By Janet Curiel & Alexander Douglas |Staff Writer and Community Editor| Micro Breweries have been popping up in the United States in the last few years. These breweries have created a new wave of people from the community that have switched from macro to microbrew companies and thereby are eliminating the need to rely on getting beers from macro breweries. One such brewery is Hangar 24 located in Redlands, which just celebrated its nine year anniversary this past May. The brewery offers a variety of drinks and hosts events throughout the year. “We have our fans and the public come out and help us pit all the apricots that are going to go into the beer; we give them pizza, … [Read more...] about Bringing beer to the community
Life on the abandoned road
By Alexander Douglas |Community Editor| “They took my life away when they took my keys,” said Donald, a Seccombe Park resident. This is what Donald told me when I started interviewing him in the park. While growing up he said he “always felt like a bastard. If my mom didn’t want me, why the f**k would the world would want me?” He said that he lived in foster care growing up and that he never met his father until he was in his mid-20s. When finally met his father he simply shook his hand, said nothing and just walked away. Donald has not seen his children for a while and that they are living out in Oklahoma. He had been a truck driver for 22 years and was originally from … [Read more...] about Life on the abandoned road
Changes in Sports: Salary Increases
By Alexander Douglas |Community Editor| Sport stars are making more money now than they ever have before in the history of sports. When Major League Baseball (MLB) first started, the highest paid athlete was Ross Barnes who earned a salary of $2,000 per year. Today, the minimum MLB salary is $535,000 per year, while the average salary is $4 million. However, the highest paid player as of 2017 is Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kershaw signed a seven year contract in 2014 that gave him $33,000,000 in 2017. William Hefellinger, considered to be the country's first professional football player according to Pro Football Hall of Fame, was only paid $500 for one … [Read more...] about Changes in Sports: Salary Increases
Papa Charles: “I just go hungry”
By Alexander Douglas, Gladys Oliva and Saeed Villanueva |Community Editor, Features Editor and Staff Writer| Papa Charles, as he refers to himself, is a homeless person we met at Seccombe Park and wrote about in February of this year. He was full of life and talked about his problems including his family and his living situation. "Everybody sees the homeless as a negative part of life," Charles said months ago. "I'm not negative, period." Papa Charles was lively and energetic as he spoke with our team at the time, and was even glad to converse with us to tell his story. He spoke about his family including his wife and niece who was the only person who lived near San … [Read more...] about Papa Charles: “I just go hungry”
Racism still an issue in sports
By Alexander Douglas |Community & News Editor| Racism within sports has always been an issue and although progress has been made, it is still prevalent in today's society. During the early years of sports in America, players were predominantly considered "white." This was also during a time of segregation so that there were bathrooms and other such instances where they were separated from "whites." In 1947, before the Civil Rights Movement occurred, Jackie Robinson broke the Major League Baseball color barrier by playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Some of his teammates didn't approve of the Dodgers decision and preferred to sit on the bench than play in the same game as … [Read more...] about Racism still an issue in sports
Have advancements in sports gear helped players?
By Alexander Douglas |Community Editor| Since the beginning of sports, equipment has played a big role in playing the sport but not always in keeping players safe. When baseball first started, the batters did not use helmets, which had caused a lot of injuries. Football players used leather helmets and shoulder gear with limited padding. In today's world, we have seen a change in the gear to help prevent the players from getting injured or at least lessening the damage caused by an injury. "We have top of the line protection," said baseball player, Jordan Simon. "From a hitter's perspective, our helmets are very good. We've had five guys get hit in the head this year and they … [Read more...] about Have advancements in sports gear helped players?
Law would have blocked public information about child abuse
By Alexander Douglas |Staff Writer| The California Department of Child Services attempted to pass the “trailer bill,” a bill that would prevent the public from looking at the case files of children who were killed by their parents’ boyfriends or girlfriends, according to the Los Angeles Times. This bill would also negate the effects of a law passed in 2008 that allowed reporters to access social workers’ case notes among other files that allowed them to show social services’ inadequacies and negligence, according to the Los Angeles Times. The bill was turned down unanimously by committee members who also gave the bill a negative review. Reporter of the Bakersfield Californian, … [Read more...] about Law would have blocked public information about child abuse
Polluted groundwater threatens water resources
By Alexander Douglas |Staff Writer| The cost of this in terms of water resources is extreme. The region’s water pollution will become permanent in five to eight years and would have to be shut down, according to the study. Among water problems the California State Water Resources Board found high levels of toxic chemicals, including arsenic, thallium and nitrates in water supply wells near the wastewater disposal sites. “Arsenic and thallium are extremely dangerous chemicals. The fact that high concentrations are showing up in multiple water wells close to wastewater injection sites raises major concerns about the health and safety of nearby residents,” said Timothy Krantz, a … [Read more...] about Polluted groundwater threatens water resources
Briefs
By Alexander Douglas |Staff Writer| Glowing Camels Camel owners have put glowing bands onto their camels to prevent car crashes at night, according to NBC News. There are more than 6,000 camels roaming Southern Israel. The amount of accidents involving camels have proved to be deadly, these new glowing bands will help motorists spot the camels. The glowing bands are an innovative, cheap and easy to use to save lives. Eye eater A teenager had to stay awake for a week, administering eye drops to prevent a parasite from burrowing into her eye. Jessica Greaney had to have eye drops every ten minutes and only got a few minutes of sleep resulting in decreased immune … [Read more...] about Briefs
Social Security to run out of money
By Alexander Douglas |Staff Writer| Social Security trust funds for retirement and disability programs will be depleted by 2033. When these trust funds are depleted, the annual revenue from payroll tax is projected to cover only 75 percent of benefits until 2088, according to the Social Security and Medicare Trustees’ 2014 report. The youngest baby boomers will have reached age 67 by 2031, which is nearly double the number in 2008, according to CNBC. Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, Carolyn Colvin, stressed the importance of the situation and stated, “I don’t want to be dramatic, but I’ve worked with this population my whole career. I think we would give them a … [Read more...] about Social Security to run out of money