Tuesday Gazette: June 14, 2026
Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday! Thanks for hanging in there with us during our short break. We're back, and we're kicking things off with something that made our whole week: Riversider Carolyn Bolz sent in a poem she wrote about the Gazette, and she topped it off by becoming a paid subscriber. Here it is, in her words:
Everybody reads
The Raincross Gazette,
Filled with local news
From Riverside, you bet.
And now, I have decided
It's time for me to say:
"I'm a paid subscriber
Starting today!"
Thank you for the warm welcome back!
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GOVERNMENT
Sears Demolition, New Developer Mark Next Steps for Arlington Mixed-Use Project
Bridge Housing takes over residential portion of the long-stalled Arlington Village redevelopment as the city finalizes the project's parcel map.
The long-vacant Arlington Sears building will come down by year's end, advancing one of Riverside's largest redevelopment projects.
Why it matters: If you've watched the empty Sears sit at Arlington Village, demolition means visible movement toward new housing and retail after years of delay.
Driving the news: City Council approved the project's final parcel map in April, splitting the 17.4-acre site into residential and commercial parcels.
- The 14.44-acre residential parcel and 2.93-acre commercial parcel match the development the council approved in 2024.
What's new: Bridge Housing, an affordable housing developer, has taken over the residential portion from Foulger Pratt.
- Bridge hasn't decided what mix of affordable and market-rate units it will build, Principal Planner Brian Norton said.
What's next: Demolition is estimated before the end of 2026, pending environmental remediation and air quality clearance.
- No grocery tenant has been secured for the commercial parcel's planned retail building.
Yes, but: The project's full timeline, affordable unit count and financing details remain undisclosed.
- Seritage Growth Properties still owns the commercial parcel and is seeking a buyer, Norton said.
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COMMUNITY
Zonta Club Distributes Trafficking Hotline Soap to Local Hotels
Volunteers labeled bars with the National Human Trafficking Hotline number and trained hospitality staff to spot warning signs.
The Zonta Club of Riverside gave hotel and motel staff a low-tech tool Saturday: soap bars printed with a national trafficking hotline number.
Why it matters: If you work a front desk at a Riverside hotel or motel, you may now have the hotline number within reach — and training on what to do with it.
What's new: Volunteers prepped hotline-labeled soap and delivered it to local hotels, motels and community centers, then met with staff to cover trafficking warning signs and safe response steps.
- The number to report suspected trafficking: the National Human Trafficking Hotline, 1-888-373-7888.
What they're saying: Zonta Club President Debbie Waltzer said the soap can carry "a lifeline for someone in desperate need."
The backstory: Zonta regularly partners with the i5 Freedom Network and The SOAP Project to bring hotline-labeled supplies to venues considered high-risk for trafficking.
What's next: Zonta hosts a Christmas in July Bunco fundraiser July 25 at 1 p.m. at the Arlington Library, benefiting the club's Charitable and Educational Fund, including RCC's Basic Needs Resource Center. Tickets: $20 per person, $80 per table.
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Noteworthy
Nearly 850 confirmed U.S. cases of the parasite-borne illness cyclosporiasis have been reported since May 1, prompting a UC Riverside epidemiologist to share what he learned firsthand after contracting the illness in 2018.
Student writers and actors marked the 19th year of Playworks with 21 original 10-minute plays performed over two nights, exploring themes like ICE, AI, grief, and love in an intimate black-box theater setting.
La Sierra University constituents elected eight new trustees to serve through 2030, as President Christon Arthur reported a 26% jump in new freshmen reversing a decade-long enrollment decline.
This Week in Riverside
Today
- Volunteer Interest Hour at Riverside Meals on Wheels
- Volunteer Orientation at UCR Botanic Gardens
- River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors at Martha McLean Park ($235)
- Animal Kids Camp - Summer Sessions at Mary S. Roberts pet Adoption Center ($240)
- The Art of Reading & Writing at My Learning Studio ($57)
- Money Money Money at My Learning Studio ($27)
- Study Skills- Test Taking at My Learning Studio ($57)
- Reading Comprehension Group at My Learning Studio ($57)
- Summer Seed Exchange at Marcy Library
- City Council at Riverside City Hall
- Karaoke Tuesday Competition at The Hideaway
Tomorrow
- Riverside East Rotary Club at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern
- Stretch & Dance Class at Janet Goeske Senior Center
- Essay Writing 8th+ at My Learning Studio ($42.00)
- Writing Skills at My Learning Studio ($57)
- About Writing at Janet Goeske Center
- Cultural Heritage Board at Riverside City Hall
- FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA at Community Yoga Center
Save the Date
- July 17: FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA at Community Yoga Center
- July 17: Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting at Zacatecas Café
- July 20: Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200)
- October 7: Fifty & Better Health Fair at Janet Goeske Center
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