Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Ralph Cavallo to Be Honored with Parade at L.A. County Fair

Year after year, Ralph Cavallo has stepped up to the plate for the Upland National Little League. For more than 30 years, Cavallo has volunteered, coached and ultimately served as president for the league. On Wednesday, Cavallo will be recognized as the 2006 Upland Community Hero at the LA County Fair.

Cornerstone of Vivian Webb School Is Service

Working side--side with the maintenance crew, Danae and her sophomore classmates at Vivian Webb School cleared brush, cleaned, planted and painted as part of their school's community service requirement. "One of the cornerstones of this school is service, it's a part of the curriculum," said Marjorie Ludwig, chorale teacher and sophomore class adviser. Every August, prior to the start of the school year, each class meets for a three-day retreat. For the new girls, the retre...

Bonita Alumnus Among Those Who Memorialized 343 'Brothers' Who Perished Sept. 11, 2001

STAFF WRITER "It was a cool fall day. Heavy rain was turning to snow. But no one was whining or complaining, because it was nothing like the sacrifice 343 had made." Scott Barratt, a 1979 Bonita High School graduate and an Escondido Fire Department engineer, spoke slowly and solemnly, weighing his words and examining emotions that deeply affect him even five years after Sept. 11, 2001.

Overwhelming Support to Fill the Boot

Preschoolers and kindergartners handed La Verne firefighters their piggybanks. The little ones couldn't comprehend fully the horror of what happened in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001. But they heard their parents talking and crying. Some saw the horrific images on television of planes hitting buildings and death of a magnitude their young minds couldn't conceive.

9-11 Tragedy Forever Changed Americans' Lives

Catherine Fugitt of La Verne would "start crying at the drop of a hat" for several weeks after Sept. 11, 2001. Jay Fugitt, Catherine's husband and a World War II veteran who served in the South Pacific and the Philippines, has seen the horrors of war up close and personally. But despite the distance between California and New York, the horrific image of burning bodies and the falling towers of the World Trade Center squeezed his heart pretty tightly.

La Verne Firefighters Watched 9-11 in Stunned Silence

A hush fell swiftly and suddenly over a firefighters' training room inside La Verne's Public Facilities Building. Men usually talkative, joking, laughing grew silent, almost not breathing as they retreated momentarily into their grieving hearts. The room was as still as a tomb.

Local Police, Fire Help 9-11 Heroes' Families

They remember exactly where there were on Sept. 11, 2001. As soon as John Sitar, a captain with the Ontario Fire Department, and Stacy Osborn, a grant analyst at the Police Department, learned about the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania, they felt compelled to help in some way.

9-11 Memorial Coming to Victoria Gardens

On Sept. 11, 2001, Dennis L. Stout remembers waking up, taking his daily 5 a.m. walk and coming back to his home. Then there was the horror of watching United Airlines Flight 175 crash into the second tower of the World Trade Center. ''I kept on thinking about people trying to get out of that building and at the same time firefighters and police trying to go up those staircases,'' said Stout, former San Bernardino County District Attorney and former mayor of Rancho Cucamonga. ''I knew that al...

Rc Church Members Reflect On Time Spent Serving at Ground Zero

As Angela Sandoval stood on a ramp overlooking ground zero, her heart sank and her knees shook. ''It felt like life and death. It didn't feel settled there -- I prayed and left,'' Sandoval said.

Pastoral Works

Joe Pastor is used to working with his hands. "After art school, I did commercial art and I wasn't going in the direction I wanted. I wanted to be a fine art painter but I hadn't developed enough to do it, but then I went into something I understood," Pastor said. "My father was a sheet- metal worker and I did that because I knew how to make money."

Pastor Stepping Down but Not Far Away From Service

As a child he knew exactly what he wanted to be when he grew up so after high school Mark Schipul enrolled in seminary to fulfill his calling to become a minister. After 35 years of pastoring, Schipul is retiring from his position as the pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in Montclair where he has served for the past 14 years. Though he is leaving his paid position at the church, Schipul says he will find an area to volunteer in because he isn't retiring from the Lord's service.

$100,000 for Underpriviledged Youth

The Girl Scouts Spanish Trails Council accepted and completed challenge from a nonprofit charity organization and have $100,000 to show for it. In May, the Rose Hills Foundation challenged the Montclair-based council to raise $50,000 for community-based outreach programs and agreed to match the donations dollar for dollar. The council was given one year to raise the money but completed the task in just three months.

Singers Tap Classic Tunes for Seniors

Every Thursday the Rialto Nostalgic Singers gather at the Rialto Senior Center to sing patriotic, spiritual and old-time music to entertain seniors and bring back fond memories that otherwise the seniors themselves may have forgotten. "This is an alternative to loneliness," said Dick Lakofka, volunteer singer. "For a lot of people, this is a bright point to their day, they come out of their rooms not just to be entertained but share positive experiences with each other, almost like...

Family Loss Overshadowed by National Tragedy

Everyone has a story about Sept. 11, 2001. They remember where they were and what they were doing on that fall morning. Barry and Beth Fischer are no exception.

Upland Firefighters and Families Affected by 9-11 Tragedy

Upland Fire Chief Mike Antonucci and Captain John Fowler have a deep respect and understanding for the men at the New York Fire Department. While neither were in New York during the Sept. 11 attacks, they have felt the loss of their "brothers" in their own way. While neither were in New York during the Sept. 11 attacks, they have felt the loss of their "brothers" in their own way.

Pastor Takes 24 People to Help Others During 9-11

In the aftermath of Sept. 11, Pastor David Rosales of Calvary Chapel of the Chino Valley took a group of 24 from his congregation to New York City to aid in the city's enormous recovery effort. After seeing the events of the day unfold on television, Rosales went to church and told his congregation of more than 8,500 that as soon as possible, a missionary group would leave to lend their support and prayers to those who lost so much. Five short months later, in the dead of winter, ...

Trip to Ground Zero Brings Couple Together

Ron Castro, a correctional officer at the California Institution for Men in Chino and a longtime veteran of the Department of Corrections, has seen many things in his career -- not much can bring him to tears. On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Castro said rumors and speculations swirled like ice cream in a blender as to what actually was taking place.

Ellie Graves Recalls Time Spent at Ground Zero

Ellie Graves, a nurse who often worked nights while her children were growing up, had a hard and fast rule -- never wake her in the morning unless it was an emergency. When her phone rang in the early hours of Sept. 11, she awoke completely startled and concerned. She said that the voice on the other end of the phone sounded slightly frantic and it alarmed her. But she had no idea how the events unfolding would change her life forever.

Finding Faith After Sept. 11

Nicolas Espinoza, 39, of Rancho Cucamonga said that before Sept. 11, 2001, he was not a man of faith. Espinoza, formerly of Chino, said he walked to the beat of his own drum and it was not until that horrible tragedy struck the United States that he began to think about turning to religion to help him understand his purpose in life.

Fomrer Lapd Officer Joins Others in Mission

Early in the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Sam Silva, a sergeant at the time with the LAPD, stumbled out of bed and set to work on his computer -- he was telecommuting that day, filling out paperwork. Moments later, he heard his wife, Debbie, cry out from another room, yelling for him to turn on the television. For a long time, he said, he just stood there watching -- stunned.