Great Oak Cross Country runs wild, sweep State Cross Country Championships, B-1
VALLEY
Arts Council Menifee names Christopher and Mary Carnes as Ambassadors/ Artists of the Month, C-3
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Local AFV receives 1 of 58 random acts of kindness
Volume 17, Issue 48
Temecula kicks off holiday celebration with annual Tree Lighting
Joe Naiman JNAIMAN@REEDERMEDIA.COM
Samantha McDonald was expecting to be on the giving end of a program in which survivors of the Route 91 Harvest massacre in Las Vegas provided random acts of kindness in memory of each of the 58 victims killed. see page A-4
Opinion Noted journalist Charles Wiley speaks to TVRWF Tony Ault TAULT@REEDERMEDIA.COM
Charles Wiley, conservative globe-trotting journalist appeared in a rare appearance before the Temecula Valley Republican Women’s Federated Tuesday, Nov. 21, at Wilson Creek Winery in Temecula. see page D-7
Blotter Two killed, 1 injured in Thanksgiving crash Alex Groves AGROVES@REEDERMEDIA.COM
A Hemet man and woman were killed and another person was injured when a speeding Volkswagen blasted through a stop sign, collided with a truck and went into a tree on Thanksgiving morning.
People gather around the Christmas tree at the Temecula Duck Pond after a tree lighting ceremony, Nov. 28. See more photos online at www. myvalleynews.com. Shane Gibson photo
Butterfield Square building, soon only a memory, will lend its materials to new construction Alex Groves AGROVES@REEDERMEDIA.COM
see page D-7
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INDEX Local ............................................A-1 Sports .......................................... B-1 Education..................................... B-4 Health........................................... B-5 Business ....................................... B-6 Entertainment.............................C-1 Calendar of Events .....................C-4 Dining...........................................C-5 Wine Country .............................C-6 Pets...............................................C-7 Faith.............................................C-7 Real Estate ..................................D-1 Home & Garden..........................D-1 Business Directory......................D-5 Opinion .......................................D-6 Blotter...........................................D-6 Classifieds....................................D-7
VALLEY NEWS
Belinda Morris, daughter of craftsman Bob Morris, stands at the steps of Butterfield Square and reflects on memories after a day of salvaging material from the shuttered site. Belinda helped her dad build Butterfield Square and once was a bride in a wedding on the steps of the square. Shane Gibson photo
An upscale hotel will soon replace an Old Town Temecula building composed of historical elements, leaving historians, longtime Temecula residents and the designer of the building saddened and wistful for a bygone era. But while the old building, Butterfield Square, will face certain demolition to make way for a $75 million hotel project spearheaded by developer Bernie Truax, not all is lost. Historical elements from the building’s facade will find a new home on the other side of Third Street. Richard Beck and wife Christine Greer, two owners of the historic Hotel Temecula on Main Street, have acquired wood paneling, windows, shutters, lights, signage, metal railing and other items from the building. They said they plan to use those elements on the outside of a new
see SQUARE, page A-7
Soon to be appointed Hemet Police chief promises ‘taking a hardline stance’ on crime in the city Tony Ault TAULT@REEDERMEDIA.COM
Hemet Police Department’s Deputy Chief Charles Webb who has been with the department for 25 years will become the new police chief, Dec. 22, replacing former Police Chief David Brown who has announced his intent to run for Riverside County Sheriff. Webb, 49, has worked a variety of assignments including patrol, field training officer, crime suppression unit, patrol supervisor, crime suppression unit, patrol supervisor, investigations supervisor and investigations lieutenant. After being promoted to captain in 2006, he served as the Region 3 Gang Taskforce chairman. His long and dedicated experience quickly earned his appoint-
ment to the new chief’s role by the Hemet City Council over a list of other candidates applying for the position. “I am honored and very excited about being appointed as the next Hemet Police chief,” Webb said. “With the support of the community and the passage of Measure U, we have been given the mandate to rebuild our department to an appropriate level for a city of 82,000 plus residents and an ever-changing demographic.” He plans to continue his predecessor’s hiring success. “We have had success in hiring police officers, and now we are finally staffed at level where I believe we can really start to make a positive difference in our community,” Webb
see WEBB, page A-4
Hemet Police Department’s Deputy Chief Charles Webb who has been with the department for 25 years will become the new police Tony Ault photo chief, Dec. 22.