WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19
The death of an Ontario dairy worker whose cows crushed him between a gate and a fence four days ago is being investigated by Cal/OSHA, the state agency that oversees workplace safety. Winston Perez, 28, of Riverside was guiding cows into a paddock at Dick Dykstra Dairy a little after 5 a.m. on Saturday, June 15, when he was trapped and killed by the force of the huge animals. Perez died at 4:36pm at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, with family members around him, according to the San Bernardino County coroner’s office. Cal/OSHA spokesperson Peter Melton says no interim restrictions are being imposed on the Dick Dykstra Dairy, and the temptation is to categorize this as a freak accident. But Melton noted in an e-mail that he does not know how unusual the incident is. Thus, the investigation, which Melton says could take as long as six months . . . but would likely be finished sooner. Now that would be unusual.
THURSDAY, JUNE 20
Basketball season: over.
FRIDAY, JUNE 21
The longest day of the year—and I still didn’t get everything done! You?
SATURDAY, JUNE 22
The two buddies had picked out their favorite spot and assembled their tackle box. They’d gotten up so early that their hook was dropped in at 3am, long before the sun had come up. But then a cop came by their little fishin‘ hole—a mailbox in front of the U.S. Post Office on California Ave. in Corona. In an instant, 26-year-old Steve Watson, of Riverside, and 32-year-old Michael Barkdull, of Murrieta jumped into their car and drove away. They didn’t get far before being stopped and detained for illegally fishing. Yes, it is illegal to fish for mail . . . although the technical term is mail theft. “Officers . . . found a string hanging out the mail slot,” Sgt. Kim Velasco said in a written statement. “On the other end of the string, there was a sticky substance, which was used to fish mail out.” Watson and Barkdull appear to be having a pretty successful morning, too. Velasco’s statement noted that stolen mail was found in their vehicle.
SUNDAY, JUNE 23
How much would you pay for a couple of skiing and snowboarding resorts in Big Bear? That’s what the operators of Bear Mountain and neighboring Snow Summit ski resorts want to know. Not that they are necessarily planning to sell . . . although they might . . . you know . . . depending on how much you might pay for them. Snow Summit Ski Corp., owner of the two Big Bear Lake Resorts, has retained investment bank Houlihan Lokey to market the resorts, according to a press release. “H.L. will contact various potential buyers, both within and beyond the ski resort industry, informing them of Snow Summit’s attractiveness as an acquisition,” the release says. They’ve already got some pretty recent ballpark figures. Snow Summit was assessed to be worth $6.14 million in 2012, up from $5.93 million in 2010, according to county tax records. Summit purchased Bear Mountain in 2003 for $200,000, according to county records, and Bear was valued at $5.7 million in 2012. More deets: One lift ticket allows visitors access to both resorts, which are two miles apart and connected by shuttle buses. They are located on a combined 1,368 acres, 438 of which is developed. Bear Mountain has nine chairlifts, and Summit has 11. The base elevations are 7,000 feet and mountain peaks rise more than 8,000 feet above sea level. The area averages about 100 inches of snow per year. In 2006, the corporation spent $6.6 million to improve its snow-making abilities, according to its website, with about 700,000 skiers visiting the resorts each season. During the summer months, Snow Summit caters to mountain bikers and is installing a zip line. A golf course is located near the lodge at Bear Mountain. So? How much would you pay?
MONDAY, JUNE 25
Police offer these tips for avoiding the theft of your mail by mailbox fishermen: Mail letters at the letter slots of a post office or give it directly to a mail carrier. Pick up mail promptly, and never leave it overnight in the mailbox. Don’t mail cash. Ask your bank for secure checks that can’t be altered. Notify the post office when you plan to be out of town so officials can postpone mail deliveries during your absence