Photo Courtesy of Chino Valley Fire District

Staff Reports

CHINO HILLS-  A three-car accident tied up the Southbound 71 freeway on Friday, January 15, causing a two-hour long SigAlert and resulting in one death.

Brandon Joseph Tabita, 28, of Corona, was driving his white Ford Focus southbound on the 71 freeway around 7:20 a.m. when he was unable to slow for stopped traffic just past Pine Avenue.  He rear-ended a school bus driven by Riverside resident Irma Reyes, according to the CHP.  The bus was then pushed into a 2011 Hyundai Genesis driven by Joong Hwan Uhm of Los Angeles.

Tabita, who sustained major head injuries, was trapped in his vehicle, which ended up being wedged underneath the bus.  It took firefighters over an hour to extricate him from his vehicle, using the jaws of life.  Once free, he was flown to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, where he underwent surgery.  He was pronounced dead the next day.

There were no children on the school bus at the time of the crash.  Reyes and a school district employee were transported to Chino Medical Hospital for treatment of pain.  Uhm and the passengers in his vehicle declined medical treatment.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation

Photo courtesy: Facebook

Courtesy of the City of Chino Hills

Chino Hills– The Art Committee of the Chino Hills Community Foundation, known as chARTS, has partnered with the City of Chino Hills to showcase the work of local artists in the lobby of the Chino Hills Community Center, located at 14250 Peyton Drive. The artwork is now on display.

There will be a “Meet the Artist” reception on Thursday, January 14th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The featured artist this quarter is Chino Hills’ resident Marilee Poirier. She first discovered her passion and talent for drawing during her early childhood in the Philippines. She moved with her family to the United States in 1982, where she began sketching realistic portraits of her family and friends. Marilee is a self-taught artist who specializes in portraits, landscapes, and illustrations. She works with several traditional drawing mediums, such as charcoal, colored pencils, and watercolor, as well as digital technology to create digital paintings and illustrations. Marilee is a wife and mother who finds personal fulfillment in being an artist. Her greatest inspirations are her family and God.

New permanent artwork at the Community Center will also be featured at the January 14th reception. The artwork was purchased through a $10,000 donation from the County of San Bernardino during the tenure of former San Bernardino County Supervisor Gary Ovitt. The newly-installed pieces include three custom eight-foot murals painted by local artist Enrique Vidal; canvas prints of photos taken by professional photographer Council Member Peter Rogers; historical photos of the Chino Rancho Ride; and “before” and “after” aerial photographs of locations in the city. In addition, a beautiful Oak tree painting by Laguna Beach artist Carolyn Reynolds has been relocated to the Community Center lobby from the reading room in the Library.

ChARTS is led by local artists and art lovers who represent a wide range of expertise in fine arts, graphic design, music, creative writing, theater, and more. They encourage the creation, enjoyment, and enrichment of the arts in Chino Hills. The Chino Hills Community Center serves as a home base for chARTS. For more information about chARTS, please call (909) 364-2736.

Photo courtesy of Facebook
7-11 clerk celebrates winning ticket

By Carol Heyen

CHINO HILLS– Lady Luck struck Chino Hills on Wednesday night, after it was announced that a winning Powerball ticket had been bought at the 7-11 convenience store on Chino Hills Parkway and Pipeline Avenue.

Chino Hills’ residents eagerly checked their tickets after it was announced that the winning ticket was bought in the city.  Ashley Wagenhoffer, a Chino Hills resident, admitted to checking her tickets “more times than I’d like to admit.”

The winner has not come forward, but Chino Hillians were still cheering on their city.  The 7-11 was swarmed by residents eager to celebrate the win with shop owners.  The store will receive a $1 million bonus for selling the winning ticket.

The ticket, worth approximately $528 million, was one of three winning tickets sold for this week’s record $1.5 billion Powerball drawing.  The other winning tickets were sold in Tennessee and Florida.  This was the largest lottery prize ever offered in North America.

For every $1 in lottery sales, half goes to prize winnings, 40 percent goes to education and 10 percent goes to the retailers who sell the tickets and administrative costs.

Photo Courtesy: City of Chino Hills
Council Member Peter Rogers poses with his dog Chloe and Sparky, the fire dog, makes quick friends with Chloe.

By Monique Valadez

Chino Hills – The newest addition to Chino Hills’ is for the dogs. After more than a decade of discussion and planning, Vila Borba Park – the city’s first ever off-leash dog park – is now open to the public.

A fanfare of nearly 200 people and their furry four-legged friends gathered at the grand opening ceremony Dec. 18.

City officials and community members snipped the official red ribbon but it was Sparky the Fire Dog and McGruff the Crime-Fighting Dog that made the “leash cutting” ceremonies complete for all dogs in attendance.

The 5.6-acre park is located south of Pine Avenue west of Butterfield Ranch Road at 17001 Amadora Drive. It offers a fenced in space for both big and little dogs to roam freely. The park comes equipped with convenient dog waste stations and dog-appropriate water fountains. There is also a Tot Lot play area for children, picnic areas, exercise stations, and walking paths. The park will be open from 7 a.m. until dusk each day.

City officials say it’s free and open to all dog owners, though there are a few rules. Dogs must be at least four months old and non-aggressive, and owners are asked to keep a leash with them at the park – though dogs can be unleashed within the fence.
City officials say the park has been more than a decade-long project. The concept of a dog park in this city was first addressed in March 2000 by the Parks and Recreation Commission, through a community engagement process, according to the city’s staff report.

Developer’s Standard Pacific presented plans for its new 200-home project to the city council and offered to incorporate a dog park. Standard Pacific built the dog park at no cost to the City as part of their requirement to provide park space.

Residents of the city also rallied behind the cause by starting the nonprofit Dog Park for Chino Hills. The group’s next fundraising efforts are to install commemorative bricks in a section of the park.

Photo Courtesy: City of Chino Hills
City officials, local legislators and community members join in the ribbon cutting ceremony at the Tot Lot children playground at Vila Borba Park.

Photos by San Bernardino County Sheriff – Chino Hills Station
Stolen vehicle and items recovered by Chino Hills Sheriff’s deputies.

By Sara Cipollone

Chino Hills – Two Riverside County men were arrested on Sunday, Dec. 20 by the Chino Hills Sheriff’s Station in response to a service call regarding a vehicle burglary.
On Sunday morning, the Chino Hills deputies responded to a call reporting a vehicle burglary in progress. Adam Rudolph, 23, of Riverside and John Gillespie, 26, of Menifee were arrested in relation to the report.
The reporting party provided police with a description of the suspect vehicle and the last known direction of travel, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Deputies set up a perimeter and conducted a traffic stop on the suspect vehicle on Rock Springs Drive, just west of Oakland Way.
Police found several stolen items inside the suspects’ vehicle which link them to an ongoing investigation involving numerous victims throughout the city of Chino Hills.
Rudolph and Gillespie were identified during a lineup and booked at West Valley Detention Center for burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, and possession of stolen property.