Anza Events Calendar, A-2
Hemet High School’s mountain bike team ends its season with league final event, A-7
ANZA VALLEY
OUTLOOK WITH CONTENT FROM
May 5 – 11, 2017
Anza man joins Southwest Riverside County Heart & Stroke Walk
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Volume 17, Issue 18
‘Ramona’ Pageant’s final weekend coming to Hemet’s Ramona Bowl
ANZA – The American Heart Association’s Inland Empire division will host its annual Southwest Riverside County Heart & Stroke Walk Saturday, May 6, at Lake Skinner, where an estimated 3,000 people will lace up their sneakers, among them many families who lost loved ones to the nation’s leading causes of death: heart disease and stroke. see page A-3
Arts
Art Alliance of Idyllwild presents the Idyllwild Plein Air Competition IDYLLWILD – The Idyllwild Plein Air Competition, sponsored by the Art Alliance of Idyllwild, begins 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 9, when visitors and artists may attend a free live-painting demonstration by well-known plein air artist, Rich Stergulz and continues through June 11. see page A-4
Dining
Any way you slice it, Anza’s Pizza Factory is sure to please Diane Sieker ANZAEDITOR@REEDERMEDIA.COM
There’s a buzz around town. The much-anticipated new Pizza Factory family restaurant is finally open for business.
Anza Valley Outlook
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID HEMET, CA PERMIT #234
see page A-5
Director Dennis Anderson of “Ramona” the outdoor play goes over a script change with lead actors Kayla Contreras as Ramona and Joseph Valdez as Alessandro. Standing behind them are The Aria Troubadours whose family have been a part of the play since it first began over 90 years ago. Tony Ault photo
Tony Ault TAULT@REEDERMEDIA.COM
“Ramona,” California’s official outdoor play, continues this weekend with the exciting and touching performances of Kayla Contreras
and Joseph Valdez as Ramona and Alessandro with more than a thousand expected at the Ramona Bowl Amphitheater in Hemet. The first two weeks of the play proved to be highly successful, especially with much more
refined performances from not only Contreras and Valdez, but the entire cast under the direction of veteran Director Dennis Anderson proved to be likewise exceptional. This weekend’s performances May 5 and 6 are expected to be
even better as the 94th season of this exceptional outdoor play concludes. The performance by Contreras playing “Ramona” this year is
see RAMONA, page A-3
Sage Town Hall Meeting addresses concerns of many residents Diane Sieker ANZAEDITOR@REEDERMEDIA.COM
Sage residents came out in full force to a Town Hall meeting Tuesday, April 25. Community activist Eleni Malandrinos hosted the meeting at Fire Station 28 in Sage which featured a variety of community leaders and law enforcement officials. After the Pledge of Allegiance, Bill Donahue opened the meeting by introducing the speakers. Attending were Terry Hobart, Andy Domenigoni of the Winchester Municipal Advisory Council, Joseph Contaoi and Corinne Awad with Riverside County Department of Waste Resources and Dennis Acuna with the Riverside County Transportation Department. Riverside County Sheriff Capt. Leonard Purvis introduced Supervising Code Enforcement Officer Marr A. Christian, Deputy Frank James, Lt. Paul
see SAGE, page A-6
Captain Leonard Purvis introduces his law enforcement team at the town hall meeting in Sage Tuesday, April 25. Diane Sieker photo
Illegal grows create many problems for Anza residents, visitors Diane Sieker ANZAEDITOR@REEDERMEDIA.COM
Illegal marijuana grows like this one create problems for many Anza residents. Kim Harris photo
Editor’s note; Names of sources are not being used to protect them from their “grower” neighbors in this story on the ongoing problem of illegal marijuana grows in the Anza Valley and surrounding areas. Everyone has heard the complaints. Social media is full of the cons of the cannabis cultivation that seems to be taking over the valley. Some people are very worried, and with good reason in many cases. Some feel they have had their health, well-being
and rights affected by illegal pot “grows” or farms. What exactly are the issues? Residents complain of odors; the use of illegal and dangerous pesticides; non-permitted grading, construction and wells; light pollution from glowing greenhouses; water and electricity theft; suspicious traffic and a perceived increase in crime. “The trashy-looking, hastily installed, obviously not permitted old mobile homes, with their haphazard ugly fences and possibly
see GROWS, page A-4