Local training centers and gyms ready themselves as guidelines to reopen are set to be released, C-1
Michelle’s Place Cancer Resource Center reopens its doors to clients, C-4
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SERVING TEMECULA , MURRIETA , L AKE E LSINOR E , M ENIFEE , WILDOMAR , H EMET, SAN JACINTO June 12 – 18, 2020
Local County moves past 9,200 coronavirus cases
VISI T
T HE NEW
AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES
myvalleynews.com
Volume 20, Issue 24
Black Lives Matter protesters march to Temecula City Hall
Jeff Pack STAFF WRITER
Public health officials across California continue to express concern that large protests inspired by the death of George Floyd may lead to a surge in coronavirus cases. see page A-2
Local Murrieta introduces temporary outdoor dining Lexington Howe STAFF WRITER
Murrieta will be allowing local restaurants to temporarily use their private parking spaces for outdoor dining due to losing business because of COVID-19. see page A-3
Mariah Banda leads a “Black Lives Matter” chant for a group of protesters marching down Old Town Front Street in Temecula. Valley News/Shane Gibson photo
Business
Will Fritz ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Dyna Wear in Murrieta vandalized over hats
For the seventh straight day, protesters again hit the streets of Temecula – but this time, they
Lexington Howe STAFF WRITER
Dyna Wear in Murrieta was broken into Saturday, May 30, at 4:07 a.m., and at least $4,000 worth of merchandise was stolen within a matter of minutes.
marched from the Temecula Duck Pond to City Hall, marking perhaps the first successful protest march in the city’s history. That made June 5, 2020, a day of different firsts.
For one, it marked the first birthday of Breonna Taylor following her death. It would have been her 27th birthday had the woman from Louisville, Kentucky, not become one of a long line of black
Americans to have been killed by police. Across the country and in Temecula, Taylor’s birthday was marked by protests against see PROTESTERS, page A-4
New fire Chief J. Crater Mayor resigns over email says department is stating ‘I don’t believe there’s prepared for fire season ever been a good person of color killed by a police officer’
see page B-6
Education Temecula Students of the Year for 2020 TEMECULA – The Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce announced the Students of the Year for 2020. see page C-3
INDEX Anza Valley Outlook ......AVO-1 Business ............................... B-6 Business Directory............... C-8 Classifieds ............................ C-7 Education ............................ C-3
John Crater of Cal Fire Riverside County Fire Department is named division fire chief for the city of Temecula, May 11. Valley News/Jeff Pack photo
Entertainment ..................... B-1 Faith ..................................... C-8
Jeff Pack STAFF WRITER
Health .................................. C-4 Local .................................... A-1 National News ...................... B-5 Opinion................................. C-6 Pets ..................................... C-7 Regional News ..................... B-4 Sports ................................... D-1
The city of Temecula has a new fire chief in place, effective May 11, and he said recently that with the weather beginning to heat up here in southwest Riverside County, the department is as prepared as they can be for fire season. “We have done our due diligence with the county, we have worked with our local partners, we have our agreements in place,” new
Chief John Crater said during an interview with Valley News outside of Temecula’s city hall recently. “We have really, really set an emphasis on the local area here, especially De Luz, with policies and procedures and as far as evacuations of where to put people if we have a fire up there. Working with our cooperative partners, we have a plan. We know we’re going to have fires; we just have to be prepared see CRATER, page A-3
James “Stew” Stewart has resigned as mayor of Temecula. Valley News/Courtesy photo
Will Fritz ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Temecula Mayor James “Stew” Stewart resigned Thursday night, June 4, over an email to a constituent stating in part: “I don’t believe there’s ever been a good person of color killed by a police officer” – a statement he said earlier resulted from a typo made while using speech-to-text software. According to a post on Stewart’s Facebook page and to a news release sent out by the city of
Temecula, Stewart will step down both as mayor and from his city council seat effective immediately. After facing both backlash and support online throughout Thursday, and facing promises from some to speak at the upcoming city council meeting June 9, after press time, to call for his resignation, Stewart shared the following statement on his Facebook page around 9 p.m. Thursday: “City of Temecula, I hear you, I see MAYOR, page A-7