Pecom Fontana California News Podcasts on Web Detectives

Fontana City Council to surrender its chambers for modernizing work -

Sun September 07 2008

In an era of budgetary belt-tightening and stay-at-home vacations, this might seem an odd time to spend money on redecorating. Not at Fontana ... read more

In an era of budgetary belt-tightening and stay-at-home vacations, this might seem an odd time to spend money on redecorating. Not at Fontana City Hall, where the City Council chambers soon will close for a $1.1 million overhaul to upgrade the cameras and sound systems that broadcast City Council meetings. The six-month spruce-up will include new seats for the audience, wheelchair-accessibility measures, digital televisions and an electronic voting system. "I think it's long overdue. We're always having issues with the sound system," said Chuck Hays, the city's public works director. "It's a project that's been out there for a few years on the books, but the equipment started to get so bad that we had to do something," Hays said. "At the last council meeting, the TV feed -- the cable feed -- went out. There were people listening on the Internet." Starting Nov. 11, all public meetings normally held in the council chambers will be held at Steelworkers' Auditorium at the new county library, 8437 Sierra Ave. Hays said the city expects to award a construction contract in October, and the renovation should be finished by the end of May. The original portion of Fontana City Hall, at 8353 Sierra Ave., was built in the early 1960s. The addition that includes the council chambers opened in 1983. Hays said the chamber's audio equipment dates to the mid-1970s. Technicians remotely operate the sound and cameras from a booth at the rear of the council chambers. The hall's three cameras, which the city bought 12 years ago, will be replaced with five new ones with better picture quality, Hays said. Council members and the audience will have a clearer view of reports and presentations being reviewed during meetings once crews install two 71-inch, high-resolution, flat-panel plasma televisions on the left and right sides of the dais, and two 50-inch flat-panel plasma TVs elsewhere in the chamber, Hays said. "The TVs we have now are the old tube-type and old projection-type," Hays said. "We're not going really high-tech, but we're going with what's out there now on the market without going overboard." Council members will get 17-inch screens at their seats on the dais. "If you go to other cities, they have the monitors up there for the council members so they can see the PowerPoint presentations," Hays said. As for the 165 orange-tinged, theater-style seats in the audience, Hays said the city staff looked into the costs of reupholstering the chairs to cover up the 1970s color scheme. "It was cheaper for us to go with new seats," Hays said. "It's going to be patterned earth tones." Some seats will be removed from the front row to create wheelchair access, but more seats will be added to the rear of the hall, Hays said. Also, seating will be installed for city staff members addressing the council. A touch-screen system will be added for council members to record their "yes" or "no" votes, replacing the red and green lights on the wall now used for that purpose. Reach Mary Bender at 909-806-3056 or mbender@PE.com read less

Police arrest 2 teens in shooting of Fontana man outside his home -

Thu September 04 2008

FONTANA - Two self-proclaimed gang members who police said tracked down and shot a father who earlier had confronted them were arrested early Thurs... read more

Fontana father shot in confrontation with men suspected of being gang members -

Wed September 03 2008

FONTANA - Gang members angry that a 41-year-old father had confronted them with a baseball bat tracked him to his Fontana home Tuesday night and op... read more

FONTANA - Gang members angry that a 41-year-old father had confronted them with a baseball bat tracked him to his Fontana home Tuesday night and opened fire, wounding him in the back and neck as he ran for cover, police said. The victim, whose name was withheld by police out of concern for his safety, was in serious but stable condition in a hospital Wednesday, Fontana police said in a written statement. He was shot shortly after 9:30 p.m. in front of his home in the 11600 block of Oakwood Drive in Fontana's Southridge development. Earlier that evening, the man had sent his teenage sons to a nearby store, but they returned home saying two young male gang members had challenged them on their block, said Fontana police Sgt. Jeff Decker. The gang members then walked around the corner to Driftwood Drive and tagged a block wall. Residents were reporting the vandalism to police just as the father got into his car with one of his sons, both armed with baseball bats, to search for the suspects, Decker said. They encountered the taggers on nearby Banana Avenue, Decker said. The taggers ran away when they saw the bats. The victim and his 18-year-old son then returned home, but were tracked down a short time later by the men they had confronted, he said. "This time they have a gun, so now they're brave," Decker said. One of the suspects fired seven rounds at the father and son, striking the father in the neck and back as he fled toward his house, Decker said. The son was uninjured. The suspects fled in a dark-colored Nissan Altima with chrome 20-inch rims. One suspect was at least 18 years old, 5 feet 7 inches tall and 250 pounds with a bald head. The other, also about 18, was 5 feet 6 inches tall and 150 pounds with spiked black hair, police said. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Fontana police at 909-350-7700. Reach Paul LaRocco at 909-806-3064 or plarocco@PE.com read less

San Bernardino County OKs funds for railroad bridge retrofit over Highway 210 -

Wed September 03 2008

More than a year after Highway 210 was completed, San Bernardino County transportation officials are going back to tie up some loose ends. San B... read more

More than a year after Highway 210 was completed, San Bernardino County transportation officials are going back to tie up some loose ends. San Bernardino Associated Governments, the county transportation planning agency, approved a $1.1 million contract Wednesday to seismically retrofit a 40-year-old Union Pacific Railroad bridge over the new freeway in Muscoy. The bridgework was supposed to be completed as part of the last segment of the freeway between Rialto and San Bernardino that opened last summer. But Union Pacific rejected SANBAG's initial plans, resulting in a delay, said Gary Cohoe, the agency's director of freeway construction. To avoid delaying the opening of the freeway, SANBAG split the retrofit work off into a separate project. Construction could begin in a few months and will take another couple months to complete, Cohoe said. Some lane closures probably will be required, he said. Some SANBAG board members criticized Union Pacific for delaying the project, which led to a cost increase of $350,000. "It would have cost less if the railroad had not delayed their response to us," Fontana Mayor Mark Nuaimi said. Board members also questioned why the railroad company isn't contributing any funds to the project. Union Pacific spokeswoman Zoe Richmond said the railroad could not approve a design until it was satisfied that rail traffic would not be hindered by construction. The railroad company is not contributing to the retrofit costs because the work was a Caltrans requirement prompted by the freeway expansion, not a project it planned to do on its own, Richmond said. SANBAG agreed to do the work as part of its agreement with the state agency, Cohoe said. Another major incomplete part of the Highway 210 project remains a year away from construction. Work is scheduled to begin next summer on flyover ramps connecting the highway to Interstate 215. of that work is not expected until 2013. Reach Imran Ghori at 909-806-3061 or ighori@PE.com read less

Redlands MS patient plans 100-mile ride from Irvine to San Diego -

Tue September 02 2008

Darren Martin's inability to move without the assistance of a cane doesn't stop him from pursuing his goal -- mobilizing people into helping cure Mu... read more

Darren Martin's inability to move without the assistance of a cane doesn't stop him from pursuing his goal -- mobilizing people into helping cure Multiple Sclerosis. Although the Redlands resident struggles to walk, he can sit down without any problem, which makes riding a bicycle one of the few things he can still do, said Martin, who was diagnosed with MS in 1999. Martin, 36, plans to ride his bike 100 miles from Irvine to San Diego as part of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's 2008 Land Rover Miramar MS Bay-to-Bay Bike Tour on Oct. 11-12. "I am passionate about finding a cure," he said. "I am raising donations not only for education and programs, but ultimately to find a cure to this condition." MS is a chronic, and often disabling, disease that attacks the central nervous system that comprises the spinal cord, optic nerves and brain. "It's basically like your own immune system is attacking your body," Martin said in a telephone interview. Last year, he raised $1,410, and the event raised $2.8 million. All the money went toward research and helping people who have this disease, Martin said. Martin's goal is to raise $2,000 this year. So far, he has raised $1,210. He said people can also join the bike ride and can choose from different route options -- 30-mile, 100-mile or 150-mile routes. Riders pay a $60 registration fee and are challenged to raise $400 for the society. Folks can also join his riding squad, Team Copaxone. For companies that want to donate, Martin plans to be a "mobile billboard" for any business that's willing to give for this cause, he said. Martin said he knew something was wrong with his body when his short-term memory began to fail. His wife would send him to the store for milk and when he would get there, he would forget why he went to the store, he said. As the disease progressed, Martin said he was depressed, miserable and unable to work. He was confined to his home. "The riding began when I was just sitting around the house doing nothing and I knew I needed some kind of exercise," he said. He started riding his bike to a gym where he would work out. "Everyday I ride from my home in Redlands to the Powerhouse Gym in Yucaipa ... it's about 20 miles per day," he said. Since he started cycling in 2005, Martin has participated in several benefit bike rides for the society's Pacific South Coast Chapter. He was voted the Most Inspirational Rider in the society's Irvine to San Diego benefit ride last year. "I am trying to do all I can to raise awareness and funds," he said. Martin said he's in the process of getting a wheelchair. "Cycling has changed my outlook," he said. "I have this disease, but it's not going to hold me back." For more information, call 909-363-5450, send an e-mail to innoretaildesign@yahoo.com or visit www.biketofinishms.com/darrenmartin. Reach Juan Saucedo at 909-806-3070 or jsaucedo@PE.com read less