🗞️ Riverside News- May 27, 2026
300 units OK'd on scrap site, federal grant sought for streets...
Planning Commission Approves 300-Unit Housing Project on Former Scrap Metal Site
The project would preserve the historic Barley Mills Building and redevelop a contaminated Commerce Street site that operated as a scrap yard for more than 45 years.
City Seeks $14M Federal Grant for Crosswalks, Bike Lanes and Traffic Safety Upgrades
Riverside is pursuing Safe Streets and Roads for All funding that could bring bike lane improvements, upgraded crosswalks and AI traffic cameras to high-collision intersections.
Riverside Educator and Nonprofit Founder Lorna Jenkins Receives 2025 Spirit Award
The City Council honor recognizes her nearly two decades building free tutoring services and community events for Riverside families.
This Week in City Hall: May 25, 2026
The commission takes up stop-data findings under the state's racial profiling law, a complaint policy update, and a look at its first-quarter work plan.
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Latest
Riverside Cleanup Group Expands Into Highgrove and University for First Time
Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful is recruiting volunteers for two Saturday morning cleanups in June across the unincorporated communities.
Riverside Public Library Hosting Events Around George Takei's WWII Memoir This Month
Free copies of the graphic novel are available at all library branches while supplies last.
Riverside Is Making Room for More Riders as Bikes, Safety and Community Converge
From a monthly light ride to a Blue Zones partnership and a federal streetscape overhaul, Riverside's cycling community is having a moment.
Neighbor of the Week: Etta Brown
Neighbor of the Week is a series profiling the hidden heroes of Riverside, doing incredible works of service throughout our different neighborhoods.
All Over It
A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns.
Your June 2 Ballot May Not Be Postmarked the Day You Mail It. Here's What to Do.
The U.S. Postal Service says postmarks are applied at processing facilities, not when mail is collected, meaning a ballot dropped in a collection box on Election Day may not be postmarked until the next day and could go uncounted.
Riverside Arts Academy Mariachi Ensemble Places Third at National Competition
The student group finished as the top-ranked California ensemble at the Tucson International Mariachi Conference earlier this month.
Government
City Enacts 45-Day Freeze on Pallet Yards, Citing Fire Risk
The unanimous vote freezes new pallet storage operations for 45 days as planners draft stricter rules following 29 fire incidents since 2025.
City Moves to Require Advance Notice for Unhoused Drop-Offs
A proposed ordinance would require agencies and organizations to notify the city 24 hours before transporting unhoused individuals into Riverside.
City Proposes 5.7% Fee Hike, Automatic Inflation Increases
A public hearing is set for June 23 on changes that would affect dozens of city services.
City Budget Plan Trims Spending, Taps Reserves to Cover $27M Shortfall
The fiscal years 2026-28 biennial budget relies on cost reductions, reserve draws and one-time fixes to address General Fund and Measure Z gaps.
Events
Stonewall Lives: Riverside's Inland Empire Pride Returns for Its Fourth Annual Festival
The free, all-day event at White Park on May 30 features more than 120 vendors, live entertainment and a former board member taking the stage for the first time.
Vintage Home Tour Frames America 250 Through Five Houses
Five private homes built between 1924 and 1955 open for one Saturday — three decades of American life, told through the houses Riversiders lived in.
More Than Flowers
Blue Zones Riverside and the county's health community are coming together this Mother's Day to remind us that supporting moms is a year-round practice.
Riverside Nonprofit NORA Marks Denim Day With Community Event April 29
Banner Bank is partnering with the sexual assault resource organization for a solidarity gathering at its Riverside branch.
History
"Buffalo Heart": A Short Biography of Jonathan Tibbet
Known to tribal communities as "Chief Buffalo Heart," Jonathan Tibbet spent his life advocating for Native sovereignty at a time when the government called it insubordination.
When Magnolia Avenue Was Riverside's Showcase of Homes
The horticulturists and entrepreneurs who settled the boulevard in Riverside's citrus heyday left behind a neighborhood and a legacy.
Palms, Presidents and Pepper Trees
The story behind Magnolia Avenue's grand design, its presidential cross streets and the settlers who made it Southern California's most celebrated boulevard.
Still Standing: Post 79's Clubhouse Turns 100
Built on land donated by a Riverside mayor, the American Legion's Lake Evans home has served veterans for a century.
Art & Entertainment
The God Who Learned to Feel: 'Hadestown' Comes to The Fox
'Hadestown' actor Nickolaus Colón on why the ancient myth of Hades still moves modern audiences — and why two nights at The Fox are worth clearing your calendar for.
Opera Returns to the Inland Empire
After five years of dormancy, Riverside Lyric Opera marked its revival with a sold-out gala concert at UCR's University Theatre - complete with a surprise proposal.
Kadir Nelson Finds Joy, History and Inclusion Through Basketball
The award-winning author and illustrator explores basketball's history and its power to bring people together in his new book "Basket Ball: The Story of the All-American Game"
Community Musicians Join Students in UCR Orchestra Concerts
The 70-member ensemble features Mozart, Bizet and Mexican folk traditions with tickets starting at $6.