Deputies save Christmas

Nico Melendez

Special to the Valley News

When tragedy struck Murrieta residents Thomas Roche and Susan Bush Sept. 4, the couple found hope, heroism and heartache with the passing of their 38-year-old daughter.

But at such a difficult time, they also had to find strength for their two granddaughters who had lost their father just four years earlier.

“Our 11-year-old granddaughter called us to tell us her mom wasn’t breathing,” Bush explained. “The police arrived at just about the same time we did, and it was just a difficult scene.”

After the initial mourning, grandparents and grandchildren adapted to an unexpected new way of life and with the holidays looming they all knew it would be a difficult time.

Enter Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies from the Lake Elsinore station.

“Since our daughter lived in

Wildomar, it was the Elsinore deputies who responded,” Roche said. “Those ladies and men went way out of their way to help us.”

Shortly before Christmas, the deputies, led by an officer known only as “Deputy V” made it clear he had remembered the family and the loss the granddaughters had experienced.

“The story of our granddaughters stuck with them,” Bush said about the girls losing both parents within four years.

The deputies arrived to their house, set up a Christmas tree, had bags and bags of presents and brought back the Christmas spirit. “It was the best part of our Christmas,” Bush said near tears.

“It was beautiful to know how much the sheriff’s department cared for our girls,” said Abigail Bush, sister of the deceased. “The department made sure the girls got everything on their list. They did so much for our family on our hardest hour.”

“At a time when police are villainized and underappreciated, we had to share the story,” Susan and Roche said. “They went out of their way to help us and held these little girls. They truly became heroes to all of us and it’s something we will never forget.

Two-vehicle crash in Hemet leaves one dead Contract awarded for Viejo Drive drainage improvements

City News Service

Special to Valley News

A major-injury traffic collision in Hemet left one man dead, authorities announced.

The crash occurred near the intersection of Florida and Acacia avenues at about 9:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, according to the Hemet Police Department.

Upon arrival, officers found a gray Toyota Corolla off the south edge of Florida Avenue and a gray Toyota Tacoma within the eastbound lanes of Florida Avenue. Both vehicles sustained major damage.

An unresponsive man, identi- fied as 30-year-old Hemet resident Steven Davis, was found in the driver’s seat of the Corolla. Authorities rendered medical aid, but Davis was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Tacoma remained on the scene and provided a statement to officers before being taken to a hospital. The degree of that person’s injuries was not immediately known.

Investigators said Davis was traveling eastbound on Florida Avenue at an excessive rate of speed when he crashed with the Tacoma, which had made a left turn from the Royal Holiday Mobile Home Park at 4400 W. Florida Ave. onto eastbound Florida Ave.

Witness statements, in addition to evidence at the scene, suggested that Davis was traveling at a minimum of 75 mph at the time of the crash, police said.

It was unknown if Davis was driving impaired, but investigators said they do not suspect the driver of the Tacoma was impaired.

The eastbound lanes of Florida Avenue between Promenade Drive and Cawston Avenue were closed for several hours.

Anyone with additional information about the crash is encouraged to contact Sgt. Gabriel Gomez at 951-765-3725.

Joe Naiman Writer

Jacobsson Engineering Construction Inc. was awarded the Riverside County contract to construct drainage improvements and gully erosion repair along Viejo Drive in East Hemet.

The county Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 Tuesday, Jan. 24, to award the Palm Desert company a $716,347 contract. The action also approved an addendum to the plans and specifications and modified the project budget.

A deep erosion gully has developed in the 44900 block of Viejo Drive. The erosion has been caused by discharge of a corrugated metal pipe storm drain 24 inches in diameter which along with a drainage inlet was installed to collect runoff from the cul-desac on Viejo Drive and discharge it to a lined ditch on the slope. The erosion which has occurred over several years began when the lined ditch was undermined and washed out. The discharge onto the slope has caused the erosion gully to deepen and widen during cycles of stormwater discharge.

The improvements project will install approximately 175 feet of 24-inch reinforced concrete pipe to convey stormwater downslope and restore approximately 0.23 acres of the eroded gully area with suitable local and imported fill material. The improvements will include removal and proper disposal of debris and existing on-site unsuitable material, slope regrading, placement of subdrain, placement of soil reinforcement geogrid layers to reinforce and stabilize the slope, construction of a concrete manhole, construction of a concrete stormwater energy dissipator, placement of rock slope protection, hydroseeding and netting on the final slope face and adjacent areas to provide protection from surface erosion.

On Oct. 25, the county supervisors approved plans and specifications for the project, authorized the advertisement for bids, set a Nov. 16 deadline for bids, and found the future work to be categorically exempt from California Environmental Quality Act review.

A Nov. 10 addendum revised the estimated quantity of crushed rock for slope protection.

Five companies provided bids prior to the deadline. Jacobsson

Engineering Construction had the low bid of $716,347.25. Bert W. Salas Inc., which is based in Santee, had the second-lowest bid amount of $844,015.00.

The Jacobsson bid was $52,777 below the engineer’s estimate. The budget includes a 10% contingency, and the modifications increase funding for construction surveying and construction engineering and inspection by $20,000. Gas tax and Highway User Tax Account revenue derived from the sales tax on gasoline will be used to fund the work.

The construction is scheduled to begin later this winter and take approximately 2 1/2 months to complete.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at jnaiman@reedermedia. com.

Temecula Valley Museum presents new exhibit, Tattooed & Tenacious: Inked Women in California History

TEMECULA ─ Explore the rich and surprising history of women and tattoos in California at the Temecula Valley Museum’s newest exhibit, Tattooed & Tenacious: Inked Women in California History. The exhibit opened to the public Friday, Jan. 27.

While many may think of tattoos as a recent trend, inked women have a long history in California.

From the working-class tattooed ladies who performed in circus sideshows to the upper-class inked women who helped popularize the tattoo craze; visitors will discover the largely unknown history of women and tattoos through photographs, personal histories and artifacts.

The exhibit features a small selection of women’s clothing from the period from the museum’s archives. In conjunction with Tat- tooed & Tenacious, the museum will offer Woman of Ink, a free discussion and demonstration Saturday, March 4, from 11 a.m. to noon, from local female tattoo artist, Melissa Freeman, who will share examples of her work and discuss her experience as a female tattoo artist today.

Tattooed & Tenacious: Inked

Women in California History will be on display through March 19. Museum hours are Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Temecula Valley Museum is located in Old Town Temecula, 28314 Mercedes Street. For more information, visit http://TemeculaValleyMuseum.org or call 951694-6450.

Submitted by Temecula Valley Museum.

February 3 – 9, 2023