By Dianne Anderson Given the choice, most people wouldn’t want to chase after bad money, but it happens. Michelle Skiljan has heard about the worst that can happen when predatory lenders lure small business into high-interest loans. The merchant loan advance industry promises fast money for small businesses that have problems securing traditional loans, trapping ...

Getting around town will be a little cheaper for area youth this summer, thanks to a discounted fare on Omnitrans buses.  Riders 18 and under will pay just $1 per trip June 1 through July 31. Youth have a choice of paying cash on board or paying by phone using the new Omnitrans mobile app. ...

By Dianne Anderson Derek Williams is unapologetically chief. It’s not the worst job in the world, but even as his heart was set on joining the police force after he served in the military, his inner family circle heavily advised against it. Getting into police work is not without its challenges, but probably none so ...

By Dianne Anderson That old parental fallback, “you didn’t come with a manual,” is no longer an excuse, if it ever was. April is Child Abuse Prevention month, and several parent events are planned to make the community aware of how to be better parents, and get resources for their kids. Viviana Esparza said their ...

By Dianne Anderson Scant philanthropic dollars that trickled down to minority-led nonprofits statewide before the 2008 economic downturn seems to look better in hindsight. If foundation dollars were tight back then in San Bernardino County, it’s worse now. “Statistics in foundation funding specifically for the Inland Empire is three percent now in the region, not ...

By Dianne Anderson Millions of Californians will go for extra digits in their bank accounts over the next few weeks while millions more won’t even try. From now until the tax deadline filing time, Californians with children can tap up to $6,318 extra Federal Earned Income Tax Credit dollars and up to $2,775 in the ...

By Dianne Anderson Booking for the upcoming Transformational Leadership Conference is filling up faster than Shinay Bowman expected, but she’s not complaining. Her phone has been ringing nonstop, and it’s grabbed the attention of top academic administrators across southern California. “It surpassed our expectations because we only opened the conference at the end of January,” ...

Representative Norma J. Torres met with superintendents from the Fontana Unified School District, Chaffey Joint Union High School District, Ontario-Montclair School District, Pomona Unified School District, and the Chino Valley Unified School District to discuss strategies to prevent gun violence in schools. In light of the tragic high school shooting in Parkland, Florida last week, Torres ...

Bank commits to community development and services for low-income families Michigan-based Flagstar Bank is acquiring Desert Community Bank in California, establishing its footprint in San Bernardino County. As part of this acquisition, Flagstar worked closely with the California Reinvestment Coalition, the Greenlining Institute, and local members to negotiate Community Agreements that meet the gold standard ...

By Dianne Anderson Standing strong together has never been as tough as it is right now for one local family coming to grips this holiday season with the loss of their little King Messiah Horn. Recently, the four-year-old King died in his sleep from unexplained causes. His uncle, Oliver Petty, said that no one knows ...