Arthur Murray Dance Studio hosts dance showcase, B-1
VALLEY
Get kids to grow strawberries this spring, in a patch or pot, C-4
VMHS Girls advance to State Basketball semifinals, D-6
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Section
NEWS
March 20 – 26, 2015
www.myvalleynews.com
Local
2015 eagle count heralds nesting success
Volume 15, Issue 12
Circus Vargas comes to town
Tony Ault Writer “Cat,” the nickname for Lake Hemet’s resident bald eagle, and her partner “The Male,” delighted U.S. Forest Service biologists and 29 volunteers Saturday during the last official eagle count of the year at the forest lake. see page A-6
Pets
Lake Elsinore seniors attend free dog training event Daniel Lane Multimedia Journalist The owner and operator of All American Dog Training hosted a free dog training event on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at the Lake Elsinore Senior Center. see page B-5
The full cast of Circus Vargas performers dance in the circus ring during the show’s opening night in Temecula on March 12. The circus will be in town at the Temecula Promenade through March 22.
Shane Gibson photo
see VARGAS, page A-4
Sports
Tour de Murrieta brings cyclists, boost to economy Kim Harris Managing Editor A total of 800 cyclists from Nevada, Utah, Northern California, Mexico, Quebec, Arizona, and Honduras converged upon Murrieta last weekend for the 10th annual Tour de Murrieta bike race. The three-stage race, held Friday, March 13 through Sunday, March 15 gave riders the chance to test their abilities in the individual time trial a Grand Prix course that is built for speed, and the circuit race that has and up and down terrain in Murrieta’s foothills, said event organizer Ernie Sanchez.
VALLEY NEWS
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see page D-4
Lake Elsinore group and outreach help those in need Daniel Lane Multimedia Journalist Two Lake Elsinore women who started a Facebook group to help those in need, are now also feeding those who can’t afford to purchase their own meals. “It started with ‘Free for all - Lake Elsinore,’ which is a Facebook group,” Sarah Elman said. She co-founded the group, now operated by seven people with Veronica Nathan. “The group is geared towards helping the community in anyway we possibly can,” she said. Many people post things they are giving away for free to those who are in need in the group, which has nearly 2,000 members. “The group is for donating items to people who need them and people searching for items that don’t have the money to get it for their family,” she said. “We started the group because we saw the need.” Instead of something going in the trash, it goes to someone who can use the item and give it a new home. “Something so small and so insignificant to us, could be life changing for someone else,” Elman said. “People have many things just laying around the house that can be life changing to someone else.” The group, along with the assistance of Faithful Servants Out-
Fifteen volunteers help to feed those in need on Sunday, March 16 in Lake Elsinore.
reach, provides free hot meals to those in need every Sunday at 4 p.m. at Lakeside Baptist church in Lake Elsinore located at 911 West Graham Ave. “A lot of us don’t have a place to stay or cook and we come here for a hot meal,” said Juan Izaguirre, 47, who stays in the area. “We all know each other… we are like a family
and we get together every day.” Many of the people in the area have come to rely on the group for their meals, household goods and support. “They are here every week and we depends on these meals… food is so expensive nowadays and we need the food,” he said. “Thank you for your effort. They put in
Daniel Lane photo
their own money so we can have a meal.” Many local residents help support the group with their much needed donations. “We get a lot of things donated from our Facebook members… I create a Facebook event every
see VOLUNTEERS, page A-7
City votes unanimously to display national motto Kim Harris Managing Editor Murrieta City Council voted 5-0 on March 5 to display the national motto “In God We Trust” in city hall, a move that was applauded by some and discouraged by others. In a presentation on the considered agenda item, Izzy Murguia, a senior management analyst told the council that the action stemmed from a September 2014 workshop where city leaders discussed displaying the national motto. During that workshop a presentation on survey results from other California cities that had approved the display and an overview of case law supporting the showing of the national motto in a public setting, Murguia said. “Many of you know, ‘In God We Trust’ became the national motto in 1956 when President Eisenhower signed it into law,” he said. “The
Senate and the House of Representatives have since passed resolutions reaffirming the national motto in 2006 and 2011, respectively.” Murguia went on to say that through various legal cases courts have established that “in God We Trust” is not inherently religious and does not carry with it a clear endorsement of religion as long as the government’s action is not solely motivated by religious purposes. City staff contacted 103 California cities that had approved the display of the national motto with a survey and received 53 responses, he said. “As you can note, none of the respondents encountered any legal issues with their display,” Murguia said. “A majority placed the motto in their council chambers and the majority used public funds towards the purchase and installation of their display.” While Murguia said that no city
has experienced legal issues as a direct result of their approval to display the motto, several audience members spoke out against the proposed move. Murrieta resident Corey Young said that he wasn’t really prepared to attack the presentation or what separation of church and state means, or freedom of religion but rather his rights as a citizen. “I am here today to remind you that you are representatives of your constituents,” he said. “You are not here representing your opinions or beliefs, you are here representing your community meaning each and every individual. With that said you have ben empowered by the people of Murrieta to make the decision that represents the entire community.” Young said that he would ask to council to make the decision based on the entire town of Murrieta instead of a subsection of it.
“If you think that you are representing the subset then you are not representing the entire community on this issue,” he said. “I am not asking you to consider adding a plague with the words ‘In God We Trust,’ but to make a decision representing everyone on the community equally.” Kristina Norcross said she has lived in Murrieta for many years and as a mother of two and an atheist she wasn’t going to tell anyone God is bad or wrong. “I believe that putting up this motto on a plaque in the city is telling people who do not believe in God then they are less than them or not a true citizen of Murrieta,” she said. “God, some of you might trust, but shouldn’t that be a choice left up to everyone to decide and not forced upon us as a city?” Norcross said she believed the
see MOTTO, page A-6