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US vaccinations ramp up as 2nd COVID-19 shot nears | Page D1
Weather: 63o/37o | Volume II
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Real Estate: Property Guide| Page C2
Thursday, December 17 - 23, 2020
B POLITICS
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B OPINION
Biden taps Buttigieg for transportation, Granholm for energy
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Governor Newsom Signs Executive Order on Actions
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Strait On: They Came, They Saw, They Continued
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HEMET
Charity Blood Drive to Honor Hemet Teen DIANE A. RHODES | SJ VALLEY
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ven though Ellen Tichy’s daughter died from a rare childhood cancer in 2018, she has not stopped her fight against the disease. Bringing awareness and much-needed revenue to battle Ewing Sarcoma has been her goal ever since Cassiopeia Grace Tichy was diagnosed in 2015. To honor her daughter on what would have been her 21st birthday, Tichy has organized a LifeStream blood drive in San Jacinto from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec. 31. She is asking everyone to give the gift Cassi would have wanted: the gift of life to others. “I heard about this young ballerina who has survived the disease and started a nonprofit called Wings for Ewing Sarcoma,” said Tichy, of Hemet. “For each donation, LifeStream will allocate $10 to the nonprofit. This blood drive will help so many. There is a real shortage in our blood banks right now.” LifeStream’s website states that there is no known risk to the safety of the nation’s blood supply due
CASSIOPEIA GRACE TICHY: Cassi, who died from Ewing Sarcoma in 2018, will be honored at a LifeStream blood drive in San Jacinto on December 31, which would have been her 21st birthday. | Photo Courtesy of Ellen Tichy. to COVID-19 and there are no reports of the spread of this or any respiratory virus, by blood donation. Giving blood is not a risk for donors to contract COVID-19. Misinformation will negatively impact the blood supply. Wings for Ewing Sarcoma raises funds for research, which is mostly privately funded. Tichy was grateful to find this foundation as she had been trying to find a way to help other families avoid many
of the negative experiences she suffered when Cassi first got sick. She is working closely with another mother, Sandra Valle, whose young daughter, Chiara, was diagnosed with the deadly disease in 2018, just a few months before Cassi Tichy succumbed to it. The partnership between Tichy and the Valles is built on the similarities between their stories. Cassi and Chiara were both very creative, artistic and athletic young women who were sidelined in their teenage years with a diagnosis of Ewing Sarcoma. Both spent years of unnecessary testing and invasive treatments after being misdiagnosed and both spent countless months in harsh cancer treatment at children’s hospitals. Although the families live on opposite sides of the country, the miles shrank when Tichy contacted the organization and offered to host a charity blood drive with $10 per blood donation going directly to Wings for Ewing Sarcoma. “This is the first time that a blood drive will be done to ben-
See BLOOD DRIVE on page A3
MOM AND DAUGHTER: Ellen Tichy, left, with her daughter Cassi on Mother’s Day in 2015, just a few months before she was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma at home in Hemet. | Photo Courtesy of Ellen Tichy.
SAN JACINTO
San Jacinto Valley Students Honored
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he Hemet/San Jacinto Student of the Month program recently recognized six local high school seniors for demonstrating character, integrity, love of learning, involvement in school activities, athletics and community service. Students were nominated by teachers or other school personnel for making a difference in their home, school and community. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s limitations for public gatherings, the event was held virtually on Dec. 10. More than 50 participants logged into the Zoom meeting where students shared their stories and sponsors and administrators offered their support. Program founder and meeting hostess Karena Zermeno also represented one of the sponsors, Altura Credit Union.
Backpacks filled with gifts, a plaque, certificates of recognition and much more were donated by the program’s sponsors and will be delivered to each recipient. The students were given the opportunity to thank their families and school staff who have supported them and helped them plan their future life goals. December’s students of the month from Hemet Unified School District schools were Sarah Carr, Gabriella Felix, Hazal Hora and Katherine McGivney. San Jacinto Unified students were Gerardo Mateo Calel and Jasmine Resvaloso. The overwhelming message of this month’s event was one of hope and not just because of the holiday season. In his opening prayer, San Jacinto Assembly of God Pastor Jeff Johnson encouraged everyone to look toward
See STUDENTS on page A4
WASHINGTON
Negotiators report progress on long-delayed COVID aid bill ANDREW TAYLOR | AP NEWS
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op negotiators reported at least some progress on a long-delayed COVID-19 aid package Tuesday after a rare meeting of Capitol Hill's four most senior lawmakers. The quartet, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, said they would reconvene Tuesday
MOMENTS IN TIME
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STUDENTS HONORED: Hemet / San Jacinto Student of the month, from top left to bottom: Sarah Carr, Katherine McGivney, Gerardo Mateo Calel, Jasmine Resvaloso, Gabriella Felix & Hazel Hora. | Photo courtesy of John P. Hess/Creative Industries Media Group
DIANE A. RHODES | SJ VALLEY
night in hopes of sealing an agreement soon. “I think there’s progress," reported House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as he left the session in Pelosi's office. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin joined by phone. The uptick in activity could be a sign that an agreement is near, though COVID-19 relief talks have been notoriously difficult
On Dec. 17, 2003
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," the final film in the trilogy based on the best-selling fantasy novels by J.R.R. Tolkien, opens in theaters.
On Dec. 18, 1777
The new United States celebrates its first national day of thanksgiving, commemorating the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga after the surrender of Gen. John Burgoyne and 5,000 British troops in October 1777.
On Dec. 19, 1968
Warner Brothers releases the movie "Bullitt," starring Steve McQueen, in Sweden, two months after its debut in U.S. theaters. Many critics con-
and Pelosi continues to press for help for states and local governments whose budgets have been thrown out of balance by the pandemic. GOP leaders oppose the idea and say it's the biggest sticking point from their perspective. A top GOP negotiator said the leaders had essentially agreed to agree. “We are still talking to each other and there is agreement that
sider "Bullitt" to be one of the greatest action movies ever made, because of the seven-minute car chase through the streets of San Francisco.
we are not going to leave here without the omni and the COVID package,” said McConnell, R-Ky., using Capitol Hill's shorthand for a catchall, omnibus spending bill that would be paired together with the COVID relief measure and a variety of other end-of-session items. The Kentucky Republican is
See AID BILL on page D4
in the Sudan.
On Dec. 22, 1808
On Dec. 20, 1989
Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67 made its world premiere. The Fifth Symphony is instantly recognizable by its powerful four-note opening motif -- three short Gs followed by a long E-flat.
On Dec. 21, 1975
One week after the Mayflower arrived at Plymouth harbor in present-day Massachusetts, construction of the first permanent European settlement in New England begins. The term "Pilgrim" was derived from a manuscript in which Gov. Bradford spoke of the "saints" who traveled to the New World as "pilgrimes."
The United States invades Panama in an attempt to overthrow military dictator Manuel Noriega, who had been indicted in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges. His Panamanian Defense Forces were promptly crushed.
In Vienna, Austria, Carlos the Jackal leads a raid on a meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, killing three people and taking 63 hostages. Carlos evaded capture until 1994, when French agents found him hiding
MOVE-IN READY NO RENTING OF SPACE
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On Dec. 23, 1620