Monday through Thursday at lunchtime, Empire KVCR News has your daily news rundown. Stories highlighted today include: The Riverside Police Department is warning the community about a mail fraud scheme involving letters from the Employment Development Department. Riverside County today moves into the next tier under the state’s four-tier regulation plan to contain the coronavirus, loosening restrictions. The Joshua tree will be considered for protection under the California Endangered Species

The Riverside Police Department is warning the community about a mail fraud scheme involving letters from the Employment Development Department or E.D.D. which handles unemployment insurance. Officer Ryan Railsback spokesperson for the Riverside P.D. says over the last few weeks they have seen an increase in calls about the fraudulent letters, sometimes dozens sent to the same address. “I saw another call today where somebody was calling in saying that they had at least thirty pieces of mail in

The race is on to develop a coronavirus vaccine, but once it’s created, how do we ensure it’s distributed equitably? Este Geraghty is the Chief Medical Officer and Health Solutions Director at Esri, a Redlands-based geographic information systems company. KVCR’s Benjamin Purper interviewed Geraghty about the logistical and planning challenges involved in distributing a potential vaccine and the role GIS mapping technology plays in doing so. Geraghty highlights five considerations for COVID-19

Monday through Thursday at lunchtime, Empire KVCR News has your daily news rundown. Stories highlighted today include: Full containment is expected October 1 for the Snow Fire burning near Palm Springs. On National Voter Registration Day, voters are urged to make a plan. Governor Newsom announced $230 million to create homes for the homeless population to protect them from COVID-19. Wildfires and hurricanes disrupt the final weeks of Census 2020.

I n honor of National Voter Registration Day, clean-elections groups are urging all citizens to take part in our democracy, and they have some tips on how to make the most of the process. Today is National Voter Registration Day – and good-government groups say it's more important than ever. Millions of citizens have not yet registered. So Jonathan Mehta Stein with Common Cause is working to spread the word: Every vote counts. "For a lot of low-propensity voters, limited English-speaking voters,

The El Dorado Fire started by a gender reveal party in Yucaipa has now grown to more than 22,000 acres and is at 59% containment. Almost 1,000 fire personnel are working the fire, which began on September 5 th . According to fire officials, no fire activity is expected in the Oak Glen, Yucaipa, and Beaumont portions of the fire. Evacuation orders remain in effect for residents from Angelus Oaks up to Onyx Summit. Residents of Forest Falls and Mountain Home Village are being allowed through with

A measure on the November ballot would increase state funding for stem cell research on treatments for HIV, Alzheimer’s and dozens of other diseases. Supporters say it’s a needed boost, but opponents call it unnecessary debt, as CapRadio’s Sammy Caiola reports. Curing diseases is hard. It takes a lot of time, and a lot of money. Advocates of stem cell research say there isn’t enough in California’s coffers to fund this important work. Larry Goldstein is a neuroscience researcher who supports

The presidential, and other elections, are just under six weeks away. But making sure non-English speakers and young voters have the information they need to participate in the election is a concern, according to a new study from U.C. Riverside. Between voting by mail and changes to in-person polling places, voters face a different election system this year due to COVID-19. Study author and U.C.R. Professor Francisco Pedraza says it is especially critical to get that information to first time

In order to keep you informed about fires burning here in Southern California, we captured a newscast update from NPR which aired at 8:03 AM Sunday.

Longtime Inland Empire journalist and KVCR contributor Cassie MacDuff and KVCR's Alfredo Cruz review some of the big Inland Empire news stories from the past week, including: The controversial immigrant detention center in Adelanto is set to expand, despite widespread opposition from immigrant rights advocates. The family of a Moreno Valley middle school student who died after being assaulted by two fellow students is suing the district for failing to curb bullying. The criminal case against two