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- 1. Web >> Enterour Halloween pet costume contest. http://bit.ly/PETS1031 0 40901 07507 3 By Beau Yarbrough beau.yarbrough@langnews.com @LBY3 on Twitter Homecoming weekend also featured the other big commercial event in the Trona calendar: the 74th annual Gem-O-Rama, sponsored by the Searles Lake Gem and Mineral Society. Jim Fairfield, co-author of the book “Around Trona and Searles Valley,” and his wife have run the show in recent years. “In the last probably 20 years, it’s grown about six-fold in size and attendance,” Fair- field said. He estimates more than 4,000 people attend the show, based on the number of cars driving out onto Searles Lake during the mine tours. “It’s a solution mine, so there’s no open Gem-O-Rama: Show attracts crowd from around nation to community named for soda ash crystals PHOTOS BY MICAH ESCAMILLA — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Eliyah Ivey, 2, of Ridgecrest dances during a street dance party on a Friday earlier this month in Trona. The dance party was part of the homecoming and alumni weekend celebration that draws a loyal crowd of fans to the High Desert community. Homecoming princesses await a coronation event at Trona High School in Trona. Like many others, the tiny community has fallen onto hard times, but enthusiasts see a chance for rebirth in tourism. By Beau Yarbrough beau.yarbrough@langnews.com @LBY3 on Twitter “Anywhere else is not Trona,” Sandy Sprouse said. “It’s unique in every sense of the word.” The tiny unincorporated community is on Death Valley’s southeastern bor- der, about 170 miles northwest of Los Angeles and an hour and a half north of the tiny High Desert community of Ad- elanto. Souvenirs sold at the Searles Val- ley Historical Society museum in Trona display a road sign — created to pro- mote a local sign company — that reads “End of the World, 10 miles; Trona, 15 miles.” Wyatt Earp was arrested for claim- jumping here. Captain Kirk met a being who claimed to be God in “Star Trek V,” filmed at the Trona Pinnacles rock for- mations a few miles away. There’s a faint whiff of sulphur de- tectable much of the time, coming from the long white chimneys of the Searles Valley Minerals factory. “It’s the smell of people working, pay- ing taxes, sending their kids to college,” said historian Russ Kaldenberg, co-au- HIGH DESERT FROMTHEASHES Trona: Tiny, remote community working to remake itself after years of economic decline Inside: Look inside to see a timeline of the area’s history. PAGE A6 Lottery.............A2 Obituaries.......A12 Perspectives.A21 Puzzles.............C7 Comics....... Inside Nation............. A16 Sports............... B1INDEX Sign up for local news push alerts by downloading our lo- cal news app and get them on your phone. lanewsapps.com ONLINE Get breaking news alerts sent to your phone UC Riverside medical stu- dents held a health fair at San Bernardino High School on Saturday. PAGE A3 PUBLIC HEALTH Med students offer up health ... The player, coach and admin- istrator who created the Trojan athletic booster clubs died Friday at the age of 99. SPORTS OBITUARY NickPappaswasUSC fixturefor8decades The new miniseries “Wicked CIty” centers around the hunt for a serial killer prowling the Sunset Strip in 1982. SPOTLIGHT TELEVISION Something ‘Wicked’ this way comes to ABC By Jim Steinberg jim.steinberg@langnews.com @JamesDSteinberg on Twitter SANBERNARDINO>> The Santa Ana sucker fish is going home. The endangered fish that is struggling to survive in a section of the Santa Ana River between Rialto and Riverside will be in- troduced into three mountain streams in the San Bernardino Mountains, under a recently pro- posed plan by the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District. Most of the surviving Santa Ana sucker fish in this area are in a 2-to-3-mile stretch of the Santa Ana River between the Rialto channel in Colton and the Mis- sion Avenue Bridge in Riverside. The fish in this lowland stretch of the river face numerous threats, including being eaten by non-na- tive fish such as largemouth bass ENVIRONMENT How local district is trying to save fish Endangered Santa Ana sucker to be re-introduced to SB Mountains streams FISH » PAGE 13 See the full weather forecast H: L: H: L: H: L: 88 55 86 55 86 55 TODAY MON. TUE. >> PAGE A15 TRONA » PAGE 4 “The gem show is a unique show in the world. Nothing else in the world like it.” — Jim Fairfield, co-author of the book “Around Torna and Searles Valley” GEMS » PAGE 6 By Christopher Sherman The Associated Press PUERTOVALLARTA,MEXICO>> Only a day after menacing Mexico as one of history’s strongest storms, Hurricane Patricia left surpris- ingly little damage in its wake Saturday and quickly dissipated into an ordinary low-pressure sys- tem that posed little threat be- yond heavy rain. The hurricane’s most powerful punch landed on a sparsely pop- ulated stretch of Mexico’s Pacific Coast before the system crashed into mountains that sapped its potentially catastrophic force. The popular beach city of Puerto Vallarta and the port of Manza- nillo were spared the brunt of the violent weather. Authorities were still trying MEXICO’S PACIFIC COAST Megastorm Patricia inflicts little damage HURRICANE » PAGE 14 FOOTBALL Trojans knock off No. 3 Utes at Coliseum Sports DUI CHARGE Fourdeadin homecoming paradecrash Nation+World>> A16 Help meet the growing needs of today’s health care industry through Azusa Pacific’s Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) program. • Gain advanced skills and knowledge for a deeper level of patient care. • Study with passionate faculty-practitioners in a supportive environment. • A Bridge to BSN sequential enrollment option is also available for ADN students. Accredited by CCNE and WASC Apply today! apu.edu/rnbsn Available in San Bernardino at APU’s Inland Empire Regional Center Earn Your RN to BSN and Advance Your Calling A z u s a P a c i f i c U n i v e r s i t y 17787 » sbsun.comSunday, October 25, 2015 $1.50 FACEBOOK.COM/SBSUN TWITTER.COM/SBSUN