Ave.

Oct. 23, 9 a.m.-11 a.m., Victor Valley Public Health, 16453 Bear Valley Road, Hesperia

Oct. 24, 10 a.m.-noon, Trona Community Senior Center, 13187 Market St.

Oct. 25, 10 a.m.-noon, Big Bear Senior Center, 4251 Big Bear Blvd., Big Bear Lake. Call for an appointment, 909-584-0323

Oct. 26, 9 a.m.-11 a.m., Chino Community Center, 5443 B St.

Oct. 27, 9 a.m.-11 a.m., Clinical Services Building, 799 E. Rialto Ave., San Bernardino

Oct. 30, 9 a.m.-noon, Elks Lodge # 643, 6166 Brockton Ave., Riverside

Oct. 31, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Sun City Civic Association, 26850 Sun City Blvd.

Oct. 31, 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m., Joshua Tree Community Center, 6171 Sunburst Road

Oct. 31, 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m., Yucca Valley Elks Lodge, 55946 Yucca Trail

Oct. 31, 1:30-3:30 p.m., Needles Senior Center, 1699 Bailey Ave.

ADDITIONAL FLU SHOT CLINICS WILL BE HELD IN BOTH COUNTIES DURING NOVEMBER

Inland health care providers are gearing up for the coming flu season with dozens of clinics during October and November, at which residents can be vaccinated against this year's expected strain of the influenza virus.

"Traditionally in Riverside County, influenza season starts in December," said Barbara Cole, director of disease control for the Riverside County Department of Public Health. "It tends to start peaking in January or early February."

That's why autumn is the traditional season for inoculations, Cole explained.

"Every year, more than 225,000 people in the United States are hospitalized, and more than 35,000 die due to influenza and its complications," said Norma Arceo, spokeswoman for the California Department of Health Services, citing statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More precise numbers for Riverside and San Bernardino counties aren't available because influenza infections aren't tracked in California or listed as contributing factors on death certificates, Arceo said.

"It's always a mystery as to when the influenza will hit California. We never know when it's going to start," Arceo said.

"We all know that the most vulnerable populations are the elderly and children," she said. "So our goal is to immunize individuals who have close contact with these populations."

This year's vaccine is a mixture of two strains of influenza A that have "Wisconsin" and "New Caledonia" in their scientific names, and one strain of influenza B with "Malaysia" in its name, Arceo said.

Public health officials recommend that women who will be pregnant during flu season should be immunized, along with health care workers, law enforcement officers, "residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities, those who have chronic medical conditions like AIDS and diabetes, and individuals who live with or care for an adult over age 60," Arceo said.

This year, the flu shot is advised for children ages 6 months to 59 months, Cole said. Children's flu shots contain a lower dosage than those for adults.

The state ordered 697,480 doses of this season's influenza vaccine from the CDC for distribution to local agencies that will conduct flu shot clinics -- excluding Los Angeles County, which is so populous that it orders its own supply from the CDC, Arceo said.

"On Sept. 18, we started to distribute them to the counties. This is for the low- or no-cost (clinics)," she said. "This is just a minor percentage of what's needed for the entire state."

Private-practice physicians dispense the bulk of flu shots each year to patients who have health insurance, Arceo said, and those doctors obtain their own supply of the vaccine.

Each year, flu shot clinics are a big draw at the James Simpson Neighborhood Senior Center in Hemet, said Tracy Scott, who manages the senior center. The city has a sizable population of retired and elderly residents.

"It's a madhouse. We block off the streets," Scott said. "People are waiting at the door when we get here. They need to arrive early."

The city-run center offers patrons the option of walking in or receiving the shot in their cars, in the "drive-thru clinic," Scott said.

According to the CDC, the nasal-spray version of the flu vaccine is recommended only for healthy people ages 5 to 49 years old. That's because the spray is a "live attenuated influenza vaccine," meaning it contains a weakened form of the flu virus.

By contrast, the injectible version of the flu vaccine contains a killed version of the influenza virus, Cole said.

People who are allergic to eggs probably shouldn't get the vaccine, since each year's strain of the virus is grown in chicken eggs, health officials said.

It takes the vaccine about two weeks to activate, and in the interim, the recipient is susceptible to catching the flu, according to the CDC.

Reach Mary Bender at 951-893-2103 or mbender@PE.com


BS Ranch Perspective:

Now that the season is upon us, the question looms, is there enough Flue Vaccine for everyone that wants to get a shot? In years past there has been problems with the supply of the Influenza liquid gold that cures all, or supposedly does!

I am mostly posting this on my BLOG so that everyone gets the dates and can get the shots if they want them!!

Please get your Flue shots today, it cannot hurt anything, and if anything it just might save a life. Maybe yours!

BS Ranch