Valley Showcase pits top San Diego teams against local high school basketball programs, B-1
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Serving Temecula , Murrieta , L ake E lsinore , M enifee , Wildomar , H emet, San Jacinto and the surrounding communities January 13 – 19, 2017
Local
Attorneys in Palm Springs cop killer case weigh in
www.myvalleynews.com
Volume 17, Issue 2
Hemet PD badge ceremony direct result of Measure U victory
INDIO – A prosecutor Tuesday, Jan. 9, took issue with an accused cop killer’s attorney for telling the media that the case would not get to trial for at least three years, which she said would cause undue pain for the families of the two slain officers, one of whom was a Hemet native. see page A-3
Local
LE Sheriff Station gets new commanding officer Kim Harris VALLEYEDITOR@REEDERMEDIA.COM
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department announced the promotion of Capt. Daniel Anne to lead the crime fighting agency’s Lake Elsinore Sheriff Station. The announcement was made late last week after Anne’s promotion from Lieutenant to Captain. see page A-4
Entertainment
ACS’s annual Bark for Life to be held in Murrieta
Hemet Police Sergeant Gabriel Gomez, has his father Gabriel pin his badge to his uniform during a special promotion ceremony held at the Hemet City Council Chambers, Jan. 4. Shane Gibson photo
Paul Bandong PBANDONG@REEDERMEDIA.COM
This is a historic day,” said Hemet Chief of Police Dave Brown. “We are witnessing the first police officer hired and funded
under Measure U and the promotion of three officers in support of a new Special Operations Bureau made possible by funding under Measure U.” The Special Operations Bureau is tasked with aggressively tack-
ling quality of life issues that have plagued the Hemet community in recent years - drugs, violent crime, gangs, prostitution and homelessness. Measure U passed by voters in November 2016 provides rev-
Trevor Montgomery VALLEYSTAFF@REEDERMEDIA.COM
In honor of animals who have been caregivers to cancer survivors and other canines who had cancer themselves, Kristine Crothers has planned yet another annual Bark for Life in Murrieta. see page A-10
Health
Protect yourself and loved ones from strokes Dr. Terry A. Rondberg SPECIAL TO VALLEY NEWS
see page B-5
Business
MWD approves design for Disaster Recovery upgrades Joe Naiman JANIMAN@REEDERMEDIA.COM
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California recently approved the preliminary design phase for upgrades to the Lake Mathews Disaster Recovery Facility. see page B-6
see POLICE, page A-7
Undeterred by act of violence, young man with autism returns to work
Stephanie Lai VALLEYSTAFF@REEDERMEDIA.COM
Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke. Forty more seconds, another stroke. There are more than 795,000 strokes each year, of these, more than 140,000 people die, making strokes the third leading cause of death in the country.
enues to the city of Hemet via a one cent sales tax for the next 10 years. The tax goes into effect April 1, and the City Council has committed budgeted expenditures
Douglas Hier holds a sign advertisement for a local taco shop on the corner of Madison Avenue and Kalmia Street in Murrieta, after becoming a victim during a Dec. 31, incident where he was senselessly shot at with a BB gun by a passenger in a car, while working his routine day shift at the busy intersection. Hier has since returned to his sign twirling job, where people are now showing him support after hearing of the New Shane Gibson photo Year’s Eve incident.
As a young adult diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and central auditory processing disorder, Douglas Hier works hard to help provide for his family. He works as a sign twirler for family-owned and operated La Pasadita Taco Shop at 24635 Madison Avenue in Murrieta. Hier works three days a week, dancing and twirling signs at the intersection of Kalmia Street and Madison Avenue. He said knowing he is being productive and helping his family pay their bills brings him a great deal of personal satisfaction. But Saturday, Dec. 31, Hier’s job took a scary and potentially traumatizing turn. The incident began when two unidentified males drove slowly past the corner where Hier works. Without reason or provocation, the two began shouting at Hier before the passenger pointed a realisticlooking BB-gun at him and opened
see HIER, page A-3
Hemet FD begins rebuilding process following passage of Measure U Kim Harris VALLEYEDITOR@REEDERMEDIA.COM
It’s been less than a month since the Riverside County Registrar of Voters certified the Nov. 8 elections but the city of Hemet is wasting no time in rebuilding its public safety department with the addition of three new members to the city’s fire department Jan. 2. “This is one of many steps your Hemet Fire Department is taking toward rebuilding,” Fire Chief Scott Brown said. “We are very excited with the energy we have moving forward right now.” The three firefighter paramed-
ics, Josh Klimek, Zach Petite and Andrew Tusa will be in training for the next six weeks before being assigned to a HFD station. Brown said the hiring is part of the department’s revitalization thanks to the passage of Measure U. “It’s all part of the spending plans from Measure U,” Brown said, adding that the department recently promoted eight people from within the department. “That represents the first big push to opening Station 5.” Brown said with the purchase of
see MEASURE U, page A-4
Hemet Fire Chief Scott brown (back) poses for a photo with newly sworn firefighter paramedics Josh Klimek, Zach Petite and Andrew Tusa. Courtesy photo