Banning News

“There are challenges to be met and I think it'll be fun. As it is put to me, my goal is to help the water district get the proper information out there because there is a lot of improper information out there.”

Timothy Smith will assume duties of Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District's public information officer on April 14. via Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

“Get with the program, mister, or you're in for it”

NOT everything in this woebegone world is getting worse. While many, many changes may properly be viewed with a gimlet eye, some aspects of our culture are actually changing for the better. via Whittier Daily News

Police asked for the public's help Wednesday in locating a man suspected of killing another man in Banning on New Year's Eve. via KESQ-TV Palm Desert

“When you're doing a trenching job, you're required to have one person on the crew who is trained in that kind of work”

The electrical company hired to install lines in a trench that collapsed Tuesday killing a construction worker in Banning is the same firm that was fined for an accident that killed a worker and an elderly ... via San Bernardino County Sun

“We're investigating right now and until we know exactly what happened, we don't know if changes need to be made or what was the cause.”

New developments in the trench collapse that killed one man in Banning on Tuesday. via KMIR 6

About 170 youths arrived in Palm Springs yesterday for the 34th annual California Fire Exploring Academy. via Desert Sun

“If these sources were replaced by ... electric, (natural gas) and other forms of transportation, we would meet EPA requirements much sooner”

The newly approved restrictions on wood-burning fireplaces got people fired up. Why doesn't the South Coast Air Quality Management District go after the big polluters, readers asked: diesel trucks and railroad ... via Press-Enterprise

“When our units arrived ... there was still dirt falling into the hole ... the dirt just continued to collapse”

An autopsy was being done Wednesday on a Hesperia man who was buried in about 10 feet of dirt when a trench collapsed on him in Banning. via KESQ-TV Palm Desert

A worker was killed Tuesday when a trench collapsed on top of him, authorities said.

The accident on West Ramsey Street was reported at 10:44 a.m., according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

A paramedic was lowered on a rope to check for vital signs, Capt. Lori Hutchinson said.

"They were able to utilize some of the paramedic equipment and put a monitor on him," Hutchinson said. "When our units arrived ... there was still dirt falling into the hole... the dirt just continued to collapse." Read more

Two people accused of financially exploiting a 79-year- old Riverside widower by draining his credit card accounts of $80,000 to purchase a car, ring and furniture pleaded not guilty today to grand theft and ... via Desert Sun

One of 14 defendants charged with murder in connection with a February 2006 double homicide in Banning has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, just as both sides prepare to go to trial in the largest murder case ... via Press-Enterprise

The acting superintendent of the Banning Unified School District resigned Monday, effective immediately. via Press-Enterprise

“It makes me sad to see kids starting at such a young age.”

Teenage smoking is a serious problem, and a group of local teens decided to do something about it - much to the consternation of city merchants. via Inside Bay Area

“I have issues with any time we want to invade, or go into, someone's property, their private lives”

"There should be a law." That call has rung out more often than usual in Modesto City Hall since September 2006, when the City Council adopted an ordinance clarifying its ban on medical marijuana dispensaries. via Modesto Bee

About 100 pastors are gathering in Santee today to discuss a proposed amendment to the state constitution. via KFMB-TV San Diego

City officials are preparing to go out to bid, for a second time, on a new Banning police station. via Press-Enterprise

“That number may go down as well”

Trustees of the Banning Unified School District voted Monday night to send layoff notices to 25 certificated employees, rather than the 48 that was agreed upon last Thursday. via The Press-Enterprise

“We usually work on pieces that are much smaller. We didn't know how to tackle this in the beginning.”

Laura Grewer uses her chainsaw as a tool for art. The 45-year-old woman from Winchester is a member of the Ramona-Country Carvers, a group of about 60 carvers who gather at Valley-Wide Regional Park in San ... via The Press-Enterprise

“She was certainly someone who was never afraid to explore the unbeaten path”

When she was in her 80s, Mattie Mae Clebeck sold everything she owned in San Bernardino and drove alone to Shalimar, Fla. via San Bernardino County Sun

A 39-year-old Banning man was killed when he crashed a car into a boulder on Highway 243 on Tuesday. via San Bernardino County Sun