It’s almost here! The always-popular Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival will soon settle into the beautiful, sun-drenched landscape of Temecula wine country, bringing with it wine, food and song June 1-3.

In free public lecture at UC Riverside, conservation biologist Michael Allen will explain why anthropogenic impacts on the environment ramify throughout the global ecosystem [May 23]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ranked Riverside No. 9 on the agency’s 2011 list of 25 municipalities with the highest number of energy efficient buildings.

(Source: SWRNN)

Budget cuts to California schools are now to the point where they’re doing irreparable harm, Riverside Unified Superintendent Rick Miller told business and education leaders Tuesday.

Riverside, Alvord and Riverside County school leaders spoke to the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce Business Education Partnership about the effects of the state’s fiscal crisis on schools.

(Source: Press-Enterprise)

April marks the 2nd year in a row that more than 200 local law enforcement agencies and 103 California Highway Patrol offices are cracking down in a month-long effort to reduce ‘zombie drivers.’

(Source: SWRNN)

UC Riverside engineers showcased new technology that allows researchers, regulators and vehicle designers to obtain real-time data on how much pollution a vehicle emits while on the road.

(Source: The Sun)

Shankari Patel is shaking up established thinking about women’s roles in Mayan culture.

(Source: Press-Enterprise)

A letter released by Temecula Valley Unified School District Superintendent Tim Ritter urges residents to come forward and make education a priority.

“What has happened to public education funding in California over the past five years has left all of us shaking our heads and asking how we can continue to provide the current high levels of instruction, support and programs when the state continues to reduce their fiscal commitment to our students.

I am tired of the eroding of public education funding in the State of California, the damage it is doing to the integrity of the opportunities we can provide for our students and the emotional damage it is causing the people within our organization. The education budget for next year is in peril. Governor Brown has proposed two tax initiatives for the November ballot that, if not passed, will result in an additional cut to education funding in the amount of $2 billion (a $10.1 million cut to TVUSD).

The use of education as a political pawn to entice people to vote for tax increases is a tactic that puts student programs and instructional integrity at risk. In addition, it places our employees in a position of fearing for their jobs and or ability to meet their financial obligations as they are once again asked to consider voluntary deductions to their salaries.”

(Source: SWRNN)

On June 10, the trendy food trucks will return to downtown and partake in the one day foodie fest.

(Source: InlandSoCal)