Alum help high school students B-1
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Village News Fallbrook & Bonsall
School starts Aug. 17
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August 13, 2015
Skilled Nursing Facility back to former operators
D e L u z , R a i n b ow , C a m p P e ndl e t o n , Pa l a ,
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Pau m a
Volume 19, Issue 33
De Luz fire consumes 50 acres Wildfire spread quickly, precariously close to homes
Debbie Ramsey Managing Editor
The Fallbrook Skilled Nursing Facility returned to stable ground on July 20 after uncertainty of its fate had plagued the residents, their family members, and friends for months. The group of partners who have owned the premises since 1975 stepped back in and were successful in gaining state licensing to take over the operation again. They had previously operated it from 1975 to 1994. According to Jim Kilian of Progressive Health Care, the partners, known legally as Fallbrook Healthcare Center Operating Company LLC (for licensing) doing business as Fallbrook Skilled Nursing, have taken the operation back under their wing “to protect residents.” Progressive Health Care is the administrative services corporation that helps the owners with the seven skilled nursing facilities they own. The troubled times started last year when Community Health Systems (CHS) of Tennessee ceased normal operations of
Firefighters battle a wildfire that erupted Sunday afternoon, Aug. 9, near the Cal Fire station on De Luz Road. Before full
Ken Hennell photo
see NURSING, page A-5 containment on Monday, Aug. 10, at 4 p.m., it consumed 50 acres. See more photos on page A-7.
Public heard on Lilac Hills Ranch Vote slated for Sept. 11 Joe Naiman Village News Correspondent
Public comment at the Aug. 7 Planning Commission hearing on Accretive Investments’ proposed Lilac Hills Ranch development concluded at 4:53 p.m., so rather than have commissioner discussion and a decision that day the commission’s 7-0 vote closed public testimony and continued the item officially to an Aug. 12 field trip to the site before a Sept. 11 return to the Planning Commission hearing room at 5520 Overland Avenue for commissioner deliberation and a possible decision. “It will take some time to vent this out properly. We will do it properly,” said commissioner Michael Seiler. The hearing of seven hours not counting breaks included presentations by county Planning and Development Services (PDS) staff, statements by representatives from the Valley Center Community Planning Group and the Bonsall Sponsor Group, comments from the superintendents of the Valley Center-Pauma Unified
Debbie Ramsey Managing Editor A wildfire that erupted Sunday afternoon, Aug. 9, shortly after 3 p.m. in De Luz spread rapidly and immediately began threatening homes in the area. Due to the quick action of firefighters, no structures were lost. “There was an immediate threat to structures,” said Cal Fire Captain Kendal E. Bortisser, public information officer. The fire started in the 39400 block of De Luz Road, near the Cal
Fire station and quickly consumed 10 acres. “It grew to 20 acres in a halfhour,” said Bortisser said. Smoke was traveling steadily into both the (downtown) Fallbrook community and the Temecula/Murrieta area. In the early hours of the fire, the California Highway Patrol and Cal Fire closed down a portion of De Luz and De Luz Murrieta Roads. By 6 p.m., the fire had grown to 40 acres, Cal Fire Division Chief Nick Schuler reported, adding that it was already contained by 10 percent and that it had been halted
from spreading. Response to the wildfire was substantial and effective. “At its peak, there were between 175 and 200 firefighters on it,” said Bortisser. “We had units from Cal Fire, North County Fire, Oceanside Fire, Camp Pendleton, Julian, San Diego County Fire, and Heartland.” Ground crews and helicopters from the various agencies were both used in the firefighting efforts. “Six air tankers and four helicopters were deployed to fight the fire,” said Bortisser.
As of Monday morning, Aug. 10, crews had achieved 50 percent containment of the blaze. Some of the road closures were lifted at that point. One hundred percent containment of the fire was reported at 4 p.m. Monday, with a final determination of 55 acres that had been involved. According to Bortisser, the cause of the fire remains under investigation. To comment on this story online, visit www.thevillagenews.com.
Cheerleaders ready for a spiritfilled year at Fallbrook High
see VOTE, page A-10
thisweek Announcements �������������������������A-2 Business ������������������������������������ A-12 Classifieds ������������������������������������D-6 Dining.............................................B-4 Education ��������������������������������������D-2 Entertainment ������������������������������B-6 Health & Fitness ��������������������������B-2 Home & Garden �������������������������C-1 Legals.............................................D-7 Motor..............................................B-8 Obituaries �������������������������������������C-8 Opinion �����������������������������������������A-5 Real Estate �����������������������������������C-1 Sports.............................................D-4
Courtesy photo Fallbrook High School cheer teams pose for a photo at the University of San Diego (USD) following the UCA Summer Cheer Camp July 27-29. The teams won awards at the camp while preparing for the new school year. See story and more photos on page D-2.