A sheriff’s deputy was shot and wounded in San Bernardino Tuesday morning, authorities said, KTLA.com reports.
The report said a patrol car had a large hole in the driver’s side window, but it was not immediately clear where the deputy was hit. The deputy was transported to the hospital, where he was reportedly in stable condition.
He was reportedly trying to serve an eviction notice at the time of the shooting, according to multiple reports.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Corporate Resource Services Wins Staffing Contract for County of San Bernardino
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Corporate Resource Services, Inc. (OTCBB: CRRS), a diversified staffing, recruiting, and consulting services firm providing managed services and trained employees in the areas of Insurance, Information Technology, Accounting, Legal, Engineering, Science, Healthcare, Life Sciences, Creative Services, Hospitality, Retail, General Business and Light Industrial work, today announced that it has been awarded the contract to staff positions for the County of San Bernardino, California effective immediately.
“The County of San Bernardino is another government contract that CRS has just signed and we will continue to expand our focus in the government sector,” said John Messina, CEO of Corporate Resource Services. “Susan Kennedy, our VP of Government Services and her team are capturing new contracts on a regular basis. This is a great way for CRS to expand its higher level service offerings and generate improved profit margins for the corporation.”
About Corporate Resource Services, Inc.:
Corporate Resource Services, Inc. provides diversified staffing, recruiting, and consulting services and offers trained employees in the areas of Insurance, Information Technology, Accounting, Legal, Engineering, Science, Healthcare, Life Sciences, Creative Services, Hospitality, Retail, General Business and Light Industrial work. The company’s blended staffing solutions are tailored to our customers’ needs and can include customized employee pre-training and testing, on-site facilities management, vendor management, risk assessment and management, market analyses and productivity/occupational engineering studies.
The Company’s ability to deliver broad-based solutions provides its customers a “one stop shop” to fulfill their staffing needs from professional services and consulting to clerical and light industrial positions. Depending on the size and complexity of an assignment, Corporate Resource Services can create an on-site facility for recruiting, training and administration at the customers’ location. Company recruiters have the latest state of the art recruiting resources available to help customers secure the best candidates in today’s ever-changing marketplace. CRS‘s national network of recruiters has staffing experts that get excellent results by focusing within their areas of expertise.
The Company operates 207 staffing and on-site facilities in 37 states and the District of Columbia and it offers its services to a wide variety of clients in many industries, ranging from sole proprietorships to Fortune 1000 companies. To learn more, visit http://www.crsco.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks and uncertainties. Such statements are based on assumptions and expectations which may not be realized and are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Pacific Premier Bancorp Named Top Performing Publicly Traded Community Bank in the United States by SNL Financial
IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Pacific Premier Bancorp, Inc. (NAS: PPBI) (the “Company” or “Pacific Premier“), the holding company of Pacific Premier Bank (the “Bank”), was named by SNL Financial as the number one performing publicly traded bank with assets between $500 million and $5.0 billion for 2012. In addition, the Bank was ranked as the second best performing community bank in the United States in SNL Financial’s 2012 annual ranking of the top 100 best performing banks. SNL Financial is a leading provider of news, data and analysis in the banking sector.
SNL Financial evaluated the 2012 financial performance of 765 community banks across the United States with total assets between $500 million and $5 billion. SNL Financial ranked the best performing community banks using six core financial performance metrics that focus on profitability, asset quality and growth for the 12-month period ended December 31, 2012.
“We are very pleased to be recognized by SNL Financial as a standout among community banks across the United States and the highest rated publicly traded community bank in the 2012 rankings,” said Steven R. Gardner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Premier. “The ranking is a testament to the strong and efficient business model we have built, the attractive markets that we serve, and the passion and commitment of our entire organization to provide customers with a superior banking experience. We believe that we have the right formula for growing our franchise and we are excited about entering new markets and introducing new business lines in 2013. As we steadily increase our presence throughout Southern California, we believe that Pacific Premier Bank will continue to rank among the elite community banks in the nation.”
About Pacific Premier Bancorp, Inc.
The Company owns all of the capital stock of the Bank. The Bank provides business and consumer banking products to its customers through our ten full-service depository branches in Southern California located in the cities of Huntington Beach, Irvine, Los Alamitos, Newport Beach, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, San Bernardino and Seal Beach and one office in Dallas, Texas. For additional information about the Company, visit the Company’s website at www.ppbi.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
The statements contained herein that are …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
“Virtual Counselor Network” Transforms Professional Housing Counseling for Low-to-Moderate Income Communities in San Diego and the Inland Empire
Developed by the Housing Opportunities Collaborative and supported by Citi Community Development, new network provides access to 1-on-1 counseling and technical assistance.
SAN DIEGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)– A network of strategically located stand-alone computer terminals stretching 150 miles from San Diego to San Bernardino will transform access to professional housing counseling and other services ranging from foreclosure prevention to tax preparation and credit counseling through an innovative Virtual Counselor Network (VCN).
The 10-terminal VCN will cover San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. It will be operated by the San-Diego based Housing Opportunities Collaborative (HOC) with the support of a $200,000 grant from Citi Community Development. The computer terminals will be placed in a variety of easily accessible locations in San Diego and across the Inland Empire.
The HOC‘s goal in establishing the network is to increase access to a diverse array of community services and resources for all populations, especially low income and underserved individuals and families in San Diego and the Inland Empire. Aligned with HOC‘s commitment is the development of the technology and infrastructure to connect low to moderate income and rural communities to a Virtual Counselor at participating agencies via the Internet. Additional resources will be leveraged among the network of agencies to offer a virtual “one-stop” array of services, eliminating the need to travel to multiple locations.
“Citi’s support for the innovative Virtual Counselor Network provides San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino County residents with access to technology and specialized counseling services that are often not widely accessible through traditional counseling centers, via technology or in their communities,” said Bob Annibale, Citi’s Global Head of Community Development. “Ensuring universal access, but particularly for low income and underserved communities, to housing, tax and credit counseling through the Virtual Counselor Network and the Housing Opportunities Collaborative will empower individuals with valuable advice and information in multiple languages, including English and Spanish, on available services that can be critical when planning and making household financial decisions.”
According to DataQuick, current research shows that 8,000 homeowners across the affected area have received foreclosure notices in recent months, while 16.2 percent are unemployed and another 16 percent live below the poverty line as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau – American FactFinder.
“As nonprofit organizations find new ways to use technology to help more people, I …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Citizens Choice Healthplan and Healthways Partner to Offer SilverSneakers ® Fitness Program
Agreement Demonstrates Commitment to Supporting Healthy Lifestyles Among Older Adults
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)– As part of their mission to become a leader in the health care industry by improving the well-being of their members, Citizens Choice Healthplan today announced a partnership with well-being improvement leader Healthways to offer the award-winning SilverSneakers® Fitness Program to eligible Medicare Advantage members.
SilverSneakers, the nation’s leading exercise program designed to keep older adults active and healthy, will be available to members of the Citizens Choice Healthplan HMO Medicare Advantage plan effective January 1, 2013 in the following California counties: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Stanislaus.
“Our niche is our ability to serve the elderly with a comprehensive array of value-based benefits that keep them healthy and can improve their overall health status. One such benefit is the SilverSneakers Fitness Program,” states Paul Kahen, CEO, Citizens Choice Healthplan HMO.
Using proven methodologies based upon more than 16 years of science and outcomes, the SilverSneakers Fitness Program increases physical activity in older adults, resulting in higher well-being and lower health care costs. Physical activity can reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases, may relieve symptoms of depression, helps to maintain independent living, and enhances overall quality of life.
Strength training is recommended as part of a comprehensive physical activity program among older adults and may help to improve balance and decrease risk of falls.1 SilverSneakers engages participants in more frequent strength training, aerobic, and flexibility exercise through access to a variety of venues and programming designed specifically for older adults that incorporates social experiences.
“Citizens Choice Healthplan is renowned for its work with diverse communities to promote member health and wellness. By providing the SilverSneakers Fitness Program to their older adult Medicare Advantage members, Citizens Choice is demonstrating their commitment to meeting the diverse needs of their members through a solution designed to enhance the health and well-being of participants,” said Ben R. Leedle, Jr., Healthways president and chief executive officer. “SilverSneakers is a time-tested, proven program that provides a unique combination of exercise and social support, and Healthways is very proud to partner with Citizens Choice.”
The SilverSneakers Fitness Program was founded in 1993 and serves more than 10 million eligible members. The Healthways fitness center …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By CNNMoney
Filed under: College, College Savings Plans, Education
By KIM CLARK
Now that the average college freshman takes more than five and a half years to graduate, a growing number of colleges are trying to entice students with guarantees that they will finish in four years — or the extra tuition will be free.
But most of these four-year guarantees come with fine print that can disqualify many applicants, such as requiring students who sign up for the program freshman year to declare and stick to a major all four years, take inconvenient classes or forgo study abroad. In addition, even the most generous of the guarantees only offer to cover tuition after the fourth year — students still have to pay for dorm and living costs.
To qualify for a guarantee program, students are typically required to complete at least 30 credits each academic year, meet regularly with advisors, and take required courses.
In return, the colleges typically promise to help students finish in four years by eliminating roadblocks to graduation, such as reducing overcrowding, lowering the number of credits required to graduate, and creating standard four-year plans that can easily be followed. If school-caused delays prevent a student who signs up for a guarantee from finishing in four years, the college promises to pay for any extra courses they need.
Last year, for example, the University at Buffalo launched its “Finish in 4” free-tuition guarantee, and added 30,000 extra seats in bottleneck courses to help ensure students could meet their requirements.
The moves attracted hundreds of new applicants, says vice provost Scott Weber. “We had one of our largest freshmen enrollments this fall,” he said.
But some colleges offering these guarantees aren’t making the reforms needed to help students finish on time.
“I would be shocked if [these guarantees were] anything more than a marketing strategy” at schools where a majority of the students take longer than four years to graduate, said Tom Sugar, vice president of Complete College America, a nonprofit that works with states to raise graduation rates.
Some colleges are setting requirements so high that they are discouraging or disqualifying students from taking advantage of the guarantees.
At the California State University, San Bernardino, where only 13% of freshmen finish in four years, priority enrollment and free tuition after four years is only given to students who have committed to a major and the guarantee program before the start of their freshman year.
Officials at the University of Maine at Farmington blamed a low signup rate for its four-year guarantee (only 75 of the school’s approximately 480 freshmen signed on last fall) on a contract that was “two-page, dense, and filled with legalese” says associate provost Robert Lively.
Last fall, the school drafted a shorter and simpler contract that it is now promoting to applicants.
Whether or not four-year graduation guarantees actually help students graduate …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By The Huffington Post News Editors
A California man reunited with his beloved dog after a photo of the two was posted to Facebook is now allegedly threatening to sue the Good Samaritan who helped him, KTLA reports.
Dave Thomas of San Bernardino, Calif., was briefly jailed earlier this month for failing to appear in court over traffic violations. His dog, a 2-year-old pitbull named Buzz Lightyear, was impounded at a local shelter as a result, but Thomas couldn’t afford to pay the $400 to get him out.
Maria Sanchez, a photographer and animal activist at the shelter, took a touching photo of Thomas and his dog while they were at the facility and posted it to Facebook, where it went viral. Donations poured in, exceeding the cost of the impound fee, and Thomas and his dog were reunited.
The fugitive ex-LAPD cop suspected of killing three and declaring war on the force exchanged gunfire with authorities in the San Bernardino Mountains, law enforcement sources said.
A police source told The Associated Press Christopher Dorner burglarized a cabin on the mountain resort area where days ago Dorner’s truck was found burning. Two people were bound inside the cabin, but one managed to escape and call authorities around 12:50 p.m. local time.
Police, who had been swarming Big Bear Lake since the weekend, responded and spotted and chased a suspect believed to be Dorner in a stolen car, exchanging gunfire, a federal law enforcement source told Fox News.
San Bernardino police were on the scene the county Sheriff’s Department shut down Highway 38 to create a choke point, sources told Fox News. It was unclear if Dorner was in custody.
The shootout came after a day of searching and speculation, with authorities continuing their door-to-door search at Big Bear Lake, even as sources guessed Dorner may have made it over the border and into Mexico.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Los Angeles authorities are offering a $1 million reward for information leading to the arrest of a fugitive ex-cop wanted in the murders of three people, as the latest investigation into a possible sighting of the suspect yielded no clues.
Police evacuated a Los Angeles home improvement store Sunday after a caller said they had seen someone resembling 33-year-old Christopher Dorner.
Authorities searched for hours but found no evidence that Dorner was there or had been there, Los Angeles police spokesman Gus Villanueva said.
Several tips came in a few hours afterLos Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced the reward at a news conference alongside police chiefs and mayors from Irvine and Riverside.
“This search is not a matter of if, but a matter of when,” he said. “I want Chris Dorner to know that.”
Villaraigosa called Dorner’s actions a “reign of terror,” but expressed confidence that he would be brought to justice.
“His actions cannot go unanswered,” Los Angeles Police Chief Beck said.
Meanwhile, authorities said camping gear was found along with weapons inside Dorner’s burned-out pickup truck. The vehicle found Thursday in the ski resort town of Big Bear Lake was so charred that investigators couldn’t be more specific about the nature of its contents, Lopez said.
Also Sunday, police investigated a taunting phone call that may have been made by Dorner to the father of the woman they believe he killed last week. Two law enforcement officers who requested anonymity because of the ongoing investigation told The Associated Press they are trying to determine if the call days after the killing was made by the 33-year-old fugitive or a man posing as him.
SWAT teams with air support and bloodhounds fanned out for the fourth day to search for Dorner, who has vowed revenge against several former LAPD colleagues whom he blames for ending his career.
The effort was significantly scaled back as the weekend went on, with 25 officers and a single helicopter looking for clues in the forest and going door-to-door at some 600 cabins in the San Bernardino mountains, about 80 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.
On Saturday, Chief Beck said officials would re-examine the allegations by Dorner that his law enforcement career was undone by racist colleagues. While he promised to hear out Dorner if he surrenders, Beck stressed that he was ordering a review of his 2007 case because he takes the allegation of racism in his department seriously.
“I do this not to appease a murderer. I do it to reassure the public that their police department is transparent and fair in all the things we do,” the chief said in a statement.
Authorities suspect Dorner in a series of attacks in Southern California over the past week that have left three people dead. The killings and threats that Dorner allegedly made in an online rant have led police to provide protection to 50 families, Beck said.
A captain who was named a target in the manifesto posted on Facebook told the Orange County Register he has not stepped outside his house since he learned …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
The hunt for a former Los Angeles police officer suspected in three killings entered a fourth day in snow-covered mountains Sunday, a day after the LAPD chief ordered a review of the disciplinary case that led to the fugitive’s dismissal and new details emerge of the evidence he left behind.
Officials will re-examine the allegations by Christopher Dorner, 33, that his law enforcement career was undone by racist colleagues, Police Chief Charlie Beck announced Saturday. While he promised to hear out Dorner if he surrenders, Beck stressed that he was ordering a review of his 2007 case because he takes the allegation of racism in his department seriously.
“I do this not to appease a murderer. I do it to reassure the public that their police department is transparent and fair in all the things we do,” the chief said in a statement.
Authorities suspect Dorner in a series of attacks in Southern California over the past week that left three people dead. Authorities say he has vowed revenge against several former LAPD colleagues whom he blames for ending his career. The killings and threats that Dorner allegedly made in an online rant have led police to provide protection to 50 families, Beck said.
A captain who was named a target in the manifesto posted on Facebook told the Orange County Register he has not stepped outside his house since he learned of the threat.
“From what I’ve seen of (Dorner’s) actions, he feels he can make allegations for injustice and justify killing people and that’s not reasonable,” said Capt. Phil Tingirides, who chaired a board that stripped Dorner of his badge. “The end never justifies the means.”
On Saturday, the scaled-back search party took advantage of a break from stormy weather to look for Dorner in the San Bernardino mountains, about 80 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles, where his burned-out pickup truck was discovered Thursday.
A law enforcement officer told The Associated Press authorities found weapons in the truck. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe is ongoing.
Investigators have been examining the truck to determine if it broke down or was set ablaze as a diversion. Police say the truck had a broken axle. Investigators are trying to determine whether it was already broken when they found it, or whether it was damaged when it was towed away.
Also, newly released surveillance video showed Dorner tossing several items into a Dumpster behind an auto parts store in National City on Monday. The store’s manager told FOX5 in San Diego that an employee found a magazine full of bullets, a military belt and a military helmet. Majid Yahyai said he and the employee took the items across the street to a police station.
On Friday night, authorities served a search warrant and collected evidence from a Buena Park storage unit as part of their investigation. Irvine police Lt. Julia Engen wouldn’t elaborate on the nature of the evidence or say who had rented the unit.
Earlier Friday, another warrant was served at a La Palma house …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
The hunt for a former Los Angeles police officer suspected in three killings entered a fourth day in snow-covered mountains Sunday, a day after the LAPD chief ordered a review of the disciplinary case that led to the fugitive’s dismissal and new details emerge of the evidence he left behind.
Officials will re-examine the allegations by Christopher Dorner, 33, that his law enforcement career was undone by racist colleagues, Police Chief Charlie Beck announced Saturday. While he promised to hear out Dorner if he surrenders, Beck stressed that he was ordering a review of his 2007 case because he takes the allegation of racism in his department seriously.
“I do this not to appease a murderer. I do it to reassure the public that their police department is transparent and fair in all the things we do,” the chief said in a statement.
Authorities suspect Dorner in a series of attacks in Southern California over the past week that left three people dead. Authorities say he has vowed revenge against several former LAPD colleagues whom he blames for ending his career. The killings and threats that Dorner allegedly made in an online rant have led police to provide protection to 50 families, Beck said.
A captain who was named a target in the manifesto posted on Facebook told the Orange County Register he has not stepped outside his house since he learned of the threat.
“From what I’ve seen of (Dorner’s) actions, he feels he can make allegations for injustice and justify killing people and that’s not reasonable,” said Capt. Phil Tingirides, who chaired a board that stripped Dorner of his badge. “The end never justifies the means.”
On Saturday, the scaled-back search party took advantage of a break from stormy weather to look for Dorner in the San Bernardino mountains, about 80 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles, where his burned-out pickup truck was discovered Thursday.
A law enforcement officer told The Associated Press authorities found weapons in the truck. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe is ongoing.
Investigators have been examining the truck to determine if it broke down or was set ablaze as a diversion. Police say the truck had a broken axle. Investigators are trying to determine whether it was already broken when they found it, or whether it was damaged when it was towed away.
John and Ann Betar weren’t supposed to get married. Her father had arranged for her to wed another man, but she and John fled Bridgeport and eloped in New York.
That was more than 80 years ago. The couple is still happily hitched, a fact that has led to their naming as the “longest married couple” in the U.S. for 2013 by Worldwide Marriage Encounter, a Christian marriage group based in San Bernardino, Calif.
The Betars are scheduled to receive a plaque and other gifts from the group at their granddaughter’s home in Fairfield on Saturday.
They told the New York Daily News that there are no secrets to a long marriage, only a few simple rules.
“We just live with contentment and we don’t live beyond our means,” John Betar said. “Just go with the flow.”
John’s now 101 years old and Ann is 97, and they’re still living in their home along the Fairfield shore. They had five children, 14 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren. Two of their children died in their 60s.
Ron and Judy Pekny of Worldwide Marriage Encounter say the title of “longest married couple” is based on nominations the group received, so there may be some couples who have been married longer.
John and Ann grew up across the street from each other in Bridgeport, and John used to drive Ann to high school in his Ford Roadster. They fell in love. When her father arranged for her to marry someone else, they eloped in Harrison, N.Y., about 25 miles north of New York City.
John went on to open a grocery store in Bridgeport.
Ann Betar told the Hearst Connecticut Media Group around their 80th anniversary in November that family has been a key to their longevity.
“That’s what makes life what it is,” she said. “We were fortunate enough to live long enough to see this … and it’s really one of the most gratifying things in the world to see your great-grandchildren, to see your grandchildren become adults.”
California authorities say the death toll from last weekend’s tour bus collision has risen to eight with the death of the driver of a pickup truck struck by the bus.
A San Bernardino County coroner’s official says 72-year-old Fred Bailey Richardson of San Bernardino died at 6:39 a.m. Wednesday at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
Richardson was driving a landscaping service truck that was struck by the out-of-control bus Sunday night. The crash crushed the pickup.
The other seven fatalities were people who died at the scene.
A tour bus crashed with a pickup truck on a rural mountain highway in Southern California on Sunday night, killing eight people and injuring dozens of others, authorities said.
The collision happened around 6:30 p.m. and included the tour bus, a pickup truck pulling a trailer, and a sedan, said CHP Officer Mario Lopez. He confirmed late Sunday that eight people died and many more were injured in the mountain highway crash about 80 miles east of Los Angeles near the town of Forest Falls.
San Bernardino County Fire Department spokesman Eric Sherwin said 27 people were treated at the scene. He said injuries varied from minor to life-threatening.
People were being extricated from the bus more than an hour after the crash on a mountainous stretch of two-lane Highway 38, and rescuers were still searching the wreckage for victims hours later. Television footage showed the bus sitting upright but turned sideways on the road.
Sherwin did not know where the bus was headed or how the truck was involved. Highway 38 leads to Big Bear, a popular area that’s home to a ski resort and other recreational locations.
At least seven ambulances were called to the scene, and patients were taken to several hospitals.
The injured were rushed to several area hospitals.
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center said four women had been admitted from the crash and their conditions were still being determined. Redland Community Hospital said it received one person in critical condition and one with minor injuries, while two more were en route with minor injuries. Community Hospital of San Bernardino said it had received one patient with undetermined injuries, while St. Bernadine Medical Center said it had two patients, whose injuries were being assessed.
The California crash comes less than a day after a bus carrying 42 high school students and their chaperones slammed into an overpass in Boston. Massachusetts state police said 35 people were injured and that the driver had directed the bus onto a road with a height limit.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
An arsonist has been sentenced to death for murdering five men who died of heart attacks during a Southern California wildfire a decade ago.
Superior Court Judge Michael Smith in San Bernardino sentenced 31-year-old Rickie Lee Fowler on Monday after hearing from some of the victims’ family members.
Fowler was convicted in August of five counts of first-degree murder and two counts of arson. A jury later recommended a death sentence for Fowler.
Prosecutors say Fowler lit the fire in 2003 out of rage after he was thrown out of a house where his family was staying.
The Old Fire scorched 91,000 acres east of Los Angeles and destroyed 1,000 buildings while burning for nine days. The men died after their homes burned or as they tried to evacuate.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
California State University, San Bernardino police have shot and killed a student during a fight in an off-campus dorm.
San Bernardino police Lt. Paul Williams tells KABC-TV that the campus police officers went to the dorm Saturday evening after receiving reports of a disturbance.
He said that when the officers confronted the male student in the dorm’s hallway, a fight erupted and that the officers fired their weapons when they feared for their safety.
Williams said one officer was taken to the hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.
The San Bernardino Police department was investigating the circumstances that led to the shooting.
Source: Fox US News
