City Council will consider a 45-day moratorium on new tobacco retail permits following widespread illegal drug sales at smoke shops and award a $19.7 million contract to renovate the nearly century-old Cesar Chavez Community Center.
This week’s agendas include a Council vote on a 45-day smoke shop moratorium and a $19.7M Chavez Center renovation, plus earthquake prep tips and a water update.
From securing furniture to retrofitting homes and weighing insurance, here’s how Riversiders can prepare for the next big quake—plus an update on California’s latest water bill.
Part two of a series on seeing Riverside through new eyes, Neighbor of the Week Margie Haupt, and an “anticipatingly” good creative prompt.
Sunday Gazette: July 27, 2025
Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday! With a high of 89° today, it’s a perfect day to get outside or enjoy something uniquely Riverside. You can start early with a refreshing Blue Zones Project Riverside hike, dive into local history with The Mission Inn and Riverside’s Citrus Industry tour, or spend the afternoon at Summer Sundays with Sebraé.
However you spend it, we hope your Sunday is restful, connected, and full of neighborly moments.
A series by Anthony Solorzano exploring Riverside through the eyes of a transplant, as the memory of a hometown slowly fades.
Anthony shares why Hunt Park feels like home: During my weekly runs at Hunt Park, there is always something happening. The basketball courts always have kids practicing their layups. The baseball diamond is home to the future of baseball. Soccer teams scrimmage against each other. Couples set up a picnic and lounge under the shade. The people occupying the park give it a sense of comfort that makes me feel like I’ve been using it since I was a kid — it makes me feel at home. At the pace of his jog, a life in Riverside that is finally becoming mine.
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Each week, we will introduce a new neighbor. This is not a who's who list. These are regular Riversiders doing exceptional things.
Margie has called Riverside home since 1999, and from the very beginning, she embraced the city’s unique mix of big-city opportunities and small-town heart. She’s the kind of neighbor who jumps in wherever she’s needed—whether it’s supporting Girl Scouts, volunteering for Special Olympics Southern California, helping out at schools and PTSA events, or lending her time to National Charity League and Sunrise Rotary. For Margie, connecting with people and giving back has always been second nature.
That spirit carries into her work with the City of Riverside, where she leads efforts to make arts and culture accessible and welcoming to all. She and her team help bring everything from public art and local performances to beloved traditions like the Festival of Lights to life, while also supporting projects like The Cheech and creating opportunities for local artists to shine.
But ask her neighbors, and they’ll tell you Margie is just as extraordinary outside the office. She’s the kind of friend who won’t just lend you a cup of sugar—she’ll give you a whole pound so you never run out. She’s thoughtful, generous, and always looking for ways to brighten someone’s day, whether through a kind word, a surprise gift, or by simply showing up when needed.
Margie has a way of making Riverside feel more connected, more creative, and more caring—and our community is better because she’s here.
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A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns.
This week, we’re getting in touch with our feelings to recharge our creative potential. Our creative nudge is a familiar experience this time of year—dreaming of cooler places. Drum roll, please… we’re manifesting our sense of anticipation to provide several minutes of creative inspiration, despite the likelihood of perspiration.
What does anticipation feel like in your body? For me, it’s those fluttering butterflies in my stomach before a book reading. It’s the hum of excitement when I get a text notification that a package will hit my porch today. It’s those long minutes after I’ve ordered my favorite lunch and now all that’s left to do is wait.
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Correction.
The story “Spirit Halloween to Open Temporarily in Future High-End Liquor Store Location,” published July 16, 2025, initially lacked necessary context to fully represent the facts. We are accountable to our readers and welcome feedback that helps us improve. Mr. Patel has purchased the building and plans to open a high-end liquor store in the former Alin Party Supply space. The project has drawn significant community opposition, and it remains subject to official review and approval before any further development can proceed. In the meantime, the space will be temporarily leased to Spirit Halloween as a seasonal retail store.
This week’s agendas include a Council vote on a 45-day smoke shop moratorium and a $19.7M Chavez Center renovation, plus earthquake prep tips and a water update.
Canvas Pizza rolls out a new food trailer, meet Neighbor of the Week Ernesto Rodriguez, and a Creative Prompt on dryer lint.
91 Freeway-Adams Street interchange project advances with 2028 construction on the horizon, and Riverside TV delivers network-quality sports coverage to the community.
This week’s sports lineup is packed with action. Plus, the Mission Inn Museum launches its Halloween season with a dinner-and-cemetery tour honoring fallen officers.
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