State Sen. Connie Leyva will become the next executive director of KVCR when her legislative term ends Dec. 5, the San Bernardino Community College District announced Wednesday, Oct. 12. The appointment comes two months after the Inland Empire's only public TV and radio station celebrated the receipt of $15 million in state funding to secure its future.

Southern California’s Ontario International Airport (ONT) surpassed pre-pandemic levels for the seventh straight month in September as passenger volumes continued to climb to levels not seen since 2007, airport officials announced.

Nearly 517,000 air travelers flew into or out of ONT during the month, 10.15% more than the same month in 2019. It marked the fifth consecutive month in which passenger volumes exceeded a half million, and moved Ontario closer to a possible 6 million passengers by year’s end. The September total also represented a 6,000-passenger increase over August – typically a peak month for air travel.

“Ontario International continues to prove itself as the airport of choice for millions of Southern Californians. The double-digit increase in passenger volume last month reinforces the important role we play in meeting the air travel needs of one of the most robust population and economic centers in the country,” said Alan D. Wapner, president of the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) Board of Commissioners and Mayor pro Tem of City of Ontario.

Through the first nine months of the year, ONT welcomed 4.2 million passengers – 3.6% more than the same period in 2019 and 37.6% above last year. At this pace, the airport should well exceed the 5.6 million passengers who flew into or out of ONT in 2019 – the last full year before the pandemic. According to Ontario’s seat capacity projections for the next six months, nonstop flights are expected to increase by 1.6% over the October 2019-March 2020 time period, nonstop seat capacity is projected to rise by 7.9%, and available seat miles (ASMs) are projected to increase by 11.4%.

This continues an impressive trend that began with the airport’s return to local ownership in 2016. During those first three years – before COVID-19 disrupted air travel globally – ONT experienced a nearly 33% increase in passenger volumes.

“We’ve been able to pick up where we left off before the pandemic, increasing flights and destinations and providing travelers with amenities and a customer experience they won’t get anywhere else,” said Atif Elkadi, OIAA CEO.

Students in Raquel Fuentes' third-grade class at Preston Elementary School flashed bright smiles as they shared in each other's cultural heritage with a popular class project recently. The "My Culture Presentation" project had officially returned! Students in Fuentes' class created projects to show off their cultural heritage.

Local children with disabilities will have a safe, inclusive and accessible environment to enjoy Halloween this year with a special Trunk-Or-Treat in San Bernardino.

The second annual Trunk-Or-Treat event is the result of a partnership between Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) and Southern California Resource Services for Independent Living (SCRS-IL) and will be held on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 5-8 p.m. at the SCRS-IL’s San Bernardino office at 1950 S. Sunwest Lane.

“This is the only Inland Empire event serving our disabled community in the month of October,” said SCRS-IL Chief Executive Officer Rudy Contreras, who organized the inaugural Trunk-Or-Treat in just 30 days last year after learning the community needed a Halloween activity for children with disabilities during the pandemic. 

The Trunk-Or-Treat will feature carnival games, candy, accessible spooky mazes, snacks, refreshments, community resources and a vaccine clinic. 

“Last year’s event was a reopening of inclusivity, and this year, we’re building on that with more sponsors, games, prizes, booths and even more community,” added Contreras. “With partners like IEHP, we’re able to make that happen and create safe, inclusive spaces that celebrate the diversity of our community.”

Attendees who receive a vaccine at the event will receive a free cooler or beach chair, and IEHP members ages 6 and older who receive their first vaccine will be given a $50 gift card.

Grocery boxes will also be provided to the first 150 families in attendance.

“When community partners and organizations come together and support the needs of our neighbors and communities, we move one step closer to ensuring vibrant health to those we serve,” said IEHP Independent Living and Diversity Services Community Health Representative Jose Solorzano. “It doesn’t get any better than that.”

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) - After pandemic changes brought two years of skyrocketing growth in home prices, California is now seeing a steep drop, according to a new study by home insurance website QuoteWizard. Though home prices have risen 1% nationally since June, the study shows that the average price of a home in California has gone down by $12,205 in that time.