The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle - September 23rd, 2021

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Biden Administration Awards $15 Million for Mobile Crisis | Page B1

Weather: 32o/13o Volume III | Issue XXXVIII

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REAL ESTATE | Page C2

Thursday, September 23 - 29, 2021

B POLITICS

‘Dose of hope’: Biden pushing rich nations to share vaccine

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www.HSJChronicle.com |

B OPINION

STRAIT ON: Church or Political Podium

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VETERANS | Page D1

| $2.00 (Tax Incl.)

C VALLEY BEAT

Sold Out Shows Keep Coming at HHT

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SAN JACINTO, CA.

Soboba Gets Great Turnout for Fastpitch Tournament SOBOBA BAND OF LUISEÑO INDIANS | CONTRIBUTED

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oboba hosted its 11th NIAA Fastpitch Softball Tournament Sept. 17 through 19 and had a record number of teams competing. With 12 men’s teams and 13 women’s teams, ballfields at the Soboba Sports Complex and The Oaks were constantly filled throughout the weekend. Each year, the Soboba Indian Reservation invites teams from all over North America to participate in the National Indian Athletic Association (NIAA) All Native Fastpitch Softball tournament. With the exception of last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down sporting events, the tournaments at Soboba have always been well received. Pat Placencia, one of several volunteer scorekeepers for the three days of games who also helps organize the event each year, said it wasn’t very difficult to find interested participants. “We have a great committee who is well organized and Andrew (Vallejos) from the Foundation has been really helpful; we are good at what we do,” he said. “We just put out a call on the NIAA Facebook page and called our contacts for certain teams and we started getting sign-ups.” Placencia added, “Everybody’s good to get out again – Everybody was ready. I just like watching all of the games and teams.” He said that most of the committee members have played the sport and that includes Geneva Mojado, who pitches for the Soboba women’s team.

CVC took second place at the NIAA 2021 All Native Fastpitch Softball tournament at Soboba Sept. 17-19. | Photo courtesy of the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians.

Oklahoma’s Kachina Dolls placed first in the Women’s Division at the NIAA 2021 All Native Fastpitch Softball tournament hosted by Soboba Sept. 17-19.

“We’ve played in four tournaments so far this year at Rincon, Pala, Pechanga and Morongo,” she said. Mojado, who also serves as Soboba Tribal Council Vice-Chairwoman, said she was pleased with the way the tournament was going. She added this is the first one held since the Soboba Sports Complex Park was renovated so they were happy to show it off. “We have way more spectators this year and that’s great.” Opening ceremonies at 4 p.m. on Sept. 17 included a ceremonial pitch made by Soboba Tribal Chairman Isaiah Vivanco, who was a pitcher on the Soboba men’s team with relatives and friends back in the day. He sent a strike directly over home plate to a cheering crowd. “I used to put the team together and now my son puts it together with all his cousins on the team; they’re just carrying on the tradition,” he said. Jason Cozart, Soboba Casino’s assistant general manager, is one of the pitchers on this year’s Sobo-

Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians and one of Soboba’s vendors, Alliant, all provided generous sponsorships. Shortstop Ethan Curo, of the Barona men’s team, played in the NIAA tournament at Soboba a couple years ago and said it’s always a lot of fun. He helped his team win their Friday night game against Redline from Oklahoma to continue playing Saturday morning in a game against the AZ Brewers. “We definitely put the bat to the ball last night,” Curo said. “There is always a lot of good competition here.” Lily Brandt, who works at the Soboba Cultural Department, is also a fan of the sport and was keeping score at the Sports Complex Field 1 on

ba men’s team and said they had a lot of fun during their first game at 8 a.m. on Saturday. Wayne Nelson was on hand as a team supporter. All of them were awaiting the team’s next at-bat against a team playing their first game of the tournament at 11:30 a.m. Cali Reds, from Rincon, won their first game on Saturday morning at the Sports Complex. Pitcher Austin Ravago of Pala said his team had about 10 players. Each team was guaranteed a three-game minimum, with each lasting seven innings or 90 minutes, whichever came first. A total of 54 games were played throughout the weekend with championship games on Sunday afternoon. “Everyone got their money’s worth,” Mojado said. “They got a lot of playing in. We are thankful that we could offer good prize money due to some great sponsors.” The Soboba Foundation, Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians, Pala Band of Mission Indians, Morongo Band of Mission Indians,

Saturday morning during a game between Red Leaf from South Dakota and the Morongo Mens Club (MMC). “The sports complex staff did a great job prepping the fields and keeping things moving between games,” she said. The Field 1 concessions stand

See SOBOBA on page D4

BASEBALL: A Cali Reds pitcher gets ready to throw the ball as a Cubs’ team member is waiting to leave second base during the NIAA All Native Fastpitch Softball tournament at the Soboba Sports Complex. | Photo courtesy of the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians

Everybody’s good to get out again – Everybody was ready. I just like watching all of the games and teams.” PAT PLACENCIA

PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID HEMET, CA PERMIT NO. 69 92543-9998

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RIVERSIDE, CA.

CALIFORNIA STATE

4 quakes rattle Riverside mountains Retired teachers in California ERIKA MARTIN | CONTRIBUTED

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series of earthquakes shook the Anza area after hitting in the San Jacinto Mountains north of the Riverside County town Tuesday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The largest was a magnitude 3.5 that struck 5 1/2 miles north-northwest of Anza about 3:57 p.m., which followed a magnitude 3.4 with an epicenter nearby at 3:41 p.m., USGS said. Officials had preliminarily said the initial quake was the largest, a magnitude 3.7, before revising the

Image Contributed.

figure down. A magnitude 2.3 and a magnitude 2.1 quake also followed the initial one. The largest quake was estimated to have weak shaking near the epicenter, but shaking from the 3.4 magnitude temblor was estimated to be slightly stronger. People reported feeling them from San Bernardino to San Diego, USGS said. There were no reports of damage or injury. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.

struggle to make ends meet with no access to Social Security ROB ROTH | CONTRIBUTED

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any retired educators in California are finding retirement far less comfortable than they had assumed. By law, retired educators aren't allowed to collect Social Security benefits, though many have paid into the system. "I loved the children I taught. But I've been penalized for that decision by the government," said Lee Giammona, who spent 25 years teaching elementary school children in Santa Rosa. For her, it was a second career. But as much as she loved teaching, she now questions whether she should have left her 10-year career in business for the classroom. "If I had known that when I went back into teaching, I think

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RETIRED TEACHER: Lee Giammona is struggling because her pension is a very small portion of her Social Security benefits. | Screenshot from Youtube/KTVU.

I would have reconsidered that decision for sure," she said. When Giammona retired as a teacher in California, she didn't

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