dug begley

The decision to close Highway 330 didn’t take Henry Aldama long. The Caltrans maintenance crew supervisor for Running Springs had been clearing debris off the mountain road for more than six hours on Dec. 22. By 4:30 a.m., his crew had been up and down the road, from Highland to the top of the mountain,… Continue reading

Solo drivers, welcome to the fast lane in Moreno Valley. Federal officials have given the go-ahead to a Caltrans plan to allow anyone to use car-pool lanes along Highway 60 during non-rush-hour periods, in an effort to help traffic flow faster. It’s not a done deal yet, with one more federal clearance to come, said… Continue reading

Brian Astorga, 33, has been driving since he was a teenager, but he can’t wait to get his driver’s license from the DMV. “I know they’re having trouble getting them out, but why are the people penalized for it?” Astorga asked. “It makes no sense. Why do we have to wait so long?” A backlog… Continue reading

A flawed overpass along Interstate 215 at Chicago Avenue could be fixed by Jan. 17, Caltrans officials said, restoring two eastbound lanes and a vital connector ramp from Highway 91. But commuters will soon see work and lane closures shift to the westbound side of the freeway, where the same potential for crumbling concrete remains,… Continue reading

Awakened in the dark by a rushing sound and the pounding of raindrops on her tent, Rebecca Truver left her tent and feared for her life, her belongings and her two pets. “They knew something was happening,” Truver, 45, said of her dog and cat. “Then, all of a sudden, the water came through up… Continue reading

Electric car buyers, carmakers and air quality officials are energized about the flurry of vehicles hitting the market in the coming months, but some worry that gaps in public charging and what the cars will do to local utilities could make for slow going. Behind all the buzz about the Chevy Volt and the long… Continue reading

Fliers might not agree on new body imaging scanners and thorough pat-downs from airport security, but they agree on at least one thing: It’s personal. More than 1.6 million people will head to airports from Wednesday to Sunday, many having to make a choice they didn’t face the last time they flew: Let a stranger… Continue reading

The Republican wave that swept America on election night crashed in California but was enough to lift GOP candidates in Inland Southern California. Nationally voters sent many GOP candidates to Congress and state capitals, but California bucked the trend by electing a slate of Democrats, such as Sen. Barbara Boxer and Jerry Brown. That leaves… Continue reading

When the Kelso Flyer left the train station in Barstow and passed wild canyons, towering sand dunes and rocky mountain ranges on its journey into the heart of the East Mojave, it carried people packed with expectations. The train picked up speed leaving the station, and riders pressed their faces to the glass. Some were… Continue reading

Caltrans officials can see the writing on the wall. Efforts to improve aesthetics and tie freeways to the cities they travel through has led Caltrans and local officials to brand walls with everything from Riverside’s signature Raincross to silhouettes of mountains. The practice of prettying up walls started more than a decade ago statewide, but… Continue reading