The 76-year tradition fills Memorial Chapel with music, candlelight, and joy from Dec. 6-8. This year features the debut of a student composition and an ASL interpreter, enhancing the beloved celebration of the nativity story.
TN Street warehouse fate decided, Community survey results mixed, Final chance to dine at iconic restaurant and U of R get national spotlight
City branding proposal unveiled, local candidate forum set, interview with Esri co-founder, and Citrus Valley ends Terrier Volleyball streak
REDLANDS, Calif. — Redlands is considering a new branding initiative that aims to unify its visual identity and messaging across all departments. The proposed logo and tagline were presented to the City Council on Sept. 17, but council members have decided to seek further community input before making a final decision.
Why it matters: The goal of the new branding is to create a cohesive visual identity across city departments and services, potentially improving recognition and community pride.
Details: Pastilla Inc., the design firm contracted for the project, has been researching the history of Redlands since November 2023. The process included interviews and focus groups with community stakeholders, as well as an online survey that was available to the public for two months in the early part of 2024.
Of the 73,000 residents living in Redlands, only 458 people responded to the survey.
Read more about the proposed logo unveiled at the City Council meeting on Tuesday and the reaction from City Council members and residents here.
Kathryne Mccann
💊 Opioid epidemic settlement: The Redlands City Council has accepted a settlement fund with Kroger Co., marking another step in the ongoing efforts to combat the opioid epidemic. The settlement funds will enhance the city’s Substance Use Navigator (SUN) program and support broader opioid remediation initiatives within the community. The timing of the Kroger settlement aligns with National Recovery Month in September, an annual observance that promotes awareness of mental health and substance use disorders. Read more here.
Stephanie Hastings Miranda
💵 Block grant to support local service providers: The Redlands City Council approved a $331,417 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from San Bernardino County on Sept. 17. The grant will provide funding for local organizations and a senior center renovation project. Read more here.
Kathryne Mccann
🍊 Fourth annual community survey: The city of Redlands is inviting all adult residents to participate in its fourth annual National Community Surve, seeking input on city services, quality of life, and future priorities. Details on the survey here.
Staff Writer
🚧 Alley Paving Improvement Project: Tryco General Engineering secures a bid to rehabilitate five alleys - four in north Redlands and one on the south side - with work expected to finish within 45 days. Read more here.
Kathryne Mccann
Esri co-founder Jack Dangermond introduced his new book "The Power of Where: A Geographic Approach to the World's Greatest Challenges" at a recent Redlands Forum, highlighting the company's 50-year history and the importance of geographic thinking in addressing global challenges.
Dangermond sat down with his friend and historian Larry Burgess to kick off the 2024-25 Redlands Forum season on Thursday, Sept. 5, at the Esri Auditorium.
The book, which combines traditional print with interactive digital elements, explores how Geographic Information System (GIS) technology can be applied to solve complex problems across various fields.
"This book has my name on the front, but it was actually authored by about 50 people," Dangermond said. "It's really a body of knowledge that brings together 50 years or so of what we've been doing here in this organization."
The book focuses on the geographic approach to solving problems and the potential of modern GIS to address humanity's great challenges.
The book, which was years in the making, contains more than 500 maps, many created by Esri users. It also provides a unique look at the early days of Esri, which Dangermond co-founded with his wife, Laura Dangermond, in 1969.
During the Redlands Forum presentation, Dangermond briefly overviewed how geography, cartography and technology work together. He highlighted the widespread application of GIS technology across various sectors, including urban planning, environmental conservation, national security and disaster response.
"Today, its mission, as we describe it, is to create useful technology that other people can use," Dangermond explained. "Not just technology, but useful technology that helps people do their work better."
After Dangermond introduced the book, he and Burgess sat down together and chatted as old friends a bit more about how Esri started, the future of GIS and the value of finding purpose and meaning in life.
Stephanie Hastings Miranda
Redlands residents will have the opportunity to hear from City Council candidates on environmental issues at an upcoming forum on Sept. 25 at the Redlands Community Center.
Why it matters: This forum offers Redlands residents a unique opportunity to hear firsthand how candidates plan to address the environmental challenges facing the city, potentially influencing the future direction of local climate policy.
Details: The "City Council Candidate Forum: Climate Impacts Facing Our City" is scheduled for Sept. 25 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Redlands Community Center's senior banquet room, located at 111 W. Lugonia Ave.
Accelerate Neighborhood Climate Action (ANCA) and Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL) are sponsoring the free event, which is open to all community members.
More details about the forum here.
Kathryne Mccann
🗳 Mail ballot security: Redlands City Council unanimously approved an amendment to enhance election security at ballot drop box locations throughout the city during its Council meeting on Sept. 17. he amendment, made to an existing agreement with the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters, allows for the installation and maintenance of surveillance cameras at three secure ballot box locations in Redlands. Read more here.
Stephanie Hastings Miranda
Redlands High’s 20-match Citrus Belt League winning streak ended with a thud on Tuesday.
Cross-town Citrus Valley stunned the two-time defending league volleyball champion Terriers 3-2.
The scores were 27-29, 25-22, 15-25, 27-25, 15-10.
Redlands’ last CBL loss before this was on Oct. 31, 2021, 3-2 to Cajon. The Terriers finished a game behind first-place Beaumont in the standings that season.
Leading 14-10 in the fifth set, Citrus Valley’s Charlee Willis hit one that Redlands was unable to corral, ending the match.
The Blackhawks jumped and danced and cried after the winning point. A few fell over each other and wound up sprawled on the hardwood. You couldn’t blame their enthusiasm.
“It feels amazing,” said Citrus Valley star outside hitter Makenna Tillman, a senior who led the Blackhawks with 15 kills. “I think our energy and how together we were as a team was the difference. We’ve always been close, but this match we’d make errors, and it was just like, ‘Who cares, let’s get the next one.’”
Read the full article by sports writer John Murphy below.
John Murphy
📌 Sept. 21 - Sip, Sweat, Social by Energy Lab: Discover the power of movement, wellness and community at a free event by the Energy Lab in Downtown Redlands at 10am.
📌 Sept. 21 - Movies in the Park: The city of Redlands is resuming its Movies in the Park series, with the next screening scheduled for Sept. 21 at Brookside Park. Read more here.
📌 Sept. 22 - Community Open House at Asistencia: Redlands Conservancy welcomes Redlands' residents and visitors to historic Asistencia for a free open house on Sunday, September 22 from noon to 5pm. This will be the first opportunity in at least nine years for people to stroll around the courtyard and through the buildings to enjoy the site itself.
📌 Sept. 29 - Art-On-State-Street: Redlands Art Association’s semi-annual outdoor show will be happening Sunday, September 29 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, downtown on State Street. More information here.
📌 Oct. 5 - AAUW Membership Brunch: One of Southern California's largest branches offers multiple ways to advance equity and education for women and girls. Read more here.
More details on these events and more at our community calendar linked below.
Anthony Victoria
Alex Wigglesworth
Nigel Duara
Tuesday night's partial lunar eclipse and supermoon was captured by Redlands resident Dave Card.
A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon, but the three celestial bodies do not align perfectly.
As a result, only a small part of the Moon’s surface is covered by the Earth’s darkest central shadow, known as the umbra. Only the top 8 percent of the Moon was in the full shadow at its peak.
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