Offices loom on Riverside skyline

Today it's a hole in the ground, but in 2009 the northwest corner of Orange and 10th streets in downtown Riverside will be the site of the tallest and largest office building in the city.

The 10-story Regency Tower will cover 250,000 square feet and include a 4,500-square-foot restaurant pad and three levels of underground parking.

Construction loans hammer banks

While the financial woes faced by PFF Bank & Trust (NYSE: PFB) and Vineyard National Bancorp (Nasdaq: VNBC) dominate the headlines, observers say the problems are isolated and other local banks are faring well.

High-tech irrigation control study funded

The Rancho California Water District was awarded a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's water conservation field services program for a demonstration study using a weather-based irrigation controller to improve irrigation efficiency at avocado groves, but local growers are skeptical.