The House of Representatives passed President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package today, sending the legislation to the president’s desk for his signature. Now that it’s passed both chambers of Congress, President Biden is expected to sign it on Friday, meaning relief payments could hit Inland Empire residents’ bank accounts in the next few weeks. The bill includes another set of direct aid payments to Americans in the form of relief checks for people who meet certain income

Today on Inland Edition, Lillian Vasquez speaks with Julie Baker, Executive Director of Californians for the Arts. Julie talks about the $50 million dollars in California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grants now available for non-profit cultural institutions. She shares who can apply and how some of the grant funding might be used to help with opening things up, for the benefit of all small businesses in the state of California. For more information, visit arts.ca.gov and careliefgrant.com

According to the latest state metrics, San Bernardino County is one week away from reopening more indoor businesses on March 17. The county’s 6.7% adjusted case rate, 3.2% positivity rate and 4% health equity metric, or the positivity rate in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, have qualified it to advance to the red tier of the state’s re-opening blueprint. Barring any dramatic changes over the next week, businesses like dance studios, gyms, fitness centers and movie theaters, will be

Some elementary school students began a return to classrooms Tuesday as the Riverside Unified School District started to reopen schools. To start, students will be in the classroom one day a week, but this hybrid in-person and virtual learning approach could advance to a twice a week as pandemic conditions improve. Inland News Today reports, that continued improvement means middle and high school students may be able to return to in-person instruction as early as March 29. When schools return to

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has arrived in the Inland Empire, which means the new vaccine will be available at both Riverside and San Bernardino County vaccination sites later this week. Riverside University Health System’s Dr. Geoffrey Leung told his board of supervisors this influx of new vaccine supply means all appointments for county run vaccination sites are now open to both first and second dose appointments. Up until now most sites in Riverside County were limited to first dose

The Environmental Education Collaborative , a nonprofit which seeks to advance environmental education in the Inland Empire, is holding a 2021 art contest with the themes of air and justice. The 2021 Environmental Art Contest is for pre-kindergarten through 12 th grade students and adults. Applicants must address one or both themes in one of three areas: visual art, writing, or video, which can include spoken word performance and music. Mary Borobia Walls, Vice Chair of the Environmental

The coronavirus pandemic has had a mixed impact on credit card debt in the Inland Empire. According to Inland News Today , consumers in San Bernardino, Fontana and Ontario repaid millions of dollars in debt in 2020, but people in Riverside, Rancho Cucamonga and Moreno Valley increased their debt. That list comes from a WalletHub report that shows average credit card debt in Inland Empire cities stands at nearly $15,000. Nationally the average household balance is $8,000. The WalletHub report

The San Bernardino City Unified School District announced today that its students will stay closed for the remainder of the school year. KVCR’s Megan Jamerson has more on the decision. Citing concerns over the high COVID-19 infection rates within the district’s boundaries, administrators have decided to keep its 48,000 students in distance learning. The latest county data shows the city of San Bernardino’s daily new case rate is in the widespread risk category. All district schools and