Former local players, now in college, return to play in Holiday Bowl , B-1
Mourning the passing of great friend and community advocate, Paul Bandong, D-6
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Serving Temecula , Murrieta , L ake E lsinore , M enifee , Wildomar , H emet, San Jacinto and the surrounding communities January 12 – 18, 2018
Local New laws bring new questions about firearms in Riverside County
www.myvalleynews.com
Volume 18, Issue 2
A decade after being built, Temecula Fire Station opens to much fanfare
Kim Harris ANZAEDITOR@REEDERMEDIA.COM
A new law which addresses registering, regulating, purchasing, selling and possessing firearms in the state, which took effect Jan. 1, has some 6 million gun owners in the state wondering how those laws affect them. see page A-3
Local Planning commission approves apartments for Rancho California Road Alex Groves AGROVES@REEDERMEDIA.COM
A 160-unit apartment complex received high praise from members of the Temecula Planning Commission before it was unanimously approved on Wednesday, Jan. 3. see page A-5
Entertainment Temecula’s Grape Drop among numerous unique NYE events Alex Groves AGROVES@REEDERMEDIA.COM
Hundreds flock to Old Town Temecula every Dec. 31 for a fun and unique tradition where a series of balls made to look like a cluster of grapes are dropped outside city hall twice: Once at 9 p.m. to sync with the New Year’s Eve Countdown on the East Coast and once again at midnight.
City of Temecula Fire Chief Charlie DeHart, speaks and welcomes guests to the opening of the Roripaugh Ranch Fire Station #95, Jan. 6. Shane Gibson photo
Alex Groves AGROVES@REEDERMEDIA.COM
A fire station that laid vacant for more than a decade opened to a throng of community leaders and citizens who poured out to celebrate.
The opening of Roripaugh Ranch Fire Station No. 95 was commemorated with a blessing, speeches from local officials and a ribbon cutting Saturday, Jan. 6. The grand opening event also gave visitors the chance to tour
different portions of the station. Located on Calle Chapos in the Roripaugh Ranch area, the fire station will be the fifth in the city of Temecula. The others are located in Old Town, on Enterprise Circle West, on Pauba
Tony Ault TAULT@REEDERMEDIA.COM
Blotter Canyon Lake man accused of trying to light neighbor’s home on fire Alex Groves AGROVES@REEDERMEDIA.COM
see page D-6
INDEX Local ..................................... A-1 Sports ................................... B-1 Health.................................... B-4 Education ............................. B-6 Business................................. B-7 Entertainment...................... C-1 Pets........................................ C-2 Faith...................................... C-2 Calendar of Events .............. C-4 Wine Country ...................... C-5 Dining.................................... C-6 Real Estate ........................... D-1 Home & Garden................... D-1 Business Directory............... D-5 Opinion ................................ D-6 Blotter.................................... D-6 Classifieds............................. D-7
see STATION, page A-2
Candlelight vigil held for San Jacinto murder victims
see page C-1
A 45-year-old Canyon Lake man was arrested after authorities alleged he tried to light his neighbor’s home on fire before leading deputies and then CHP officers on a chase up Interstate 15 and state Route 91.
Road near the public library and in Wolf Creek. Each of the stations w i l l m a i n t a i n a f o u r p e rson per engine staffing
Candles are lit by upward of 400 San Jacinto and Hemet residents during a Jan. 6 candlelight vigil for Lauren Lopez, 19, and Patrick Powell, 22, who were murdered by unknown gunman, Jan. 3, in San Jacinto. Tony Ault photo
Upward of 400 people attended a special candlelight vigil for slain 19-year-old Lauren Lopez, an upand-coming mixed martial arts fighter, and her friend Patrick Powell, 22, in front of the Team Quest Athletic Center in San Jacinto Saturday evening, Jan. 6. The revered MMA instructor was killed in double shooting Jan. 3, at the intersection of Warren Road and Ramona Expressway that morning. Lopez and Powell, a father of three children, were both found fatally shot while still inside a Chevrolet hatchback that ended up in a ditch, according the Riverside County Sheriff’s investigators. The back window was shattered by bullets. It was not immediately known why the two were together when the shooting occurred. The candlelight vigil was called by Lopez’ and Powell’s families, her
see VIGIL, page A-6
Curious to know what the rules are for marijuana in your city? Here’s our breakdown Alex Groves AGROVES@REEDERMEDIA.COM
California voters approved Proposition 64, often referred to as the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, Nov. 8, 2016, which legalized the nonmedical use of marijuana but also created an interplay between the state and local jurisdictions that some may find confusing. So, what does it all mean and what have local municipalities decided as far regulation? Here’s a breakdown of the proposition and how it works. Proposition 64 makes it legal for adults 21 and older to possess up to 28.5 grams of marijuana and
see MARIJUANA, page A-8
The sale of marijuana is now legal for approved dispensaries at the state level, but it’s up to cities to decide whether they want to allow marijuana businesses. Some cities have embraced cannabis, others have rejected it and some cities are still trying to craft a regulatory approach to the drug. Diane Sieker photo