Con men ask for funds to be wired to them before full winnings can be sent
(Read the rest of the story here.)
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Council approves lot split
Vote allows property owner to split 2.8-acre property into two equal-sized parcels
(Read the rest of the story here.)
(Read the rest of the story here.)
'IT'S ADDICTIVE'
Volunteers hooked on giving are honored at annual Hesperia Recreation and Park District volunteer awards banquet
(Read the rest of the story here.)
(Read the rest of the story here.)
Monday, April 24, 2006
Sneak Peek: Hesperia's tallest building
Opening late this year or early next year, the four story Hampton Inn & Suites will be the city's tallest building.
The full story will be in the April 25 edition of the Hesperia Star.
The full story will be in the April 25 edition of the Hesperia Star.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Letters to the editor
You can tell it's an election year when we start getting more, longer and more passionate letters to the editor, but individual stories, sometimes ones that we don't expect, can spike up the number of letters to the editor.
The most letters we've ever gotten about a story -- at least, since I've been here -- was in 2004, when we ran a story about a man being arrested for raising roosters for cockfighting. The pro-cockfighting people were the ones who buried us in letters, and were from all over the country, showing the power of Google News, I suppose.
This week, we've already gotten a good number of letters about Supervisor Bill Postmus' decision to remove an art book from the county library system, and again, it hasn't all been local responses.
The most letters we've ever gotten about a story -- at least, since I've been here -- was in 2004, when we ran a story about a man being arrested for raising roosters for cockfighting. The pro-cockfighting people were the ones who buried us in letters, and were from all over the country, showing the power of Google News, I suppose.
This week, we've already gotten a good number of letters about Supervisor Bill Postmus' decision to remove an art book from the county library system, and again, it hasn't all been local responses.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
BANNED IN HESPERIA
"The last time somebody complained about a book, it was a graphic novel." Anne Marie Wentworth, Hesperia librarian
(Read the rest of the story here.)
(Read the rest of the story here.)
Woman awaits lot split decision
Based on her feelings, Peggy Getts expects the Hesperia City Council on Wednesday to approve the proposed lot split of her 2.6-acre property. But she doesn't believe one's feelings should factor into matters of individual property rights. Logic should, she says.
(Read the rest of the story here.)
(Read the rest of the story here.)
La Musica Autentica
Not all High Desert youth have an affinity with baseball or soccer. Some hear their calling in a guitarron or vihuela.
(Read the rest of the story here.)
(Read the rest of the story here.)
Mid-term: Ranchero's Cindy Costa 'on hormones in tennis shoes'
"So far, so good," Cindy Costa says, about her first year as Ranchero Middle School's new principal.
(Read the rest of the story here.)
(Read the rest of the story here.)
H.O.T. Solution
Proving that necessity is the mother of invention, a quartet of Hesperia Junior High students has created a cell phone accessory that enables those with special needs to communicate more easily.
(Read the rest of the story here.)
(Read the rest of the story here.)
SULTANA SIGNINGS
Battisti signs to play football at Lambuth University; Crider, Finerty and Collins sign with Chadron State
(Read the rest of the story here.)
(Read the rest of the story here.)
Florida Siosi: Sultana's triple threat
All year long, when the Lady Sultans stepped out onto the court or the field, Florida Siosi was there. In her second and final year at Sultana High School, she was a triple threat in volleyball, basketball and track and field.
(Read the rest of the story here.)
(Read the rest of the story here.)
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Downtown Hesperia Conceptual Plan
Here's an artist's rendering of the Downtown Hesperia Conceptual Plan, courtesy of the City of Hesperia.
Builder: Industry offers vast opportunities
The construction industry offers a myriad of employment opportunities for anyone with drive and determination, an official for one of Hesperia's most prolific home builders told Mountain View High School students during Career Day last Friday.
(Read the rest of the story here.)
(Read the rest of the story here.)
District to hire its own portrait photographers
It's a rite of autumn: school photo day. Students line up, dressed in carefully chosen clothes, for photos that will appear in yearbooks, wallets and Christmas cards.
(Read the rest of the story here.)
(Read the rest of the story here.)
City Hall now open five days a week
Residents who have ever carried plan revisions to Hesperia City Hall -- or came to pay their water bill or to get a license for their pet -- only to find it closed on a Friday, never again.
(Read the rest of the story here.)
(Read the rest of the story here.)
Pack raises $18,000 for re-election campaign
Mayor Pro Tem Ed Pack has raised at least $18,000 for his reelection campaign in November, he said last week.
(Read the rest of the story here.)
(Read the rest of the story here.)
McCollum sheds Scorpion skin for Teal Pride
Last year at this time, Robert McCollum still cheered for the Scorpions and was a familiar sight in the halls of Hesperia High School.
(Read the rest of the story here.)
(Read the rest of the story here.)
Joshua Circle readers receive helicopter reward
The dedicated corps of Joshua Circle Elementary students -- of which there are many -- were given a special treat for their productive hours of reading: a picture-perfect landing by an Air Force helicopter.
(Read the rest of the story here.)
(Read the rest of the story here.)
Mother Earth Gathering Inter-Tribal Pow Wow next month
The Hesperia Recreation and Park District is sponsoring the 14th Annual Mother Earth Gathering Traditional Inter-tribal Pow Wow on both Saturday, May 6 and Sunday, May 7 from 11 a.m. to dusk. The event will be held at Hesperia Lake Park.
(Read the rest of the story here.)
(Read the rest of the story here.)
Hesperia disabled veteran skis the Rockies
Navy veteran Darryl Lair participated at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic
Darryl Lair, a Navy veteran from Hesperia, is enjoying the challenge of skiing and an opportunity for self-development at the 20th National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic.
(Read the rest of the story here.)
Darryl Lair, a Navy veteran from Hesperia, is enjoying the challenge of skiing and an opportunity for self-development at the 20th National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic.
(Read the rest of the story here.)
Friday, April 07, 2006
After weeks or even months without needing a correction ...
Here's another one: Mojave Principal Bill Fagan's last name was spelled incorrectly in last week's lead story.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Sneak Peek: Hesperia Royal Court visits Coffee Club
Several members of Hesperia's newly announced Royal Court paid a visit to the Hesperia Chamber of Commerce Coffee Club on Friday, March 31.
The photos were taken by Maria Bamba, our office administrator.
The photos were taken by Maria Bamba, our office administrator.
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Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Student protester photo
This photo of a group of Hesperia High School students protesting the controversial House of Representatives bill, HR4437, was taken on Monday, March 27. It was one of about five photos initially submitted to the Daily Press, which ran a page one story along with two photos the next day. This one didn't accompany the Daily Press story or a Hesperia Star news article published the following Tuesday.
Although this was one of the most eye-catching images, I grappled with whether publishing a photo showing a few students apparently flashing gang signs was appropriate. Ultimately, I decided an image of the gestures wasn't germane to the story.
Do you think the photo should have run in either the Daily Press or the Hesperia Star?
Although this was one of the most eye-catching images, I grappled with whether publishing a photo showing a few students apparently flashing gang signs was appropriate. Ultimately, I decided an image of the gestures wasn't germane to the story.
Do you think the photo should have run in either the Daily Press or the Hesperia Star?
More Miss Hesperia pageant photos
Here are some full-color photos, including ones we did not have room to run in the Hesperia Star, from the Miss Hesperia Pageant. The event took place Saturday, March 25.
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HUSD student body population
As of Monday's Hesperia Unified School District board meeting, the total student body at HUSD schools is now a record 20,131 students.
Miss Hesperia switches from a pink hardhat to a rhinestone tiara
Pageant winner roommate with former Miss Hesperia turned Miss Apple Valley
By BEAU YARBROUGH
Staff Writer
What makes Marisa Yepiz an unlikely pageant queen in many ways makes her a perfect Miss Hesperia.
“I’m one of those non-traditional kind of queens,” she said Tuesday, three days after winning the tiara and sash. “How do I explain myself? I work in the construction field. I drive a lifted Chevy truck. I like driving my quad.”
In fact, Yepiz, 22, has only been seriously competing in pageants since 2001, when she accompanied her younger sister Amanda – she’s the oldest of eight children – to a pageant and got talked into competing herself.
Since then, Marisa has competed and won several major titles, including Miss Petite California 2004 – petite in the pageant world means any woman under 5’6” – and Miss Victorville 2004.
“I know it sounds totally odd to have a former Miss Victorville be Miss Hesperia, but I worked hard for [Victorville],” Yepiz said. “I really love helping out for my city and working for the community. ... I really feel like I can make the city proud.”
The Yepiz family has lived in the region once commonly known as the Golden Triangle (shared between Hesperia, Victorville and Phelan) since the early 1980s and Marisa grew up attending school in all three communities.
But her current claim to Hesperia residency comes from the home she shares with roommate Lindsey Merritt. Merritt, incidentally, was Miss Hesperia 2004 and won the Miss Apple Valley 2006 title on March 25 at Hook Junior High School alongside Yepiz.
Leaving aside the sitcom-ready image of pageant queens living as roommates and the question of who had which title when, Yepiz’s coworkers can’t get over the fact that she competes in pageants at all.
“They think it’s kind of funny. ‘You? Wear a dress? Miss tennis shoes and jeans?’”
She does have one daily concession to the sort of femininity most associate with pageant queens: When she goes out onto the construction site where her company is expanding Victorville city hall, Yepiz does wear a pink construction hat.
The Serrano High School and Victor Valley College graduate will be working towards her real estate license this spring and plans to attend Cal State San Bernardino this year and ultimately graduate with a bachelor’s degree in English.
“I’d honestly like to go back to Serrano and teach English, but I’ll probably start at the junior high level,” Yepiz said. She currently teaches Sunday School at Oasis Church on I Avenue. “I just think the teaching is really my calling and really like working with some of the younger kids at the church. I think this what I’d like to do, until they rub paint all over their shirts.”
She got her start helping to corral her seven siblings.
“We’re all really close. It goes 17, 16, 12, 10, 8, 6 and 3. And then me at 22,” she said. “Christmas is a lot of fun. The gifts are just piled up.”
Out of that batch, it seems only two Yepiz girls will be wearing the winners’ sashes and tiaras for the time being.
“It’s just me and Amanda right now. I’ve tried to inspire the others.” Amanda is Pixie Miss Hesperia 2006.
Other winners at the Empire Pageants-run Miss Hesperia, Miss Victorville and Miss Apple Valley pageants on Saturday, March 25, included Teen Miss Hesperia 2006, Michelle Fleming, 16, an 11th grader at Options for Youth charter school. Young Miss Hesperia 2006 is Victoria Luce, 12, a Hesperia Junior High School student. Pre-Teen Miss Hesperia 2006 is Paige Nicole Foraker, a 5th grader at Summit Elementary School. Junior Miss Hesperia 2006 is Rebecca Reynolds, a 3rd grader at Hollyvale Elementary School. Toddler Miss Hesperia 2006 is Allyson Lain Patten, Petite Miss Hesperia is Jayden Dianne Foster and Baby Miss Hesperia is Trinity Rayne Brown.
Yepiz said she hopes more girls will take their shot at the tiara in future years, even if, like her, they aren’t the stereotypical pageant queen.
“There’s so many girls who have so much potential,” Yepiz said. “Even if they don’t want to do pageants, just for training and life training.”
Beau Yarbrough can be reached at beau@hesperiastar.com or by telephone at 956-7108.
By BEAU YARBROUGH
Staff Writer
What makes Marisa Yepiz an unlikely pageant queen in many ways makes her a perfect Miss Hesperia.
“I’m one of those non-traditional kind of queens,” she said Tuesday, three days after winning the tiara and sash. “How do I explain myself? I work in the construction field. I drive a lifted Chevy truck. I like driving my quad.”
In fact, Yepiz, 22, has only been seriously competing in pageants since 2001, when she accompanied her younger sister Amanda – she’s the oldest of eight children – to a pageant and got talked into competing herself.
Since then, Marisa has competed and won several major titles, including Miss Petite California 2004 – petite in the pageant world means any woman under 5’6” – and Miss Victorville 2004.
“I know it sounds totally odd to have a former Miss Victorville be Miss Hesperia, but I worked hard for [Victorville],” Yepiz said. “I really love helping out for my city and working for the community. ... I really feel like I can make the city proud.”
The Yepiz family has lived in the region once commonly known as the Golden Triangle (shared between Hesperia, Victorville and Phelan) since the early 1980s and Marisa grew up attending school in all three communities.
But her current claim to Hesperia residency comes from the home she shares with roommate Lindsey Merritt. Merritt, incidentally, was Miss Hesperia 2004 and won the Miss Apple Valley 2006 title on March 25 at Hook Junior High School alongside Yepiz.
Leaving aside the sitcom-ready image of pageant queens living as roommates and the question of who had which title when, Yepiz’s coworkers can’t get over the fact that she competes in pageants at all.
“They think it’s kind of funny. ‘You? Wear a dress? Miss tennis shoes and jeans?’”
She does have one daily concession to the sort of femininity most associate with pageant queens: When she goes out onto the construction site where her company is expanding Victorville city hall, Yepiz does wear a pink construction hat.
The Serrano High School and Victor Valley College graduate will be working towards her real estate license this spring and plans to attend Cal State San Bernardino this year and ultimately graduate with a bachelor’s degree in English.
“I’d honestly like to go back to Serrano and teach English, but I’ll probably start at the junior high level,” Yepiz said. She currently teaches Sunday School at Oasis Church on I Avenue. “I just think the teaching is really my calling and really like working with some of the younger kids at the church. I think this what I’d like to do, until they rub paint all over their shirts.”
She got her start helping to corral her seven siblings.
“We’re all really close. It goes 17, 16, 12, 10, 8, 6 and 3. And then me at 22,” she said. “Christmas is a lot of fun. The gifts are just piled up.”
Out of that batch, it seems only two Yepiz girls will be wearing the winners’ sashes and tiaras for the time being.
“It’s just me and Amanda right now. I’ve tried to inspire the others.” Amanda is Pixie Miss Hesperia 2006.
Other winners at the Empire Pageants-run Miss Hesperia, Miss Victorville and Miss Apple Valley pageants on Saturday, March 25, included Teen Miss Hesperia 2006, Michelle Fleming, 16, an 11th grader at Options for Youth charter school. Young Miss Hesperia 2006 is Victoria Luce, 12, a Hesperia Junior High School student. Pre-Teen Miss Hesperia 2006 is Paige Nicole Foraker, a 5th grader at Summit Elementary School. Junior Miss Hesperia 2006 is Rebecca Reynolds, a 3rd grader at Hollyvale Elementary School. Toddler Miss Hesperia 2006 is Allyson Lain Patten, Petite Miss Hesperia is Jayden Dianne Foster and Baby Miss Hesperia is Trinity Rayne Brown.
Yepiz said she hopes more girls will take their shot at the tiara in future years, even if, like her, they aren’t the stereotypical pageant queen.
“There’s so many girls who have so much potential,” Yepiz said. “Even if they don’t want to do pageants, just for training and life training.”
Beau Yarbrough can be reached at beau@hesperiastar.com or by telephone at 956-7108.
Mojave's Fagan named Continuation Principal of the Year
Bill Fagan has gotten his first report card as the new principal of Mojave High School and Desert Trails High School, which combine to form the Hesperia Unified School District’s Alternative Education Center.
Fagan has been named Continuation Principal of the Year by Association of California School Administrators for ACSA Region 12, which includes all of San Bernardino County.
"It’s gratifying," Fagan said last Thursday. "First year, I don’t know that I’ve really done anything to deserve it this early in my principalship, but if it brings honor to the school and the district, I humbly accept."
After years of working with former Alternative Education Center principal Arlene Gluck, Fagan stepped from the on-deck circle to home plate this year after Gluck moved into a position in the HUSD’s central office on Main Street.
"I think it’s going well. We’re having a good year. [There are] challenges with the growth of the city and the schools," he said. "I’m fortunate: I was the assistant principal here from ’99 until this school year."
Prior to that, he was a teacher at the school. The combination has given him a great deal of insight into the new job.
"People know you. Students know you. They know what you’re about," Fagan said. "People know that I have a real commitment and a real concern about alternative education. We have a unique opportunity to help kids in unique ways in a healthy environment."
But there were still surprises in store for him.
"I worked very closely with Arlene Gluck," he said. "She would say we were virtually interchangeable ... however, being the person who is ultimately responsible is very different."
One of those challenges is to keep the needs of both Mojave and Desert Trails students in mind. Each program is run very differently and is designed to meet the needs of different sorts of students.
"My office is sitting in the middle of Mojave High School. What you don’t want is you don’t want anyone to feel left out or feel like you’re not concerned about them," Fagan said. "You try to give everyone their attention they deserve."
One of the changes he’s implemented is creating leadership teams, where experienced staff members are given more authority and "Really relying on your key people, both your teaching people and your non-teaching support staff.
"It’s a different model, but it taps into lots of new ideas and gives people the opportunity to really take ownership of challenges."
One legacy Gluck left behind was an 18-year stretch as principal of the Alternative Education Center.
"I don’t know about the same number of years. I might be retired before that. I’m just enjoying this right now," Fagan said. "Anyone will tell you, this is where education really happens, right here on the school site."
Fagan will formally receive his award from ACSA at a dinner ceremony in San Bernardino on April 24.
Beau Yarbrough can be reached at beau@hesperiastar.com or by telephone at 956-7108.
Fagan has been named Continuation Principal of the Year by Association of California School Administrators for ACSA Region 12, which includes all of San Bernardino County.
"It’s gratifying," Fagan said last Thursday. "First year, I don’t know that I’ve really done anything to deserve it this early in my principalship, but if it brings honor to the school and the district, I humbly accept."
After years of working with former Alternative Education Center principal Arlene Gluck, Fagan stepped from the on-deck circle to home plate this year after Gluck moved into a position in the HUSD’s central office on Main Street.
"I think it’s going well. We’re having a good year. [There are] challenges with the growth of the city and the schools," he said. "I’m fortunate: I was the assistant principal here from ’99 until this school year."
Prior to that, he was a teacher at the school. The combination has given him a great deal of insight into the new job.
"People know you. Students know you. They know what you’re about," Fagan said. "People know that I have a real commitment and a real concern about alternative education. We have a unique opportunity to help kids in unique ways in a healthy environment."
But there were still surprises in store for him.
"I worked very closely with Arlene Gluck," he said. "She would say we were virtually interchangeable ... however, being the person who is ultimately responsible is very different."
One of those challenges is to keep the needs of both Mojave and Desert Trails students in mind. Each program is run very differently and is designed to meet the needs of different sorts of students.
"My office is sitting in the middle of Mojave High School. What you don’t want is you don’t want anyone to feel left out or feel like you’re not concerned about them," Fagan said. "You try to give everyone their attention they deserve."
One of the changes he’s implemented is creating leadership teams, where experienced staff members are given more authority and "Really relying on your key people, both your teaching people and your non-teaching support staff.
"It’s a different model, but it taps into lots of new ideas and gives people the opportunity to really take ownership of challenges."
One legacy Gluck left behind was an 18-year stretch as principal of the Alternative Education Center.
"I don’t know about the same number of years. I might be retired before that. I’m just enjoying this right now," Fagan said. "Anyone will tell you, this is where education really happens, right here on the school site."
Fagan will formally receive his award from ACSA at a dinner ceremony in San Bernardino on April 24.
Beau Yarbrough can be reached at beau@hesperiastar.com or by telephone at 956-7108.
Man shoots son, second juvenile
A father shot his 16-year-old son and another juvenile with a shotgun, apparently believing the pair to be prowlers.
(Read the rest of the story here.)
(Read the rest of the story here.)
Rotary to even the score at Hesperia High
The softball field at Hesperia High School will soon boast a brand new wireless electronic scoreboard thanks to the Rotary Club of Hesperia.
(Read the rest of the story here.)
(Read the rest of the story here.)
Students on both sides of House bill 4437 issue face disciplinary measures
A proposed federal bill that would make illegal immigration a felony ignited protests around the nation last week, including repeated incidents involving students at Hesperia's public schools.
(Read the rest of the story here.)
(Read the rest of the story here.)
Short Traffic Tips / BY DEPUTY FARRIS SHORT
My name is Farris Short, and I work for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. I am a deputy Sheriff assigned to the City of Hesperia as a traffic officer. I ride a marked Sheriff's motorcycle, and I am an investigator for the Major Accident Investigation Team, otherwise known as M.A.I.T.
(Read the rest of the story here.)
(Read the rest of the story here.)
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