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Weather: 80o/48o | Volume I | Issue XXXI
Real Estate: Property Guide| Page C5
Thursday, January 2 - 8, 2020
B POLITICS
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D SPORTS
Ojeda and Martin continue to flaunt their dominance
Historic Hemet Theater Tribute to Elton John
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See more on page C1 ACCIDENT
MEMORIAL
One final farewell to a beloved Hemet son
Ramona Bowl holds a fitting tribute to Steve Covington MARK LENTINE | EDITOR
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Deadly Hemet fire claims four lives MARK LENTINE | EDITOR
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deadly fire, reported just after 1 a.m. on Friday December 27, at an apartment building at 150 N. Allesandro Street, near Latham Avenue in Hemet has claimed four lives. 8-year-old boy Isaac Moreno died Saturday from injuries he suffered in the apartment fire that killed his father and two sisters on Friday. Investigators said preliminary evidence indicates the blaze sparked by an electrical malfunction related to a Christmas tree. The father, identified as 41-year-old Juan Moreno, initially escaped the blaze with his wife Christina, 11-year-old daughter Jaelyn and infant Cecily. Moreno rushed back into the apartment in a valiant effort to
VICTIM: Juan Moreno and daughters. Moreno was 41. | Photo courtesy of Debradawn Shockey. save his daughters who were still trapped in the blaze. He succumbed to the blaze, according to Lt. Jeff Davis of the Hemet Police Department. The girls were identified by relatives as 12-year-old Maria and 4-year-old Janessa. The family’s 8-year-old son, Isaac, was rescued but suffered extensive injuries
and was airlifted to UCI Medical Center in Orange. He died from his injuries, according to a GoFundMe page set up to pay for the family’s funeral expenses. Investigators scouring through the remains of the Moreno’s scorched unit for clues were unable to find signs that there were smoke
See TRAGEDY on page A3
SOBOBA BAND OF LUISEÑO INDIANS
Soboba elders ring in the New Year MIKE HILES | CONTRIBUTED
S COLLAGE: A last goodbye to Steve Covington. | Photo by Mark Lentine.
COMMUNITY BRIEFS
ated to give the mourners a somber, peaceful, and lastly, celebratory feeling to the memorial service, as Pastor Vanderwende welcomed the crowd which numbered in the hundreds. Pastor Venderwende noted the many renderings which Covington had offered as his vision to “make the town a more beautiful place.” Next Lori VanArsdale, past Ramona Bowl President and friend of Covington’s took the podium and made a very personal speech about, “…a
MOMENTS IN TIME
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C VALLEY BEAT
3 years in, no sign of Trump’s replacement for Obamacare
cores of mourners met to memorialize the life and legacy of Steve Covington, owner of The Downtown Deli, and visionary who helped revitalize Harvard Street. An amazing tribute was held at and presented by The Ramona Bowl. How the Bowl was able to put on such a presentation, complete with video, a half-dozen speakers (among them Michael Fishman, star of “The Conners” and a personal friend of Steve’s) amazed all who attended the service. As someone who was larger-than-life, those who knew Steve Covington knew that he would been proud of the stadium-sized screen that held his headshot, as speaker after speaker took the podium to reminisce and tell personal stories. “We must continue to carry out his vision, and do the things that he (Steve Covington) was doing that blessed us all,” said Pastor Troy Vanderwende, adding, “For you will carry on his legacy today. And that is the word from Steven to you…I believe he would want you to do that today.” The weather cooper-
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man so young, a man so creative, a man so enthused, not only about what he did, but most of all, what he helped us to visualize: the way things could be…what the Downtown could become, what the Ramona bowl can become. He helped us with those incredible things he drew. Each one of us would wait with bated breath to see what was coming next on any project that Steve was working on.” VanArsdale noted that,
See MEMORIAL on page A3
CHARLOT GYMNASTICS
oboba Band of Luiseño Indians Tribal Elders welcomed in 2020 a little early with a fun evening at the elegantly decorated Soboba Casino Resort Event Center on Dec. 29. Nearly 500 guests included elders from 19 other tribes from California and one from Arizona. Each holiday season,
CHEERS: Guests ring in 2020 with a toast at the conclusion of a New Year’s Eve Party at the Soboba Casino Resort Event Center on Dec. 29. | Photo courtesy of Joan Fuller
See SOBOBA on page A2
COMMUNITY
Putting their best foot forward JAYME CASTRO | CONTRIBUTED
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n Monday December 23rd, at the San Jacinto Health Center, approximately 60 people turned out to take
part in the Seventh Day Adventist Church’s Sock Ministry, a program in which donated socks are distributed to the less fortunate. On a cold and wet morning, residents and
WESTERN SCIENCE CENTER
Extra Practice Session - For children 6 years old up to 18 years old and is open to the public. The kids have full access to the gym and the equipment. Coaches will be on the floor to make sure they are using the equipment safely, but it is not a normal structured gymnastics class. January 3, 10 & 17, 2019 from 7 pm to 9 pm. Pop N Play - Open to the public for children 5 and under every Wednesday. The kids have full access to the gym in a safe and fun environment. A coach will be on the floor to make sure the kids are using the equipment safely and for younger kids, the parents can go out on the floor with them. January 8, 15, 2019, 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM. 1102 S. State St. Suite 5, San Jacinto, CA. More info: (951) 4871200. http://charlotgym.com
Science Saturday: Bottles of Science Saturday January 4 from 10:30 am – 1:00 pm. This month: The Science of Winter. Free. Learn about the science of winter at Science Saturday! Science Saturdays give you a chance to interact directly with WSC scientists and educators as they bring to life various facets of scientific exploration. Hands-on activities, games, and demonstrations give kids a chance to have fun while learning about science! Science Saturdays has something fun and informative for all ages (including parents!) but are most geared towards elementary and middle school ages. And best of all, Science Saturdays are always free! There is an additional fee to enter the museum. Children under 13 must be accompanied by a parent. Call (951) 791-0033.
On Jan. 2, 1974
the Mormon Church, issued his Manifesto reforming political, religious and economic life in Utah, the territory is admitted into the Union as the 45th state. Woodruff's 1890 Manifesto included a renunciation of the traditional Mormon practice of polygamy.
President Richard Nixon signs the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act, requiring states to limit highway speeds to 55 mph or lose federal highway funding. It was a result of fuel shortages caused by the Arab oil embargo.
On Jan. 3, 1961
President Dwight Eisenhower closes the American embassy in Havana and severs diplomatic relations between the United States and Fidel Castro's government in Cuba. The action signaled that the U.S. was prepared to take extreme measures to oppose Castro's regime.
On Jan. 4, 1896
Six years after Wilford Woodruff, president of
On Jan. 5, 1643
In the first record of a legal divorce in the American colonies, Anne Clarke of the Massachusetts Bay Colony is granted a divorce from her absent and adulterous husband, Denis Clarke, by the Quarter Court of Boston.
On Jan. 6, 1975
"Wheel of Fortune," the longest-running syndicated game show in American television, premieres on NBC. In over 7,000 episodes, show hostess Vanna
guests were welcomed and warmed by the loving and giving spirit of those involved in the Sock Ministry’s purpose. Spearheaded by retired Loma Linda
See HOLIDAY on page A2
Western Science Center, 2345 Searl Pkwy, Hemet.
SAN JACINTO CITY COUNCIL MEETING
January 7 & 21, 2019 from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM. San Jacinto Unified School District Board Room, 2045 South San Jacinto Avenue, SJ.
HEMET CITY COUNCIL
January 14 & 28 from 7 PM - 9 PM. @ Hemet City Council Chambers, 450 E. Latham, Hemet. Website: www.cityofhemet.org
HEMET VALLEY PIPE RAFFLE
Thu Jan 2, 2020 at 7:00 am – 5 pm. Hemet Valley
See COMMUNITY BRIEFS on page A5 White has never worn the same gown twice.
On Jan. 7, 1927
The Harlem Globetrotters basketball team travels west from Chicago to play their first game, in Hinckley, Illinois. Coach Abe Saperstein decided to promote his new team's racial makeup by naming them after Harlem, the famous black neighborhood of New York City.
On Jan. 8, 1835
President Andrew Jackson achieves his goal of entirely paying off the United States' national debt. It was the only time in U.S. history that the national debt stood at zero, and it precipitated one of the worst financial crises in American history, the Panic of 1837.