Compiled by: Evan Ismail, SSW and Andreas Rauch, SSW


UCR carjacking suspect arrested

On Tuesday, Jan. 11 at 3:05 p.m., UCPD sent a mass text message to UCR students warning of two attempted carjackings by a suspect in the Bannockburn area.

The suspect was described as a Hispanic male about 25 years old with a shaved head wearing a blue, striped shirt.

The first incident occurred at 1:30 p.m. when a female UCR student reported that a man tried to steal her car in the parking lot of Bannockburn Village Apartments. Another incident at 2:43 p.m. involved the suspect trying to gain control of another vehicle, also belonging to a female UCR student, at the University Plaza Apartments on Linden St. In both instances the suspect was unable to steal the vehicle and fled on foot.

Around 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 11, police arrested Antonio Martinez, 25, of Riverside by Campus View Dr. and Celeste Dr. near the intersection of Watkins Dr. and Blaine St.

Martinez faces two counts of attempted carjacking, two counts of attempted robbery, resisting arrest and violating parole. Martinez is being held at the Riverside Robert Presley Detention Center without bond.  

Inland Empire economy ends 2017 on a high note

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

UCR School of Business end-of-year reports indicate that the Inland Empire’s economy ended the year with a strong showing. The UCR School of Business Center for Economic Forecasting and Development’s December 2017 Regional Intelligence Report indicated a number of positive developments in the regional economy.

Employment in the Inland Empire increased double the statewide average, with a 3 percent increase noted in contrast to the California average of 1.5 percent. Wages also increased, with the regional average of $45,000 up 6.5 percent from the past year. Although this increase lagged behind California’s average of 7.7 percent, it still stands ahead of the national average of 5.7 percent. Unemployment was down 0.6 percentage points from the past year, to 4.7 percent as of Oct. 2017.

These positive developments are expected to continue in the new year, although they will be limited in potential growth by a local housing shortage. Increases in the profitability of several sectors including the leisure and hospitality, healthcare and education and the transport and warehouse sectors will drive the ongoing industrialization of the region.