Sunday, July 12, 2026
A ripe Riverside orange glows in the golden hour light, with palm trees silhouetted against a pastel sky.(Rosalyn Anderson) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? Share it with us and help celebrate the beauty of our community!

Sunday Gazette: February 15, 2026

Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday! It's Random Acts of Kindness Week—a perfect reminder that small gestures can make a big difference. Whether it's paying for someone's coffee, helping a neighbor, leaving a kind note, or offering a genuine compliment, these moments of connection matter.

Have a story about kindness in our community? Send it our way at newsroom@raincrossgazette.com. We'd love to celebrate the neighbors making Riverside stronger, kinder, and more vibrant.

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Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Candy Doss, Debbie Johnson, Carol Williams Kisch, and Patricia Verwiel. Your ongoing financial support is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves!

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HISTORY

A Peace Tower Built of Oranges

How Riverside honored Frank A. Miller's legacy with a citrus-covered replica at the 1926 National Orange Show.

Photo of the 1926 Riverside Display at the National Orange Show. Note some of the names of the nations around the top, the replica plaque on the side, and several of the small floats at the base of the tower. (Courtesy of the Los Angeles Times Collection at the UCLA Library Department of Special Collections)

While Miller was out of the country in 1925, citizens of Riverside gathered funds to erect a monument as a testament to Frank Miller and his promotion of World Peace and Friendship. The tower and bridge were designed by Arthur Benton, who was also the architect of the first two wings of the Mission Inn. After Miller returned to Riverside, a special dedication ceremony was held on December 13, 1925. Guest speakers included John Stephen McGroarty, the author of the Mission Play, and David Starr Jordan, the president of Stanford University. They praised Miller and his advocacy of world peace. Miller's response was, "We love this bridge and peace monument. It is a wonderful, beautiful thing. It symbolizes the things we all believe in. I am grateful from the bottom of my heart."

Shortly after the dedication of the Frank A. Miller Testimonial Peace Tower and Friendship Bridge on Mount Rubidoux on December 13, 1925, Charles Rouse, owner of downtown Rouse's Department Store and chairman of the Riverside Chamber of Commerce, suggested to the Chamber of Commerce a display for the Sixteenth Annual National Orange Show in San Bernardino. Rouse proposed an exhibit consisting of a miniature replica of the Peace Tower and Bridge. E. J. Rose, a Los Angeles artist, was hired to design the exhibit. The Tower and Bridge were covered with "luscious golden Riverside oranges." Charles Rouse headed the committee planning the exhibit and was assisted by J. H. Wilson, J. R. Bowden, Ray Wolfe, and Fred Schweitzer.

Read and share the full story...

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OPINION

Opinion - Buses Rock: Lessons From the RTA

A temporary transit rider discovers the kindness, humanity, and connections that make Riverside's buses more than just transportation.

An RTA bus stops at a Downtown station as passengers wait to board during golden hour. (Christal Pennington)

The bus lumbers down University as the air brakes hiss, bus hydraulics lower for easier access, and the noise drowns out the voice calling the bus number and route. It's my first day experiencing the bus while I wait on my car, and I'm a little nervous about what to expect. A student in the back gives me a head nod, quite a sign of respect and communication for a teenager, and a good start. The bus stops at an intersection as a little boy and his mom are in the crosswalk. He holds up his hand, like a seasoned crossing guard, alerting the bus he is watching with all the authority of a 4-year-old. He gets on the bus steps later and says thank you.

At a later stop, a lady with a walker comes on, and the courteous driver goes through the steps to put out the ramp. She is appreciative, he is patient. Many people say 'Thank you', some add 'driver.' Sometimes people recognize each other and have a short conversation to catch up, and in this case, encourage each other.

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CREATIVE PROMPTS

Not a Drill

A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns.

white and gray space heater
(Brian Wangenheim / Unsplash)

This week’s creative nudge does not scrape and whisper underfoot, hoping you might notice it. This week’s creative nudge arrives loudly: BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Another hint? You know it immediately when it wakes you up at 2 AM. You just might not know where it is coming from…that’s right, it’s a fire alarm.

I am genuinely grateful for the people who decided a fire alarm should be as close to the source of the problem as possible. I like knowing something is standing guard while I sleep. I like that it takes its job seriously. What I don’t like is when it goes off for reasons that feel interpretive. No one wants a vibing fire alarm.

Frankly, I didn’t ask for a low a battery notice either. That once-every-minute reminder that something is failing, but not badly enough to justify urgency—just enough to ruin your peace. If a device can tell me its battery is dying, why can’t it replace the battery itself? We’re told artificial intelligence is changing everything, yet I’m still standing on a chair at 11 p.m., waving a broom handle at the ceiling.

Read and share this week's full Creative Prompt...

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This Week in Riverside

Sunday, February 15

Monday, February 16

Tuesday, February 17

Wednesday, February 18

Thursday, February 19

Friday, February 20

Saturday, February 21

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