A 44-year-old Needles woman was arrested yesterday for the stabbing death of her husband and the wounding a juvenile believed to be their son.
On Thursday, December 5, 2024, at 4:57 a.m., deputies from the Needles Sheriff’s Station responded to a residence on Walnut Street following the report of a stabbing. When deputies arrived, they located two victims. A 16-year-old male who had been stabbed was transported to the hospital where he remains.
Bryan Jackson, 48, was also located inside the home with multiple stab wounds. Lifesaving measures were attempted. Jackson, however, was pronounced deceased at the scene by emergency medical personnel.
The homicide detail of the sheriff’s department’s specialized investigations division was thereafter dispatched to the scene, and assumed the investigation. Detectives identified Jackson’s wife, Carolyn Jackson, as a suspect. Carolyn Jackson was located nearby and taken into custody. She was booked in at the High Desert Detention Center on PC 187 – murder and PC 664/187 – attempted murder charges. She remains in custody without bail.
An autopsy will be conducted on Jackson to determine the cause of death.

In one of its most honored traditions, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians on December 3 celebrated Giving Tuesday, announcing on that date it is providing eight grants in an amount totaling $1 million to support recovery, conservation, and wildfire prevention efforts in the communities threatened by recent wildfires. The grants, aimed at helping restore and protect vital ecosystems, provide critical resources to local organizations and agencies working on the front lines of recovery, environmental protection, and community safety.
“Giving Tuesday is a day that calls upon us to reflect on the power of collective generosity,” said Lynn Valbuena, Chairwoman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. “We are honored to support our 2024 grant recipients in their efforts to rehabilitate lands affected by the recent wildfires and invest in the long-term health of our communities and ecosystems. The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is deeply committed to preservation and stewardship of the cultural and natural resources of the region.”
These grants are particularly significant as they come at a time when many of these regions are still recovering from devastating wildfires that have threatened homes, wildlife, and natural resources. In addition to providing financial support, the Tribe hopes to strengthen the resilience of these communities and protect the areas that are vital to both the environment and the people who live there. Continue reading →

Without batting an eye, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors this week approved the reappointment of Michael Stoffel, who for last 22 months has served as Supervisor Jesse Armendarez’s deputy chief of staff to another four-year term on the county planning commission.
That appointment came less than a month following Stoffel’s third-place finish in the race for two positions on the East Valley Water District’s board of directors.
In addition to his two county positions, Stoffel is a Realtor® at Century 21, a company with which he is categorized as being a “top producer.”
While some county officials acknowledge that Stoffel may have involved himself in a triple conflict, those being between his function as a planning commissioner and his involvement in the real estate industry and his employment as a senior echelon county official and a member of the county planning commission, the county made no official notation of any possible clash that has previously or might come about in the future as a consequence of his holding the posts of Realtor®, deputy chief of staff and commissioner.
Stoffel was initially brought into Armendarez’s office shortly after the supervisor’s November 2022 election. On January 24, 2023, the board of supervisors ratified his hiring under a contract to serve as Armendarez’s “Principal assistant to the chief of staff,” in which capacity he was to “oversee a major functional area within the supervisor’s district, coordinate the work of office staff, and advise the supervisor on legislative, policy, and regional district issues” and “act as chief of staff in his or her absence.” Continue reading →

FBN 20240010102
The following entity is doing business primarily in San Bernardino County as
UBOX AIR EXPRESS USA, INC [and] 5A LOGISTICS USA, INC. 14618 CENTRAL AVE CHINO, CA 91710: 5A GROUP OF COMPANIES 14618 CENTRAL AVE CHINO, CA 91710
Business Mailing Address: 14618 CENTRAL AVE CHINO, CA 91710
The business is conducted by: A CORPORATION registered with the State of California .
The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: January 1, 2024
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 179130). I am also aware that all information on this statement becomes Public Record upon filing.
/s/ MARIA LOURDES A. TIMBOL, Secretary
Statement filed with the County Clerk of San Bernardino on: 11/01/2024
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 J9965
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 September November 15, 22, 29 & December 6, 2024.

FBN 2024009689
The following person is doing business as: THE NORTH FREEZE DRY CO.. 2664 PACIFIC ST HIGHLAND, CA 92346;[ MAILING ADDRESS 2644 PACIFIC ST HIGHLAND, CA 92346];
COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
ANA M GONZALEZ MONTALVO
The business is conducted by: AN INDIVIDUAL.
The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: N/A
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 179130. I am also aware that all information on this statement becomes Public Record upon filing.
s/ ANA M GONZALEZ MONTALVO, OWNER
Statement filed with the County Clerk of San Bernardino on: OCTOBER 21, 2024
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
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 10/25/2024, 11/01/2024, 11/08/2024, 11/15/2024 CNBB43202401MT

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: BRIAN CASEY KIEFFABER
CASE NO. PROVA2400972
To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both of BRIAN CASEY KIEFFABER: a petition for probate has been filed by DAVID RAY KIEFFABER in the Superior Court of California, County of SAN BERNARDINO.
THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that DAVID RAY KIEFFABER be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.
THE PETITION requests full authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.
A hearing on the petition will be held January 21, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. at
San Bernardino County Superior Court Fontana District
Department F2 – Fontana
17780 Arrow Boulevard
Fontana, CA 92335
IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.
IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under Section 9052 of the California Probate Code.
Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.
YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.
Attorney for David Ray Kieffaber:
R. SAM PRICE
SBN 208603
PRICE LAW FIRM, APC
454 Cajon Street
REDLANDS, CA 92373
Phone (909) 328 7000
Fax (909) 475 9500
sam@pricelawfirm.com
Published in the San Bernardino County Sentinel on November 22, 29 & December 6, 2024.

Continue reading →

By Richard Hernandez
State and local officials from around California are gearing up to offer what they say will prove to be effective resistance to the incoming Trump Administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
For years, California has been at the forefront of the laissez-faire attitude toward illegal immigration into the country, even going beyond simply doing nothing to prevent the massive influx of undocumented foreigners across the international border into the country by declaring the entire state to be a sanctuary for foreigners who refuse to abide by U.S. immigration law.
In his ultimately successful campaign to return to residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C., Donald Trump vowed to be even more effective in shuttering the borders than he was in his first term as president from 2017 to 2021. He is now engaged in preparations to make good on that promise.
This time around, President Trump says he intends to be even more diligent in conducting immigration law enforcement efforts by locating and deporting those residing in the United States illegally. He named Tom Homan, former police officer, political commentator and the acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from January 2017 until June 2018, to serve as his “border czar.” Together, Trump and Homan have vowed to carry out what Trump said would be “the largest deportation operation” in the country’s history. Not only does he intend to seal the border in a way that will ensure that no illegal aliens will make their way across the border, he intends to sen 11 million of those now in the country who are in the country illegally or are otherwise undocumented back to where they came from. Trump and Homan have made statements that this effort will emphasize reinstating a ban on those emigrating from what they have characterized as certain hostile majority-Muslim countries and redoubling efforts to seal the border with Mexico in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California as part of the second Trump administration’s immigration policy. Trump said mass deportations will begin on “Day 1″ of his new administration. That policy is to feature “zero tolerance,” which will, if necessary, entail enforcement at border crossings with adjacent internment camps to separate parents from their children if they cross over onto U.S. territory at the border. Continue reading →

In a secretive session from which the public was excluded conducted on the day before Thankgiving, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors apparently worked out the final details and then ratified the sale of 1,253 acres of “surplus” flood control property to an entity owned by a developer who has emerged in the last several years as one of the the most generous donors to the board members’ political war chests.
The outcome of the negotiating session and the vote it entailed was announced in a room located on the Fifth Floor of the county administration building behind double barrier consisting of a gate and a locked door beyond which members of the public are denied access. Immediately after the meeting concluded, county officers were closed, rendering information relating to whether the sale has been effectuated un available until December 2.
It is believed, but has not been confirmed, that the agreed-upon price for the acreage is $93 million, or $74,221.87 per acre.
The tentative deal, which was partially prevailed in documents that were contained as within the agenda packet for the regularly scheduled November 19 meeting of the board of supervisors on involves 1,252.21 which lie within what is now referred to as the Etiwanda Heights Neighborhood and Conservation Plan Area, contained within the current Rancho Cucamonga City Limits. The property, set amidst what under normal conditions is a dry alluvial creek, during fall, winter and spring rainstorms transforms into a raging river, was used historically by the San Bernardino County Flood Control District to manage stormwater runoff from the San Gabriel Mountains flowing south into both the Day Creek and Deer Creek streams. Over the past four decades, according to Noel Castillo, San Bernardino County’s chief flood control engineer and Terry Thompson, the director of San Bernardino County’s real estate services department, improvements made by the San Bernardino County Flood Control District, including the Day Creek and Deer Creek Debris Dam, spreading grounds, and channels, have rendered the property unnecessary for flood management and surplus to San Bernardino County Flood Control District needs. Continue reading →

By Mark Gutglueck
Big Bear Lake City Manager Erik Sund has weathered what previously appeared to be potentially crippling challenges to his authority, as the entirety of the city council, as it is currently composed, has voted to extend his tenure with the city at an enhanced salary.
More than a dozen members of the Big Bear community, including some of its more vocal, active and civically involved residents/officials, have pressed in recent weeks and months questions about Sund’s demeanor and attitude, including his ability to maintain his equanimity while under challenge or in the face of demands of and inquiries about his policy and approach.
In August 2022, Sund was brought to Big Bear to serve as city manager in the aftermath of Frank Rush’s departure as the mountain community’s top administrator some five months previously. It is not altogether clear, and no one is willing to say definitively, what the circumstances of Sund’s hiring were. In one version of events, he had already been terminated from or had departed the employment of San Clemente, where he had been city manager since 2021. In another account, he was yet working for San Clemente when he was offered the Big Bear Lake job, and he elected to leave San Clemente in the lurch.
Whatever the reality, Sund was willing to make the transition to the 5,231-population San Bernardino County city despite the consideration that doing so might be considered a professional step backward from managing the 64,293-population Orange County city of San Clemente. Big Bear Lake is the second-smallest municipal entity population-wise in the county, not too far ahead of Needles with its 4,959 occupants. Continue reading →