City / County News

Riverside will spend $22 million renovating the city’s main library. The building at 3518 Mission Ave. will he retrofitted with a ground-floor auditorium, an area for teens and other upgrades, according to a report in The Press-Enterprise. City Council members voted 6-0 Tuesday to approve the plan, with Councilman Andy …

Hemet has decided to keep its fire department. By a 3-0 vote, the city council Tuesday agreed to leave the department in place rather than contract with fire and paramedic service. The vote, which came after a five-minute discussion, was not a surprise. All three council members present – Mayor …

Riverside County will purchase two helicopters for its sheriff’s department. The board of supervisors voted Tuesday to spend $11.5 million on a pair of helicopters from Airbus Helicopters, according to report in The Press-Enterprise. One will replace a helicopter that crashed last August during a training exercise, the other will …

Riverside County will be able to spend up to $10 million in former redevelopment funds to restore a decaying shopping center in Jurupa Valley. Money for the Mission Plaza project has languished since the state legislature’s decision in 2011 to abolish redevelopment statewide, according to a report in The Press-Enterprise. …

Teachers in Hemet are considering walking off the job. The instructors, who have not received a pay raise in four years, are preparing a possible strike regarding salaries and class sizes, according to a report in The Press-Enterprise. Administrators with the Hemet Unified School District are recruiting substitute teachers and …

The city council has voted to do away with the Hemet Fire Department and contract fire and paramedic services with Riverside County, but that plan has drawn the ire of city firefighters and many in the community. Ultimately, city voters may decide the issue. Who knew a municipal fire department …