2007 year in review

Both good and bad, these are some of the stories that made news in 2007. Barstow got a new skate park, a new police chief and a $300,000 fine for a sewage spill. The Tanger Outlets expanded, new tenants moved into the Barstow Mall and hopes for a casino in Barstow all but vanished in the halls of Sacramento. Hinkley continued to fight a proposed composting facility and residents of Soap Mine Road received bottled water courtesy of the city and an order from Lahontan. Sure, there were some disagreements, some concessions, but doesn't Raquel Beezley look great with her Miss California tiara?

January

New Year's Eve shootings leave one dead, two wounded, Jan. 1

Shortly after midnight on Jan. 1, 2007, shots rang out in Sawtooth Canyon. Paul Joseph Dubay, 20, was killed and two other young Barstow men, Richmond Wagner, 20, and James Eichler, 24, were wounded, both recovered.

Later that day, deputies with the sheriff’s department arrested a 24-year-old Apple Valley man, Dennis Carpenter, in connection with the shooting. It is believed that a fight broke out between several people at the party in a desert area off of Highway 247. Carpenter pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and is scheduled to stand trial in February of 2008.

Governor budgets for vet wing reopening, Jan. 12

The Veterans Home of California in Barstow got a late Christmas gift at the beginning of 2007 when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger set aside $2.3 million in the 2007-2008 budget to reopen the skilled nursing wing that would provide around-the-clock medical care for residents.

The state closed the wing in 2003 after the death of two patients due to negligence. It is scheduled to reopen early in 2008.

February

Dual-casino project restarted in state legislature, Feb. 1

Leaders from Barstow were in Sacramento to announce a second effort at pushing compacts through the state legislature that would bring a casino to Barstow. The compacts, approved by the governor in 2005, would allow The Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cuperno Indians and the Big Lagoon Rancheria tribes to build a dual casino in the Lenwood area.

The compacts stalled in the legislature in 2006, but area law-makers started the year confident they would pass through this year. The casinos would create approximately 4,000 jobs in the area and bring in several million dollars to the city each year.

Cortez sentenced to 100 years, Feb. 23

A tearful Paul Cortez said he did not know why he took part in the rape and murder of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and the murder of her family after testimony ended in his trial at Fort Campbell, Ky. The Barstow soldier received 100 years in prison the crimes committed while serving in Iraq in March 2006.

Cortez pleaded guilty to four counts of felony murder, rape and conspiracy to rape in order to avoid the death penalty.

Supervisors approve composting facility, Feb. 28

After hours of testimony, a petition with more than 1,500 signatures and more than 1,000 letters in opposition, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a permit allowing Nursery Products to build a composting facility near Hinkley.

The motion to approve, made by First District Supervisor Brad Mitzerfelt, further regulated the operation of the facility, but that gesture fell on the deaf ears of the two charter bus loads of residents who made the trip down to San Bernardino to protest the facility.

"We feel like it's a death sentence," said Hinkley resident Judy Miller.

Following the decision, plans for a lawsuit against the facility were announced.

March

Kayla Crawford killed in bike accident, March 13

The death of a 10-year-old girl brought the community’s attention to the safety of one of Barstow’s most used roadways. Kayla Crawford was struck by a truck as she attempted to cross Rimrock Road on her way to Bill’s Liquor. The driver of the truck was cleared of wrong-doing in the collision, but it sparked calls for reduce speed limits or a traffic signal.

Jury finds McKinley not guilty of molestation, Feb. 23

Several students testified that former Cameron Elementary teacher, James McKinley, touched them and made them feel uncomfortable, but it was not enough to convince a jury. McKinley was found not guilty on 22 counts of molestation.

McKinley was arrested on Jan. 24, 2006, for suspicion of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old student. Later, more students came forward and levied accusations against the teacher.

"I'd like to hug all the jury," McKinley said.

April

Bush visits Fort Irwin, April 5

He said it has a lasting impact on the world. President George W. Bush stopped at Fort Irwin, toured the training facilities and met with soldiers during a visit which left a lasting impact on many of the post’s soldiers. While at Fort Irwin, soldiers showed Bush an Iraqi village erected in the center of Fort Irwin and some of the training done in the desert to defeat improvised explosive devices. He then took time to meet with as many soldiers as possible during lunch.

Four Barstow officers tender resignations, April 5

Citing moves to the sheriff’s department, four officers with the Barstow Police Department resigned. The resignation caused the city to examine the reasons behind a shrinking police staff and develop strategies to entice officers to stay.

City officials said the resignations would have an impact on the department, and the city changed its recruitment policies, focusing more on locals and hire more rookies to train-up. Others wondered if the sheriff’s department was actively recruiting Barstow officers to leave. The sheriff’s department denied the allegations.

Barstow Police Chief Gibson to retire, April 25

A handful of days after the Barstow Police Department lost four officers to the sheriff’s department, Police Chief Caleb Lee Gibson announced his retirement. Gibson had been with the department for nearly 30 years and chief for four. Gibson said he retired in order to spend more time with his family and that it did not have to do with the department’s staffing problems or an investigation into a member of the department by the San Bernardino County Public Integrity Unit.

May

Two dead after apparent munitions explosion, May 11

The blast shook the ground and could be heard more than a half mile away. Two men were killed inside a small apartment at the Santa Fe Communities mobile home park and apartments when a military grade missile exploded. It is believed the two men were scrapping the ordnance for scrap.

The blast evacuated the trailer park for most of the day and caused the sheriff’s department to crack down on munitions and metal theft in the Barstow area. The metal theft task force made several arrests and helped slow the theft of copper, aluminum and other metals in the High Desert.

City must provide water to some on Soap Mine, May 26

The city had a weekend to provide bottled water residents on Soap Mine Road with high levels of nitrates in their water after an order from the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. The board found the city partly responsible for the elevated nitrate levels in the area because of past spraying of treated sewage on fields nearby.

“The neighborhood is just ecstatic,” Soap Mine Resident Christina Byrne said. “For the people who can’t afford it, they are going to get good clean water. For the people who can, it is just one less expense to worry about.”

June

H&E to close its doors after 55 years in Barstow, June 5

Its founders survived World War II. It outlasted competitive lumber yards in the early days. It rebuilt after a fire in the 1980s. Competition, particularly from a big orange store down the street, finally won out and forced the home-town hero to pack up and leave.

After 55 years of helping Barstow build, grow, fix pipes and air conditioners, H&E, Barstow's home-grown "do-it-yourself" center, will soon close its doors. Company President and CEO Phillip Stein said a significant drop in sales since Home Depot opened last year has pushed the store from its home town.

July

Police chief sworn in early to begin first full day in Barstow, July 3

When the city opened for business at the beginning of July, it’s first woman police chief took an oath and started her day. Police Chief Dianne Burns took over the Barstow Police Department after former chief Lee Gibson resigned in April.

Burns came to Barstow with 20 years at the Los Angeles Police Department. Her most recent post was with a gang unit. Once she started, Burns focused on decreasing Barstow’s theft rates.

City changes course on wastewater contract, July 18

The City Council decided to ditch its previous contractor to build a new wastewater facility and explore another company with an alternative solution. When the city canceled its contract with HDR, it lost $1.7 million already spent on engineering drawings for the new plant mandated by the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Board because of elevated nitrate levels in the water.

Mayor Lawrence Dale said the lost funds could be recouped through the savings garnered by building the plant with MicroMedia. Council members Steve Curran and Joe Gomez voted against the mayor, questioning MicroMedia’s technology, a sand-filtering system with a coagulant that bonds to waste particles.

August

The skate park opens, Aug. 8

When the Barstow skate park opened, hundreds of kids flocked to Dana Park on Barstow Road to ride the new obstacles. The park, however, has been at the center of some controversy in the city. Reports of fights, graffiti and illegal activity at the park has forced the city consider additional security measures. The city has also tangled with skaters over a helmet rule at the park.

Brig. Gen. Pittard takes over at Fort Irwin, Aug. 9

Fresh off of the battle fields in Iraq and a training mission of his own, Brig. Gen. Dana J.H. Pittard took command of forces at Fort Irwin after Gen. Robert Cone left for a new mission in Afghanistan. Pittard has pushed for improvements at Fort Irwin’s training environment in the desert to make the training more realistic.

September

BCC faculty, staff challenge college reorganization, Sept. 15

When the Barstow Community College Board voted to approve a controversial reorganization of college employees, more than 30 students, faculty and staff walked out in protest. Concern parties worried the reorganization would created a bloated bureaucracy and divert resources from the courses at the college.

College President Cliff Brock defended the need for the restructuring, saying it was important to update the college’s management structure.

Casino compacts die, Sept. 18

After failing to pass through the state legislature, the agreements between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and two Indian tribes to allow an off-reservation casino to be built in Barstow expired and left the future of the project in doubt. A second push for the casino in Barstow began at the beginning of the year with optimism but wrangling in the senate stalled the project.

Virgil Moorehead, chairman of Big Lagoon Rancheria tribe, said that the deadline would be its last for the Barstow project and the tribe would pursue building a casino on its Humbolt county reservation, an environmentally sensitive lagoon. Later, documents surfaced showing divisions in the coalition put together to push the casino compacts through. Despite the shortcomings of the projects, supports still hold onto hope of a casino in Barstow.

October

Fort Irwin Road goes one year without a driving death, Oct. 5

There were no traffic deaths along Irwin road during the fiscal year 2007. The road, which connects Interstate 15 with the post and is traveled by more than 5,000 vehicles a day, has not had a reputation for safety. During the two fiscal years before 2007, eight people died in collisions or rollovers on the road. However, a $22 million road improvement project that wrapped up in November 2006 sought to change that.

Newberry Springs man gets nearly 300 years to life in prison for kidnapping, rape of Barstow girl, Oct. 16

A judge sentence Robert Harrison of Newberry Springs to 292 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of kidnapping and raping a Barstow girl in 2002.

City fined $300,000 for sewage spill, Oct. 23

The city of Barstow faced a $300,000 fine from the regional water board for allegedly spilling more than 1.5 million gallons of raw sewage near the Mojave River in May 2006 in the Soap Mine Road area. Even though the city received a check from the subcontractor who operated the plant to pay the fine, the city has not decided whether to pay or not.

The Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board alleged that improper maintenance of the city’s wastewater treatment facility allegedly caused the spill.

November

Jaska Trial starts, Nov. 2

Jury selection finally began for the trial of Joyce and Wesley Jaska, an Apple Valley couple accused of embezzling more than a million dollars from Barstow Truck Parts, perjury and tax evasion dating back to 2001. Both the prosecution and the defense expect the trial to last to the end of March. The trial is expected to start in January.

City Manager contract terminated, Nov. 30

The City Council terminated the employment agreement of City Manager Hector Rodriguez. No reason was given for the departure, but a four-sentence press release from the city said the separation was agreed to mutually.

“Both Hector Rodriguez and the City of Barstow felt that it was in the best interest of both parties to voluntarily end the employment relationship at this time,” the release stated.

Later, a memo surfaced which indicated Rodriguez left after disagreements with the City Council over the bidding process for the wastewater treatment facility.

December

Miss Barstow crowned Miss California, Dec. 4

She’s held the title of Miss Barstow, but now Raquel Beezley is Miss California. The local waitress was named to the state honor after an accounting error was resolved, giving her the tiara.

Beezley graduated in 2004 from Barstow High School, where she was a cheerleader. She was named Miss Barstow in 2004. She said that she will relocate to Los Angeles to prepare nearly full-time for the competition, training that will involve work with a nutritionist, personal trainer, speech teacher, and walking coach, among others.

Beezley will compete for Miss USA honors in April in Las Vegas.

— Compiled by Aaron Aupperlee