Valley News - August 18, 2023

Trio suspected of stealing air conditioners from model homes

Three men suspected of stealing air-conditioning units from a construction site in Lake Elsinore were behind bars Wednesday, Aug. 9.

Senior Health & Safety Resource Forum coming to Temecula

TEMECULA – Riverside County Third District Supervisor Chuck Washington and Temecula Mayor Zak Schwank invited the community to join them at the upcoming Health & Safety Resource Forum Wednesday, Aug. 30, from 10-11 a.m. at the Temecula Community Center, 28816 Pujol Street.

Murrieta parents celebrate gender identity notification policy

State Attorney General Bonta denounces decision as gender ‘outing’

Bonta denounced the Murrieta Valley School Board’s decision to implement a mandatory gender identity disclosure policy similar to one adopted in Chino Valley last month that prompted a civil-rights

investigation. The Murrieta Valley policy, adopted by the board Thursday, Aug. 10 in a 3-2 decision following a lengthy and often-divisive public hearing, essentially requires

school staffers to inform parents if a student requests to be identified as a different name or gender. The policy requires notification

Annual State of the City event praises Temecula’s accomplishments

Ava Sarnowski

Valley News Intern

Sponsored by the Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce, and in association with the City of Temecula, the 2023 “State of the City” breakfast was held at Pechanga Resort and Casino on Thursday, Aug. 10. Approximately 900 guests gathered together to learn about the strides the city has made. Succulents from locallyowned Curby’s Nursery were placed on each table, accompanied by sugar cookies from Stryker Transportation. Vendors promoted themselves inside the ballroom, and the energy was pleasant. Before the main presentation, Joanna Pearl sang the National Anthem as Great Oak High School Air Force Junior ROTC held the American flag high.

A number of individuals and sponsors were thanked before

Seven-member family moves into another Habitat for Humanity home in Lake Elsinore

Tony Ault Staff Writer

A family of seven were handed the keys to their new home built by the volunteers from the Habitat for Humanity Inland Valley in Lake Elsinore Saturday, Aug. 5.

Habitat for Humanity Inland Valley dedicated a new home near downtown Lake Elsinore and local schools to Heather and Jonathan Valenzuela and their five children.

The ceremony was attended by officials from Riverside County and the city of Lake Elsinore, family, friends, Habitat staff and supporters.

“We are so grateful to Habitat

for Humanity for giving us this opportunity,” Heather Valenzuela said. “We

“Today’s home dedication represents the collective efforts of Habitat for Humanity, two local municipalities, countless volunteers and donors and a truly deserving and hard-working family,” Tammy Marine, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Inland Valley, said.

State Attorney General Rob Bonta

Temecula Mayor Zak Schwank takes the stage after a skater-themed introductory video at the 2023 State of the City breakfast Thursday, Aug. 10 at Pechanga Resort and Casino. Valley News/Shawna Sarnowski photo

Interim Chief Chris Karrer returns to lead Menifee Police Department

Temecula to host the annual F.I.T. Fun Color

Run Sept. 24

MENIFEE – The city of Menifee welcomed back interim police Chief Chris Karrer recently, following his brief medical leave due to an injury he sustained while off duty. It also marks the last day for former Menifee police Chief Pat Walsh, who returned temporarily to help oversee the Menifee Police Department.

Karrer, who has served with the Menifee Police Department since its inception, was appointed by City Manager Armando G. Villa in December 2022. Karrer is a U.S. Marine veteran and has over 20 years of local law enforcement experience overseeing numerous divisions including patrol, traffic, investigations, operations and support services.

“I am truly thankful to Chief Walsh for returning and providing tremendous leadership to our team during my temporary leave,” Karrer said. “The Menifee Police Department has become an extraordinary organization thanks to

MURRIETA from page A-1

when a student: requests to be identified or treated as a gender other than their biological sex; accesses sex-segregated school programs and activities that don’t align with their biological sex, or requests to change information contained in their official or unofficial records.

The policy was proposed by school board President Paul Diffley and clerk Nicolas Pardue. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times prior to the vote, Diffley said, “As a parent, I would want to know about everything that concerns my child’s mental health and physical health while they’re at school. I don’t think there should be anything hidden because I have a fundamental right as a parent to bring up my child.”

Opponents, however, decried the policy as a violation of students’ rights, particularly those who don’t feel safe discussing

his efforts, and I look forward to continuing the high standards he set for our department.”

Walsh is a law enforcement veteran with nearly 40 years of experience who served as Menifee Police Department’s inaugural police chief. He provided critical leadership during the establishment of the department in July 2020.

“I want to thank the city of Menifee for giving me this opportunity to come back and serve as police chief one last time,” Walsh said. “Chris Karrer has been instrumental in helping shape the development of the Menifee Police Department over the last three years and I have no doubt the department will continue to thrive under his leadership.”

For more information about the Menifee Police Department, visit http://www.menifeepolice.org or call 951-723-1500.

Submitted by Menifee Police Department.

gender issues with their parents. Board member Nancy Young, who voted against the policy, called it discriminatory and a violation of state law. She also said it threatens to exacerbate a already higherthan-normal suicide rate among transgender students.

Chloe Cole, a well-known 19-year-old detransitioner, traveled to speak in favor of the parental notification. Cole, a Californian, is an American activist who opposes gender-affirming care for minors and supports bans on such care following her own detransition. In three minutes she told the following story:

“I identified as a transgender boy between the ages of 12 and 16.

I am now 19-years-old. My teenage years and the trajectory my entire life has been altered by the delusional ideas that were pushed on me from a young age.

“Reality is that sex can’t be changed. It’s an immutable characteristic. We are born as one of

TEMECULA – Start getting family, friends, co-workers and yourself together to participate in this year’s F.I.T. Fun Color Run. Be ready to get splashed with vibrant colors at the various color stations along the course at the health-focused, community favorite will be held Sunday, Sept. 24, at the Ronald Reagan Sports Park, 30875 Rancho Vista Road.

There will also be a fun children’s obstacle course. This event culminates with an exciting color toss at the end. Participants can pre-register online at http://TemeculaCA.gov/ColorRun to save

time on race day.

“Temecula’s annual F.I.T. Fun Color Run is sure to put a smile on your face,” James ‘Stew’ Stewart, Temecula council member and president of Community Services District, said. “This community event is for everyone. So, put on your running or walking shoes, and join us for a day full of healthy, wholesome fun with a splash of vibrant colors.”

All participants will receive an event T-shirt, colorful finisher medal, goodie bag, post-event refreshments and entertainment. Goodie bag pick up will be Sat-

urday, Sept. 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Temecula’s Community Recreation Center, 30875 Rancho Vista Road.

At adult/teen race for adults and those 12+, the start time is 8 a.m.

The entry fee is $15.

The family fun run is for all ages, and the start time is 8:15 a.m. The entry fee is $15.

The childrens’ obstacle course for those 5-12 years old begins at 9:45 a.m. The entry fee is $10. For more information, visit http://TemeculaCA.gov/ColorRun or call 951-694-6410. Submitted by city of Temecula.

Lake Perris State Recreation Area blaze burns 532 acres

City News Service

Special to the Valley News

A brush fire that erupted on the southeast end of the Lake Perris State Recreation Area and burned 532 acres was fully contained Thursday, Aug. 10.

The non-injury blaze was reported at 2:35 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 9, near the landmark known as Pictograph Rock, along the Loop Trail, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

two sexes, but regardless of gender there are an infinite number of personalities.

“My misunderstanding that I was a boy could have just been a harmless part of my growing up as a young woman. Instead, it was weaponized by doctors to push a political agenda to boost their own careers. My health care provider brags about performing the most mastectomies on healthy teenagers in the state. My story comes up first on Google search for Kaiser Gender Clinic. I started puberty blockers and sex hormones at 13 and had surgery at 15. I still face complications to this day. At this very moment, I am wearing bandages to cover the weeping and bleeding from my areolas.

“My parents were presented with two options from the doctors. Either allow my transition or blood would be on their hands,” She continued. “I talked to my dad this week and he told me if he had heard a story like mine before

Multiple engine and hand crews from the county and other agencies were sent to the location and encountered flames amid rugged terrain.

Officials at the scene estimated the blaze to be about 150 acres as of 4:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Cal Fire water-dropping helicopters and air tankers slowed the fire’s advance by 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, laying down sufficient retardant to enable crews to begin establishing tentative containment

lines.

Winds were pushing the flames to the southeast, but by late afternoon Wednesday, airflows were abating, reducing the fire’s momentum.

Several roads going into Lake Perris were shut down by sheriff’s deputies and park rangers for public safety.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

“I am deeply disturbed to learn another school district has put at risk the safety and privacy of transgender and gender nonconforming students by adopting a forced outing policy,” Bonta said in a statement. “My office remains committed to ensuring school policies do not target or seek to discriminate against California’s most vulnerable communities. California will not stand for violations of our students’ civil rights.”

19-year-old detransitioner Chloe Cole implored the board to notify parents if their student is taking on a name or gender they weren’t born with. She told her personal story of permanent damage to her body during transition with hormone blockers, testosterone and a double mastectomy.

Valley News/Wikipedia.com photo

transition, he would not have allowed any of this to happen to me.

“Parents need to know If their child is adopting a trans identity at school. Transition is not harmless. There are kids like me getting seriously injured. Parents are not useless. They have the tools to work through hardships with their families, and they deserve to be given the truth.

“As an educational institution, you have the responsibility to stand for truth. Your policies need to reflect reality and not opinion. You have to stand against ideologies that are held up by low quality research.

“You would be doing a great disservice. To the families you serve to turn a blind eye to them.”

Bonta, in a statement Friday, Aug. 11, called the policy harmful to the well- being of LGBTQ+ students.

The question is, do students’ rights supersede parental rights?

One parent spoke about how students are not allowed to get a tattoo because it’s permanent, but the state wants them to be able to make permanent changes to their bodies, including sterilization, without their parents’ knowledge.

Bonta said that the well-being of transgender students relies critically on protecting their ability to choose how and when to inform others, as they are exposed to high levels of harassment and mistreatment in school and their communities.

Another woman spoke and said, “The kids are being told to not trust their parents and to instead trust their school and their friends. No one is against their kid’s decision to be whatever sexual orientation they want to be. The world is not against you. What we are against is anybody who tries to take away our role as parents. Anyone who is lying to our kids and telling them that they love them more than we do. If you are feeling suicidal, you need your parents more than ever, seek out a therapist. Keeping secrets makes it worse. Lastly, shame on the teachers unions For acting like you have our kids best interests at heart. Last, I heard unions were organized for the benefit of the teachers for working conditions, Job protection, fair wages, et cetera. No one hired the unions to tell us how to parent our children.”

The attorney general last week announced that his office was opening a civil-rights investigation into the Chino Valley Unified School District for potential legal violations due to an identical gender identity disclosure policy.

City News Service contributed to this story.

After recovering from an off-duty injury, interim police Chief Chris Karrer will resume his normal duties and relieve former police Chief Pat Walsh who was serving in his absence. Valley News/Courtesy photo

Three participants get hydrated after finishing the 2022 F.I.T. Fun Color Run at Ronald Reagan Sports Park in Temecula on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022. Valley News/Shawna Sarnowski photo

Wildomar to buy its own city hall building after 15 years

Tony Ault

Staff Writer

Wildomar City Council, after 15 years of cityhood, announced the city will purchase its own city hall building at 23873 Clinton Keith Road where it is currently housed in a suite. City Manager Daniel York was given the authorization to purchase the entire building at $3.15 million from CFT NV Development LLC.

He announced the cost of the building will be a part of the American Rescue Plan Act allocation given to the city for its losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also said the cash purchase would be exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act because it will be a public building.

“I am excited,” Council member Ashlee DePhillippo said on hearing of the city hall purchase.

”Outstanding. Terrific,” Mayor Joseph Morabito said.

“Great negotiation,” chimed in Mayor Pro Tem Bridgette Moore, and she thanked York.

“Good job!” Council member Dustin Nigg said.

Council member Carlos Marquez said it’s good the city will finally have its own city hall. York and the staff have been working with the building owners for months, negotiating the purchase. Part of the arrangement will be that the other current tenants including the fitness center will remain in the building. The purchase, according to York, will probably save the city over $400,000 per year in lease costs that will be placed into the city’s Capital Improvement Fund budget each year.

The city council is discussing other possible locations for a future city hall in the city as the population grows.

Earlier in the meeting the council heard the quarterly reports from the police (sheriff) department, code enforcement, the library and the public works department. The quarterly reports are from the month of May through June of this year

The sheriffs reported they received more than 3,000 calls during that period, made 68 felony arrests with no homicides. Three

Take steps to prepare for a long retirement

robberies took place and a bust of a 300-plant illegal marijuana grow along with numerous weapons including a number of ghost guns without serial numbers.

Code enforcement officers said they worked with the sheriffs in finding the illegal marijuana grow, made contacts with 44 homeless people and made six arrests in those contacts. They said most of the homeless contacted refused help and moved on.

The library official reported 230 new library cards have been issued, although some were from other cities using the county libraries. They announced a new gardening program has been started through classes at the library.

The public works department staff said the sidewalks along Wildomar Trail have been completed before school starts. Other street projects in the city in new housing developments are nearly completed. The major Bundy Canyon Phase 1 project, however, still has not been signed off by the city until some limited portions of the highway are brought up to standards. The city is working with the contractor to finish. Several signal lights on Bundy Canyon have been energized and under final testing.

An update was also offered on the ongoing effort to complete the city’s General Plan by Matthew Bassi from the planning department who said the environmental requirements portion of the plan is being completed.

Presentations honoring the retiring Lake Elsinore Unified School employees were made with certificates provided to retiring teachers Leslie Vecchione and Anthony Peralta in attendance at the meeting. The other teachers will also be given certificates of recognition.

At the very beginning of the meeting the council members offered a time of silence for Cal Fire Assistant Chief Joshua Bischof, Capt. Tim Rodriguez and contract Pilot Tony Sousa who were killed when two fire fighting helicopters crashed into each other Sunday, Aug. 6, in the Cabazon area.

Tony Ault can be reached by email at tault@reedermedia.com.

How long will you live? Of course, your longevity is somewhat unpredictable. But it may be a good idea to plan for a long life and the financial issues that go along with it.

It’s reasonable to think you’ve got a long way to go. In fact, 72% of retirees now think they will live longer than their parents, according to a recent survey from Age Wave and Edward Jones. Their optimism may be justified: A 65-year-old woman can expect to live almost 20 more years, while a 65-year-old man can anticipate about 17 more years, according to the Centers for Disease Control. And these figures are just averages. If you’re healthy at 65, you could spend two or even three more decades as a retiree.

To help maintain the resources necessary to pay for these years,

you may need to take several steps, such as the following: Seek income and growth from your investments. Once you’re retired, you’ll probably need to rely more heavily on your investment portfolio to help pay for your cost of living. That means you will need a mix of investments that provide income — to supplement your Social Security and any pensions you might have — and growth — to help keep you ahead of inflation. You might also consider specific investments designed for longevity, such as a fixed annuity, which can provide you with a regular income stream you can’t outlive.

Establish a reasonable withdrawal rate. You’ll need to establish and maintain a reasonable withdrawal rate — the percentage of your portfolio you take out each year. As a general rule, many people start out in retirement by designating a 4% annual withdrawal rate, but your individual figure will depend on a variety of factors, such as your age, the size of your portfolio, other sources of income and so on. And keeping an emergency fund on the side can help you with unforeseen costs that could otherwise cause you to withdraw more than you’d like. Unsurprisingly, the goal with choosing the appropriate withdrawal rate and monitoring it throughout retirement is so you don’t outlive your portfolio.

Consider adding some earned income. Once you’ve formally retired from your career, you might consider working part time or do-

ing some consulting. The added income can improve your cash flow and take some of the pressure off your investment portfolio. Keep in mind that your income level in retirement will determine what tax rate you pay on your Social Security benefits. If you take Social Security early and are earning above a certain amount, your benefits could be temporarily reduced.

Don’t underestimate health care costs. Even with Medicare or Medicare Advantage, your outof-pocket health care costs can be considerable. Upon first retiring, it’s often a good idea to budget between $4,500 to $6,500 per person annually, though depending on your health, prescriptions and supplemental insurance, your costs could certainly be higher or lower than this range. And these figures don’t include the costs of long-term care, which can be enormous and aren’t typically covered by Medicare. To help protect yourself — and your family — from long-term care expenses, you may want to work with a financial professional, who could recommend insurance strategies or other techniques.

A long life can certainly be rewarding — and even more so when you’re prepared for it.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor, Nima Helmi, who can be contacted at (951) 972-3071. Edward Jones, Member SIPC.

Nima Helmi.

Riverside County Animal Services: Dozens of cats from a hoarding home are available for adoption

RIVERSIDE

COUNTY –

More than 80 cats were recently impounded by Department of Animal Services’ officers who responded to a report of a possible hoarding incident in the city of Eastvale.

Having received shelter and care from DAS veterinary staff at the soon-to-reopen San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus of Animal Services is now asking the public to help by adopting the animals.

“As our shelters continue to be challenged by severe overcrowding of animals, we are urging the community to come together to give these cats hope for a new home and better life,” Erin Gettis, director of Riverside County Department of Animal Services, said.

According to Animal Services Assistant Director Dr. Kim Youngberg, all the cats have been indoor apartment cats, so they are currently enjoying some extra

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Honorable Zak Schwank, the Mayor of Temecula, was introduced by Chairman Kim Kelliher of the Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce. Schwank’s delayed presence on stage was played for laughs. Before he appeared, a skit of him preparing for the event, and interacting with his family, played on the projection screen. Hijinks ensue, and suddenly he’s transported into a parodic recreation of “Skate”, in which he’s the playable character skating around notable locations like the Duck Pond, Promenade mall, Old Town, and more.

Mayor Schwank revealed that “Travel and Leisure Magazine” named Temecula the third most beautiful city to visit in California. The economic growth derived from tourism, the boost in local tax revenue, and employment opportunities, is undeniable.

3.2 million individuals visited Temecula Valley in 2022, and the amount they spent equated to nearly one billion dollars, 46% more than the year before. Many Temecula wineries earned 33 Double Gold and Gold awards in the “Toast of the Coast” competition this year, and it was also ranked the second best wine region in the nation by USA Today.

The event revealed establishments residents can look forward to, including a secondary location for Better Buzz Coffee, Aldi on

space and sunshine at the DAS shelter in San Jacinto.

“Due to their living conditions, most of them are shy, but they are healthy and ready for a new home,” Youngberg said, adding the introverted cats will match well with extroverted cats or people who want companionship.

“Over time the cats will get to know their new owners and come out of their shell. Right now, they are adjusting to a new world that is so different from the one they knew,” Youngberg said.

To inquire about adopting or fostering the cats housed at the San Jacinto Valley Campus, located at 581 S. Grand Ave., in San Jacinto, email shelterinfo@ rivco.org Video of the cats can be found online at the department’s Vimeo page at https://vimeo.com/ user197412740.

Submitted by Riverside County Department of Animal Services.

Temecula Parkway, Smart & Final Extra on the south end of town, and a Famous Handel’s Fresh Ice Cream. Promenade Mall will be opening up Red Door Escape Room, D1 Sports, and LoveSac furniture. Culinary businesses like Tasty Pot Hot Pot, Jollibee, Silverlake Ramen, Benihana are on the way. Everhome Suites and Portals Entertainment, featuring mini golf, laser tag, and arcade games, are also set to arrive.

Temecula Auto Dealers was recently awarded The President’s Club and Council of Excellence awards by Honda of North America, and continues to be the city’s highest sales tax generator. They will expand this year to include Tesla, Hyundai, Toyota, Mercedes Benz, and Ford.

Regarding the manufacturing industry, almost half a million square feet of space is under construction this year. The city has integrated a new semiconductor wafer in a transmitter chip manufacturing company, titled Skorpios Technology. The newly established Symbio North America revealed their first location will be in Temecula. Founded in France, the company focuses on sustainable development and mobility, and manufactures zero mission hydrogen fuel cells to power light to heavy duty vehicles.

Mayor Schwank shared that Temecula is currently home to 4,500 businesses, and revenue has grown faster than anticipated. Not

only are employment numbers up by 17%, but they’ve now returned to the numbers they were in 2019. Additionally, 14 million dollars was appropriated by the city council, in both 2022 and 2023, to establish community reinvestment funds. These funds were used to support local businesses and nonprofits recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Temecula’s Civic Center, and the Margarita Recreation Center, have been paid off. With the city debt free, $3.3 million in interest pavements will be saved. Temecula intends to pay off all debt in unfunded liabilities within seven years, and upon completion, save over $34 million in financial costs.

Temecula is currently the eighth safest city in California, with 56% of the city’s general fund distributed to public safety. The city now has one sworn deputy for every 930 residents, and specialized teams are stationed within Old Town Temecula’s Sheriff Substation. Deputies now having a permanent base of operations improves response times, and has also increased patrol hours for all of Temecula’s streets.

The fire department’s budget has also ensured that 4 firefighters can be staffed per fire engine and ladder truck. With an ISO rating of 2, Temecula is in the top 7% nationwide for structured fire suppression capabilities. SouthWest Healthcare’s Temecula was recognized by the American Heart Association, and American Stroke Association as a Golden Gold Plus performing hospital in heart attack, heart failure, and stroke care for both 2022 and 2023.

Through several funding sources, $162 million in resources are now being used for city services and capital improvements. Expenditures for the upcoming fiscal year are projected to be over $96 million, and protected revenues are $112 million. Mayor Schwank says that all projects the money is spent on remain consistent with Temecula’s core values.

The newly updated quality of life Master Plan, documents each of these 104 projects, and will guide the city through 2024. They encompass affordable housing, parks and recreation, public safety, community development, public works, and transpiration. The city’s largest project to date, the I-15/215 French Valley Parkway,

Phase 2, is now underway and expected to be completed within two years.

Other projects relating to the parks and recreation department include planning for the uptown Temecula regional sports park, renovations and roof addition to the hockey rink, and new designs prepared for the skating rink. Temecula’s bike lanes and trail systems will also be built upon, offering pedestrians and cyclists a full loop around the city. One example that was funded by developer contributions, includes the Butterfield Stage Road Extension, completed between Murrieta Hot Springs and Rancho California roads.

The Nicolas Road extension will connect the Sommers Bend community to services and the economic base on Winchester Road. It will provide a direct back-way to Wine Country, and a necessary link to the city’s East side. Sommers Bend provided fundings for this infrastructure, and when completed, it will include a total of 100,300 distinctive homes for many residents.

Temecula’s educational environment currently houses twenty colleges, technical institutes, and vocational schools. Mt. San Jacinto has made history as the first permanent higher education campus in Southwest Riverside County, and their graduating class of 2023 included students ranging from 17 to 69. The fifteenth annual College and Vocational Fair is also set to occur Sep. 23 at the Promenade mall.

Cal State University San Marcos is growing, offering more opportunities for students. Their 2023

graduates got degrees in nursing, Bachelor of Science and Business Administration, and Bachelor in Parts of Criminology. They are releasing a new education pilot program for their students within the special needs community, titled “The Aspiring Scholars”. It is a four year university program, aimed to help students seeking an inclusive college experience, and grant them the opportunity to develop independent living and job skills.

Many nonprofits and businesses in Temecula continue to work and advocate for the special needs community, including the likes of Media Lab and JDS. Within the past year alone, there has been a 30% increase in participation of the city’s assessable programs pertaining to mental health. Be it High Hopes Program, Skip Program, or Global Citizens. Through the expansion of a stem component, students will be introduced to pathways in both science and technology.

Mayor Schwank concluded his speech by reaffirming that together, as a community, the next chapters of Temecuala’s journey will continue to be written. He was overwhelmingly thankful for those who have contributed to the city’s ever-evolving narrative, his loved ones, and fellow city council members. He hopes the city’s story will resonate with those who hear it, and he was met with thunderous applause.

Ava Sarnowski can be reached by email at valleystaff @reedermedia.com.

Some of the cats available for adoption at Riverside County’s Department of Animal Services. Valley News/Courtesy photo

The 2023 State of the City breakfast fills with guests at Pechanga Resort and Casino. Valley News/Shawna Sarnowski photos

Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce chairman Kim Kelliher prepares to introduce Mayor Zak Schwank to the stage.

Menifee Chamber, Lake Elsinore Elks join MilVet in military care packaging event for deployed troops

friends, display the MilVet Care package contents to be sent overseas to Army soldier Geoffrey D. Stomper. Nonperishable items to be sent to US military servicemen and women deployed overseas can be donated to MilVet.org or at designated drop off points in Menifee.

Tony Ault

Staff Writer

Menifee’s Fairfield Inn and Suites was the scene of a Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce Mixer and the monthly MilVet Military Care Packaging event on Thursday, Aug. 10 that sends needed and wanted toiletries and scarce food items to US troops overseas.

Also attending were members of the Rotary Club of Menifee who presented a $1,500 check to the nonprofit MilVet to help in their continuing efforts to mail out the troop care packages.

Among the Menifee community organizations were many retired military veterans, active military families, Menifee City Council members, police explorers, Boy and Girl Scouts, Lake Elsinore Elks and representatives from the Pechanga Tribe from Temecula.

MilVet is spearheading an ongoing effort to give soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen stationed overseas a little taste of home back to them in these troubled times through the care package program.

Raven Hilden, MilVet Executive Director thanked the more t han 150 attending the mixer and event saying this month 150 boxes would be packed and sent to

troops. She explained that in addition to the care packages, MilVet also supports the military families with utilities and other things when their military loved ones are away.

Packers write personal letters to the individual servicemen and women and are added to the packages. “It is very special to them,” Hilden said. She read several letters from servicemembers who received Milvet boxes and expressed how much it meant to them. Many of the servicemembers share the items in the care packages with others in their units.

Hilden said MilVet will be hosting a ribbon cutting event and Grand Opening Celebration

Wednesday, Sept. 20 from 1-5 p.m. at their new Murrieta location at 33040 Antelope Road #104 with drinks, photos, raffles and more.

Then on Oct. 20 the MilVet Salutes Fundraiser will take place from 5-8 p.m. at the March Field Air Museum, 22550 Van Buren Blvd. in Riverside off Interstate 215. The evening will have tours of the museum, a veterans award ceremony, and live music. Dinner will begin at 6 p.m. Veterans can be nominated for awards online at milvet.org/milvetsalutes. Tickets for the MilVet Salutes event can be purchased at the same web address. Sponsors to the fundrais-

ing special event are still being sought. Tony Ault can be reached at tault@reedermedia.com.

This month’s MilVets Military Care Packaging event and Menifee Chamber of Commerce Mixer is held at the Menifee Fairfield Inn & Suites Aug. 10. Valley News/Tony Ault photos

MilVet Founder and CEO Raven Hilden, reads a thanks letter from an overseas Marine who receives the nonprofit care package each month at his duty station overseas at the August care packaging event.

Army retiree Felipe Lerida and Marine Russell Meza,

Menifee Councilman Ricky Estrada packs a large jar of peanut butter into an overseas serviceman’s care box at the MilVet monthly care packaging event.

Menifee Police Explorers Eddie Delgado and the Contreras brothers at the August MilVet Military Care Packaging event at the Fairfield Inn fill their care boxes for servicemen overseas.

George and Kristina Mills from the Rotary Club Of Menifee present MilVet Founder and CEO Raven Hilden a check to the organization to help in their effort to send monthly care packages to our troops overseas.

Southwest Healthcare celebrates the topping out of the final beam for the new patient tower at Inland Valley Hospital

Construction is underway on the 7-story patient tower at Inland Valley Hospital in Wildomar as construction crews and dignitaries celebrate with a topping out ceremony, Aug. 8. Valley News/Shane Gibson photos

Construction workers hook a crane cable to an I-beam where it will be lifted and placed at the highest point of the Inland Valley Hospital patient tower construction site.

Community and hospital dignitaries gather to celebrate construction crew reaching the highest point of the Inland Valley Hospital 7-story patient tower construction site.

Bob Gorham, DPR Construction project superintendent for the Inland Valley Hospital patient tower construction project speaks during a topping out ceremony.

Construction workers for the new 7-story patient tower at Inland Valley Hospital gather for a topping out ceremony.

Construction workers for the new 7-story patient tower at Inland Valley Hospital gather for a topping out ceremony.

People attending the topping out ceremony sign their names and messages on a white I-beam that will be placed at the highest point of the 7-story building’s construction.

construction began, many volunteers signed their names in congratulations to the family on the new home’s wood beams while being constructed.

“Our program provides a ‘hand up, not a hand-out’ to those struggling to overcome financial and accessibility barriers, especially in this challenging housing environment,” she said. “By providing a pathway to homeownership, the Valenzuela family will overcome the challenge of high-cost rent while bridging the gap onto financial stability and generational wealth. By building this house, we’ve built a future for a young family.”

The Valenzuela family had been renting a two-bedroom townhouse before being selected for the Habitat Homeownership Program. The Valenzuelas were chosen from a pool of many applicants all seeking the opportunity of obtaining affordable homeownership in Southern California. Eligible ap-

plicants undergo a comprehensive application process demonstrating need, willingness to partner and ability to pay. Following a fair but competitive selection process overseen by a Family Selection Committee, the Valenzuela’s were selected to partner with Habitat for Humanity Inland Valley for this newest home.

The new home is a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house with a two-car garage.

The Valenzuelas devoted more than 500 hours of sweat equity in the build, as all Habitat homeowners are required to help in the building of their homes.

The build was made possible by numerous public and private entities, including Habitat for Humanity, Riverside County and the City of Lake Elsinore. Additional sponsors were US Bank, Bank of America, Milgard Windows and Doors, 951 Construction and Inland Empire Survey & Engineering.

“There is an affordable housing shortage being felt throughout

TVUSD retained Advocates for Faith and Freedom in fight to ban CRT

Last week, the Temecula Valley Unified School District Board voted to retain Advocates for Faith & Freedom to defend against a previously filed lawsuit regarding critical race theory.

The lawsuit was filed by a group of political activists and the Temecula Valley Educators Association and challenges a resolution implemented by the Board banning critical race theory. The lawsuit claims the resolution harms children of color and LGBTQ students and deprives them of a quality education.

“As the President of the Board, my goal is to ensure that all school children receive a fair and equal education, and that is what this resolution promotes.” says Dr. Joseph Komrosky. “TVUSD believes that the diversity that exists among the District’s community of students, staff, parents, and guardians is an asset to be honored and valued. The majority of the Board chose to hire Bob Tyler and his team because they are highly qualified with substantial experience litigating constitutional questions like the ones raised here.”

“The Board’s opposition to CRT is based precisely on the discriminatory philosophy it encourages and is thus not tantamount to discrimination or the failure to provide a quality education, but in fact just the opposite,” says Robert Tyler, President for Advocates for Faith & Freedom. “TVUSD is committed to providing students with a holistic education, instead of pushing political agendas and divisive curriculum. Our contention is that the TVUSD is doing exactly what they were elected by parents to do, which is guide curriculum in accordance with what is best for all students, free from the political influences and whims of lobbyists and special interest groups.”

About Advocates for Faith & Freedom ( www.faith-freedom. com): Advocates for Faith & Freedom safeguards the constitutional liberties that define the United States as a beacon of freedom and prosperity, including religious freedom, free speech, election integrity, parental rights, and the rights of children, both born and unborn.

California and it is through the dedicated efforts of partners like Habitat for Humanity that we, as a community, are moving the needle on this important issue to ensure that local families are able to turn the dream of home ownership into

a reality,” Riverside County Supervisor Karen Spiegel said at the dedication. “I was thrilled to join in the dedication celebration and to help welcome the Valenzuela family into their beautiful new home.”

The home is one of many proj-

ects that Habitat has been working on, with more affordable home ownership opportunities projected for the near future.

Tony Ault can be reached by email at tault@reedermedia.com.

Balloons welcome the Valenzuela family to their completed home during a new Habitat for Humanity home dedication ceremony. Valley News/Courtesy photos HABITAT from page A-1

A balloon display with the Valenzuela daughters’ names decorates their new playhouse in the backyard of the family’s new home.

The Valenzuela daughters prepare to be surprised by their playhouse in the backyard of the family’s new home.

Heather and Jonathan Valenzeula sit with their daughters at the start of the dedication ceremony for their new home.

CEO of Habitat for Humanity Inland Valley Tammy Marine speaks to the Valenzuela family, volunteers, and attendees of the home dedication ceremony in Lake Elsinore.

Menifee Police Department holding DUI/driver’s license checkpoint

MENIFEE – Menifee Police Department will hold a DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint August 26 from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. at an undisclosed location within the Menifee city limits.

Checkpoint locations are chosen based on a history of DUI crashes and arrests. The primary purpose of checkpoints is not to make arrests, but to promote public safety by deterring drivers from driving impaired.

During the checkpoint, officers will look for signs that drivers are under the influence of alcohol and/ or drugs.

The Menifee Police Department is committed to keeping our community safe and free of DUI drivers. Not only do we conduct checkpoints, but we also send out individual police units throughout the year to look for these dangerous drivers.

“DUI’s are extremely dangerous

and can affect so many people with one bad decision made and that bad decision is driving impaired,” said Interim Chief Chris Karrer. “Driving while under the influence of alcohol, and/or drugs, is dangerous, potentially deadly and 100% preventable.” Please arrange for a ride if you plan on drinking or designate a sober driver when going out, otherwise you may get arrested and face legal challenges.

Menifee Police Department

Trio suspected of stealing air conditioners from model homes in Elsinore

City News Service

Special to the Valley News

Three men suspected of stealing air-conditioning units from a construction site in Lake Elsinore were behind bars

Wednesday, Aug. 9.

Armando Lopez Fitz, 57, Pedro Perez Gomez, 40, and Jose Servin Perez, 42, all of Santa Ana, were arrested and booked into the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta Tuesday, Aug. 8 on suspicion of grand theft, conspiracy, vandalism

and obstruction of a law enforcement officer.

Each man is being held in lieu of $10,000 bail.

According to Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Robert Thomas, shortly before 7 p.m. Tuesday, deputies were alerted to suspicious activity at a site where model homes were under construction in the 29000 block of Hanging Rock Road, just south of Nichols Road.

“Deputies arrived at the location and saw three males actively loading air-conditioner units from the

homes into a van,” Thomas said. “All three subjects fled, but two were immediately detained.” Fitz ran across Interstate 15 in an attempt to elude capture, the sergeant alleged. However, deputies caught up to him minutes later, taking him into custody without further incident. No one was injured. Thomas said the estimated value of the “stolen and damaged property” was $20,400. Background information on the suspects was unavailable.

reminds the public that impaired driving is not just from alcohol.

Some prescription medications or over-the-counter drugs may interfere with driving. Always follow directions for use and read warning labels about driving or “operating heavy machinery,” which includes driving a car. While medicinal and recreational marijuana are legal, driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal.

If you plan on drinking or taking

medications that may impact your ability to drive safely, plan on staying at home.

Drivers charged with DUI face an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties, as well as a suspended license.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Person threatens to leap from overpass, prompting partial freeway closure

11 a.m., Menifee police officers convinced the pedestrian to step away from the edge of the overpass, safely taking the person into custody.

The party was transported by ambulance to a hospital for further evaluation.

August 18 – 24, 2023

Soboba helps celebrate cancer survivors and caregivers

Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians

Special to the Valley News

The 12th annual Relay For Life of Riverside County East and Soboba Foundation event to recognize cancer survivors and their caregivers was held Saturday, July 29, at the Soboba Casino Resort Event Center. The nautical theme tied into the message of hope for survivors and that caregivers often serve as an anchor for them. Master of ceremonies Bob Baker was also honorary captain for the evening’s voyage.

“We’ve all come here tonight in hope. Hope that anyone facing cancer will find the care and the support they need. Hope of a cancer-free tomorrow,” he said in his welcoming comments. “Cancer survivors are the living proof that we’re making a difference in the fight against this disease. Never lose hope.”

Cathi Hill-Baker, senior development manager for the American Cancer Society, planned the annual event with help from many volunteers, friends and family members such as her husband, Bob.

“Having the support of the Soboba Foundation is priceless,” Hill, of Banning, said. “The partnership that has grown over the past 15 years since our first time on their Lip Sync Contest stage has grown into an amazing relationship. The Foundation has been there to support the Relay For Life event each year for the past 15 years. They also have supported our many feeder events such as golf tournaments, casino nights, 5k mud runs, annual cornhole tournaments and our upcoming ugly sweater 5K in December, which is a first-time event for us.”

Attentive servers treated more than 100 invited guests to a delicious sit-down dinner which was preceded by a blessing from Miriam Meza, who was attending the event with her sister. A dessert buffet offering a variety of sweet options followed. Invitations were sent to all cancer survivors that registered for the most recent Relay For Life of Riverside County East event Saturday, June 24, in Beaumont. They were able to bring a guest. For Lupe Bañuelos of Banning

that guest was her daughter Rosemary Bañuelos, who stepped in as her caregiver after Lupe Bañuelos’s breast cancer diagnosis about 10 years ago. During her routine mammograms, abnormal findings led to needle and surgical biopsies that doctors continued to watch for changes. Eventually, it advanced to early-stage cancer on one side but because the other side also had abnormal findings, Lupe Bañuelos opted for a double mastectomy.

“My recovery was hard; at least four to five months,” she said.

Although she had the summer off from her job with the San Bernardino County Head Start program, she had to take additional time to heal. She was grateful to have Rosemary Bañuelos there all the time, plus her other two children and grandchildren who rotated shifts to cover her needs 24/7.

“Everybody helped,” Lupe Bañuelos said. “It took a family to get through this and they carried me through it. For others that don’t have that support system, I’m glad to know that the American Cancer Society provides services that can

help them.”

The Bañuelos family enjoys attending the Relay For Life events. Lupe Bañuelos said seeing everybody supporting each other and meeting others going through the same thing helps everyone lift each other up.

Mickey McRay of Hemet underwent a radical vulvectomy after her diagnosis of vulvar cancer was discovered during a pap smear in 2015. Her difficult recovery included three months of drainage tubes running the length of her leg to her feet. During this time, McRay’s older sister was diagnosed with adrenal cancer and died less than a month later. McRay was unable to travel to Colorado to say goodbye to her.

“I’ve had multiple surgeries, chemo, radiation and biopsies for a few more growths but last week was the first time since 2015 that I was told I don’t have to return for a year,” McRay said. “I’m finally getting there. It was very exciting news.”

An adventurous and free-spirited redhead, McRay is a U.S. Air Force veteran who came to California 20 years ago after learning how to hop a freight train through a “hobo connection in Idaho.”

She met Mary Reuland at Bible Fellowship Church in Hemet shortly after moving there and said she has been a constant source of support. Reuland sent flowers and took food to McRay during her recovery and still drives her to any appointments and procedures when she needs it.

“That’s kind of what friends do,” Reuland said. “Everybody does what they can do; it’s never an imposition.”

McRay said Reuland is very patient, caring and kind.

“She’s gone out of her way so many times,” McRay said.

Music by Tom The Guitar Player punctuated the event as well as emotional personal stories shared by guest speakers Dyanne Blevens and Janet Howe.

Blevens of Fallbrook was di-

agnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer in March. She had been experiencing some back pain which was what led to an MRI of her spine that showed a mass on her liver. She has been very athletic most of her life and has been a competitive bodybuilder for the past nine years, turning professional three years ago. She worked out six days a week and consumed a 90% completely clean diet.

“I was the epitome of health; my body was in pristine shape – or so I thought,” she said. “To say this diagnosis was a shock is a huge understatement. It was beyond comprehension. How could someone as healthy as me possibly have this life-altering disease?”

As a personal trainer, she shared the news with her athletes and some of her co-workers but said it was harder to share her diagnosis with her daughter and best friend, Donna Nichols of Wildomar, who has provided unwavering support and has never left her side. Blevens, 58, just completed her seventh round of the most aggressive chemotherapy for her kind of diagnosis.

“Ninety-nine percent of the time I’m super positive and say ‘let’s fight this thing,’ but I have those moments when I don’t want to be positive anymore. I don’t want to get up and be happy and I don’t want to be an inspiration. I just want to stop,” Blevens said. “We have to deal with all these feelings and emotions. This is the path we are given. This is not where we lie down to die; it is where we stand up to fight together. Stay grateful for every day through each passing situation for there is something to learn, to gain, to overcome. We are all born fighters, we just need to dig deeper inside of us and say, ‘yes, this I can do.’”

Janet Howe created a campaign she calls “More Than a Ribbon” that helps remember the person behind the colored ribbon that signifies the type of cancer their loved see RELAY, page B-7

Relay For Life volunteer Billie Jo Williams, left, poses with Cathi Hill, senior development manager for the American Cancer Society, at the 12th annual Relay For Life of Riverside County East Survivors & Caregivers celebration.at the Soboba Casino Resort Event Center Saturday, July 29.

Valley News/Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians photos

Best friends Dyanne Blevens, left, and Donna Nichols are among the invited guests at this year’s Relay For Life of Riverside County East Survivors & Caregivers celebration.

Soboba Foundation President Dondi Silvas, Kelli Hurtado and Foundation Treasurer Julie Arrietta-Parcero pose with family members at the 12th annual Relay For Life of Riverside County East Survivors & Caregivers celebration.

Many guests at the 12th annual Relay For Life of Riverside County East Survivors & Caregivers celebration win opportunity drawing prizes as part of the celebration that boasted a nautical theme.

JDS Creative Academy opens fall classes

Chelsey Romano

Special to the Valley News

Fall is around the corner, and JDS Creative Academy’s fall classes are now open for registration. From scriptwriting to musical theater and film making to backstage theater production, a full variety of creative arts classes are being offered at JDS Studios.

JDS Creative Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers classes taught by industry professionals and that meet the California VAPA education code. Fall semester classes begin the week of Aug. 28, and include scriptwriting, fashion design and backstage production, film making, musical theater and acting. In addition, beginning Sept.

27, JDS Creative Academy will offer the opportunity to design, build and haunt their annua l Haunted Studio, a fundraiser open to the

public Oct. 27-28. There is a class for anyone and everyone interested in the visual, performing and digital arts.

A new class being offered this fall at JDS Creative Academy is film making. Students will take a deep dive into making movies: from conception to scripting to crewing and production, completing a short film through post-production.

Taught by experienced Hollywood director, Bobby Logan, this course will be full of tangible lessons and hands-on activities to improve the filmmaking skills of anyone who enrolls.

Speaking of filmmaking, have you dreamed of creating your own screenplay? With JDS Creative Academy’s beginning script writing class, students delve into writing screenplays and learn story development and structure, character development, dialogue and action

description with this course. Students will also cover writing scripts for commercials, marketing videos, documentaries and more. The class culminates in a staged table reading of the student-written scenes. Previous students of this course have used the skills they learned to hone their written work, opening doors to opportunities in the industry. Other classes that students can look forward to this fall will be fashion design/backstage production and the Haunted Studio. The fashion design/backstage production class consists of beginning sewing lessons, pattern technique, c ostume design, props and set design. Students will work on individual projects that will entail basic sewing construction of items such as pencil pouches, small bags, small pillows and stuffed animals. Students in this class will be part of the JDS Studio productions,

which include the annual Haunted Studio extravaganza and the Winter Showcase. The haunted studio fundraiser will see students in the design, build & haunt class will participate in the behind-the-scenes of the Haunted Studio from concept to open-to-thepublic. Students will erect the entire Haunted Studio from start to finish and create a horrifying atmosphere and fundraiser for those looking to be spooked this October. In the end, the finale of this class will be the two-day haunted house put on at JDS Studios Oct. 27-28.

JDS Creative Academy’s musical theater program is back and kicks off Aug. 31, at 5 p.m. Join the production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” In this class, students will audition as it’s part of the learning process, but everyone gets cast in a part that they can handle. Classes/rehearsals

lead up to the December performance of the show at the Winter Showcase. The musical theater program teaches students to sing, act, and collaborate, as well as how to move and present themselves onstage. New this fall is the backstage theater arts class which will run alongside the musical theater class focusing on stage management, lights, and sound. Ultimately, these classes give students of all ages the opportunity to learn and grow in all aspects of performing arts. Call JDS Creative Academy at 951-296-6715 to enroll in one of the fall classes. All ages are welcome, and scholarships are available, thanks to the California Arts Grant. JDS Creative Academy is vendored with all the local charter schools. For more information, visit https://jdscreativeacademy.org/.

Calling for entries for the ‘Hello Autumn!’ Art Competition

Fallbrook Propane Gas Company, sponsor of the “Hello Autumn!” Art Competition is calling for entries. Artists in the community are invited to create a “Fall” themed work of art.

There are three categories. In the two-dimensional and three-dimensional categories, cash prizes will be awarded in each: first place $300, second place $200, and third place $100. The photography category cash prizes are: first place $150, second place $125, and third place $100. In addition, the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce will award one cash prize of $150 for their overall “Chamber Pick.”

Artwork must be delivered to the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce office on Saturday, Sept. 30 between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. The office is located at 111 South Main Avenue, Fallbrook.

The community is invited to vote for the People’s Choice Award from Oct. 3 through 21 at the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce office (Hours: Mon-Thurs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m and Sat.9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.) The win-

ner will be contacted the evening of Oct. 21.

To register or request the Rules and Entry Form, contact Anita Kimzey at 714-222-2462 or via email at fpgcartcompetitions@ gmail.com

Rules and Entry Form can also

be picked up at Fallbrook Propane Gas Co. at 1561 S. Mission Rd., The Gallery FAA at 300 N. Brandon, the Green Art House at 1075 S. Mission Rd. Ste. D, the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce, or downloaded from their website at fallbrookchamberofcommerce.org.

“Fall on the river” by Julie Comption from Fallbrook.

“Falling for you” by Lori Beach from Temecula. Valley News/Courtesy photos

TNEF at the Santa Rosa Plateau continues its 15th anniversary celebration through November

Tony Ault Staff Writer

The Nature Education Foundation at the Santa Rosa Plateau continues to celebrate its 15 years of educating children to be good stewards of nature and their environment after a successful summer concert series fundraiser that concluded Aug. 5.

Now residents seeking to support the nonprofit TNEF will have more opportunities this year can enjoy the upcoming Cowboy Jubilee at an exclusive La Cresta

ranch on Sept. 30 and a Family Wildlife Day on the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve above Murrieta on Nov. 4.

Each of these events will help TNEF continue their mission to bring 3rd graders and their teachers to the 9,000 acre reserve and participate in outdoor education field trips designed to encourage preservation, appreciation, and protection of nature. TNEF also works to support high school students to take part in hands-on studies at the plateau along with providing seed scholarships through the school

districts in the Valley. Cowboy Jubilee tickets are available now. The event will feature an authentic Texas BBQ dinner on the ranch. The Highwayman Show with Tony Suraci’s 11 piece country band performing the music of Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and others. Dancing and silent and live auctions are also planned. This year’s Jubilee will be at Ranchito Nepenthe on 10 acres of centuriesold oak trees in the rolling hills of La Cresta. November 4 will bring families up to the plateau for Family Wild-

life Day, showcasing animal and plant species including birds of prey, fossils and four-legged animals that live in the natural world.

Tickets for these events and information can be made and found at https://the-nef.org. Memberships offer discounts to the plateau’s hiking events and TNEF events. More information may be obtained by contacting execdirector@srpnef. org.

Another special fundraiser event is planned for Saturday, Aug. 26. A Pop-up Dinner Experience at the Plateau will take place for a limited

number of TNEF supporters from 5-9 p.m. at a La Cresta Estate on the Santa Rosa Plateau. The seats are limited to the first 32 supporters at $160 per plate. The dinner will include a champagne welcome and a four course gourmet dinner with exclusive Plateau Vineyard Wines, hosted by Chef Daniel Johnson. The site address will be revealed at checkout. Tickets are at www. the-nef.org. This fundraiser will include information about an African Safari Vacation for two.

Tony Ault can be reached at tault@reedermedia.com.

Movie Review: ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’

Bob Garver

Special to the Valley News

Bad news, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” fans, the new installment “Mutant Mayhem” gets the Ninja Turtles all wrong. You know how the characters are usually voiced by adults that make you forget that the characters are even supposed to be teenagers? This movie settles for real teenagers that can play off each other with age-appropriate chemistry. You know how the jokes are usually so lame that the joke itself is how lame they are? This movie can’t go a straight 60 seconds without getting a genuine laugh from me. You know how every big-screen version of the Ninja Turtles has been critically lambasted until this point? This movie has a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and a glowing recommendation from me. This movie may not follow in the tradition of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but only because it’s something else, something better, entirely. Don’t get me wrong, the setup is still the same: four baby turtles and an adult rat are exposed to radioactive ooze and become anthropomorphic mutants. The rat, Splinter, played by Jackie Chan, raises them in the sewers of New York City to become ninjas, but only so they can sneak around undetected and defend themselves if necessary, which they won’t have to do if they’re good enough at staying undetected by the

humans that surely want to kill them. But now that the turtles have come of age, they yearn for adventure outside of the sewer, including taking in human culture and even making human friends.

The turtles consist of self-appointed leader Leonardo, played by Nicolas Cantu; brainiac Donatello, played by Micah Abbey; muscle Raphael, played by Brady Noon, and goofball Michelangelo, played by Shaman Brown Jr.

They team up with teenage reporter April O’Neil, played by Ayo Edebiri, to track down a gang of dangerous thieves that have been terrorizing the city. What they find are more mutants, including insect Superfly, played by Ice Cube; rhino Rocksteady, played by John Cena; pig Bebop, played by Seth Rogen; alligator Leatherhead, played by Rose Byrne, and gecko Mondo, played by Paul Rudd in possibly this movie’s biggest scene-stealer, among others. These characters are all so funny and likable that the film briefly runs into a problem where it looks like there’s no one to root against. The audience gets a forgettable villain in evil corporate executive Cynthia Ultrom, played by Maya Rudolph, but certainly this series is just biding its time until another, more popular villain shows up. I could go on and on about how much “fun” this movie is, but I don’t want to spoil any of the many great jokes, and the actors’ cadences might not translate

well to the page anyway. OK, since it is a movie about teenagers, I think I can give away that my favorite line includes the word “hormones.” Aside from the jokes, another area where this movie is fun is in its animation. I’ve never seen quite this style before, but I love it. Many frames look like the animators just threw paint at a canvas and added in some squiggles with a magic marker, but at the same time it’s completely effective and gorgeous. Like the movie itself, it’s sloppy and reckless, yet the artists’ competence and dedication to creating an immersive world is never in question.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” isn’t performing as well at the box office as I thought it would. Not only did it lose in its opening weekend to the third weekends of both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” it technically lost to the first weekend of “The Meg 2,” but it did finish with a higher total thanks to a two-day head start. So now I find myself feeling compelled to advocate for a franchise that I had previously written off as violent toy-commercial garbage. I still feel that maybe the turtles are a little too quick to violence, but otherwise it is a terrific family film, right on par with the “Spider-verse” movies. Children will love it, and for the first time ever, they’ll be right to love it.

Grade: B “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mu-

Valley News/Courtesy photo tant Mayhem” is rated PG for sequences of violence and action, language and impolite material. Its running time is 99 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Aug. 22 - 8:30 a.m. Coffee with the City, Murrieta Innovation Center, 26442 Beckman Ct., Murrieta.

Aug. 23 – 5-9 p.m. Sunset Market. The market features live entertainment, a gourmet food court and some of the finest artisans and craftspeople in Southern California. The family friendly event is located in Town Square Park in Old Town Temecula.

Aug. 23 – 6 p.m. San Jacinto’s Kool Summer Nights concert with a local band, vendors and a beer and wine garden at the at the Estudillo Mansion, 150 Dillion Ave, in San Jacinto.

Aug. 24 – 6-7:30 p.m. 10 Steps to Financial Success at the Ronald H. Roberts Temecula Public Library 30600 Pauba Road A free presentation about the required steps to take in order to move toward financial success With professional support from program presenter Martin Vega, Business Development Officer forAltura Credit Union. Sponsored by the Friends of the Temecula Libraries this program is open to attendees aged 18 and older. Light refreshments served. Registration required, please visit TemeculaCA. gov/Library.

Aug. 25-27 – 5- 10 p.m. Starlight Bazaar Summer Carnival at Vail Ranch Headquarters, 32115 Temecula Parkway,presented by In the Loop Temecula. Carnival rides and games with prizes (in the front parking lot), Vendor market, music and photo ops. A traditional family night and summer harrah.

Aug. 25-26 – 10 a.m. Beyond the Barstow open to the public at the Western Science Center, 2345 Searl Highway, Hemet. The exhibit reception will be held on August 25 at 5:30 p.m. for WSC members and will be attended by participating PaleoCon scientists. PaleoCon will also be held on August 26, and will feature science presentations by PaleoCon scientists, a paleoart workshop with artist Corbin Rainbolt, a science-inspired poetry reading by Christina Olson, and more.

Aug. 26 – 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Murrieta Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Event, Murrieta City Hall, 1 Town Square Road, Murrieta

Aug. 26 – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m

Petchella, Animal Friends of the Valleys pet adoption event, 38751 Mission Trail, Wildomar.

Sept 1 – 6 - 9 p.m. Menifee

Foodie Friday, San Jacinto College campus, 28237 La Piedra Road, Menifee.

Sept. 9 – 5-9 p.m. Lake Me-

nifee’s Woman’s Club 12th Annual Big Gala (Designed Purse Auction) at Fairfield Inn Suites, 30140 Town Center Drive, Menifee. Tickets $75 includes food and beverage until the end of August.

Sept. 20 - 1-5 p.m. MilVet

Grand Opening Celebration, 33040 Antelope Road, Murrieta. Snacks, drinks, photos, raffles, fun and more. MilVet.org.

Sept. 24 – 8 a.m. begin registration for City of Temecula Hosts

Annual F.I.T. Fun Color Run at Ronald Reagan Sports Park, 30875 Rancho Vista Road. Be ready to get splashes of color at color stations along the way. Children’s obstacle course. A health focused community event Participants can pre-register online at TemeculaCA.gov/ColorRun to save time on race day!

ONGOING – Riverside Transportation Commission is offering Park and Ride lots to connect with carpools, vanpools and transit systems in Beaumont at 600 E. Sixth Street in San Jacinto; at 501 S. San Jacinto Avenue and in Temecula at Grace Presbyterian Church, 31143 Nicolas Road, open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. but not on weekends.

ONGOING – Line dancing classes are held Wednesdays from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at Lake Elsinore/ Wildomar Elks Lodge, 33700 Mission Trail, in Wildomar across from the Animal Friends of the Valleys. Classes have a DJ with learning levels beginning to intermediate. Have fun and exercise at the same time at $5 per lesson. Contact Joyce Hohenadl at 951674-2159

ONGOING – Sun City Civic Association Monthly Square Dance sessions are held Sundays from 1:30-5 p.m. at 26850 Sun City Boulevard.

ONGOING – If you know a homebound older adult, resources in Menifee are available, including grab-and-go, cooked and frozen food for pickup. Courtesy pantry items and meals delivered with no contact. Three days of

Crossword Puzzle

Theme: Back to School

emergency food can be delivered immediately or restaurant meal delivery for those who don’t qualify for food assistance programs. Call the California Department on Aging at 800-510-2020 for help.

ONGOING – The Riverside County COVID-19 Business Assistance Grant Program is accepting online applications for business grants up to $10,000 at http://www.rivercobizhelp.org that can be used for employee retention, working capital, personal protective equipment purchases, rent or mortgage payments and paying vendor notices. Eligible businesses, including nonprofits, must be in Riverside County, with a minimum of one but less than 50 employees and operating for at least one year since March 1. For more information, call Riverside County Business and Community Services at 951-955-0493.

ONGOING – 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Temecula Winchester Swap Meet continues, 33280 Newport Road in Winchester. Saturdays and Sundays only. The small local swap meet is only 50 cents for entry, and anyone under age 10 is free admission. No dogs allowed.

ONGOING – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Every Sunday, Murrieta Village Walk Farmers Market is at Village Walk Place in Murrieta. The Sunday morning farmers market at Village Walk Plaza is a place to buy fruits and veggies, gourmet food and crafts. Come to the center in the northwest corner of Kalmia/Cal Oaks at the Interstate 215 exit in Murrieta.

ONGOING – Temecula’s Farmers Markets are offered in Old Town Temecula Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to noon, 4100 Main Street in Temecula; at Promenade Temecula, 40640 Winchester Road, outside JCPenney every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and at Vail Headquarters, 32115 Temecula Parkway, every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. In compliance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Riverside County Public Health orders, the farmers markets will be restricted to agriculture products only. Follow the Old Town Temecula Farmers Market on Facebook to stay updated. No pets allowed.

WORKSHOPS, MEETINGS, NOTICES

Aug. 25 - 11 a.m. Menifee Valley Lion’s Bingo event at Rancho Family Medical building: 27190 Sun City Blvd., 2nd Floor (Elevator Access). Call your local Caravan/RideShare. Supports Canine Companion Service.

Aug. 30 – 10-11 a.m. Temecula’s Senior Health & Safety Resource Forum with Riverside Third District Supervisor Chuck Washington and Temecula Mayor Zak Schwank at theTemecula Community Center. 28816 Pujol Street.This free forum will cover budget-friendly emergency preparedness, healthy aging, and wellness. Attendees will receive a free first aid kit and mini phone charger (one per household, while supplies last). Hear from service providers like Temecula Citizen Corps, Temecula’s Office of Emergency Management, HICAP,CARE Team, Riverside County Environmental Health, RUHS, Public Authority, Office on Aging, and IEHP.

Sept. 22 – 5-8 p.m. Menifee Multicultural – Art-A-Faire at Kay Ceniceros Senior Center, 29995 Evans Road, Menifee ONGOING– Want to help deployed American troops remotely? Help shop for the most needed items without leaving home as an easy way to help support deployed men and women by purchasing items remotely and having them delivered to MilVet at designated drop-off locations for packing. All items on the list are special requests from deployed military men and women. MilVet is a nonprofit organization that holds monthly packaging events at different community locations in the area. For drop-off locations and packaging locations, visit http:// www.milvet.org/military-carepackages.

ONGOING – Multiple Sclerosis Support Group Meeting meets the third Monday of each month at the Mary Phillips Senior Center, 41845 Sixth Street, in Temecula from 10 a.m. to noon. For more information, email gaugustin206@ gmail.com or join the meeting.

ONGOING – Sons of Norway/ Scandinavia meets at noon the first Saturday of every month, September to June, at the Heritage Mobile Park Clubhouse, 31130 S. General Kearny Road, in Temecula.

ONGOING – Menifee Community Services offers online

driver’s education courses for a $21.95 fee. The course includes animated driving scenarios, instructional videos, sample tests, licensed instructor available to answer questions, DMV-approved certificate of completion with all lectures and exams completed from home. Designed for students and does not include behind-thewheel instruction or a California driver’s permit. Contact 951-7233880 or visit the city of Menifee to register at http://www.city of menifee.us.

ONGOING – 10-11:30 a.m.

Michelle’s Place Cancer Resource Center and The Elizabeth Hospice host a virtual support meeting for caregivers every second and fourth week of the month via Zoom. Get helpful tips and learn from others who are also dealing with similar challenges. For more information and to register, contact The Elizabeth Hospice Grief Support Services at 833349-2054.

ONGOING – Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous, a free 12step recovery program for anyone suffering from food obsession, overeating, undereating or bulimia, has meetings throughout the U.S. and the world. Contact 781932-6300, or for local meetings, call 925-321-0170 or visit http:// www.foodaddicts.org.

ONGOING – The Murrieta Garden Club meets each month at the Murrieta Community Center, 41810 Juniper St. Anyone who likes to garden or is interested in plants is welcome. Membership is $10 per year. Find more information about the monthly event or project on Facebook.

ONGOING – Temecula Valley Rose Society meets each month. For more information and new meeting dates and places, visit http://www.temeculavalleyrosesociety.org.

ONGOING – Menifee Toastmasters meets every Thursday at noon for one hour at a designated place to have fun, enhance speaking capabilities, gain self-confidence and improve social skills. For new dates, call 760-807-1323 or visit http://www.MenifeeToastmasters.org for more information.

ONGOING – Homeless veterans can receive free help by dialing 877-424-3838 for 24/7 access to the VA’s services for homeless, at-risk veterans. Chat is confidential for veterans and friends. Visit http://www.va.gov/ homeless.

FOOD

Try this updated orange, pineapple salad

Katelynn Abrams Valley News intern

Orange, pineapple fruit salad is a sweet, creamy and chilled dish that’s great for a backyard summer barbecue. It is also known as Ambrosia salad, though this version doesn’t include the whip cream or marshmallows found in many recipes. This updated version is made with fresh oranges and pineapple; pick the whole fruit based on its scent. A general rule that’s good when it comes to picking fruit is if it smells good, it likely tastes good.

Orange Pineapple Salad

Ingredients:

• Oranges

• Pineapple

• Shredded coconut

• Walnuts

• Sour cream

• Vanilla

• Honey

• Whip cream (optional)

• Marshmallows (optional)

Directions: Chop 1 small pineapple and 3 oranges. In a bowl, mix 8 ounces of sour cream with 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 1 teaspoon of honey. Add the fruit to the sauce and add 1/4 cup shredded coconut and 1/4 cup walnuts. Chill in the fridge before serving. Adjust the ingredient quantities based on what’s available and personal taste. The oranges could be replaced with fresh or canned mandarins, and the fresh pineapple

This fresh orange, pineapple salad is made with walnuts and coconut.

Valley News/Katelynn Abrams photo

could be replaced with canned pineapple chunks, if fresh fruit is not optimal.

The creamy sauce could be replaced by whip cream, instead of the sour cream, vanilla and honey, and marshmallows could be used, in addition to or in place of the walnuts. Another optional ingredient to try is cherries, either fresh and chopped or preserved and sweetened.

A chilled bowl of this fruit salad makes a great side dish for a meal, snack or dessert anytime, and it goes especially well with any summer barbecue.

Interview with AdvanCare owner Amy Frietas

Felicia Horton Special to Valley News

There are over 65,000 residents over 65 in the Temecula Valley, which is roughly 20% of the population. As people age, their needs change and their support system must be aware of these changes to maintain a high quality of life. For older adults, some of the most critical needs include socialization, access to health care, physical and mental stimulation and maintaining a sense of independence.

It’s essential for caregivers and loved ones to be aware of these needs and to work together to ensure that older adults can live their best lives, even as they age. Some ways to meet these needs include regular social outings, frequent doctor visits, engaging in physical and mental activities and finding ways to support independence, such as mobility aids or home modifications. With the proper support and resources, older adults can lead fulfilling and happy lives well into their golden years in the comfort of their homes.

I sat down with Amy Frietas, the co-founder of AdvanCare, to discuss how in-home care allows older adults to age in place.

Felicia: Amy, thank you for taking time today to share your story and help our community better understand what in-home care entails.

Amy: Thank you for taking the time to meet with me.

F: My first question would be, “Why did you choose senior care?”

A: My journey started at 19 when my mother became terminally ill with brain cancer. This devastating news came when balancing college life, a part-time job and family life responsibilities were too new and stressful. I now faced the unique responsibilities of being my mother’s caregiver while navigating the health care and support systems. Through this journey, I learned more about the caregiving process and was compelled with the passion to support others.

F: I am so sorry you had to go through that. Did you have an inhome caregiver assist you during this difficult time?

A: Unfortunately, we didn’t have in-home care because we were unaware that companies like mine existed. We needed more resources, and because we were so new to this process, we needed to figure out where to seek help. That is one of the reasons we pride ourselves on being a resource for families.

F: You must have felt so alone.

A: I learned so much during that time of my life. It shaped me to be the person I am today.

F: How do you define In-home Care?

A: Personal care services are specifically designed to cater to the individual needs of seniors who require assistance with daily activities. These services promote independence, maintain personal hygiene and ensure a safe and comfortable living environment. Our services are provided to individuals who need help with various daily activities but wish to remain in the comfort of their own homes rather than move to a care facility. This care is commonly provided to seniors, people with disabilities or individuals recovering from illnesses or injuries.

F: What services do you offer the senior community?

A: Our full-service personal care plans provide seniors with services from four to 24 hours daily. These services include companionship, light housekeeping, medicine reminders, meal plans, bathing, oral hygiene, skincare, help getting dressed, exercise, incontinence assistance and cognitive care.

F: Can you break down the services you offer?

A: To break it down, AdvanCare offers Assistance with Activities of Daily Living. Specifically: Personal care: Assistance with activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting and eating.

Companionship: Social interaction and emotional support to combat loneliness and isolation.

AdvanCare office staff from left, Office Manager Jackie Daphness, Owner Amy Freitas and Marketing Director Felicia Horton.

Medication management: Helping individuals take their prescribed medications as directed by their health care providers.

Meal preparation: Planning and preparing nutritious meals to meet the person’s dietary requirements.

Housekeeping: Light housekeeping tasks, such as tidying up living areas, laundry, and maintaining a clean and safe environment.

Mobility assistance: Helping with moving around the house, transferring from one place to another, and using mobility aids like walkers or wheelchairs.

Transportation: Assisting with attending medical appointments, running errands or engaging in social activities.

F: Wow! You do offer many services. You mentioned cognitive care. Please explain that.

A: Cognitive care focuses on providing specialized support and assistance to seniors experiencing cognitive impairments, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s. We aim to enhance cognitive abilities,

promote mental well-being and ensure a safe and nurturing environment for seniors with cognitive challenges. Our AdvanCare team also supports the Alzheimer’s Association, and I am the raffle chair for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s event Oct. 7, 2023.

F: That’s a beautiful organization and a fun event. Is there anything else you offer that you may not have shared yet?

A: Our goal is to do all we can to help seniors age in place. We want to see seniors live out their lives in the comfort of their own homes, but we know that that is only sometimes possible. So we offer placement services free to the client to help them find the right community to fit their needs. This service includes scheduling tours to appropriate communities, scheduling the assessment, assisting with the admissions process and complimentary virtual and private tours to assist families in finding the perfect senior living options – all free to the families. We offer Travel Companionship

and Palliative and Hospice support as well.

F: There is so much to Senior Care and Support. How can our readers reach you?

A: Our office number is 951445-8582, and our email is amy@ advanseniorcare.com . We are heavily involved in the community through local chamber events, health fairs and our local senior centers, and we work closely with other companies that support the senior community.

F: Thank you, Amy. It has been a pleasure chatting with you.

A: Thank you. You as well.

Treat the whole person: mind, body, spirit

workers, home health aides and chaplains also known as spiritual care counselors.

Each person expresses their spirituality in a unique manner through their beliefs, values and traditions.

Special to the Valley News

When patients are facing a life-limiting illness, it affects them mentally, physically and spiritually. Hospice care utilizes a multi-disciplinary team approach to address the medical, psychological, emotional and spiritual needs of patients and their families. The Hospice of the Valleys Interdisciplinary Team in Murrieta includes nurses, doctors, social

In an article published in the American Medical Association Journal of Medical Ethics in 2018, authors Dr. Aparna Saia and Dr. Christina Puchalski acknowledged that despite improved education regarding the importance of integrating spirituality and health care, physicians still struggle with this integration. They recognized the importance of including spiritual care providers such as chaplains as members of the interdisciplinary treatment team with the goal that spiritually centered compassionate care should be a key component of any health delivery system.

According to the International Consensus Conference on Improving the Spiritual Dimension of Whole Person Care, spirituality is “a dynamic and intrinsic aspect of humanity through which persons seek ultimate meaning, purpose and transcendence and experience relationship to self, family, others, community, society, nature and the significant or sacred.”

At Hospice of the Valleys, highly trained spiritual care counselors and social workers assist the Interdisciplinary team in assessing and addressing the spiritual, emotional and psychological needs of patients and their families. By providing spiritually centered compassionate care, the hospice can better achieve pain and symptom control and relieve emotional and spiritual distress, which improves the patient’s comfort and quality of life.

The spiritual care team also continues to provide additional bereavement support to the family for 13 months following the patient’s death in addition to providing community wide bereavement support groups.

For more information, visit http://hospiceofthevalleys.org.

Dr. Leslee B. Cochrane is the executive medical director of Hospice of the Valleys.

Favors for Neighbors

Favors for Neighbors is a 501(c) (3) certified Non-Profit focused on helping the senior community AT NO COST to them and to help them avoid getting ripped off, scammed, and have less risk of injury. One lady was charged $100 just to change smoke alarm batteries, another $120 to change HVAC filters. We help seniors with things they can’t do for themselves or can’t afford - like home repairs, weed abatement to minimize fire, home cleaning, household organization, incorrect billing issues and much more. We provide a repair service, but what we’re really delivering is KINDNESS, companionship, compassion if only for a few hours – to change their state from isolation and depression to A BIG SMILE OF GRATITUDE - every time

Too good to be true – Yes, it is. We do it anyway!

But we need your help with Donations and Volunteers. Nobody else does this at no cost to the senior. Please take the opportunity to build something special with us.

Temecula’s Senior Health & Safety Resource Forum scheduled for Aug. 30

Donations Needed

Volunteers Needed

TEMECULA – Riverside County Third District Supervisor Chuck Washington and Temecula Mayor Zak Schwank invited the community to join them at the upcoming Health & Safety Resource Forum

Wednesday, Aug. 30, from 10-11 a.m. at the Temecula Community Center, 28816 Pujol Street.

“The city of Temecula’s Health & Safety Resource Forum will offer a multitude of resources and services that are available to our senior community,” Temecula Mayor Zak Schwank said. “I encourage all seniors in the region to join us to learn, connect and prioritize our collective health and safety.”

The free forum will cover budget-friendly emergency preparedness, healthy aging and wellness.

Attendees will receive a free first aid kit and mini phone charger –one per household, while supplies last. Hear from service providers like Temecula Citizen Corps, Temecula’s Office of Emergency Man-

agement, HICAP, CARE Team, Riverside County Environmental Health, Riverside University Health System, Public Authority, Office on Aging and Inland Empire Health Plan.

“My goal is to make Riverside County resources readily available and easy to access for all residents,” Chuck Washington, Riverside County Third District Supervisor, said. “We have hosted several of these forums throughout the Third District in partnership with our public safety agencies and county departments to ensure our seniors know how to prepare and feel confident during an emergency.”

For more information, visit http://TemeculaCA.gov, or call 951-694-6464, and stay tuned for more Community Service programming information by following @TemeculaParksAndRec on social media.

Submitted by city of Temecula.

Answers for puzzle on page B-4

Seniors invited to Temecula Health Fair.

Dr. Leslee B. Cochrane

Valley News/Courtesy photo

U.S. News & World Report names Temecula Valley Hospital among best performing hospitals

TEMECULA – Temecula Valley Hospital, a part of Southwest Healthcare, was named by U.S. News & World Report to its 20232024 Best Hospitals as a High Performing hospital for heart attack, heart failure, stroke, pneumonia and COPD. It is the highest distinction a hospital can earn for U.S. News’ Best Hospitals Procedures & Conditions ratings.

The annual Procedures & Conditions ratings are designed to assist patients and their doctors in making informed decisions about where to receive care for challenging health conditions or elective procedures.

“These national rankings speak to our dedication in providing the

one battled or is currently fighting. When her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after moving to Alaska, Howe was on the next plane to help her through the journey. Unfortunately, the cancer returned more than once and each time Howe was there to do what she could to help. When her mother developed bone cancer, she did not recover and experienced other health issues such as pneumonia. She eventually died from lung cancer.

“I wear a ribbon every single day for breast cancer (awareness),” Howe said. “When I get up every morning and put that ribbon on, I feel like it’s my mom; it’s more than a ribbon.”

Howe’s father recently died from lung cancer so she now wears a white ribbon as well.

“Cancer ribbons are about so much more than just awareness or finding a cure,” she said. “When you see a ribbon, it represents an actual person or cherished memory.”

Hill said that all events that support the American Cancer Society’s many programs are only possible with the support and dedication of many, such as the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians.

highest quality care to our patients and families,” Darlene Wetton, CEO of Temecula Valley Hospital, said. “I am proud of our incredible staff for their commitment to ensuring the best possible standards of care for our patients. Thanks to their hard work, patients can have confidence in selecting Temecula Valley Hospital as their health care provider of choice.”

U.S. News evaluated more than 4,500 hospitals across 15 specialties and 21 procedures and conditions. Hospitals awarded a “Best” designation excelled at factors such as clinical outcomes, level of nursing care and patient experience.

“For 34 years, U.S. News has

“My lead volunteer is Billie Jo Williams, a 14-year ovarian cancer survivor,” Hill said. “She joined Relay 17 years ago when her best friend’s brother passed away from cancer. Her goal was to fight back and help fund research. She then faced her own cancer and has been Relaying ever since.”

Williams has been volunteering to assist Hill for the past 15 years.

“She is my ride or die and my Relay partner in crime,” Hill, a 21year cancer survivor herself, said.

“Billie Jo has also become family to me. A true cancer-fighting warrior. Billie Jo has led the Riverside event for the past three years and is now the lead for the upcoming 5K in December. She also helps on the committee for the Route 66 event in San Bernardino County. She works full time and lives in Perris with her husband and daughter. Even with her busy life she always finds time to fight cancer and give of her heart and time to the American Cancer Society.”

Lauri Morris, a personal styling consultant better known as Diversified Diva, http://www. linktr.ee/divagirl, is also a cancer survivor and caregiver. In keeping with the theme of the evening, she created and presented a fun and informational fashion show of cruise worthy outfits. Modeled by

provided data-informed rankings to help patients and their doctors find the best hospital to treat their illness or condition,” Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News, said.

“Fewer than half of evaluated hospitals earned any High Performing rating. Hospitals that are High Performing have excelled in providing high quality care in specific procedures and/or conditions.” For more information on the U.S. News Best Hospitals, explore Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #BestHospitals. Submitted by Temecula Valley Hospital.

volunteers, some cancer survivors and others whose family members have been touched by the disease, the audience had a lot of fun with the presentation.

A video slideshow honoring and remembering loved ones touched by cancer with photos submitted by those attending the recent Relay For Life event was a somber reminder of why everyone was there and why the fight against cancer is so important. Relay For Life events are held once a year, countywide. There is a feeder event coming up Saturday, Dec. 2, that supports the Riverside County East relay. The Reindeer Dash and Ugly Sweater Bash 5K will be held at the Jurupa Valley Sports Park. The event’s presenting sponsor is the Soboba Foundation.

The Relay For Life of Route 66, which is a San Bernardino County event, will be held Saturday, Aug. 26, at California State University San Bernardino.

American Cancer Society programs have touched more than 55 million lives. ACS continues to be the largest nonprofit funder of cancer research in the United States outside of the federal government, investing more than $5 billion over the past 75 years. Fundraising is having strong impacts on the community for those who seek information, programs and services.

For more information, contact Cathi Hill at cathi.hill@cancer. org or call the ACS 24-hour call center at 800-227-2345. There is always someone there to answer any questions for cancer patients, caregivers and others.

Temecula Valley Hospital is named to U.S. News & World Report’s 20232024 Best Hospitals as a High Performing hospital for heart attack, heart failure, stroke, pneumonia and COPD. Valley News/Courtesy photo

RELAY from page B-1

Mary Reuland, left, and Mickey McRay have been friends for 20 years, and Reuland has been helping McRay through her cancer journey since 2015.

Cancer survivor Lupe Bañuelos, left, and her daughter/caregiver Rosemary attend the 12th annual Relay For Life of Riverside County East Survivors & Caregivers celebration at the Soboba Casino Resort Event Center.

Soboba Foundation President Dondi Silvas is among those who wrote a message of hope and lit a candle during the cancer survivors and caregivers celebration dinner.

Dyanne Blevens shares a photo from one of her many award-winning bodybuilding competitions. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer March 22.

Valley News/Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians photos

Review of all things Real Estate: Monetary policy versus fiscal policy, which is more powerful?

Bob Hillery CR Properties

We hear a lot about the Federal Reserve raising the Federal Funds rates, but what are they doing to try to combat inflation? To answer this effectively, a couple of definitions would be helpful so that we are all understanding the same terms.

Per Wikipedia and Investopedia on the internet, “monetary policy

is used by the Central Bank to control the overall money supply to promote economic growth and employment strategies… and it does so by altering the reserve requirement, the discount rate and open market operations.”

Fiscal policy is used by the Federal government which increases or decreases taxes and Federal spending to either cool off an overheated economy or to stimulate a sluggish

economy. Spending more is popular with politicians and the public however, and those who seek to remain in their elected positions use taxes and spending to their own advantage (ever heard of pork barrel politics?). So, which is the more powerful set of tools, monetary or fiscal policy? In their pure forms both can be equally effective, controlling inflation and promoting a

healthy economy which includes a stable money supply that isn’t inflationary.

However, the “experts” don’t always agree (in fact, rarely do they). It’s kind of like rooting for your team in the Superbowl, each believes their approach will win the day. But in fact, both are powerful for controlling the economy and inflation.

Regarding Fiscal policy, wouldn’t it be great if the government had to operate like you run your household…don’t spend more than you make. And then when the government spends taxpayer money, my belief is that it should only fund programs which benefit all the people (national defense, construction/repair of roadways, air traffic control).

Programs which only benefit a few people shouldn’t be funded by taxes (welfare, tuition payoffs, incentives which only benefit a minority of people). Those should be funded by charitable organizations funded with voluntary contributions.

Monetary policy is meant to limit the money supply to prevent superheating the economy with overly abundant amounts of money. But regrettably the President and the Department of the Treasury can authorize the printing of more money to increase the money supply because that kind of action is popular

My belief is that there should

Unparalleled Views

o nly be new money printed to replace the damaged bills which will have an equaling effect on the money supply. When the government manipulates the money supply by buying or selling bonds the natural market forces which keep t he economy balanced are then out of sync. Left alone. the market will and does balance itself out, but impatient politicians want to tinker with t he market to hurry the process which they then can take credit for doing something.

So, let’s take this discussion to real estate. The government bought up bonds to keep the mortgage interest rates artificially low to make home purchasing easier for more people. When the government quit purchasing bonds, mortgage interest rates climbed sharply.

The governmental decision to buy bonds set up the current inflationary spike which has stubbornly held above target inflation rates. Trying to help the economy so politicians could boast about who helped right the economic ship, more long-term harm was done as we now have wages and salaries with significantly diminished buying power.

How do we then turn our economy around? Speaking simplistically, quit raising the Federal Funds rate trying to make inflation go away. Quit overspending at the Federal government level, quit adding dollars to the money supply, quit funding special interest programs; in other words, we need to live within our means.

The aggregate of these activities will put more money into people’s pockets, they will allow the government to lower taxes and make it easier for new home buyers to save for a down payment on the home that they want to purchase. Home prices aren’t going to go down but being able to save for a healthy down payment will create more home buyers.

Offered at $989,000

it now!

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10 acres of gorgeous land. Located between hills and is very private. Zoned A-2! It allows one single-family residence (SFR) per lot. An SFR can be a mobile home, modular, manufactured home, or traditional build. Enjoy the tranquility and great views for a great price. They will also allow a SOLAR farm (with approved CUP). Lots of potential here!

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UNBELIEVABLE OPPORTUNITY! Mountain top custom home estates and/or excellent mountain top transmitter tower location - run! You won’t want to miss this! TV, RADIO, CELL TOWER LOCATION or perfect for Contractor, Developer, Entrepreneur, Owner-Builder > Four ten-acre parcels with Southern California’s best views! City close / Country feel.

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Well Maintained

This very-well maintained family 2BD, 1BA gem is situated on a generous corner lot with dual gate RV access to the back yard from the rear, Interior has been updated with fresh paint, new fixtures, including recently replaced laminate wood flooring. Great family neighborhood in Hemet! Featuring central heating and air conditioning. No HOA.

Offered at $365,000

StatePoint Media Special to the Valley News

A new survey reveals a pervasive fear of bugs among Americans. This is bad news considering that the average home has more than 100 kinds of bugs living in it.

According to a Proctor & Gamble survey, 71% of Americans suffer from what Zevo calls “bugxiety.” Much more than a mere nuisance, many respondents confessed to extreme reactions and big emotions after a bug sighting.

But you don’t have to live in fear. Here’s your five-part plan for handling insects and achieving a sense of calm:

1. For round-the-clock protection, use strategically placed Zevo Flying Insect Traps in the kitchen, garage and areas where doors and windows are open and closed frequently.

2. Seal cracks around windows and doors. It’s a cost-effective, DIY project to keep bugs out.

3. Wash up after meals. Regularly sweep and vacuum to prevent crumbs.

4. Make a thick line of used coffee grinds around your home’s perimeter. Not only will it naturally prevent ant invasions, it’s beneficial mulch for your garden, too.

5. Apply Zevo On-Body repellent before heading outdoors for peace of mind and up to 8 hours of protection from mosquitos and ticks.

To learn more, visit zevoinsect. com or follow the conversation on Facebook and Instagram with the #ZEVOit hashtag.

While bugs are an inevitable part of life, having a plan to handle them

Prep football is back, teams ready for Zero Week action

Scrimmages show strengths, weaknesses for area teams

JP Raineri Sports Editor

Prep football is always all the rage on campus and in communities large and small, especially leading up to that first home game, which packs the house. Preseason scrimmages then offer a real gauge of progress. This past weekend offered glimpses of a high school football season soon to consume a lot of lives. Teams throughout Southwest Riverside County and beyond engaged in full contact scrimmages, against other teams. The intent involved simulated game-like situations in an effort to fine tune their blocking, tackling, passing, catching, kicking, and running skills.

The point of prep football is to foster team building and bonding, to deal with challenges and adversity, to come together for a common goal. And there is one other major factor. Football needs to stay fun because it’s such a great game, though it’s never easy.

Many young players now are worried about getting scholarship offers or which college coaches follow them on social media. They’re living at a higher stress level than needed. Plus, there is always the added factor for families due to injuries related to CTE (Chronic traumatic encephalopathy), which is a progressive and fatal brain disease associated with repeated traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), including

concussions and repeated blows to the head, or, the now worrisome Damar Hamlin injury, in which the Buffalo Bills player went into cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a game on Jan. 2 of this year.

The exact diagnosis doctors gave Hamlin was called commotio cordis, which is when something hitting an athlete’s chest directly over the heart can cause cardiac arrest and ventricular fibrillation, which has been the leading cause of death of youth athletes across all sports. So, scrimmages are essential in a coaches regimen.

Seeing where their athletes have made progress from a spring and summer filled with workouts and practices only helps keep anxiety levels stable for parents who enjoy watching their kids do something they love.

As the school year gets closer to starting coaches know it is a big deal to hand out helmets and then to hand out jerseys before these scrimmages take place.

Those items are the early rewards of grinding through everything it took to get to this point. Some players sleep with a helmet next to their bed. Some try to convince mother or father it’s OK to wear a jersey to church. Such items are treasured because not everyone is a star and not everyone is a starter… but everyone can be part of the team, and nothing signifies “team” more than gear and apparel. So, when you see a player donning

their jersey, congratulate them on what it took to achieve that goal.

The real fun starts Aug. 1719 with season openers in Zero Week. That’s when the product starts to look more genuine with student rooting sections filling the stands, the marching band and cheerleaders adding to the pageantry and fans of all ages squeezing in together.

Zero Week games have become increasingly popular since this first game results in a bye-week somewhere during the preseason, leading to a week off, which gives everyone a breath of fresh air in the grand scheme of things.

It also gives the banged-up guys a week off to heal, and it gives teams an extra week of preparation for the next week’s football game. Most coaches and players always prefer getting the season started early since they have been working out all summer together and would much rather be lining up across from someone else other than their own teammate. This season the Valley News Sports Department will be teaming up with Inland Sports and will be on the sidelines at as many games as we can be, but due to print space and manpower, it may be in more of a limited coverage area. If your team is not getting the coverage they deserve, please share photos and stats by utilizing the contact information at the end

see FOOTBALL, page C-3

2023 Amateur MLB Draftees, local update

collegiate eligibility, he can sign at any time up until one week prior to next year’s Draft.

Draft-and-follow picks, high school and junior college players selected after the 10th round who attend a two-year college after the Draft, can sign with their selecting teams for up to $250,000 up until a week before the following year’s Draft.

Each choice in the first 10 rounds comes with an assigned monetary value, with the total for a club’s selections equaling what it can spend in those rounds without incurring a penalty. If a player taken in the top ten rounds does not sign, his pick’s value gets subtracted from his team’s pool.

Former Great Oak standout, Zach Arnold,

After an amateur player is drafted by a Major League Baseball team, he is given a period of a few weeks to negotiate a signing bonus and agree to a contract. Each club, and player, had until 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 25, to come to terms. If a player has exhausted his

In order to be eligible for the MLB first-year player draft, a player must be a resident of the United States or Canada and must have never previously signed a contract with an MLB franchise. Players can be drafted right after graduating from high school, but if they have already begun to attend a 4-year university they must wait until after their third year or 21st birthday in order to take part in the draft.

Even though this year’s 20-round

MLB draft has concluded, many organizations continued to add college talent as nondrafted free agents. NDFAs can sign deals up to $125,000. After being limited to $20,000 per contract in 2020 and 2021, the maximum amount a player can sign an NDFA deal for and not count against a team’s bonus pool raised to $125,000 in 2022. In 2023 that number rose again to $150,000 before the bonus counts against the pool. High School players selected in the draft usually have a bit more leeway in bargaining for more money since they are picked at an earlier age than most.

Once signed, players will report to their organizations sprint training complex, either in Arizona, or Florida. There, they will begin instructional workouts and playing in intrasquad games, which then leads to work in the complex leagues, the ACL (Arizona Complex League), or the FCL (Florida Complex League). A good showing in the ACL or FCL, also known as Rookie ball, could get a player called up to start their minor league career, which see DRAFT, page C-2

Great Oak got in a preseason football scrimmage against Heritage Saturday, Aug. 12. Valley News/Rob Davis Photography

Linfield head coach, DeChon Burns, gives one of his players instructions during the Lions scrimmage against Escondido High School Saturday, Aug. 12. Valley News/Rob Davis Photography

The Great Oak Wolfpack took on Heritage Saturday, Aug. 12, in a preseason football scrimmage. Valley News/Rob Davis Photography

who played this past college season at the University of Houston, was called up to Single-A earlier this month by the Clearwater Threshers, after being drafted by the Phillies in July. Valley News/Courtesy photo

JP Raineri Sports Editor

The 2023 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft wrapped up Tuesday, July 11, where a total of 614 selections were made over a three-day

process. While the Pittsburgh Pirates selected LSU’s Paul Skenes as the No. 1 overall pick, a slot worth $9.7 million, there were still plenty of dollar signs surrounding the other 613 draftees, including the local talent that was selected from Southwest Riverside County.

Prep volleyball preview for area teams

Derryl Trujillo

Sports Writer

MURRIETA - Another girls volleyball season opened up last weekend with tournament action as stars graduated and a pair of notable coaching changes occurred. Let’s take a look at the upcoming season as the 2023-34 school year gets underway.

CIF-SS Preseason Coaches

Watchlist:

Defending CIF-SS division two champion Vista Murrieta along with fellow Southwestern League member Chaparral find themselves on the combined Divisions One and Two watchlist. Teams on this combined list, which consists of Southern Section volleyball powers, will not find out their playoff divisional placement until mid-October.

Also making the Division Five watchlist are Rancho Christian (a quarterfinalist in Division Six last season) and Temescal Canyon. In Division Six, Linfield

Christian makes the preseason watchlist for the first time in Dana Ortiz’ tenure. The Lions have reached four straight CIF-SS postseasons after missing nine in a row and after winning back-toback titles under former coach Eric Hawes in ‘18 and ‘19.

After last year’s run to the CIF-SS division eight semifinals Orange Vista earned a spot on the Division Seven watchlist.

Perennial small school powers California Lutheran and Temecula Prep also earned spots in Division Eight.

Pumas off to hot start in ‘23’24:

It was an offseason of change at Chaparral as Gale Johnson resigned and Gretchen Johnson was named interim coach. However, despite that and the graduations of Bella Rittenberg and Makai Ford, they have not missed a beat.

At the preseason Queens Court tournament held Saturday, Aug. 5, and Sunday, Aug. 6, in Orange County, they made it to the tournament’s championship match before falling against Corona Del Mar. In pool play they defeated Mayfield (Pasadena), Fountain Valley (Huntington Beach), and Shadow Hills (Indio) along with Crescenta Valley in an out of pool match on Saturday. In bracket play on Sunday, they defeated Canyon (Anaheim), Sunny Hills (Fullerton), and Redlands (last year’s tournament winners) before falling to the Sea Queens.

Then in an opening day tournament in Fontana which was hosted by AB Miller on Saturday, Aug. 12, they brought home the title, defeating Big VIII League member Corona in semifinal action.

Ivy League Preview: Riverside Poly and Paloma Valley shared the league title last year at 7-1 as five set matches were prevalent throughout the league. Rancho Christian, after rolling to a Sunbelt League title and CIF-SS division six quarterfinal appearance in their first Raincross Conference season moves to the top league, while Heritage moves down to the Sunbelt.

Poly lost star player Kayden Croy to graduation while Paloma Valley lost setter Ashley Stoyer along with Alexa Rosales. Both sides should still be in the race for the title as they also return a lot. Poly will feature middle blocker Aurora Elder while the Wildcats return Mia Rosas along with Kamryn Anderson (sister of former Wildcat Madison Anderson who played on Paloma Valley’s CIF-SS runner up team in 2018). Anderson was a midseason callup who hit just shy of .200 in limited varsity action last year.

Rancho Christian graduated Ellie Nichols and Mariah Hughes as they make the move forward to Ivy League competition.

Hemet is on their third coach in the last four seasons as Daniel Sisson was not retained and Allison Rozell has taken over the program. Kaycee Blanton will be the Bulldogs top returning offensive weapon.

Meanwhile, at Elsinore, the Tigers made the playoffs but fell to Desert Christian Academy of Bermuda Dunes in an opening round division four matchup.

Havannah Vogel has graduated and moved onto Cal State LA but expect the Tigers to make

DRAFT from page C-1

consists of four more levels of play before making it to the big show. Those levels are Single-A, like the Lake Elsinore Storm for example, then High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. Single-A ball is the first step toward playing a legitimate professional season as a baseball player. It’s where players first have Spring Training and prepare themselves for a 140-game season

themselves known in the race somehow.

Southwestern League Preview: Vista Murrieta rolled to an undefeated league title and the CIF-SS division two title behind Claire Little who has since graduated and moved onto BYU. Madison Pulsipher returns for the Broncos and is expected to lead coach Ed Taitano’s offensive attack. As mentioned above, Chaparral is off to a nice start under interim coach Gretchen Johnson. Is it one they can sustain heading into league play? Murrieta Valley earned runner up honors at 6-4 a year ago but fell to Trinity League member JSerra in an opening round playoff match. As the Southwestern League’s fourth place team Temecula Valley made an unexpected run to the division two quarterfinals but lost Aubrey Beaver to graduation. At Murrieta Mesa Patrick Villanueva looks

stretching just over 5 months. Players coming straight out of high school are usually assigned to Low-A (Rookie) while college players, especially ones who come out of major college programs, can start their first full season at High-A.

Eric Bitonti from Aquinas High School netted the most worth as a semi-local drafted player after being picked in the third round by the Milwaukee Brewers, a slot value worth almost $800,000.

Bitonti and the Brewers came to terms, agreeing on a signing bonus worth $1.75 million. Bitonti is currently playing in the ACL with a .280 batting average that consists of 7 hits in 25 at-bats, with 2 homeruns. Another semilocal player is Luke Scherrer of Yucaipa, who signed as a NDFA to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Scherrer signed for $150,000 and has so far only played in one game in the FCL.

Former Great Oak standout Zach Arnold, who was drafted out of high school in 2019 to the Baltimore Orioles in the 34th round (back when the draft was 40 rounds, prior to Covid). Arnold chose to go to LSU, before transferring to Houston two years ago and was picked up this year in the 14th round by the Philadelphia Phillies. Arnold agreed to a $150,000 contract and after a short stint in the FCL, he was called up to Single-A on Aug. 4, and as of Monday, Aug. 14, has 10 hits in 30 at-bats, hitting .368

season. Michaela Augustine and Sarah Wilson both graduate as the Pack look to continue positive momentum after Mark Motluck’s departure for Chaparral.

Derryl Trujillo can be reached at socaltrekkie@gmail.com

Rancho Christian made a run to the CIF-SS division six quarterfinals and was moved up to the Ivy League for 2023. Valley News/Courtesy photo to make some progress after a winless league campaign a year ago. With seventeen total wins a year ago Great Oak was able to at-large petition their way into the playoffs before falling to Foothill in coach Hannah Schaffer’s first

for the Clearwater Threshers.

Two Temecula Valley alumni in Cole Urman, and recent graduate, Adler Cecil, are the remaining local names cited from this year’s draft. Urman graduated in 2019 and was a junior on the Cal State Fullerton baseball team and was taken as the 481st overall pick in the 16th round by the Baltimore Orioles. Cecil, a lefty pitcher and 2023 graduate was taken in the 19th round by the San Diego Padres as overall pick No. 581. Urman signed for $150,000, while Cecil signed for $175,000. Neither have been assigned to play out of training and instructs yet.

Minor League games play out through the third week of September, at which point in time the playoffs begin for those teams still in the mix. After the season ends, players don’t report back until the following spring, when training camp starts over again.

JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia. com

Vista Murrieta won a CIF-SS Division two championship a season ago behind Claire Little who has since graduated and moved onto BYU. Valley News/Butch Owens photo

Chaparral won the AB Miller Steeltown Classic on Saturday, Aug. 12, in Fontana, continuing an impressive first two weeks under new coach Gretchen Johnson. Valley News/Courtesy photo

Murrieta’s

Pease named Women’s Professional Fastpitch Pitcher of the Year

Derryl Trujillo

Sports Writer

MURRIETA – For some athletes the jump from college star to successful professional athlete is a bridge too far. In 2023 former Murrieta Mesa starting pitcher Autumn Pease proved it wasn’t that daunting of a task for her.

After completing her collegiate

eligibility at the University of Minnesota she signed with the Texas Smoke as Women’s Professional Fastpitch’ 10th pick of their 2023 draft class and proceeded to shine, winning their Pitcher of the Year award as announced on Tuesday, Aug. 8.

Pease led the Smoke with 90.2 regular season innings worked and was 7-3 in decisions with a 2.47

ERA as they won the regular season championship. She struck out 56 batters and allowed just 71 hits. She also led the postseason tournament in innings thrown with 15 while recording a 2.33 ERA with an additional 11 strikeouts. As a team the Smoke won the inaugural league tournament after defeating USSSA Pride 14-2 on Sunday, Aug. 13, in game two of the best of three

Murrieta’s Autumn Pease prepares to throw a pitch in Women’s Professional Fastpitch Championship game action on Sunday, Aug. 13 in Oxford, Alabama. Valley News/Courtesy: Women’s Professional Fastpitch

championship series in Oxford, Alabama. In that start Pease held the Pride to two runs while striking out seven, allowing two hits and also walking a pair in a complete game.

In high school Pease was also the winning pitcher for Murrieta Mesa’s 2018 CIF-SS Division 3 championship team which defeated Hart on Zoey Clark’s

walk off homer. Prior to her time at Minnesota, she also spent a season at Idaho State where she logged 121.2 innings of work with a 2.36 ERA earning co-freshman of the year honors in the Big Sky Conference along with second team All-Big Sky honors.

Derryl Trujillo can be reached via email at socaltrekkie@gmail. com

Longboarders flock to Huntington Beach for top-tier surfing tour

JP Raineri

Sports Editor

The Huntington Beach Longboard Classic was the first stop on the World Surf League’s Longboard tour for 2023, creating a one-of-a-kind festival atmosphere for the world’s top longboarders. Taking place Saturday, July 29 - Sunday, Aug. 6, the men’s, and women’s finals had an unusual twist as Hawaiian cousins Kaniela Stewart (15.73) and Kelis Kaloepa’a (14.14) were the winners in the event. Kelis started the season as the women’s No.2 ranked longboard surfer in the world before her victory. Women’s Final: 1. Kelis Kaleopa’a - 14.14; 2. Honolua Bloomfield - 13.73.

Kaniela Stewart’s victory in the men’s final was a bit of redemption after falling short last year to this year’s runner up

designed to make travel more accessible for athletes to compete. The 2023 locations include celebrated events and point-

Kaniela Stewart won the men’s division of The Huntington Beach Longboard Classic, which took place Saturday, July 29 - Sunday, Aug. 6. Valley News/David Canales photos

breaks from around the world. More information can be found online at www.worldsurfleague. com.

JP Raineri can be reached by email at sp orts@reedermedia. com

of this article.

Opening weekend schedule for high school football season for Southern Section teams in our include:

Zero Week

Thursday, Aug. 17 (all games at 7 p.m., unless otherwise noted)

NONLEAGUE

Elsinore at Grand Terrace

Lakewood at Orange Vista

Vista Murrieta at Great Oak

Friday, Aug. 18

NONLEAGUE

California Military Institute at Anza Hamilton Chaparral at San Clemente Citrus Hill at Redlands

Maranatha at Lakeside, 6 p.m.

Morningside at Perris Nuview Bridge at Ocean View

Pacific at West Valley Rancho Cucamonga at Murrieta

Valley Rancho Mirage at Hemet San Jacinto at Beaumont

Tahquitz at Chaffey

Temecula Valley at Charter Oak

Temescal Canyon at Paloma

Valley

Tesoro at Murrieta Mesa

Valley View at Winchester

Liberty

INTERSECTIONAL

Maranatha Christian at Linfield

Christian Rancho Christian at Layton (Utah) Christian Academy

Steele Canyon at Heritage 6/8/9-MAN

Saturday, Aug. 19

NONLEAGUE

Santa Rosa Academy vs. San Jacinto Valley Academy at Mt. San Jacinto College, noon

*All stats, schedules, photos and scores are supplied by local high school athletic directors, MaxPreps, CIF-SS offices, contributing writers/photographers and countless fans of the games via social media. Is your team’s score missing? Let us know if your school is inside our coverage area and would like to be mentioned.

JP Raineri can be reached by email at sp orts@reedermedia. com

Murrieta’s Autumn Pease throws a pitch in Women’s Pro Fastpitch action for the Texas Smoke. Valley News/Texas Smoke courtesy photo Murrieta Mesa graduate Autumn Pease throws a pitch in collegiate action for the University of Minnesota. Valley News/Minnesota Athletic Communications

Kelis Kaleopa’a was the female winner of The Huntington Beach Longboard Classic, which took place Saturday, July 29 - Sunday, Aug. 6.

Taylor Jensen. Men’s Final: 1. Kaniela Stewart - 15.73; 2. Taylor Jensen - 12.43. The season’s timeframe is

Linfield’s Isaac Moreno runs the ball downfield in a scrimmage against Escondido High School Saturday, Aug. 12. Valley News/Rob Davis Photography photos

Former Atlanta Falcon running back, Ricky Ortiz, seen here going over a play with one of his athletes, has joined the coaching staff at Linfield Christian School.

A Great Oak player runs the ball in a preseason football scrimmage against Heritage Saturday, Aug. 12.

FOOTBALL from page C-1

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine welcomes Rakhi Ratanjee of Winchester of the Class of 2027 at special white Coat ceremony

SCRANTON, Penn. – Rakhi Ratanjee of Winchester received the symbol of the medical profession at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine’s 15th annual White Coat Ceremony. The event welcoming the school’s class of 2027 was held Saturday, Aug. 5, in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

“The White Coat Ceremony is a highlight of the academic year at our medical school,” Dr. Julie Byerley, president and dean of Geisinger Commonwealth, said. “Welcoming these new students and watching them take their first step of initiation into the medical profession is always a joy. And because almost half of this incoming class are members of the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program, we are greeting a large number of future Geisinger physicians who will care for our communities. That’s another great reason to celebrate today.” The class of 2027’s 115 future doctors participated in a ceremony, held in common with virtually every other medical school in the nation, designed to welcome new medical students into the profession. Students recited an oath acknowledging

their responsibilities as future physicians and their obligations to future patients. Then they were cloaked with the white coat – the mantle of the medical profession. White coats were provided by The Stanley J. Dudrick, M.D., and Alan G. Goldstein Endowed Fund.

Dr. Lawrence Sampson presented the Dr. Lester Saidman Memorial Lecture, named in honor of the respected physician and educator from Luzerne County. Sampson is chief of the Section of Vascular Surgery at Guthrie. Over the years, surgical residents and medical students have recognized his excellence as an educator with numerous teaching awards, including outstanding faculty mentor in 2021.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine is a member of the Geisinger family.

Geisinger Commonwealth offers a community-based model of medical education with campuses in Danville, Doylestown, Scranton, Sayre and WilkesBarre in Pennsylvania. Geisinger Commonwealth offers Doctor of Medicine and Master of Biomedical Sciences. The college’s innovative curriculum, focused on

A lesson worth sharing

are killed each year during school travel. These are preventable deaths.

Many school districts have started back to school, and for many students back to school brings a lot of emotions. Throw in the heat the region is experiencing, and everyone including parents becomes more agitated. So, families can make back school less stressful and safe for everyone by exercising their patience and common-sense. As an adult, the back-to-school season brings another warning. Morning and afternoon commutes will now involve throngs of students walking, bicycling, driving or riding buses to and from school. With all the distractions and extra people on the road, it’s important to use extra caution while driving in school zones. Use the following information to spread the word of safety in your community: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that 75 school-age pedestrians

Protect everyone by reviewing these safety reminders.

It is illegal to pass a school bus that is stopped to load or unload children. School buses use yellow flashing lights to alert motorists that they are preparing to stop to load or unload children. Red flashing lights and an extended stop sign arm signals to motorists that the bus is stopped, and children are getting on or off the bus. The area 10 feet around a school bus is where children are in the most danger of being hit. Stop your car far enough from the bus to allow children the necessary space to safely enter and exit the bus.

Be alert. Children walking to or from their bus are usually very comfortable with their surroundings. It makes them more likely to take risks, ignore hazards or fail to look both ways when crossing the street. Drivers should not block the crosswalk when stopped at a red light or waiting

to make a turn. Do not stop with a portion of your vehicle over the crosswalk. In a school zone when a warning flasher or flashers are blinking, you must stop to yield the right of way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a marked crosswalk or at an intersection with no marked crosswalk.

Remember: Children are the least predictable pedestrians and the most difficult to see. Take extra care to look out for children not only in school zones, but also in residential areas, playgrounds, and parks.

Don’t honk your horn, rev your engine, or do anything to rush or scare a pedestrian in front of your car, even if you have the legal right of way.

Sam DiGiovanna is a 35-year fire service veteran. He started with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, served as fire chief at the Monrovia Fire Department and currently serves as chief at the Verdugo Fire Academy in Glendale.

Pennsylvania, as well as from across the state and the nation.

Geisinger Commonwealth is committed to non-discrimination in all employment and educational opportunities. Visit http://www.

geisinger.edu/gcsom. Submitted

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine.

The Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine presents 115 new future doctors with the symbol of the medical profession at its 15th annual White Coat Ceremony and welcomes the school’s class of 2027, Saturday, Aug. 5, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Valley News/Courtesy photo caring for people in the context of their lives and their community, attracts the next generation of physicians and scientists from within its 17-county region in northeastern and north central

Sabrina Olomi inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma honor society

IRVINE, Texas – Sabrina

Olomi of Temecula, a top business undergraduate student in the University of Dallas Gupta College of Business, was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society in May. It is the highest recognition a business student anywhere can receive in a program accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

The Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business at the University of Dallas has been a pioneer of graduate business education for more than 50 years. Located in Irving, Texas, the college was the first in Texas to offer an AACSB-Accredited Doctor of Business Administration, in addition to Master of Business Administration, Master of Science, Bachelor of Arts and many professional education programs, making it one of the most popular choices among Dallas/Fort Worth’s

business leaders. SB Hall, which opened in January 2016, houses the college, providing students with state-of-the-art technology and practical tools to prepare them for their future career. For more information, visit http://udallas. edu/cob.

The University of Dallas is the premier Catholic liberal arts university in the country, known for its rigorous undergraduate core curriculum and robust graduate and professional programs in business, ministry, education and the humanities. With campuses in Texas and Italy, University of Dallas stands apart as a thriving community of lifelong learners committed to an education that forms students intellectually, socially and spiritually for a life well-lived. For more information, visit http://udallas.edu. Submitted by University of Dallas.

Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

Special to the Valley News

SBA announces major changes to its disaster lending program

WASHINGTON – SBA

Administrator Isabella Casillas

Guzman announced the agency finalized a rule to increase support to disaster survivors and small businesses needing relief following a federally declared disaster recently. The rule becomes effective for all disasters declared on or after July 31, 2023.

“The Biden-Harris administration has prioritized maximizing resources for disaster survivors so that they can successfully recover and build resilience to the effects of climate change that have led to more frequent and costly natural disasters,” Guzman said. “The SBA’s disaster loan program rule modifications will ensure more flexible and affordable disaster loans are available for small businesses, nonprofits, renters, and homeowners that will allow them to focus on recovering quickly so their communities can survive and thrive again.”

The SBA is also expanding its mitigation assistance to other types of hazards beyond the declared disaster event. Communities are often under threat from multiple types of hazards, including hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, wildfires, earthquakes and more. The announcement will ensure that property owners can use their disaster loan funds to rebuild stronger and more resilient against

multiple types of hazards and not just against a single threat.

“For the first time in nearly 30 years, accounting for decades of inflation and rising construction costs, SBA is more than doubling the caps for its home disaster loan program. Increasing the loan limits ensures that communities across America have access to sufficient funding to help them rebuild homes, replace personal property, and reopen businesses when disasters strike,” Bailey DeVries, associate administrator for investment and innovation and acting associate administrator for capital access, said.

Extended payments

In 2022, Guzman announced that SBA would waive the interest rate for the first year and extend the initial payment deferment period automatically to 12 months for disasters declared on or after Sept. 21, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2023. The announcement makes this change permanent and means SBA will continue to provide much needed relief to disaster loan borrowers by waiving interest and payments for the first year for all disaster loans beyond Sept. 30, 2023.

“SBA’s bold new actions continue to reshape our disaster enterprise by unleashing more capital to help devastated communities rebuild and expanding avenues

to mitigate against future damage in the face of increasingly frequent and catastrophic disasters,” Francisco Sánchez Jr., associate administrator of SBA’s Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience, said. “While bringing the whole of SBA to the effort and inextricably tying recovery to resilience, SBA’s team is also boosting its presence in the field to lead from the ground up and ensure we are meeting the priorities of each community.”

Key changes being announced by the SBA include increased loan limits for primary residence: $200,000 to $500,000 for real estate repair or replacement, contractor malfeasance, refinancing and mitigation for home disaster loans; increased loan limits for personal property: $40,000 to $100,000 for replacement of clothing, furniture, appliances, automobiles and more for home disaster loans and removed administrative limit on landscaping: Landscaping will be limited to the overall real estate repair limit and not capped at $5,000.

Increased deferrals

Changes also include increasing the initial payment deferral period: Extending the first payment deferment period from five to 12 months for all disaster loans. This change removes the burden for disaster survivors to begin making payments on their disaster loans before communities rebuild

and recover.

No interest will be accrued for the first 12 months. Waives interest accrual for the first year from the date of the initial disbursement for all disaster loans. This change ensures the payment deferral offers a true reprieve as all loans will not accrue interest during deferment. This change reduces the overall cost of the loan to better support full recovery for disaster survivors.

Disaster mitigation loans

It will include mitigation disaster loans which eliminates a restriction on property owners to only use disaster loan funds to mitigate a “similar” disaster event that caused damage to their home or business. This change gives property owners more options to mitigate future damage from different types of disasters, reducing the need for future financial assistance. Keep in mind the collateral requirements. SBA is clarifying collateral requirements in the disaster loan program under which blanket liens on business assets that provide no liquidity in the event of default will not be required.

It gives SBA more discretion to determine the collateral required for disaster loans. It will reduce the documents required to request reconsideration by removing the requirement that businesses submit financial

statements with every reconsideration or appeal request for a previously declined application.

Currently, SBA requires business loan applicants to provide current financial statements, even if their applications were not declined for lack of repayment ability.

It will expand eligibility to consumer or marketing cooperatives. This change aligns disaster lending with SBA’s 7(a) and 504 business loan programs and allows these cooperatives to apply for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs.

A go-to resource

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit http://www.sba.gov.

Submitted by U.S. Small Business Administration.

How small businesses can manage cashflow to thrive in 2023

StatePoint Media Special to the Valley News

Intelligent cashflow management is the essential fuel of startups and digital businesses, particularly in a challenging economy. According to experts, it can mean the difference between surviving, thriving and failure.

“Poor cashflow management will kill your business. In fact, it’s killed some of the biggest businesses in the world. No matter how fast you’re growing, you could be destined for the startup graveyard if your outgoings exceed your revenues,” says Dominic Wells, serial entrepreneur and CEO and founder of Onfolio Holdings, a leading online conglomerate that acquires and manages a diversified portfolio of online business holdings.

To help startups and digital businesses not only survive a downturn, but remain profitable while accelerating growth, Wells is sharing some top actionable insights for the current moment:

1. Know that capital is harder to secure. While during periods of low interest rates, it was possible to burn through capital, that’s no longer the case. “Don’t assume you can just raise more money. Investors are

avoiding businesses that aren’t already cashflow positive,” says Wells.

2. Change your priorities. Founders must review spending line items and identify the areas generating the greatest returns. Double down on those. Cut or reduce your spending elsewhere.

3. Focus on short-term growth. Certainty beats speculation right now and investors are choosing businesses that will generate near-term certainty with monthly recurring revenue over those with potential long-term growth.

4. Make profitability your number one goal. Aim to be profitable enough to pay yourself a decent

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salary, cover business overheads and keep cash in reserve. If you’re looking for a buyer or investor, have solid numbers to show them. In Onfolio’s case, the investment criteria are established businesses generating annual profits over $500,000 in sectors and niches with high-growth potential. Without the metrics to support why you deserve funding, investors and buyers aren’t lurking around the next corner, ready to leap out with a check.

“It’s not easy to execute, but your goal is simple. Keep asking yourself, ‘are we profitable?’ If the answer is no, do everything you can to get there quickly,” says Wells.

5. Become more financially secure. At a time when many operations are cutting costs, making your service indispensable to customers so that they stay with you, or even spend more money, can help make you more financially secure. It’s time to deploy strategies and technology that generate more revenue from your current customers. For example, if you’re a website owner

without a subscription upsell, now is the time to implement one. For more tips and insights and to learn more about digital company acquisition, visit onfolio.com. “New challenges arise for small business owners and digital companies during downturns,” says Wells. “Being savvy about the current climate can mean not just your survival, but your continued success.”

TEMECULA – Interested in learning how to wisely budget, invest, and save? Whether you are a novice when it comes to finances or would simply like to learn how to competently diversify your portfolio, the library has a program that will fit your money needs – and your wallet.

The Ronald H. Roberts Temecula Public Library, 30600 Pauba Road, will feature a free presentation Thursday, Aug. 24, from 6-7:30 p.m. about the required steps to move toward financial success.

With professional support from program presenter Martin Vega,

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business development officer for Altura Credit Union, participants will gain pivotal financial literacy skills that are necessary to survive the modern economic landscape. Sponsored by the Friends of the Temecula Libraries this program is open to attendees aged 18 and older. Light refreshments will be served. Registration is required for this event.

For a full list of programs and offerings at the Ronald H. Roberts Temecula Public Library, visit http://TemeculaCA.gov/Library. Submitted by the Ronald H. Roberts Temecula Public Library.

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10 Steps to Financial Success program to take place at the Ronald H. Roberts Temecula Public Library

Highway Updates

Caltrans eyes beginning work on the Hemet area State Route 74 corridor improvement project

Tony Ault Staff Writer

The California Department of Transportation is beginning work in the Hemet area with a $51.6 million corridor improvement project on the State Route 74 (Florida Ave.) A repaving and rehabilitation project is coming very soon. Barriers have been erected to separate the eastbound lanes on Highway 74 along with flashing warning signs in the Valle Vista area signaling the project will be starting very soon.

The project will include 49 lane miles to install traffic Management Systems (TMS), upgrade curb ramps, sidewalks and driveways to Americans with Disabilities Act standards, enhance bike lane signage and striping, and upgrade

29 bus pads within the project parameters. Weather permitting.

Crews will be working in and near Hemet on SR-74 from Winchester Road to Fairview Avenue in Valle Vista with a project length of 11.2 miles. Work will occur Mondays through Fridays from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., with occasional weekend work. The highway will remain open for the duration of the project. Flagging operations will be primarily during the nighttime. Radar detection signs will be in place. Expect delays up to 15 minutes.

Murrieta and Wildomar

Caltrans will be working on Interstate 15 to upgrade curb ramps in Murrieta, from Murrieta Hot Springs Road to Bundy Canyon Road through August 18. The nighttime work will occur Thursday (Aug. 17) through

Memorial services announced for fallen firefighters

City News Service

Special to the Valley News

Separate memorial services were announced for the three men who died in a helicopter collision while battling a brush fire in Cabazon earlier this month.

Fire Assistant Chief Josh Bischof, 46, Fire Captain Tim Rodiguez, 44, and contract Cal Fire pilot Tony Sousa, 55, were killed when two Cal Fire helicopters collided in midair while working on the Broadway Fire on Aug. 6.

The ceremonies will be held on the following dates, according to Cal Fire officials:

Rodriguez’s memorial service will be held Aug. 21 at the Ontario Convention Center at 2000 E. Convention Center in Ontario; Bischof’s memorial service will be held Aug. 24 at the Toyota Arena, 4000 Ontario Center in Ontario; Sousa’s memorial service will be held Aug. 25 at a private lakeside ceremony in Gerber in Tehama County, California.

The specific times will be released at a later date.

“The Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department mourns the tragic loss of three esteemed firefighters, who valiantly served our communities,” the department said in a statement Sunday.

Sousa lived in Red Bluff, California, and worked as a pilot

for Air Shasta in Redding.

The collision involved a Sikorsky S-64E helicopter and a Bell 407 helicopter, causing the deaths of all three members inside the Bell helicopter. The crash happened at about 6:55 p.m. on Aug. 6 near Pipeline Road and Apache Trail, according to the National Transportation Safety Board and Riverside County sheriff’s officials.

“While engaged in the firefight, two helicopters collided. The first helicopter was able to land safely nearby. Unfortunately, the second helicopter crashed and, tragically, all three members perished,” Cal Fire Southern Region Chief David Fulcher said in a media briefing after the deaths.

“Our hearts are broken at the loss of our colleagues, mentors, and friends. Josh and Tim were exceptional firefighters and people. We grieve with their families and loved ones, and our prayers are with them,” Cal Fire Riverside Chief Bill Weiser said in a statement.

The NTSB, the Federal Aviation Administration and personnel from the helicopter manufacturers, Bell and Sikorsky, are all investigating the accident.

Federal investigators are encouraging anyone who might have information to contact them at witness@ntsb.gov

California Fire Foundation sets up relief fund for those impacted by wildfires in Maui

SACRAMENTO - The California Fire Foundation announced Sunday, Aug. 13 that it has set up a disaster relief fund to support the citizens and firefighters impacted by the recent wildfire in Maui, Hawaii.

The California Fire Foundation is assisting Hawaii Fire Fighters Association, IAFF Local 1463, and the community to assess needs and directly distribute the aid to those hardest hit and in need of support.

Whether impacted by an unprecedented wildfire, mudslide, flood, earthquake or a global pandemic, the California Fire Foundation stands ready to help communities and the fire service when they need it most.

“Here at the California Fire Foundation, our mission is to support survivors, firefighters and communities affected by natural disasters,” said Rick Martinez, Executive Director of the California Fire Foundation, who is on the ground assisting FEMA in Maui. “We have a deep appreciation for what the community is going through, and we recognize the cultural significance of the area impacted by the fire. Partnering with Hawaii Fire Fighters Association, IAFF Local 1463, ensures those residents

Friday, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. The Friday work will end Saturday (Aug. 19) morning on I-15 North and South from Murrieta Hot Springs to Bundy Canyon Road. Work includes upgrading facilities to ADA standards. Work performed will include curb and gutter. Please note, various lane and ramp closures may occur in the project zone.

The city of Wildomar still has to sign off some of the work on Bundy Canyon until some construction deficiencies are remedied by the contractor who is working with the city. Most traffic signals on the side streets have been energized and the road remains open. Anza and Aguanga

Caltrans will begin work on a $5.2 million slurry seal and rumble strips maintenance project on State Route 371 (SR371) from

Aguanga through Anza. This project will involve dig outs, slurry seal operations, striping, and installation of safety rumble strips on the inside and outside of the lanes in both directions. Weather permitting.

The project was awarded to VSS International of Sacramento. Crews will be working in and near Aguanga and Anza on SR-371 from the junction of State Route 79 (SR-79) and SR 371 to the junction of SR-74 and SR-371. The project has a length of 20.67 miles. Construction began August 14. Work now will occur Mondays through Fridays from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. with occasional weekend work. Crews will be placing signs and mobilizing construction units. Traffic control: SR-371 will remain open for the duration of the project.

Banning Caltrans is still waiting for materials to begin work in the $4.9 million project to install Zero Emissions Charging Stations (ZEV) on Interstate I-10 at the Whitewater Rest Stop and other rest stops. Hours of operation: 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. No lane or ramp closures are expected on a regular basis but may take place intermittently to move equipment into the rest areas. The new ZEV charging stations will utilize a portion of the existing parking lot. Use caution when around the work area. Watch for signage alerting motorists of “potential” closure of the rest areas. The project is expected to be complete in the Summer of 2024 Tony Ault can be reached at tault@reedermedia.com

August is Child Support Awareness Month

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

– August is Child Support Awareness Month, recognized in California and nationwide. In partnership with the 47 county and regional child support offices, California Child Support Services understands that every co-parent has different wants and needs for their children, but all have the same shared goal: to see those children thrive.

The services available through California’s child support program have adapted and modernized in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Technological advances like virtual court hearings and

simplified online enrollment have made it easier for parents to access the services they need, and legislation putting the support of families front and center during difficult economic times has been solidified into permanent policy.

Ca lifornia Child Support Services is dedicated to assisting parents with services available to fathers, mothers and legal guardians, designed to be neutral, helpful and fair. Co-parents navigating the legal system of child support can enroll online or inquire at any of the 47 local agencies statewide for help with every phase of the process, including

adapting support orders to changed circumstances and in some cases, avoiding the court process entirely. During Child Support Awareness Month, it is important to remember that every family, in all their diverse shapes and sizes, has different wants and needs, but we all have the same shared goal: protecting and uplifting the generations of our future.

For more information about the programs available through California Child Support Services, visit http://www.RivCoDCSS.com Submitted by California Child Support Services.

San Diego Zoo Safari Park announces Elephant Valley, largest transformative project in 50-year history

SAN DIEGO – San Diego

and firefighters get and feel support from all of us in California.”

The California Fire Foundation’s wide variety of programs, from immediate assistance to long-term recovery, supports vital needs of those affected by natural disaster while being committed to the mission of providing emotional and financial assistance to families of fallen firefighters, firefighters, and the communities they protect across the state.

For more information on California Fire Foundation’s Maui Wildfire Relief Fund and how to support this vital program, visit https://www.cafirefoundation.org/ maui-wildfire-relief

The California Fire Foundation, a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization, provides emotional and financial assistance to families of fallen firefighters, firefighters, and the communities they protect. Formed in 1987 by California Professional Firefighters, the California Fire Foundation’s mission includes survivor and victim assistance programs and a range of community initiatives.To learn more, visit CAFi reFoundation. org

Submitted by the California Fire Foundation.

Zoo Wildlife Alliance announced construction is officially underway on the largest and most transformative project in the San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s 50-year history. The all-new Denny Sanford Elephant Valley will reimagine the heart of the Safari Park, turning the current elephant environment into a dynamic savanna and a place of exploration. Elephant Valley will give guests of all ages the opportunity to connect with elephants like never before, encouraging greater empathy, understanding and appreciation of this majestic species – and igniting a passion for wildlife.

“We are thrilled to announce Denny Sanford Elephant Valley, a first-of-its-kind immersive experience for visitors, to further connect the vital work happening here in San Diego to the collaborative elephant conservation initiatives we support in the field,” Paul A. Baribault, president and CEO of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, said. “Elephant Valley could not be achieved without the incredible community, donors, members and allies who support us and make all our conservation work possible with partners around the world.”

Surrounded by elephants on multiple sides, including from below via an overhead walkway with views of the herd passing through, guests will learn about the crucial role elephants have as ecosystem engineers and about their intricate social dynamics. Elephant Valley will provide guests with new insight into the role San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

pursues as a leader in wildlife conservation. It will highlight the organization’s world-changing partners and celebrate the vibrant cultures and local communities where people and elephants coexist.

At the center of the guest experience in Elephant Valley is a two-story lodge, inspired by the destinations frequented by travelers while on safari in Africa. This gathering place will provide opportunities to learn from educators about the aweinspiring wildlife of the region, while witnessing elephants wade in expansive watering holes. The rich plant life in Elephant Valley has been carefully curated by a team of expert horticulturists and arborists to authentically reflect the sights, sounds and smells of the African grasslands. The vast new habitat will provide enhanced experiences for the herd of elephants by introducing several innovative features that align with seasonal variations to closely replicate the African savanna year-round.

“As magnificent as elephants are, their future is equally fragile,”

Lisa Peterson, executive director of San Diego Zoo Safari Park, said. “We are honored to take millions of wildlife allies on a journey into the life of elephants, where they will learn about the positive impact everyone can have, and share in our hope for elephants worldwide. Elephant Valley will be a place where curiosity turns into discovery where anyone from ages 1 to 100 will experience breathtaking moments of wonder in nature. Our hope is that the defining memories you make here stay with you for a lifetime.”

The effects of climate change, challenges to human-wildlife coexistence, habitat loss and poaching are taking a toll on elephant populations. African savanna elephants are currently listed as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. Conserving African elephants has long been a top priority for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. The organization works closely with Save the Elephants, The Nature Conservancy, Northern Rangelands Trust, Kenya Wildlife Service and Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in Kenya for conservation of elephants. Scientific studies conducted in both Africa and with the elephant herds at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, provide a unique opportunity to increase the understanding of the species and help develop additional conservation solutions. Increasing knowledge of the complexity of elephant social behaviors and the understanding of their overall health needs has given San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and its partners valuable insight into what successful conservation outcomes look like for elephants.

“Elephants across Africa are facing immense challenges, which require all of us to collaborate and find sustainable conservation solutions for elephants and people,” Dr. Nadine Lamberski, veterinarian and chief conservation and wildlife health officer of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, said. “We are eager to witness the impact Elephant Valley will have on our continued elephant conservation efforts globally.”

Elephant Valley is funded by thousands of generous donors and longtime San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance supporter Denny Sanford. In addition to Elephant Valley, Sanford was the lead donor for Wildlife Explorers Basecamp at the San Diego Zoo, and for the educational television programing of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers, provided at hundreds of children’s hospitals, Ronald McDonald Houses and other facilities across the globe. Elephant Valley is expected to be completed in 2025. For more information and to make a donation, visit sdzsafaripark.org/elephantvalley Submitted by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

Elephant Valley at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park will bring guests closer to elephants through a new immersive experience. Valley News/Jaimie Wells photo

Former Trump admin official blasts Georgia DA Fani Willis over Trump indictment

floating around and blame the clerical system and the judicial officer in the clerk’s office for a mishap. She just said she has no idea how that indictment was presented and posted online. She just lied to the world,” Patel continued.

Harold Hutchison Reporter, The Daily

Caller

Former Trump administration official Kash Patel blasted Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis Monday over the Georgia grand jury indictment of former President Donald Trump, saying she “lied to the world.”

A grand jury in Fulton County,

Screenshot/Rumble/Fox News

Georgia, handed down 10 indictments Monday, charging Trump and other associates over Trump’s efforts to contest the 2020 election results in that state.

“She just lied to the universe. As the district attorney, your name, your stamp is on every single indictment,” Patel told Fox News host Trace Gallagher. “You do not have those copies of indictments

A document listing charges against Trump was posted on the website of the Fulton County courts Monday afternoon before being deleted. During a Monday night press conference, Willis claimed ignorance about the leak.

“That should tell you everything you need to know about her weaponized system of justice, her personal animosity toward Donald Trump, and the destruction of due process and the continued election rigging that goes on the state level,” Patel said.

“It was done with her approval through her hands and through all

of her assistant district attorneys,” Patel added. “She is responsible. She just lied to the world.”

Attorneys for former President Trump also blasted Willis over the leak.

“The events that have unfolded today have been shocking and absurd, starting with the leak of a presumed and premature indictment before the witnesses had testified or the grand jurors had deliberated and ending with the District Attorney being unable to offer any explanation,” Drew Findling, Jennifer Little and Marissa Goldberg said in a statement released by the Trump campaign. “In light of this major fumble, the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office clearly decided to force through and rush this 98-page indictment.”

“This one-sided grand jury presentation relied on witnesses

who harbor their own personal and political interests— some of whom ran campaigns touting their efforts against the accused and/or profited from book deals and employment opportunities as a result. We look forward to a detailed review of this indictment which is undoubtedly just as flawed and unconstitutional as this entire process has been,” the attorneys concluded.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@ dailycallernewsfoundation.org

Biden admin pushes Supreme Court to rule against red state laws blocking online censorship

Jason Cohen

Contributor, The Daily Caller

President Joe Biden’s administration in a Monday amicus brief pushed the Supreme Court to rule against Republicanled states’ laws that prevent online censorship.

Florida and Texas have enacted laws to stop Big Tech platforms from censoring content due to viewpoint, and the Biden administration asked for the Supreme Court to review them,

according to the brief. Specifically, the Biden administration requested for the Supreme Court to rule against the states’ laws and in favor of social media companies’ right to censor.

“The platforms’ contentmoderation activities are protected by the First Amendment,” U.S.

Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar wrote in the Biden administration’s brief. “Given the torrent of content created on the platforms, one of their central functions is to make choices about

which content will be displayed to which users, in which form and which order.”

Florida’s bill prohibits social media platforms from “willfully deplatform[ing] a candidate” for public office and enables Florida to fine a platform $250,000 per day, according to the brief. Texas’ bill broadly blocks platforms with more than 50 million monthly American users from engaging in viewpoint censorship, according to the brief. The bills are similar but not the

same, and the brief requests the Supreme Court to hear cases on both laws.

Western District of Louisiana Judge Terry A. Doughty granted a broad injunction preventing the Biden administration from colluding with social media companies to censor content in the free speech lawsuit Missouri v. Biden in July.

The White House and DOJ did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@ dailycallernewsfoundation.org

School district allowed to keep child gender transitions from parents, court rules

Reagan Reese

Contributor, The Daily Caller

A federal appeals court ruled Monday that a Maryland school district can continue to keep students’ gender transitions from their parents.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit dismissed a coalition of parents’ lawsuit against Montgomery County Public Schools alleging that the district’s gender support plan, which allows students to change their gender without their parents’ permission, infringes on parental rights. The court ruled that because none of the parents had children who were transgender or were utilizing a gender support plan, there was no harm that allows the court to act, documents show.

“We agree with the analysis of the dissenting judge that parents have a right to complain about this school policy because it allows the school to keep secret from parents how it is treating their child at school and that such policies violate parental rights,” Frederick Claybrook Jr., the attorney for the plaintiffs, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Parents do not have to wait until they find out that damage has been done in secret before they may complain.

Moreover, the policy just by being in place affects family dynamics, as the dissenting judge pointed out. We are actively considering next steps in the legal process.”

Montgomery County Public Schools’ gender support plan was adopted during the 20202021 school year to help students “feel comfortable expressing their gender identity,” according to the Monday opinion. The gender support plan allows students to record their change in name and pronouns while also detailing which bathrooms and locker rooms the student will correspond with their gender identity.

“MCPS [Montgomery County Public Schools] was successful in the challenge against our Gender Identity Guidelines,” a district spokesperson told the DCNF. “The appellate court returned the case to the district court and directed that it be dismissed. The case is resolved for now. MCPS supports the determination by the court.”

At least 350 students within the district have filled out a Gender Support Plan over the past three years to change their gender at school, The Washington Post reported. The school district said they were not trying to keep student gender transitions from parents but if the student wanted

privacy, “then we honor and respect that.”

“That does not mean their objections are invalid,” Judge A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. said in his opinion. “In fact, they may be quite persuasive. But, by failing to show any injury to themselves, the parents’ opposition … reflects a policy disagreement. And policy disagreements should be addressed to elected policymakers at the ballot box, not to unelected judges in the courthouse.”

Muslim, Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox Christian parents sued Montgomery County Public Schools in May after the school board alerted parents that they would no longer be notifying families of gender identity lessons and that parents would be unable to opt their children out of such lessons. The parents allege that the school district’s policy that prohibits them from opting their child out of LGBTQ lessons violates their religious beliefs and

their ability to raise their children. All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@ dailycallernewsfoundation.org

Biden influence peddling timeline report

Julie Reeder Publisher

This report is directly reprinted from the Congressional Commimttee on Oversight and Accountability.

Since taking the gavel in January, the Committee on Oversight and Accountability has accelerated its investigation of the Biden family’s domestic and international business practices to determine whether the Biden family has been targeted by foreign actors, President Biden is compromised, and our national security is threatened. Records obtained through the Committee’s subpoenas to date reveal that the Bidens and their associates have received over $20 million in payments from foreign entities. Below is a timeline that details key dates in our investigation.

The main points of interest are:

1) Romania: On September 28, 2015, Vice President Biden welcomed Romanian President Klaus Iohannis to the White House. Within five weeks of this meeting, a Romanian businessman involved with a high-profile corruption prosecution in Romania, Gabriel Popoviciu, began depositing a Biden associate’s bank account, which ultimately made their way into Biden family accounts. Popoviciu made sixteen of the seventeen payments, totaling over $3 million, to the Biden associate account while Joe Biden was Vice President. Biden family accounts ultimately received approximately $1.038 million. The total amount from Romania to the Biden family and their associates is over $3 million.

2) China- CEFC: On March

1, 2017—less than two months after Vice President Joe Biden left public office—State Energy HK Limited, a Chinese company, wired $3 million to a Biden

associate’s account. This is the same bank account used in the above “Romania” section. After the Chinese company wired the Biden associate account the $3 million, the Biden family received approximately $1,065,692 over a three-month period in different bank accounts. Additionally, the CEFC Chairman gives Hunter Biden a diamond worth $80,000. Lastly, CEFC creates a joint venture with the Bidens in the summer of 2017. The timeline lays out the “WhatsApp” messages and subsequent wires from the Chinese to the Bidens of $100,000 and $5 million. The total amount from China, specifically with CEFC and their related entities, to the Biden family and their associates is over $8 million.

3) China- Bohai Harvest RST Equity Investment Fund Management Co., Ltd. (BHR): More information will be provided in our upcoming Fourth Bank Memorandum.

4) Kazakhstan: On April 22, 2014, Kenes Rakishev, a Kazakhstani oligarch used his Singaporean entity, Novatus Holdings, to wire one of Hunter Biden’s Rosemont Seneca entities $142,300. The very next day— April 23, 2014—the Rosemont Seneca entity transferred the exact same amount of money to a car dealership for a car for Hunter Biden. Hunter Biden and Devon Archer would represent Burisma in Kazakhstan in May/ June of 2014 as the company attempted to broker a threeway deal among Burisma, the Kazakhstan government, and a Chinese state-owned energy company.

5) Ukraine: Devon Archer joined the Burisma board of directors in spring of 2014 and was joined by Hunter Biden shortly thereafter. Hunter Biden

joined the company as counsel, but after a meeting with Burisma owner Mykola Zlochevsky in Lake Como, Italy, was elevated to the board of directors in the spring of 2014. Both Biden and Archer were each paid $1 million per year for their positions on the board of directors. In December 2015, after a Burisma board of directors meeting, Zlochevsky and Hunter Biden “called D.C.” in the wake of mounting pressures the company was facing. Zlochevsky was later charged with bribing Ukrainian officials with $6 million in an attempt to delay or drop the investigation into his company. The total amount from Ukraine to the Biden family and their associates is $6.5 million.

6) Russia: On February 14, 2014, a Russian oligarch and Russia’s richest woman, Yelena Baturina, wired a Rosemont Seneca entity $3.5 million. On March 11, 2014, the wire was split up: $750,000 was transferred to Devon Archer, and the remainder was sent to Rosemont Seneca Bohai, a company Devon Archer and Hunter Biden split equally. In spring of 2014, Yelena Baturina joined Hunter Biden and Devon Archer to share a meal with then-Vice President Biden at a restaurant in Washington, D.C. The total amount from Russia to the Biden family and their associates is $3.5 million.

Beyond this timeline, if you find this story online at MyValleyNews.com , there are links to all the actual First, Second, and Third Bank Memorandums that provide detailed descriptions and show actual bank records and wires.

Here is a link to a complete timeline from 2009 to 2023.

https://oversight.house.gov/ the-bidens-influence-peddlingtimeline/

From the Heart Backpack Giveaway serves more than 350 students

Diane Sieker

Staff Writer

This young student is thrilled with the new book she received from the Friends of the Anza Valley Community Library at the From the Heart Backpack Giveaway Saturday, August 12. Anza Valley Outlook/Diane Sieker photo given, several free phones, dozens of children’s books and T-Dap vaccines for those who needed them.”

From The Heart Christian Women’s Ministries held their annual Backpack Giveaway

Saturday, August 12. Throngs of students and their families crowded the gym at the Hamilton High School to receive loaded backpacks, new shoes, socks, clothes, haircuts and even free

vaccinations. The traditional event to assist local students with a head start to their school year served over 250 children.

“We passed out over 250 pairs

Anza Electric Co-op presents 2023 Wildfire Mitigation Plan

Representatives from the Anza Electric Cooperative, Inc. introduced their Wildfire Mitigation Plan to the public Thursday, August 10 at the Anza Community Hall. The meeting provided an overview of the Cooperative’s efforts to reduce the likelihood of its facilities becoming a source of ignition and causing a wildfire event. Refreshments were provided and prizes were raffled at the end of the meeting.

AEC government liaison

Jennifer Williams opened the meeting by explaining its purpose.

“So a little bit of background about what is an official wildfire mitigation plan and what these meetings are about,” she said.

“Back in 2016 there was a bill that came out that required our electric cooperative to discuss what we’re doing in terms of wildfire mitigation with our board of directors. We do that every month with operations reports and some of our other reports. But then in 2018 another piece of legislation was signed into law, and that required us to actually put what we’re doing on paper, as our comprehensive plan. Then our board of directors would review it and approve it on an annual basis.

In 2019 they made some more stringent requirements for us. We now have to have a comprehensive revision every three years and we also have to have an independent evaluation of our plan. Back in 2020, we had our first independent evaluation and we were found to have a comprehensive plan. Again, this year, we did as well.”

The Public Utilities Commission, which has regulatory

AEC government Relations Liaison Jennifer Williams discusses details of the Cooperative’s Wildfire Mitigation plan at their presentation of the plan Thursday, August 10 at the Anza Community Hall. Anza Valley Outlook/Courtesy photo

authority over all utilities, has made it mandatory that all utility corporations must take steps to prevent accidental ignition within their systems. According to Williams, during this year’s update, the only thing that was added was the highlighted engineering research of alternative technologies. She explained that she

coordinates closely with the Riverside County Emergency Management Department, CalFire and the local elected representatives. Current laws now require Public Safety Power Shutoffs, or PSPS to be implemented under certain conditions. It is an operational

of shoes and packages of socks plus backpacks, not including the ones we gave to the different schools, so probably around 350 altogether,” said organizer Christi James. “There were 50 haircuts

Anza Valley Community Library announces Summer Reading Program winners

Talise, right, wins the Five Book Challenge Drawing Prize and her little sister Tessa receives a bear for completing the Five Book Challenge at the 2023 Anza Valley Community Library’s Summer Reading Program ‘Find Your Voice’ contests held Saturday, July 22. Anza Valley Outlook/Courtesy photo of the program. The series of educational events kicked off Saturday, June 10. “We had prizes for top readers, pre-readers, children, teens and adults,” said librarian Chantel Yarrow. “There were also five-

see BACKPACKS, page D-3 see PLAN, page D-4 see READING, page D-5

July 22, the fi

day

Staff Writer Anza Valley Outlook

Diane

ANZA’S UPCOMING EVENTS

If you have an upcoming community event, email it to valleyeditor@reedermedia.com , put “attention events” in the subject line. Readers should call ahead on some listed events for the latest updates.

Regular Happenings

Anza Community Hall Swap

Meet - Every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month. $15 for a spot with membership. $18 for a spot without membership. Vendors wanted. The hall is located at 56630 Highway 371 in Anza. See membership information under “Organizations.”

ONGOING – Anza Electric Cooperative and F.I.N.D. Food Bank offers a free mobile food pantry the second Saturday of every month at the AEC office,

58470 Highway 371, from 10:3011:30 a.m. All are welcome. CalFresh application assistance and free community health services are also available. Bring your own reusable bags to take food home. Volunteers welcome. For more information, contact the AEC office at 951-763-4333.

Friends of Anza Valley Community Library – Anza Valley Community Library is located at Hamilton High School, 57430 Mitchell Road. The library is open to the public, but not during school hours. Hours are 4-7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m.-

4 p.m. Saturday and 12-4 p.m. on Sunday. Closed Monday through Wednesday.

Hamilton High School – Find out what is happening using Hamilton’s online calendar at www.hamiltonbobcats.net/apps/ events/calendar.

Hamilton Museum – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Open Wednesdays and Saturdays at 39991 Contreras Road in Anza. For more information, call 951-763-1350 or visit www. hamiltonmuseum.org. Find them on Facebook at “HamiltonMuseum-and-Ranch-Foundation.”

Backcountry Horsemen

Redshank Riders – Meetings on the second Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. Locations change, so please contact Mike by email at stumblinl55@gmail.com or by calling 951-760-9255.

Health, exercise, resources and recovery meetings Fit after 50 – 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Tuesday and Friday mornings at Anza Community Hall. Free. Wear comfortable clothes and supportive shoes. Call or text instructor Teresa Hoehn at 951751-1462 for more information.

Narcotics Anonymous Meeting – 6 p.m. Every Tuesday at Shepherd Of The Valley Church, 56095 Pena Road in Anza. Open participation.

Veterans’ Gathering Mondays

– 9-11 a.m. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 39075 Contreras Road in Anza. Men and women veterans come to share and help each other deal with posttraumatic stress disorder and other difficulties. Call John Sheehan at 951-923-6153. If you need an advocate to help with VA benefits, call Ronnie Imel at 951-659-9884.

The Most Excellent Way –Christ-centered recovery program for all kinds of addiction meets Fridays from 7-8:30 p.m. and Tuesdays from 8-10 a.m. Program is court approved; child care is provided. Transportation help is available. The group meets at 58050 Highway 371; the cross street is Kirby Road in Anza.

AA Men’s Meeting – 7 p.m. Meetings take place Thursdays at 39551 Kirby Road in Anza, south of Highway 371.

Alcoholics Anonymous – 8 p.m. Wednesday evenings at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 56095 Pena Road in Anza. For more information, call 951763-4226.

Bereaved Parents of the USA

– The Aguanga-Anza Chapter of BPUSA will hold its meetings at 6 p.m. on the first and third

Wednesday of each month at 49109 Lakeshore Blvd. in Aguanga. For more information, contact chapter leader Linda Hardee at 951-5512826.

Free Mobile Health Clinic

Open every third Wednesday of the month from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. No appointment is needed. Uninsured may only be seen in the Anza Community Hall’s parking lot or inside the hall.

Medication Assistance and Treatment for Opioid Dependence – Get treatment for heroin addiction. Transportation to the clinic is provided. For more information, contact Borrego Health’s Anza Community Health Center, 58581 Route 371, Anza. For more information, 951-7634759.

Food ministries

F.U.N. Group weekly food ministry – Deliveries arrive by noon Thursdays at the Anza Community Hall. To order a paid box and help feed those who can’t afford to pay, drop off payment and cash donations by Thursday at 1:30 p.m., to ERA Excel Realty, 56070 Highway 371 in Anza. Pay inside or drop off during the day in the red box outside. To drop it off, put name and request on an envelope with payment inside. A $30 box has about $100 worth of food and feeds six people. Half boxes are available for $15. Food is delivered once a week to those who cannot find a ride. For more information, call Bill Donahue at 951-288-0903.

Living Hope Christian Fellowship Community Dinner

– 1 p.m. Dinners are held the last Sunday of the month at the Anza Community Hall. All are welcome. Donations of time, money, etc. are always welcome. Food for the Faithful – 8 a.m. The food bank hands out food the last Friday of the month until the food is gone. The clothes closet will be open too. Emergency food handed out as needed at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. FFF is a non-denominational nonprofit. All in need are welcome; call Esther Barragan at 951-763-5636.

Bible Studies

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Anza’s Sunday Sacrament is at 10 a.m.; Sunday School is 11 a.m. Priesthood/Relief Society meets at noon; Wednesday, Boy Scouts gathers 6 p.m. and Youth Night is 7 p.m. For more information, call Ruiz at 951-445-7180 or Nathan at 760-399-0727. The Wednesday Genealogy/Family History Class, 5-8 p.m., is open to the public at 39075 Contreras Road in Anza. Native Lighthouse Fellowship – 10 a.m. The group meets the first Saturday of the month, and breakfast is served. All are welcome to fellowship together at the “Tribal Hall” below the casino in Anza. For more information, call Nella Heredia at 951-7630856. Living Hope Bible Study –8-10 a.m. Tuesdays at Living Hope Christian Fellowship, 58050 Highway 371, Anza. All are welcome. For more information,

call Pastor Kevin at 951-763-1111.

Anza RV Clubhouse – 7 p.m., the second Wednesday of the Month, Pastor Kevin officiates at 41560 Terwilliger Road in Anza.

Monthly Christian Men’s Breakfast – 9 a.m. Breakfast takes place the fourth Saturday of each month and rotates to different locations. Contact Jeff Crawley at 951-763-1257 for more information.

Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church – 10 a.m. Weekly Wednesday Bible study takes place at 56095 Pena Road in Anza. Call 951-763-4226 for more information.

Valley Gospel Chapel – 7 a.m. Saturday Men’s Study meets weekly with breakfast usually served at 43275 Chapman Road in the Terwilliger area of Anza. For more information, call 951763-4622.

Anza First Southern Baptist Church – Begin your week with Sunday School for all ages at 9 a.m., followed by Sunday morning worship at 10:30 a.m. On Sunday nights, the church has prayer on the 1st and 4th Sundays from 6-7 p.m. and Bible study on the 2nd and 3rd Sundays from 6-8 p.m. On Monday evenings, from 6-8 p.m., the youth group (6 to 12 grade) meets for games and Bible study.

Anza Baptist Church also offers Men’s and Women’s Ministries, a Homeschool Support Group, Summer Vacation Bible School and a Seniors’ Ministry. The church office is open Wednesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The church is located at 39200 Rolling Hills Road in Anza. For more information, contact the church at 951-763-4937 or visit www.anzabaptistchurch.com.

Clubs Anza Valley VFW Post 1873, Capt. John Francis Drivick III Post – The Ladies’ and Men’s Auxiliaries are located at 59011 Bailey Road in Anza. Mail P.O. Box 390433. Request monthly newsletter and or weekly menu by email at vfw1873anzaca@ gmail.com. For more information, call 951-763-4439 or visit http:// vfw1873.org.

High Country 4-H Club – 6:30 p.m. Meetings are on the third Wednesday of the month, except February, at Anza Community Hall. 4-H Club is for youth 5 to 19 years old offering a variety of projects. High Country 4-H Club is open to children living in the Anza, Aguanga and surrounding areas. For more information, call Allison Renck at 951-663-5452.

Anza Valley Artists Meetings – 1 p.m. Meetings are the third Saturday of each month at various locations. Share art, ideas and participate in shows. Guest speakers are always needed. For more information, call president Rosie Grindle at 951-928-1248. Find helpful art tips at www. facebook.com/AnzaValleyArtists

Anza Quilter’s Club – 9:30 a.m. to noon. Meets the first Tuesday of each month at the Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 56095 Pena Road, in Anza.

Anza Valley Lions Club –The Anza Valley Lions Club has been reinstated and is open to all men and women who want to work together for the betterment of the community. The group is working on securing a new venue for meetings. Meetings and events are posted on the Anza Lions Club of Anza Valley Facebook page at www.facebook. com/LionsofAnzaValley. For

more information, email president Greg Sandling at President. AnzaLions@gmail.com or Chris Skinner at Secretary.AnzaLions@ gmail.com

Civil Air Patrol – Squadron 59 is looking for new members of all ages. For more information, call squadron commander Maj. Dennis Sheehan from the Anza area at 951-403-4940. To learn more and see the club’s meeting schedule, visit www.squadron59.org.

Fire Explorer Program – 6 p.m. The program meets every second, third and fourth Tuesday of the month at Fire Station 29 on state Route 371 in Anza. Call 951763-5611 for information.

Redshank Riders – 7 p.m. Backcountry horsemen meet at the Little Red Schoolhouse in Anza, the second Thursday of each month. Visit www.redshankriders. com or call Carol Schmuhl for membership information at 951663-6763.

Anza Thimble Club – The club meets the first Thursday of the month at Valley Gospel Chapel, 43275 Chapman Road in Anza. The social hour is 11:30 a.m., and lunch is served at noon. Contact Carol Wright at 951-763-2884 for more information.

Organizations

Terwilliger Community Association – 6 p.m. Second Monday of the month at VFW Post 1873, 59011 Bailey Road, in Anza. Potluck dinner open to all. For more information, call Tonie Ford at 951-763-4560.

From the Heart Christian Women’s Ministries – Noon. Monthly luncheon and guest speaker are held the second Saturday of each month. The $5 charge covers lunch at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 56095 Pena Road, Anza. From the Heart helps the area’s neediest children and invites all women and men to join in their mission. Donate or help with the rummage sales twice a year to raise funds for the cause or other events. For more information, call president Christi James at 951-595-2400.

Anza Community Hall – 7 p.m. General membership meetings are held the fourth Thursday of the month. Single memberships are $30 and include discounts to events for one person and 1 vote in elections and meetings. Family memberships are $50 and include discounts for a family up to 5 members and 1 vote in elections and meetings. Business memberships are $50 and allows an employer to receive discounts for up to 5 people, including themselves, and includes 1 vote on elections and meetings. No government funds are allocated for the Hall, which pays its bills through memberships and swap meets. Mail membership to: Anza Community Building Inc. at P.O. Box 390091, Anza, CA 92539. The hall is located at 56630 Highway 371 in Anza. For more information, call 951-282-4267 or email achageneral@gmail.com or visit www.anzacommunitybuilding.org

Anza Civic Improvement League – 9 a.m. meets the first Saturday of each month at the Little Red Schoolhouse. The league maintains Minor Park and the Little Red School House, which are both available to rent for events. No government funds are allowed; the membership pays the bills – $10 a person, $18 family or $35 business membership. For more information, visit www. anzacivic.org.

Second annual KOYT Community Radio wine and dinner fundraiser set for Sept. 9

Diane Sieker Staff Writer

KOYT 97.1 LPFM Community

Radio announced their second annual Wine & Dine fundraiser to occur Saturday, Sept. 9.

The popular social event will be at Sage Mountain Farm in Anza, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The evening will open with a tour of the farm by owner Phil Noble, beginning at 4 p.m.. The festivities officially begin at 5 p.m., starting with fruit appetizers and wine tastings will be available for a separate donation. Dinner will be served following the first course.

“Wine samplings will be from local wineries such as Rancho Del Sol Vineyard, High Country Chaparral Vineyard, and joining us this year Temecula’s Wilson Creek Winery,” said radio station program director Erinne Roscoe.

At about 6 p.m. dinner will be served, with most of the ingredients grown in Sage Mountain Farm’s fields.

“Chef Alexander Calapodis wowed us at our last event - the “Bubbles & Burgers” fundraiser we held in May - with his flavorful, farm fresh salads and burgers,”

Roscoe said. “He’s working with Farmer Phil to make us something special for this Wine & Dine event. Generous organizations and community members are already donating some awesome items to give away and auction.”

There will be live music, a silent auction, giveaways to attendees and more.

Fundraiser event tickets are $60 per person, and 5 wine tastings for $15.

Tickets may be purchased in person from Lorraine Elmore at Lorraine’s Pet Supply or from Annika Knöppel at Marketplace Cooperative, Inc. or Overland Realty in Anza. Get tickets online at www.koyt971.org/events.

“Come on out and have a great evening and help support your community radio station,” said Roscoe. “All proceeds benefit Anza Community Broadcasting, KOYT 97.1 LPFM Anza Koyote Radio, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, all volunteer, community-powered radio station.”

The mission of the Anza Community Broadcasting KOYT 97.1 LPFM radio is to provide an inclusive public broadcasting forum to educate, inform, and entertain the local community and

Bottles of fine wines and champagnes are part of the silent auction offerings at the KOYT Bubbles and Burgers fundraiser last May. Anza Valley Outlook/Diane Sieker photo the general public. For more information, to donate items for the silent auction or giveaways, or find out how you can help, call (951)763-KOYT

(5698), email info@koyt971. org , visit them at https://www. facebook.com/koyt97.1 or https:// koyt971.org/. Sage Mountain Farm is located

BACKPACKS from page D-1

Last year’s giveaway served over 300 mountain community students with new backpacks, supplies, shoes, socks, haircuts and more.

According to James, many Hemet Unified School District students attending the Anza Hamilton schools need pens, paper, crayons and art supplies, with a backpack in which to safely keep it all.

“This is a free event for school children grades K- 12 that reside in the mountain communities of Anza, Aguanga, Mountain Center and Idyllwild,” said James. “Each student gets a backpack loaded with school supplies. Children must be present to receive their backpack.”

Many charitable organizations, businesses and individuals contribute to the success of the yearly affair, held the week before school begins.

“Today was so amazing,” said James. “From the Heart’s Backpack Giveaway was so much more than backpacks. There were free books, vaccines, shoes, socks, clothing, phones and haircuts provided, all the while with Erinne Roscoe and KOYT 97.1 FM playing awesome music to keep us going. Justin Carter, Esther Barragan, Imelda Barragan, and Adriana Delgado cut hair all afternoon, around 50 haircuts total. Thank you Friends of the Anza Library for providing free children’s books and Jorge Corona for giving away shoes and clothing for the kids. Hemet Unified Wellness Center supplied backpacks, supplies and shoes and

Assurance Wireless gave out free phones. Thank you Hamilton High School for the use of the building and to all of the many volunteers. You are what makes this work. Churches, groups and individuals. Thank you to all who showed up today for backpacks. We are so glad that you came.”

The From The Heart Christian Women’s Ministries serves and focuses on families and children in need in the mountain communities of Anza, Aguanga, Mountain Center and Idyllwild. Fundraising events are held throughout the year to help collect money to aid this worthy cause.

Rummage sales, luncheons, raffles and the Annual From the Heart’s Holiday Dinner all help to present much-needed activities such as this. The From The Heart Christian Women’s Ministries Backpack Giveaway provides much-needed school supplies and more for the students in Anza and surrounding communities, to give them the best start for the new school year.

To learn more about the From The Heart Christian Women’s Ministries, please visit their Facebook page at www.facebook. com/FromTheHeart ChristianWomensMinistries or write to: From The Heart Christian Women’s Ministries, PO Box 391224, Anza, CA 92539. Donations are always welcome. Diane Sieker can be reached by email at dsieker@reed ermedia. com

A huge variety of new shoes in all sizes are offered for free to students at the From the Heart Backpack Giveaway Saturday, August 12.

Josh cheerfully signs up pupils entering seventh grade to receive free vaccines on site at the From the Heart Backpack Giveaway. Anza Valley Outlook/Diane Sieker photos

Local school children show off their backpacks and shoes at the From the Heart Backpack Giveaway.

Hundreds of backpacks loaded with school supplies are handed out by volunteers at the From the Heart Backpack Giveaway Saturday, August 12.

Esther Barragan, left, Adriana Delgado and Imelda Barragan take shifts cutting children’s hair at the From the Heart Backpack Giveaway.

Living Free Animal Sanctuary dog of the week: Meet Bubba II

Bubba is a 7-year-old terrier mix that loves people. Despite being a hefty dog, he seems to think he is a lap dog size. He’s always trying to get as close to you as possible and will climb in your lap if given the chance. Bubba enjoys going on walks and visiting the dog park. He enjoys playing with his toys and climbing the rocks in his kennel yard. Bubba arrived with some anxiety but has started to relax and show off his fun, goofy personality.

Bubba will flourish in a family that is home often and will benefit

PLAN from page D-1

practice that Southern California Edison and the AEC may use to preemptively shut off power in high fire risk areas to reduce the danger during extreme weather conditions. The PSPS program is a statewide program that all electric utilities are required to participate in and under certain conditions with high winds, low humidity and high temperatures. These all present a risk developed in a matrix that comes to a conclusion over a period of days, and influences whether the utilities will be forced to shut down to minimize the risk of fire.

“We have never actually been turned off because of that, but we did have one outage in 2015 that was the responsibility of Southern California Edison and commanded by the fire chief,” Williams said. State laws also require utilities to hold public meetings regarding their wildfire mitigation plans, to keep customers informed as well as to collect feedback from them.

The AEC Wildfire Mitigation Plan is subject to the direct supervision of the general manager and delegated to senior management.

According to Williams, the operations manager is responsible for the evaluation of the High Fire-Threat District boundaries; inspections of overhead distribution facilities and remediation of deficiencies in the HFTD; quality oversight and control; system hardening, vegetation management, developing Public Safety Power Shutoff protocols; and engineering research of alternative technologies.

Th government relations liaison is responsible for providing PSPS notifications and the potential for these events to the appropriate government agencies, including the Riverside County Emergency Management Department, all local, state, and federal elected representative’s offices and local Tribes. Emergency preparedness education and engagement with AEC members takes place in coordination with EMD and other appropriate resources

The office services manager oversees complete and accurate accounting practices for all Cooperative operations, including financial risk analysis pertaining to wildfire mitigation efforts, equipment purchasing and setting budgets.

The telecommunications manager is responsible for ensuring that all internal methods of communication always remain functional and operational and ConnectAnza broadband and Voice Over Internet Protocol services are functioning and operational for all connected members.

The member services manager provides communications to AEC’s membership via social media and member messaging pertaining to current or forecasted weather warnings provided by the National Weather Service, the potential risk of wildfire as it is related to weather conditions, Public Safety Power Shut-off potential and planned events, outage information and updates, and emergencies.

The AEC’s objectives with the plan are to provide safe, reliable, affordable utility service to the membership, comply with state laws, identify potential risks and hazards, and ensure the safety of the staff and the membership.

“Remember that Anza is fed with one line and so one disconnect on that line equals a system-wide outage,” said general manager Kevin Short. “So since the Cranston fire in 2018, we installed our battery and solar system and refit the circuit that comes through town right here. We

from an experienced adopter who can help him transition to home life and grow into a confident, happy dog.

Living Free is a nonprofit animal sanctuary whose primary mission is to rescue dogs and cats whose time is up at public shelters.

Living Free Animal Sanctuary is located on 155 acres in the San Jacinto Mountains near Idyllwild.

A diamond in the rough, the property is home to a kennelin-the-round, Give Life Park, catteries and protected open-air “catios,” breathtaking scenery

and wide open fields for the wild mustangs and rescued burros to run free.

Open by appointment. For dog adoptions, call 951321-9982, for cat adoptions, call 951-491-1898, and for all other inquiries, call 951- 659-4687.

To book a tour, visit www. living-free.org/visit-us . Living Free is located at 54250 Keen Camp Road in Mountain Center.

Submitted by Living Free Animal Sanctuary.

can keep all of the businesses open during an outage for as long as the sun is shining, and then for several hours at night. We’re looking to expand that system very soon. This is a very very important aspect of the system that we’ve developed over the last four or five years.”

Brian Baharie, operations manager at the Anza Electric Cooperative , Inc., spoke briefly about the strategy involved with the plan.

Iron poles coming

“We are changing the 1960s and ‘70s construction to be more fire hardened, starting off with transitioning from wooden poles which are susceptible to rot and falling over and causing a fire and are also susceptible to burning up in a wildfire. We’re hardening our circuits with the ductile iron poles, combined with fiberglass cross arms, which have a longer lifespan than wood. So we did that on the Terwilliger circuit and now are in the design phase of doing another critical circuit. I think we have like 15,000 or 16,000 poles.

Equipment and technology is being updated all the time to

improve the safety of the structures. Weather monitoring stations are set up at various locations on the system to give instant condition reports for better intelligence when weather threatens to cause a PSPS. Sensitive relay settings will provide very fast clearing of faults on distribution circuits and are capable of being remotely operated via SCADA, allowing for real-time adjustments triggered by adverse weather conditions. ConnectAnza fiber broadband is being used to communicate with smart devices on the system that can tell crews where problems have occurred and enable them to address these problems much quicker than in the past.

Better messaging priority AEC’s critical infrastructure facilities are prioritized during this process by providing messaging to all services in the Cooperative’s service territory, including the local fire stations, water districts and Tribes. Clearing vegetation around the utilitie’s structures is also ongoing.

The AEC has embarked on a fuel’s reduction campaign under and

adjacent to circuit right-of-way easements in critically high firethreat zones. This effort is ongoing and assessed annually on an asneeded basis.

Camille Collins with the County of Riverside Emergency Management Department spoke briefly regarding the purpose of her department and how to make an emergency plan.

All hazards approach Since the creation of EMD in 2015, the department has worked to implement an all-hazards approach to emergency management. EMD addresses mitigation, preparation, response and recovery, in a unified manner that creates recognized leadership in emergency management and emergency medical services.

Collins instructed the audience on the making of emergency kits, having a plan, and arranging for communication during an emergency. Fires, earthquakes and flooding are just some of the situations that may require evacuations, planning for pets and livestock and the need to be prepared on how to accomplish

these things before disaster strikes. “EMD’s mission enhances safety and the security of the whole community by leading efforts to mitigate or respond to and recover from any emergencies or disasters. Our goal is actually to be nationally recognized as a leader in emergency management. We have preparedness, we have CERT training. We have our RACES ham radio operators. When the fires happen, you’ll see us coming with lights and sirens blazing, heading out to help,” she said.

The meeting ended with a raffle held by the AEC, with prizes including an emergency kit. For more information about the Anza Electric Cooperative, Inc., please visit them at https://www. anzaelectric.org/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ Anzaelectric.

Visit the County of Riverside Emergency Management Department at https://rivcoemd. org/.

To sign up for emergency alerts from RivCo Ready, click https:// www.rivcoready.org/AlertRivCo.

Anza Valley Outlook/Courtesy photos

AEC general manager Kevin Short shows off some equipment designed to help prevent utility-caused fires at the Cooperative’s presentation of their Wildfire Mitigation plan Thursday, August 10 at the Anza Community Hall. Anza Valley Outlook/Courtesy photos

Brian Baharie, operations manager for the AEC, gives a presentation on what the crews are doing to follow the plan at the Cooperative’s presentation of their Wildfire Mitigation plan at the Anza Community Hall.

Camille Collins with the County of Riverside Emergency Management Department, describes how to prepare for a disaster at the Cooperative’s presentation of their Wildfire Mitigation plan Thursday, August 10 at the Anza Community Hall.

AEC staff Jennifer Williams, Brian Baharie and Don Downing pick the winners for a raffle held after the meeting at the Cooperative’s presentation of their Wildfire Mitigation plan at the Anza Community Hall.

READING from page D-1

book challenge prizes and a big drawing for those who completed reading five books. We also had a candy counting game, with the winner guessing 500 candies, just 70 off from the actual 570 in the jar. There was also a random drawing that all were put into for signing up at rivlib.beanstack. com.”

According to both librarians and participants, the contests and challenges were great fun and they are all looking forward to next year’s Summer Reading Program.

The Anza Valley Library is a joint-use public library, located inside Hamilton High School, but a completely separate entity. It is part of the Riverside County Library System, located at 57430 Mitchell Road, Anza.

The library’s hours are Thursday and Friday from 4 - 7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 12 - 4 p.m.. Staff may be reached by calling (951)763-4216.

To learn more about the Anza Valley Community Library, click https://www.facebook.com/ AnzaLibrary.

Don’t have a library card? Go to www.rivlib.net to sign up online for free.

Diane Sieker can be reached by email at dsieker@reedermedia. com

Cassandra takes the Adult Top Reader Prize at the 2023 Anza Valley Community Library’s Summer Reading Program ‘Find Your Voice’ contests held Saturday, July 22.

Anza Valley Outlook/Courtesy photos

Angel wins the candy counting game, guessing 500 pieces and being closest to the 570 actual pieces in the jar at the 2023 Anza Valley Community Library’s Summer Reading Program ‘Find Your Voice’ contests.

Little Ezra wins the Pre-Reader Top Reader prize at the 2023 Anza Valley Community Library’s Summer Reading Program ‘Find Your Voice’ contests.

Christian wins the Children Top Reader prize at the 2023 Anza Valley Community Library’s Summer Reading Program ‘Find

Should I fear God?

But who would be afraid of such a clearly fake thing other than a small child? What a silly thing it is to fear a witch. What you should fear is the Lord. But what does that mean?

A healthy fear of the Lord means to walk in reverence of him and to be in awe of him.

Hebrews 12:28-29 said, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”

Special to the Valley News

I walked into Costco the other day and a 15-foot electronic witch assaulted me. Man, was it ugly! I guess if you’re going to buy scary witches in bulk, Costco is the place to go.

It’s funny because the witch isn’t meant to bring joy. People buy it in the hopes of scaring people.

Some think that to fear God means to walk around afraid, expecting him to strike you down at any moment. But a Christ follower doesn’t have to fear God’s wrath. Jesus took that upon himself, on the cross, in our place.

The Bible said, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath

remains on them,” in John 3:36.

And “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God,” in Romans 5:8-9.

Even though, as Christians, we don’t need to fear the wrath of God. We should have a healthy fear of the Lord’s discipline. Not to simplify it too much, but it’s like when you were a child and didn’t do something because you knew it was wrong, and your parents would discipline you when they found out.

The same goes for us. When we walk in the fear of the Lord, with reverence and awe, we begin to understand who He is. And therefore, we love to please him instead of walking in disobedience.

We begin to love what he loves and hate what he hates. In other words, we seek to please the Father

and know that his discipline is done in love. It keeps us from living in rebellion against his word.

As the ancient proverb teaches, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction,” in Proverbs 1:7.

Not so with the unbeliever, the one who rejects Christ. Jesus said, “I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him,” in Luke 12:5. Those who do not have a relationship with Jesus should fear the wrath of God and eternal punishment. It is a very real thing, and it should cause everyone to tremble at his word.

But those who have a relationship with Jesus walk in the fear of the Lord as an act of worship. Always remembering who he is and striving to do things

that please him. Do you know why God doesn’t strike you down this very second? It’s because he’s being patient with you. He wants you to repent and receive his grace and forgiveness instead of his wrath.

The Bible said, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance,” in 2 Peter 3:9.

But his patience won’t last forever. Today is the day you should turn to Jesus and be saved.

Zachary Elliott is the lead pastor of Fusion Christian Church in Temecula. For more information, visit http://www. fusionchristianchurch.com, http:// www.encouragementtoday.tv or find them on Instagram.

Your Voice’ contests held Saturday, July 22.

Jaden, takes the prize as the Teen Top Reader at the 2023 Anza Valley Community Library’s Summer Reading Program ‘Find Your Voice’ contests.

Ardemia won the random drawing prize at the 2023 Anza Valley Community Library’s Summer Reading Program ‘Find Your Voice’ contests.

Zachary Elliott