A San Bernardino County man was among five of the ringleaders in a plot to use explosive-carrying drones to disrupt the UFC cage-fighting event President Donald Trump staged at the White House on Sunday, June 14 and have snipers pick off members of the panicked crowd as they fled from the scene.
Those involved evinced antigovernment sentiments, which in part appeared to be religiously based, and indicated their overriding belief in specific conspiracy theories, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
No action was taken on June 14 to put the plot into play, as logistics issues plagued some of the would-be actors and the government’s reaction prevented certain specific steps that were being planned from being taken. Federal agents recovered firearms from several of the suspects who had communicated with one another both in the open and using encrypted messaging. Those seizures were made as agents served arrest warrants.
The agents were able to obtain further encrypted text messages as a result of the surprise raids. Those messages implicate roughly 20 individuals who were passing between themselves maps, outlines and aerial photographs of the area, as well as referencing the need to secure a “safe house” and map out routes of escape after the attack, documents shared with the media by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles show.
On June 16, the Justice Department announced charges against five men – Tycen C. Proper, Bryan Omar Roa, Michael Alan Thomas, Daniel K. Eskridge and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez – for an alleged plot to carry out an attack to kill government officials and others attending the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Freedom 250 event held on the grounds at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. Continue reading →

Renee Longshore’s reformist efforts with regard to the Apple Valley Unified School District have proven too aggressive for three of her four board colleagues, pushing them to censure here at last week’s board meeting.
Longshore was first elected to the board in November 2024. What began as a relatively cordial relationship with the four other board members – Board President Amanda Buchanan, Maria Okpara, Anita Tucker and Rick Roelle – grew slightly strained over the course of 2025 and then broke into open hostility with Buchanan, Okpara and Rolle earlier this year when the Victorville-based Victor Valley Daily Press, the most widely circulated newspaper in Apple Valley, published an op-ed piece Longshore authored in which she expressed her belief that the district was misprioritizing its spending and she referenced a discrepancy or discrepancies in the district’s financial documentation.
Longshore decried the district increasing salaries for and expenditures on the district’s supervisory personnel by 90 percent over the previous six years while teachers and student support staff salaries had grown by 39 percent. She said that both increases were out of keeping with the 57 percent increase in revenue the district had experienced over the same six years.
Longshore stated that budget juggling that relied on reports of unverified deficit spending and unaccounted for one-time or limited-time infusion of funds provided to the district during the COVID crisis, there $15,459,155.91, that had been entrusted to the district that had been “lost.” Continue reading →

All five of Chino Hills city council members are facing a taxing dilemma.
Chino Hills qualifies, by the metrics that are said to count most, as San Bernardino County’s most affluent city. By the yardstick that really matters, Chino Hills also qualifies as the most Republican of San Bernardino County’s 24 municipalities. San Bernardino  is among five remaining GOP bastions in the State of California.
Republicans are distinguished from Democrats in many ways.
Republicans are right-leaning  conservatives and proud of it. Democrats consider themselves to be left of their Republican counterparts, and celebrate themselves as liberals and progressives.
Republicans are the party of rugged self-independence. Democrats are the party of identity politics.
Republicans value meritocracy in deriving qualifications. Democrats call for emphasizing diversity, equality and inclusion in determining an individual’s qualifications.
Republicans emphasize the United States is a republic. Democrats’ first characterization of the country is that it is a democracy.
Republicans are the party of corporations. Democrats are the party of labor.
The Republicans promote entrepreneurship. Democrats are unionists.
Republicans perceive taxation as being stifling and a limitation on freedom and growth. Democrats view taxation as a tool that will even the economic playing field and enable government to broaden the provision of public services and engage in social programs to better the community.
Despite the consideration that of Chino Hills’ 48,624 registered voters, 16,792 or 34.5 percent of them are registered as Democrats, five more than the 16,784 or 34.5 percent who are registered Republicans, elections there are dominated by Republicans. That is the product of multiple factors. Perhaps the most powerful one is that in excess of 90 percent of those Republicans participate in the electoral process on a consistent basis, whereas voter turnout among Democrats rarely reaches beyond 60 percent. Continue reading →

Despite stepped-up vigilance and the concerted efforts of a wide range of law enforcement agencies working with railroad officials to heighten security and reduce pilferage, thefts from trains along San Bernardino County’s rail corridor by both sophisticated criminal organizations and opportunistic bandits continue virtually unabated.
On June 16, a team of robbers removed an estimated $100,000 worth of audio equipment from a train car near Newberry Springs and were in the process of loading it into an enclosed truck when they were interrupted by a sheriff’s deputy. The stolen merchandise was recovered and the truck that was being used in the theft damaged and seized, though the criminals involved in the train car break-in, at least temporarily, eluded capture.
According to the sheriff’s department, “This incident highlights the ongoing issue of cargo thefts impacting businesses and consumers alike.”
Authorities say there has been a persistent pattern of highly organized thefts involving international criminals targeting railroad cargo cars in San Bernardino County and elsewhere in San Bernardino County going back for more than a year.
According to the Association of American Railroads, “In recent years, organized criminal groups have increasingly targeted the nation’s railroads using sophisticated tactics and technology to commit cargo theft.” Continue reading →

Almost six months after the Christmas 2025 storm that created havoc in many places throughout the High Desert but especially in Hesperia, the Hesperia Recreation and Park District has fully reopened Hesperia Lake Park along with its Val Shearer Arena and Equestrian Center.
The heavy winter deluge was severe.
At Hesperia’s subregional water recycling facility, located near the intersection of Maple Avenue and Muscatel Street, where Hesperia’s subregional water recycling facility is located, the basin there filled entirely and began overflowing. The wall around the facility failed, sending a violent sheet of water east on Muscatel and north on Maple.
A raging river formed on Sultana Street, making transit on the road virtually impossible and leaving some motorists at several spots stranded when they attempted to ford it and the water level reached above the car’s ignition and exhaust systems.
Similar language – raging rivers – was used to describe sections along both Street water mains.
Aspen Street and Pinon Avenue in the proximity of Olive Street.
The storm did significant damage to recreation and park district facilities, forcing closures to prevent injuries to those using amenities.
Repairs along with restoration work have been proceeding at various locations throughout the district’s various outdoor venues, with the final touches to the installations and assets at Hesperia Lake taking place within the last three weeks.
Since April, recreation and park officials have allowed fishing to take place at the lake, shortly after trout stocking resumed.
In addition to fall through spring trout stocking, the lack is stocked with Catfish May through November.

FBN20260004394
The following entity is doing business primarily in San Bernardino County as
ROYAL CREST ESTATES 7484 KICKAPOO TRAIL YUCCA VALLEY, CA 92284: ROYAL CREST MHP, LLC 10201 WHITETAIL DR. OAKDALE, CA 95361
Business Mailing Address: PO BOX 1548 OAKDALE, CA 95361
The business is conducted by: A LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY registered with the State of California.
The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: MARCH 2, 2012.
By signing, I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime (B&P Code 17913). I am also aware that all information on this statement becomes Public Record upon filing.
/s/ DUANE BRAZIL, Manager
Statement filed with the County Clerk of San Bernardino on: 05/12/2026
I hereby certify that this copy is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office San Bernardino County Clerk By:/Deputy K3379
Notice-This fictitious name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see Section 14400 et seq., Business and Professions Code).
Published in the San Bernardino County Sentinel on May 29 and June 5, 12 & 19, 2026.

FBN20260004210
The following entity is doing business primarily in San Bernardino County as
IE- INLAND EMPIRE 14647 GROUSE RD VICTORVILLE, CA 92394: ROBERT L PHIPPS
Business Mailing Address: 14647 GROUSE RD VICTORVILLE, CA 92394
The business is conducted by: AN INDIVIDUAL.
The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: MAY 6, 2026.
By signing, I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime (B&P Code 17913). I am also aware that all information on this statement becomes Public Record upon filing.
/s/ ROBERT L PHIPPS, Owner
Statement filed with the County Clerk of San Bernardino on: 05/06/2026
I hereby certify that this copy is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office San Bernardino County Clerk By:/Deputy K9232
Notice-This fictitious name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see Section 14400 et seq., Business and Professions Code).
Published in the San Bernardino County Sentinel on May 29 and June 5, 12 & 19, 2026.

FBN20260004298
The following entity is doing business primarily in San Bernardino County as
THE SOLID ROCK CHURCH 13032 RANCHERO RD OAK HILLS, CA 92344: ABUNDANT LIFE OF OAK HILLS 13032 RANCHERO RD OAK HILLS, CA 92344
Business Mailing Address: 13032 RANCHERO RD OAK HILLS, CA 92344
The business is conducted by: A CORPORATION registered with the State of California under the number 1876668.
The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: OCTOBER 14, 2016.
By signing, I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime (B&P Code 17913). I am also aware that all information on this statement becomes Public Record upon filing.
/s/ JONETTE McCLOUD, Secretary
Statement filed with the County Clerk of San Bernardino on: 05/08/2026
I hereby certify that this copy is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office San Bernardino County Clerk By:/Deputy J6838
Notice-This fictitious name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see Section 14400 et seq., Business and Professions Code).
Published in the San Bernardino County Sentinel on May 29 and June 5, 12 & 19, 2026.

Continue reading →

The Barstow City Council this week signed off on initiating and accelerating the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Barstow International Gateway undertaking.
The project is to entail an investment of more than $1.5 billion by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway to construct what is characterized as a “state-of-the-art master-planned rail facility” at one of the key railroad choke points in Southern California and what Burlington Northern Santa Fe calls “the first being developed by a Class 1 railroad.” The Barstow International Gateway will be developed as a “new integrated rail facility” on an approximately 4,500-acre site new integrated rail facility on the west side of Barstow. It is to be an intermodal facility that coordinates the distribution of cargo by both train and trucks, and will involve the construction of warehouses for transloading freight from international containers to domestic containers.
The facility will allow the direct transfer of containers from ships at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to trains for transport through the Alameda Corridor onto the Burlington Northern Santa Fe mainline up to Barstow.
Once the containers reach the Barstow International Gateway, they will be processed at the facility using cargo-handling equipment powered by clean energy, and then staged and built into trains moving east via Burlington Northern Santa Fe’s network across the nation. Westbound freight will similarly be processed at the facility to more efficiently bring trains to the ports and other California terminals.
As a population center, Barstow has always existed as a railroad town, such that from the late 1890s into the 1950s, it existed as the sixth largest of what was then the county’s eleven cities. Since that time, its relative size among what are now the county’s 24 cities has diminished, such that it stands at the 20th largest among all of the county’s municipalities in terms of population, larger only than Yucca Valley, Grand Terrace, Big Bear Lake and Needles. It is predicted that in order to supply the manpower for operations at the Barstow International Gateway upon its full build-out, the population in Barstow will more than double its current 24,694 population to transform it into what would likely be the county’s 15th or 16th largest city. Continue reading →

Chino Valley School Board President Sonja Shaw scrambled to the top of the heap among ten candidates for state superintendent of public instruction.
Her first place finish qualifies her for the run-off in November against the second place finisher, Richard Barrera, whom she bested by more than a quarter of a million votes.
Despite her impressive showing in the primary and her exploitation of the hot button issue of parental notification, she yet faces an uphill battle in November as a consequence of her party affiliation.
California Superintendent of Public Instruction is officially a nonpartisan office, and candidates are not identified by party on the ballot. Nevertheless, partisanship plays a huge role in California politics and her standing as a member of the GOP has made her a target of the state’s dominant Democrats.
Indeed, of the ten individuals in the superintendent’s race Shaw was the only Republican, or at least the only one proudly identifier herself as such and the only one endorsed by the California Republican Party. This contrasts with five of the candidates who emphasized their Democratic Party affiliation.
Indeed, it was the glut of Democrats in the race, which led to the split in the majority Democrat vote statewide that carried much of the day for Shaw, who predictably received well over 90 percent of the Republican vote.
Shaw distinguished herself as well as a consequence of the groundbreaking action of the school board she has headed since 2023, shortly after she was elected in the November 2022 election. Continue reading →

By Mark Gutglueck
San Bernardino County and at least some of its residents are at ground zero in the nuclear confrontation over what constitutes election fraud between Republican U.S. President Donald Trump and some of his legal functionaries, including those with prosecutorial authority, and Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
This week, Newsom suggested that he, Bonta and the California Highway Patrol will arrest Trump and have him thrown in jail on a charge of interfering in California’s electoral process if he has the audacity to show up in the Golden State.
Simultaneously, Trump’s appointee as U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles has let it be known that he is taking seriously the Commander-in-Chief’s assertion that California is a hotbed of ballot stuffing carried out with the intent of thwarting Republicans from being elected to office, and that he has investigators looking for the perpetrators, who are to be brought to the bar of justice. It is no secret that Republicans of high standing believe the kingpin of election rigging in California is none other than the highest ranking Democrat in the state – the governor himself.
Meanwhile, at least a handful and maybe as many as four or five dozen residents in San Bernardino County have taken stock of some tangible indications that government employees with the elections office as well as the elections office in neighboring Los Angeles County have been less than diligent in following rules and laws in place to ensure faith in the electoral process by preventing things like ballot box stuffing or single individuals voting multiple times or those not actually residing where they are registered to vote being registered elsewhere and thereby voting multiple times in multiple locations in a single election cycle. Continue reading →