Bear Creek fundraiser a tasty success, B-1
High school spring sports playoffs at a glance, C-1
VALLEY
NEWS
May 20 – 26, 2016
Local
Lower bond interest rates to benefit MVUSD
A
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Volume 16, Issue 21
Marine hits it out of the park with homecoming surprise
Tony Ault STAFF WRITER
The Murrieta Valley Unified School District board acting as the MVUSD Public Financing Authority has authorized the refunding of $75 million in Special Tax Revenue Bonds taking advantage of lowering interest rates. see page A-3
Local
Plan to open Catholic high school picks up momentum Tim O’Leary STAFF WRITER
Closely-held plans to open a Catholic high school in Temecula’s wine country have been unveiled publicly and are expected to be submitted soon to Riverside County officials for review. see page A-4
Local
Eight more arrested in illegal grow stings Kim Harris MANAGING EDITOR
Eight more people have been arrested in string of search warrants served by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Special Investigations Bureau’s MET in an effort to combat the problem of illegal marijuana grows in Riverside County.
AJ Brock, a 10-year-old pitcher from Menifee had no idea of the surprise in store for him as he took to the mound during a mock baseball game at Wheatfield Park Friday, May 13. As the young ball player warmed up his arm, his father, United States Marine Corps Master Sgt. Randy Brock (top, left) hides out in a community building at the park and slips into umpire gear as a disguise to surprise his son and daughter during the game. Brock was deployed in Japan for training for six-months and returned back to the U.S. at March Air Reserve Base May 12. AJ watches (bottom, left) as his cleverly disguised dad, Randy, a Marine for 21 years, who has served 3 tours of combat deployment, sweeps off the dirt from home plate. AJ and his sister, 9-year-old Mikaella (right) get a hug from their dad after he revealed himself as the mystery umpire. The children were thrilled to have thier dad home after the long deployment, said mother Janet (not pictured). See more photos on page A-3.
Shane Gibson photos
see page A-7
Entertainment
Balloon & Wine Festival this weekend
Special need students Estate gardens shown celebrate at Spectacular in Santa Rosa Plateau Prom, hosted at GOHS Nature Education tour
Kim Harris MANAGING EDITOR
Featuring a wide variety of concerts from all genres, hot air balloon rides, balloon glows and the wine from some of Temecula Valley Wine Country’s finest wineries, this year’s Temecula Balloon & Wine Festival promises visitors more fun than ever before. see page B-5
Pets
Ohana Paws Rescue, no pet left behind Ashley Ludwig WRITER
It was just another day for pet rescue owner Morgan Dulak. Scanning Facebook, she discovered two stray Doberman pinscher puppies living on the streets of Tijuana, Mexico, in dire need of help. see page B-6
Joshua Certza dances with his friends during the Spectacular Prom at Great Oak High School May 14. Shane Gibson photo
Raevyn Walker VALLEY NEWS INTERN
Gracing the world with their grins, the special need students from Great Oak High, Temecula Valley High, and Chaparral High celebrated the school year’s end at Spectacular Prom May 14. The event centered around facilitating inclusion for youth with special needs, who would not have the opportunity to experience a school dance. Traci Koeffler, an instructional
assistant Great Oak High and the head coordinator of the celebration, saw her sixth Spectacular Prom come to fruition that night. “I most enjoy all three of the high schools coming together. It’s their night,” Koeffler said. “It’s all about them and it’s just fun to see the kids in their own element, having fun.” The fun permeated throughout all of the crowd, even to the many students not in the special education program but who attended
see DANCE, page A-5
A homemade beach and waterfall with its garden landscaping backdropped with a collection of restored classic cars greeted SRPNEF garden tour guests at this La Cresta home at 39125 Avenida Bonita. Merilyn Ault photo
Tony Ault STAFF WRITER
Four La Cresta families opened their estate gardens to visitors May 14 showing their support for the Santa Rosa Plateau Nature Education Foundation’s mission to help students become aware of the
environmental challenges they will face in the future. The 13th Annual Garden Tour and Garden Party entitled “Gardening in Mother Nature’s Backyard,” brought hundreds of visitors to the La Cresta estate homes to view the
see GARDENS, page A-6