In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Riverside Free Clinic is now offering free, virtual mental health services every Wednesday. The University of Redlands Department of Counseling and Human Services‘ counseling students will be offering a range of mental health services under supervision of the university faculty. All the services are free and include individual counseling, family counseling, and training in the form of psycho-education. Janee Both Gragg is the program’s adviser.

With fire season underway, Southern California Edison is offering a series of public meetings online to answer community questions about the utility’s wildfire mitigation plan. Webinars kicked off Wednesday evening. Residents can expect power outages again this year as part of Southern California Edison’s wildfire prevention measures. With stay at home orders still in effect this may present a new challenge for those working from home. “We understand what a stressful time this is and how

Monday through Thursday at lunchtime, Empire KVCR News has your daily news rundown. Stories highlighted today include: Riverside County coronavirus count stands at 5,343 cases, with 3,030 total documented recoveries. Southern California Edison is offering a series of public meetings online to answer community questions about the utility’s wildfire mitigation plan. Governor Newsom announced that pharmacies now will be allowed to collect specimens and order COVID-19 tests. Tourism is taking a huge

May is Mental Health Month, and we have a series of stories about mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now we have an interview with Dr. David Puder of Loma Linda University Health, who is worried about a potential increase in depression and suicide as a result of the pandemic and its economic fallout. As a warning, this story does talk extensively about suicide. Here’s KVCR’s Benjamin Purper in conversation with Dr. Puder. You can hear more of Dr. Puder’s work on the Psychiatry &

Lillian Vasquez speaks with Dr. Joe Chaffin, Chief Medical Officer for LifeStream Blood Bank. Dr. Joe Chaffin explains the process of donating blood, why it's so important, and how blood donation centers are keeping facilities safe for donors and staff during the pandemic. For more information, visit lstream.org

Monday through Thursday at lunchtime, Empire KVCR News has your daily news rundown. Today’s highlighted story: LifeStream Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joe Chaffin speaks about the process of donating blood and why it’s so important.

Public comments on budget cuts to a centuries old public institution stretched a Redland’s City Council meeting to nearly eight hours. The council met to discuss a proposed budget to handle revenue losses from the COVID-19 pandemic. Facing a fifteen point seven-million-dollar shortfall for next year’s budget, Mayor Paul Foster led a virtual city council meeting on Tuesday morning. Broadcast online, with city council members calling in remotely, the tone was somber. “Economist projections are

Lillian Vasquez speaks with Dr. Gayani DeSilva, the Behavioral Health Medical Director for IEHP, the Inland Empire Health Plan. Dr. DeSilva talks about mental health and some of the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic. For more information, visit IEHP.com

On Friday, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors rescinded all but one of their own public health officer’s coronavirus orders, effectively loosening restrictions on mandates such as the requirement to wear face masks in public and practice social distancing. KVCR’s Benjamin Purper spoke with Riverside City Councilmember and small business owner Ronaldo Fierro about the Board’s decision and what it means for the city of Riverside. Before last week’s vote, the Riverside City Council voted to

Monday through Thursday at lunchtime, Empire KVCR News has your daily news rundown. Stories highlighted today include: San Bernardino County is partnering with the state to operate new testing sites in the Victor Valley Community. Governor Newsom says the 14.7% national unemployment rate doesn’t represent the true number of those out of work. SoCal Gas is offering up to a 20% discount on monthly bills to the region’s recently laid off workers. A growing number of California businesses are going