Around Yucaipa: Weekly News Roundup: July 14 Edition

Here is your roundup:

City News

Congressman Jerry Lewis got a bit of money for Yucaipa included in the Fiscal Year 2008 spending bill for transportation, housing and economic development that was approved by the House Appropriations Committee. According to the Banning/Beaumont Record Gazette:

Also approved in the bill was a $200,000 Economic Development Initiative grant for development of a joint park and recreation facilities with Yucaipa and Crafton Hills College. The city's population has grown to more than 51,000, and this grant would help pay for the first substantial recreation facilities in the area.

The bill will be up for approval by the House next week.

The Yucaipa City Council clarified the city's Hillside Preservation Ordinance on two points:

drainage channels are "exempt from acreage total used to calculate the amount of open space required of a development project."
open space cannot be put to commercial or personal use. A public trail or pond for wildlife would probably be permitted, but the idea is to keep it as natural as possible.

Other bits:

Construction of Civic Center Park is on schedule (map). The final cost is estimated to be about $700,000.
The fire gutted USA Cleaners and adjacent businesses in Stater Bros Center - even those with just smoke damage (Hallmark, Yucaipa Family Dentistry) - will be closed for at least two months.
Bye bye birdies! Now you can keep no more than nine birds if you live in a singal residential zone in Yucaipa.
Pumpkins have been planted for the last time at the Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Patch and Christmas tree farm. After Christmas the land will be cleared for a Target shopping center.
Groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the new Turf and Track project on Thunderbird Field.

Two 16-year-olds took their aunt's car for a joyride at 80-100 miles per hour on Carter road. According to the News Mirror:

The driver lost control of the vehicle when it hit a dip in the road at Fremont Street. Heading toward a man in the street who had just exited his truck, the driver overcorrected and veered north, lost a wheel, which flew through a window, landed on a chair and slammed into a closet.

The car destroyed a tree, crossed into the next yard, clipped the corner of the house and landed inside the bedroom.

Luckily neither the driver, the passenger , nor anyone inside the house were seriously injured.

On Wednesday, July 11, 53-year old Carson Edmond Lowe triggered a crash at the Live Oak Canyon/Oak Glen I-10 offramp. Lowe fled the scene, but two of the drivers involved in the crash followed Lowe to his home just south of the Yucaipa border (12000 block of Kendall Way). Lowe threatened them with a handgun, and they called police. Lowe threatened the officers with the gun, resulting in a standoff with the house surrounded by snipers and a helicopter overhead. Lowe was eventually taken into custody.

San Bernardino County Sun: Suspect keeps police at bay Man accused of hit and run (with video)
Los Angeles Times: Redlands man's arrest ends 8-hour standoff
Press-Enterprise: Barricaded man in Redlands gives up after 8 hours
Redlands Daily Facts: Redlands man surrenders after 8-hour standoff

Yucaipans in the News

In 1991 there was a contentious recall attempt of three members of the Yucaipa School Board.

Opponents called [school board member Jan Mishodek] foul names, her house was broken into and a truckload of manure was dumped on the steps of her husband's real estate office in Yucaipa.
At the same time, her supporters led a counter protest and the California Superintendent of Public Instruction Bill Honig came from Sacramento to stand behind her.
In the end, the recall was defeated and Mishodek stayed on the board.

Sadly, but not surprisingly, it was an ultra-right "Christian" group who felt the books in the literature series called "Impressions " were "promoting devil worship and anti-patriotic ideas." (IMHO parents who fight for ignorance in the schools should not be allowed to have a say in their or any children's education.). Mishodek passed away last week at the age of 79.

Make-a-Wish foundation made 7-year-old Cheyenne Broswell's wish come true: she and her family were given an all-expense paid trip to Orlando to visit Disney World. Cheyenne was diagnosed with a deadly brainstem glioma in December. Local real estate agent LaVonne Webb is helping by donating her commission on the sale of a custom home to Cheyenne's family. If you want to help Cheyenne and her family with expenses "an account has been set up in Cheyenne's name at Wells Fargo Bank. For more information, call Elite Realty Group at (909) 794-6908, or visit www.caringbridge.org."

The San Bernardino County Sun reports on the San Bernardino County Museum's day camp program "Growing Up Serrano." (next offered July 30 through August 3),

"Camp staff has learned the methods for making traditional California Indian tools and games from the Serrano people as well as from other Southern California Indian people. We try to keep close to traditional methods while using materials available to us. It's an engaging way to learn about how the Indian people lived in our area in years past," says.
"The Serranos were people who interacted with nature. In fact, both classes deal with subject matter kids are innately interested in - nature."
Kids should enjoy the Serranos camp because they are the local people who made their home here in Yucaipa, says.

Other programs include "Art in Nature" (August 6-10). Details are available on the program flyer (pdf).

The Sun also profiles the Yucaipa Valley Gem and Mineral Society.

The society's goal is to promote and educate the public about the earth science, paleontology and laboratory arts.
"It's finding the treasure of the world," said Mike Reason, society member. "It's studying rocks and determining the history of the area that's appealing."

The society meets the second Thursday of the month at the Mousley Musem in Yucaipa. See their web site for more information about meetings, talks and field trips.

The Sun also reports that the Yucaipa Valley Historical Society has two books in the works to follow up "Images of America, Yucaipa, CA"

The second book will focus on Yucaipa's history from the 1940s up to the time of Yucaipa's incorporation.
The The third, Teeters said, would be a book made up of news articles that highlight major events and important issues that shaped the city.
The Society is also working toward republishing "Gold Mining in the Crafton Hills." The new edition will indicate the history of the apiary and dairy industry from the 1950s to date.

Finally, the Sun profiles artist Trudy Wood, who does pencil drawings for LifeHouse Theater.

"He talked to me about drawing a poster from photographs taken of the cast, and supplying me with a logo for the title. That started my first commissioned poster for LifeHouse," Wood said. "Wayne would give me an idea for the background but usually would give me complete creative freedom to put it all together. From there, the print shop would scan my poster and put it on the LifeHouse programs. And when Wayne does the same play with a new cast, they use my original poster for that play. I haven't redone any posters yet." Since then, Wood has produced nearly 36 posters of pencil drawings, one for each LifeHouse show.