Hams prepare for emergencies B-1
Drought-tolerant grass choices C-1
College tennis player Skyler Schaar D-1
Village News Fallbrook & Bonsall
a l s o se rv i n g t h e c o m m u n i t i e s o f
July 9, 2015
LAFCO delays FPUD-RMWD vote to Sept. 14 Joe Naiman Village News Correspondent San Diego County’s Local Agency Formation Commission continued its hearing on the proposed merger of the Fallbrook Public Utility District and the Rainbow Municipal Water District until Sept. 14. A hearing had been set for July 6, but when Supervisor Bill Horn found out that a family matter would prevent him from attending on that day he requested a continuance. Three public speakers who were not sure whether they would be able to return for the September hearing were allowed to provide comments, and the remainder of the public comment will be heard Sept. 14 when a decision is also expected to occur.
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Volume 19, Issue 28
Cool features on warm summer nights
see LAFCO, page B-8
Death penalty sought in McStay murder case Debbie Ramsey Managing Editor On June 29, Mike Ramos, the San Bernardino County District Attorney, filed Superior Court paperwork that his office will seek the death penalty for Charles Ray “Chase” Merritt of Homeland, who is charged with murdering the four-member McStay family of Fallbrook. Joseph McStay, 40, was bludgeoned to death along with his wife, Summer, 43, and sons Gianni, 4, and Joey, 3, in February of 2010. Merritt, who designed and built custom fountains for McStay’s
Jack Fox proudly stands in front of his 1956 custom Ford Cab Over Engine (COE) on display at Fallbrook Summer Nights, Friday, June 26 in historic downtown. This was the first time the vehicle has been on display at the annual summer series.
FUESD ‘optimistic’ about funds for Pendleton schools
see MCSTAY, page A-3
Andrea Verdin Special to The Village News
thisweek
Village News
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Christine Rinaldi photos Deji Krizan, right, and her mom, Cari, left, enjoy decorating a seed pod at Fallbrook Summer Nights, from materials supplied by local artist, Daniel Martinez. The next Fallbrook Summer Nights event will be Friday, July 10, from 5 to 8 p.m. See more photos on page A-9.
Fallbrook Union Elementary School District (FUESD) might not have all the funding required by the Department of Defense for new schools on Camp Pendleton, but with two options available to them, circumstances are not catastrophic. A recent news report from another media outlet stated the district might lose federal funding for Mary Fay Pendleton and San Onofre schools, which are located on Camp Pendleton, because the district has been unable to come up with $18 million dollars, a 20 percent match of $72 million being given to the school by the Department of Defense (DoD) as part of a program that grants funds to renovate schools on U.S. military bases around the country. In October 2014, the Village News reported on the grant issued by the Pentagon after a study stated Mary Fay Pendleton and San Onofre needed a complete overhaul. In July 2014, FUESD received $2.4 million for the design for Mary Fay and an additional $2.2 million for San Onofre. The eventual construction grants from the DoD forthcoming would provide $40 million for Mary Fay and an additional $40 million for the San Onofre campus, which will serve the 1,500 students from FUESD who are military dependents. Plans for the new school buildings to be built adjacent to the current sites were made. Mary Fay Pendleton’s school would be built just above the current buildings, on what is currently playground, and the San Onofre site would be just north of the current location. Once the new schools are opened, the current school sites were to be made into playground areas. The district had anticipated state
see FUESD, page A-4