Today on Inland Edition, Lillian Vasquez speaks with Dr. Denise Woods, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Health Counselling and Wellness at UC Riverside. Dr. Woods talks about California COVID Notify, a smartphone app that notifies the user when they’ve been exposed to COVID-19. Presently, students and others connected to the University of California system are testing this technology. You can learn more about California COVID Notify at The following video provides a visual explanation of the

The General Services Administration, the federal agency that deals with the formal transition process for transfers of power, has informed President-elect Joe Biden that the Trump Administration is ready to begin the process after weeks of stalling. KVCR’s Benjamin Purper spoke with inland Democratic Representative Mark Takano of Riverside. Takano says he’s relieved the transition is now happening, but he feels that GSA Administrator Emily Murphy acted inappropriately in waiting so long to do it

Monday through Thursday at lunchtime, KVCR News has your daily news rundown. Stories highlighted today include: 1. San Bernardino National Forest officials say peak fire season is not yet over and are asking residents to be on guard. 2. San Bernardino County has agreed to pay a $65 million settlement in the Colonies corruption case. 3. California jail and prison inmates scammed hundreds of millions of dollars in unemployment claims. 4. State Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly

Both Riverside and San Bernardino Counties are asking residents to gather responsibly this Thanksgiving as COVID-19 numbers rose quickly in November. At a press conference Tuesday, Riverside County Public Health Director Dr. Kim Saruwatari urged residents to plan "smaller, shorter and safer" holiday celebrations. “So as we get ready for Thanksgiving, we have a choice to make," said Saruwatari. "We can take the precautions being asked of us hoping that the numbers are manageable afterwards, or we

San Bernardino National Forest officials warn peak fire season is not yet over and are asking residents to keep on guard while enjoying the forest this holiday week. A combination of dry vegetation and forecasted Santa Ana winds Thanksgiving weekend means wildfires could still easily ignite and be difficult to control. To reduce fire risks, the forest service will continue to prohibit campfires, smoking, and target shooting. Also, access remains closed for the burn areas of the recent Apple, El

Monday through Thursday at lunchtime, KVCR News has your daily news rundown. Stories highlighted today include: 1. Assemblymember James Ramos holds town hall recognizing survivors of suicide loss. 2. Audubon California mapped how turkeys and other birds will fare under three different climate warming scenarios. 3. Governor Gavin Newsom gave a COVID-19 briefing from his house where he and his family is in quarantine.

As the pandemic rages on, public trust in institutions is down and disparities across society are up. A panel of U.C. Riverside and U.C. Merced social scientists met virtually on November 19 to dig into why. During the two-hour panel they shared the ways COVID-19 is worsening existing inequalities across sectors like health, education and the work force. Several panelists pointed to the question of who has the power in policy decision-making and if they are asking the right questions. “Many

Assemblymember James Ramos, who represents much of San Bernardino County in the California Assembly, held a virtual town hall today recognizing International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s website , International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day is “an event in which survivors of suicide loss come together to find connection, understanding, and hope through their shared experience.” This year’s International Survivors of Suicide Loss

Ontario Christian High School recently became the first in the Inland Empire to start a partnership with the global humanitarian organization World Vision that involves a pen pal exchange with students in Kenya. In a first exchange of letters, 15-year-old sophomore Courtenay Evans received a photo and a note from an 11-year-old girl. This girl from Kalapa, Kenya, will be her digital pen pal for the next year. “So she said that she wanted to be a doctor, that her favorite color was green, then

U.S. Representative Raul Ruiz of Coachella introduced a bill November 18 to increase federal investments in the Salton Sea, a region that continues to grapple with an ongoing public health crisis. In a press release, the office of Rep. Ruiz said the federal government is one of the largest landowners in the area. This is one of the reasons why the bill aims to hold the federal government accountable to its commitment to restore the lake. Air pollution and exposure to toxic chemicals from