Just bought Midnight Juggernauts' "Dystopia" at f.y.e. (see my posts in Empoprise-MU).
About an hour after the earthquake hit, the magnitude was downgraded to a 4.5.
Despite the relatively low Richter rating, the earthquake got coverage in many places, including the Inquisitr ("The quake was centered about a mile south of San Bernardino, and was felt across Los Angeles, San Pedro and Orange County").
Obviously it got local coverage also from places such as Franklin Avenue, Life in Claremont (who pointed out that there was a much more damaging 6.1 earthquake in Costa Rica), and Claremont Insider.
But the best thing I read last night was a tweet from @yuglook:
Wonder if any of my students felt the earthquake. Might be interesting to an earthquake problem since we just learne d about logarithms.
That's a teacher...always educating.
Thanks to Caroline (@thevixy) for this link.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Quakes/ci10370141.php
It occurred at 7:49:46 pm local time, 1 mile south of San Bernardino (34.113 N, 117.294 W). I was sitting on a couch at home in Ontario and felt a quick jolt.
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I know a young person who live in Rancho Cucamonga. This young person is literally afraid of certain neighboring towns, such as Fontana and my home town of Ontario. Even when in the new developments in north Fontana, or in the Armsley Square area of Ontario, I think this young person fears that there is danger lurking around every corner.
Well, it turns out that the young person's home town isn't the safest place either.
The changes to the picturesque suburb near Caryn Elementary School came slowly.
At first, residents kept to themselves and limited outdoor activities. Then they started installing security cameras and alarm systems. During the darkest hours, they received death threats. One resident suffered three broken ribs.
Neighbors in this small community consisting of Eagle Peak Place, Mt. Ritter and Mt. Palomar streets say the erratic behavior of one household has turned their lives topsy-turvy.
An independent lawyer, acting as the hearing officer of a nuisance abatement hearing, agreed and said these neighbors have, for years, been living "under siege."...
Neighbors Sergio and Teri Martinez said [Carlos] Herrera would race his car toward them before stopping inches away.
Another neighbor, Robert Santa Cruz, said Herrera shattered the windows and slashed the tires of his car....
At times, police would arrest Herrera for his actions and several neighbors put restraining orders against him.
But then again, perhaps the young person is right.
Carlos Herrera and Jennifer Mason are the subjects of the city's first nuisance abatement proceeding, which took place in October.
The city of Rancho Cucamonga has been in existence for 30 years or so, and this is the first nuisance abatement proceeding? I don't have stats, but I'm sure that Ontario and Fontana have had more than one of those in the last 30 years.
More at the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
Way back on June 26, 2008, I wrote a locally-focused blog post that was a follow-up to a Sharon Cobb post about horse racing deaths.
To achieve the local focus to make it suitable for my Empoprise-IE blog, I concentrated on Richard (Dick) Mandella.
The post generated no comments until December 27, 2008, when (possibly as a result of Google searches on "Dick Mandella") it got two comments (from unverified users Julio and Jesus) in the course of twenty-five minutes. Comments from unverified users James, Bob, and Paul followed in the next few days. I have no way of knowing whether these are one person or five, but they all dealt with similar topics - the nature of trainers in general, and Mandella in particular. Here's Paul on Mandella:
He can be mean, condescending and arrogant. look at video -thoroughbred racing stables, treat Becky Wysmans poorly on HRTV interview. two faced.
And here's what Bob said:
Mexican backside workers and their deplorable living conditions have been investigated by state govts. much to the chagrin of race track operators (claiming its not their responsibility since the mexicans work for independent trainers), and trainers who pay them very little to maximaze their own profits through purses won and day rates. Millions are spent on each horse, yet the very people who love and care for them are paid little, live in cinderblock tack rooms, and disgusting bathrooms with used toilet paper strewn everywhere. A far cry from luxurious Turf Club them the rich owners see and the public see on the network/cable TV show propaganda. Trainers including the one featured above need to fully apprise the public/owners of their employees, their pay/stakes, their living conditions etc....many are smooth talkers who say one thing and do something else.
I thought I'd see if there were other Mandella criticisms in the blogosphere, and here's what I found. From a Louisville interview of "MJ":
Nick Zito is a guy, like Dick Mandella, I've always had a lot of (regard) for because they've been good to me whenever we'd spoke.
And from a betting blog:
One of the trainers who took [Richie] Migliore in and gave him choice mounts was Hofmanns, who put him on a fast, talented young colt named Desert Code. The colt and Mig hit it off right from the start.
“I’m so happy for Mr. Hofmanns, to see him get rewarded for all the hard work,” Carmela [Migliore] said. “He’s one of the honest guys and he, along with Bill Spawr, believed in Richie and put him on all his horses. Dick Mandella also helped Richie get started. So, if we had to trade [the horse] Artie Schiller [whom Richie couldn't ride earlier because of an accident] for Desert Code I’d gladly take it, and maybe that’s why Richie had to back out of my driveway that day. Maybe there was a plan with the racing gods after all.”
Of course, these people are fron the frontside, not the backside. But there are people who care about the backside workers, as this article attests:
Backside workers’ lives can be rugged and dusty. Their work can be hard and sometimes dangerous.
They are hardy souls, but they are not immune to illness and other health ailments.
That’s why the new Kentucky Racing Health Services Center has been a godsend for racetrack workers since it opened last spring. The center, located near Churchill Downs, is a joint initiative between the University of Louisville and the Kentucky Racing Health and Welfare Fund Inc. (KRHWF), a nonprofit foundation created by uncashed parimutuel tickets from thoroughbred racetracks in Kentucky.
The pilot program, created by a $65,520 gift from the foundation, has become a vital source of free medical services for eligible racetrack workers and their families.
U of L junior and senior nursing and nurse practitioner students and second-year medical students staff the center through a university grant.
Not top-rated medical care, since it's students and not graduates, but for some it's the first medical care they've received in their lives.
Unfortunately, the title of the article was "Partnership helps backside workers stay healthy as a horse."
As they say, they shoot horses, don't they?
Happy New Year to all Empoprise-IE readers!
As you know, the "IE" in Empoprise-IE stands for the Inland Empire (of California), an area roughly 35-70 miles east of Los Angeles that has assumed its own identity.
However, there's a chance that I may need to change the purpose of this blog. Yesterday, while blogging under my alter ego of Ontario Emperor, I began speculating about unrealistic goals for 2009 and decided that my unrealistic goal for 2009 was to secure an appointment as a U.S. Senator from the state of Illinois. After reviewing the Constitutional and political issues related to Barack Obama's former Senate seat, I shared something from the Ontario Emperor FriendFeed:
Perhaps I should set unrealistic goals for myself for 2009....I want to become a U.S. Senator from Illinois in 2009. (Even though I haven't lived there since 1970, I'm not rich, and I'm a registered Republican.)
As I started my campaign, I immediately realized some of the political compromises that I would have to make to appeal to my new constituency. For example, when I encoutered a site that claimed that Des Plaines, Illinois was the location of the first McDonalds, I faced a problem:
Now I happen to know that this is untrue, since the original McDonald's was actually established in San Bernardino, California, just east of where I live - I mean used to live. But when I become Illinois Senator, I'll obviously have to support the claim of Des Plaines.
Ah, politics.
But the ramifications of this campaign may even affect this very blog. What happens if I - I mean when I - get named to the U.S. Senate post? Isn't it going to be silly for me to maintain a blog about a place thousands of miles away from my wonderful home state of Illinois?
Then I hit upon a solution. I spent several years of my childhood living in Evanston, Illinois, so I'll just simply keep the same name for this blog, but tell everyone that "IE" stands for "in Evanston" and be done with it.
Ah, political expediency. I haven't done it yet, but don't be surprised if I do.
But the center looks nice.
When I started creating vertical, special interest blogs, I didn't know what to expect. In some respects I still don't, but I wanted to thank those of you who have chosen to read these blogs.
Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Grievance-Less Festivus, or whatever. I hope to share more Inland Empire, NTN Buzztime, and music stuff with you in the future.
That's $1.199/gallon.
Got it at Vons in Upland, including 50 cents off the regular $1.699 price via a special promotion.
If you're signed up, redeem your savings by 12/31 (when discounts expire).
Montclair Plaza (JC Penney on the left, Barnes & Noble on the right).
And they have a ton of Christmas wrapping paper also.
The Inland Empire blogosphere is chirping away with comments on Joe Romero.
M-M-M-My Pomona wrote on Tuesday December 9 about an emergency Pomona City Council meeting that morning.
Since it takes 4 votes for such an action, and since newly elected councilperson Danielle Soto has not been sworn in yet, it appears that the votes to fire came from Mayor Rothman (who I'm sure is still smarting after being charged, and cleared, of DUI) and the three council persons who have objected to police checkpoints and other issues. As of this point I don't know if councilperson Paula Lantz was even part of that meeting as I earlier noted that she wasn't sworn in until this afternoon.
This prompted an anonymous comment that evening:
Your story is partially correct. Unfortunately the Chief was fired, but the City Manager did the deed, not an emergency meeting of the City Council. No doubt direction was given to the City Mgr. from the City Council. Thinking back..there was a closed session meeting of the City Council last week dealing with the termination of one employee.
By Wednesday, Monica Rodriguez was writing about it...sort of:
Romero said he received the news Tuesday morning when he met with City Manager Linda Lowry during one of their regularly scheduled one-on- one meetings.
Romero, who was an at-will employee, said he was not given a reason for his termination, although "the city manager did mention she wants to see the department go in a different direction."
The city administration declined to comment on Romero's employment status.
"At this time, it's an ongoing personnel matter, and we don't comment on personnel matters," said Mark Gluba, assistant to the city manager.
Mayor Elliott Rothman could not be reached for comment.
Council members Cristina Carrizosa and Steve Atchley said they would not comment on the matter because it was a personnel issue.
David Allen blogged about his intent to write a special column Thursday:
And here I thought Ontario was becoming more vicious and political than Pomona. Well, like I always say, never count Pomona out.
And Allen ended up writing that column. In the absence of anyone talking, he tried to connect the dots.
What reason could the four council members present - Rothman, Steve Atchley, Cristina Carrizosa and Freddie Rodriguez - have for dumping Romero?
Two come to mind: Rothman's DUI arrest and police checkpoints.
Rothman was pulled over Oct. 7 after leaving a bar. Unfortunately for police, while he failed a field sobriety test, he wasn't legally drunk.
Adding to the drama, the arrest came five days after Romero had objected publicly to his unauthorized appearance in a Rothman campaign mailer.
"The truth is that I endorse no one - particularly that I don't endorse Elliott Rothman," Romero memorably declared. At least I'm sure Rothman didn't forget it.
Was the DUI arrest payback for the slight against the chief? Probably, although Romero denied it.
In any event, the cops didn't get their man. And it's no stretch to assume that Romero is losing his job because of it....
[T]he DUI checkpoints...have been a bone of contention for Carrizosa. Some of her constituents driving without a license have had their cars seized.
Those checkpoints take place in pretty much every Inland Valley city without much complaint, and I don't think Carrizosa's crusade plays well outside her district. But grasping the bigger picture has never been Pomona politicians' strong suit.
Developing...
What is Housing Kaboom going to do when the economy recovers?
Here's the latest:
First American Core Logic has placed the IE in the top spot for the highest risk market.
Following Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario were Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, and Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall.
A few days ago, people were noting that the Tribune Company had hired bankruptcy advisors and that they might file for bankruptcy this week. Then they went ahead and filed on Monday.
If the Tribune Company can have difficulties, and if the New York Times can have difficulties, what about our local papers?
As it turns out, three of our local papers - the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, the San Bernardino Sun, and the Redlands Daily Facts - are all owned by one company, the Los Angeles Newspaper Group.
With nine daily newspapers serving over 1.5 million readers a day and the LA.COM Network reaching more than 2.7 million unique visitors a month, the Los Angeles Newspaper Group (LANG) continues to outdistance competitors as one of the most powerful and effective advertising buys in America today....
Print Readership:
1.5 million daily
1.6 million Sunday
1+ million exclusive daily
1+ million exclusive Sunday
Online viewership:
2.7 million monthly unique visitors
Paid Circulation:
Over 500,000 daily
Over 550,000 Sunday
But this isn't just an El-Lay operation:
LANG is powered by MediaNews Group, one of the largest newspaper companies in the United States situated throughout California, the Rocky Mountain region and the Northwest. MediaNews Group is privately owned and operate nearly 60 daily newspapers in 12 states with combined daily and Sunday circulation of approximately 2.6 million and 2.9 million, respectively....MediaNews Group also owns a television station, a CBS affiliate in Anchorage, AK and a radio station in Texas.
MediaNews Group used to file financial reports with the SEC, but quit doing so on April 4, 2008 as announced in a Form 8-K:
On April 4, 2008, MediaNews Group, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into amendments of its (i) Indenture dated as of November 25, 2003, between the Company and The Bank of New York, as trustee, regarding the Company’s 6-7/8% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014, and (ii) Indenture dated as of January 26, 2004 between the Company and The Bank of New York, as trustee, regarding the Company’s 6-3/8% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014.
The amendments ended MediaNews’ obligation to file reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “1934 Act”) on a voluntary basis. Such obligation has been replaced with an obligation to deliver to Note holders quarterly and annual financials.
Accordingly, the Company will no longer be filing reports under the 1934 Act on a voluntary basis.
So we don't know how they're doing financially, but we know what they're doing to cut costs:
It started with an advert on Craigslist India: "We seek a newspaper journalist based in India to report on the city government and political scene of Pasadena, California, USA." It ended with Pasadena Now, a local news website, firing seven staffers, including five reporters, and outsourcing research, writing and reporting to six people in India.
But for more on that, see the Foothill Cities Blog.
Here's how MediaNews Group has responded:
Dean Singleton, head of MediaNews Group, which owns 54 daily newspapers across the US, said recently that his company was considering outsourcing everything - including one offshore newsdesk for all the papers.
Luckily much of David Allen's reporting depends upon physical presence in the area - although there are ways to get around that:
They even report local council meetings via video streams (although they once missed two city council members walking out in protest because the camera didn't face that way).
I couldn't find any information on MediaNews Group's current debt, or dangers that they might get in a credit squeeze. Basically, it's none of our business - until the company asks for a bailout.
I have neglected one local paper, the Riverside Press-Enterprise, which is not part of the MediaNews Group conglomerate. The recorded owner of the paper is the Press-Enterprise Company. While I couldn't find any corporate information on the site, I did find some information at BusinessWeek:
Press-Enterprise Company provides news and information for Inland Southern California through newspaper and magazine publishing, printing, Internet, and telephone information services. The company offers Press-Enterprise daily newspaper; six community weekly newspapers in Western Riverside County; The Business Press, which is a weekly Inland Empire business and financial newspaper; PE.net, which is an Internet Service Provider; PE.com, which is a primary online news, sports, information, and entertainment source; NewsLink, which is a 24-hour voice information system; and La Prensa, which is a weekly Spanish-language publication providing information on the Inland Empire’s Hispanic community. Press-Enterprise Company was founded in 1878 and is based in Riverside, California. Press-Enterprise Company operates as a subsidiary of A. H. Belo Corporation.
The A. H. Belo Corporation (not to be confused with the television station owner with a similar name owns four papers (the other three are in Dallas, Denton, and Providence) and is publicly traded on the NYSE. It announced its third quarter results on October 31:
A. H. Belo Corporation (NYSE: AHC) reported third quarter revenues of $153.8 million and a net loss of $17.3 million or $0.84 per share for the third quarter. The results include charges totaling $11.1 million related to a voluntary severance program and $4.5 million related to the impairment of a printing press....
Robert W. Decherd, chairman, president and Chief Executive Officer, said, "These are challenging times for A. H. Belo, the industry and the country. In light of a weak ad environment and ad trends that may not stabilize in the short term, we remain steadfast in delivering highly-valued audiences and marketing solutions to advertisers while maximizing our existing infrastructure and reducing expenses Company-wide."
AHC continues its transformation in streamlining operations and targeting sustainable incremental revenue streams.
One of the streamlining items:
The Press-Enterprise re-evaluated its circulation footprint and eliminated its distribution to Palm Springs, which will improve EBITDA performance by approximately $600,000 for 2009.
And when your numbers are declining, you look for any window of hope you can find:
For the third consecutive quarter, the year-over-year percent decline in The Press-Enterprise's advertising revenues, including print and Internet, improved. The percent decline in The Press-Enterprise's advertising revenues improved 300 basis points from the second quarter to the third quarter.
I don't know enough about the newspaper business to know whether either group is healthy - especially since MediaNews Group isn't talking - but we'll have to see what happens in the coming years - or months - with respect to our local Inland Empire newspapers.
On Monday afternoon I wrote about Caltrans and SR142 in my personal blog, so it's fitting that I provide this note, courtesy Carbon Canyon Chronicle.
[W]hen it comes to the San Bernardino County side of Carbon Canyon Road (State Highway 142), the folks at District 8 tend to be pretty responsive.
Just a couple of days ago, I stopped to photograph three sites along the Chino Hills portion of the highway in which cars had veered off the road and crashed into two state-owned signs and an old private barbed wire fence.
Today, however, the signs were repaired and back into operation. Let's give credit where it is due--District 8 came through fast on this one!
I don't make it out to the eastern shopping extravaganzas as much as I'd like to, but perhaps it's just as well, since Victoria Gardens apparently has a theft problem, and Ontario Mills - well, we'll just let Matt Munson tell the story:
Tower Records is gone, the record store around the corner is gone and now Virgin Megastore is another casualty of recorded media sales. I remember going to the Virgin Megastore at the Ontario Mills to buy the latest releases in music and video ever since the mall was opened in 1996.
I valued Virgin also, especially after Tower Records closed its Brea store not too long ago (that's where I got my Solomon Poss CD, by the way).
The Daily Bulletin published additional details:
THE VIRGIN Megastore at Ontario Mills is closing in January, with a storewide clearance sale of CDs, DVDs and other items starting [on the] Friday [after Thanksgiving].
I often use State Route 142 (through Carbon Canyon) to get from Orange County to the Inland Empire in the evenings. However, I haven't been able to do so for a few weeks because of the southern California fires.
I haven't had to make this commute since last Tuesday due to the Thanksgiving holiday and other issues, but today it's Monday and I have to get home. I was therefore pleased to read this:
Fire Related State Highway Closures
ROAD CLOSURES AS OF MONDAY DECEMBER 1, 2008 AT 15:00 HRS
THERE ARE NO FIRE CLOSURES TO REPORT AT THIS TIME
I don't know exactly when State Route 142 was opened, but it's open now.
And if you want more information about Carbon Canyon (including fire information), check the Carbon Canyon Chronicle blog.
