dug begley

Riverside County supervisors never got a chance to vote down a plan to give pay raises to elected department heads — County Executive Officer Jay Orr pulled it from the agenda. The measure, which had been on the Tuesday, June 5, agenda, stood little chance of passing anyway; most supervisors said now isn’t the time Continue reading

New commuter bus service is scheduled to start in September between Riverside and Palm Desert under a partnership of bus systems in Riverside County. SunLine Transit Agency and Riverside Transit Agency will cooperate on the service, which replaces some Route 210 commuter buses that RTA runs between Banning and downtown Riverside. via TRANSIT: New bus Continue reading

Only one of four teams of engineering and construction firms will win the lucrative job of widening Highway 91 through Corona; but the losers stand to make some money, too. In a first for Riverside County transportation contracts, firms not chosen for the job could receive a stipend of $650,000 for submitting a qualifying bid. Continue reading

Moving day for residents of a dilapidated mobile home park in Thermal will be delayed indefinitely while the state and Riverside County sort out a redevelopment money dispute, leaving more than 1,000 people stranded in a community that lawmakers and lawyers have spent eight years trying to close. Without the $12 million to purchase new Continue reading

Sluggish gasoline production at West Coast refineries has Californians paying higher prices for gas while the rest of the nation has seen prices decline. But experts say people who have been gritting their teeth while filling the gas tank may get some relief by mid-June or earlier as refineries ramp up — provided wholesale prices Continue reading

Southern California’s commuter rail system, with stout new cars on the tracks and other improvements pending, is safer today than it was in 2008 when 26 people died in a head-on train collision. It also is more expensive. Metrolink officials say they’re considering fare increases as high as 9 percent to cover the growing operating Continue reading

Inland-born jihadist Adam Gadahn – raised on a Winchester goat farm – has resurfaced in letters released this week that were tied to the attack against al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Gadahn, 33, has been in Afghanistan and Pakistan for more than a decade, officials believe, acting as a propagandist for the terrorist group. He Continue reading

Under a cloudy sky, the crowd fell silent as officials mourned the deaths, committed their efforts to putting safety first through training and vigilance, and urged drivers to simply slow down. “A foot, an inch, a distraction or a drink can make the difference,” said Steve Pusey, deputy district director for maintenance in Riverside County Continue reading

Express trains that trim the travel time to downtown Los Angeles from San Bernardino are attracting many rail riders, leading Inland officials to ask for more of the limited-stop lines.But as officials urge Metrolink to expand express offerings, they are facing higher costs to operate the region’s commuter rail system, and preparing for some worries Continue reading

At the corner of Magnolia Street and Terracina Drive, just off the Riverside Community College campus, empty spots on the front bicycle racks of Riverside Transit Agency buses are becoming a hot commodity. On a recent day, students snagged the two holders on a southwest-bound bus, leaving another to wait for the next bus to Continue reading