In a marathon Menifee City Council meeting Wednesday, Sept. 21, Sun City residents heard the good news that beginning next month an improved transportation service in that area may begin that will provide elderly and disabled citizens with emergency ride vouchers to hospitals and timely doctor visits.
The Hemet/San Jacinto Student of the Month program held its most recent recognition event at the Maze Stone restaurant at Soboba Springs Golf Course, Thursday, Sept. 15. Seven local high school seniors were recognized and honored for their character, love of learning and commitment to academics in addition to their involvement in school and community activities and their ability to overcome difficult life challenges.
When the San Jacinto Unified School District launched a pilot program at Park Hill Elementary to provide “Breakfast in the Classroom,” it was hoped that the results would bear out the research that students who eat breakfast are more focused and perform better academically. Since its inception at the start of this school year, Friday, Aug. 5, positive feedback has been steadily coming in from students, teachers and parents.
While SJUSD Nutrition Services has offered free breakfast and lunch to all its students districtwide since 2017, many had to use their free time before the school day started or their first recess time to take advantage of the meal. Now that all 34 classrooms receive enough of each item to feed everyone, participation has reached 87%, compared to about 24% for the past program.
Hilden was completely surprised by her fellow professional women for her achievements at the special event with a certificate and bouquets of roses. She was one of seven nominees for the award. Debra Smith, Heather Rickman,
2022 California League Champions crowned, Storm back on top, C-1
Jennifer Cassetta, a success coach, self-defense expert and author, engages with the audience at the 2022 TEDxTemecula at the Old Town Temecula Community Theater, Saturday, Sept. 24. See story and more photos on page B-1.
Valley News/Eddie Macaranas/TEDxTemecula courtesy photo
The 900 Bisons at Park Hill Elementary are offered fresh fruit,
Shirley Chavez, supervisor of San Jacinto Unified School District Nutrition Services, chats with Park Hill Elementary School Breakfast Ambassadors as they prepare to take insulated coolers for “Breakfast in the Classroom.” Valley News/Diane A. Rhodes photo
Tony Ault Staff Writer
Raven Hilden, CEO of MilVet, was named the 10th annual Joan Sparkman Unity Award winner at the Professional Women’s Roundtable at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Sept. 24. Hilden and the MilVet organization has been instrumental in sending hundreds of care packages to America’s military troops deployed overseas during the past several years.
Raven Hilden shows surprise as she is named the Professional Women’s Roundtable group’s Joan Sparkman Unity Award winner Sep. 24 at Pechanga Resort and Casino. Valley News/Tony Ault photo
In a marathon Menifee City Council meeting Wednesday, Sept. 21, Sun City residents heard the good news that beginning next month an improved transportation service in that area may begin that will provide elderly and disabled citizens with emergency ride vouchers to hospitals and timely doctor visits.
In addition to those citizens being able to call GoGo Technolo gies Inc. for immediate emergency transportation, the city, along with the Riverside County Transpor tation Agency and Care-A-Van Services Inc., will create a better transit system in the Sun City area.
The system will make it better for older residents without their own transportation to get a ride
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to the Murrieta Senior Center, doctors appointments, shopping centers and even to a restaurant of their choice. A member of the Sun City Civic Association appeared at the meeting to offer their help in improving the transportation system.
Specifically, the council, with Councilmember Dean Deines in an excused absence, approved a memorandum of understanding to provide a Menifee Specialized Transit Program funded under the Federal Transit Authority Section 530 Grant Program and authorized City Manager Armando Villa to execute a professional services agreement with GoGo Technol ogies for and emergency ride voucher program in an amount not to exceed $112,500 from Measure A Grant Funds. The agreement with Care-A-Van was funded by Measure A Grant Funds through RCTC for $150,000 and autho rized the staff to administer the Transit Program that will last at least three years.
The staff said the program would become effective in October or November. Information on the planned voucher system will come at the city hall or the Menifee websites.
In another matter, the council heard a traffic safety report from police Chief Ed Varso, who said the department issued a huge 546 traffic tickets in August, reflecting their stepped-up efforts to improve traffic safety in the city. There were 48 traffic accidents in that period, but few serious injuries or fatals.
Councilmember Lesa Sobek called upon Varso to better explain what the department is doing to
keep motorists from speeding and ignoring traffic rules. He said the enforcement has been stepped up in the areas where many citizens are reporting traffic violations. Varso said a previously injured motorcycle officer has come back on duty and is helping with enforc ing the traffic rules, and in fact, he “wrote most of the tickets.”
Varso said, “We say ‘hello’ to the people who don’t slow down,” implying they will get a traffic ticket.
He said the recently stepped up traffic enforcement programs have been funded through national and state traffic safety grants.
The evening’s 24 consent items took up much of the council meeting that lasted more than three hours with several items pulled for council questions including the Care-A-Van and GoGo agreements.
Consent Item 10.20 was pulled by Councilmembers Matt Liese meyer and Bob Karwin on the Pump Track Street Expansion contract with Roadway Construction & Engineering Corporation for $466,042. The construction was not in question, but the council questioned the planned street widening and the opening of the track that will allow bicycle ac tivities for many youngsters. Their concern was the added children’s and teen bike traffic that will occur on Evans and Craig roads with the opening. The staff explained that they were in process of analyzing the future traffic flow but would not know exactly how much it would increase. Once they knew other traffic safety precautions could be put into place. The plan
already calls for a left turn lane and necessary signage and safety precautions for the track.
The whole council with Mayor Bill Zimmerman expressed their favor for having a needed pump track in the city for the benefit of the local children.
A public hearing was held to approve an ordinance that would establish a Battery Energy Stor age Systems Development Code amendment. The ordinance would allow such facilities in the city so long as they conformed with city and state codes and would be under conditional use permit requirements. The council held a moratorium for a time on the facilities until more could be learned about their operations and how they would either benefit or hinder the residents. The state noted a city could establish such a facility, if it would benefit their economy and be safe in their location. With the ordinance, the moratorium is lifted, but any such facility could only be located in the Industrial zones of Menifee and be bound by a conditional use permit.
Other public hearings for the meeting also took some time. They included four tax annexation agreements with new residential and commercial developments coming to the city. The special taxes, initially paid for by the developers, would be used to fund city maintenance agreements for roads, traffic signals, landscaping and other necessary facilities in the district. Those developments are Harvest Glen Marketplace by Briggs & 784 LLC; Estrella by FPG Sun Menifee 80 LLC; Alder Ranch by FPG Tricon Me-
nifee Property LLC and Boulders Menifee LLC and Del Oro North Apartments.
All annexations were approved in 4 and 1 absent council votes.
The formation of a CFD No. 2022 for McLaughlin Village at the intersection of Barnett and McLaughlin roads and a bonded indebtedness not to exceed $6 million by Century Communities of California was approved.
Similarly, a resolution estab lishing CFD No. 2023 for Legado located northwest of Antelope Boulevard and Chambers Avenue, south of Rouse Road for a bonded indebtedness not to exceed $40 million for improvement are No. 1 and $45 million for improvement are No. 2 with BLC Flemming LLC with a joint agreement with Eastern Municipal Water District and BLC.
The CFDs do not imply any liability to the city of Menifee.
Early in the meeting four local youngsters who won in the 2022 International Mixed Martial Arts Federation Worlds Tournament un der 12 as a team from Hernandez Kickboxing headquartered in Mur rieta were honored by the council.
The city joined the Daughters of the American Revolution in a proclamation declaring a September Constitution Week, it being the nation’s 235th Anniversary of the Constitution signing soon. The Menifee monthly Business Spotlight honored California Coast Credit Union for their help during city events and helping its resi dents financially.
Tony Ault can be reached by email at tault@reedernedia.com.
TEMECULA ─ Temecula’s Community Services Department hosted the 2022 Temecula Art & Street Painting Festival featuring the all-new Cartoon-A Paloozah! Friday, Sept. 16, and Saturday, Sept. 17. The event displayed vari ous artwork from 31 art exhibitors set up around Town Square Park and surrounding event areas in Old Town Temecula.
“The city of Temecula cel ebrates and honors the creative art community with unique events such as our annual Art & Street Painting Festival which provide artists public exhibit spaces to showcase and share their talents,” Temecula Mayor Pro Tem Zak Schwank said. “Thank you to all who participated and to those who supported local artists this past weekend.”
Throughout the two days of excitement, Temecula hosted 30 registered chalk artists competing for the Best of Show Award for their creative and beautiful pieces of chalk art on Main Street just outside of City Hall in Old Town Temecula. In addition to these annual festivities, Temecula hosted its first ever Cartoon-A Paloozah! This new addition featured art
Valley News/Shawna Sarnowski photo vendors, cosplayers, trivia contests and more.
27 for receiving the honorable title of Best of Show at this year’s Art & Street Painting Festival.
A-2 Valley News • www.myvalleynews.com • September 30, 2022 The city congratulated Inez Valencia in chalk artist spot No.
To see the winning piece and all incredible entries, visit Temecula’s Flickr album at https://www.flickr. com/photos/cityoftemecula/al bums/72177720302250452.
“Congratulations to all of the amazing artists and thank you for adorning our streets outside City Hall with these incredible works of art. I encourage everyone to
come visit Old Town Temecula to experience the chalk art entries and to appreciate the attention to detail in the vivid photo stream online,” Community Services Commis sioner Chris Krstevski said.
Stay tuned for more Community Service programming informa tion and updates by following @ TemeculaParksAndRec on social media, and by visiting http://TemeculaCA.gov/TCSD.
Submitted by city of Temecula.
MARRS seeks qualified DBE firms for the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District’s RFP for CM and Observation Services for Ranspot and Peeler Pipeline Replacement Project for the following services:
• Surveying
• Geotechnical/Material Testing
• Public Outreach
Interested firms can e-mail qualifications to Griselda@MARRSCorp.com no later than 4:00pm, October 11, 2022.
TEMECULA – Kicking off Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, Michelle’s Place Cancer Resource Center is shaping a human pink ribbon at Murrieta Town Square Park Saturday, Oct. 1, at 9:30 a.m.
The nonprofit is seeking par ticipants to join the ribbon. Par ticipants are encouraged to wear pink. A picture will be taken at 10 a.m. All are welcome.
Michelle’s Place Cancer Re
source Center provides over 10,000 free services a year to individuals and families impacted by all types of cancer. Over 23 different programs are offered more than 51 times a month. All programs and services are free to the community. For more information, visit http://michellesplace.org.
Submitted by Michelle’s Place Cancer Resource Center.
Inez Valencia holds her Best in Show ribbon in front of her chalk piece at the Temecula Art & Street Painting Festival.TEMECULA – The Temecula Greek Festival is returning to Old Town Temecula in October after a three-year break following the coronavirus pandemic. The an nual event, which is sponsored by St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Murrieta, will run Sat urday, Oct. 8, and Sunday, Oct. 9, at the Temecula Civic Center, 41000 Main Street.
Attendees can enjoy Greek food, shop at vendor booths, dance to live music and more. The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Greek breakfast food like bak lava, diples or fried honey rolls and loukumades, which are frit ters with honey and cinnamon, will be available for festival go ers. Lunch foods available at the festival will include gyros, feta fries, lamb chops, spanakopita
and others.
Greek or American beers, Greek wine, ouzo, soda and bottled water will be available for anyone who needs a drink to go with their meal. Close to two dozen shops will offer jewelry, handbags, clothing and more. There’s a children’s game area for youngsters, along with the Extreme Game Trailer, which has video games for all ages.
Free parking is available at the Old Town Parking Garage, which is connected to the Civic Center at 28690 Mercedes Street.
General admission is $3. Chil dren under 12 can get in for $1 and seniors pay $2. Admission is free for U.S. military, firefighters and law enforcement officers with proper ID.
Submitted by St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church.
The Murrieta City Council, discussing the need to add more work space for its growing city staff, adopted a resolution to purchase new furniture and cubicle space for the expected new employees at its Sept. 20 meeting.
The purchase of the furniture and its installation was authorized for $312,000 to G/M Business Interiors for its delivery and installation of the new furniture and adding eight more workstations to the 90 current stations in City Hall. The installation would also call for two conference spaces. The need for the new furniture comes with the deterioration of the older City Hall furnishings and interiors that have been in place for 15 years since the City Hall building at 1 Town Square was opened. Previous projects including new carpeting and painting for the current of fices have already been budgeted and some completed or underway.
The $312,000 for the new furniture was added to the initial $1 million City Hall Capital Improvement Program.
Currently the city is interviewing about 30 more employees to replace those retiring or coming aboard to fulfill additional department openings needed to meet the city’s continuing growth.
The staff reported the new office furniture will be ergonomically designed to enhance workers abili ties, including a lift up desk so they can do their work standing up if needed. The additional cubicles will create smaller office space for the staff, but will be much more comfortable.
The staff brought the amendment
to the council noting they had to order the needed furniture before the end of September or the cost would become much higher or the furniture unavailable because of supply chain issues.
Councilmember Lori Stone sug gested the city might consider, in the future, to build another City Hall to accommodate the addition al city employees needed to service the growing population but joined the council in unanimously approv ing the additional purchases.
At the beginning of the meet ing, the city council praised the owners of BMW of Murrieta for being the winners of the Center of Excellence award for another year.
The luxury car dealership at 41430 Auto Mall Parkway, in Murrieta showed outstanding sales for the past year and excellent service. It is one of only 10% of all the BMW dealers in the nation to receive the award. NASCAR standout Boris Said from BMW of Murrieta accepted the city proclamation from Mayor Jonathan Ingram.
L ong time Boy Scout adult leader Ken Norstrom and former Murrieta Traffic Commissioner, was praised for his 56 years of service with the Scouts by the council and presented a proclamation from Assemblymembers Kelly Seyarto and Marie Waldron. Several of his Scout troops were called up to the front of the council chambers and introduced to the audience.
Lt. Jeremy Durrant of the Murrieta Police Department made a presentation of the value of the department’s unmanned aerial sys tem or drone program. Six officers in the department are specially trained and licensed through the Federal Aviation Administration to fly the small aircraft. The portable
The Murrieta Police Depart ment is pleased to announce that on August 26, the department was officially awarded National Incident-Based Reporting System certification by the California Department of Justice. This is a major milestone for the depart ment. To date, the Murrieta Police Department is one of only a handful of California agencies to receive certification in a state comprised of more than 500 law enforcement agencies.
In 2016, the Federal Bureau of Investigation informed all states they were changing how crime statistics were being tracked and gave them five years to transition from Uniform Crime Reporting to the new NIBRS standard. In 2021, the Murrieta Police Department began submitting NIBRS data and after 16 months of arduous testing and troubleshooting, was finally recognized as an official NIBRS agency.
The Murrieta Police Department was able to secure a grant to help fund the transition and relieve taxpayers of the burden in paying for the costly upgrade through the Federal Office of Justice Programs.
Throughout this process, Murrieta PD has met grant benchmarks and once final payment is approved will have received $48,807 back from the Federal government for
the NIBRS implementation project.
As one of the safest cities in the country, Murrieta prides itself on its FBI crime statistics each year. After publication, those statistics are then reviewed and tallied by a variety of entities, which in turn rank each city. Some rankings look at violent crime, while others consider the cost of crime, and some focus on property crime, among other metrics. The FBI doesn’t necessarily rank cities, but rather they supply the data that is used to rank cities making these rankings a moving target each year.
Murrieta Police Chief Anthony Conrad recognizes that this new method of tracking crime statistics via NIBRS is going to look dif ferent than it did under the UCR guidelines. As of 2022, UCR data will no longer be recognized by the FBI and many cities and counties will not have FBI statistics in place to support crime rankings for their jurisdictions.
To address the potential perception that an agency has a higher crime level with this new system, NIBRS has established a baseline that more precisely captures re ported crime in a community. Other cities may not conform to this new required standard for years to come, yet Murrieta will continue to have FBI-approved crime rankings.
unmanned aerial system, with its built-in camera, is used for numerous tasks including searches for lost people, crime scene surveil lance, monitoring special events, helping firefighters and mapping and most of all giving officers more safety in life threatening situations.
The council approved eight con sent items and listened to several residents about several issues concerning issues in the community in the public comment session. They included the need for the city to un lock the Equestrian Center for use in disaster such as fire and floods
and bringing better water service to those residents still depending upon their own water wells in the city. The inquiries were referred to the staff for follow up.
Tony Ault can be reached by email at tault@reedermedia.com.
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Traditional dancing entertains the crowds at the 2019 Temecula Greek Festival. Valley News/Will Fritz photo
BREAKFAST from page A-1 comes with those first minutes of class time.
juice, milk, cereal and 100% whole grain products that all meet the USDA regulation standards for nu trition. Any special dietary needs are noted on the class rosters that are provided to student Breakfast Ambassadors from each class room that interact with Nutrition Services staff. They pick up an insulated cooler from the cafeteria/ multipurpose room each morning to have in their classrooms by 7:25 a.m. when the first bell rings.
“It’s a unique way to show students that school is not just about following rules but working with others and having a sense of responsibility,” Tammy White, director of SJUSD Nutrition Services, said. “It also allows them to work on a social-emotional level. We provide staff with a free breakfast too so they can sit and eat with the kids. It allows them to work with each other one-on-one as they adjust to the start of their school day.”
Fifth-grader Jayden Levesque said he likes to assist classrooms with younger students by arriving at school early enough to deliver up to four filled coolers to their destinations each morning.
“Helping is caring for others,” he said. “It’s also a respectable way to thank teachers for all they do.”
Students take a pride of ownership by cleaning up after breakfast and making sure the coolers are returned to the cafeteria. They are given 20 minutes to enjoy up to four items of their choosing. Some, who have already had breakfast at home, do not participate, but they still enjoy the socialization that
Carrie Best, public information officer of SJUSD, said another benefit of the program has been the ability to hire a part-time custodian to handle the extra trash receptacles that are placed outside the classrooms and used when the students clean up after breakfast is over. She hopes as more schools add the program to their sites, it will provide even more employ ment opportunities.
White said the way the program has been structured reduces food waste because after the coolers are returned, they can reuse unopened cartons of milk or juice and fruit items that weren’t selected.
Park Hill Principal Amy Rose said before the implementation of this pilot program, many children were unfocused. Once the col laboration between the school, district and Nutrition Services was established and everyone was on board, everything fell into place.
Rose said she was excited to create a space for staff and students to build community within the classroom. She said students are learning leadership skills, coopera tion and manners. She noted the timing of the new program is a big help to families who are adjusting to modified bell schedules and an early start time.
Teachers often eat with their class and also incorporate daily social emotional learning strate gies as well as announcements, reading, music and journaling into a quiet start to the school day.
Teacher Jarred Salha chooses to play classical music while checking the students’ planners. On a recent morning, he was busy pass
ing out Math Facts results to each of his fifth-graders, giving them kudos for a job well done.
Wearing her Breakfast Ambassador badge, Adaiyah Amyirah, 10, said she likes to deliver and oversee the distribution of food items to her classmates in Salha’s classroom.
White said she loves the pro gram as it gives the students the opportunity to play with friends and spend their recess “getting out all the wiggles” but also starts off their school day with a filling breakfast which leads to better concentration.
“It also teaches children the role of service to others and giving back to the school and commu nity,” she said.
Once the coolers are returned and unloaded, they are returned to the district’s central kitchen where they are sanitized and delivered to the school by 6 a.m. the next morning.
Third-grade teacher Meg Coles said her 30 students have em braced the program, and she is a big fan.
“I feel like they never complain about being hungry,” she said. “Also, I feel like they’re more focused during the day and can use their recess time to play with friends. This breakfast time is a nice way to start the day with them.”
S.L.Cokeley’s debut novel, is Blood that Binds Us, is a young adult contemporary fantasy novel and the rst in a series that explores the true meaning of family, making peace with the past, and nding friendships in unexpected places. It appeals to readers of Twilight and Vampire Academy and centers on vampires with a new modern twist.’
“This program is fantastic,” she said. “It’s a wonderful way to start the day. The kids come in, sit down and socialize. And we as teachers know every student has a full belly to start their day.”
She said previously, students were offered a “second chance breakfast” during the first recess and they either ate or ran and played with their friends. She said the nutrition staff provides a good variety of foods so children are en
couraged to try new things, which is also a good learning experience.
“I’ve seen a significant differ ence in my students,” Schicke said. “They now have the ability to focus when it’s time to learn. They are also building stronger connections and friendships with classmates.”
White said, “Providing healthy meals for students is a top priority and we are very pleased to find innovative ways to partner with our schools to help students be successful. We look forward to the possibility of replicating this initiative at other schools soon.”In The Classroom, Students,
Samantha Cokeley, 26, was raised in the small town of Tuttle, Oklahoma. Growing up, she always had an active imagination and an interest in vampire stories. She developed a love for writing after college. She moved to Fallbrook along with her husband to join her family that has lived here in the Fallbrook and Temecula communities for over 20 years. Fifth-grade student Jayden Levesque picks up a class roster from Bri Ruiz so he can help deliver an insulated cooler to a classroom at Park Hill Elementary. Valley News/Carrie Best photo Breakfast Ambassadors at Park Hill Elementary School return insulated coolers to the cafeteria after Breakfast in the Classroom ends at 7:50 a.m. each weekday. Valley News/Diane A. Rhodes photo Amy Rose, principal of Park Hill Elementary School, visits with kindergartners Rodney Otwell Jr., left, and Aaron Gonzalez during Breakfast in the Classroom, Monday, Sept. 12. Also enjoying the meal is David Rodriguez, front left, and Hugo Lopez. Valley News/Diane A. Rhodes photo Nutrition Services Director Tammy White of San Jacinto Unified School District shows one of the Breakfast Ambassador badges worn by students who help with Park Hill Elementary School’s Breakfast in the Classroom program. Valley News/Diane A. Rhodes photo Kindergarten teacher Kristi Schicke read an interactive story to her 28 students during a recent breakfast break. It happened to have a food theme which tied in perfectly. Breakfast Ambassador Ivan Arreola, 7, returns an insulated cooler after breakfast in his second-grade classroom at Park Hill Elementary School. Valley News/Diane A. Rhodes photo First-grader Carter Hayes wheels an insulated cooler from the cafeteria for Breakfast in the Classroom at Park Hill Elementary School. Valley News/Carrie Best photo
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There is so much data and negative talk about the housing market and also the stock market. I have remained a consistent believer in viewing the long term outlook as opposed to what is currently going on. YES..we are seeing price drops..YES.. homes are taking a little longer to sell. The fact is, we are at a time of concern for buyers and sellers. You will be pleasantly surprised to know the actual data for our area over the past 4 months. It is still a strong market, more balanced than before, and as of today..there are 92 days of market absorption based on the current data. Three months to 6 Months has long been viewed as a balanced market. Let us help you sort out what your next step will be with your housing decision. We have the knowledge and tools to help!
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Join us on Oct. 9th from 9am-4pm for the annual Fall Festival of Gems at the Fallbrook Gem & Mineral Museum located at 123 W. Alvarado St. Enjoy vendors, rock sphere demo, raffles, rock painting, children’s treasure hunt, gem ID, Wheel of Fortune, VFW food booth & more. 123 W Alvarado St B, Fallbrook 760-728-1130
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SAN JACINTO – The San Jacinto City Council agreed Tues day, Sept. 20, to support Mayor Crystal Ruiz’s effort join more than sixty mayors in a nationwide initiative to reduce heart disease and stroke, the nation’s No. 1 killer, by encouraging residents to get up and get moving with the “Move with the Mayor” program.
Ruiz expected to kick off the city’s first annual “Move with the Mayor” series of physical activity offerings soon, aimed to foster community and lower the risk of cardiovascular disease across the city.
“Being physically active can have numerous benefits, such as reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke,” Ruiz said. “Still, I know it can be hard to fit physical activity into our daily routines. That’s why I’m hosting a series of physical activity events in San Jacinto to show that fitting 30 min utes of activity into even a hectic daily schedule is possible and can be incredibly rewarding.”
Move with the Mayor, a partner
ship between San Jacinto and the National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention, encourages residents to join the mayor in a citywide physical activity on dates to be announced soon.
In 2020 during the pandemic, San Jacinto’s community outreach programs collectively known as Ignite San Jacinto were launched. The launch also included a Healthy Eating Active Living resolution that declared the council’s and city staff’s commitment to encourage residents to make healthier eating choices and choose a more ac tive lifestyle. Ignite San Jacinto’s programming is based around the three “Be’s: Be Healthy, Be Well, and Be San Jacinto.
As a part of the Healthy Cit ies initiatives, Ignite San Jacinto launched #GetMovingSanJacinto, which held free fitness classes at the Mistletoe Park Fitness Court and featured social media educational components. As a part of the hashtag #GetMovingSanJacinto, staff researched programming that is offered nationally to bring
AWARD from page A-1 her family including her husband Mike, son and daughter and the many members of MilVet. She said she was proud to be part of PWR, “women that get things done.”
Jackie Steed, Jami Fencel, Jami McNees and Lisa DeWitt are all outstanding women of achieve ment in Southwest Riverside County.
The Professional Women’s Roundtable is made up of hun dreds of women who for 25 years have provided young aspiring women with scholarships and other philanthropic endeavors to achieve their best in society and business. Their mission is simply to empower and unite professional women motivated to succeed through relationships, networking and community involvement.
“I am so humbled by so many nominees that are so encourag ing, and Joan Sparkman, isn’t she amazing?” Hilden said after accepting the award. “This is an incredible honor.” She thanked
Announcing the winner of the 10th Annual Joan Sparkman Unity Award at the Roundtable dinner was the organization’s Chief Executive Officer Lori Hoopingarner along with PWR President Laurie Provost.
Hilden later was congratulated by the award’s namesake Joan Sparkman at the Roundtable. Sparkman, for decades, has been instrumental in leading other women to achieve their fullest in education and business. An elementary school in Temecula has been named after her. Also attending at Hilden’s table was Robbie Motter, another woman who has been instrumental in seeing the communities in Southwest
to San Jacinto and identified the “Move with the Mayor” initia tive. San Jacinto is the first city in Riverside County to initiate this program.
“Our goal with Move with the Mayor is to continue to provide active in-person meet-ups, such as a walking day and Fitness Court challenge day,” Ruiz said. “This initiative is a great way to engage and promote a Healthy Eating Ac tive Living lifestyle.”
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., killing approximately 655,000 people each year or 1 in every 4 deaths.
Research shows that moving for just 30 minutes a day can help combat high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, three of the biggest risk factors for heart disease affecting about 48% of all Americans.
About 1 in 3 Americans have high cholesterol; however, many people may not even know they have it, as there are no outward symptoms, according to the CDC. High cholesterol is primarily a
Riverside County grow.
Attending the Roundtable were Assemblymember Kelly Seyarto and Riverside County Supervi sor Chuck Washington and city council members. Washington and Seyarto also presented Hilden with Certificates of Recognition. Ear lier this summer, Seyarto named Hilden Woman of the Year in his Assembly District.
Entertaining the PWR audience was Las Vegas, and many other noted venues across the globe, ma gician Chris Funk. Known for his “I have never seen anything like that” show, Funk called many of the Roundtable guests to the stage to help and witness his amazing magic from cards to mind reading, music and art.
Tony Ault can be reached at tault@reedermedia.com.
result of physical inactivity and dietary habits, including the consumption of animal foods such as eggs, meat, and full fat dairy and certain oils, such as coconut and palm oil. Other risk factors include weight, overall health, family history and smoking. While elevated cholesterol levels typically affect adults, the CDC reported that 7% of children ages 6-19 have higherthan-average cholesterol.
The CDC recommended Ameri cans eat healthy diets packed with fruits and vegetables, quit smoking and move for 30 minutes a day. Additionally, adults should get their cholesterol levels checked via a blood test every five years unless otherwise directed by a doctor.
Details of Ruiz’s kick-off Move with the Mayor physical activity challenge will be announced soon. For more information on the city’s virtual physical activity challenge, visit https://www.sanjacintoca. gov.
The National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention
brings together the most dynamic and diverse organizations in cardiovascular health, providing a forum and outlet for organizations to amplify their voices. Members currently represent more than 90 national and international organizations from the public and private healthcare organizations, as well as faith, advocacy, academic and policy settings. The National Forum is an independent nonprofit, voluntary health organization. To learn more, visit http://www. nationalforum.org.
Mayors use Move with the Mayor to encourage residents to protect and improve their health and to make their communi ties more active and accessible. Mayors are using Move with the Mayor messaging, policy recommendations and other tools to empower and protect community members from COVID-19 and improve cardiovascular health and health equity.
Submitted by city of San Jacinto.
Raven Hilden after winning the PWR Joan Sparkman Unity Award, left, is congratulated by Sparkman herself at the special event honoring seven top achieving women in the valley. Valley News/Tony Ault photos Joan Sparkman Unity Award nominees Jami McNees, Jami Fencel, Lisa DeWitt, Heather Rickman, Jackie Steed, Debra Smith and Raven Hilden are called to the stage at the Professional Women’s Roundtable event. Lori Hoopingarner, CEO of the PWR, welcomes the many women, their husbands, families and friends to the 10th Annual Joan Sparkman Unity Award celebration at the Pechanga Resort and Casino. Assemblymember Kelly Seyarto. right, enjoys dinner with friends at the 10th Annual Joan Sparkman Unity Award celebration at Pechanga.The Santa Rosa Plateau Nature Education Foundation’s end of summer Cowboy Jubilee will long be remembered for the real feel of being on a working western ranch and listening to the classic country music performed by The Highway men tribute band.
Replete with delicious chuck wagon cooked chicken and tri-tip, lots of beer and some saloon served hard liquor, many of the spectators dressed in their best western garb couldn’t help but feel they had come to a real old time fair and barn dance. Yet, the nearly 300 SRPNEF Cowboy Jubilee participants, after petting a few horses, looking at the outstanding artwork and gift baskets full of delightful items displayed under the silent auction tents and sitting down to a carefully prepared tablecloth and dinnerware tables by helpful young ladies from Mothers and Daughters not far from the main stage, knew they were at a first class event.
Even more inviting were the calls from The Highwaymen to come out and dance and have fun between the hay bales in front of the stage during a beautiful, cool evening with bright stars shining above.
Adding to the festivities was a
free glass of champagne for the arriving guests, red carpet treatment and a shuttle ride to the main venue on the grounds of the working horse ranch.
A 50-50 drawing delighted an attendee with nearly $500 in cash, with the other half going to SRPNEF, whose mission is to educate students from third grade through high school how to become good stewards of nature and the environ ment around them and to preserve it for all in the future. The Cowboy Jubilee is one of the nonprofit foun dation’s major fundraisers for the year that helps bring school children to the 9,000-acre Santa Rosa Plateau Nature Reserve above Mur rieta. It also provides scholarships to high school students interested in preserving our environment, particularly today with climate change bringing sometimes dif ficult changes to the world.
Most of the proceeds from the silent auction, with many donated artworks and other items, went to help the Foundation. Major sponsors to the event were Weatherly Ranch, Garage Brewing, Plateau Vineyards, Kings Road car club, dozens of area artists and many businesses.
Attending the event were dozens of helpful volunteers, members of the SRPNEF Board and a Master
of Ceremonies with a hearty handshake and howdy.
Gi nger Greaves, CEO of the SRPNEF, offered an invite to the upcoming family-friendly Rooted In Nature Brewfest coming up at Wildomar’s Marna O’Brien Park at 20505 Palomar St. on Oct. 15. There will be 40 local crafted brewers on hand for tastes of their beers, a children’s nature learning event area, free music entertain ment, food trucks, vendors booths, a silent auction, gift baskets, drawings and other events. The proceeds from the Rooted in Nature event offers an opportunity for those attending to help their children learn about nature and how to protect our environment in the future. Cost ranges from $54 to $64 and can be purchased online at srpnef.org or by calling 951-319-2998 for more information.
The Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District program to convert septic systems to sewer connections now includes the use of Kleinfelder Construction Services Inc., for pub lic outreach.
A 5-0 EVMWD board vote Sept. 22 approved a $1,028,403.48 professional services contract with Kleinfelder, which is headquartered in San Diego, for public outreach on the Sedco Hills and Avenues projects. The board action authorized a total expenditure of $1,033,545.48 which will also cover $5,142 for overhead.
In 2005, the district developed a groundwater management plan which identified the impact that nitrate from septic systems may be having on drinking water supply wells. Nitrate transport simula tions were evaluated to assess the future impacts of septic systems on Elsinore Basin groundwater quality, and the results indicated an expected substantial increase in nitrate mass load with more than 80% of the basin exceeding the maximum contaminant level.
In 2016, the district developed a
plan to remove the septic systems over a 40-year period. The Sedco Hills and Avenues conversions are expected to be complete by 2035. In addition to the gravity main system design, the design effort will include lateral installation and connection to each property and septic tank abandonment.
The Sedco Hills septic-to-sewer conversion boundary area is gen erally between Mission Trail and Interstate 15 from Malaga Road to Lemon Street in the City of Wildomar. The project consists of installing approximately 39,000 linear feet of gravity sewer to serve about 750 residences.
The Avenues is generally west of Avenue 6, east of Country Club Boulevard, north of East Lakeshore Drive and south of Mill Street in the City of Lake Elsinore, although properties on the other sides of those streets are also included. The project would install about 15,000 linear feet of sewer main and connect approximately 250 properties to the public sewer system.
The district desires a proactive communication plan to build trust and goodwill and to enhance aware ness and the value the projects will bring to the communities. The
Kleinfelder
EVMWD staff solicited
on
and
by
good faith efforts requirements. A review panel evaluated the proposals based on firm qualifications, experience and project understanding. Kleinfelder was deemed to be the more qualified consultant.
A Texas Style barbeque dinner made on a chuckwagon grill was part of the admission to the 2022 Santa Rosa Plateau Nature Education Foundation Cowboy Jubilee fundraiser held at the Weatherly Ranch in La Cresta on Sept. 24.
Guests, upon the entrance to the SRPNEF Cowboy Jubilee, received a free glass of champagne as part of the festivities on the working horse ranch.
Ladies prepare barbecue chicken on a hot chuckwagon grill to be served to guests at the SRPNEF Cowboy Jubilee at the working Weatherly Ranch in La Cresta. Valley News/Tony Ault photos
SRPNEF Education Director Marianne Lancaster and Foundation President Austin Linsley explain to a guest the ways the organization helps educate students in grades 3-12 on how to be good stewards of nature and the environment at the Santa Rosa Plateau Nature Reserve during the Cowboy Jubilee.
The Highwaymen music performers are lookalikes to Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash at the 2022 Cowboy Jubilee fundraiser for the SRPNEF at the working Weatherly Ranch in La Cresta.
Most people recognize the name Studebaker referring to the iconic bullet-nose car in the late 1940s. It is less known that a member of the Studebaker family factors into California history during the Gold Rush.
In Germany, the Studebak ers’ name was Staudenbecker and they were known as skilled blacksmiths, metal workers and producers of fine cutlery. A large contingent of the family came to America in 1736 to escape persecution of their Baptist sect called “Dunkers.” The group shunned war and shared all material goods in common while living in Ger many. In America, along with the change of name came a change to a more independent family unit.
Clement, one of the immigrants, built his first wagon in 1750.
Otherwise, little is known about the family until his grandson John Studebaker married Rebecca Mohler and they produced five sons. John Studebaker had a hard time keeping food on his table and paying his rent. First, he tried farming in Maryland, but failed. Then, he bought a mill in Ohio. It also failed. Finally he opened a blacksmith shop. Ironically, this man who owed money to everyone in town put a sign over his smithy, “Owe no man anything, but love one another.”
As soon as his two oldest sons reached their later teenage years, John booted Clement and Henry out into the world to make their own way. They worked as day laborers in South Bend, Indiana with the dream of saving enough money to start a wagon shop. In 1852, they started making wagons and supplemented their income with money from Clement’s teach ing job.
A few months after they started building wagons, the third eldest son, John Mohler Studebaker, called JM., arrived in South Bend. Since the business wouldn’t support even two of them, JM had to
find other work. When he heard about a wagon train that needed another wagon to go to the California gold fields, JM formed a plan. The three brothers built the wagon in exchange for JM’s passage to California. Soon he was on his way.
The first thing that went wrong happened in Council Bluffs, Iowa. While his wagon trail waited for other families to join them, some men invited JM to play cards.
“Why go to California when you can win all the gold you want right here?”
After watching a traveler easily win several games, JM hurried be hind the building to slice open his belt to get to the $65 sewn inside. He wanted to win big before his opponents ran out of cash. Instead, when JM returned the card players took him for all but fifty cents.
It took the train five months to get to California because of skirmishes with Indians in Utah and the wagonmaster dying in Nevada from a scorpion bite.
When JM arrived in Hangman,
California, now known as Placerville, his dream of amassing a fortune in gold was quickly dashed. Other opportunists had already staked the most promising claims. With a growling stomach, the young man applied for a carpenter job advertised by a blacksmith named John Hinds.
Hinds told JM if he couldn’t mine gold, he could mine the miners. Explaining, Hinds told him there were a number of mining commodities in short supply, which could be sold at a high cost. Hinds asked if JM had ever made a wheelbarrow. JM nodded his head, even though he had never made one before. He later admitted the first one he made in Placerville was wobbly and the second was better, but by the time he completed the third, he was proud of the way it stood on its own. Soon “Wheelbar row Johnny” could barely keep up with the demand for his wheelbarrows. When a good mine produced only six dollars of gold a day, JM received $10 for each wheelbarrow he crafted.
JM worked hard producing wheelbarrows and other mining equipment, and he watched his savings grow at Adams & Company Bank. When the bank started to fail, JM suspected the owners would take his savings and run.
After working hard every day, JM.would watch the bank each night. His premonitions proved true. One evening the proprietors entered the bank and began to fill a wheelbarrow with gold. At gunpoint, JM demanded his share of money; everyone else lost all their money. By 1858, JM.had saved $8,000.
Meanwhile in Indiana, his broth ers were offered a contract to make 100 Army wagons. This caused a moral dilemma but weighing their need for money against their antiwar convictions, the Studebakers decided to make the wagons. Then a problem developed. After making a few wagons, the Studebakers ran out of working capital and the government was withholding pay ment because of a fraud investigation with the contracting official.
JM saved the day when he returned to Indiana with $8,000 of savings. The pacifist Studebakers eventually made 750,00 wagons for wars between 1861 and 1918.
Jacob Studebaker, the youngest brother, opened a branch plant in St. Joseph, Missouri in the 1870s in the more peaceful enterprise of outfitting settlers traveling west ward. A man named Charles Good night bought some of the wagons and made them into chuckwagons.
The Studebakers made freight wagons, lightweight spring wagons, buggies, sleighs, hand carts, hearses and two-wheeled carts.
ences in old Hangtown and on the frontier where lessons are burned into the hearts and minds of men in a way that they cannot forget. I have had but two rules. The first was to work hard, and the second was never to buy anything that I couldn’t afford.”
JM outlived each of his four brothers, and when he died, the wagons were no longer made.
Every year Hangtown remem bers JM with a wheelbarrow race at the county fair. After running through a grueling course of muck, the winner gets a pound of gold.
One of the original wheelbar rows made by JM is on display in the El Dorado County Museum in Placerville, just down the street from the blacksmith shop where it was made.
We also have a Studebaker connection in Temecula. An old spring wagon was donated to the Vail Ranch Restoration Association several years ago. When the volunteers removed a wheel to grease the axle, they found imprinted on the axle “Studebaker.” No doubt it was made in South Bend, Indiana or St. Joseph, Missouri and came across the Great Plains with a fam ily traveling dusty trails westward.
In the style of Charles Good night, the volunteers renovated the wagon into a chuckwagon like one that could have been used in the Temecula area. The chuckwagon is outfitted with pots and pans, jerky and beans and can be viewed at the Little Temecula History Center.
The Studebakers were the only horse drawn carriage makers to successfully go on to produce cars. In 1902 they sold their first electric car, and in 1904 they began gasoline car production.
When JM returned to Placerville in 1912 for an official homecoming, he said, “There are so many things that combine to make success in life. I probably would never have made my start had it not been for my various experi
Rebecca is a member of the Temecula Valley Historical Society and is an author and coauthor of several history books about the Temecula area. The books are available for purchase at the Little Temecula History Center or online from booksellers and at www.tem eculahistoricalsociety.org.
Visit Rebecca’s Amazon au thor page: www.amazon.com/-/e/ B01JQZVO5E.
The Little Temecula History Center, the red barn at the corner of Redhawk Parkway and Tem ecula Parkway in Temecula is open on Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.
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Since advertising in the Valley News with my color display ad, I have had calls for jobs. When I met my customer they had cut out my color ad and asked if this was me, and of course I told them yes. This has happened several times and the customer says they place it on their refrigerator. One customer mentioned that I speak English which is a plus, but they were most impressed with the quality of my work and that it was done right
A Studebaker Chuckwagon is on display at the Little Temecula History Center. Valley News/Courtesy photo
Featuring a diverse slate of speakers from the Temecula Valley and beyond, the 11th annual TEDxTemecula presented a day of captivating talks and entertainment Saturday, Sept. 24, before an engaged audience of 200-plus at the Old Town Temecula Community Theater.
“Our speakers poured their hearts and souls into preparing for this day, and it really came through,” Jim McLaughlin, the event’s founder and lead organizer, said. “Our community of volunteers, the organizing team and the audience were there to support them and be inspired. The event never fails to deliver.”
Beckett William Bayan, a 12-year-old violin virtuoso, opened the event with a performance, fresh off his Walt Disney Concert Hall solo debut this summer. He also delivered a brief talk about the
importance of practice when it comes to perfecting any skill, and gave parents in the audience tips for how to get their kids to actually look forward to practicing.
Waleed Soro, who fled Saddam Hussein’s Iraq after his father was murdered, and years later in 2009, opened Soro’s Mediterranean Grill in Old Town Temecula, talked about confronting life’s adversities and offered suggestions for overcoming them. Soro is the author of “I’ve Never Had a Bad Day: The 5 Cornerstone Choices to Help You Build Your Best Life.”
Another local speaker, Sarah Hoggan, an emergency veterinarian for more than two decades, delivered a follow-up to her 2019 TEDxTemecula presentation, “The Emotional Costs of Euthanasia,” which has more than 230,000 views on YouTube. In her new talk, Hoggan
offered counsel on pet loss grief. Other inspiring talks were delivered by Lola Adeyemo, a career mom of three children, longtime advocate of diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace at every level and author (“Thriving in Intersectionality: Immigrants, Belonging and Corporate America”); Jennifer Cassetta, a success coach, self-defense expert and author (“The Art of Badassery”), who has helped employee teams from Apple, Nike, Uber and other major companies; Scott Greenberg, who has successfully battled more than one cancer diagnosis in addition to building his career as a motivational speaker for business leaders; and Meagan Hopper, a podcaster (“The Cacao Crowd”) and a construction project
TEDX,
Twelve-year-old violin virtuoso Beckett William Bayan speaks about the importance of practice when it comes to perfecting a skill. Valley News/Eddie Macaranas/TEDxTemecula courtesy photos
Lola Adeyemo, a mother of three and longtime advocate of diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace at every level, speaks to audience members at the 2022 TEDxTemecula, Saturday, Sept. 24.
Guests check in before attending the 2022 TEDxTemecula at the Old Town Community Theater.
Award-winning hip-hop dance team Choreo Cookies performs at the 2022 TEDxTemecula at the Old Town Temecula Community Theater, Saturday, Sept. 24.
Podcaster Meagan Hopper takes the stage at the 2022 TEDxTemecula at the Old Town Temecula Community Theater.
Emergency veterinarian Sarah Hoggan offers counsel on pet loss grief during her talk at the 2022 TEDxTemecula.
Scott Greenberg shares his story about battling more than one cancer diagnosis in addition to building his career as a motivational speaker for business leaders.
WILDOMAR – The Santa Rosa Plateau Nature Education Foun dation and the city of Wildomar announced that the third annual Stonehouse Rooted in Nature Craft Brew Festival will be held at Marna O’Brien Park in Wildomar, Satur day, Oct. 15.
“We are excited that Wildomar, the gateway to the Santa Rosa Plateau, is the site of this major craft beer celebration in South ern California and that the event benefits our nonprofit that has as its roots a natural and important environmental mission,” Ginger Greaves, executive director of the foundation, said.
Planned and produced by the
nonprofit, the event will support its youth nature education programs that serve over 10,000 youth from ten school districts in southwest Riverside County.
Celebrating the natural craft and cultural evolution of specialty beers, attendees will enjoy a wide variety of fine award-winning beer style offerings from over 35 top guest breweries. A unique compo nent of the guest breweries will be the inclusion of the growing local homebrewer offerings and a “Rare Beer” VIP hospitality area.
A family-friendly event, at tendees will also enjoy live music, craft beer related exhibitors, a silent auction, a Family Nature Park area
tasting glass for their unlimited 2 ounce pours.The festival begins at 1 p.m. for VIP early access and 2 p.m. for general admission, concluding at 6 p.m. Purchase tickets at http:// www.naturebrewfest.org.
The Rooted in Nature event is being held in conjunction with the Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber of
Commerce Southwest Riverside County Beer Week beginning Oct. 17. The week includes brewery bus tours to participating breweries and a Brew Masters Golf Tournament, Oct. 21. Visit http://www.swrc craftbeer.com for more information. Submitted by Santa Rosa Plateau Nature Education Foundation.
As far as monsters go, Dracula may appear more tame when com pared to the likes of cinematic vil lains like Freddy Krueger or Michael Myers. However, to Sonia Watson, director of Temecula Valley Players’ upcoming production of “Dracula,” the vampire’s demonic qualities are more threatening. Dracula can trans form his shape from human-like to beast, lures with charm, and attacks with the qualities of a viper.
“Those he spares from death be come the Undead! For me, that puts him at the top of the scariest monster list. The best dressed too!” Watson exclaimed.
TVP’s 40th anniversary season continues on with their first produc tion inside the Old Town Temecula’s Mercantile building. It was originally constructed in 1890, and was built by Philip Pohlman after he won the lot in a raffle. It was said to be the first brick building within Temecula. Later on, the building would be acquired by a man named George A. Burnham for the G.A. Burnham and Son business, and was closed during 1953. It was eventually rebuilt.
Today, The Merc functions as the entry point to the Temecula Com munity Theater, with various perfor mances being scheduled there every month. Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” coincidentally, was also written dur ing the 1890s.
The “Dracula” stage adaptation was written by Steven Dietz, and based on Stoker’s novel. It was commissioned by, and received its premiere at, The Arizona Theatre Company in Tucson Arizona, on March 31, 1995.
The show’s director was David Ira Goldstein and the set design was by Bill Forrester. David Kay Mickelsen was in charge of costume design and the lighting design was handled by Don Darnutzer. The original music was written by Roberta Carlson, Jeff Ladman was responsible for the sound design and the stage manager was George Darveris.
Dietz’s stage adaptation follows the novel much closer than other Dracula plays that have been writ ten. Watson claims that most people
she has asked are acquainted with Dracula through movies, rather than through the novel.
“When Dracula was chosen as the production for this Halloween weekend, I was especially excited as Bram Stoker’s novel is a classic that is one of my favorites,” she ex plained. Watson claims the story to be a rollercoaster tale of suspense, ad venture, romance and gothic horror. She believes it is genius storytelling that stands the test of time.
There is no better atmosphere for the telling of the tale of Dracula than that of Hallow’s Eve. When TVP de cided to accept the City’s invitation to perform at The Merc for three nights leading up to Halloween, Watson explained she was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time. She jumped on the opportunity to be part of the team that would cre ate a performance on a smaller scale than TVP’s well-known main stage performances.
As director, Watson aims to give each character in the play the chance to tell their story in a way that will give the audience a thrilling evening of live theater. She aims to potentially inspire audiences into reading the original novel.
“The talented actors in this pro duction are embracing the material and running with it. I am enjoying watching this group of young actors bring an older tale to life with such commitment. They really are impres sive,” Watson said. She claims that being able to put on the show inside a historical space place like The Merc is the icing on the cake.
“This is Black Box Theater, it is a fresh style of performance and a wonderful way to highlight our local actors’ talents in a different way. It is new territory and so exciting. I think they are excited to be performing in such an intimate space as The Merc, where they are practically performing in the audience’s laps,” Watson said.
“Dracula” will be playing for three select days, Oct. 28, 29 and 30 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the production are currently available for purchase and can be found at https://tickets. temeculatheater.org
Ava Sarnowski can be reached by email at valleystaff@reedermedia. com.
Rob Hicks, park interpreter of Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve, provides information about the reserve to guests attending the 2021 Rooted in Nature Craft Brew Festival in Wildomar.
Nikki Voskeritchian, who owns the Rescue Brewing & Gastropub with her husband, serves a tasting of beer at the 2021 Rooted in Nature Craft Brew Festival in 2021. A portion of all sales of Rescue Brewing & Gastropub beer, merchandise and fundraising events benefits animal shelters, homeless dogs and first responders. Valley News/Shane Gibson photos
with unique activities and exhibits related to the natural world. Chil dren are encouraged to dress up for halloween and go trick-or-treating at the Family Nature Park. Food for purchase from local craft beer friendly restaurants and food trucks will be on site. All ticket holders will each receive a commemorative
Valley News/Courtesy photo
To submit an upcoming community event, email it to valleyeditor@ reedermedia.com, put “attention events” in the subject line.
Oct. 5 – 4-5:30 p.m. The Dream Center in Lake Elsinore presents the Homework Club for students K-12 at 114 East Peck Street, in Lake Elsinore. For more information and to register, contact Dave@DreamCenterLE.org or call 951-264-1723.
Oct. 1 – 1-9 p.m. Menifee Fall Festival is an annual family-friendly market hosted by Made Local at Mt. San Jacinto College, 28237 La Piedra Road, in Menifee. Kick off holiday shopping with live music, local vendors, children’s activities, petting zoo, train rides, face painting and a pumpkin patch. Food and refreshments are available. Vendors can visit http://www.MadeLocalMarket.org
Oct. 1 – 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The Rainshadow Ranch Fall Festival, 19435 Avenida Presa, in Murrieta will have pony and horse rides, carnival games, popcorn, cotton candy, prizes and more. Rainshadow Ranch is a nonprofit that provides equine therapy to children and adults with special needs. A limited number will be welcomed every half hour; proceeds benefit the nonprofit. For special accommodations, email carolinalpz62@gmail.com
Oct. 5 – 3 p.m. Rancho Water Symposium will host an in-person and Zoom meeting at the Rancho Water boardroom, 42135 Winchester Road, in Temecula. Learn about the water supply and how to conserve it and what’s up for the drought. RSVP at http://RanchoWater.com/rancho15
Oct. 6 – 7 p.m. Wildomar State of the City address by Mayor Ben J. Benoit will be given at Marna O’Brien Park, 20505 Palomar St., in Wildomar. The address is free to attend, and early VIP tickets are $35 and meet at 5:30 p.m.
Oct. 7-8 – 10 a.m. Attend the Murrieta Rod Run, 24977 Washington Avenue in Downtown Murrieta, which will host 500 classic cars and more than 20,000 spectators. For more information, follow on Facebook.
Oct. 7 – 4 p.m. Menifee Foodie Friday is atCentral Park, 30268 Civic Plaza Drive, in Menifee with food trucks, fun and vendors.
Oct. 7 – 4-7 p.m. First Friday Artisan Market at EAT Marketplace, 28410 Old Town Front Street, in Temecula for a curated pop-up shopping experience that supports local and growing businesses featuring unique, handmade and high-quality products, local food and flavors with live music and entertainment.
Oct. 8 – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Electric Car Show and Clean Air
Expo will be held at Mt. San Jacinto College’s Menifee Campus on La Piedra Street, featuring top electric cars, scooters and bikes on display, exhibitors booths, music and kitchen compost pail giveaway. For more information, call Menifee Community Services Department at 951-723-3880.
Oct. 15 – 9 a.m. to noon. Eastern Municipal Water District invites its customers to a free Open House where customers can come learn about EMWD’s planned Purified Water Replenishment program at EMWD’s main office, 2270 Trumble Road, in Perris.
Oct. 15 – 1-6 p.m. Rooted in Nature Craft Brew Festival returns to Wildomar’s Marna O’Brien Park, 20505 Palomar St., with 40 craft brewers, children wildlife displays, silent auction and entertainment to benefit the Santa Rosa Plateau Nature Education Foundation in its effort to teach elementary school children and high school seniors to be good stewards of nature and the environment. Tickets go up to $95. For more information, visit http:// www.naturebrewfest.org or http:// srpnef.org
Oct. 20 – 8:30 a.m. Menifee State of the City address will be given by Mayor Bill Zimmerman at the Fairfield Inn & Suites hosted by Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the city of Menifee and livestreamed on Menifee’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.
Oct. 22 – 2-8 p.m. The free Wildomar Fall Family Fun Fair will be held at Marna O’Brien Park presented by Southwest Healthcare System.
ONGOING – The city of Menifee offers in-city or out-of-city special event vendor applications online or at Menifee City Hall to apply for signature and other special events. Contact Menifee City Hall, 29844 Haun Road, 951-672-6777, or online at businesslicensing@ cityofmenifee.us.
ONGOING – Riverside Transportation Commission is offering Park and Ride Lots to connect with carpools, vanpools and transit systems in Beaumont at 600 E. Sixth Street, in San Jacinto at 501 S. San Jacinto Avenue and in Temecula at Grace Presbyterian Church, 31143 Nicolas Road, open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. but not on weekends.
ONGOING – Sun City Civic Association Monthly Square Dance sessions are held Sundays from 1:30-5 p.m. at 26850 Sun City Boulevard, Sun City.
ONGOING – If you know a homebound older adult, resources in Menifee are available, including grab-and-go, cooked and frozen food for pickup. Courtesy Pantry items and meals delivered with no contact. Three days of emergency food can be delivered immediately
or restaurant meal delivery for those who don’t qualify for food assistance programs. Call 800-510-2020 for help.
ONGOING – The Riverside County COVID-19 Business Assistance Grant Program is accepting online applications for business grants up to $10,000 at http://www. rivercobizhelp.org that can be used for employee retention, working capital, personal protective equipment purchases, rent or mortgage payments and paying vendor notices. Eligible businesses, including nonprofits, must be in Riverside County, with a minimum of one but less than 50 employees and operating for at least one year since March 1. For more information, call Riverside County Business and Community Services at 951-955-0493.
ONGOING – 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Temecula Winchester Swap Meet continues, 33280 Newport Road in Winchester, Saturdays and Sundays only. The small local swap meet is only 50 cents for entry, and anyone under age 10 is free admission. No dogs allowed.
ONGOING – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Every Sunday, Murrieta Village Walk Farmers Market is at Village Walk Place in Murrieta. The Sunday morning farmers market at Village Walk Plaza is a place to buy fruits and veggies, gourmet food and crafts. Come to the center in the northwest corner of Kalmia/ Cal Oaks at the Interstate 215 exit in Murrieta.
ONGOING – Temecula’s Farmers Markets are offered in Old Town Temecula Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to noon, 4100 Main Street in Temecula; at Promenade Temecula, 40640 Winchester Road, outside JCPenney every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and at Vail Headquarters, 32115 Temecula Parkway, every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. In compliance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Riverside County Public Health orders, the farmers markets will be restricted to agriculture products only. Follow the Old Town Temecula Farmers Market on Facebook to stay updated. No pets are allowed.
WORKSHOPS, MEETINGS, NOTICES
Sept. 30 to Oct 2 – 8 a.m. Domestic Diesel Lake Elsinore Fall Opener features sand drags at the Lake Elsinore Motorsport Park, 20700 Cereal Street, in Lake Elsinore. Buy tickets at http://www. socalsanddrags.com Sept. 30 to Oct. 30 – 7-10 p.m. Hallows Eve Inc. presents the Undead Circus second annual Haunted Maze and Carnival at Launch Pointe, 32040 Riverside Drive, in Lake Elsinore. Tickets are $25 to $45. Parking is free. For more information, visit https://www.haunting. net/events/undead-circus/
Sept. 30 to Oct. 14 – 10-11:30 a.m. Hospice of the Valleys will be hosting a weekly Caregiver Support Series at the Fallbrook Regional Health District-Community at the Health and Wellness Center, 1636 E. Mission Road, in Fallbrook. A to-go lunch will be provided. Registration is required. Call or email Kristi Necochea at 951-639-7779 or Knecochea@hovsc.org by Sept. 5, to RSVP.
Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 – 10 a.m. Desert Daze, a music festival at Lake Perris State Recreation Area, caters to campers with easy access to hiking trails and a bazaar of mystics and wanderers. The lineup includes Tame Impala, Iggy Pop and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, plus sets from Chicano Batman, the Marías, Sky Ferreira, BADBADNOTGOOD, JPEGMAFIA, Mild High Club and more. The cost is $299-$399 for a weekend pass. Camping check in begins at 10 a.m. and will call at 3 p.m. For more information, visit http:// desertdaze.org
Oct. 8 – 6-9 p.m. The 19th annual Friends of the Valleys Wines for Canines and Kitties will be held at South Coast Winery, 34843 Rancho California Road, in Temecula. Come listen to Crooners and enjoy cocktails, silent auction and pet fashion show. For tickets, contact 951-6740618, ext. 21.
Oct. 22 – 8 a.m. The third annual Sgt. John Barcellano Memorial Motorcycle Ride will start at Area74/ Harley’s Custom Cycle Works, 520 Crane St., in Lake Elsinore. For more information, call 951348-4255.
ONGOING – Multiple Sclerosis Support Group Meeting meets the third Monday of each month at the Mary Phillips Senior Center, 41845 6th Street, in Temecula from 10 a.m. to noon. For more information, email gaugustin206@gmail.com or join the meeting.
ONGOING Sons of Norway/ Scandinavia meets at noon the first Saturday of every month, September to June, at the Heritage Mobile Park Clubhouse, 31130 S. General Kearny Road., in Temecula. A potluck lunch is followed by a cultural program and short business meeting. Please come and enjoy company with fellow Scandinavians. Call 951-309-1597 or 951-849-1690 for more information.
ONGOING – Noon to 1 p.m. Attend Murrieta Wildomar Chamber of Commerce’s weekly business briefing via Zoom or watch live
on Facebook every Wednesday. Registration required at https://bit. ly/MWCBizBriefing. The chamber business briefing is an opportunity to hear from city, county and business leaders about current and relevant business information.
ONGOING – Menifee Community Services offers online driver’s education courses for a $21.95 fee. The course includes animated driving scenarios, instructional videos, sample test, licensed instructor available to answer questions, DMV approved certificate of completion with all lectures and exams completed from home. Designed for students and does not include behind-the-wheel instruction or a California driver’s permit. Contact 951-723-3880 or visit the city of Menifee to register at http://www. city of menifee.us
ONGOING – 10 to 11:30 a.m. Michelle’s Place Cancer Resource Center and The Elizabeth Hospice host a virtual support meeting for caregivers every second and fourth week of the month via Zoom. Get helpful tips and learn from others who are also dealing with similar challenges. For more information and to register, contact The Elizabeth Hospice Grief Support Services at 833-349-2054.
ONGOING – Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous, a free 12step recovery program for anyone suffering from food obsession, overeating, undereating or bulimia, has meetings throughout the U.S. and the world. Contact 781-9326300, or for local meetings, call 925-321-0170 or visit http://www. foodaddicts.org
ONGOING – The Murrieta Garden Club meets each month at the Murrieta Community Center, 41810 Juniper St. Anyone who likes to garden or is interested in plants is welcome. Membership is $10 per year. Find more information about the monthly event or project on Facebook.
ONGOING – Temecula Valley Rose Society meets each month. For more information and new meeting dates and places, visit http://www. temeculavalleyrosesociety.org
ONGOING – Menifee Toastmasters meets every Thursday at noon for one hour at a designated place to have fun, enhance speaking capabilities, gain self-confidence and improve social skills. For new dates, call 760-807-1323 or visit http:// www.MenifeeToastmasters.org for more information.
by Myles Mellor and Susan FlanaganEach Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9X9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3X3 squares. To solve the puzzle each row, column and box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9. Puzzles come in three grades: easy, medium and difficult.
Level: Medium
TEMECULA – Artist Natasha Ragland will show 14 large paintings in the gallery lobby at The Merc, 42051 Main Street, in Old Town Temecula. The show will include landscapes of local scenes in Rainbow, Fallbrook, Temecula, the beach, Yellowstone, animals, musicians & dancers, still life with
musical instruments and florals.
The opening reception with refreshments and music.will take place at 5:30-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7, in conjunction with Temecula’s Art Off the Walls. The public is invited to attend. The display will be up for the month of October.
The hours of operation at The
Merc are Wednesday from 2-6 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 2-9 p.m., Saturday from noon to 9 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, contact The Merc at 866-653-8696.
Submitted by Natasha Ragland.
on page
October 1 • 1-9pm at MSJC
28237 La Piedra Road Menifee, CA 92584
The Fall Festival is an annual family-friendly market hosted by Made Local.
Kick off your holiday shopping with live music, 100+ local vendors, and activities for children, including train rides, a petting zoo, face painting, and a pumpkin patch. Local vendors will also bring on the Fall fare with delicious foods, drinks, and treats for all to enjoy throughout the festival.
Vendor applications at www.MadeLocalMarket.org
Natasha Ragland stands next to her piece “Flamenco Celebration.” Valley News/Courtesy photo
Diane A. Rhodes Special to Valley News
The Hemet/San Jacinto Student of the Month program held its most recent recognition event at the Maze Stone restaurant at So boba Springs Golf Course, Thurs day, Sept. 15. Seven local high school seniors were recognized and honored for their character, love of learning and commit ment to academics in addition to their involvement in school and community activities and their ability to overcome difficult life challenges. And they do it all in a setting that honors God, America, family, community and free enter prise. Students are nominated by teachers or other school personnel for making a difference in their homes, schools and communities.
Program founder and event facilitator Karena Zermeno also represents one of the sponsors, Altura Credit Union. Backpacks filled with gifts, a Student of the Month award, certificates of recognition and much more were donated by the program’s spon sors to the award recipients. Each student was invited to the podium to share their personal story, past challenges and future goals with a room full of supporters that included principals, teachers, peers, family members as well as community and school district dignitaries.
September’s students of the month from Hemet Unified School District schools are Alyssa Gan dara, Xavier Gonzales, Stephanie Martinez Anaya, Owen Newborn and Kylie Wallace. San Jacinto Unified honorees for September are Jonte Cooley and Aro Rodri guez.
Hemet Unified School District Alyssa Gandara from The Acad emy of Innovation was adopted by her aunt and uncle at the age of five which she said gave her a new and better family to be by her side. She said school was always a chal lenge for her because she wasn’t motivated. After getting involved in school activities and engaging with teachers and classmates at the academy, she started looking to her future and keeping her mind on the right things. She volunteers at the San Jacinto Wildlife Refuge and wants to work for a degree in criminal justice and/or psychology at college.
Tahquitz High School’s Xavier Gonzales was nominated by his CIF Championship Cheer Squad coach Sarah Peterson. He takes Advanced Placement courses, is on the football and track and field teams and participates in AVID.
Peterson said Xavier is an excel lent student and superior athlete who selflessly leads by example and is a wonderful mentor for the younger students.
“At Tahquitz we have a state ment, ‘Always show that Titan Pride’ and pride at our school stands for more than just one’s accomplishments,” he said. “The P stands for passion and I’m passion ate about my academics as well as my involvement in all of the extracurriculars outside of school. I also look for the kids that don’t have friends and try to be that for them because at one point, I was that kid that didn’t have friends. R is for respect and I have profound
respect for all of my teachers.”
He said “I” is for integrity, which means not to expect to have any thing handed to you and “D” is for determination, admitting that the past few years have really tested his. His grandmother, who he was very close to and was always in his corner, died from COVID-19.
After his aunt was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and moved in with his family, Gonzales took care of her. Through it all, he maintained his grades and tried to be a good example for his younger siblings.
“E is for excellence, and I want to be the best that I can be. The last year and a half have been very dif ficult, but I let pride surround me,” he said. “I plan to study engineer ing and business at the University of Hawaii. I want to thank all the sponsors and supporters here today for letting us be a change in this world.”
Stephanie Martinez Anaya is Hamilton High’s choice for Sep tember. Very active at her school, she serves as class president, is captain of her cross country and track teams among many other activities. She has received two national recognition awards from the College Board. She hasn’t confirmed a career choice but is considering becoming an architect or a math teacher. What she does know is that whatever she chooses, she wants to be successful.
“My community at Hamilton and my family play key roles in my life,” Anaya said. “I feel like being a good friend is the greatest of my achievements and contributions to my community. Being somebody that can be trusted and confided in is what I base my character off of.”
She said the most significant life lesson she’s learned is that everyone is going through their own struggles in life so at the end of the day being a decent human being and treating others with re spect is the most honorable thing
we can do as people.
“Knowledge is power and so is one’s voice,” Anaya said.
West Valley High School sin gled out Owen Newborn to be recognized this month. His English teacher described him as having an incredibly unique personality with a sparkle that fills up a room. As a student of the arts, he has already read most of the classics that have been assigned to the class. He writes poetry and his own plays and exerts a positive energy.
“Optimism is the main trait that I’ve always tried to keep,” New born said. “I want to go to a good college like UCLA. I want to be a part of film and writing and I want to be able to live out my dreams of telling these stories that I write and make.”
Like many others, 2020 was a difficult year for Newborn and not just because of the pandemic lockdown. He lost two pets, his best friend moved away and his parents got divorced. With all those challenges he felt like giving up but said he knew he had to look at all the positives in his life such as his brother, theater, friends and his connection to the community.
Hemet High’s Kylie Wallace is an outstanding student and a can cer survivor. She was nominated by counselor Dawn Sonnier who described her as the definition of courage, strength, determination and joy. Wallace was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma last year and endured tests and treatments that didn’t deter her from maintaining a 3.9 GPA. She plans to attend Grand Canyon University’s kinesiology program.
“I feel that my greatest contribu tion to my school and my commu nity is that I love helping people in any way that I can. Seeing people happy makes me happy,” Wallace said. “As of yesterday, I’m six months cancer free. I beat cancer and am now stronger. I’m unable
to play sports but I want to be an athletic trainer. I’m going to take to college the life lesson of always having a positive mindset. I love to make people happy and to make people smile and I will continue to do that because I feel a smile can go a long way.”
San Jacinto Unified School District
Jonte Cooley from Mountain View High School is a standout student who earned the respect of all the staff and made some great friends on campus. Principal Ken Swanson said the young man always accepts people as they come to him. After a challenging childhood where his parents were in and out of jail and he was raised by grandparents since he was four years old, he said change is pos sible if you are determined to make a difference. He experienced social anxiety and untreated ADHD throughout elementary school. Once he went to live with his aunt and started attending Mountain View, he began to focus on his studies to make himself proud.
“Hard work doesn’t go unre warded. I plan to go to Cal Poly and become a civil engineer to change things,” Cooley said. “I plan to give back to the commu nity by building more homes and workplaces in the valley.”
San Jacinto High School chose Aro Rodriguez as its outstanding student for September. Their plan is to major in biology with the goal of becoming a medical assistant. Their AP English teacher Richard Burton said, “I have been lucky enough to teach Aro in AP Lan guage and AP Literature. For that, I am grateful and humbled, and here is why. In my teaching career, I have yet to meet a young person with as keen an intellect as Aro, a desire to inaugurate substantial change in their world as Aro and a tireless will to protect and ad vocate for the most vulnerable of
our students as Aro. To look in the eyes of another and try to discern their response to our conduct is the most accurate way to understand who we are in the world and the impact we make. Aro, I hope you know that we can only respond with deference, awe and admira tion. I speak for so many when I say we are better for knowing you as you’ve imparted a portion of your unflagging spirit to each of us; the world is undoubtedly a better place with you in it. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your life.”
Rodriguez said, “I started to realize I was trans in the middle of my sophomore year. I felt very confused and had low selfesteem because I didn’t feel sure of myself. When I expressed these feelings to my closest cousins and friends, I was met with validation and open arms. With their support I felt safe enough to live as my true self and I realized how good it felt to not force myself to be someone I wasn’t. I try to pay it forward by advocating not just for myself but for others as well.”
SJUSD superintendent Dave Pyle said at each monthly Student of the Month breakfast, a different theme resonates with him and this month it appears to be the true meaning of friendship, both giving and receiving.
“I highly encourage you, after checking with your parents first, to find one another on your social media accounts so you can con nect and fill yourself with positive information from one another,” Pyle said. “Make this group and continue this group and encourage each other, as you’re all part of this same stage of life.”
For more information, visit http://www.studentofthemonth. net.
than 3,700 students, including over 2,500 full-time undergradu ates. More than 47,000 alumni have earned degrees through its 90+ undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs at Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering, and Pharmacy and Health Sciences and School of Law. Students come from 39 U.S. states and territories and 23 coun tries. Of 45,104 living alumni, 30% remain within the region, residing in the four Western Mas sachusetts counties and northern Connecticut.
ing first-year and transfer students throughout their transition to West ern New England University. Peer advisers undergo more than 150 hours of training in order to bet ter support first-year and transfer students. The following students have been named peer advisors for
the 2022-2023 academic year at Western New England University. Franzo is studying for a bach elor’s degree in biomedical engi neering. Manley is working toward a bachelor’s degree in political science.
Western New England Univer
sity is a private, nationally ranked, comprehensive institution with a focus on preparing work-ready and world-ready graduates. Founded in 1919 in Springfield, Massachu setts, as a division of Northeastern College, the university’s 215-acre suburban campus serves more
Western New England Univer sity is classified among nationally ranked universities in US News and World Report, and among the Top 100 Undergraduate Engineer ing programs and in the Doctoral/ Professional Universities category in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
Submitted by Western New Eng land University.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Riley Franzo of Canyon Lake and Grant Manley of Lake Elsinore have been named as peer advisors at Western New England University. Peer advisers are a group of highly selected and comprehensively trained students dedicated to help Recipients of the Hemet/San Jacinto Student of the Month award for September are, from left, Aro Rodriguez, Alyssa Gandara, Owen Newborn, Kylie Wallace, Jonte Cooley, Xavier Gonzales and Stephanie Martinez Anaya. Valley News/Bekah Mosier photo Biomedical engineer major Riley Franzo of Canyon Lake is a peer adviser at Western New England University. Political science major Grant Manley of Lake Elsinore is a peer adviser at Western New England University. Valley News/Courtesy photosWhen Vanessa Fernandez and Shania House graduated from Noli Indian School on the So boba Indian Reservation in June of 2021, they were ranked first and second in their senior class of 13. As valedictorian, Fernandez spoke at commencement of look ing forward to the opportunity to continue her education to advance herself with integrity and dignity as she continues to honor her In digenous heritage. Salutatorian House shared that she learned that hard work pays off and en couraged her classmates to never stop believing in themselves and never stop working towards their dreams.
The cousins, both members of the Navajo Nation, are in their second year of college. Fernan dez is studying sociology with an emphasis on Native Studies at University of California Berkeley, and House is a psychology major at University of California Irvine.
About a year and a half ago, they began to collaborate on a project that is of great importance to them as Native women.
With the help of funding from Thriving Women Fellowship spon sored by the 7th Generation Fund, they began researching the plight of Missing and Murdered Indig enous Women. Having recently completed a PowerPoint presenta tion on the subject, Fernandez and House visited their alma mater to educate current students on the problem and what they can pos sibly do to help.
“This was a personal project, but it was supported by my studies at the university,” Fernandez said. “Shania and I work well together and have the same goals so we’ve been working on this project to gether since application.”
They described Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women as an epidemic of disproportion ate violence against Indigenous women in the Americas, whereas Indigenous women and girls are irregularly the victims of femicide, which is the intentional killing of women or girls because they are female.
“Noli is the first school we’ve presented at and was our target audience,” Fernandez said. “This was more of a longitudinal study to present our research through scholarship and our school’s teach ings as well as amplify our exist
ing knowledge. It is a project to further expand on communal knowledge on MMIW. Statistics are important, however, they were not our main research goal, as it is a qualitative study.”
Although living miles away from one another, Fernandez and House communicated through all forms of media, but phone was the most used. Occasionally, Fernan dez would fly down to Southern California for in-person meetings.
Students from each high school grade level had the opportunity to attend one of the 45-minute ses sions held throughout the morning Friday, Sept. 16, in the classroom of Lorin Alvarez, who oversees the school’s Advancement Via In dividual Determination program.
“I was pleased with the pre sentations,” Alvarez said. “It was really special to see our alumni be able to return to our school and educate our students on something so relevant to this community. I felt very proud of both Shania and Vanessa for the time and effort they put into the presentation and for their dedication to shedding light on the important topic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.”
Titled “MMIW: Rooted in Colo nization,” the “fundamental theme proposed within this project will be depicted as a form of conviction towards the American government overlooking the avoided and re jected wave of cases; in its relation to the purpose of explaining and examining the concerns facing Native American/Indigenous com
BEREA, Ohio – Capri Castriotta of Murrieta was among over 600 first-year students welcomed to the Baldwin Wallace University campus this fall who earned more than $11 million in merit schol arships. Castriotta, a graduate of Vista Murrieta High School majoring in music theater, earned a $19,000 Trustees’ Scholarship based on outstanding academic achievements in high school.
Baldwin Wallace University’s merit scholarships are awarded to full-time students and are renew able up to four years with good academic and social standing.
Baldwin Wallace offered a wide range of financial support to its
students – more than $52 million for the 2022-2023 academic year.
Baldwin Wallace University, founded in 1845, was one of the first colleges to admit students without regard to race or gender.
An independent, coeducational university of 3,500 students, Bald win Wallace offers coursework in the liberal arts tradition in more than 80 academic areas. Located in Berea, 12 miles from downtown Cleveland, Baldwin Wallace offers students the cultural, educational and business advantages of a major metropolitan area.
Submitted by Baldwin Wallace University.
munities within the national crisis. This presentation serves as an intro to the ties of MMIW and its relation to America’s colonization tactics of assimilation, termina tion and American exceptional ism,” according to Fernandez and House.
Fernandez and House delved into the basis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and what ties it to modern colonialism. They also presented a review of Native American history and the solution to the “Indian Problem.” It was followed by statistics and case studies.
“We collaborated on all stud ies, but Shania was focused on statistics and case studies, as well as the sex trafficking portion,” Fernandez said.
The purpose of the presentation is to properly educate those with no or little previous knowledge of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in or outside of Indig enous communities, contribute to the pursuit of philosophy and investigation regarding this subject and to consider the detachment of resources with the media’s lack of efforts in representation, his tory and/or awareness included in Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
“We hope to educate the Indig enous youth on why these things are happening within the com munity rather than accept it as a consequence of being Native,” Fernandez said.
While much needs to be done before the problem can be re
solved, headway is being made at many levels, thanks to exposure from those willing to speak up about the problem, Fernandez and House said.
State Assemblymember James Ramos, a longstanding member of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, helped write and promote an Assembly Bill known as the “Feather Alert.” It is similar to the Amber Alert for young children and the Silver Alert for older adults which require a law enforcement agency to activate the Emergency Alert System so the public can assist in the safe recovery of any endangered person who is reported missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances. The Feather Alert will do the same for an Indigenous person.
Assembly Bill 1314 was passed through the Assembly and is cur rently on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for signature. He has until the end of the month to sign it into law. The bill was initially proposed following the select committee hearing on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Person issues in May
2022. Ramos identified a vehicle in the Senate and amended that vehicle into its current form, the Feather Alert. After the Senate policy committee, it had to go to the Senate floor for a full vote, then returned back to the Assembly for concurrence.
The driving force behind AB 1314 was not only the plight of women and children, but the fact that it is an issue that plagues every Tribe in California. The hope is that the Feather Alert can help to move the state in the right direc tion, Ramos said.
“AB 1314 would bring atten tion and effort to end a cycle of violence in Tribal lands across California and the nation,” Ramos said.
This bill is important because of the implications it will have on Tribal communities, he said. The Feather Alert will finally start shedding light on those who go missing under unexplained cir cumstances and can start bringing those who went missing home. If signed, it will become active Jan. 1, 2023.
manager for a major entertainment company who launched a healthand-wellness side business sevenplus years ago.
Choreo Cookies, an awardwinning hip-hop dance team from San Diego, also performed.
“One fellow told me he really only came to see the last speaker, his son Scott Greenberg, and thought he’d have to suffer through all the other talks. To his surprise, he told me that he was moved by each and every speaker,” McLaughlin said.
All of Saturday’s talks were recorded and are being edited by JDS Video & Media Productions Inc., and will be available for viewing soon via the TED website at www.ted.com, YouTube and the TEDxTemecula website, www. tedxtemecula.com.
Other event partners and sponsors include the City of Temecula, The Inland Valley Business and Community Foundation, The Rancon Group and Murrieta Solar Power.
Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians Special to Valley News Vanessa Fernandez describes the meaning of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women to students at Noli Indian School on the Soboba Indian Reservation during a grantfunded presentation she wrote with Shania House. Shania House explains some of the alarming statistics she uncovered during the grantfunded research she and Vanessa Fernandez conducted for their presentation on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis. Valley News/Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians photo Thriving Women Fellowship sponsored by the 7th Generation Fund provided the grant for Vanessa Fernandez and Shania House to create and present an in-depth look at the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis in America. Vanessa Fernandez, who won multiple awards during her high school years at Noli for writing, art, science, athletics and academics, designed several of the items that were available to students who attended the presentation she and Shania House made at their alma mater Friday, Sept. 16. Leah Di Bernardo, the founder/ chef at E.A.T. Marketplace, and her team prepared a vegan lunch menu of flavor-filled and mostly locally sourced items including braised jackfruit as carne asada in place of meat, fruit skewers and chocolate bread pudding. During a post-event speaker reception, guests enjoyed charcuterie and cheese boxes individually packed with dessert bites also by E.A.T., accompanied by select vintages from Palumbo Family Vineyards and Winery. TEDxTemecula is organized and staged entirely by volunteers. Sponsorships and tax-deductible donations are welcome. If you’re interested in being part of the 2023 event, tentatively set for early fall, contact McLaughlin at jim@ tedxtemecula.com Submitted by TEDxTemecula TEDX from page B-1 Author and local restaurateur Waleed Soro talks about confronting life’s adversities, and offers suggestions for overcoming them at the 2022 TEDxTemecula. Valley News/Eddie Macaranas/TEDxTemecula courtesy photo17. The event brought over 100 parents and students to the Bob O’Donnell District Education Center to provide a day full of fun activities and services designed to promote bicycle safety.
“So many of our students ride
their bikes to and from school,” MUSD Superintendent Jennifer Root said. “So it was very important for us to have this event. Safety is a major priority for us, all aspects of safety and that includes the safety of our learners
on wheels.”
Students at the Walk ‘N Roll Festival visited many safety stations, including a DIY washing station to tidy up bikes, along with a repair station hosted by Menifee Bicycles, a local bicycle shop. There were also several skill stations where children learned how to properly start and stop their bicycles, how to scan and signal while riding and how to yield and avoid hazards. Students also received an important and required piece of equipment for bike safety – a free helmet.
“Children love riding bikes,” Jim Shanman, executive director of Walk ‘N Roller, said. “Freedom and independence are unparalleled. So often though, they aren’t taught the essentials of bike safety which is the cornerstone of traf-
fic safety. The lessons they learn today will inform their actions for years to come.”
The festival is another event in a series that the district has engaged in over the past four months to promote all aspects of school safety. It included ongoing collaborations with the Menifee Police Department, a Summer Safety Summit and joint community meetings with the superintendent and police chief.
Walk ‘N Rollers will be hosting another event in Menifee soon in anticipation of the new pump track opening up in Menifee southeast of Craig Avenue and Evans Road. Submitted by Menifee Union School District.
Riverside University
Walk
Festival
Union School District and Walk
Rollers at the Bob
photos
Menifee Bicycles, a local bike shop, helps visitors with repairs and maintenance at the first Walk ‘N Roll Festival in partnership with Menifee Union School District, Riverside University Health System – Public Health, Safe Routes For All Program and Walk ‘N Rollers at the Bob O’Donnell District Education Center.
A student is fitted for a free helmet at the first Walk ‘N Roll Festival in partnership with Menifee Union School District, Riverside University Health System – Public Health, Safe Routes For All Program and Walk ‘N Rollers at the Bob O’Donnell District Education Center.
Jennifer Root, superintendent of Menifee Union School District, is fitted for a helmet with this young learner at the first Walk ‘N Roll Festival in partnership with Riverside University Health System –Public Health, Safe Routes For All Program and Walk ‘N Rollers at the Bob O’Donnell District Education Center.
The city of Menifee shows off blender bikes, which make smoothies while pedaling, at the first Walk ‘N Roll Festival in partnership with Menifee Union School District, Riverside University Health System –Public Health, Safe Routes For All Program and Walk ‘N Rollers at the Bob O’Donnell District Education Center.
A young rider learns about turn signals at the first Walk ‘N Roll Festival in partnership with Menifee Union School District, Riverside University Health System – Public Health, Safe Routes For All Program and Walk ‘N Rollers at the Bob O’Donnell District Education Center.
MENIFEE – The Menifee Union School District, in partnership with the Walk ‘N Rollers and the Riverside University Health System Public Health – Safe Routes for All Program, ran its first Walk ‘N Roll Festival Saturday, Sept.
mud flat site. Again, the forest has supplied humanity with building materials of all kinds, and I am in awe of such engineering tasks that man has accomplished. Just hold a sharp wooden pencil in your hand and think that it’s 60 feet in length and is part of the foundation in the building of Venice. Does that give you some perspective on this arduous task and perspective on that scale?
• 1163: In Paris, the French are building the Cathedral of Notre Dame on the Seine River. The church recently had a significant fire but is being rebuilt today with new technology, and oak timbers are imported from woodlands miles away from the reconstruction site in Paris today. The goal is to have it completed by the summer Olym pics in 2024. And I say, “something old, something new, something borrowed and something trees in its revival.”
revolt against England. In 1787, the colonies drafted the United States Constitution, but the forests stood their own during this turbulent time of a growing nation.
• 1861: The American Civil War was fought between the North and the South. The forest trees of those eastern states saw those battles, and if the trees could speak, how many stories they could share would surprise us with the varied tales of hardship and drama from that era.
• 1876: Alexander Graham Bell was granted a patent for his tele phone invention, and the story evolves to our current cell phones of today. And millions of trees were cut and used for early poles as they stretched across the continent. The conversations that rippled along those tree poles must have been unique, vivid, colorful and histori cal in content.
Carolina, Wilbur Wright flies the first engine-powered airplane. His plane was built from wood, wire and canvas and the flight only lasted seven seconds and flew about 120 feet. So, wood from trees then took to the air in new frontiers.
• 1904: Millions of wooden bar rels were constructed and filled with whiskey, pigs feet, salted her ring, pickles, beer and all sorts of materials to be transported through out the towns and moved on the cobblestone streets by horse-drawn wooden wagons. And America built new buildings from trees harvested from the local forests. The timber industry came into its own and was booming, from the woodsman cutting the trees in the woods to the lumber mills, manufacturing the boards that helped build our country.
Special to the Valley NewsHigh on the western slopes of the California Sierra Nevada mountains grows a vast array of sugar pines, black oaks and the most iconic trees on the planet, the Sequoia.
Some of these trees are taller than a 30-story building with enormous trunks, and 40 people holding hands would barely circle the circumfer ence of one of these giant trees.
For centuries the Miwok Indians called the trees Wawona after the hooting sound of the Indigenous spotted owl, which nested high in the boughs of these monumental towers in the Sierra mountain range.
The early pioneers called them “the big ones.” Plant botanists eventually classified them as Se quoiadendron giganteum. Most people today call them the giant sequoias of the Sierras.
Trees around the world are old and grand, from the ancient olive trees in the Mediterranean to the eucalyptus trees of Australia. Some species of tree grow on every con tinent, except for the Arctic and Antarctic.
Trees have witnessed civiliza tions rise and fall, from Chile’s giant Monkey Puzzle trees to our native Torrey pines on the La Jolla sandstone bluffs. And, of course, oak trees dot the world, from Eu rope to our native coastal oak trees of California.
All trees have had their place in global history as humanity evolved and grew in this timeline for cen turies.
Let’s take a tree voyage to see how trees lived on the earth mil lions of years ago and how history was carved with epic events over the millennia as trees grew up and blanketed our planet.
As the sequoia seeds fell from its tiny cones, tree giants were born and still survive to this day and are thousands of years old.
• 1500 B.C. the people of Greece built ships of pine and oaks and began to sail and trade with Egypt and the Palestine nation.
• 1300 B.C. Stonehenge was built to study the stars and the earth’s calendar at that time, and it still exists today while forests grew in the region and supplied timbers for rolling those giant stones into place.
• 1270 B.C. Moses leaves Egypt and receives the Ten Command ments, it is recorded. Many regions
of the world had dense untouched growing forests in those times. The trees stood silent and viewed his tory in the making around the globe.
• 1100-1000 B.C. In Mexico, the Olmec people are building pyra mids made of earth and carving gi ant god-like stone sculptural heads weighing some 40 tons, among the ever-encroaching exotic jungle of trees and the understory thicket.
• 776 B.C. The first Olympic games are held in Greece to cel ebrate athletic excellence. There was only a foot race at that time.
Wood merchants harvested pine trees hundreds of miles away and hauled them to build homes, for tresses and the inner structure of the Grecian communities. Trees played a significant role in creating civilizations, and man went to the forests and started harvesting the bounty of trees.
• 550 B.C. Siddartja Gaitamma is born. He became known as Bud dha, which means “enlightened one,” and founded the religion and beliefs known as Buddhism under the Bodhi tree.
• 438 B.C. The Parthenon was built over years of importing stones and marble slabs from many miles away and hauled in on wooden wagons. Trees again played a sig nificant role as man used the natural resources around him.
• 264 B.C. Gladiators become popular as events in the Colosseum for the public’s entertainment with men and exotic animals challenging each other to the finish. Trees again were part of the inner structures and built communities in those times.
• 214 B.C. The Chinese began construction of the “Great Wall.”
The 13,000-mile wall took many centuries to complete through the tree-clad mountains of China, and the native trees looked at its majes tic construction.
• 69 B.C. Cleopatra was born as the “Queen of the Nile” and ruled Egypt from 44 B.C. until her death from a snakebite. The Greeks tricked the Trojans with their gift of a wooden horse built from the timbers of tree forests. Plates and goblets were made not only from exotic metals for the very rich, but spoons, bowls, and mugs were carved from the wood of trees.
• 421 A.D. Venice is built by using 10 million sharp wooden poles driven into the mud flats of the swampy lagoon. These poles were harvested and imported from far away Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro, and then barged to the
• 1492: Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain across the Atlan tic Ocean and landed off the coast of North America. The ships were being built out of the trees brought down to the seaside and then milled and constructed as the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria.
• 1564: William Shakespeare was born and created classic plays about Hamlet, Othello and Macbeth and saw theaters constructed from the trees of the English countryside.
• 1775: The American colonies
• 1885: The Statue of Liberty is presented to the United States by the people of France and stands 302 feet high in the Hudson River. My Swedish grandfather and mom saw that statue as a welcome sight coming to America as they both immigrated in the early 1900s and entered the Hudson harbor to carve out a new life in America. Wooden scaffolding was constructed around the statue to hoist up the copper sheets in its building, and trees once again were part of history in the making on our shores.
• 1903: In Kitty Hawk, North
• 1930: Agriculture tapped into the food industry by planting tree crops like citrus, peaches, almonds, chestnuts and more to feed Amer ica’s hungry growing populations. Once again, trees are part of the fabric of our culture and a mainstay in our tree history.
• 1945: World II ended, and the United Nations was founded to bring peace and resolve conflicts globally. Trees of many lands are like the silent docents growing in those varied war zones and witness ing so much devastation. Trees gave
Roger Boddaert Some Bristlecone pines are over 9,000 years old up in the White Mountains. Valley News/Courtesy photo The annual tree rings document weather patterns. This is the remnant of a thousand year Bristlecone pine up in the White Mountains. pageAsk your agent if the Multiple Listing Service that they are a member of has reciprocal listing agreements with other MLS sys tems. As an example the San Diego MLS system, Paragon, has recip rocal agreements with Riverside and Orange County MLS systems while the Combined Regional MLS system has agreements that reach approximately 85% of the state’s real estate agents.
Since we don’t know where the buyers, and buyer’s agents, are coming from, it’s imperative to reach as many places as possible.
Sometimes we hear from visi tors that they are just neighbors to which we say “wonderful!” Neighbors are an important source of buyer referrals to get the listing sold.
Bob Hillery CR PropertiesInsist on professional photos and videos – consumers like to see lots of quality pictures and video. Studies have shown that list ings without pictures get quickly passed over. Walk through video has become increasingly popular with consumers too, they want to learn as much as they can about a property before they request a showing.
If the property is rural or unusu ally large, then drone photos are warranted to show how the lot lays out and what’s surrounding the property. Again, the consumers want to learn as much as possible ahead of time, so it’s vital to keep their attention focused on your listing.
The CRMLS uses a platform called Matrix and it’s much more powerful in reaching power, so ask your agent if they use Matrix and CRMLS.
Pay a full commission to the agents, that will allow the listing agent to spend money on advertis ing and it will attract buyer agents to your listing. In some MLS sys tems, agents can search by com mission level so it only stands to reason that if a full commission is paid, then buyer agents will search for those listings and send them to their buyer clients. It is not a super-hot seller’s market; houses are not selling themselves any longer. Strategies have to adapt to help your listing get noticed.
Open houses work. Yes, they can be inconvenient for the home owner, but they do draw crowds.
Advertising an open house in the MLS and via social media is a tremendous way to attract crowds. Pre-COVID, an average Fallbrook area open house had four groups of visitors. Two and a half weeks ago, my partner and I held an open house listed at $1,399,000 on a Saturday. We had 26 groups through the property and, at day’s end, we had one offer in hand; two more showed up later.
Last weekend, we held a
$649,000 property open house and we had 18 groups through; we had two offers in hand by the next day. The common theme was we held them open on Saturdays; we advertised the open houses in the MLS and on social media; we used Facebook to target market areas in Orange County and San Diego proper and, per my last article, properly priced properties sell! Open houses work to set your list ing apart and get it good exposure. When a listing goes stale, the recourse is often a price reduction. Instead, I propose an interest rate buydown of the buyer’s interest rate paid by the seller. It sounds expensive but please review the
numbers below, courtesy of Tico Title; it’s how to create a win-win scenario
For the buyer, the buyer can make a full price offer and use the seller’s contribution to buy down their interest rates, resulting in a savings of $92 on their monthly payment and $77,209 in interest over the life of the loan because of the lower interest rate.
For the seller, by contributing $19,000 to buy down the buyer’s interest rate, the seller now gets their full asking price and will net $13,550 more than if they were to lower their price by $35,000.
Here’s the math estimates based on 30 year term and 20% down payment, all numbers are estimates only:
Full price offer $35k price reduction Seller buy down
List price $800,000 $765,000 $800,000
Loan amount $640,000 $612,000 $640,000
Interest rate 5.25% 5.25% $4.5%
APR 5.367% 5.367% $4.611%
Total $$$ to close $181,195 $173,554 $180,998
Seller contribution $0.00 $0.00 $19,200
Monthly payment $4,553 $4,354 $4,262
Seller net at closing $743,812 $711,062 $724,612
Some of these suggestions might be unconventional thinking. If it gets buyers to your door, however, and your house sells while other properties are sitting because there was no effort made to ensure the property was ready to market, the property was overpriced and there were no incentives for buyers or agents, then it would be good to consider thinking outside the box to get the job done. Food for thought for how to get your listing set apart from the rest.
SACRAMENTO – As wildfires continue to threaten homeowners throughout California, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara or dered insurance companies to preserve residential insurance cov erage Thursday, Sept. 22, follow ing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest emergency declarations. The com missioner’s bulletin shields those policyholders within the wildfire perimeter or in adjacent ZIP codes of the Mosquito and Fairview fires in Riverside, Placer and El Dorado counties from insurance non-renewal or cancellation for one year from the date of the governor’s Sept. 8, declaration regardless of whether they suffered a loss.
“Wildfires are devastating even if you did not lose your home, so it is absolutely critical to give people breathing room after a disaster. This is not the time to be having to search for insurance,” Lara said, whose Department of Insurance staff will be on-site at Local As sistance Centers in El Dorado and Placer counties. “My department will be there every step of the way as people rebuild stronger and safer, and I will continue to enforce this crucial law that protects our state’s wildfire survivors after a declared emergency.”
NonRenewals.cfm to see if their ZIP code is included in the mora torium. Consumers should contact the Department of Insurance at 800-927-4357 or via chat or email at http://insurance.ca.gov if they believe their insurance company is in violation of this law, or have ad ditional claims-related questions.
Lara’s ability to issue moratori ums is a result of a California law that he authored in 2018 while serving as state senator to provide temporary relief from insurance non-renewals and cancellations to residents living within or adjacent to a governor-declared wildfire disaster. Since 2019, Lara’s actions have protected nearly 4 million homeowners, including 346,000 to date in 2022.
The commissioner’s action is part of a larger solution he is pur suing for consumers and wildfire survivors that includes working to increase insurance protections and market competition to help protect consumers.
California Public Utilities Com mission.
He proposed a new regulation to incorporate Safer from Wild fires in insurance pricing, driving d own costs for consumers who have taken actions to protect their communities while increasing transparency about their home’s or business’s “wildfire risk score.”
This regulation is in its final step towards adoption.
Lara sponsored new insurance protections signed into law by Newsom – despite opposition from insurance companies – that will mean larger payouts for some consumer claims, less red tape from insurance companies and more help for people under evacu ation orders.
The moratorium order includes 40 new ZIP codes in Riverside, Placer and El Dorado counties, affecting over 236,000 wildfire survivors.
Consumers can go to the De partment of Insurance website at https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01consumers/140-catastrophes/ MandatoryOneYearMoratorium
shelter to the troops, hiding and advancing out in the forests, and if trees talked, the tales would be eventful and fill volumes of histori cal books.
Lara’s actions since taking office in 2019 include announcing “Safer from Wildfires,” a new insurance framework that incorporates wild fire safety measures to help save lives while making homes and businesses more resilient. Safer from Wildfires was created by a first-ever partnership between the Department of Insurance and the emergency and preparedness agencies in Newsom’s administra tion, including the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the governor’s Office of Emergency Services, the governor’s Office of Planning and Research and the
He ordered the FAIR Plan, the state’s insurer of last resort, to offer a more comprehensive homeown ers policy as an option, which a judge recently upheld, as well as increasing residential and com mercial coverage limits for the first time in 25 years to keep pace with inflation and rising costs.
Following Newsom’s state of emergency declaration, the Depart ment of Insurance partners with the Cal Fire and CalOES, pursuant to existing statute, to identify wildfire perimeters for mandatory mora torium areas. The Department of Insurance will continue to collabo rate with Cal Fire and CalOES to identify additional wildfire perim eters for any fires where there is a declaration of a state of emergency.
Submitted by California Depart ment of Insurance.
• 1956: The United States Con gress designated the General Grant Sequoia as the “Nation’s Christmas Tree” up in the Sierra mountains. I attended a holiday ceremony in that redwood grove and had to snowshoe in on a December day to get to that site.
Europe and tree slash-cutting along the Amazon Delta, which is part of the earth’s giant air-conditioner. And the world will never be the same moving forward into this electronic future, but trees remain as one of our saviors to aid in cool ing the earth.
Trees can document and share past weather patterns, lightning strikes, bug invasions, droughts and past fires that have roared through the forests and left evidence in the scarred annual rings of the trees.
In California alone, we have the coastal redwoods, the tallest trees, the Sequoia, the most giant by vol ume, and the oldest, the Bristlecone pines. And I have been blessed to visit all of them in my lifetime; each visit was a unique experience that I treasure in my tree memory bank.
So, as we all are entering a new global climate alteration, give some thought to how trees have evolved in this planet’s timeline and have seen the rise and fall of civilizations as we float through this one galaxy.
Iridology
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• 1969: Neil Armstrong sets his first foot on the moon. “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” As he looked back, the earth’s trees still grew on this blue marble from which he had just traveled.
• 1975: Personal computers are introduced. Wooden telephone poles are now replaced by orbiting satellites. But the forests today are being threatened by acid rain in
The art of dendrology is the un derstanding of these growth rings that the tree produces each season.
These annual rings also can tell the tree’s age and past historical weather patterns.
Trees of all species still blanket our planet as the earth turns. They are the actual historians who have witnessed time over the millennia, from prehistoric times to our cur rent drought cycle affecting the world in its many hot spots.
We all should be responsible for protecting, preserving, plan ning and planting for the future. So please do your part, be it local, national or globally with many tree-planting organizations trying to save our planet. Pitch in today and help cool the earth.
Roger Boddaert, the Tree Man of Fallbrook, can be reached at 760728-4297 for consultations on land and creative tree care.
SUDOKU solution for puzzle on page B-3the job. Snider nailed down the championship for the Storm with 2 and 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.
Like a heated match in The Queen’s Gambit, Lake Elsinore’s chess pieces all fell into place as the newly crowned California League Baseball Champions last week. Behind a handful of the San Diego Padres’ top prospects, their Single-A affiliate, Lake Elsinore Storm, won the club’s fourth ever league title Tuesday, Sept. 20, with a 3-2 win over the Fresno Grizzlies. It would be the third as a Padres affiliate.
The Storm, whose 77-55 record during the regular season was second only to the Grizzlies’ 83-49 mark, outscored their opponents 35-14 in completing their postseason sweep. The club reached the playoffs after winning the South Division first-half title, then let their hair down in the playoffs, going 4-0 after winning five consecutive games to close out the regular season. They disposed of the Inland Empire 66ers in two games before delivering the same fate to Fresno, who they beat seven times in eight meetings this year.
With a strong pitching performance from Victor Lizarraga, the 18-year-old right-hander concluded his first full year in pro ball with a strong 6 and 1/3 innings before Duncan Snider would finish
“He’s got that make-up factor,” Storm manager Eric Junge said of Lizarraga. “He’s got that killer instinct. I think he’s a pitcher, not just a thrower. He’s got size. He’s got strength. He’s got the baby face, so when you get around him, he’s definitely a 19-year-old kid. On the mound, he becomes a different kind of animal and really gets after it.”
The 6-foot-3, 180-pound Lizarraga won’t turn 19 until Nov. 30 but he started both of the Storm’s road playoff wins after going 8-3 with a 3.43 ERA, 95 strikeouts and a 1.28 WHIP in the regular season.
Lizarraga signed in January 2021 for $1 million as Mexico’s top amateur prospect and the Padres thought enough of him to have him bypass the Dominican Summer League. He made his professional debut in the rookielevel Arizona Complex League last year, setting him up to begin his first full professional season in a California League filled with college-aged players.
As of August, Lizarraga was the fourth youngest player in the league and the youngest arm, according to Baseball America, which ranks him the seventh-best prospect in the Padres’ system.
“From what we’ve seen this year, he’s the real deal,” Junge said. “He’s made pitches when he’s needed to. He’s a bulldog.”
As for the game…a leadoff single in the seventh and a tworun homer from No. 7 Rockies’ prospect Sterlin Thompson cut the Storm lead to one run and a Lizarraga departure. At the plate though, coming off an impressive performance in the opening game, top Padres prospect Jackson Merrill would add two more hits to his season stats while Jakob Marsee drove in a pair of runs to keep the momentum going.
Marsee, who went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, proved to be the deciding factor for the championship with his run-scoring hit late in the game. Shortstop Jackson Merrill would go 11-17 in the postseason while hitting four doubles and driving home seven runs. In the final game, Merrill went 2-for-4 while right fielder Albert Fabian also went
JP Raineri Sports Editor Pictured here earlier in the postseason, Lake Elsinore would go on the road to defeat the Fresno Grizzlies, claiming the 2022 California League Championship with a 3-2 victory. Valley News/Andrez Imaging With a 3-2 win over the Fresno Grizzlies Tuesday, Sept. 20, the Lake Elsinore Storm won their fourth ever California League Championship in team history. Valley News/Courtesy photo Victor Lizarraga, an 18-year-old right-hander, started both of the Storm’s playoff wins on the road, after going 8-3 with a 3.43 ERA, 95 strikeouts and a 1.28 WHIP in the regular season. Valley News/Courtesy photo Storm players celebrate their South Division title before moving on to claim the California League title over the Fresno Grizzlies Tuesday, Sept. 20. Valley News/Courtesy photoThe road to the top of the Southwestern League girls’ volleyball standings is heating up and Chaparral is trying hard to stay close to first place Vista Murrieta, who they currently are only one game behind. The Lady Broncos are also the one and only team that have beat them this season.
Boasting a 19-1 overall record, the Lady Pumas are in second place with a 3-1 SWL record. Vista Murrieta is 7-6 overall, and 4-0 in league play.
Wrapping up last week, Chaparral hosted Temecula Valley, who just days prior had taken Vista Murrieta to a 5-set match, which came down to a three-point difference in the final set, 15-12. Against the Lady Pumas, there was no dispute. Chaparral took down the Lady Golden Bears in three straight sets, 25-15, 26-24 and 25-13. Not only did varsity win, but so did their junior varsity and freshman teams.
Current Southwestern League standings have the six teams placed as follows: Vista Murrieta (4-0, 7-6), Chaparral (3-1, 191), Murrieta Valley (2-1, 12-4), Temecula Valley (1-3, 6-5), Great Oak (1-3, 8-7), Murrieta Mesa (0-3, 7-8). Games this week have Murrieta Mesa at Temecula Valley, Vista Murrieta at Murrieta Valley and Chaparral at Great Oak in the early week matchups, and Chaparral at Murrieta Valley, Murrieta Mesa at Vista Murrieta
and Temecula Valley at Great Oak in the mid-week matches.
Murrieta Mesa will also have a non league bout against Linfield Christian later in the week. Linfield Christian is currently 10-6 overall,
STORM from page C-1
2-for-4, but with a double and two runs scored in helping the Storm to their first title since 2011.
In the end, Snider would not only successfully complete the final game, but he would pitch 7.1 innings of playoff baseball while only giving up one earned run and striking out ten batters.
After falling just short in the 2019 Championship Series, having their 2020 season lost to the pandemic, and a disappointing
and 1-2 in the Ambassador League. Start times for varsity matches are at 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.
2021, the 2022 Storm persevered through a recently downsized farm system. “Proving once more that the best thing about a farm is its ability to regrow,” Justin Jett, Storm Media Representative, said. More information can be found at www.stormbaseball.com. Article contributions were given by the Lake Elsinore Storm and MadFriars.com.
JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.
com
JP Raineri Sports Editor
The Paloma Valley Lady Wildcats took on Heritage last week, defeating the Lady Patriots in three straight sets on their home court. The loss for Heritage was their third straight, putting them at 0-3 in Ivy League play, and now, 4-6 overall after also losing to Elsinore 3-1 Thursday, Sept. 22.
Elsinore is 2-1 in the Ivy League, along with Paloma Valley, who are 5-7 overall, and 2-1 in league.
Against Heritage, the Lady Wildcats were led by Player of the Game Cambria Lomenick, who had 11 Kills and 4 blocks.
Top players from Paloma Valley
also included Alexa Rosales (16 kills, 10 digs) and Ashley Stoyer, who had 29 assists on the night. Heritage had not posted any stats at the time this article was written.
In their Thursday non league bout, the Lady Wildcats lost to Xavier Prep, but looked to rebound in the Freeway Games tournament this past weekend. Their first bout against Laguna Beach (10-14) at Roosevelt High School did not go so well, falling to 2-0, but they did bounce back for a win against La Sierra, taking the match to the three sets, winning 2-1 overall. The score for their Kaiser match had not been recorded at the time of this article going to print.
Heritage had hopes of bouncing
back into the win column after four straight losses, as the first of their tournament games on the weekend was against San Pasqual (9-9) Friday, Sept. 23. The score for the match had also not been recorded at the time of this article going to print.
Ivy League action picks back up this week. Paloma Valley will face Elsinore (6-6) and Hemet (12-5) while Heritage has a league match against Riverside Poly (11-5-3) and a non league bout against Liberty High School, out of Brentwood.
JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.
com
Chaparral’s Bella Rittenberg powers a shot past Temecula Valley’s Shannon Frary (22). Valley News/David Canales photos
The Chaparral Lady Pumas hosted crosstown rival Temecula Valley Wednesday, Sept. 21, in Southwestern League action.
Maddy Snow (6) battles at the net for the Lady Golden Bears.
Chloe Peters (2), Bella Rittenberg (16) and Kamryn Deleon (11) celebrate with the student body as Chaparral sweeps past Temecula Valley 3-0 Wednesday, Sept. 21.
Paloma Valley’s Alexa Rosales (1) strikes the volleyball in a recent match at Heritage High School.
Paloma Valley’s Mia Rosas (14) jumps up to push the volleyball past Heritage player Emma Dielman (7) at Heritage High School.
Heritage player Vivian Nguyen (4) goes for the kill against Paloma Valley.
Kaia Van Slyke (6) of Heritage strikes the volleyball past Paloma Valley’s Cambria Lomenick (16).
Valley News/Action Captures Media Group photos
The high school football season is past the halfway point, week five of ten is in the books, and it is time to start thinking about making it to the postseason.
In the grand scheme of things, preseason records only really count for strength of schedule as league play begins. Some teams, like those in the lower divisions (including private schools), have already begun league play, so with that said, winning records, especially in league, are of the utmost importance now.
This past week, only a couple of handfuls of local prep football teams played as most programs have started taking advantage of their Week Zero games. Starting earlier in the school year, by one week, gives teams a bye-week anywhere in their schedule, which a sizable number of coaches use before league play begins. It can help in the sense of healing for the banged-up players, it gives personnel a chance to regroup on things that may not be working, and it can hinder progress sometimes in the sense of losing momentum after a good couple of weeks of football.
With the playoffs lurking in the distance, here are scores for the Week Five high school football games involving local teams inside our coverage area.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 22
San Jacinto Valley (0-6) - 0, Academy at Don Lugo (2-3) - 45
FRIDAY, SEPT. 23
Hamilton (0-5) - 29, Bermuda Dunes Desert Christian (3-3) - 47
Sherman Indian (0-1) - 0, St. Jeanne de Lestonnac (3-1) - 6
Indian Springs (3-2) - 7, West Valley (5-0) - 21
Lone Pine (4-1) - 2, Cornerstone Christian (0-5) - 0 (F)
Paloma Valley (4-2) - 12, Orange Vista (5-0) - 41
Perris (5-0) - 27, Pacific (0-5) - 3 Rialto (2-3) - 8, Hemet (4-1) – 31
San Clemente (4-2) - 31, Murrieta Valley (4-1) - 48
Vista Murrieta (4-1) - 21, Rancho Cucamonga (4-2) - 39
SATURDAY, SEPT. 24
Webb (1-3) – 6, Temecula Prep (2-2) - 17
Editors’ notes from last week include games from both the powerhouse Murrieta teams, as well as a Paloma Valley team that was coming off back-to-back wins.
Starting with Murrieta Valley (4-1), the Nighthawks rushed for 224 yards, passed for 204 yards and their defense had two big interceptions in a victory over San Clemente 48-31 last Friday night.
Sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier got the Nighthawks on the board on their first drive,
throwing a two-yard touchdown pass to running back Jose Zapata. Bachmeier then connected with receiver Kurelle Thomas on a seven-yard touchdown to give the Nighthawks a 14-0 lead. In fact, Murrieta Valley scored touchdowns on its first four possessions of the game, gathering 283 yards of total offense in the first half alone.
San Clemente (4-2) looked like they had an answer when they drove into Murrieta Valley territory early in the first quarter, but a Bryce Terhune interception of San Clemente’s QB Broderick Redden changed things up drastically. Bachmeier and the Nighthawks would drive 96 yards in ten plays to go up 20-0 when running back Asa Chatman scored on a threeyard touchdown run.
The two teams would trade back-and-forth scores in the second quarter when Redden hooked up with Thomas Hartanov on a 38-yard score, which was answered quickly by Bachmeier, who threw a 46-yard touchdown to older brother Tiger. Redden cut the lead to 27-14 with 37 seconds left in the first half when he again found an open Hartanov for a 22yard score.
When the dust settled, Murrieta Valley’s momentum was too much to contain as Bear completed 14 of 20 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns, scoring one on the ground, while older brother Tiger led the Nighthawk receivers, hauling in six passes for 101 yards, along with his lone TD. Chatman added 174 yards on the ground with his 30 carries, scoring twice in the game.
Redden ended the night completing 18 of 31 passes for 221 yards and Hartanov had six receptions for 115 yards. Murrieta Valley will kick off play in the new Big West Conference Upper Division at Roosevelt this week.
Speaking of Big West Conference Upper Division teams, all eyes will be on Vista Murrieta this week after suffering their first loss of the season, which came by way of the Rancho Cucamonga Cougars. Rancho Cucamonga’s Boise State-bound senior C.J. Tiller, who suffered a concussion last week, did not start at QB for the Cougars; instead it was freshman Jacob Chambers. The young buck filled in nicely as he completed 23 of 28 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns and no interceptions.
In the first half, Chambers completed 18 of 22 passes for 260 yards with his top target being junior Jonah Dawson, who caught nine passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns, of 98 and 64 yards.
Vista Murrieta had no answer for their offense, or the tough defense they encountered, which should
prepare them for the league they are about to embark on. Three plays into the second half, it was 32-0, before the Cougars took their foot off the gas pedal.
The Broncos would get on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter when sophomore QB Akili Smith Jr. threw touchdown passes to A.J. Jones and Grant Wayne. Vista Murrieta will open up league play against Norco this week. Norco is coming off a 47-7 win over Santiago, sporting a 3-2 record.
“Vista Murrieta is no doubt a great team, in a new tougher league,” Rancho Cucamonga head coach Brian Hildebrand said. “We had to control the clock late in the game. We knew they would be able to rally given the chance, and the fourth quarter shows that.”
Final game notes come from the Orange Vista versus Paloma Valley game. The Wildcats, fresh off of back-to-back wins, including their first-ever Menifee Bowl win over Heritage, could not contain the undefeated Coyotes, who have a powerful back in Sire Gaines. The junior, who is listed as a strong safety, and wide receiver, rushed for 208 yards and three touchdowns as Orange Vista stayed unbeaten with their 41-12 non league victory.
Paloma Valley highlights came from Brady Nelson, who passed for two touchdowns in the loss. The Wildcats got on the scoreboard in the second quarter when Nelson connected with Noah Howard for a 59-yard touchdown. Their other score came as time ran out in the game, however both PATs were missed in the game, resulting in only 12 points being scored.
Other Week Five wins came from St. Jeanne de Lestonnac and Temecula Prep, as well schools from just outside this year’s sports coverage area as Hemet, West Valley and Perris all had victories.
This season the Valley News Sports Department will be focusing on the schools and sports inside a limited coverage area due to print space and manpower. Those schools include Great Oak, Temecula Valley, Chaparral, Murrieta Valley, Murrieta Mesa, Vista Murrieta, Linfield Christian, Rancho Christian, Elsinore,
To submit any additions or corrections to the schedule or stats, please email sports@ reedermedia.com
C-3September 30, 2022 • www.myvalleynews.com • Valley News SPORTS JP Raineri can be reached by email at jp@reedermedia.com
Murrieta Valley’s Asa Chatman (1) eludes the tackle attempt of San Clemente’s Max Bollard (36) in their Week Five matchup. Valley News/Action Captures Media Group Murrieta Valley linebacker Gabriel Serna (55) brings down ball carrier Bryce Terhune (7) of San Clemente with a monstrous hit. Valley News/Action Captures Media Group Murrieta Valley’s Asa Chatman (1) provides pass protection for quarterback Bear Bachmeier during Week Five action at home. Valley News/Action Captures Media Group Murrieta Valley tight end Tiger Bachmeier (19) makes a catch on his way to scoring a touchdown against San Clemente in Week Five. Valley News/Action Captures Media Group Vista Murrieta’s Caleb Poyer (91) prepares to line up against Rancho Cucamonga’s high-powered offense. Valley News/SBLive courtesy photo Paloma Valley could not get much of a running game going against Orange Vista in their Week Five matchup. Valley News/Action Captures Media Group Paloma Valley, Liberty, St. Jeanne de Lestonnac, Heritage, Temecula Prep, Hamilton (Anza), Cornerstone Christian, Temescal Canyon, Lakeside and the River Springs Charter Schools (no football programs). *All stats, schedules, photos, and scores are supplied by local high school athletic directors, MaxPreps, CIF-SS offices, contributing writers/photographers and countless fans of the games via social media. Is your team’s score missing? Let us know if your school is inside our coverage area and would like to be mentioned.Are you curious what the likelihood is that you may acquire a disease? Could there be a way to halt it?
If already diagnosed, have you thought about what the best course of action may be for your body, based on your genetic makeup?
Sharon Terry, CEO of Genetic Alliance, offered an inside look at its mission, what individuals can learn from Genetic Alliance’s tools and advice for those living with any illness.
In short, Genetic Alliance’s influence and impact span the nation and the globe. While Genetic Alliance prioritizes individuals, as well as communities, it also works in the legislative branch to ensure residents are not discriminated against based on their genetic makeup.
Genetic Alliance is a nonprofit organization which “engages individuals, families and communities to transform health. It requires that we, as an organization, understand what it means to transform systems, dissolve boundaries, create and sustain open space and promote the process of openness.” For more information, visit https:// geneticalliance.org/about.
Terry took over as CEO in 2002 as a result of genomic medicine that impacted her family in 1994. At that time, her two children, who are now 34 and 32, “were diagnosed with a genetic disease after a diagnostic odyssey of a couple years.” As she began to research and take action into finding out more about their diseases, “other families came to (her) and said, ‘can you do it for our disease too?’”
Once at Genetic Alliance, Terry focused on expanding the database to all diseases. The nonprofit’s portal is an informative database available at http://www. geneticalliance.org/diseaseinfosearch.
Genomic medicine is an area that many may not be knowledgeable about but could hold the key to health. No matter the disease –the outcome, the successes, the struggles can feel like a complex web of unknowns and confusion. It is time to put the spotlight on the source – genes.
What is genomic medicine? Terry shared an easy-to-understand example, taking migraine as the condition.
“You can have two friends with migraine, and one will say ‘This drug works perfectly’ or ‘This behavior works perfectly’ (and) for each other that’s not true. There are a lot of reasons for that,” she said. “One reason is genetics. Our background genetics make an enormous amount of difference in how we respond to therapies.”
It leads to the importance of “stratification” in health, i.e., the arranging and classifying of individuals and diseases into different groups.
For example, once people understand their background genes and the drugs that lessen its symptoms or alternatively exacerbate them, they can pool individuals providing the best suited drugs for them, lifestyle adjustments and more. She said that while “the drug companies are trying to do that a little bit,” their models are more focused on “blockbuster models. (It) means they put out one arthritis drug, one migraine drug, one ‘name it’ drug
and hope everybody will benefit from it. And we know now that is not true; we’ve always known it.”
Can you relate to that strategy? The migraine acute and preventive medications that work for many are positive, yet many others are still searching for the “right solutions for them” after years of failed treatment outcomes.
Terry provided the following conditions that would fall into genomic medicine that one may be diagnosed with. “Everything from the rare diseases, which you absolutely need to know the genetic mutation” to “the more common, complex conditions like arthritis, all of the cancers and skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema.”
Genomic medicine is important because it can lead to understanding the disease better. It includes “not only the disease-causing genes, but also the background that all of this is predicated on.” Specific information can include “what if any other genes are making this disease worse for (the person) or are there other genes that actually are preventing less severe disease?” Terry said.
Ultimately it allows people to learn if they will “get a pass” on a certain disease or if they will find great success from a certain treatment.
Two important pillars of Genetic Alliance are education and awareness, Terry said. When you stop to think about the two, they are paramount when it comes to most everything that is important to us as members of society.
Terry said, “We take this basic community from the ground up perspective.”
What does it mean?
“We believe that each person is the expert of their own experience… and we don’t really have anything to tell people about their experience,” she said.
It’s more about “hold(ing) the space open, open(ing) the space, so people can find their way” with living with genetic disease. The goal is for us to ask what individuals “might need to know, other than what they experience, so they can have a better perspective on how to manage disease, how to treat disease.”
It doesn’t stop there – Genetic Alliance wants to know from individuals and communities, “What is important to you?”
If you suffer from migraine and want your voice heard, Genetic Alliance and its tech partner, Luna, is currently conducting a study. It is via a “prioritization setting system,” Terry said, whereby people can say, “here are the things that migraine represents for me; here are the things I need and here are the sorts of things I wish the research community would pay attention to.”
Genetic Alliance and Luna will present what is learned through the study in hopes of the research community prioritizing those items, giving those who live with migraine answers to much-needed questions.
Luna’s Migraines and Severe Headaches Study launched in June 2022 in collaboration with Genetic Alliance and Quality Metrics.
“Migraines ranked in women’s top five priorities as highly important and highly underserved,” Terry said. “Dawn Barry, cofounder of Luna, explained to us that Luna’s Women’s Health Study – over 3,000 participants – was (created) to understand if there is
a difference between what women rank as their top health priorities and the areas currently funded by the NIH for women’s health. GA collaborated with Luna on this because we believe it is critical to discover what people need.”
Genetic Alliance asked those who wish to share “your experience to help set priorities for managing migraines” to visit https:// id.lunadna.com/referrer/migrainehonestmag?studyName=migraine
Terry shared how passionate she was about this partnership “whereby communities can have a voice and we can revolutionize research.”
“My desire is really to say, ‘the people have a need and (should steer insofar as) recruiting the investigators and researchers, rather than some investigator came up with some idea and is recruiting the patients,’” Terry said.
She said their voices can and will make a difference.
Genetic Alliance focuses on a patient-centered approach to health care as the individuals are best aware of their symptoms, feelings and needs.
Part of Genetic Alliance’s mission has been creating and implementing high tech and high touch programs across a multitude of communities. Terry said no matter the size of the community; however defined, or how it was formed, it is focused on helping your community, whether it consists of “a Facebook group, a gathering of friends that met at the church or soccer field, traditional advocacy corporations i.e., 501(c) (3)’s.”
Terry said that communities come to Genetic Alliance and ask: “How can we organize our community better?” “How can we communicate better?” and “How can we understand the [individual’s] needs so we can meet their needs?”
A vital part of any community or organization is that the people, the patients, those who the organization was formed to provide for, stay at the forefront. There are many times when it gets flip-flopped, and the individuals get placed on the backburner while the organization focuses solely on its needs.
One of the endeavors that Terry said she is most proud of over the past two decades of running Genetic Alliance makes a profound difference to each and every person. She spent 12 1/2 years leading the coalition that resulted in getting The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act passed April 24, 2008.
GINA “is an important U.S. civil rights law that protects individuals from discrimination based on their genetic information.” GINA was passed by the House and the Senate (with 95 votes for and 0 votes against). On May 21, 2008, former President George W. Bush signed
the bill, thereby making it a law.
“GINA prevents health insurance companies and employers from requesting that people take genetic tests, prohibits health insurers from using someone’s genetic information to refuse insurance or charge higher prices, and also prohibits employers from hiring, firing and making other employment decisions based on their employees’ genetic information,” Terry said.
Find more on it at https://www. genome.gov/about-genomics/ policy-issues/timeline-geneticinformation-nondiscriminationact-GINA#:~:text=On%20 April%2025th%2C%20 2007%2C%20GINA,is%20 referred%20to%20the%20Senate
“You could test positive for a harmful variant in the BRCA1 gene meaning you probably – 80% chance – are going to get breast cancer … and (a health insurance company) can’t raise your rates or (an employer can’t) fire you because of that genetic test,” Terry said.
When asked what advice she would like to offer individuals, families or caregivers that are struggling personally with a disease or are in their support circle, Terry said, “The biggest piece of advice I have is to get support,” and that is not limited to just one form of support. While “medicine is important” Terry said that “figuring out what else do I as a person need in terms of support” can make a difference.
“Whether it is traditional kinds
of help like therapy or more just in my support system – (such as) I need somebody to take the kids once a week; I need somebody to have tea with once a week” or figuring out “that I don’t have to be completely on my own.”
In some cases, it might be that “(I’m) completely strong standing on my own two feet, (but would find it helpful to) really reach out” for support.
“That would be my biggest advice to anybody about any disease,” she said. “I think we are learning more and more that the interplay of genetics, environment, and everything else makes a very big difference for understanding disease.”
I hope you take some time to review Genetic Alliance’s patientfocused tools as well as take part in its support groups or studies to improve the health of society members.
Genetic Alliance offers workshops to support individuals and to provide respite from suffering through simple awareness practices. The tools offered are portable and can be used as people encounter pain. The workshops last an hour, a day or a weekend depending on which is chosen. The workshops are offered to individuals and to groups. For more information, contact Sharon Terry at sterry@geneticalliance.
org Shelby Ramsey is the author of the blog, http://thehonestmigraine. com, which also features interviews with patients and medical experts.
HEMET – The Sage Society invites the public to a presentation on Valley Restart Center, Tuesday, Oct. 11, at the Historic Hemet Theatre, 216 E. Florida Ave., in Hemet. Social time starts at 1:30 p.m., and the presentation begins at 2 p.m.
Come share the amazing success stories and positive strides taking place at the Valley Restart Shelter in Hemet by Executive Director Javier Lopez. The shelter has been providing services for over 25 years and is the only shelter serving this area. Ongoing services include 24-hour supervision, shelter, food and clothing for families and single women. These services are provided for 30, 60 or 90 days based on individual needs.
Under Lopez’s guiding hand, Valley Restart Center is providing a resource center that not only addresses homelessness but enables people to rebuild their lives and begin a constructive path towards self-reliance.
Lopez also will share the exciting news about the expansion of temporary housing for older adults without homes. The plans include adding six 64-square-foot emergency shelters, including a bathroom, that accommodate two adults.
During the fiscal year 2019-
2020 Valley Restart helped 219 people find homes. Of those that found a home, 38 of them were families with 82 children and 47 parents. Valley Restart found homes for 44 single males, and 46 single females. Thirty-seven of those who found housing were 50 years or older and four of them were veterans. Not only was Valley Restart able to find homes for 219 people but because of generous donations, volunteer hours and resources given to Valley Restart, they provided 43,539 meals and logged 40,600 volunteer hours.
Valley Restart does not charge any fees and does not discriminate by age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, race or ethnicity.
Valley Restart does not take persons on parole, registered sex offenders or persons with a violent criminal history. They do drug tests at admission and randomly thereafter.
If you would like to support the continuing needs of the shelter, they need several items so you are welcome to bring a donation for the shelter. Currently, they need new towels, washcloths, mattress covers, sheets and blankets, twinsize only.
The Valley Restart Shelter is more than a shelter for the homeless. It is a community
resource center that enables people to rebuild their lives.
Free parking is available on Florida Avenue, Harvard Street, Carmalita Street and a videomonitored lot behind the Historic Hemet Theatre. Door prizes will be awarded
For additional information, contact Michele Ryneal at 951238-8569.
Submitted by Valley Restart Center.
Sharon Terry is CEO of Genetic Alliance, a nonprofit that develops a database for genomic medicine. Valley News/Courtesy photos Javier Lopez, executive director of Valley Restart Center. Valley News/Valley Restart Shelter photo
2021. There are expected to be 36.2 million American employees working remotely by 2025. In its 2020 Household Pulse Survey, the U.S. Census Bureau found that more than one-third of U.S. households reported working from home more frequently than before the pandemic.
Putting in longer hours
average length of time an employee working from home in the U.K., Canada, Austria and the U.S. is logged on at their computer has increased by more than two hours a day since the coronavirus crisis.
• Detach from work. Try to keep work equipment in a separate area from the living room or kitchen. This way you can turn off the computer and call it a day. Turn off alerts on your phone when the work day ends.
The ability to work remotely has opened up different opportunities for the millions of people who work 9 to 5 each day. While the advantages to remote work are too numerous to count, logging hours from the sofa is not necessarily a panacea for all working ills. In fact,
many remote workers often lament how much their work-life balance has been adversely affected by their decision to avoid the office.
Remote work has grown
According to the career resource Zippia, 27% of American employees work remotely as of
Switching to remote working certainly may have improved flexibility for many workers, but it also has led to them putting in longer hours, something that may affect home life. According to a survey of 2,800 workers by the Los Angeles-based staffing firm Robert Half, 45% of respondents said they regularly work more hours during the week than they did before transitioning to remote work. Also, 70% of professionals reported working on weekends.
Americans are not alone in this phenomenon. The business support company NordVPN Teams says the
As home offices have become a more common feature, workers admit to taking shorter lunch breaks, working through sickness and being “available” during times that would normally be devoted to leisure or family. Technology has made it possible to get alerts on mobile phones even when workers have seemingly logged off for the day.
Reclaiming control
Mastering control of one’s time can take some trial and error. However, there are some tips that can make it easier to achieve.
• Set limits and stick to them. Don’t overschedule yourself. Figure out what you can handle in terms of work and home responsibilities and limit those actions.
• Schedule fun times with the family. Make it a priority to fill the calendar with plenty of activities to enjoy in your leisure time, which can help to offset the demands of work.
• Prioritize and assess frequently. Everyone has different priorities. Remote work may help you realize those priorities more easily, such as working specific hours to be able to care for an elderly parent or an infant. Don’t feel the need to compensate by taking on more work.
Remote work benefits many people. But to benefit fully from such situations, professionals may need to make a concerted effort to achieve a greater work-life balance.
Joe Naiman Writer
The Eastern Municipal Water District board approved funding for the West San Jacinto Groundwater Sustainability Agency Plan 2022 water year groundwater monitoring report and 2023 calendar year groundwater monitoring program.
The 4-0 board vote Wednesday, Sept. 21, with Randy Record absent, appropriated $802,300 for the plan activities. The estimated cost to prepare the 2022 groundwater monitoring report is $127,100 while the monitoring program is expected to be a $675,200 expense. The board action also authorized administrative execution of consultant and supplier contracts.
In June 1995, the EMWD board
adopted the West San Jacinto Groundwater Basin Management Plan. The plan’s components include a watershed monitoring program which has been in place since 1995.
In 2014, California adopted the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. The intent of the law is to strengthen local groundwater. The state Department of Water Resources designated basins throughout California as high, medium, low or very low priority. The SGMA required local agencies to form a Groundwater Sustainability Agency for highpriority and medium-priority basins by July 2017. In December 2016, Eastern became the sole participant in the GSA for the non-adjudicated portion of the
Special to Valley News
Inland Empire business activity is declining, but the downturn is not occurring at the same pace as the rest of the nation, University of California Riverside economists said Friday, Sept. 23.
The University of California Riverside School of Business’ Center for Economic Forecasting and Development released its quarterly Inland Empire Business Activity Index, showing that area businesses experienced a 1.6% growth rate during the second quarter of 2022 – the most recent data available – a steep drop from the 4.7% expansion in the first three months of the year.
Despite the significant contraction, the rate still contrasted markedly with the negative 0.6% rate for the nation as a whole during the same quarter, according to the report.
Successive periods of sliding gross domestic product reflect that the country may already be in the early stages of a recession, according to some economists.
The University of California Riverside economic forecasting team said the financial headwinds should not derail prospects for regional growth going forward, with predictions that local business
activity will continue to expand between 2% and 3% over the next 12 months.
“The steadiness of the Inland Empire’s overall economic recovery and its forecast for continued growth has been partially driven by the strength of its largest industry, transportation and warehousing, which boomed during the pandemic years but is now starting to slow,” Taner Osman, research manager of Center for Economic Forecasting, said.
He cautioned that another economic driver, real estate, is losing steam, cooling “substantially due to rising interest rates,” contributing to weakening business activity.
The high cost of living in Southern California, exacerbated by accelerating inflation, is a deterrent to drawing workers to the region, unlike other parts of the country, the center said in its first-quarter report.
Forecasters said earlier this year that the region had largely recovered the jobs lost during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 and part of 2021.
The latest Inland Empire Business Activity Index can be found at https:// ucreconomicforecast.org/wpcontent/uploads/2022/09/UCR_ IE_BusinessActivityInex_9_2022. pdf.
West San Jacinto Groundwater Basin although participants in the groundwater monitoring program also include the cities of Moreno Valley and Perris, the Nuevo Water Company and private groundwater producers. The final draft of the West San Jacinto Groundwater
Sustainability Agency Plan was adopted in September 2021 and submitted to DWR in November 2021.
The SGMA requires a GSA to submit annual reports to DWR. The annual report provides information on groundwater conditions and
implementation of the groundwater sustainability plan during the previous water year. A water year begins Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30.
Joe Naiman can be reached by email at jnaiman@reedermedia. com
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Valley News/Metro Creative photoMenifee road projects this coming week will be continuing to slow traffic in some areas along with some Riverside County Transportation Commission working with Caltrans in the area. Drivers are always cautioned to watch for highway construction crews wherever the projects are located.
Menifee Daytime work will continue on Eastern Municipal Water District’s Murrieta Road Transmission Pipeline Project at the intersection of Murrieta Road and Newport Road with traffic control in place during the project work. Please visit www.emwd.org/MurrietaRoad for additional updates on this project.
Traffic signal improvements continue on Murrieta Road and Sun City Blvd. Work will continue on the project through mid-November. Garbani Road and Menifee Road traffic signal improvement work continues with intermittent traffic control operations occurring near this intersection. Flagmen remain
present to assist with traffic flow as shoulder and drainage improvements continue.
Also the Traffic Signal Improvement Project at Murrieta and Rouse roads will bring intermittent traffic control while the contractor continues to construct the new traffic signals. The project is expected to continue through mid-November. The Traffic Signal Improvement Project at La Piedra and Menifee roads will also bring intermittent traffic control. This project is expected to continue through mid-November.
The McCall Square Traffic Signal Work continues on the traffic signal and median at McCall Boulevard and Ranch Road as part of the McCall Square project. Construction is expected to be completed over the next two months.
Sumac Ridge utility work street improvements continue on Scott and Lindenberger roads. Work is expected to continue through the end of September.
Southern California Edison’s Vault and Conduit Installation continues at Newport and Murrieta roads. The work on this project
continues during daytime hours. Traffic control will be set up and removed daily as needed.
Road closure will be effective July 5 on Barnett Road between McLaughlin Road and Patricia Lane and is expected to remain closed for several more weeks while the existing dirt roadway is paved by the developer of a nearby residential project.
The Riverside County Transportation Commission, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and Caltrans, is constructing the Interstate 215 Placentia Avenue Interchange in Perris. The new interchange, located between Ramona Expressway to the north and Nuevo Road to the south, is designed to meet the needs of the area’s growing population.
RCTC’s Interstate 15 Corridor Operations Project will add a nontolled travel lane to southbound I-15 between the Cajalco Road on-ramp and the Weirick Road offramp. Completion is anticipated in early fall.
On Friday, Sept. 30, the
northbound I-15 from Oak Hill Road to Bear Valley Road may have alternating lane closures, possibly bringing lanes down to one. All on and off ramps will be subject to intermittent closures for crew safety and related road work from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. However, all lanes are expected to open by Saturday, Oct. 1, at 9 a.m.
Caltrans also reports there will be possible connector closures at the I-15 to US 395 during striping operations. To avoid delays, use SR-138 to SR-18 in Phelan back to I-15 as a detour.
Caltrans continues its work on the State Route 74 Lane Widening project near Lake Elsinore with weeknight full closures through September 30. The project includes working from the Riverside and Orange County border to Monte Vista Street just west of Lake Elsinore. Crews will perform rebar forming, pouring, excavation and barrier work in various locations throughout the project zone. The daytime work from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m may require one-way road closures approximately a mile long. Signage indicating closure zones will be placed ahead of the
work area. A flagging operation will assist with traffic control.
Caltrans advises drivers to plan their routes, especially at night with one-way traffic control with flagging and pilot vehicles in place from 8 to 9:59 p.m. During the hours of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., the route will be closed to through traffic.
Residents and commuters will need to utilize the alternate routes to go around the closure each night beginning at 10 p.m.
Access through the work zone will be prohibited during the previously stated hours. Work will take place nightly, east of the county line on SR-74, Monday through Friday. Residents on Tenaja Truck Trail or west of Tenaja Truck Trail, including the Ortega Oaks RV Park and Campground and The Candy Store, will be directed to Lake Elsinore and will not be given access to go through to Orange County during the hours of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Residents at Long Canyon and Decker Canyon will be directed to Lake Elsinore and will not be given access to go through to Orange County during the hours of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1307 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes, D-Riverside, into law Sunday, Sept. 18. The new law requires the creation of an independent citizens redistricting commission to draw district boundaries for the Riverside County Board of Supervisors beginning with the 2030 round of redistricting. The commission will also be reconstituted after every census to draw Riverside County’s supervisorial districts in subsequent redistricting cycles.
In July, the enacted 2022-23 State Budget allocated $1 million for the implementation of Assembly Bill 1307.
In early December 2021, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to adopt a supervisorial district map for the 2020 round of redistricting that fractures the Latino community in the county, diluting the Latino community’s voting power and capacity to elect representatives of their choice. Supervisor V. Manuel Pérez was the only member of the county board of supervisors to vote against the new district boundaries.
“This failure of a majority of the board of supervisors to protect the voting rights of our Latino community illustrates why we needed to create an independent citizens redistricting commission
LA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California desert city rejected a proposal for a surf lagoon surrounded by hundreds of homes and hotel rooms after critics argued it’s the wrong project in the midst of a punishing Western drought.
The city council in La Quinta, near Palm Springs, voted unanimously on Wednesday, Sept. 21 against a zoning change that would have permitted construction of the Coral Mountain project, including 600 homes and a hotel with up to 150 rooms.
The 12-acre wave basin would have required 18 million gallons of water to fill.
During a meeting lasting more than six hours, opponents cited concerns about the water use as well as light and noise, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“We’re at a point in history where we cannot be freely wasteful of water,” resident Laura Dolata said.
Developers say the project would use far less water than local golf courses.
At least four large wave pools or lagoons are proposed for the region around Palm Springs,
which is more commonly known for art festivals, mountain hikes and golf.
Developers say the arid region some 100 miles (161 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles is home to many avid surfers who don’t live close enough to the beach to catch a wave on a regular basis, but might enjoy a wave pool.
Local water district officials have said there’s enough water in a 20-year plan to support the new pools and resorts.
But some environmentalists and residents say it isn’t waterwise to build large resorts in one of the driest spots in California during one of its driest periods in recent memory. They contend water in the massive surf pools will evaporate quickly in the desert heat, wasting a precious resource.
Another proposed 20-acre surf lagoon has been approved by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, while construction has begun on a Disney development with a 24-acre lagoon in nearby Rancho Mirage. Two other wave pools are in the works in Palm Springs and Palm Desert, the Times said.
to draw fair maps for Riverside County,” Assemblymember Cervantes, vice chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, said.
AB 1307 is modeled after Senate Bill 958, written by former Sen. Ricardo Lara in 2016, and Assembly Bill 801, written by former Assemblymember Shirley N. Weber in 2017, which successfully created independent citizens redistricting commissions for Los Angeles and San Diego counties, respectively. Like those bills, the partisan makeup of the commission will be proportional to the partisan makeup of Riverside County voters. The process of selecting citizen redistricting
commissioners is similar to the process used by the statewide independent citizens redistricting commission. The bill also sets out eligibility criteria and restrictions for members of the commission, mostly based on an individual’s current employment or employment history. Individuals who have been candidates for or elected to public office within the preceding ten years will be ineligible to serve as commissioners. Registered local, state and federal lobbyists will also be prohibited from serving on the commission.
“As vice chair of the Latino Caucus, I want to thank the bill’s co-authors Assemblymembers
Eduardo Garcia and Jose Medina, legislative leadership, and the governor for working with me to make Assembly Bill 1307 law. This will help protect the voting rights of our Latino community and strengthen democracy in Riverside County,” Cervantes said. “Together, we have ensured that members of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors cannot draw their own district boundaries for their own benefit, and instead have returned that power where it rightfully belongs – with the people.”
For more information, visit https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/ faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_ id=202120220AB1307.
The Riverside County Board of Supervisors authorized the advertisement for the bid of a construction contract to resurface Girard Street in unincorporated Hemet.
The project will also include drainage repair for Acacia Avenue. The supervisors’ 4-0 vote September 20, with Karen Spiegel absent, authorized the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors to advertise the project for bids and also approved the plans and specifications for the resurfacing and the drainage repair. The action set an October 12 deadline for receipt of bids and also found both the resurfacing and the drainage repair to be categorically exempt from California Environmental Quality Act review.
The Girard Street resurfacing will be for 1.75 miles from the Ramona Bowl entry gate to Florida Avenue. The Acacia Avenue drainage repair, which will include resurfacing, will be for about 0.15 miles from approximately 580 feet west of Marlo Court to 225 feet east of Marlo Court. The construction contract will combine the two projects to obtain cost efficiency both by eliminating a second bidding and administrative procedure and by the expectation of more favorable bids due to larger bid quantities.
resurfacing which will involve two treatment types. The first treatment consists of removing the existing asphalt concrete pavement and underlying material and placing back an aggregate base designed to compact firmly along with hot mix asphalt pavement. The second treatment will grind down a portion of the existing asphalt concrete pavement and then overlay that with hot mix asphalt. The work will also include placement of an asphalt concrete dike, driveway construction, construction of curbs and gutters, cross gutters and spandrels, construction of curb ramps meeting Americans with Disabilities Act standards, placement of safety edge to protect the outside edge of the pavement, traffic striping, pavement markings and installation of traffic signs.
The Acacia Avenue drainage repair will construct a storm drain system to convey stormwater from the south side of Acacia Avenue to an existing ephemeral earth channel on the north side of Acacia Avenue east of Marlo Court. The contractor will install 18-inch and 24-inch high-density polyethylene storm drain pipe with watertight joints, a 36-inch by 36-inch precast drop inlet, a concrete headwall, wing walls, an apron and an energy dissipator.
would reimburse the county for the work. The first alternative bid is for the Girard Street portion within the City of Hemet, and if the city approves the alternate bid amount the work would resurface the street from Florida Avenue to the Hemet city limit. The second alternative bid is for Eastern Municipal Water District manhole adjustments and the third alternative bid is for Frontier Communications facility adjustments. The director of the county’s Transportation Department has the authority to sign reimbursement agreements of up to $100,000 without Board of Supervisors approval, so if EMWD and Frontier accept the alternative bids the reimbursement agreements will be approved administratively while a City of Hemet reimbursement agreement would require a subsequent Board of Supervisors action.
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The county’s general plan classifies Girard Street as a secondary highway. Girard Street is a two-lane road ranging in width from 22 to 26 feet. The deteriorated pavement has created the need for
The bid package will be structured with two base bids, one for the Girard Street resurfacing and one for the Acacia Avenue drainage repair and resurfacing, and three alternative bids which will become part of the contract if the alternate bid sections of the low responsible bid are approved by the agency or utility which
The project’s estimated cost, including the alternative bids, is $4,541,753. A combination of revenue from the Road Repair and Accountability Act, which raised the tax on gasoline by 12 cents per gallon effective November 2017 and vehicle registration fees between $25 and $175, depending on the vehicle’s value, effective spring 2018 and Highway User Tax Account revenue derived from the sales tax on gasoline will be used to fund the expenses which are the county’s responsibility.
The construction work is scheduled to begin this winter. The project will be phased so that the road can remain open during construction as much as possible and will take approximately 2-1/2 months to complete.
It may be painful to think about your funeral, but it doesn’t have to be painful to pay for it.
Sixteen-year-old Adismarys
Abreu had been discussing a longlasting birth control implant with her mother for about a year as a potential solution to increasing menstrual pain.
Then Roe v. Wade was overturned, and Abreu joined the throng of teens rushing to their doctors as states began to ban or severely limit abortion.
“I’m definitely not ready to be pregnant,” said Abreu, who had Nexplanon — a reversible, matchstick-sized contraceptive — implanted in her arm in August. Her home state of Florida bans most abortions after 15 weeks, and not having that option is “such a scary thought,” she said.
Experts say the U.S. Supreme Court’s June ruling appears to be accelerating a trend of increased birth control use among teens, including long-acting reversible forms like intrauterine devices and implants. Appointments have surged and Planned Parenthood has been flooded with questions as doctors report demand even among teens who aren’t sexually active.
Simms-Cendan, the presidentelect of the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, said parents who might have been hesitant in the past now want to discuss birth control.
“It’s a sea change of, ‘I don’t have room to play. We have got to get my child on something,’” she said.
Teens already were shifting to more effective long-acting forms of birth control, which have similar or even lower failure rates than sterilization, said Laura Lindberg, a professor at Rutgers University’s School of Public Health in New Jersey. Her research found the number of 15- to 19-year-olds using those methods rose to 15% during the period 2015 to 2019, up from 3% during the 2006 to 2010 period.
No national data is available for the months since Roe was overturned, said Lindberg, who
previously worked for nearly two decades at the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.
But she said “major ripple effects” have to be expected from the loss of abortion access and noted that it wouldn’t be the first time politics have led to a shift in birth control usage.
In the weeks after former President Donald Trump’s election, as women raised concerns online that the Affordable Care Act would be repealed, demand for long-acting birth control rose by nearly 22% across all age groups, according to a 2019 research letter published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
In Ohio, where a judge this month blocked a ban on virtually all abortions, patients — both male and female — now listen with rapt attention to the contraception talk that Dr. Peggy Stager has long made a part of routine appointments at her pediatric practice in Cleveland.
Stager said her practice’s dedicated spots for insertion of the Nexplanon implant are consistently filled, and requests for contraceptive refills have increased 30% to 40% since Roe was overturned. Recently, she talked to a college-bound student who wasn’t sexually active but decided to get an IUD anyway.
“She was real clear: ‘I want to have a great four years without any worry,’” recalled Stager, who is the chair of the section on adolescent health at the American Academy of Pediatrics. “And that’s a change.”
In Missouri, among the first states in the country with a trigger law in effect to ban abortions at any point in pregnancy, Dr. David Eisenberg also has seen a similar sense of urgency from collegebound teens to choose the most effective option.
“Fear is an amazing motivator,” said Eisenberg, an associate professor at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who performs abortions in neighboring Illinois. “They understand the consequence of a contraceptive failure might mean they become a parent because they might not be able to access
Russian President Vladimir Putin has granted Russian citizenship to former American security contractor Edward Snowden Monday, the Associated Press first reported.
Putin signed a decree Monday granting Snowden citizenship nearly two years after the National Security Administration (NSA) whistleblower petitioned for it along with his wife, citing a fear of being separated from their son in “this era of pandemics and closed borders.” Snowden has not renounced his U.S. citizenship, but remains wanted by American authorities on charges of theft of government property and violation of the Espionage Act.
Snowden, who was granted permanent residency in Russia in 2020, was one of 75 foreign nationals granted citizenship Monday. He has lived in Russia since 2013 while evading capture by U.S. law enforcement.
Snowden is wanted for allegedly leaking highly classified documents exposing several global surveillance operations involving the NSA and other government agencies in 2013. He initially fled to Hong Kong in May of 2013 before reportedly passing the documents to journalists, including Glenn Greenwald in June, before making his way to Russia later that month after the
Department of State revoked his passport.
Putin initially described Snowden’s fleeing to Russia as an “unwanted Christmas present” in 2013 and said he should leave the country, but Russia has repeatedly refused to extradite him to the U.S. in the years since.
Numerous American politicians and activists have petitioned for Snowden to be pardoned, characterizing him as a freedom fighter who exposed government corruption and spying against its own citizens. Critics label him a traitor for leaking government secrets, including revealing sensitive information to China on American efforts to infiltrate CCP institutions.
Interest is also high at the contraception clinic that Dr. Elise Berlan oversees in Columbus, Ohio. Before the Supreme Court’s decision, the clinic booked appointments for new patients within a week or two.
Now, they are booking several months out for first appointments, said Berlan, an adolescent medicine specialist who sees mothers and daughters in tears in her exam room. She said the demand is so high they are adding a provider.
On the day the Supreme Court ruled against Roe, twice as many birth control questions as normal poured into Roo, Planned Parenthood’s online chatbot aimed at teens.
Online birth control appointments also skyrocketed that day — up 150% from a typical day, with an even-larger 375% surge for IUD-seekers, said Julia Bennett, director of digital education and learning strategy for Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
By mid-July, several weeks
after the ruling, birth control appointments remained up about 20%, although the data isn’t broken down by age group.
The growing interest exists even in states like North Carolina, where abortion remains legal but the Legislature is conservative.
Dr. Kavita Arora, an obstetriciangynecologist in Chapel Hill, said she saw maybe one teen a month before the ruling. Now, she said, she sees them at each clinic session.
“They’re aware that this is an incredibly fluid situation, and what is allowed at one moment may not be allowed a week or a month later,” said Arora, the chair of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ Committee on Ethics.
That uncertain future is part of what motivated Abreu, the Florida teen, whose implant will prevent pregnancy for up to five years.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen with the laws in that time period,” said Abreu, who was using a short-acting form of birth control before switching. “Having this already in my arm, it makes
AP Photo/Wilfredo Leeme feel so much safer.”
Her mother, Maribys Lorenzo, said in Spanish that she, too, is a little more at peace knowing her daughter cannot get pregnant and said she would recommend the implant because it does not require her daughter to remember to take a contraceptive pill.
She said she is not worried, any more or less, that her daughter will become sexually active because of the implant. But if it happens, she will be protected, Lorenzo said.
“I don’t think that’s fair to me or my family to not have abortion as an option,” said her daughter, Abreu.
Roxana Hegeman in Wichita contributed to this report. Rodgers is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ arleighrodgers
Adismarys Abreu, 16, poses for a photo at her home, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022, in Miami. Abreu had been discussing a long-lasting birth control implant with her mother for about a year as a potential solution to increasing menstrual pain. Then Roe v. Wade was overturned, and Abreu joined the throng of teens rushing to their doctors as states began to ban or severely limit abortion. an abortion.” Edward Snowden speaks about the NSA leaks in an interview with reporter Glenn Greenwald at the hotel The Mira Hong Kong. First published in The Guardian. Photo by Laura Poitras / Praxis FilmsA Jan. 26 trial date was confirmed Monday, Sept. 26 for a man accused of gunning down a San Jacinto resident an ambushstyle revenge attack.
After years on the run, Abraham Daniel Palacios, 34, of San Jacinto was arrested in 2019 in connection with the slaying in 2013 of 23-yearold Ivan Ibarra Carrillo.
Palacios is charged with first-degree murder, a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
His half-brother, 49-year-old Juan Javier Mejia of Palm Springs, was convicted in 2016 of identical charges and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
During a status hearing on
Monday at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Paul Dickerson set trial proceedings for the last week of January after conferring with the prosecution and defense, who agreed to work on clearing the calendars for the period required to try the case.
Palacios is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center.
According to court documents, the defendant allegedly wanted revenge against Carrillo because he believed the victim had orchestrated a home invasion robbery at his girlfriend's house in October 2012.
During Mejia's trial, the prosecution contended that Palacios had been looking for Carrillo over a weeks-long span. Mejia apparently volunteered to act as the hit man, later telling
SAN JACINTO (CNS) - Three juvenile suspects were detained for allegedly robbing a victim of jewelry at gunpoint, authorities said.
Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department’s San Jacinto station responded to a robbery in the 600 block of Poo’ish Ave. in San Jacinto at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23.
The three male juveniles were seen walking away from the location after the robbery,
according to authorities, and were detained without incident.
The victim positively identified all three suspects, and the victim’s property was located on at least one of them, according to sheriff’s officials.
Further information on the suspects was not released due to their age.
Anyone with information about the incident was asked to contact Deputy Blythe at 951-654-2702.
A 48-year-old soccer coach suspected of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl was free from jail Friday, Sept. 23.
Rosario Navarro Gonzalez was taken into custody Thursday, Sept. 22 at 12:27 a.m. in the 27900 block of Adams Avenue, according to Sgt. Frank Schiavone from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
He posted $35,000 bail the same day and was released from the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta, according to inmate records. He’s expected to be arraigned Dec. 12 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.
Deputies from the Palm Desert Station began an investigation May 3, to investigate an alleged sexual assault on the girl from her soccer coach July 18, 2021, in the
64500 block of Pierson Boulevard in Desert Hot Springs, Schiavone said.
Investigators learned that the victim was allegedly contacted again by the soccer coach Feb. 5, while the victim was at a business in the 40800 block of Winchester Road in Temecula, according to Schiavone. The girl’s parents subsequently reported the incident to deputies and the Palm Desert Investigations Bureau, who later identified Gonzalez as the suspect.
Gonzalez was arrested on suspicion of lewd acts with a minor, Schiavone said.
Anyone with information related to this case was asked to call Investigator Evans from the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station at 760-836-1600. Anonymous tips can be called in to Valley Crime Stoppers at 760-341-7867 or submitted online at http:// valleycrimestoppers.org.
One person was taken to a hospital in critical condition Wednesday, Sept. 21, after being rescued from inside their vehicle that was fully submerged in Harveston Lake in Temecula.
Riverside County Fire Department rescue swimmers responded to the 29000 block of Lake House Road about 7:45
p.m. after receiving a report of the submerged vehicle, according to a department statement.
The swimmers found the person inside the vehicle and rescued them. The victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
No other occupants were found inside the vehicle.
Events leading up to the vehicle becoming submerged in the lake were under investigation.
A 16-year-old boy suspected of perpetrating a sexual assault on another youth in Temecula was arrested Friday, Sept. 23, on suspicion of sexual assault.
The teenager, whose identity was not disclosed because of his age, was booked into Southwest Juvenile Hall following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation that began Sept. 10.
Sgt. Jeff Reese said that deputies from the sheriff’s French Valley station were contacted regarding a
recent attack that had occurred in the 27000 block of Nicolas Road, near Winchester Road.
Reese alleged there was a “physical and sexual assault,” but no specific details were provided, including how the teen and victim, also not identified, knew one another.
The ensuing investigation was turned over to detectives at the sheriff’s Lake Elsinore station, culminating in the suspect’s arrest Thursday, Reese said.
Anyone with information was asked to contact investigators at 951-245-3300.
sheriff's investigators that he had control of both handguns used to carry out the killing, according to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney's Office.
On June 6, 2013, Palacios allegedly got word that Carrillo was in his neighborhood only a block away, near the intersection of Las Rosas Drive and Osprey Street, at which point the defendant allegedly picked up Mejia in his girlfriend's four-door Honda Accord. The pair then allegedly set off to find the victim's Ford Excursion, according to prosecutors.
Within minutes, they encountered the SUV heading northbound on Las Rosas Drive, where the defendants allegedly pulled directly into the larger vehicle's path, forcing Carrillo to stop, according to prosecutors.
Mejia jumped out of the Honda with a .40 caliber pistol, firing
14 rounds, several of which struck the victim in the upper body. Prosecutors said Mejia told detectives that when he ran out of bullets, he returned to the car and retrieved a 9mm handgun, then walked to the driver's side window of the Excursion and fired two shots at point-blank range, striking Carrillo in the face and head.
Prosecutors said that the victim was holding up his hands in an attempt to shield himself from the bullets as he was shot. He died at the scene.
Palacios allegedly admitted to his girlfriend that evening that he and Mejia had gunned down Carrillo, and that the two men were planning to flee south of the border, according to prosecutors.
Less than two weeks later, sheriff's detectives located Mejia's ex- wife and four children residing in an apartment on Sunrise Way in
Palm Springs. The woman revealed that the defendants had appeared at her residence on the night of June 18 and left three hours later.
An investigator said that when he called Mejia's mobile phone, the defendant "stated that he was already in Mexico," according to court records.
Mejia was taken into custody near Mexico City on Feb. 20, 2015, after more than 18 months on the run, after which he was extradited back to the U.S.
Palacios also was allegedly in Mexico but returned to the U.S. and was located and arrested without incident in Los Angeles in March of 2019.
He has prior misdemeanor convictions for illegal possession of a controlled substance, making criminal threats and domestic abuse, court records show.
A felon accused of gunning down a 58-year-old man during a confrontation near Menifee pleaded not guilty Thursday, Sept. 22, to murder and other offenses.
Arturo Recinos, 52, of Menifee was arrested earlier this month following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the slaying of Jesus Carlon of Wildomar.
Along with the murder count, Recinos is charged with sentence-
enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
He was arraigned before Superior Court Judge Elaine Kiefer, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Oct. 25, at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta and ordered that the defendant remain held on $1 million bail at the nearby Cois M. Byrd Detention Center.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Ben Ramirez, shortly before 10 a.m. Sept. 5, deputies were called to a residence in the 28800 block of Mapes Road, near Menifee Road,
to investigate reports of a fatal shooting.
Ramirez said Carlon was found dead at the scene.
Recinos was also at the location and detained for questioning. He was formally arrested the following day. A possible motive for the shooting was not disclosed.
According to court records, Recinos has previous convictions for child abuse, driving under the influence, vandalism and theft of utilities.
A motorist who suffered lifethreatening injuries in a collision with a pickup truck on Interstate 215 in Murrieta, causing an hourlong shutdown of lanes, was allegedly going too fast and making abrupt turns, triggering the wreck, the California Highway Patrol said Friday, Sept. 23.
Conner Campos, 18, of Menifee suffered major injuries in the crash at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21 on northbound I-215 at Clinton Keith Road, the CHP said.
Officer Mike Lassig said that Campos was driving a 2003 Honda Accord through Murrieta and was in the fast lane of the 215 when he approached a 2005 Dodge Ram
pickup with a trailer in the adjacent lane, traveling roughly 55 mph.
Lassig said that Campos was at or near 90 mph when he “made an unsafe” turn to the right, veering across all traffic lanes and impacting a guardrail on the shoulder.
The sedan then came back toward the pickup, prompting the driver to take “evasive action” and steer to the left to avoid the Honda, according to Lassig. The smaller vehicle, however, collided into the passenger side of the pickup, causing both vehicles to “spin out of control across northbound traffic lanes,” the CHP representative said.
Campos was hurled out of the driver’s side window because he wasn’t wearing a safety restraint,
Lassig said.
The Honda and Dodge came to rest in the middle of the freeway. No other vehicles were involved.
Murrieta Fire & Rescue crews arrived within minutes and found Campos seriously hurt. He was taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar, where he remains in critical condition, Lassig said.
The driver and two passengers in the pickup, all from Aguanga, suffered minor injuries and received treatment at Loma Linda Hospital in Murrieta, according to Lassig.
The entire northbound side of I-215 was closed for more than two hours while the wreckage was cleared and a preliminary investigation was conducted.
City News Service Special to Valley NewsA 45-year-old man who was among seven people from Riverside County charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol pleaded guilty Thursday, Sept. 22, to aiding and abetting in the obstruction of an official proceeding.
Andrew Alan Hernandez of Jurupa Valley admitted the felony count under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which agreed to drop five related charges in exchange for the admission.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington scheduled a sentencing hearing for Jan. 27. Hernandez is facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, though the term of incarceration imposed is likely to be much lower.
The defendant remains free on his own recognizance.
Security surveillance camera images of Hernandez inside the Capitol Building on the day of the breach show him carrying
an American flag with a Go-Pro camera zip-tied to it.
The pictures, collected by the FBI and included in the indictment against Hernandez, revealed he entered the building via the East Rotunda Door, which was forced open, then milled about with others who had entered the Capitol.
He posted a social media message before joining the protest outside the Capitol that day, saying, “They are trying to steal the vote and will perfect and protect their fraudulent voting system when in power.”
The defendant proceeded to the Senate Gallery, snapped a few selfies and exited the edifice 15 minutes later, according to prosecutors.
Hernandez, like the other six Riverside County men charged with disrupting the Electoral College vote certification, was not accused of engaging in any act of violence against law enforcement officers during the breach.
He is the third defendant from Riverside County to enter a plea
agreement with the government.
In March, Kevin Strong, 45, of Wildomar admitted a misdemeanor count of picketing in the Capitol Building. He was sentenced to 24 months of probation.
In June, Rafael Valadez Jr., 42, of Indio admitted the same offense in a plea agreement with prosecutors. He’s free on his own recognizance and is slated for sentencing, Friday, Oct. 14.
Derek Kinnison, 40, of Lake Elsinore, Felipe Antonio Martinez, 48, of Lake Elsinore, Ron Mele, 52, of Temecula, and Erik Scott Warner, 46, of Menifee are awaiting disposition of their cases, which involve a mix of felony and misdemeanor allegations.
Kinnison’s attorney, Nic Cocis, told City News Service in July that he intends to take his case to trial.
The men were part of the larger “Stop the Steal” movement that formed in November 2020.
They’re among nearly 900 individuals nationwide whom federal authorities allege entered the Capitol unlawfully.
Jurupa man who joined Jan. 6 Capitol Riot admits felony
Father Kien Kieu of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Anza will bless some of the valley’s finest pets Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 4 p.m. in a special ceremony just for them. The event coincides with the Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology and of animals.
The short ceremony will bless any and all pets from dogs, cats, tortoises and parrots to horses, goats and other livestock.
Catholic tradition offers the Blessing of the Animals in remembrance of Saint Francis of Assisi’s love for all God’s creatures. Francis wrote a Canticle of the Creatures, honoring all the Lord’s living things. “All praise to you, Oh Lord, for all these brother and sister creatures.”
As pets line up with their devoted owners, Father Kieu will recite the blessing.
“The animals of God’s creation inhabit the skies, the earth and the sea. They share in the ways of human beings. They have a part in our lives. Francis of Assisi recognized this when he called the animals, wild and tame, his brothers and sisters. Remembering Francis’ love for these brothers and sisters of ours, we invoke God’s blessing on these animals, and we thank God for letting us share the earth with all the creatures.”
Prayers will be offered and the pets gently sprinkled with holy water. Traditionally for this Anza event, all the animals accept the sacramental spritz with dignity. Gifts and certificates will be handed out to the pet parents.
“This is open to all. Bring all your favorite furry, feathered or scaled friends, big or small. All are welcome,” organizer Tara Butchart said.
Due to the pandemic, the ceremony was not held in 2020. But thanks to the passion of church parishioner Butchart, the event for 2021 was a huge success and this year’s event should be even better.
A group of auto enthusiasts belonging to the Porsche Club of America Coachella Valley Area
arrived at the Cahuilla Casino in the best style imaginable, in German sports cars of varying colors, ages and capabilities..
The club members embarked on a fun drive from the Palm
Springs area into the Riverside County mountains, using the casino as a short layover Saturday, Sept. 24. They were warmly welcomed by Cahuilla staff, who gave them goody bags full of gifts
Anza Valley Outlook/Diane Sieker photo and coupons and encouraged them to stay and play.
The cars ranged from colorful older Porsche 914s to the latest
The Lions Club of Anza Valley hosted their monthly turkey shoot at the Minor Field shooting range Sunday, Sept. 18. Veteran marksmen, beginners and youngsters enjoyed a pleasant competition. Newcomers to the monthly event were welcomed and kindly shown the ropes of the turkey shoot contests.
Hot dogs and refreshing beverages were served as contestants lined up to take shots at bright orange clay pigeons propelled into the sky.
The grand champion winner for Sept. was Ian Evans. Brenda Cowan won the chip shot and Julie Woods won Annie Oakley.
A turkey shoot is a shotgun shooting contest where frozen turkeys are often awarded as prizes. The targets are clay pigeons,
The Anza Valley Municipal Advisory Committee conducted their in-person meeting Wednesday, Sept. 21, at the Anza Community Hall. AVMAC members present were Richard Beauchamp, Allison Renck and Phillip Wazdatskey. Birdie Kopp was not able to attend.
Guest speakers included Riverside County Supervisor Chuck Washington’s staff member Melissa Morfin, CalFire Chief Kevin McNally, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Dan Winder, Riverside County Code Enforcement Supervising Officer Jennifer Morris, Riverside County Animal Services Lt. Leslie Huennekens and Commander Josh Sisler, Senator Melissa Melendez’s
Run your legal notices in the Anza Valley Outlook, adjudicated for Riverside County. Diane Sieker Staff Writer Diane Sieker Staff Writer Porsche Club of America Coachella Valley Area cars sparkle in the sunshine at the Cahuilla Casino Saturday, Sept. 24. Contestants concentrate on the fast-flying clay pigeon targets at the turkey shoot at the Minor Field shooting range Sunday, Sept. 18. Anza Valley Outlook/Diane Sieker photo Riverside County Animal Services Lt. Leslie Huennekens, right, and Commander Josh Sisler discuss the stray dog issue suffered by many residents in Anza at the AVMAC meeting Wednesday, Sept. 21. Anza Valley Outlook/Diane Sieker photoIf you have an upcoming community event, email it to valleyeditor@reedermedia.com put “attention events” in the subject line. Readers should call ahead on some listed events for the latest updates.
ONGOING – Anza Electric Cooperative and F.I.N.D. Food Bank offers a free mobile food pantry the second Saturday of every month at the AEC office, 58470 Highway 371, from 10:3011:30 a.m. All are welcome. CalFresh application assistance and free community health services are also available. Bring your own reusable bags to take food home. Volunteers welcome. For more information, contact the AEC office at 951-763-4333.
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Hamilton High School – Find out what is happening using Hamilton’s online calendar at http://www.hamiltonbobcats.net/ apps/events/calendar/ Hamilton Museum – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Open Wednesdays and Saturdays at 39991 Contreras Road in Anza. For more information, call 951-763-1350 or visit http://www.hamiltonmuseum. org. Find them on Facebook at “Hamilton-Museum-and-RanchFoundation.”
Backcountry Horsemen Redshank Riders – Meeting monthly on the second Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. Locations change, so please contact Mike by email at stumblinl55@gmail. com or by calling (951) 760-9255. Health, exercise, resources and recovery meetings
Fit after 50 – 10:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesday and Friday mornings at Anza Community Hall. Free. Wear comfortable clothes and supportive shoes. Call or text instructor Teresa Hoehn, at 951751-1462 for more information.
Narcotics Anonymous Meeting – 6 p.m. Every Tuesday at Shepherd Of The Valley Church, 56095 Pena Road, in Anza. Open participation.
Veterans’ Gathering Mondays – 9-11 a.m., The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 39075 Contreras Road, in Anza. Men and women veterans come to share and help each other deal with post-traumatic stress disorder and other difficulties. Call John Sheehan at 951-9236153. If you need an advocate to help with VA benefits, call Ronnie Imel at 951-659-9884.
The Most Excellent Way –Christ-centered recovery program for all kinds of addiction meets Fridays from 7-8:30 p.m. and Tuesdays from 8-10 a.m. Program is court approved; child care is provided. Transportation help is available. The group meets at 58050 Highway 371; the cross street is Kirby Road in Anza.
AA Men’s Meeting – 7 p.m. Meetings take place Thursdays at 39551 Kirby Road in Anza, south of Highway 371.
Alcoholics Anonymous – 8 p.m. Wednesday evenings at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 56095 Pena Road in Anza. For more information, call 951-763-4226.
Bereaved Parents of the USA – The Aguanga-Anza Chapter of BPUSA will hold its meetings at 6 p.m. on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 49109 Lakeshore Blvd. in Aguanga. For more information, contact chapter leader Linda Hardee at 951-551-2826.
Free Mobile Health Clinic – Open every third Wednesday of the month from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. No appointment is needed. Uninsured may only be seen in the Anza Community Hall’s parking lot or inside the hall.
Medication Assistance and Treatment for Opioid Dependence – Get treatment for heroin addiction. Transportation to the clinic is provided. For more information, contact Borrego Health’s Anza Community Health Center, 58581 Route 371, in Anza. For more information, call 951-763-4759.
Food ministries F.U.N. Group weekly food ministry – Deliveries arrive noon Thursdays at the Anza Community Hall. To order a paid box and help feed those who can’t afford to pay, drop off payment and cash donations by Thursday at 1:30 p.m., to ERA Excel Realty, 56070 Highway 371, in Anza. Pay inside or drop off during the day in the red box outside. To drop it off, put name and request on an envelope with payment inside. A $30 box has about $100 worth of food and feeds six people. Half boxes are available for $15. Food is delivered once a week to those who cannot find a ride. For more information, call Bill Donahue at 951-288-0903.
Living Hope Christian Fellowship Community Dinner – 1 p.m. Dinners are held the last Sunday of the month at the Anza Community Hall. All are welcome. Donations of time, money, etc. are always welcome.
Food for the Faithful – 8 a.m. The food bank hands out food the last Friday of the month until the food is gone. The clothes closet will be open too. Emergency food handed out as needed at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. FFF is a non-denominational nonprofit. All in need are welcome; call Esther Barragan at 951-763-5636.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Anza – Sunday Sacrament is held 10 a.m.; Sunday School is 11 a.m. Priesthood/Relief Society meets noon; Wednesday Boy Scouts gathers 6 p.m. and Youth Night is 7 p.m. For more information, call Ruiz at 951-445-7180 or Nathan at 760-399-0727. The Wednesday Genealogy/Family History Class, 5-8 p.m., is open to the public at 39075 Contreras Road in Anza.
Native Lighthouse Fellowship – 10 a.m. The group meets the first Saturday of the month, and breakfast is served. All are welcome to fellowship together at the “Tribal Hall” below the casino in Anza. For more information, call Nella Heredia at 951-7630856.
Living Hope Bible Study –8-10 a.m. Tuesdays at Living Hope Christian Fellowship, 58050 Highway 371, in Anza. All are welcome. For more information, call Pastor Kevin at 951-763-1111.
Anza RV Clubhouse – 7 p.m., the second Wednesday of the Month, Pastor Kevin officiates at 41560 Terwilliger Road in Anza.
Monthly Christian Men’s Breakfast – 9 a.m. Breakfast takes place the fourth Saturday of each month and rotates to different locations. Contact Jeff Crawley at 951-763-1257 for more information.
Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church – 10 a.m. Weekly Wednesday Bible study takes place at 56095 Pena Road in Anza. Call 951-763-4226 for more information.
Valley Gospel Chapel – 7 a.m. Saturday Men’s Study meets weekly with breakfast usually served at 43275 Chapman Road in the Terwilliger area of Anza. For more information, call 951763-4622.
Anza First Southern Baptist Church - Begin your week with Sunday School for all ages at 9:00 a.m., followed by Sunday morning worship at 10:30 a.m. On Sunday nights, the church has prayer on the 1st and 4th Sundays from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. and Bible study on the 2nd and 3rd Sundays from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. On Monday evenings, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., the youth group (6th to 12th grade) meets for games and Bible study. Anza Baptist Church also offers Men’s and Women’s Ministries, a Homeschool Support Group, Summer Vacation Bible School, and Senior’s Ministry. The church office is open Wednesday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. The church is located at 39200 Rolling Hills Road in Anza. For more information, contact the church at 951-763-4937 or visit www.anzabaptistchurch.com
Clubs High Country Recreation –Second Monday of the month attend committee meetings at ERA Excel Realty in Anza. For more information, call Albert Rodriguez at 951-492-1624 or Robyn Garrison at 805-312-0369.
HCR Bingo fundraisers 6:30-9:30 p.m. second and fourth Fridays at Anza Community Hall.
Anza Valley VFW Post 1873 – Capt. John Francis Drivick III Post, the Ladies’ and Men’s Auxiliaries are located at 59011 Bailey Road in Anza. Mail P.O. Box 390433. Request monthly newsletter and or weekly menu by email at vfw1873anzaca@ gmail.com. For more information, call 951-763-4439 or visit http:// vfw1873.org
High Country 4-H Club – 6:30 p.m. Meetings are on the third Wednesday of the month, except February, at Anza Community Hall. 4-H Club is for youth 5 to 19 years old offering a variety of projects. High Country 4-H Club is open to children living in the Anza, Aguanga and surrounding areas. For more information, call Allison Renck at 951-663-5452.
Anza Valley Artists Meetings – 1 p.m. Meetings are the third Saturday of each month at various locations. Share art, ideas and participate in shows. Guest speakers are always needed. For more information, call president Rosie Grindle at 951928-1248. Find helpful art tips at http://www.facebook.com/ AnzaValleyArtists/ Anza Quilter’s Club – 9:30 a.m. to noon. Meets the first and third Tuesday of each month at the Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 56095 Pena Road, in Anza.
Anza Valley Lions Club – The Anza Valley Lions Club has been reinstated and is open to all men and women who want to work together for the betterment of the community. The group is working on securing a new venue for meetings. Meetings and events are posted on the Anza Lions Club of Anza Valley Facebook page at https://www.facebook. com/LionsofAnzaValley. For more information, email president Greg Sandling at President. AnzaLions@gmail.com or Chris Skinner at Secretary.AnzaLions@ gmail.com
Boy Scouts Troop 319 – Cub Scouts meet 6 p.m. every Tuesday, and Boy Scouts meet 7 p.m. every Wednesday at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Contreras Road, south of state Route 371, in Anza. For more information, call Richard Hotchkiss at 951-551-3154.
Boys Scouts Troop 371 – Boy Scouts meet at Lake Riverside Estates. For more information, call Ginny Kinser at 909-7027902.
Civil Air Patrol – Squadron 59 is looking for new members of all ages. For more information, call squadron commander Maj. Dennis Sheehan from the Anza area at 951-403-4940. To learn more and see the club’s meeting schedule, visit http://www. squadron59.org
Fire Explorer Program – 6 p.m. The program meets every second, third and fourth Tuesday of the month at Fire Station 29 on state Route 371 in Anza. Call 951-763-5611 for information.
Redshank Riders – 7 p.m. Backcountry horsemen meet at the Little Red Schoolhouse in Anza, the second Thursday of each month. Visit http://www. redshankriders.com or call Carol Schmuhl for membership information at 951-663-6763.
Anza Thimble Club – The club meets the first Thursday of the month at Valley Gospel Chapel, 43275 Chapman Road in Anza. The social hour is 11:30 a.m., and lunch is served at noon. Contact Carol Wright at 951-7632884 for more information.
Organizations Terwilliger Community Association – 6 p.m. Second Monday of the month at VFW Post 1873, 59011 Bailey Road, in Anza. Potluck dinner open to all. For more information, call Tonie Ford at 951-763-4560.
From the Heart Christian Women’s Ministries – Noon. Monthly luncheon and guest speaker are held the second Saturday of each month. The $5 charge covers lunch at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 56095 Pena Road, in Anza. From the Heart helps the area’s neediest children and invites all women and men to join in their mission. Donate or help with the rummage sales twice a year to raise funds for the cause or other events. For more information, call president Christi James at 951-595-2400.
Anza Community Hall – 7 p.m. General membership meetings are held the fourth Thursday of the month. Memberships cost $20 per person or $35 per business, and both get one vote. No government funds are allocated for the Hall, which pays its bills through memberships and swap meets. Voting members receive discounts off hall rentals, swap meet booths and save on propane gas from Ferrellgas. Mail membership to: Anza Community Building Inc. at P.O. Box 390091, Anza, CA 92539. The hall is located at 56630 Highway 371 in Anza. Swap meet held each Saturday of the month, weather permitting, early morning to 1 p.m. Vendors wanted. For more information, call 951-282-4267.
Anza Civic Improvement League – 9 a.m. meets the first Saturday of each month at the Little Red Schoolhouse. The league maintains Minor Park and Little Red School House, which are both available to rent for events. No government funds are allowed; the membership pays the bills – $10 a person, $18 family or $35 business membership. For more information, visit http:// www.anzacivic.org
Anza Valley Outlook and Valley News
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For more information about the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, follow them at www. facebook.com/Sacred-Heart-ofAnza-172200349497797
Diane Sieker can be reached by email at dsieker@reedermedia.
We
You Anza – you rock!
super car pavement scorchers. Drivers and their passengers paused briefly for a group picture before heading into the casino for lunch and gaming.
According to Wikipedia, the Porsche Club of America is a nonprofit organization of Porsche enthusiasts in the United States and Canada. It is organized into 147 regions, which are grouped into 14 zones. PCA has more than 145,000 members and is the largest single-brand club in the world. It was formed in 1955 by Bill Sholar. Enthusiasts attend shows, runs and other special events.
Diane Sieker can be reached by email at dsieker@reedermedia.
com
FAIRBANKS, Ala. – Shaylise Sylvester of Anza was recently named to the fall 2021 deans’ list at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
The lists recognize students’ outstanding academic achievements. Students receiving a 3.9 GPA or higher are placed on the chancellor’s list, while those receiving a GPA of between 3.5 and 3.89 are named to the deans’ list.
University of Alaska Fairbanks
is a Land, Sea and Space Grant institution and is the leading doctoral degree-granting institution in Alaska. Since it was founded in 1917, University of Alaska Fairbanks has been internationally recognized for research relating to the Arctic and sub-Arctic, in areas such as biology, geophysics, engineering, natural resources and global climate change.
Submitted by University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Porsche Club of America Coachella Valley Area drivers get ready to enter the Cahuilla Casino for fun and games on Saturday, Sept. 24. Porsche Club of America Coachella Valley Area director Randy Foulds and his wife Lisa step from their vintage 914 at the Cahuilla Casino Saturday, Sept. 24. Anza Valley Outlook/Diane Sieker photos The cars nestle along the curb, with the local mountains in the background at the Cahuilla Casino Saturday, Sept. 24. Members of the Porsche Club of America Coachella Valley Area take a group shot showing off their goody bags supplied by casino staff at the Cahuilla Casino Saturday, Sept. 24. Expensive custom wheels shine on this Porsche Club of America Coachella Valley Area member’s car at the Cahuilla Casino Saturday, Sept. 24. Top of the line models are included in the Porsche Club of America Coachella Valley Area lineup at the Cahuilla Casino Saturday, Sept. 24. Sleek sports cars are arranged carefully in the parking lot at the Cahuilla Casino Saturday, Sept. 24. Spotless and pampered, the Porsche Club of America Coachella Valley Area’s members’ cars sparkle at the Cahuilla Casino Saturday, Sept. 24. Carefully tended older models look brand new at the Cahuilla Casino Saturday, Sept. 24.Seven small middle schools and K-8 elementary schools in northern San Diego County and southern Riverside County compete in monthly athletic tournaments with each school hosting a different sport throughout the year. The 2022-2023 tournaments began September 22 with the Pauma Volleyball Tournament at Pauma Elementary School, and Hamilton Elementary School won the girls portion of the tournament.
Borrego Springs Middle School did not travel to Pauma Valley, and each of the six schools participating played each other school one time. The Hamilton girls won all five matches while Cottonwood Elementary School was on the losing end of all five of the Cougars’ contests. The Vallecitos
Elementary School (Rainbow) boys defeated Hamilton for the Bobcats’ only boys’ team loss, which placed Hamilton second among the boys’ teams with a 4-1 record, while the Cottonwood boys were also 0-5. All matches were one game to 20 points, although a team had to win by at least two points.
The Hamilton girls had a 20-14 win over Cottonwood, a 20-17 victory against Julian, a 20-12 win in the match with Warner, a 20-17 triumph against Pauma, and a 20-15 victory when the Bobcats played Vallecitos. “They played as a team. They played together,” Hamilton girls coach Jenny Villalobos said.
The win over Julian was the Timberwolves’ only loss of the tournament for the girls’ team. Cottonwood only had six girls, so the Cougars had no substitutes.
“The losses were close,” Cottonwood coach Cindy Harris said.
In the boys’ match between Hamilton and Vallecitos, the Vikings prevailed by a 20-18 score. “Hamilton was the most competitive team,” Vallecitos coach Ray Hanbeck said.
“I think the tournament went really well. The kids were respectful to one another. The games were tough, and we had a good tournament,” Hamilton boys coach Lance Fogle said.
The next tournament will be the Vallecitos Soccer Tournament at Vallecitos Elementary School and Rainbow Park, which will be October 27 if weather permits.
Joe Naiman can be reached by email at jnaiman@reedermedia. com
Hamilton High School is in the CIF Southern Section’s Arrowhead League for cross country, but the Bobcats made a trip down State Route 79 to Julian to participate in the Citrus League cluster meet Thursday, Sept. 22, and had the first two girls’ finishers.
Both the boys and the girls ran on a 5,000-meter (3.1-mile) course at Cuyamaca State Park. Hamilton senior Stephanie Martinez-Anaya won the girls race with a time of 28:00 while Bobcats senior Jay Rodriguez had the second-place time of 28:51. The third-place finisher, Julian sophomore Rylee Bennin,
completed the course in 30:17.
Cross country team scores add the positions of a school’s top five finishers; the sixth and seventh runners are not scored but can add points to other team totals. A minimum of five runners is required for a team score, and since Hamilton only had three girls including one who did not finish the race the Bobcats were not scored on the girls’ side. Hamilton had six boys at the Julian meet and when the positions of runners for schools without team scores were eliminated the Bobcats had a team score of 29 points which placed Hamilton second behind Julian High School, which had the first-place total of 26 points.
Julian senior Phoenix Cruz had the
fastest boys time of 19:39. Hamilton freshman Hunter Edmisten finished second at 21:07. The third-place boy, Borrego Springs sophomore Eli Loera, took 22:08.
Hamilton boys took fifth and sixth with senior Christopher JohnsonPrice finishing in 23:02 and freshman Jose Barajas posting a time of 23:28. The other two Hamilton boys in the race are sophomores; Jesus Rodriguez had the 12th-place time of 25:51 and Magic Lee finished in 27:45 for 15th place.
Calexico Mission and West Shores (Salton City) also participated in the meet.
Joe Naiman can be reached by email at jnaiman@reedermedia. com
commonly called skeet and made of a biodegradable ceramic type material that decomposes into the soil. The skeets are flung from a remotely controlled machine and fly quite a distance, making for great sport and shows of skill.
Original turkey shoots long ago were contests in which live turkeys were shot at distances from 25-35 yards, but that is no longer the case. No live birds were harmed at the Lions’ event.
The next turkey shoot is Sunday,
For more information regarding the Lions Club of Anza Valley, or if interested in becoming a member, please email Greg Sandling at President.AnzaLions@gmail.com or visit the club at www.facebook. com/LionsofAnzaValley Diane Sieker can be reached by email at dsieker@reedermedia. com
SHOOT from page D-1 Nov. 20 at the Minor Field shooting range, 39551 S. Kirby Road in Anza. Signups begin at 9 a.m., with practice at 9:30 a.m. The event will start at 10 a.m.
Retired Captain Leonard Purvis, left, and Riverside County Sheriff’s Department sergeant Jeremy Parsons drop in for a visit to the turkey shoot at the Minor Field shooting range Sunday, Sept. 18. Anza Valley Outlook/Diane Sieker photos
Lion Chris Skinner is all smiles and great aim at the turkey shoot at the Minor Field shooting range Sunday, Sept. 18.
Kids safely pick up spent cartridges during a break in the action at the turkey shoot at the Minor Field shooting range Sunday, Sept. 18.
From beginners to seasoned shooters, all are welcome at the turkey shoot at the Minor Field shooting range Sunday, Sept. 18.
Joe Naiman Writer
The Cottonwood middle school girls’ team participates in the Pauma Volleyball Tournament. Valley News/Heather Rachael photo
Hamilton cross country, one of the teams pictured here at a past Mt. Sac Relays event, traveled to Julian to participate in the Citrus League cluster meet Thursday, Sept. 22. Valley News/Runnerspace photo
Staff Reports opened with Animal Services’ Huennekens and Sisler giving brief statements describing their department’s activity in the mountain communities. According to Huennekens, Animal Services received 511 calls for service from August 2021 through August 2022. Twenty-eight calls were for dead animals, 18 for dog bites and 69 welfare checks. Twelve citations were given and 130 animals impounded during that time. Sisler added that Anza is on the calendar for the mobile spay and neuter bus in 2022, but that may get pushed to next year due to repairs being made to the bus. A new bus is slated to be purchased since age has made the current vehicle prone to repairs.
“We look forward to being able to service this area more frequently,” he said.
He added that the department had a big part in the animal evacuations during the Fairview Fire.
Rencke asked the officers about trapping stray dogs, as they are becoming a terrible issue in her neighborhood. Huennekens advised her that the traps are available free of charge and serviced by the Department. To order one, call Animal Services at 951-358-7387.
“Do not feed stray dogs,” Sisler said. “This creates a lot of problems.”
Up next was Code Enforcement Supervising Officer Morris, who reported that there had been nine cannabis cases opened in Anza and Aguanga since July 21. Twenty had been closed in compliance, six were forwarded to the county attorneys for litigation and two had temporary restraining orders granted.
“There are less cannabis issues this year,” she said.
Code Enforcement is writing up non-compliant greenhouses to enable their removal, in order to disrupt the illicit growers’ infrastructure. To anonymously report illegal cannabis grows, call 951-955-2004 or use the secure form on the agency’s website.
Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Winder quoted statistics from Aug. 2 through Sept. 12. There was one robbery, six aggravated assaults, seven burglaries, seven auto thefts and two larcenies. Of these types of crimes, there were 134 in 2021 and 126 so far in 2022, he said.
CalFire Chief McNally opened by thanking the mountain residents for their cooperation during the recent evacuations.
“Thank you for your cooperation during the Fairview Fire,” he said. “Evacuations are pivotal for us. At this time, 28,307 acres have burned and we are still patrolling on a daily basis.”
Fuel break building continues, he said. This work has actually been going on for the last few years. The accelerated development enabled the crews to identify some additional areas in need of the breaks.
From June 1 through Sept. 20, Station 77 had 223 calls for service and Station 29 had 497.
Notable area vegetation fires caused Air Attack to be activated immediately to prevent spread.
“Our directive is to smash fires,” he explained. “We love what we do.”
McNally touched on the importance of residents educating themselves on evacuation plans, fire prevention and defensible space, including ingress, egress and clearances to prevent structure loss, injuries and death. There are programs to help residents with fuel reduction, he said.
Sen. Melendez’s Aide Austin spoke briefly by Zoom regarding the Senator’s willingness to assist residents in any way she can.
Supervisor Washington’s staff member Morfin advised the group regarding the search for another AVMAC member and that the county was going to release a
special newsletter about asbestos inspections for Fairview Fire trash.
EMWD President Paule gave a lively and informative talk about drought conditions. He said that the drought was impacting urban areas much more than Anza. He educated the AVMAC and guests alike as to the history of water in Southern California.
“When the water runs out, what do you do?” he asked several times. “You steal it!”
Historically, water was procured, or stolen, from the Sierra Nevada, Colorado River, Northern California and other sources, to feed the major cities. But growth in other states has created more demand. The Colorado River is very stressed, he said.
“Anza is OK; the LA Basin, not so much,” he said.
To help conserve water, he said the use of native plants in California landscaping, using recycled water for irrigation and watching water use are very useful.
In 30 years there has been no increase in imported water for Temecula, Hemet and other nearby areas, he added.
Desalination plants are very expensive and use a lot of energy,
It doesn’t seem like that long ago when all my children were running around in diapers, drinking juice boxes and watching cartoons. Well, they still drink juice boxes and watch cartoons. Actually, I watch cartoons like all sane people, but thankfully, the diapers are gone.
The bottom line is I’m a family guy. I love having my wife and children around. I live for family barbecues and birthday parties.
I want to be around for special events, award ceremonies, game nights, weddings and so much more. I am a family guy.
in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them,” in Genesis 1:26-27.
Currently, there are almost 8 billion people on the planet. And God created each man and woman according to his plan. It is the beginning of every family.
Storm water storage is a great plan, and he admitted there are not enough facilities available.
The Diamond Lake reservoir is an emergency supply of water for Southern California, a 60-day supply is at the ready at all times, he said.
“Water is free but it takes money to get it to your tap,” Paule added.
RUHS Health Education Assistant Hernandez and County of Riverside Emergency Management Department Emergency Coordinators Palomares and Castaneda talked about their department’s outreach programs, available to Anza residents. The department provides emergency preparedness and education to underserved communities, offering training classes and even refresher courses.
HUSD liaisons Llamas, Alvarez and Ramirez also discussed community outreach and wellness, describing the many programs available to residents. Their main purpose is connecting families to resources.
There are programs to provide
The district offers family engagement opportunities such as skate nights, summer activities, museum visits and more.
There are mental health professionals at all HESD schools and no-cost telemedicine available to all students.
The HUSD representatives excitedly mentioned several upcoming school events and sports competitions.
The meeting was adjourned, with the next meeting slated for Wednesday, Nov. 16.
The Anza Community Hall is located at 56630 CA-371, Anza.
For more information, visit the AVMAC at www.facebook.com/ AnzaValleyMAC.
To contact Riverside County Supervisor Chuck Washington’s office, please call 951-955-1030 or visit http:// supervisorchuckwashington.com/
Diane Sieker can be reached by email at dsieker@reedermedia. com
My wife and I are getting really close to being empty nesters. It seems to have crept up on us like a deadly ninja in the dark with no remorse or compassion.
I know some people get very excited about this stage of their family life. But if I’m being honest, I’m bummed about it. It came way too fast.
I don’t believe my love for family is something I instilled in myself. I think it’s a gift from God.
No one loves the family more than he does. He is where every family finds its origin.
Family started with God being the creator of men and women.
In the book of Genesis, God said, “Let us make human beings
Then God created marriage. Again, in the creation account, God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.
So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.
So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh,” in Genesis 2:18-25.
Because of God’s love for family, he designed men and women to come together in marriage so that the two would become one. But he didn’t stop there.
Then God created the family. Genesis 1:28 said, “Then God
blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
God loves family so much that he wanted a man and a woman to come together in marriage and have babies. So much so that he blessed them with the ability to do just that.
In a culture that’s trying to redefine the term family, you need to know that the family finds its origin, and ultimately its blessing, in God alone. And if you want to walk in that blessing, you must walk by his design.
Zachary Elliott is the lead pastor of Fusion Christian Church in Temecula. For more information, visit https://www. fusionchristianchurch.com, http:// www.encouragementtoday.tv or find them on Instagram.
Aide Angelica Austin, Eastern Municipal Water District Division 1 Board President Phil Paule, Riverside University Health System Health Education Assistant Mariana Hernandez, County of Riverside Emergency Management Department Emergency Coordinators Hector Palomares and Marilyn Castaneda, Hemet Unified School District Hamilton Elementary School Parent Liaison Cindy Llamas, HUSD Hamilton High School Parent Liaison Brian Alvarez and HUSD Parent Liaison Vicente Ramirez.
according to Paule. Plus, coastal residents do not want to look at ugly desal plants.
free phones, clothes, school supplies and Chromebooks, as well as free food pantries, free laundry facilities and case management for housing, EBT, medical and more.
Zachary Elliot Special to the Valley News
AVMAC member Phillip Wazdatskey listens carefully to the presentations during the AVMAC meeting Wednesday, Sept. 21.
AVMAC member Richard Beauchamp takes notes during the AVMAC meeting Wednesday, Sept. 21.
Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Dan Winder gives a short report on crime in Anza during the AVMAC meeting Wednesday, Sept. 21.
CalFire Chief Kevin McNally talks about fire breaks, safety and the Fairview Fire at the AVMAC meeting Wednesday, Sept. 21.
Eastern Municipal Water District Board President Phil Paule gives an energetic presentation on the drought at the AVMAC meeting Wednesday, Sept. 21.
HUSD Parent Liaison Vicente Ramirez describes programs available to Hamilton School families at the AVMAC meeting Wednesday, Sept. 21.
Anza Valley Outlook/Diane Sieker photos
it be ok to experiment on it or, like in China, harvest organs from it while it is alive? Could someone make an industry out of it? What if it was for the good of the whole population? What if the torture of that fetus saved lives? Does it have civil rights? Does it matter where it resides or who “owns” it? It seems far fetched but taking the debate to extremes helps us to figure out where we stand on issues.
political and spiritual debate because it’s one of the most important, I believe, in our country’s history. Just like the foundation of inalienable rights, just like civil rights. The debate is getting more complicated with the ability to create little humans for whatever purpose our self-serving minds can fathom. We need to know where we stand.
eligible for low-income rate assistance on their water bill at their primary residence through our Rate Assistance for Residents of Elsinore Valley program. EVMWD also partners with Riverside County’s Community Action Partnership to host Utility Assistance Clinics regularly at our headquarters and invite customers to contact us at 951-674-3146 for an appointment.
Julie Reeder PublisherThe abortion debate is so emotionally heated on both sides, and for good reason, because what is at the center of the debate is the intrinsic value and ownership of human life. The challenge is that it is no longer just a woman who can create life, but now science can create human life in a lab.
I was told last week that some scientists were recently reprimanded for growing human fetuses in their garage. My first reaction, of course, was “Oh come on, seriously?” But as I thought about it, it is happening in other countries and probably ours too. The person said, “These babies had brains. They were little humans “
Does it matter? If scientists were able to bring a baby to the point of viability in a lab, or even just shy of viability, is that ok? Does that fetus/baby have any rights? Would
In the aftermath of overturning Roe vs. Wade and returning the legislative power back to the states, it’s more than just a debate about when life begins. It’s a debate about ownership of that new person and the civil rights of that human being. Does it have the constitutional right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?
Can little humans be created for experimentation or abuse?
At 9 weeks in utero, a fetus’s trigonometric nerve between the eyes flinches when induced by pain, like being stuck with a needle. Does that unborn human have the right to not be hurt or abused? What if it is in a lab? Does the residence of that baby matter?
Science has played a crucial part in our debate for sure. I remember in the 70s, we were told that the fetus was like a tadpole, certainly not a “baby.” Boy were we shocked when ultrasounds were available and we could see a perfectly formed little human being in just a few weeks!
It’s so important that we allow the scientific, cultural, ethical,
It seems far-fetched for people who couldn’t fathom one human hurting another innocent young person, but we need to wake up and be ready. The world is full of authoritarian leaders, child abusers, pedophiles and unscrupulous people, even wellmeaning people in the name of science with the ability to manipulate and create human life through DNA technology.
At what point do we ask guidelines be set up to protect human life? Where is the line drawn? At what point does creating human life need to be regulated? This is no longer only about a woman’s right to choose her body. It is about humanity making guidelines out of the dignity of our own species. Without rhetoric, insults and accusations, we need to courageously encourage the debate. God help us because I believe one of the most defining attributes of a culture is how it treats those most vulnerable.
Please give me your thoughts by submitting a letter to the editor to villageeditor@reedermedia com.
TEMECULA – Republican Assembly candidate Matt Rahn, R-71, received the endorsement of the 31,000 member California Correctional Peace Officers’ Association.
“We look forward to assisting you in your victory, and to working with you in the California Legislature on all of the issues that affect our members and every other Californian,” CCPOA President Glenn Stailey said.
The CCPOA is one of the leading public safety groups in the state.
They join the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, California Coalition of Law Enforcement Associations, Riverside Sheriffs’ Association, Murrieta Police Officers Association, Police Officers Research Association of California and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco in support of Mayor Matt Rahn for Assembly.
“I am honored to be known as law enforcement’s choice for Assembly and to have the backing of CCPOA,” Rahn said. “Crime is on the rise across California,
and we need to take immediate action to support our peace officers and toughen our laws to keep dangerous criminals locked up.”
Rahn currently serves as mayor of Temecula, the 16th safest city in the U.S. where he lives with his wife and daughter. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Nevada –Reno, a doctorate from University of California Davis and a law degree from the University of San Diego.
Submitted by Matt Rahn.
Crushing drought and high temperatures have weighed on Californians this summer, and we’ve asked a lot from our customers. You’ve stepped up to the plate and conserved water like never before. At Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, we are proud of your efforts and being your water provider.
As the drought marches on, we are highly focused not only on what we need you to do, but what we can do for our customers.
We provide water and sewer services to 159,000 customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We employ 170 people, who have the technical and operational expertise to ensure that clean water comes out of your faucet whenever you need it. They test and treat water supplies for thousands of compounds and chemicals. Our team designs and operates water systems that bring in water from across the state and from beneath our feet. And, our employees can often be found out in the field, day and night, ensuring that our pipes, pumps and storage facilities are running as they should.
The work we do is sophisticated, but it’s critical that the services we provide remain affordable.
The district’s rate assistance programs are available to reduce our customers’ monthly water and sewer expenses. Customers who meet income criteria are
We also want to make it easy for all our customers to save money and reduce their water use. Through EVMWD’s advanced meter technology, customers have the capability to monitor their water usage online. It’s easy and free. With AquaHawk, customers receive timely leak alerts and they can set alerts to ensure their bills don’t go above a certain amount. You can also get an estimate of your bill at any time during the billing cycle. A recent success story, the AquaHawk alert system notified a customer immediately of a significant leak while he was away from home and he resolved it quickly. The timely notification saved the customer from thousands of gallons in water lost and costs.
While saving money is essential for our customers, as a district we are making smart investments in the future of our community. And we know that conservation alone is not a solution for droughtprone California. Our district is investing in water recycling, groundwater cleanup and water storage on the local level, and we are advocating in Sacramento and Washington for the state and federal governments to do their part as well. We have secured grant funding and are continuing to pursue grants that will offset the cost impact of infrastructure investments for our customers. We are looking at all options, at every level to ensure that no matter what, our customers will have access to clean, affordable water on-demand.
Our community – our homes, schools and businesses – cannot function without water. As a district we are providing total water service to power the health and vibrancy of Elsinore Valley, so that life can flourish.
Greg Thomas is the general manager of Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District.
years. Among veterans, every day an estimated 22 commit suicide, that’s one veteran every 65 minutes. By calling attention to the problem, raising awareness about warning signs when they are present, by eliminating the stigma associated with mental illness and by providing resources for those needing help, we can save thousands of lives.
Assemblymember Marie Waldron Special to the Valley NewsIn 2020, there were just under 46,000 suicides in the United States, making it the nation’s 12thleading cause of death. California’s suicide rate is 10.7 per 100,000, compared to 13.4 nationally.
Suicide rates across the United States have been increasing, and are now double homicide rates.
Obviously, more can be done to end this ongoing tragedy.
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and this session I co-authored Assembly Concurrent Resolution 37, declaring Sept. 5 to Sept. 11 Suicide Prevention Week in California.
To view ACR 37, please visit https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/ faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_ id=202120220ACR37.
Deadline: Fridays at 3pm for following week’s publication.
for 2 Weeks
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While suicide rates are the highest among people from 45 to 54 years of age, rates among youth 15 to 24 have increased more than 200% in the last 50
The State of California has established a Suicide Prevention Program through the Department of Health Care Services, along with multiple local and statewide projects resulting from passage of the Mental Health Services Act (Prop. 63), approved by voters in 2004. For more information, please visit www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/ CCDPHP/DCDIC/SACB/Pages/ SuicidePreventionProgram.aspx.
Beginning this July, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline went operational across the country. Dial 988 to be connected with qualified and trained responders/counselors with access to multiple resources for those in distress. Veterans needing help and support can access the veterans help line by dialing 988, and then pressing 1.
Suicide can be prevented, help is available. We just need to get the word out.
Assemblymember Marie Waldron, R-Valley Center, represents the 75th Assembly District in the California Legislature, which includes the communities of Bonsall, Escondido, Fallbrook, Hidden Meadows, Pala, Palomar Mountain, Pauma Valley, Rainbow, San Marcos, Temecula, Valley Center and Vista.
Anza Valley Outlook reserves the right to edit letters as necessary to
Greg Thomas Special to Valley News
Greg Thomas is the general manager of Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District. Valley News/Courtesy photo
