The Sun (San Bernardino, CA)

Highland Banking On Sbia

HIGHLAND - Like its larger neighbor to the west this suburb of 50,000 people is counting on San Bernardino International Airport to fuel its future economic growth. Since incorporating in 1987, Highland has grown primarily as a bedroom community. But city development plans that were adopted earlier this year call for more businesses to be built near SBIA.

Grass-Roots Efforts Paying Off

It's a movement. All across Greater San Bernardino, caring people are daring to make a difference in the war on crime. While bold, headline-grabbing initiatives such as Mayor Pat Morris' "Operation Phoenix" forge ahead in the public spotlight, smaller but equally important grassroots efforts are making their presence felt.

Cdc Plan Applauded

Physicians and AIDS activists alike are lauding a proposal from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that would make HIV testing a more routine part of health care. The proposal would eliminate written consent and pre-test counseling as requirements for HIV testing.

I-15 Snags Just Ahead

Commuters who travel the Cajon Pass will lose lanes on southbound Interstate 15 starting Tuesday night, but the big, dreaded weekend closures have been pushed back to Oct. 13. Unfortunately for Caltrans officials who deal with the public, a pair of Los Angeles television stations reported the closures were to begin this weekend.

Controversy Coloring Election

COLTON - A few months ago, things were looking up here. City finances were strong. Crime was low. Confidence in government was coming back.

Festival in Full Swing

LAKE ARROWHEAD - Heidelberg native Ursula Wheeler says that the Lake Arrowhead Village Oktoberfest does more than remind her of her homeland. "This is Germany. Look at the food ... the music ... the beer ... the alpine atmosphere. I love it!" she says. "The only difference is that, in Germany, everyone is smoking. Here in Lake Arrowhead, you can actually breathe."

Mayor Race Puts End to Friendship

COLTON - They used to be good friends and political allies. One even helped launch the other's political career in Colton.

Helpmate Loved Museum, Storytelling

BARSTOW - Barbara Walker was never sure who her husband was going to bring home for dinner. It could be a Belgian couple he met in town, or a wrestler, archaeologist or other historian he had lined up as a speaker that night at the Mojave River Valley Museum. Whatever the case, she was always there to greet them with a cup of coffee or glass of wine and a room for the night.

Saving Joshua Jewels

It would be a catastrophe of biblical proportions. Joshua Tree National Park, it has been reported, is in danger of eventually losing its Joshua trees, due to the insidious effects of air pollution and global warming.

In Brief

COLTON Council expected to ax annexation plans

Pickup Fire Knots I-10 Traffic

BLOOMINGTON - A pickup truck pulling a trailer overturned Saturday, causing a small fire that snarled traffic on Interstate 10 for much of the morning. The driver, who was not identified, sustained minor injuries in the crash, said Officer Curtis Dane of the California Highway Patrol. The injured man had road rash-like wounds on his shoulder that were caused when the truck rolled to its left side.

Go-Kart Track Proposed in Fontana

FONTANA - They climb into the cars, get strapped in, put the pedal to the metal and race around the track. But Pam Foreman envisions ordinary residents, not NASCAR drivers, behind the wheel - driving go-karts instead of stock cars.

County Endorses Smaller Measure

San Bernardino County's conservative Board of Supervisors is bucking the state Republican Party's line by opposing a far- reaching property-rights ballot initiative. Instead, the board favors a much narrower measure that only prohibits the use of eminent domain to transfer property from one private party to another.

'Booster Teams' Rip Off Stores

RANCHO CUCAMONGA - The Victoria Gardens mall is barely 2 years old, but it is already acquainted with a longtime problem of high- end retailers. Sophisticated, organized shoplifting gangs, dubbed "booster teams" by police, have made the mall a regular stop on their itineraries, sometimes stealing upward of $20,000 in merchandise in a single swoop.

Just Seeing If You're Paying Attention

Question: A few Monday mornings ago, as I passed Ontario High School and approached an intersection, I realized that the green signal light was flashing. I looked again, thinking I was seeing things (as I think other drivers were doing, since all the traffic came to a halt). In the 20-plus years I have been driving, I have never seen flashing green lights. I crossed the intersection, then heard and saw an approaching police car with lights and sirens in full force. I looked in my rear- view m...

In Brief

FONTANA Company planting 'tree' in city park

Crime and Public Safety 10-1-06

REDLANDS No injuries reported in pool-house fire

Autumn Weather Arrives

Partly cloudy skies with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms will last through midweek, helping to usher in the autumn season. Winds will also kick up this week, especially in mountain areas.

Burglars Spur Watch Program

GRAND TERRACE - Crime doesn't appear to be a problem here. Residents aren't afraid to stroll the tree-lined streets after dark to walk their dogs or get some exercise.

Unkempt House Irritates Neighbors

SAN BERNARDINO - They think of themselves as mothers and grandmothers, retirees who have earned some well-deserved respect. They never saw themselves as activists, at least not until an Orange County-based absentee owner bought the drab-yellow house on their block and it fell into disrepair.