Knee Deep in the Hoopla, A-3
Aaah Le Fruit a flavor splash for lunch, A-10
Crowther graduates, hits soccer field for Mexico National team, B-1
VALLEY
A
Section
NEWS
June 12 – 18, 2015
www.myvalleynews.com
Local
Drought meeting draws huge crowd, reveals higher water rates
Volume 15, Issue 24
Murrieta Creek Regional Trail offers recreation opportunities for all
Shelli DeRobertis Writer Hefty surcharges for exceeding new water limits and mandatory water restrictions were discussed June 2 at the Rancho California Water District’s Drought open house, where hundreds of people showed up at to learn more about the costs and usage impacts. see page A-5
Entertainment
Temecula Valley Museum to host Summer Bazaar Kim Harris Managing Editor The Temecula Valley Museum Board of Directors in conjunction with the Temecula Valley Women’s Club, will host a Summer Bazaar at Sam Hick’s Monument Park on Saturday, June 13. see page A-11
Temecula city dignitaries and members of the Sierra Club cut the ribbon officially opening the Murrieta Creek Regional Trail on National Trails Shane Gibson photo Day on June 6.
Kim Harris Managing Editor
Sports
2015 AllSouthwestern League Softball Teams announced JP Raineri Sports Editor
The Murrieta Creek Regional Trail is officially open for use following ribbon cutting ceremonies held on Saturday, June 6 throughout the four cities served by the trail. When completed the trail will span a total of 14 miles, according
to information on the city of Murrieta’s website. Currently only interim trails are open while others continue to be constructed according to Murrieta Recreation Supervisor Colby Diuguid who oversees all of the city’s trails. “The interim trail is a section of the trail currently under construc-
by developers and it’s a matter of when they come in and begin to develop them.” Connecting Temecula, Murrieta, Wildomar and Lake Elsinore together, the long term project funded and developed by the Riverside County Flood Control District and
see TRAIL, page A-4
Celebrity chef Xiomara Hall prepares to climb Mount Kilimanjaro Ashley Ludwig Staff Writer
The Southwestern League announced the first and second All League Softball teams last week and though they placed second behind Murrieta Valley, the Lady Wolfpack program had the most players selected with seven players being chosen overall.
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID FALLBROOK, CA PERMIT #499
see page B-10
VALLEY NEWS
tion in Temecula by the Army Corps of Engineers,” he said. “The same project, once it makes its way into Murrieta will follow Murrieta Creek all the way up to Nighthawk Way, after that we have existing trails in Murrieta that will take you all the way to the city limits. It’s the same thing in Wildomar, a lot of this stuff is being driven
Xiomara Hall, a Temecula resident, prepares for her journey to Mount Kilimanjaro with TAPS—an organization for survivors of military veterans. Courtesy photo
Temecula resident and celebrity chef Xiomara Hall is slated to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with a group of military survivors later this year. For those unfamiliar with Hall, she was a winner on the TV show “Supermarket Superstar” and is a frequent Reality Rally contestant and local caterer with Tropical BBQ. “When you’re living a life you never thought you’d live, you should do things you never thought you could do,” Hall said as she described her motto for the upcoming journey in a recent interview. Widow of Marine Corps Lt. Col. William G. Hall, she speaks with the confidence and candor becoming of a Marine Corps wife. Her role as survivor, widow and single mother wasn’t one she aspired to – having lost her husband to an improvised explosive device in Iraq on March 29, 2008. “At first, I didn’t know what to
do. Sometimes I could comprehend the loss, other times I couldn’t even breathe,” Hall said. Seven weeks later, Hall found herself at Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, a national organization, where she gained a larger purpose toward being the role model for her four children. There, she not only came to an understanding with her grief, but learned that she wasn’t alone. “When someone passes away they get bigger than life. I try to emulate the positives, but keep it real,” Hall said. “There has to be a certain amount of acceptance with his loss.” Hall left her first TAPS meeting knowing that weekend changed her life for the better. “My friend Leticia suggested we run the Marine Corps Marathon together, and I dove into training for it, dealing with my grief, doing it for my children,” Hall said. TAPS, who offers comfort and outlets for loved ones grieving the
see CHEF, page A-6
City of Temecula prides itself on emergency preparedness of citizens Ashley Ludwig Staff Writer Southern California measures itself in seasons – fire, earthquakes, floods and mudslides. The city of Temecula, home to over 100,000 people, strives to be prepared to handle each and every possible emergency for the safety of its citizens. Assistant City Manager Greg Butler and Emergency Coordinator Roberto Cardenas are responsible for doing just that.
“Emergency preparedness is a combination between emergency response services within the city and individual responsibility,” Butler said in a recent interview. “Our primary role is to keep the city in a ready state for all sorts of different emergencies applicable to Southern California.” In Temecula, all plans are modeled after a nationwide standard and the city contracts with CAL FIRE, CALEMA, and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. “Every scenario has been taken
into account, whether natural or manmade,” Butler stated. “Our directors from the city are trained on how to respond based upon the emergency event.” Though earthquake or fire might come to mind as the most prevalent emergency, flood is the number one killer in Southwest Riverside, Butler explained, “especially after fire season, according to statistics.” Training consists of both surprise and planned scenarios where city responders can practice response to a variety of emergencies, and grade
themselves on their successes and find areas of improvement. “The nature of the event drives who is in immediate command,” according to Cardenas. “Fire calls for the fire chief, an active shooter calls for the police chief, and so on.” In addition to who is responsible for what emergency, the headquarters for emergency operations depends on the location. Predetermined Emergency Operations
see PREPARED, page A-5