PHOTOS of 2012: Images of the Year in Review on Redlands-Loma Linda Patch

A look back at 2012 would be incomplete without focusing on visuals - news photos of the year in the Redlands and Loma Linda area.

Some of the most newsworthy images of the year on Redlands-Loma Linda Patch were contributed by you, Patch users.

This roundup is subjective and not to be confused with the most-viewed news reports of the year. Feel free to point out what photos you believe were left out, and as ever, you are invited to upload your photos directly to this report.

In January 2012, Redlands residents gathered to pray for justice and the arrests of whoever fatally shot two teens near the Cinnamon Creek Apartments in January 2011.

In mid-January, the Loma Linda Academy basketball teams fought hard in games against Linfield Christian. The boys squad lost, but the girls defeated the Lions.

In early February 2012, Angeles National Forest biologist Ann Berkley submitted a photo of bighorn sheep viewed through a scope at South Fork of Big Rock Creek in the San Gabriel Mountains, to illustrate the need for volunteers in the annual bighorn count.

In mid-February, the Caltrans chief for San Bernardino and Riverside counties labeled his agency's role in a massive freeway backup in the Pass east of Redlands and Loma Linda a "fiasco" and removed a resident engineer from the project.

Raymond W. Wolfe, Caltrans District 8 director, said in an email obtained by Patch he was "embarrassed and disappointed" by the actions of some of his staff, but said he took "full responsiblity."

Patch had exclusive photos of the 20-mile logjam, which were published by LA Observed and the Los Angeles Times.

Also in February, RHS fought hard but fell to Dana Hills in the second round of the Division 1 girls soccer CIF-Southern Section Ford Championships.

In early March, thousands of youth baseball players and their families packed Community Park for opening day ceremonies, and the Citrus Valley girls soccer won a CIF Title, the first for a team in the school's three-year history.

In late March the 28th Redlands Bicycle Classic got under way in with a prologue in Redlands and shifted to Beaumont for road racing.

In April 2012, Redlands police held a joint press conference with the U.S. Attorney's Office, the DEA and San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department to announce the bust of a drug trafficking ring.

In early May, the campaign for James Ramos, candidate for county supervisor in the Third District, released part of a letter from the Fair Political Practices Commission stating his disclosure of economic interests are appropriate. Redlands-Loma Linda Patch tracked down Ramos at a fundraiser for a photo showing him with District Attorney Mike Ramos, who endorsed his campaign.

Also in May, Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers performed at Mill Creek Cattle Co. in Mentone.

In mid-May, residents from the Redlands-Loma Linda area were among hundreds who took part in the 8th Annual SBSD Mud Run, hosted and organized by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. City of Redlands officials have discussed hosting a mud run in 2013.

In early June, firefighters with Engine-Medic Squad 261 and AMR Redlands Division responded to the YMCA at 500 East Citrus Avenue in Redlands, where a woman was injured.

Also in June, a young soldier from Yucaipa was laid to rest in peace in spite of an extremist Kansas church's threat to protest and 'preach' their message near Yucaipa Christian Church. They did not make a public appearance anywhere near the memorial service for Army Pfc. Nathan Tyler Davis.

In July, some people tried to beat the heat by visiting Big Falls in Mill Creek Canyon. Emily Barton, 17, of Calimesa, and Morgan Kopitsky, 17, of Yucaipa, said they walked up to the base of the falls to "get out of the house."

Also in July, more than 250 people attended a City of Redlands public hearing on the proposed Walmart Supercenter. The hearing was held at Citrus Valley High to accomodate the crowd.

In late July, a fire broke out in the Outer Highway 10 area in Yucaipa and spread quickly into Redlands, prompting temporary evacuations of homes on Knoll Drive. A Patch user submitted one of the most newsworthy photos of the year.

In early August, the president of the Citrus Research Board, stating he represents all growers for a $2 billion statewide industry, came to Redlands to warn residents of the minute Asian Citrus Psyllid insect that can spread the tree-killing disease Huanglongbing.

Also in August, people came to Redlands from places including north San Bernardino, Highland, Yucaipa, Beaumont and Indio to line up for chicken, after former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister, declared a "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day."

A few days later, the Redlands-area Sikh community held a vigil to support victims of shooting at a temple in Wisconsin. City councilmembers were among those who joined scores of local Sikh residents at Orange Street and Redlands Boulevard.

Later in August, a day after hard rains unleashed boulders, mud and logs in Mill Creek Canyon, a rattler was trying to catch rays near Big Falls, and volunteers with the San Gorgonio Wilderness Association and the Wildlands Conservancy held a Forest Fest at Barton Flats.

In September, fire crews from Redlands and Mentone responded to a blaze possibly sparked by lightning in the Mill Creek-Santa Ana River wash. Hundreds of residents in the rural citrus neighborhood, mixed with dense, new housing tracts, watched aircraft and ground crews battle the blaze for several hours.

In early October, a woman boxer named Kaliesha West, who works at Loma Linda University Medical Center, defeated Christina Ruiz of San Antonio, Texas, to become International Female Boxers Association Super Bantamweight champion in Pomona.

On Oct. 19, RHS defeated REV 41-37 for the 2012 Smudge Pot and football bragging rights in Redlands. Redlands High held on to win and improve to 7-1 for the 2012 season.

Oct. 28, women, makeup artists and costume artists flaunted professional-level talent at the Inland Empire Comic Expo's 2nd Annual Zombie Beauty Queen Pageant in Redlands.

In November, scores of people packed the alley outside Augie's Coffee House in downtown Redlands for the IE Zine Fest, organized in part by Ray Duran, a manager at Comic Quest of Redlands.

In mid-December, snow dusted Mill Creek Canyon east of Redlands and Loma Linda, offering a prelude of the wintry weather evident in the region as the New Year arrives.

For more background and detail, see The Year in Review: Significant News of 2012 on Redlands-Loma Linda Patch.

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