Rialto Ca

After a six-month narcotics investigation, Rialto police detectives on Wednesday announced that their operation has netted 206 drug arrests along with the recovery of 31 weapons and caches of rock cocaine, heroin, marijuana and PCP. An eight-person crime team, which included undercover members of the Ontario Police Department and San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, focused on street sales in the city. Investigators videotaped 108 of the drug buys and arrested two murder suspects.

A 6-year-old girl asleep in the back seat of a car stolen Sunday night in Rialto was found safe the next morning after she awoke in the abandoned vehicle and knocked on the door of a nearby home asking for help. Akyra Hernandez's mother had left her alone in a Ford Escort with the engine running, authorities said. The Rialto woman was escorting her nephew home at 10:35 p.m. when the car was stolen, said police Det. James Massey.

Longtime San Bernardino County resident Angie Consolo knows the history of the often-maligned Rialto police force all too well. In the past decade, lawsuits against the department by its own officers have alleged rampant racism and sexism. Residents have complained of slow response times, dope deals in daylight and drug syringes discarded in the bedroom community of 100,000 residents. But efforts to improve policing in Rialto have been just as controversial.

A portion of the $3 million the federal government spent decontaminating a former weapons site in Rialto will be reimbursed by the landowner and Target, allowing the retailer to build a major distribution center, federal regulators announced Tuesday. The agreements, announced by the U.S. Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency and subject to final approval, require the current landowner, Intercoastal LLC of Long Beach, and Target to pay a total of about $970,000.

A Rialto resident became the fifth Californian to die from West Nile virus, health officials announced Wednesday. Richard Shaddox, 81, died Tuesday afternoon at St. Bernardine Medical Center in San Bernardino. He may have been bitten on the back of the neck by a mosquito when he and his wife were outside for the Fourth of July, health officials said. Meanwhile in Los Angeles, the City Council stepped up its battle against the virus Wednesday.

A Rialto police officer who shot and killed a 21-year-old man while responding to a domestic dispute in February will not face criminal charges, the San Bernardino County district attorney's office announced Monday. Demetrius Swift, who died immediately after a gunshot punctured his heart and a lung, had exhibited a "very belligerent attitude" and presented "a real and imminent danger" to the officer, said Supervising Deputy Dist. Atty.

A Los Angeles-bound Metrolink commuter train collided with a car stuck in traffic at a railroad crossing in Rialto on Wednesday, killing the driver and disrupting train traffic throughout the afternoon. The train hit the car about 2:15 p.m., pushing it more than 400 feet. The mangled car came to rest on the platform of the Rialto Metrolink station, said Lt. Tony Farrar of the Rialto Police Department.

A five-vote margin of victory for a ballot measure that imposes a $10-million utility tax on Rialto property owners has been confirmed by a hand recount, election officials said Wednesday. The measure, which was on the ballot June 3, won with 1,649 yes votes versus 1,644 no votes. Former Rialto Councilman Ed Scott, who contends that the 8% utility tax will hurt city businesses, challenged the results and demanded a hand recount. He paid about $850 for the recount.

The 800,000-square-foot warehouse in Rialto has all the proper pedigrees: easy access to the 10, 215 and 60 freeways, state-of-the-art fire control, secured truck court, spacious parking. It's got the kind of neighbors -- Unilever, FedEx, Home Depot, Energizer -- that show it's in the sweet spot of the nationwide cargo distribution system. The only thing it doesn't have is a tenant.

Rialto Unified teacher Joscelin Thomas knew that her school district was the first in the state to send employees notices that their jobs were in danger. She knew she was particularly vulnerable as a new employee. She hoped she wouldn't get one. "I have a lot of faith. Maybe it won't happen," she said with a smile. Then the vice principal asked her if she had received any certified mail recently. Yes, Thomas said, but the mother of six hadn't had time to go the post office to pick it up.