HS Track & Field: Temecula Valley finishes strong at Willie Banks Invitational, B-1
‘Ramona’ play opens at Ramona Bowl Amphitheater, C-1
VALLEY
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Serving Temecula , Murrieta , L ake E lsinore , M enifee , Wildomar , H emet, San Jacinto and the surrounding communities April 28 – May 4, 2017
www.myvalleynews.com
Volume 17, Issue 17
Firefighters fan the flames at 70th annual Firemen’s Barbecue
Local
Murrieta improves emergency operations center Kim Harris VALLEYEDITOR@REEDERMEDIA.COM
Ken Shuck, interim deputy fire marshal for the city of Murrieta, and Cindy Quigley from the Contingency Management Consulting Group provided the Murrieta City Council with an update on the city’s disaster preparedness plan during the April 18 meeting held at Murrieta City Hall. see page A-4
Education
Murrieta team takes first place MURRIETA – An Odyssey of the Mind team from Cole Canyon Elementary School came in first place at the state tournament in Brentwood, California, and will represent their school at the Odyssey of the Mind world finals.
Members of the Barstow Fire Explorers check their aim during a Make and Break competition at the 70th annual Murrieta Firemen’s Barbecue in front of Fire Station 1 at 41825 Juniper St. in historic downtown Murrieta, Sunday, April 23. See more photos on page A-4. Kim Harris photo
Great Oak High School hosted Easter egg hunt for special needs children Stephanie Lai VALLEYSTAFF@REEDERMEDIA.COM
see page B-6
Great Oak High School’s National Honors Society students hosted an Easter egg hunt for local disabled and special needs children at the Go Bananas Farm in Murrieta April 8. The project coordinators partnered up with Go Bananas for the third annual event. Aiming to offer a safe environment for these children from various age ranges, the Easter egg hunt has grown each year. The student chose to host their event one weekend before Easter, hoping to maximize family connections and offer the event to more families. This year nearly 70 families signed up for the event, and more than half came to enjoy the activities offered. Free for all families, the egg hunt featured crafts, coloring books, bubbles, sports balls, bean bag tosses and healthy snacks.
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The students began preparing for the egg hunt a year in advance, putting a lot of thought into bringing forth the best event possible for the children. Coordinators Eric Feng, Axel Malahieude, Mauria Hebert, Sabrina Diaz-Gallegos and Karina Di Franco prepared the Easter eggs stuffing them with small toys, temporary tattoos and other nonfood products to avoid the risk of allergies. They also provided supplies for the games at the event. After filling the eggs, buying oranges, pretzels and water, the coordinators invited 20 other National Honor Society members to volunteer at the event. The “helpers in navy shirts” set up the event hours prior and supervised during the event to ensure safety for all the children. The students said they felt “there is a lack of involvement of special needs children in regular child’s
see EGG HUNT, page A-3
VALLEY NEWS
[Left] Andrew Arzate collects Easter eggs with his father during Great Oak High School’s National Honors Society Easter egg hunt held at the Go Bananas Farm in Murrieta April 8. Stephanie Lai photo
Inmate firefighters readied for ‘extreme’ wildfire season Tony Ault TAULT@REEDERMEDIA.COM
Inmates from the Bautista, Norco and other Cal Fire Riverside Unit California Conservation Camps have undergone their strenuous final field tests and learned if their firefighting crews will be assigned to fight the expected extreme wildfires expected this summer in Southern California. The annual Cal Fire Preparation Exercise was conducted last week on the Ramona Cahuilla Indian Reservation near Anza. The exercise involved four test drills to determine if California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Cal Fire District 5 inmate firefighting crews can exhibit their ability to safely suppress wildland fires. The crews, ranging from 11 to 17, were in the four-stage exercise observed and rated in their ability to hike, construct hand lines utilizing hand tools, deployment of fire shelters to
prepare for a life-threatening burn over situation and other drills. In a special “media day” Thursday, April 20, Division ChiefNorthwest Office Riverside County Fire Department Silvio Lanzas, told news representatives that the Riverside exercise was being conducted this year at the Ramona Cahuilla Reservation because they are expecting an “extreme” fire year in the Anza Valley. Lanzas said the area of the exercise was partially chosen because of the terrain. “Up here at this elevation we have the grass culminated with the older more mature dead brush so, up here in the Anza Valley, we have the potential for a large fire -- Bautista Canyon, all those areas-- where we are at is the area where the brush and grass has dried has the potential for a fire is there,” Lanzas said. “It is extreme
see FIREFIGHTERS, page A-6
This inmate firefighter stands as a regular firefighter crew chief checks his backpack to make sure he is carrying enough water, first aid equipment, fire shelter, food and other survival gear when he is called to fight a fire. The check is the first part of four -part wildfire preparation test required of all inmate firefighters held on the Ramona Indian Reservation near Anza Thursday, April 20. Tony Ault photo