A heart-shaped indentation in the rock at Mt. Rubidoux. (Debbie Schwartz) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? Share it with us and help celebrate the beauty of our community!
Sunday Gazette: March 22, 2026
Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday! Today is National Neighbor Day, a good reminder that the people who make this city a little warmer are often right next door. If someone in your neighborhood has been showing up for others — keeping a block tidy, checking on an elderly resident, organizing something small that brings people together — today is a great day to tell us about them. Nominate them for Neighbor of the Week.
See you tomorrow!
🧡
No new paid supporters joined us this week, which makes us all the more appreciative of those who already support us. Your ongoing financial support is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves!
I didn't expect to see my future in a movie theater bathroom line at the AMC in the Tyler Mall – but life has a funny way of revealing itself. A friend shared with me an idea that blew his mind: your future has already been revealed to you. A few weeks ago, I got a glimpse of what fatherhood will look like.
When I first moved to Riverside, the first location I looked for was a movie theater. I was ecstatic to find there was one less than 10 minutes away from my home. Since moving to the city of innovation, I've made the cinema my second home.
It was the first place I was able to get to without the help of Maps. If work was finished early, you bet your butt a ticket was already reserved for a movie at the end of the shift. Anytime my wife and I have some free time, the movies are always the number one option brought up.
Neighbor of the Week is a series profiling the hidden heroes of Riverside, doing incredible works of service throughout our different neighborhoods.
Martha Burns stands in front of her poppy-filled yard at the corner of DeAnza Avenue and Nelson Street in Midtown. (Brenda Flowers)
Every spring, the corner of DeAnza Avenue and Nelson Street in Midtown near the Plaza bursts into bloom. Martha Burns has spent years cultivating a poppy-filled yard that has become a neighborhood landmark — and a sign that she is exactly where she belongs. Martha first came to Riverside in 1990 to begin graduate studies in philosophy at UC Riverside, settling into the city's rhythms with long walks up to the big "C" and the scent of orange groves along the way. "It was like walking through delicious perfume," she recalls. After the birth of her son in 1992, she and her husband moved into family student housing off of Blaine, putting down roots that have held ever since. She went on to earn her PhD in 2000, taught in various area schools, and today works for Riverside University Health Systems, Behavioral Health, in Peer Support Services, Education & Training.
This week, we’re dialing the voltage way down on our creative nudge and turning our attention to something far less shocking but no less able to make their impact felt: the thumbtack.
It’s not exactly the star of the supply closet. If the thumbtack was a co-worker, it would be the one that’s been around a while and can tell you the way things used to be, even when you don’t ask. At home, you probably don’t remember buying them, but there they are, rolling around with spare keys, rubber bands, and a grip of Allen wrenches you can’t seem to part with. However, when needed, they do exactly one thing very well. Not unlike some people I’ve worked with.
Say what you will about the limited benefits of thumbtacks. In my thinking, it may be one of the few office supplies that passes the “name test” with perfect clarity. Thumb. Tack. The instructions are right there. Press with your thumb. It tacks things. No user manual required.
See something? Say something. Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please share it with us.
