Contributed

I often lament my lack of participation in the democratic process in our city, state, and country. I have voted in every election since attaining the age of eligibility to vote but one. There has been participation in unions and some effort to campaign for favored politicians. But has that been enough? How about the issues that can affect the lives of so many and require more research and more action? I now make the time which allows me to become more attentive to the importance of working to strengthen democracy in our country and consider more immediate social issues.

The Mt. San Jacinto College (MSJC) Art Gallery will present an online Art Talk featuring artist Tulsa Kinney from 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26. The event is supported by the MSJC Foundation.

The Mt. San Jacinto Community College District Board of Trustees voted on Thursday, Aug. 19, to approve the development and implementation of a COVID-19 vaccination and testing program. The decision, in response to the increasing cases of COVID-19 in the region, authorizes the district to implement a program designed to further protect students, faculty, and staff against COVID-19 and its variants. The program protocols will be discussed at the next Board of Trustees meeting scheduled for Sept. 9, 2021.

During the course of this investigation, three suspects were identified in the murder of victim, Jamon Hampton. The suspects are Maurice Williamson, 31 years of Riverside, Davonte Rowe, 24 years of Riverside, and DaRon Hooks II, 20 years of Riverside.

During the COVID-19 pandemic months of March 2020 to September 2020, U.S. alcohol retail store sales increased compared to usual trends while food services and drinking places sales decreased markedly during the same period, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. These results indicate an increase in home drinking in the U.S. The findings are published online in the journal Alcohol.