A crescent moon hangs over Riverside as the city's lights begin to fade into the early morning glow, viewed from the top of Mt. Rubidoux. (Luke López) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? Share it with us and help celebrate the beauty of our community!
Wednesday Gazette: April 15, 2026
Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday! Today is World Art Day, a good reminder that not everything in life involves a W-2. Celebrated every April 15, the day is a global nod to what creativity does for us: it sparks new ways of thinking, bridges cultural divides, and yes, it's actually good for your brain. Consider it a little antidote to tax season.
If you're looking for a way to mark it, head to a local museum, pick up a sketchbook, or sign up for a class you've been putting off.
Blue Zones Project Riverside Marks Year One With 4,500 Residents Engaged, 28 New Moais Launching Saturday
From a first-time marathoner to new policies at City Hall, the project's leadership says the momentum is just getting started.
Blue Zones Project Riverside kicks off the Mission Inn Run Training Moai at Fairmount Park on Aug. 3, 2025 — one of the project's first community Moai groups. (Courtesy of Blue Zones Project Riverside)
Last August, Michelle Gaines, a 48-year-old Riversider, showed up to a running group at Fairmount Park with no experience — just curiosity about a Blue Zones Project Riverside program called a Moai. Now, in May 2026, she will run her first marathon alongside friends she met that day.
Hers is one story from what Edwards calls a strong first year — one that has touched more than 4,500 community members, influenced policies at City Hall and prompted changes at several local businesses.
Now, one year into a five-year initiative to make Riverside a certified Blue Zones Community by 2030, the project is scaling up. The model's premise, rooted in research by National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner: only about 20% of longevity is genetic, so change the environment and healthier choices follow.
Sherman Indian High School Inter-Tribal Pow Wow: 40 Years of Resilience and Celebration
Forty years later, Sherman Indian High School's Inter-Tribal Pow Wow is still going strong, and so are the people who made it happen.
Sherman Institute campus. Notice the architectural resemblance to the Mission Inn. Date: circa 1901-1910 (Collection: Sherman Indian Museum Collection Owning Institution: Sherman Indian Museum Source: Calisphere.org)
April 18, 2026, marks 40 years of Sherman Indian High School's Inter-Tribal Pow Wow. The school itself has a longstanding history in the City of Riverside. Named after Congressman James S. Sherman (later Vice President to Taft) for his involvement in securing funding to purchase land on which to build the school, since its inception in 1902 as Sherman Institute, it rolled out many benefits to the city on account of the close partnership Frank Miller, owner of the Glenwood Inn (later renamed the Mission Inn), established with superintendent Howard Hall. The two worked in tandem to develop a successful labor force through the Outing Program, where the children and teens were sent to work for affluent Riverside families and ranches in the Inland Empire and Los Angeles, where students received low wages for grueling labor. While the federal government's intent with off-reservation schools was to assimilate and strip Native youth of their language and cultural identity, Miller and Hall's intent was to capitalize on curious tourists who they believed would travel to Riverside to see real-life Indians being re-educated and creating "civilized" members of society.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) formed these schools for Native children and teens, with the sole purpose to instill an all-American mindset, vocational training in agriculture and manual labor jobs, and Christian religious teachings. At height, the United States federal government funded 408 Indian boarding schools: on reservations, off-reservation, day schools, and some church-run schools. Sherman is one of the 25 off-reservation schools funded and one of four that remain open today. Despite the students being removed from their families and cultural environments, the BIA could not anticipate the inevitable growth of inter-tribal community building being established among the students at Sherman.
City Weighs Distance Limits on Tobacco Shops Near Homes, Schools
Noncompliant businesses could be required to close or relocate within two to three years under a proposed amortization program.
Riverside could soon ban smoke shops from operating near schools, homes, and each other — and force noncompliant stores to close or relocate.
Why it matters: If you live near a tobacco shop, or own one, new distance rules could reshape where these businesses can operate across the city.
Driving the news: The Land Use Committee met Monday and directed city staff to draft an ordinance setting minimum distance requirements for standalone tobacco shops.
The proposal is motivated by both public health concerns and illegal substance sales at some locations.
The proposed limits:
100 feet from residential areas
600 feet from schools
1,000 feet from another tobacco shop
The backstory: The rules would apply to new and existing stores. A two- or three-year amortization program would give noncompliant shops time to relocate or close.
Yes, but: Key details remain unresolved — including how many shops would be affected and what happens when two stores fall within the same restricted zone.
What's next: City staff will return with updated impact numbers and amortization options before the full ordinance goes to City Council.
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