Persimmons ripen on the branch in a local backyard, their orange glow catching the afternoon light. The fruit and changing leaves signal fall's arrival in Riverside. (Renee Hill) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? Share it with us and help celebrate the beauty of our community!
Thursday Gazette: November 13, 2025
Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday! Today is World Kindness Day, and the RMC Charitable Foundation is marking the occasion by launching their "Kind Moments Begin With You" Giving Drive, running now through December 5.
The campaign invites our community to donate comfort items like blankets, beanies, and gloves, care essentials like hygiene kits and diapers, or financial contributions to support local seniors, youth, and unhoused neighbors.
Drop off donations at any Riverside Medical Clinic location or the RMCCF office through December 5, or give virtually through their Amazon Wish List or online at rmccf.org. All donations will benefit local organizations including the Janet Goeske Foundation & Senior Center and Path of Life Ministries.
Every act of kindness has a ripple effect. Today's a perfect day to start one.
Riverside Police Cite 57 Violations in Commercial Truck Checkpoint
The enforcement action on Central Avenue targeted trucks illegally using city streets as freeway shortcuts.
Riverside police vehicles and motorcycles line Central Ave. during an October checkpoint targeting commercial trucks illegally using city streets as freeway shortcuts. (Justin Pardee)
Riverside police cited dozens of commercial truck drivers during an October checkpoint on Central Avenue, targeting heavy vehicles illegally using city streets as freeway shortcuts. Officers inspected 16 commercial vehicles and issued 57 citations for violating municipal code restrictions on three-axle trucks.
Driving the news: The enforcement action responds to years of resident complaints about logistics trucks damaging roads, creating safety hazards, and causing ground tremors that shake homes in affected neighborhoods.
Officers also found violations for improper air brakes, bald tires, and one unlicensed driver. One commercial vehicle and trailer was towed.
Why it matters: Riverside Municipal Code prohibits commercial vehicles with more than three axles from operating on eight designated street segments, except when making deliveries on those specific blocks. Residents say 80,000-pound trucks are deteriorating road surfaces and creating conditions unsuitable for the underlying soil.
"When these large, heavily-laden trucks go by they actually create ground tremors akin to small 1.5-2.0 magnitude earthquakes," says Duffy Atkinson, a Victoria Area Neighborhood Alliance organizer who has filed complaints for eight to 10 years.
What's next: The City Council's Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee unanimously voted October 15 to recommend increasing fines from $100 to $1,000. The proposed ordinance has not yet been scheduled for a full City Council vote.
RPD Lt. Adam LeVesque argues the current $100 fine "does not serve as a meaningful deterrent," with operators viewing it as a "cost of doing business."
The bottom line: Residents can report traffic concerns by calling 311 or using the mobile app.
UPDATED: Emergency Food Network Mobilizes as SNAP Benefits End for 46,000 Riverside Households
City approves $100,000 in emergency funding while churches and nonprofits expand services.
Volunteers direct traffic during a drive-through food distribution at Feeding America Riverside San Bernardino. (Courtesy of FARSB)
Since we published our emergency food resource guide last week, our community has truly stepped up. We've been heartened by the response from readers who've contacted us with updates, corrections, and additional resources to help our neighbors in need. Your input helps us ensure that everyone who needs assistance can find it, and that those wanting to help know exactly where their donations and volunteer hours will make the biggest difference. We've updated our guide with corrected hours for Our Lady of Perpetual Help, added Trinity Lutheran Church's comprehensive weekly services (they've been quietly serving our community since 1893!), and included Path of Life's specific food drive needs. Thank you for helping us keep this vital information accurate and complete. In times like these, it's clear that Riverside takes care of its own.
Riverside Community College District Partners with Phenix Gateway on Job Training Program
The initiative will help neurodivergent students and those with developmental disabilities transition to employment starting in November.
Employees collaborate at Phenix Technology's Riverside facility, where the company's award-winning "Opportunity for All" program employs a 30% neurodiverse workforce. (Courtesy of Phenix Technology)
Phenix Gateway and Riverside Community College District are launching a job readiness program in November 2025 to help neurodivergent individuals and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities secure meaningful employment.
Driving the news: The program addresses a critical employment gap, as only 22.7% of people with disabilities are employed as of July 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those who do work earn 31% less on average than their non-disabled peers.
Phenix Gateway has placed more than 80% of previous program participants into full-wage jobs through partnerships with local schools, workforce agencies and employers.
How it works: The program operates through RCCD's PACT (Promoting Achievable College Transitions) initiative, which helped 163 autistic or neurodiverse students transition to college after high school in its pilot year.
PACT also supported 35 returning students, all of whom are taking courses this fall at a District college.
Why it matters: "By investing in neurodivergent and differently-abled learners, we are investing in a more compassionate, equitable, and capable workforce—one that values the diverse strengths of every individual," says Dr. Wolde-ab Isaac, RCCD chancellor.
The bottom line: PACT receives funding through the K-16 Inland Regional Collaborative, which builds educational partnerships to support first-generation, low-income and historically marginalized populations.
ABC7 featured community volunteers who independently placed flags at Riverside National Cemetery on Veterans Day after the government shutdown canceled the annual Flag for Every Hero ceremony that typically covers 900 acres with nearly 250,000 flags.
UCR researchers partnered with City of Hope to advance "molecular crowbar" compounds that successfully suppressed pancreatic cancer peritoneal metastases in mice, offering hope for patients who currently face a mean survival of less than three months with this devastating complication.
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