Raincross Gazette founder and publisher Justin Pardee (center) receives the Chairman's Award from the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce at their inaugural annual dinner. Pictured with Chamber Chairman of the Board Jennifer Binkley (left) and President/CEO Nicholas Adcock (right). (Michael J. Elderman)
Friday Gazette: April 10, 2026
Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday! Wednesday night, I received the Chairman's Award from the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce at their inaugural annual dinner. And I want to tell you why that was so meaningful to me.
First, the award was selected and presented by Jennifer Binkley, President/CEO of Altura Credit Union. Altura was the Gazette's founding annual advertising partner. Before anyone else took a chance on a scrappy digital newsroom, Altura did. They signed on as our first Community Pillar partner and they are still with us today. The Gazette would literally not exist without their early belief in this work, and receiving this award from Jennifer, who leads an organization as deeply invested in this city as Altura, made the moment that much more meaningful.
Second, California Baptist University president Dr. Ronald Ellis, was honored as Citizen of the Year. Dr. Ellis himself was one of the first ten Riversiders to become a paid supporter of the Gazette back in December 2020 and CBU was our second annual advertising partner. Dr. Ellis's leadership has not just made massive impacts on Riverside, but directly contributed to continuing the Gazette's efforts.
In 2020, I decided it was a great idea to start a newspaper; and to deliver it only by email, so people can't even call it a newspaper! It was the sixth major pivot in my career, and people told me I was crazy (they were right). But I had spent the first 20 years of my professional life watching Riverside get defined by people who don't live here, by headlines written by newsrooms that don't know us. I still believe: Riverside deserves better than that. We deserve a newsroom that wakes up every morning thinking about this city the way we do.
The timing of this honor is extra special. As you know, earlier this week the Gazette crossed 15,000 total subscribers. One out of every 16 adults in Riverside looks to their inbox every morning to find out what's happening in their city. You're showing up to council meetings. You're discovering new businesses. You're filling seats at events you didn't know existed until you read about them here.
Here's what five years of this work has taught me: quality local news is economic development. When people know what's happening in their city, they engage. They show up. They spend money. They invest. They stay. In a world actively being divided by profiteering algorithms designed to keep us in scarcity, comparison, and outrage, a connected local community is precious, and a competitive advantage for Riverside.
Building this newsroom has been the single most difficult work of my professional life, and I am still committed to not just building the newsroom Riverside deserves but to becoming the single most transformative business in the history of this city. Yep, I just said that, and I mean it.
We're five years in, and we're just getting started.
The Mapping Company Next Door: How Esri and UCR Shaped a Global Industry from the Inland Empire
A free public summit on April 15 celebrates the half-century partnership between the Redlands-based tech giant and UC Riverside.
UCR Chancellor S. Jack Hu and Esri founder Jack Dangermond will appear together at the UCR University Theatre on April 15 for a free public conversation on GIS innovation. (Stan Lim/ UC Riverside)
UCR and Redlands-based Esri are deepening a 50-year partnership — and hosting a free public conversation Wednesday to mark it.
Why it matters: The event is open to all, and organizers say the goal is to position the Inland Empire as a global center for GIS innovation — a field that shapes everything from urban planning to public health decisions.
Driving the news: Chancellor S. Jack Hu and Esri founder Jack Dangermond will talk Wednesday, April 15, at UCR's University Theatre — the first public summit of its kind for the two institutions.
Workshops on GIS research and education at UCR precede the 2 p.m. conversation.
The backstory: The relationship traces to the early 1970s, when a small Redlands startup used UCR's mainframe to run early mapping software. That startup became Esri — now a global GIS leader with 5,000+ employees and offices on four continents.
By the numbers: About 190 UCR alumni work at Esri today; the company hires 6–12 UCR interns at any given time. UCR launched a Geospatial Analysis minor this year, with a full major pending approval.
What's next: Wednesday, April 15, 2–3:30 p.m. at UCR's University Theatre. Free and open to the public — registration required.
Riverside Celebrates Earth Month With Bugs, Blooms and New Social Circles
Free and low-cost events across the final two weeks of April celebrate the environment, community and the science of living longer.
A young visitor poses with a large recycled-metal insect sculpture at a past Riverside Insect Fair in Downtown. (Courtesy of the City of Riverside)
Riverside's April calendar is loaded with free events, from insect races to home garden tours — here's a sampling.
Why it matters: Earth Month in Riverside runs all April, and most events are free and open to the public, making it easy to get outside and connect with neighbors.
The lineup:
Blue Zones Project Riverside: Moai Launch Party — Saturday, April 18 at Riverside Municipal Airport. Free event celebrating the launch of 20+ new Moais — small social support circles rooted in an Okinawan longevity tradition. Features music, açaí bowls and giveaways while supplies last.
Riverside Insect Fair — Saturday, April 25, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. at the Main Library, 3900 Mission Inn Ave. More than 50 vendors, cockroach races, live entertainment and a butterfly tent from the Museum of Riverside. UCR entomology grad students will staff their own booths. Free admission.
Riverside Community Flower Show and Garden Tour — Saturday–Sunday, April 25–26, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. at the Riverside Elks Lodge. Displays from the Raincross Rose Society, local orchid and iris societies and UCCE Master Gardeners, plus a craft fair. Free. Self-guided tours of six private home gardens available for $10 (free for ages 16 and under), 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Plant Bingo at Riverside Airport — Wednesday, April 22 (Earth Day), 10 a.m.–noon in the Airport Terminal Lobby. Free bingo with plants and flowers as prizes while supplies last. Seating is limited.
Meet this week’s featured furry friend from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Dedicated to eliminating pet homelessness, the center provides compassionate care and facilitates adoptions for animals in need of loving homes. Find your new companion and help support their mission of humane care and responsible pet ownership.
Tilly is a 5yr old Doberman mix with a gentle nature and an unbreakable spirit. After losing a hind leg earlier this year, she’s adjusted incredibly well and continues to grow more confident every day. While spending time in a foster home, Tilly proved to be an easy companion, walking nicely on leash, settling in comfortably, and enjoying being near people. She’s sweet, friendly, affectionate, and ready to bring her calm, loving presence into her new home. Come meet Tilly and all the adoptable pets at the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in person. Stop by any day except Tuesdays, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., or learn more at petsadoption.org. Alumni Update: Crosby (right) was adopted. 🥳
La Sierra University's women's flag football team is among six programs competing for a spot in the GSAC's inaugural Women's Flag Football Championship, a two-day event April 16–17 at the Arizona Cardinals' flag football facility near State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
UCR Writers Week returns May 5–8 for its 49th year as California's longest-running free literary festival, featuring 11 authors including Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen and MacArthur Fellows Jonathan Lethem and Ilya Kaminsky.
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