From Inthe News:

http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_5597354

Concession stands targeted
Stacia Glenn, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 04/05/2007 12:00:00 AM PDT


It's like taking candy from a baby. Almost.
Except it's taking candy - and coins - from a group of children who rely on it to buy uniforms or get a sugar rush after a ballgame.

Detectives with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department fear it's a developing trend - people breaking into concession stands late at night and raiding the contents.

"It's up and going every year in the summertime," said sheriff's Detective Kenneth Owens. "People need to know this problem is going to be on the rise since Little League has started."

One of the first cases was reported early Tuesday morning at Pico Park in Grand Terrace.

A male between 16 and 18 years old approached the snack bar's surveillance camera with an ax and "started wailing on it," Owens said.

The suspect made off with $100 in change, $75 in gift certificates and a cache of candy worth $30.

John Romero, president of Colton Pony Baseball, said people have tried to break into concession stands over the years but none have been successful.

"I think the people in the area respect that the leagues are there," he said. "But we do take precautions."

League officials installed bars on the windows, which are covered at night by a roll-down window. Locks are double-checked at night, and volunteers walk the perimeter of the fields.

Jim Gerstenslager, Little League's western regional director, said he encourages local leagues to take extra precautions when it comes to keeping concession stands safe.

He said it's been his experience that the thieves are often children wanting to get their hands on chocolate and bubble gum.

"Virtually every break-in in the snack bar was kids going after candy," Gerstenslager said. "It really wasn't a monetary thing because leagues don't leave money in their snack bars. Plus, it's not a very lucrative way to get money."

But Owens said problems can arise because candy, equipment and change may be left in concession stands at night so everything is available for games the next day.

"They need to secure it the best they can," he said.





http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_5597433

In Brief
Staff Reports
Article Launched: 04/05/2007 12:00:00 AM PDT


COLTON
Textbooks on display at school district
Textbooks that the Colton Joint Unified School District is considering adopting for K-6 science classes are on display in the Student Services Center through April 25.

The books will be available for public viewing from 8 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. weekdays in the board room at 851 S. Mount Vernon Ave.


GRAND TERRACE
City Council considers medical marijuana ban

The City Council has passed the first reading of an ordinance prohibiting the establishment of medical marijuana dispensaries.

The city has no regulations addressing medical marijuana clinics.
Although the state has approved laws allowing the facilities, they are prohibited under federal law.

Grand Terrace is one of several California cities to pass ordinances barring the clinics.
Cities that allow dispensaries have had an increase in burglaries, robberies and sales of illegal drugs in areas immediately surrounding the clinics, according to the Grand Terrace resolution.
The council is expected to consider the second reading of the ordinance at its April 10 meeting.


RIALTO
More Metrolink station parking spaces sought

Finding a parking spot at the Metrolink station may become more difficult if it's not expanded.
There are 165 parking spaces now, but the city predicts that by 2020, up to 1,000 parking spaces will be needed.

During last week's trip to Washington, city leaders asked for $700,000 to expand the lot.
There's also a study on the downtown area that will look at how to use the station to pump new energy into downtown. But no plans have been finalized.


Berdoo Bear will be tourism pitchman
08:48 AM PDT on Wednesday, April 4, 2007

By CHRIS RICHARD
The Press-Enterprise
http://www.pe.com/localnews/sanbernardino/stories/PE_News_Local_B_bcenter04.c87e9a.html

Video: Building a new Welcome Center in San Bernardino

Survey: How will the California Welcome Center benefit San Bernardino?

The new California Welcome Center that opens in San Bernardino next month will feature an animatronic bear that will offer pitches for area tourist attractions, recorded in the voice of a local child.

Berdoo Bear is the work of Garner Holt Productions, a San Bernardino company that makes animatronic figures for amusement parks, said Steve Henthorn, president and chief executive officer of the San Bernardino Convention & Visitors Bureau.

In September, the bureau won state approval to set up the tourism gateway to the Inland Empire.

The California Welcome Center in San Bernardino will feature an animatronic figure called Berdoo Bear. The animated bear will give tourism tips to visitors. Auditions for the voice of the bear will be held April 12.

Remodeling started Monday in the office building at 1955 Hunts Lane that will house the Welcome Center and new offices for the bureau.

The Welcome Center will open May 17, said Andrea Winter, a bureau spokeswoman.

On April 12, the bureau will hold open auditions for local children ages 7 through 10 to record Berdoo Bear's scripts. One will advertise attractions in San Bernardino, and the other will offer an overview of attractions throughout the Inland Empire, Winter said.

The 4-foot-tall robot will be equipped with motion sensors and will deliver its pitch when people walk by, Winter said.

State surveys show the average Welcome Center can expect about 100,000 visitors annually, she said.

Investment partners for the San Bernardino center include the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, Cal State San Bernardino, the San Bernardino Community College District, the San Bernardino city government and its Economic Development Agency, the cities of Redlands and Grand Terrace, the county Economic Development Agency, Glen Helen Raceway, the National Orange Show Events Center and the Big Bear Lake Resort Association.

The center, to be open seven days a week, will include multimedia displays, Internet access and kiosks with promotional material for local attractions, Henthorn said.

He said 13-foot-tall signs on Interstate 10 will direct drivers to the center. They are to exit onto Waterman Avenue, where other signs will show the route to the center along surface streets. Henthorn said he would have liked a location immediately adjacent the freeway but couldn't find suitable space at an affordable price.

The state has 11 Welcome Centers, including one each in Barstow and Yucca Valley. San Bernardino joins Pismo Beach and Oxnard as homes to the newest centers.

Reach Chris Richard at 909-806-3076 or crichard@PE.com