Valley News - September 22, 2023

Boy Scouts to honor Robert Rosenstein as the 2023 Distinguished Citizen

Tony Ault Staff Writer

The Boy Scouts of America, Tahquitz District in its 24 years of celebrating outstanding community residents will honor local attorney Robert Rosenstein as this year’s Distinguished Citizen at a Sept. 28 dinner.

RivCo rescues 20 shelter dogs, transfers them by charter ight to Wisconsin for new life

RIVERSIDE – After the recent tropical storm that left the Coachella Valley Animal Campus inaccessible to the public, several animal welfare organizations partnered up to fund the transfer of 20 dogs, which were temporarily sheltered at San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus, and fly them via chartered plane to Dane County Humane Society in Wisconsin for adoption.

Highway Update: Electronic truck parking space availability signs before rest stops coming in October

Tony Ault Staff Writer

The California Department of Transportation announced it will begin work on a $2.1 million project to install and deploy a Truck Parking Availability System which will include electronic signs to display the number of available truck parking spaces a few miles before the rest areas along Interstate 10 in and near Yucaipa, Whitewater, Coachella and Blythe.

Rodeo

to Temecula at Way Out West Fest

TVUSD board votes to limit ags to American and California

Reeder Publisher

Another packed crowd voiced support and concerns at the Temecula Valley Unified School District board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 12, when the board passed a flag policy to limit what flags could be flown on school property. The flags allowed are now limited to the American flag and the California flag, unless prior approval is given by the Superintendent and the additional flag is for educational or instructional purposes.

Many saw this as a way to get political flags and gender ideology out of the classroom. Others saw it as a way to limit the rainbow colored LGBTQ flag, which was never named in the policy. TVUSD Board President Dr. Komrosky said there were some classrooms that didn’t have American flags and they would be provided.

One of the first fathers who spoke said, “Teachers should respect our sovereignty over our kids, just as they would want our respect over their teaching skills, irrespective of their sexual pref-

erences. We don’t care about the sexual preference of our teachers, we just want them to stop talking to our kids about it.

He went on to say, “Flags contain a lot of symbology and they can be used as a teaching tool for that purpose. People would be aghast at a display of a Nazi flag because of what it represents and the slaughter it brought on people, so why is it so hard to understand the concern of flags or symbols that represents behaviors that threaten family’s social norms?”

Another father and proud veteran said, “I think the thing that we’re all forgetting and missing, is that when you stand for the American flag there is no pride flag, without doing that, so when you look at the pride flag flying across the nation, the American flag is always above it. I’ve seen people sit during the pledge of allegiance while wearing the rainbow colors. I find it discouraging. There is no way you can stand on the pride flag and have it totally be supported without standing on the

Judge sides with Escondido teachers who sued over EUSD Gender Identity Policy

City News Service

Special to the Valley News SAN DIEGO - A federal judge sided Thursday, Sept. 14 with two teachers at Escondido’s Rincon Middle School who sued over school district policies governing what information can be shared with parents of transgender and gender-nonconforming students.

U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez granted a preliminary injunction request prohibiting enforcement of policies that bar teachers from discussing students’ gender identities with their parents. The lawsuit filed earlier this year

on behalf of Elizabeth Mirabelli and Lori Ann West states teachers are required to use ``any pronouns or a gender-specific name requested by the student during school, while reverting to biological pronouns and legal names when speaking with parents in order to actively hide information about their child’s gender identity from them.’’

In his ruling issued Thursday, Benitez wrote, “A parent’s right to make decisions concerning the care, custody, control, and medical care of their children is one of the oldest of the fundamental liberty interests that Americans enjoy. However, if a school student

expresses words or actions during class that may be the first visible sign that the child is dealing with gender incongruity or possibly gender dysphoria, conditions that may (or may not) progress into significant, adverse, life-long socialemotional health consequences, would it be lawful for the school to require teachers to hide the event from the parents?’’

Reached Thursday afternoon, Michelle Breier of the Escondido Union School District said, “Our leadership team is currently reviewing the decision.’’ The lawsuit also named state education officials as defendants. Transgender notification poli-

cies have been enacted by several Southern California school districts in recent months, drawing the ire of state officials and LGBTQ+ support groups, who say such policies could put children in danger if their parents are not receptive.

The California Department of Education says, ``Revealing a student’s gender identity or expression to others may compromise the student’s safety.

Thus, preserving a student’s privacy is of the utmost importance. The right of transgender students to keep their transgender status private is grounded in California’s

see FLAGS, page A-3 see POLICY, page A-5

TVUSD Board President Dr. Komrosky in front of proposed policy.

Boy Scouts of America Tahquitz District to honor Robert Rosenstein as the 2023 Distinguished Citizen

Tony Ault Staff Writer

The Boy Scouts of America, Tahquitz District in its 24 years of celebrating outstanding community residents will honor local attorney Robert Rosenstein as this year’s Distinguished Citizen at a Sept. 28 dinner. Rosenstein will be honored at the 2023 Distinguished Citizen’s Dinner taking place at Monteleone Meadows in Murrieta. The dinner is one of the key fundraising opportunities for the Boy Scouts of America Tahquitz District, which serves a significant portion of Riverside County. The Tahquitz District Boy Scouts currently consists of over 700 youth ranging from kindergarten to 20 years old. Rosenstein, in hearing of the award, attributes the value he places on his personal principles to his time in scouting, noting he would not be as successful or as community-minded without having had the unique experiences

that come with service as a scout.

“I probably experienced one of the most patriotic moments of my life,” Rosenstein said, “I was with 12,000 scouts and leaders when America landed the first astronauts on the moon. We all had little American flags on our two-man tents. We sat around transistor radios listening and a wave of cheering started across the camper, honoring our great country.”

The Tahquitz District described Rosenstein joining an illustrious grouping of honorees, locally in recent years, including John and Kim Kelliher, owners of the first wine tour shuttle service known as Grapeline Tours in Temecula to Terry Gilmore, the owner of Paradise Chevrolet in Temecula. Other recent honorees are John and Christine McCusker, former owners of Van Avery Prep Private School, to Malinda Margiotta, owner of ABC Childcare Center in Murrieta, to Dan Stephenson, owner of Rancon Group, a real estate development group and more.

Wildomar Council approves resolutions of necessity

lands for

Staff Writer

Bundy Canyon

The Wildomar City Council in rarely used actions, initiated a series of resolutions of necessity for condemnation of vacant properties to make way for the scheduled widening of a portion of Bundy Canyon (Segment II) at their livestreamed Sept. 13 meeting.

The Resolutions of Necessity for

“It seems fitting to recognize those in the communities who have demonstrated not just average citizenship, but instead have gone beyond the norm and distinguished themselves as members of our community who contribute in an exceptional way. This is the Scout’s 24th year of recognizing community leaders as Distinguished Citizens and its alumni of honorees is very impressive and a testament to the level of leadership and citizenship the Scouting organization values.,” a BSA Tahquitz District news release said.

Residents can honor Rosenstein and help financially support the efforts of the BSA by purchasing tickets to attend the event, and/or support the event through one of the many sponsorship opportunities available.

To register for this event or sponsor a portion of the evening, visit www.scoutingheroes.org.

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

for

Segment II widening project

Condemnation of Vacant Property precedes the seizure by eminent domain of property, if agreements with the owners of the property are unreachable before the project in the public interest begins. Any delay in the planned Bundy Canyon Segment II project would result in much higher costs to the city and the public due to the inflationary times, according to Thomas D. Jex, Wildomar’s Public Works/Engineering Department who

made the request of the council. The resolutions involve parcels of land fronting Bundy Canyon road that will be needed in the planned additional widening of the highway, scheduled to begin in months.

He explained to the council the owners of the properties have either refused, or not responded, to cash offers by the city to purchase the parcels of land based on the appraisals of the land values in the area.

vacant

He added that the parcels sought would not interfere with the current owners access to their property or to its current uses but the owners saw their value higher in the current market rates.

He said the city, even with the notice of necessities, will continue its negotiations with the owners until an agreement is reached but it must be before the scheduled widening and flood control of Bundy Canyon

Widening Segment II begins. He did not reveal how much the city has offered the owners for the land in question.

The three parcels or pieces of land are located at the southeast corner of Palomar St. and Gruwell St.; 23690 Bundy Canyon Road and 23263 Bundy Canyon Road. The land is needed for the surveyed widening to four lanes, for flood control and temporary use and storage of construction equipment, according to Jax.

The resolutions were passed 4 to 0 in the excused absence of Council Member Dustin Nigg.

The council approved a Quality Business Incentive Program presented by Kimberly Davidson from the Wildomar Economic Development Department she said would help the city bring more businesses into the city. The program would include incentives for hotels for example to be partially or fully exempt from city room taxes and other similar cost incentives for businesses seeking to come into the city.

Patrick Ellis, CEO and director the Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber of Commerce, appeared in favor of the Incentive Program suggesting the city work on making the requirements for opening a new business in the city be placed on a fast track.

Davidson also gave an update on the city’s business registration fee holiday that began last September and is expiring. In September 2022, the council, after seeing how hundreds of local businesses did not register with the city as required, would have a “holiday” for a year before to register with the city and pay the fees normally set at $75. She said the fee holiday worked, bringing the total of registered businesses down from 1,448 unregistered to 683 unregistered. For those still unregistered, they may face up to $100 in penalties if remaining unregistered and more each year after up to $500. A consulting agency working to help collect the fees said it would be sending out late notices to those remaining informing them of the possible penalty. The consultant said they will determine if the unregistered business is still working in the city or has left.

The council received and filed quarterly updates from the Fire Department, City Clerk’s Department and a General Plan Update.

The Fire Department reported they had achieved the goal of handling emergency calls at an average of 5 minutes. The City Clerk said they have become more efficient in handling residential inquiries through newer technical programs and the General Plan progress is continuing with work on the environmental issues facing the city with the entire updated General Plan to be announced next month.

The council following public hearings approved the addition of a number of new housing developments into Community Facility Districts that provide developer funding for city infrastructure, public services and maintenance for the developments through annual special tax levies.

Tony Ault can be reached at tault@reedermedia.com

Robert Rosenstein will be honored as this year’s Distringuished Citizen by the Boy Scouts of America, Tahquitz District. Valley News/Courtesy photo

Tony Ault

Volunteers participate at Wildomar Cleanup Day

FLAGS from page A-1

American flag [which gives you the freedom].“

A transgender person who frequently speaks at the TVUSD school board meetings, spoke, accusing the board saying, “It’s clear you want to indoctrinate children, forcing kids to worship anything that doesn’t align with homophobic white Christian nationalist propaganda is indoctrination. This is a nationwide tact, created by evangelical extremists who drain your school’s resources while holding schools hostage to conform to white cleansing.”

Many in the crowd, wearing rainbow colors, voiced concerns that the policy was targeting the “Pride” flag or LGBTQ rainbow flag and that they were concerned about the classrooms being “safe” for LGBTQ students.

The conservative pro-parent majority members of the board and several speakers said that the American Flag represents all Americans. Many included in their remarks that they wished the schools and the teachers to concentrate on teaching academics and not politics, sexual preference, or gender ideology.

Both sides agreed that school should be a safe place for all students.

TVUSD school board president, Dr. Joseph Komrosky said, “I speak personally here and not on behalf of the entire board when I say, as a school board member, a veteran of the active-duty armed forces, and proud American of our great country, this issue was close

to my heart.

“Thankfully, TVUSD is now complying sufficiently with CA Ed. Code, as the majority of the board voted in an administrative regulation (AR) that ensures that we have a standard American flag, and CA state flag in all of our classrooms, so that they can be displayed properly. This way, our teachers can lead the students in our daily Patriotic exercise, and the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, that is required by law.

“CA Ed. Codes 233.5, 38117, 52720, 52730, and 60200.5, all supported my motivational attitude for this needed change, as they highlighted the concepts of patriotism and American citizenship, amongst others, that our students need to know about and practice. Moreover, the American and CA state flag are symbols that unite the students, teachers, staff of TVUSD. Regardless of any differences we might have, those flags are a symbol of our unity, and therefore are all inclusive, and other flags simply do not serve that function.”

A similar policy was adopted by the Chino Valley Unified School District board in June.

In a press statement to the Valley News, Dr. Komrosky quoted Ronald Reagan, “If we ever forget that we are ‘One Nation Under God,’ then we will be a nation gone under.”

“When we honor our flag, we honor what we stand for as a nation-freedom, equality, justice, and hope.” Dr. Komrosky said, “These ring more true now than ever.”

Please Consider Getting Involved!

County receives $12M grant to combat homelessness in the San Jacinto Riverbed

RIVERSIDE COUNTY – Riv-

erside County announced that it has been awarded a $12 million grant from California’s Encampment Resolution Funding Program. The grant, the second largest received in the state, will be used to provide housing, street outreach and wrap-around services to address the issue of homelessness in and around the San Jacinto Riverbed.

In collaboration with District 5 Supervisor Yxstian Gutiérrez and the cities of San Jacinto and Hemet, the county said it is determined to tackle homelessness and make a difference in the lives of those affected.

“We are incredibly grateful to the State of California for awarding us this generous grant,” Gutierrez said. “This funding will enable us to expand our efforts and implement comprehensive solutions to address homelessness in and around the San Jacinto Riverbed.

We recognize the importance of

providing housing, street outreach, and wraparound services to those in need and make a lasting impact on their lives.”

The $12 million grant will allow the county, in collaboration with the cities of San Jacinto and Hemet, to establish temporary and permanent housing solutions, enhance street outreach efforts and provide vital wrap-around services. These services will include mental health support, substance abuse counseling, workforce connections and other essential resources to uplift individuals experiencing homelessness and empower them on their journey to stability and self-sufficiency.

“We welcome the opportunities this grant will bring to our community,” Heidi Marshall, director of the department of housing and workforce solutions, said. “With the support of the state of California and our partnering cities, we can create better opportunities for those in and around the San

Jacinto Riverbed. This grant is a significant step forward in our collective efforts to combat homelessness and provide the necessary support for individuals to rebuild their lives.”

The county will work closely with the cities of San Jacinto and Hemet, as well as other local stakeholders, to develop a comprehensive plan for the utilization of this grant. The aim is to maximize the impact of the funding and ensure that it addresses the unique needs of the community.

“This is yet another opportunity to partner with the community to address homelessness,” Gutierrez said. “We will be reaching out to our partnering jurisdictions and relevant stakeholders in the coming weeks to discuss the next steps in implementing this grant. Together, we can make a meaningful difference and create lasting change for our county and District 5.”

Bridgette Moore (right), mayor pro tem for the city of Wildomar leads a group of volunteers participating in a citywide cleanup during National Cleanup Day, Sept. 16.

Volunteers prepare to help cleanup Wildomar at the Elks Lodge during a community cleanup day.

Valley News/Shane Gibson photos

Volunteers prepare to help cleanup Wildomar at the Elks Lodge during a community cleanup day.

Cleanup equipment is provided to volunteers participating in the Wildomar community cleanup day.

Custom Canines supports veterans, first responders highlighted by Sage Society

Tony Ault Staff Writer

“Who are the canines helping our hero veterans and first responders?”

This question was answered by the SAGE Society of Hemet by members and their trained or intraining helper dogs by members of the Custom Canine Service Dog Academy from the Palm Springs at the Tuesday, Sept. 12, monthly meeting.

Attending were the canines “Trooper” with handler Debra Richardson; “Noel” with owner and trainer Tim Moudin; “Dakota” with Dee Reno and her husband Fred with “Aspen.” Three of the canines are already trained and either serving with their owner or in-training for another veteran or first responder in need of a helper, whether for their particular condition from post-traumatic stress disorder or a disabling injury sometime in their lives.

Dakota, a goldendoodle, who is only 4 months old and still a puppy, already weighing over 20 pounds, is in training with trainer Reno. Although Dakota still showed her puppyness, most of the time he responded to the regular, “sit,” “stay” or “lay down” commands but still liked chewing on her leash or Reno’s leather shoes.

Reno, introducing the canines to the Sage members, explained Custom Canines has been in business for the past 14 years and has trained 333 dogs now helping veterans and others in need. She said it takes up to two years or more before a dog is ready to go to his new owner and costs about $24,000 per canine to raise and train.

Aspen, she explained, once trained for special needs is destined to go to a veteran in a wheelchair who lives in Oregon.

“You have to have a heart. A special place in your heart, to be able to do this,” Reno said in explaining her reason for helping train the service dogs.

She said it takes a lot to let one of the service dogs, like Aspen, once they have trained, to give them up to the veteran, but it is part of the process.

“You have to let them go,” Reno said.

As part of the training, the potential recipient must live with the dog on the training campus or in their homes for 28 days as part of the training process. It is an integral part of making the decision to let the service dog go

to the particular veteran or first responder. Some connect and some do not in that process.

After receiving the dog, she said recipients, since they are handicapped veterans or public service retired workers, can request government stipend to help them feed and care for their service dog.

In response to a SAGE Society member’s question about dog breeds, Reno said, “Goldendoodles are the easiest to train and do not shed like other animals. Other breeds, such as Labradors, shepherds and dalmatians can also be trained to be service dogs.”

The dogs are either purchased or donated and trained for the particular recipient’s needs. Those needs can range from turning on lights, opening doors, sensing diabetic attacks, picking up objects and helping their master up when needed.

She said the service dogs, which are registered, can enter restaurants or businesses if the veteran or responder tells the owner or manager that they are registered and what they do. She said service dogs, however, cannot be compared with the comfort

dogs many others have with them.

Moudin, with his service dog Noel, said he is a medically retired Marine and helps him with his particular needs. He also stands in as a Custom Canines trainer.

“I’ve had her since I was eight weeks old,” Moudin said. “She was just a pup. I trained her myself through the organization.”

He said Custom Canines currently has about 20 trainers and works with one main trainer who was once a combat dog trainer.

“The first year (in training) we have puppy raisers who train them to sit, lay in the outside, like malls and stuff, and then we match them up with a veteran to see how they connect,” Moudin said.

He said to become a service dog owner the veteran or first responder needs to fill out an application found on the Custom Canines website at http://customcanines.org. The website also tells others how they can support the nonprofit organization.

Currently, there are many applications coming into the organizations like Custom Canines and Guide Dogs of the Desert in California. She said they hoped to work together in the future to help

fulfill those needs.

SAGE Society in Hemet, which stands for Search for Adventure in Greater Education, meets once a month in the annex behind MillerJones Mortuary, 1501 W. Florida Ave., in Hemet. The society offers speakers on various topics and events to explain their particular

service to the community. The talks are free and open to the public or to SAGE Society members. Memberships to the Hemet SAGE Society are $40 a year and welcome.

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

Retired Marine veteran Tim Moudin stands with his helper dog Noel he raised and trained through Custom Canine Service Dog Academy before a Hemet SAGE Society talk in Hemet, Tuesday, Sept. 12.

Custom Canine Service Dog Academy dog trainers Debra Richardson with Trooper, Dee Reno with Dakota and Tim Moudin with Noel prepare their canines to be ready for an appearance before the Hemet SAGE Society.

Aspen, a Custom Canine Service Dog Academy trained goldendoodle service dog for veterans, shows off his protective paw shoes that aids him when walking on extremely hot pavement in the summer. He would encourage all dog owners to provide paw shoes for their pets when walking on hot pavement that can reach over 150 degrees burning their feet.

Valley News/Tony Ault photos

may be painful to think about your funeral, but it doesn’t have to be painful to pay for it.

A young rider falls off the sheep during a mutton busting show at the Way Out West Fest.

[Left] A young rider challenges a mechanical bull during the Way Out West Fest at Peltzer Winery.

Bull riders entertain guests attending the Way Out West Fest.

A young bull rider enters the arena during the Way Out West Fest at Peltzer Winery.

[Left] Timmy McKeever performs at the Way Out West Fest at Peltzer Winery.

[Right] The Old Town Temecula Gunfighters perform for guests during the Way Out West Fest at Peltzer Winery.

Valley News/Shane Gibson photos

Temecula Chamber to co-host job fair at Promenade Temecula

TEMECULA – The Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce will co-host a job fair in partnership with the city of Temecula, Visit Temecula Valley, the Economic Development Coalition, Promenade Temecula, Mt. San Jacinto College and Riverside County Workforce Development Center Saturday, Oct. 28, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Promenade Temecula, 40820 Winchester Road, in Temecula.

The purpose of this event is to offer an opportunity for local busi-

Julianna Frieman Contributor, The Daily Caller

A suspect in the ambush and murder of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy was arrested Monday after surrendering at his home following a lengthy standoff.

Kevin Cataneo Salazar, described as a “coward” by Sheriff Robert Luna, finally submitted to

POLICY from page A-1

anti-discrimination laws as well as federal and state laws.

Disclosing that a student is transgender without the student’s permission may violate California’s anti-discrimination law by increasing the student’s vulnerability to harassment and may violate the student’s right to privacy.’’

The teachers’ lawsuit alleged the district’s policy violated Mirabelli and West’s First Amendment rights to free speech and free exercise of religion.

Benitez agreed that the teachers’ religious beliefs were violated and wrote that students in that position would be harmed because they need ``parental guidance and possibly mental health intervention to determine if the incongruence is organic or whether it is the result of bullying, peer pressure, or a fleeting impulse.’’

nesses to succeed by retaining jobs locally and providing workforce development resources that meet industry demands while assisting job seekers in finding gainful employment opportunities within the region. Over 30 employers are scheduled to participate representing various industries such as retail, hospitality, food service, health care professionals and technicians, business services administration, engineering, transportation equipment operators, warehouse workers, as well as marketing

professionals and creatives to name a few.

Businesses are encouraged to RSVP for an expo space at https:// bit.ly/3ZepVY1. Job seekers are encouraged to dress to impress and bring copies of their resumes as some participating employers have been known to give interviews right on the spot.

List of participating businesses as of Sept. 1 include Big Brand Tire & Service, Brightstar Care, California Department of Parks & Recreation, California Family

Life Center – Planet Youth, City of Temecula, Embassy Suites by Hilton Temecula, Firstlight Home Care of Temecula, Fortitude Financial, HQE Systems Inc., InHome Supportive Services Public Authority, Institute for Behavioral Health, Jack In the Box, Mediacom Communications, MMW Agency, Mt. San Jacinto College, New York Life, Pechanga Resort Casino, Riverside County Department of Public Social Services, Riverside County Office of Education, Shella, South Coast Winery

Resort & Spa, Temecula Valley Hospital, Temecula Valley Unified School District, Toward Maximum Independence and more. For more information, contact the Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce at 951-676-5090, email info@temecula.org or visit http://www.temecula.org. Follow the Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce on social media. Submitted by Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce.

arrest when deputies deployed a chemical agent at his house, CNN reported.

Video shows the suspect’s vehicle, what appears to be a 2006 to 2012 dark gray Toyota Corolla, drive up next to Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer’s car on Saturday, according to CNN. Salazar allegedly shot Clinkunbroomer while he was sitting in his patrol vehicle

outside the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station at the corner of Sierra Highway and Avenue Q around 6 p.m. He was found unresponsive in the vehicle and transported to Antelope Valley Medical Center in Lancaster, where he was declared dead.

“Community members came forward with information that led homicide detectives to identify

the suspect and the vehicle used in the murder of Deputy Clinkunbroomer,” Luna said, per CNN. Luna initially urged the public to come forward with information regarding the incident, believing that “somebody knows something,” CNN noted. He also said the attack on the 30-year-old deputy appeared to be targeted, but that the reason remains unclear, per

the outlet.

“Service was running through his veins,” Luna wrote in a Facebook tribute to his department’s fallen deputy. “He embodied the values of bravery, selflessness and was committed to justice. Our deputy was a devoted family member and a cherished community member.”

September 22 – 28, 2023

Historic preservationists mark a major Vail Ranch milestone

Tim O’Leary

Special to the Valley News

The ghost of our region’s pioneer past, the remnant of the sprawling Vail Ranch, has finally won its place in America’s rich history.

It took nearly 27 years – and the relentless toil by a cadre of Temecula-area historic preservationists – to reach this hallowed ground.

And now, due to the location’s recent designations as a National Historic Site and as a segment of the Butterfield Overland National Trail, the Vail Ranch Headquarters could soon attract legions of history

buffs from all corners of the globe. I am humbled to have tracked this epic journey as community warriors fought and saved one of Southern California’s iconic historical resources. I remember when Darrel Farnbach suffered a heart attack while he and Dick Fox were gearing up for their legal fight against a rapacious developer.

I remember when Dick, Darrel’s wife, Rebecca, and I poked around one of the site’s dilapidated structures and lamented the satanic graffiti that had been splashed across the interior walls and the dead bats that had been tacked onto those

walls amid some cruel worship ceremony. Darrel and Dick died last year. A quarter-century had led them to the brink of the historical promised land, but they did not enter it.

On Sunday (Sept. 17), Rebecca, myself and about 130 other friends and fans of that historical touchstone celebrated its victory with live music, speeches, stagecoach rides, equestrians and an array of people in pioneer and cowboy garb and gear.

There was also a shy donkey named Darla who stood poised and pretty in her pink bib and booties.

Sad to say, there may be many of you dear readers who have never heard of Vail Ranch, its headquarters, its dam or its indelible mark on our region’s legacy. I pray that legacy is never lost as the current and future generations distance themselves from our past in favor of their pocket pleasures

For those of you, I offer this quick primer. The ranch and the trail date back to our region’s Pechanga Indian and pioneer past. The headquarters was the setting for the fictional book “Ramona,” which Helen Hunt Jackson wrote to lament the harsh

treatment of the Indians.

A stage play based on the book has been performed annually in the Hemet area for many generations. Raquel Welsh once portrayed the lead character.

The cornerstone of the historic Vail Ranch site is the Wolf Adobe, which is named after a pioneer shopkeeper, postmaster and stage stop manager. Several other buildings that sprang up over the years were subsequently saved from the bulldozer on the site that flanks the east end see VAIL, page B-3

Whitney Vail Wilkinson, the great-grandson of Walter Vail, the rancher who owned what came to be known as the 87,000 acre Vail Ranch which was centrally operated at Vail HQ in south Temecula over 100 years ago, displays items from his Vail family’s cattle ranching days during a celebration for Vail HQ becoming a nationally recognized historical site, Sept. 18.

From left, Temecula Valley Historical Society secretary Wendy Lesovsky, trick roper Judy Taylor and Temecula Valley Historical Society member Rebecca Farnbach gather for the celebration of Vail HQ being nationally recognized as a historical site in Temecula. Valley News/Shane Gibson photos

Some people dressed in old western days period clothing gather for the celebration of Vail HQ being nationally recognized as a historical site in Temecula.

Scout Troop 309 present the colors during the start of a celebration for Vail HQ being nationally recognized as a historical site in Temecula.

The Temecula Valley Historical Society receives a certificate of recognition from the city of Temecula for Vail HQ being nationally recognized as a historical site. From left TVHS member Rebecca Farnbach, TVHS president Dave Wilson, Temecula assistant city manager Betsy Lowrey and TVHS vice president Jim Sappington.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

To submit an upcoming community event, email it to valleyeditor@reedermedia.com, put “attention events” in the subject line.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Sept. 22 - 5-8 p.m. Multicultural Art-A-Fair at the Kay Ceniceros Senior Center, 29995 Evans Road, Menifee. Free. Live Music and Art by local artists.

Sept. 22 - 5 to 7:30 p.m. Temecula Valley Youth Symphony Performance. 100+ guests expected at the Vail HQ, 32115 Temecula Parkway, Temecula

Sept. 24 – 8 a.m. 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!

Sept. 26 - 5-9 p.m., Tip-a- Cop for the Special Olympics at the RoadHouse at 29860 Haun Road, Menifee. Officers will serve at

hosts with all tips going to the Special Olympics of Southern California program.

Sept. 29 - Southwest Riverside County Assn. of Realtors (SRCAR) 8th Annual Chili Cook Off at Heritage Hill, 28701 Los Alamos Heights, Murrieta. Public invited. Live performances. Chili tasting, beer and wine garden, booth decorating contest and more.

Proceeds to the SRCAR Scholarship Foundation.

Sept. 30 - 9 a.m to 2 p.m.

Temecula’s 13th Annual Health & Community Resource Fair at Temecula Civic Center and Town Square, 41000 Main Street. Attendees will have the opportunity to receive the latest information on health-related resources and services around theTemecula Valley. Come for the health of it and enjoy live entertainment, free health screenings, and prize giveaways!

Oct. 7 - 9 a.m. to Noon Electric

Car Show & Clean Air Day Expo at Mount San Jacinto College Menifee Campus, 23287 La Piedra Road, Menifee. Looking for educational resource booths, reach out to specialevents@cityofmenifee.us

Crossword Puzzle

Theme: World Series

Oct. 7 - 8-11 a.m. Faith and Blue Pancake Breakfast at Spirit Park, 25507 Normandy Road, Menifee by Black Bear Diner . Proceeds will go to the Menifee Valley Community Cupboard hosted by the InterFaith of Menifee and Menifee Police Department.

Oct. 28 - 5-9 p.m. Day of the Dead (Dia de Los Muertos) celebration on Lake Elsinore’s Main St. presented by the Historical Downtown Merchants Assn. Create and alter, vendors, and help feed the community. Vendor and Alter registration forms available at dmalakeelsinore@gmail.com or www.ledowntown.com

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 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 – 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

Sept. 22 – 11 a.m Centenarians Day at Wildomar Senior Assisted Living, 32365 Pasadena StWildomar where five ladies 100 and over, will be honored at a luncheon. Information at activities@ wildomarsenior.com

Sept. 27 - 5 p.m. JDS Creative Academy Design, Build, Haunt 4-week creative course begins for students to learn the process of design, set building and haunting a haunted house. Students will take part in the creation of the haunted house and scare mazes, learn skills in set design, create costumes, ghoulish characters and vignettes that are sure to terrify visitors to the JDS Haunted Studio Fundraiser held on Oct. 27-28 at 2826 Diaz Road, Suite D, E, and F. in Temecula. For information go to jdscreativeacademy.org.

Answers on page B-6

Sept. 30 - 5-10 p.m. The Na-

ture Education Foundation at the Santa Rosa Plateau presents its annual Cowboy Jubilee fundraiser at Ranchita Nepenthe, a private ranchita on the plateau. Features music by the Highwaymen, on site BBQ dinner, classic car display, silent and live auctions. Advance purchase only at $155 per person. See the-nef.org. Details with reservation.

Oct. 28 - 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce co-host Temecula Valley’s Premier Job Fair in partnership with the City of Temecula, Visit Temecula Valley, the Economic Development Coalition, Promenade Temecula, Mt. San Jacinto College, and Riverside County Workforce Development Center. This bi-annual event will take place at the Promenade Temecula Mall.

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-care-packages.

ONGOING – Multiple Sclerosis Support Group Meeting meets the third Monday of each month at the MaryPhillips 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-the-wheel instruction or a California driver’s permit. Contact 951-723-3880 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 833-349-2054.

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.

Musical performances and stories inspire an audience

Lucette Moramarco

Editor

Associate

The Fallbrook Women’s Connection’s monthly brunch on Friday, Sept. 15 featured a performance by eight students from the Temecula Conservatory of Music. They played several pieces of classical music and talked about the Musical Mentor ’s Club.

The young adults ranged in age from 15 to 18 and were accompanied by the president and founder of the Temecula Children’s Music Foundation, Brian Bohn, and board member Chris Dahl.

Bohn, a father of six, explained how the foundation started and that having children in music lessons is similar to club soccer; “the dedication and sacrifice is the same.” The foundation raises funds to support the children in their musical education.

Dahl introduced a power point presentation detailing the mission of the foundation which is to provide opportunities for young musicians in the Inland Empire to deepen their love for music, perform for various audiences and prepare to be future leaders.

Its programs include Orchestra which teaches structure and discipline for concert performances; Cello Fellows Club which creates

VAIL from page B-1

of what is now called Temecula Parkway.

Those preserved buildings include the ranch cookhouse, bunkhouse, foreman’s house, implement barn and office. The historic trail bisects the site, which is flanked by a time-worn water tank and a windmill.

The region’s population numbered a few thousand people living in Old Town and the Pechanga Indian reservation when the 87,500acre Vail Ranch functioned as one of the largest cattle and crop producers in California.

The ranch encompassed Tem -

belonging and provides educational experiences; International Performances which involves prestigious music competitions and cultural opportunities; and the Musical Mentors Club which offers mentorship and leadership opportunities.

The Musical Mentors develop leadership and citizenship skills with “passing it forward” benefits.

Activities include leadership training, coaching mentees at rehearsals and leading sectional practices.

Participating in international

ecula and parts of Murrieta, French Valley, the Santa Rosa Plateau and the wine country.

A thin-walled, 132-foot tall dam was built in 1948 – and the 1,100acre Vail Lake was created, so that a pioneer rancher could nourish his cattle and crops. Local water district officials are preparing to give the dam a $95 million face-lift as they plan the future of a 7,904-acre area that encircles it.

The creation of Interstate 15 fueled the 1960s sale of the ranch and the subsequent creation of the planned communities that became Temecula, Murrieta and French Valley. Temecula and Murrieta evolved into cities. French Valley

music festivals also has many benefits. The students are exposed to different musical styles and traditions, have opportunities for networking and collaboration, get feedback from experts in the field, develop increased confidence and self-esteem, gain exposure to international audiences and have scholarship and career opportunities.

Their educational experiences will include a trip to Austria in 2024, where they will perform at several historical venues, visit

leaders may someday pursue that same path.

The tallest building in the region, the Pechanga Resort & Casino, today anchors the heart of Wolf Valley. A massive Wal-Mart store and a Kohl’s serve as modern-day bookends to the preserved historic site.

One of the speakers at Sunday’s event likened the preservation battle to “a real-life David versus Goliath fight.”

That same speaker, Dave Wilson, president of the Temecula Valley Historical Society board, praised the efforts of the local residents who championed the lawsuit against Riverside County and then

locations rich with musical history, and participate in a musical exchange with a local Austrian youth orchestra.

Anyone wanting to support the foundation and help its young musicians go on tour to Austria, can donate at www.temeculachildrensmusicfoundation.org.

After the performances, the inspirational speaker was author and radio host Laura Yang who spoke about her life and how she developed a relationship with Jesus. She now helps others on their

fought tooth-and-nail to fend off moneyed development interests.

“We really can’t praise these early voices enough for their vision, time, energy and fortitude to care about our community’s greater good,” he told the crowd. His remarks were subsequently echoed from the stage by Jim Sappington, the society’s vice president.

“It was a long, arduous trip,” Sappington said. “It’s like standing on the shoulders of giants, so to speak.”

Afterward, the two men speculated on the impact that the twin designations – which will be eventually showcased by freeway and city signs – will have on regional

faith journey Fallbrook Women’s Connection is sponsored by Stonecroft Ministries; its brunches at the Grand Tradition Estate and Gardens in Fallbrook are attended by residents (men are welcome to attend) from all over North County San Diego as well as from Temecula. The event is held the third Friday of each month. For more information, call Ginny at 760-723-3633 or email Fallbrookcwc@gmail. com

tourism spending.

The area is already a magnet for tourism. Its many attractions include the casino, the wine country, Old Town, the plateau, the lake, the balloon and wine festival, nearby Fallbrook and much more.

“I think it’s going to bring in a lot of tourism,” Sappington predicted. “It will bring a lot of exposure to our site here. International visitors love American history, especially the Old West atmosphere.”

So mosey on over, pardners. Pop over to Vail Ranch ranch and celebrate the twin designations, honor those who made them so, and help us all keep the past alive.

Students from the Temecula Conservatory of Music smile at their audience after their performance at the women’s connection brunch, Sept. 15, at the Grand Tradition Estate and Gardens in Fallbrook.

Violinists, from left, Josephine, Khai and Elliott perform classical music for the Fallbrook Women’s Connection brunch attendees. Valley News/Lucette Moramarco photos

Riverside County rescues 20 shelter dogs, transfers them by charter flight to Wisconsin for new life

RIVERSIDE – After the recent tropical storm that left the Coachella Valley Animal Campus inaccessible to the public, several animal welfare organizations partnered up to fund the transfer of 20 dogs, which were temporarily sheltered at San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus, and fly them via chartered plane to Dane County Humane Society in Wisconsin for adoption.

“When it comes to pet adoptions, every day is critical for ensuring that the pets in our care will have a positive outcome. With our Coachella Valley campus closed, our top concern was that the animals, especially our large dogs, could languish in the shelter without a chance for a new and loving home,” Erin Gettis, director of Riverside County Department of Animal Services, said.

The shelter overcrowding experienced in Riverside County and nationwide added to the concerns felt by animal services officials.

Various organizations banded together to make a rescue happen in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Hilary, including Bianca Rae Foundation; The Grand Paw; Humane Society of the Desert; Loving All Animals and Wings of Rescue, a nonprofit volunteer organization that transports pets to safety via chartered flights.

“We are very happy to partner with Wings of Rescue and Riverside County Department

Several organizations partner up to fund the transfer of 20 dogs,

fly them via chartered plane to Dane County Humane Society in Wisconsin for

pus were cared for and crated early this morning before making the trek to the Ontario International Airport where the Wings of Rescue crew waited to receive the pets. The flight left shortly after 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, was expected to arrive in Wisconsin by mid- to late afternoon that day.

Riverside are going to new homes in Wisconsin, where there happens to be greater demand. Sometimes the only thing standing between an unwanted pet in one place and a new home somewhere else is a flight on one of our planes.”

photos of Animal Services to help these dogs find new beginnings in Wisconsin,” Lisa Bernard, coordinator of DCHS’s Public Relations, said. “Shelters and rescues continue to struggle with high intakes, overcrowding and slower adoptions. We know how much our community cares about animals. We hope they will open their homes or tell their family and friends about the amazing pups arriving at DCHS looking for new homes so we can continue to save more lives.”

Twenty dogs, many of them German shepherds and Siberian huskies, housed temporarily at the San Jacinto Valley Animal Cam-

“Wings of Rescue flies wherever we’re needed to help at-risk pets and, in this case, we’re thrilled to be taking mostly large dogs today,” Ric Browde, president and CEO of Wings of Rescue, said. “Big dogs can be hard to place into new homes and we know these wonderful pets from the county of

According to Gettis, large dogs are the population most contributing to overcrowding in shelters in Riverside County and across the country. It can be due to many factors, including housing and financial limitations and a lifestyle that is not compatible with the needs of larger, more energetic dogs.

Wings of Rescue husband-andwife pilots Kale and Anji Garcia

planned for the large number of big dogs on this flight, and managed to fit all of them. All pets on Wings of Rescue flights fly in separate crates with water and are fully vaccinated to meet intrastate travel requirements. Wings of Rescue planes are fully pressurized, and temperature controlled to assure the pets’ comfort during the flight. Those interested may track the flight in real-time by visiting http:// www.flightaware.com and entering plane’s tail number N684AK. For more information, visit http://www.rcdas.org

Strategic investments to support critical water infrastructure for Riverside County

LAKE ELSINORE – In 2020, the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District (EVMWD) and Western Municipal Water District (Western) announced a historic partnership to provide water supply stability for both agencies as part of their plans for existing and future service demands across the region. As part of this partnership, EVMWD was able to exclusively reserve 12 cubic feet per second (CFS) capacity in the Mills Gravity Line through 2024 at a guaranteed rate, securing a means to convey imported water

for EVMWD customers into the future. The Mills Gravity Line, owned by Western, is a critical pipeline that delivers water from Northern California.

In August 2023, EVMWD’s Board of Directors authorized the purchase of 6 CFS of the previously reserved capacity in the Mills Gravity Line. EVMWD still retains the exclusive option to purchase an additional 6 CFS capacity by December 2024.

“Our service area is one of the fastest growing regions in California. We foresee significant

growth in our district and our water demands are expected to double by the year 2050. Securing capacity to deliver supplies reliably is a top priority for EVMWD” said EVMWD’s General Manager Greg Thomas. The capacity purchase also provides a benefit for EVMWD’s customers with a direct cost savings of approximately $4.5 million. In addition, EVMWD was able to secure below market rate financing for the purchase resulting in approximately $500,000 in interest savings.

“The assurance of permanent capacity in a critical water supply pipeline for Riverside County is a win for the growing Elsinore region. We continue to make strategic investments in both future water supplies and infrastructure, to reliably serve our customers”, said EVMWD Board President Andy Morris.

“The cost-savings are substantial for our customers, and I would like to thank my fellow board of directors for their strategic foresight and the district staff whose professional, collaborative

approach and tireless efforts were instrumental in making this happen.” Morris said.

EVMWD’s strategic commitment to collaborating with local agencies plays a pivotal role in ensuring a sustainable water supply for its growing community. Through its embrace of innovation and cooperative efforts, EVMWD serves as a model for responsible water management practices. For more information about EVMWD projects and services, please visit www.evmwd.com.

which were temporarily sheltered at San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus, and

adoption. Valley News/Courtesy

St. Jude Mission School students learn about snakes

Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians Special to Valley News

After staff at the St. Jude Mission School on the Soboba Indian Reservation noticed an influx of snakes during the recent warm weather, a lesson on snakes was arranged. Science teacher Jay Dagostino from the nearby Noli Indian School was invited, along with his two pet snakes, to give a presentation on safety and awareness Wednesday, Aug. 30.

The school, which shares a campus with the St. Joseph Catholic Church and has WASC Accreditation and WCEA Certification, serves first through fifth graders and currently has seven students. The small student-teacher ratio allows for more in-depth and oneon-one instruction as well as the flexibility to invite guest speakers to share timely topics.

“We try to tie in real-life experiences as much as possible,” Donna Ferry, who has been at the school for five years, said. She was a volunteer for the first year, became principal the second year and added teaching first and second grade in her third year. She has been a primary grades teacher for 30 years.

“We have had Michael Madrigal teach the students about native plants and how some are used for medicine, how to care for creation, and he also did bird singing and dancing with our students,” Ferry said. “Kim Marcus teaches our students their Luiseño language.

Father Earl Henley, Father Tom Burns and Sister Gen Sarigumba talked to our students about their journeys entering religious life.”

The students met in Ferry’s classroom. The other class, with students in grades 3-5, is taught by Jessica Martinez who is a first-year teacher who wanted to teach in a small Catholic school. Ferry said they work as a team to come up with ideas and decide what they will do to augment their students’ learning experiences.

Dagostino arrived with a small glass case that held his two pet ball pythons and generated excitement among the students. After removing them from the case, most were hesitant to approach them until he explained the difference between his tame pet snakes who are used to being around humans and those seen in the wild that could be dangerous. Once they warmed up to the cold-blooded reptiles, almost all the children were willing to touch them while they were held by Dagostino. Ball pythons are not indigenous to the local area, but they provided a great interactive experience, he said.

He shared facts about the reptiles as curious students asked questions. Snakes use their tongues to smell by way of glands inside their mouths that help them smell and taste. They also have a row of pit glands above their mouths that allow them to “see” infrared images that tell them if something is warm- or cold-blooded.

“They can see movement, but their actual vision is not that great,” Dagostino said.

They don’t have eyelids, but a layer of skin protects their eyes since they are open all the time, even when they are asleep.

“When they grow, they shed their skin,” he said, while sharing a couple of examples left behind from a recent shedding of his pets, Gold and Princess Jasmine.

Named by his young daughters when they joined the Dagostino family more than 10 years ago, the snakes live in a large aquarium in a detached garage at their Fallbrook home.

Explaining that gopher snakes and kingsnakes are the most common ones seen in the local area and are considered good snakes as they keep rattlesnakes away, he warned the children against ever approaching or touching any snake in the wild. Red racers, or coachwhip snakes, are also seen locally and although they are not poisonous, they can be aggressive and bite. Any snake bite needs to be addressed by medical professionals immediately.

“There are some rattlesnakes in the area, and they are poisonous so be aware of your surroundings,” he said as he cautioned the children to watch where they are walking as the reptiles can be camouflaged in high grass and behind rocks.

He added that we would be overrun with rodents without snakes and hawks and others that prey on them. “Everything has its place in the world, and a purpose

one way or another, and we need to understand and respect that. If you avoid them, they will avoid you,” he said.

Staff member Linda Sheehan said, “All God’s creatures are here for a reason.”

Dagostino also supplied a detailed handout that described in pictures and text some of the different types of snakes found in Southern California and their characteristics, noting that most species are harmless to humans. He adapted his presentation to the younger audience and found them to be very intelligent and well behaved. St. Jude students are currently studying food webs/food chains, so they were interested in knowing what snakes eat, which are mostly rodents, small birds and eggs and some lizards.

“I am lucky to have great administrators that allow me the flexibility to share lessons with other students outside of Noli during my planning period,” he said. “I really enjoy the energy and enthusiasm of the younger students. It makes teaching them very exciting. And I always look for ways to make science fun.”

While a few of the girls were interested in Dagostino’s pet snakes, one said she was glad she faced her fear and petted them. Even those that kept their distance were inquisitive and learned important facts they did not know before the visit.

St. Jude students do not need to be Catholic or Native American, although the majority of this year’s students are Soboba Tribal members. Children can be enrolled at any time.

“Catholic or not, our students do learn about the Catholic faith and attend school mass every Tuesday,” Ferry said. “They participate in the readings at mass and participate in altar serving.”

Antonia Venegas, from Soboba, has been a St. Jude school board member for the past four years. She has two children who attended the school and are now students at Noli Indian School. Her son Kevin is in ninth grade and Samuel is in sixth grade. She found public schools to be overpopulated and welcomed the one-on-one instruction her sons received at St. Jude which helped them get on track with their grade requirements.

“The school has changed tremendously,” she said. “They are now WASC accredited, and they added Luiseño language instruction.”

Board members get regular updates on the school and children and put policies in place as well as research grants and ways to better improve the school.

“The thing I like most is that the children get a lot of one-on-one, and they are introduced to the Luiseño language,” said Venegas, who also sits on the Noli Indian School board. “Sitting on both boards gives me the opportunity to introduce policies and add anything to St. Jude that they are lacking. A lot of times I’m able to include St. Jude in with Noli’s activities. Because St. Jude is such a small school, we were able to include them with Noli’s lunch program as well.”

Camille Diaz, who has been Noli’s school nurse for several years and is also a Soboba Tribal member, has served on St. Jude’s board of directors for more than three years and has grandchildren who attend the school. She said the school has changed in many ways in recent years.

“One being that there are smaller classroom sizes, which helps our children get all the attention they are not able to get in public schools,” she said. “Our administration has changed, and we were blessed with our new principal Miss Donna Ferry who works very hard with our parents and children to keep them moving forward to a great education. My favorite part of the school is the religion and Luiseño language classes that the students receive.”

Diaz also appreciates the ambition and eagerness of all the staff and teachers, who work so hard at helping the students achieve their academic skills, religion and Native Culture goals.

As a board member, she also gets to help plan events and fundraisers for the students but said her favorite thing to do is watch her grandchildren participate in church events. She said the recent presentation on the dangers of poisonous snakes and how to recognize different types was very

well received.

“It is very special to have moments like this for our students,” she said. “The students really enjoyed having Mr. Dagostino visit and are hoping he can come and do more classes in the future.”

Ferry said her favorite part of the day is first thing in the morning.

“We gather each morning to begin our school day with morning prayer,” she said. “We do the morning offering; the prayer to St. Kateri; students offer up prayers to loved ones and things happening in the world; we do the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag and end with the prayer to St. Jude.”

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha is the first Native American to be recognized as a saint by the Catholic church, canonized by Pope Benedict XVI, Oct. 21, 2012. She is the patroness of ecology and the environment, people in exile and Native Americans.

“Since we are a very small school, we are able to work oneon-one with our students and make sure they are all learning, which will help them be successful,” Ferry said. “An advantage for the students to have a Catholic-based education is that we teach our students that God loves us no matter what, and that we are never alone because God is always with us. We teach about loving God, others and ourselves.”

Tickets for an opportunity drawing Thursday, Dec. 7, to win a 2023 RAV4 Hybrid XLE and support the annual Diocese of San Bernardino Bishop’s Golf Classic are currently available for purchase at $10 each. The school receives about $7.50 for every ticket sold, and parents who sell tickets will get $3 towards their tuition for every ticket they sell. To purchase, contact Ferry at 951380-6184.

The school hosts a pancake breakfast on the second Sunday of each month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Kateri Center, 23600 Soboba Road, in San Jacinto. The cost is $5 for pancakes, sausage, juice or coffee. For more information about St. Jude Mission School, visit http:// www.saintjudeschoolsob.wixsite. com/soboba or email saintjudeschool.soboba@gmail.com

Christine Plaganis of Temecula earns degree from UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Christine Plaganis of Temecula received her Master of Science from the University of Alabama. The university awarded over 1,257 degrees during its spring commencement ceremonies.

The University of Alabama is the state’s flagship university. The university shapes a better world through its teaching, research and service. With a global reputation for excellence, University of Alabama provides an inclusive, forward-thinking environment

and nearly 200 degree programs on a beautiful, student-centered campus. A leader in cutting-edge research, the university advances discovery, creative inquiry and knowledge through more than 30 research centers. As the state’s largest higher education institution, the university drives economic growth in Alabama and beyond. For more information, visit http:// www.ua.edu. Submitted by University of Alabama.

Science teacher Jay Dagostino introduces St. Jude Mission School students, including from left, Zoey Suarez, 7; Jaynee Ladera, 8; Marley Ochoa, 10; Athena Marquez, 8; Tonla Laurenzana, 7, and Annalise Marquez, 6, to his pet snakes during a presentation Wednesday, Aug. 30. Valley News/Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians photos

St. Jude Mission School students are curious about snakes brought to their classroom by science teacher Jay Dagostino.

Princess Jasmine, a pet ball python belonging to Noli Indian School science teacher Jay Dagostino, is held up for viewing during a recent presentation at St. Jude Mission School at the Soboba Indian Reservation.

Riverside County Library System celebrates Adult Literacy Awareness Month

Riverside County Library System’s adult literacy services aim to empower Riverside County adults by offering tutoring sessions which enhance their English reading, writing, listening and speaking skills.

digital literacy labs for beginners or job seekers, citizenship preparation classes and much more.

Riverside County. To find out more about RCLS adult literacy resources, visit http://www.rivlib. net/services/literacy.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY – In

September, The Riverside County Library System, a leading resource for education, connection and life enrichment, celebrates all things

literacy. Adult Literacy Awareness Month is a month dedicated to spreading awareness of and building support for adult education and literacy services.

“By supporting adult literacy services, we are directly investing in the capability of our residents to participate fully in the workforce, support their families and contribute meaningfully to the community,” Second District Supervisor Karen Spiegel said. “Our public libraries are sanctuaries of learning for all ages, and I am proud that we are spotlighting Adult Literacy Awareness Month to elevate the crucial services they provide. Let us all commit to breaking down barriers to literacy so that every adult has the opportunity to unlock a brighter future.”

Volunteers are supported in leading literacy classes such as

“In a modern world driven by information and knowledge, the value of adult literacy services cannot be overstated. Literacy forms the foundation upon which individuals build their dreams, careers, and aspirations,” Joan Tyler, chief librarian of RCLS, said. “These services provide more than just the ability to read words on a page; they open doors to personal development, improved health outcomes and expanded horizons.”

The next session of adult literacy classes will be available to Riverside County residents through Nov. 18. In addition, RCLS is passionate about the Riverside County Library Connect mobile library and literacy vehicles that extend literacy-enriched programs and resources to adults and their families at key locations within

During the observance of Adult Literacy Awareness Month, RCLS cordially invites the community to take part in the new countywide reading initiative “Read Today, Lead Tomorrow,” This campaign strives to unite communities and cultivate the leaders of tomorrow. Complementing an array of offerings and engagements across all 36 libraries in Riverside County. The Riverside County Library System is a division of the Office of Economic Development. For more information, contact the Riverside County Library System at 951-369-3003 or visit http:// www.rivlib.net.

Submitted by Riverside County Library System.

Tisha Thakkar named to the summer 2023 president’s list at Georgia State University

Wednesday, September 13,

2023

Dear Community,

It is with heavy hearts and profound sadness that we share the devastating news of the unexpected passing of our beloved Principal, Dr. Kari McGowan. Dr. McGowan’s untimely passing was the result of a sudden and unexpected health condition. This loss is very devastating for our school district and we are deeply saddened by this sudden turn of events.

Dr. McGowan has been an integral part of our district’s leadership for many years, and

her upbeat personality, bright smile, dedication, passion, and commitment to our students’ success have left a tremendous mark on all of us. Her unwavering support for our students, teachers, staff, and families has been an inspiration to all who have had the privilege of working with her. In this challenging time, our priority is to provide support and assistance to our students and staff as we navigate this difficult period of grief and mourning. Throughout the week, the HUSD Crisis Response Team will be set up in the Tahquitz Library to support students.

During this challenging time, let us remember the positive impact that Dr. McGowan had on our district and the lives of countless students. Her legacy of dedication and service will continue to inspire us all.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dr. McGowan’s family and loved ones. She leaves behind a devoted husband and baby boy. Please keep them in your thoughts during this difficult time.

Sincerely, Dr. Christi Barrett Superintendent Hemet Unified School District

ATLANTA, Ga. – Eunice

Kiriaku of Lake Elsinore was named to the summer 2023 dean’s list at Georgia State University. To be eligible for the dean’s list during the summer semester, degree-seeking students with a minimum Georgia State cumulative GPA of 2.00 must earn a 3.50

GPA for the semester and complete at least six semester hours of academic credit with no incompletes. Georgia State University, an enterprising urban public research university, is a national leader in graduating students from widely diverse backgrounds. The student body of 50,000 demonstrates that

students from all backgrounds can achieve at high rates with unsurpassed connections to the city’s business, government, nonprofit and cultural organizations. Submitted by Georgia State University.

ATLANTA, Ga. Tisha Thakkar of Temecula was named to the president’s list for the summer 2023 semester at Georgia State University. To be eligible for the president’s list during the summer semester, degree-seeking students must have earned a GPA of at least 4.0 for a minimum of six semester hours of academic credit taken at Georgia State during the fall or spring term with no incompletes for the semester. Eligible students must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 for all classes taken at Georgia State

University.

Georgia State University, an enterprising urban public research university, is a national leader in graduating students from widely diverse backgrounds. The student body of 50,000 demonstrates that students from all backgrounds can achieve at high rates with unsurpassed connections to the city’s business, government, nonprofit and cultural organizations. For more information, visit http://www.gsu.edu

Submitted by Georgia State University.

BUSINESS

Temecula Chamber to host ‘New Boundaries, New Perspectives’ Legislative Summit 2023

TEMECULA – “New Boundaries, New Perspectives” is the theme of the Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 Legislative Summit Thursday, Oct. 12, at South Coast Winery Resort & Spa from 7-10 a.m.

With the recent redistricting of the region, Temecula also has new representation. The newly adopted district boundaries brought new representation at the state and federal levels. As such, TVCC will bring to the stage for the first time together state Assemblymember Kate Sanchez, state Sen. Kelly Seyarto and Rep. Darrell Issa. The community is invited to attend as they share critical updates and their inside perspective on state and federal legislation and its impact on the local area.

The summit is the chamber’s premier advocacy event, offering an opportunity to engage with government, business and community leaders, as well as policy experts, to learn how best to navigate the chal-

lenges of an ever-changing business environment.

Reservations are $70 per person for TVCC members and $90 per person for non-members or reserve a corporate table of 10 for $650 for TVCC members and $850 for non-members. Tickets may be purchased at http://www.Temecula.org

Fo r more information on attending, sponsorship opportunities or to make a reservation, contact Amber Poncy, Amber@temecula. org, call 951-676-5090 or at http:// temecula.org.

The Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit organization based in Temecula. The m ission of the Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce is to promote positive economic growth while protecting the environment for all businesses and by doing so, support the programs which preserve and improve the quality of life for the entire community

Submitted by Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce.

A volunteer tutor with the Riverside County Library System assists a resident during adult literacy sessions. Valley News/Courtesy photo

A

message from Hemet Unified superintendent regarding the passing

of beloved Tahquitz High School Principal, Dr. Kari McGowan

Eunice Kiriaku named to the summer 2023 dean’s list at Georgia State University

What do those restaurant grades mean?

cates that the restaurant poses a low risk to public health.

The Riverside County restaurant grading system uses these signs which should be displayed near the entrance of eating establishments.

Valley News Editorial Staff

Restaurant grading systems in Riverside and San Diego County, like many other regions, are designed to ensure the safety and hygiene of food establishments, protect public health and provide transparency to consumers. These grading systems are typically enforced by local health departments, and restaurants are regularly inspected to determine their compliance with food safety regulations. Here’s an overview of how restaurant grades work in Riverside and San Diego County, along with the criteria for each grade:

Inspection Frequency:

Restaurants in both Riverside and San Diego County are subject to routine inspections by the local

Valley News/Courtesy photo

health department. The frequency of inspections can vary depending on several factors, including the type of establishment, its history of compliance, and any complaints or foodborne illness reports.

Grading Scale: Riverside County and San Diego County both use a similar grading scale, which typically includes three grades: “A,” “B,” and “C.”

“A” Grade: Restaurants that receive an “A” grade have demonstrated a high level of compliance with food safety regulations during their inspection. They have met or exceeded the minimum requirements in areas such as food handling, temperature control, sanitation, and cleanliness. Generally, an “A” grade indi-

“B” Grade: A “B” grade is given to restaurants that have some violations during the inspection but are not in serious violation of food safety regulations. These violations may include issues like minor temperature discrepancies, inadequate cleaning in certain areas, or other issues that need to be corrected.

Restaurants with a “B” grade are typically re-inspected to ensure that they have corrected the identified problems.

“C” Grade: A “C” grade is a cause for concern and indicates that the restaurant has significant violations of food safety regulations.

Restaurants with a “C” grade may have issues like cross-contamination of food, improper storage of perishables, or inadequate sanitation practices.

These establishments often require immediate corrective action, and they may be temporarily closed if the violations pose an imminent health risk.

Closure and Re-inspection: If a restaurant receives a “C” grade or has critical violations that cannot be corrected during

Menifee Union School District Education Foundation announces inaugural board members

will lead the establishment of the foundation through the upcoming year.

“We are thrilled to welcome these outstanding members to the Menifee Union School District Educational Foundation,” Superintendent Jennifer Root said. “Their dedication and expertise will play a vital role in helping us achieve our mission to inspire learning, exploration and imagination.”

The Menifee Union School District announces the appointment of (from left) JoAnne Lauer, Ailen Fickling, Vicki Carpenter and John Petro to the first Menifee Union School District Educational Foundation board. Valley News/Courtesy photo

MENIFEE –These distinguished community members demonstrate a deep commitment to advancing educational opportunities for all students and educators.

Applications to serve on the Menifee Union School District Educational Foundation Board opened Tuesday, Aug. 22. After a review of the applicants, the MUSD Governing Board approved Vicki Carpenter, Ailen Fickling, JoAnne Lauer and John

Petro.

Also on the board are MUSD Trustee Morgan Singleton II; Trustee Jacquelyn Johansen; Superintendent Jennifer Root; Marc Bommarito, assistant superintendent of business services, a nd Josué Reyna, director of communications and community engagement.

These inaugural board members of the educational foundation bring a wealth of passion, experience and skill to their roles and

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the inspection, it may be closed temporarily until the issues are resolved.

After correction, the restaurant will undergo a follow-up inspection, and if it meets the necessary criteria, it can regain an “A” grade.

Posting of Grades:

In both counties, restaurant grades are typically required to be prominently displayed at the establishment, usually near the entrance. This allows customers to make informed decisions about where they choose to dine.

Public Access to Inspection Reports:

Riverside and San Diego County residents can often access restaurant inspection reports online, providing additional transparency and information about a restaurant’s compliance history.

It’s essential to note that while Riverside and San Diego Counties share similarities in their restaurant grading systems, specific regulations and procedures may evolve over time or have local variations. Therefore, it’s always a good idea for consumers and restaurant owners to consult their respective county health department websites for the most up-to-date information on grading criteria and procedures. Addition-

ally, food establishments should prioritize ongoing staff training and strict adherence to food safety guidelines to maintain high grades and ensure the well-being of their customers.

Award of Recognition

According to the Riverside Dept. of Public Health website, there is also an “Award of Recognition” that was developed in 1998 in an effort to recognize food establishments which have consistently maintained exceptionally high sanitary operational, and structural standards assuring the maximum protection of the public’s health and safety.

In order to receive this award, a food establishment must maintain a score of 95% or above on all routine inspections the previous calendar year (minimum of two inspections), maintain a current Environmental Health Permit, and maintain food handling staff with valid Food Handler Certification. A listing of all food establishments which have qualified for this award will be prepared by March 1st of each year.

Information taken from https:// RivCoEh.org/restaurant-grading and data.sandiegocounty.gov/ stories/s/Food-Facility-InspectionGrades/icun-qvbm/

The Menifee Union School District Educational Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the educational experience of students by providing support for innovative programs, classroom resources and scholarships.

With schools dating back to the 1880s, Menifee Union School District serves over 12,000 students across 16 physical campuses and one digital campus. As a California Pivotal Practices Award Winner, MUSD serves students from preschool through eighth grade. MUSD is led by its 12th superintendent, Jennifer Root, and is governed by a board of education composed of five publicly elected officials who serve their respective trustee areas.

Submitted by Menifee Union School District.

SAN BERNARDINO – The Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship at California State University San Bernardino published the 2022 Impact Report and the data shows that the IECE continues to have a growing and impactful economic presence in the region. Since 1999, IECE’s impact on the region has been more than $534 million.

The findings show that in 2022, the IECE continued to increase its economic impact on the region with a net positive contribution of more than $129 million when total loans, contracts and exports are combined. That was a $50 million increase over 2021.

“That’s only the direct economic impact, that doesn’t account for any multiplier effects,” Mike Stull, director of IECE, said. “We are thrilled our programs continue to make an impact on entrepreneurship in the region.”

In 2022, IECE assisted more than 20,000 businesses and was also responsible for the creation and/or retention of approximately 2,310 jobs. More than 300 new businesses were started and nearly 17,000 people attended trainings.

Several new programs and initiatives were introduced in 2022 to

address distinct service gaps, based on the findings from the 2021 State of Entrepreneurship report. Those include Catapult Growth Network + Catapult Mastermind, Financial Fitness Bootcamp: Four-Day Small Business Training and the SBDC Center for Contracting.

For a copy of the report, visit https://entre.csusb.edu/

The Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship at Cal State San Bernardino is the largest and most experienced organization in the Inland Empire dedicated to supporting small businesses and entrepreneurship on campus for the Jack H. Brown College of Business & Public Administration’s School of Entrepreneurship, and within the community throughout the Inland Southern California region. The top-tier segments of the IECE include the Women’s Business Centers at http://IEWBC.org and http:// CVWBC.org, the Small Business Development Center at http://ociesmallbusiness.org and the Cross Border E-Commerce-As ia program at http://cbecasia.com and the Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards at http://spiritawardsie.com Submitted by Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship.

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Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship publishes annual impact report, surpasses $500 million dollars in economic impact

Review of all things Real Estate: Notes from local real estate marketing meeting

filled report indicating a buyer’s market is when the meter falls below 30 and a seller’s market when the meter is above 30.

My personal thesis is that there must be a neutral market where normal negotiations are expected to be conducted and I put that neutral market between 31 and 55; above 55 is a seller’s market. As previously reported for our market, the meter has hovered between 48 and 52 for the last 5-6 weeks, and this week it was 51. So, in my estimation we are in a neutral market leaning towards the sellers.

Bob Hillery CR Properties

In past articles I have referenced the local weekly marketing meeting attended by the area’s 40-ish most active real estate professionals. It is an informative and collegial group as we have been meeting since 2008, so we know each other well.

We learn from each other plus we put deals together during this forum; and we learn a ton of information about real estate and sometimes surprising items that are not real estate related. This past week certain information fell into the latter category which I will share at the end of this article.

First, regarding real estate, the ALTOS Report is a meter of market activity in selected zip codes. I have referred to this meaty, fact-

But the property must be thoughtfully priced, and it must be market ready, or the property will sit and get stale. Once the days on the market start accumulating, buyers will view that property with suspicion wondering what’s wrong with it and that’s when low ball offers (sometimes insultingly low) start showing up.

What this means to sellers is that this is not the market to make retirement on the sale and try to squeeze every possible dime out of the transaction. If the property has been owned for the last three years and has not been subject to cash-out refinancing (using the house as a cash machine) then the appreciation of these past few years will have driven the value up, a lot!

Price the home well and it’ll sell, even with the higher than comfort-

able mortgage interest rates. In Fallbrook, relative to surrounding population centers, we have a more active market than most likely because the list agents have coached their sellers to be reasonable in their expectations.

Don’t try to make the market, take what the market will give and be satisfied with that. Buyers are subject to a lot of pressure, and they are kind of scared so make it easier for buyers to want to purchase your property.

On the not-so-much real estate subject, this past Monday was the 22nd anniversary of 9-11 and a group of us from the marketing meeting met and climbed up Monserate Mountain, the site of previous years 9-11 memorial hike.

Once on top, we met three ladies and one of them said to our group, “Okay, I’m just going to tell you.” She identified one of the other ladies as the daughter of the pilot of American Airlines flight 11 which was the first aircraft to impact the twin towers.

I said, “Tom McGuinness was your father?” and she said “No, my dad was John Ogonowski.” I knew Tom McGuinness was the co-pilot of AA flight 11 because he was a Fallbrook resident, but I didn’t remember the name of the pilot in command.

We took a picture together on the summit then started back down when it hit me; how ironic that

we hiked up the 9-11 Memorial trail in Fallbrook, and met a lady, Mary Ogonowski whose family was from Boston, and John was flying with a co-pilot, Tom, from Fallbrook.

This relates to the marketing meeting because in our group one of the agents was a neighbor to Tom McGuinness and she became emotional talking about him after we shared our summit story.

Another colleague in the room talked about a fellow employee who was aboard United flight 175 (the second hijacked plane which crashed into the south tower). She too choked up when she explained why she’ll never forget 9-11. The

mood predictably became somber, and we all resolved to never forget those who died that terrible day.

The takeaway: for the nearly 3000 souls who perished in NY that day, including 348 firefighters and 71 law enforcement officers, we can never forget. For the 184 people who were killed at the Pentagon and the 40 who died at Shanksville; we can never forget. For the nearly 7000 military personnel who were killed in action in Afghanistan and Iraq for which 9-11 was the triggering event, we can never forget. For the families, we must never forget. America, teach your kids and grandkids; we can never forget.

Sell smarter: Negotiation strategies for homeowners

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Negotiation is a highly valuable life skill. It’s not just about haggling over prices or making deals; it’s a fundamental skill that empowers you to communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, and achieve your goals while maintaining positive relationships with others. Here are some proven negotiation strategies to get the deal closed when selling a home.

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Know your priorities

Before entering negotiations, identify your priorities. What aspects of the deal are non-negotiable, and where are you willing to compromise? Make sure you set realistic pricing and goals for the transaction. No deal is better than a bad deal.

Use silence

Say you get an offer on Friday afternoon, there is absolutely no need to lock it all in on that same day. Step back, take the weekend and see if more offers come in. Think carefully about all the terms. Then, respond in an intentional and meaningful way – not in a rushed and frenetic manner. In the long run (even if it is just a move), your slow and steady “vibe” will send a message to the other side. If you act quickly and appear desperate, buyers may even think there is something wrong with the house. Don’t feel pressured to fill the silence immediately.

Put it all in writing

A verbal agreement over the phone may later lead to misunderstandings. Once an offer is reached, ensure that all negotiated terms are clearly documented in writing within the contract.

Stay emotionally detached

Selling a home can be emotional, but try to approach negotiations with a level head. Emotional decisions can lead to concessions that may not be in your best interest. Keep your emotions in check and maintain a poker face during negotiations. That’s when hiring a skilled real estate agent with knowledge of the market can be invaluable. They can provide expert advice, market your home effectively, and negotiate with buyers so you don’t have to.

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Negotiating the sale of your home requires a strategic approach and a willingness to adapt to changing conditions. Your real estate agent can be an essential partner in this process, helping you make informed decisions to achieve the best possible outcome.

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This article first appeared on Broadpoint Properties’ website, https://servingsandiegocounty. com.

Elisabeth Hartig Lentulo, Broker Associate with Broadpoint Properties (CalBre# 01904564), can be reached at 760-532-1057 or www.ehlentulo.com.

September 22 – 28, 2023

Prep Football

Week Four scores and game notes from around the area

JP Raineri

Sports Editor

It was one of those David vs. Goliath weeks on the local prep football scene, except most of the Goliaths went unphased, especially in the Big West. It was also a week when many of the smaller school teams played some of their most competitive football yet. While there have been five weeks of competition, the schedule notes this past week as Week Four of the prep football season due to Zero Week games. This upcoming week will be played primarily by teams that did not utilize a Zero Week, or took a bye week early on, but let’s not get too far ahead.

Week Four action took place starting Thursday, Sept. 14, around the southwest Riverside County region, with games concluding Saturday, Sept. 16. Scores, along with certain game notes for Week Four high school football games involving local teams inside our coverage area, were reported as follows:

THURSDAY 9/14

Nonleague

Canyon Springs (3-2) - 14,

Heritage (0-5) - 12

Tri-City Christian (3-1) - 27,

Hamilton (0-5) - 14

Murrieta Valley (3-1) - 48, King

(2-2) - 24

Game notes : Trying to prove their weight as a top team in the Big West Upper Division, it was the Bear Bachmeier show last Thursday night. Bachemeier was on fire for the Nighthawks when they went up against a top contender in the Big West Lower Division, King High School.

Completing 19 of his 23 passes for 228 yards, Bachmeier connected with four different receivers for five TDs on the night. Brandon Gilbert was the favored target with his two scores, and 76 yards receiving. Asa Chatman and Dorian Hoze covered the ground attack for Murrieta Valley, each scoring one TD apiece, with over

150 yards between the two. Isaiah Ayers led the Nighthawks defense with nine tackles while Santana Letua got one QB sack and had six tackles on the night.

West Valley (4-1) - 36, Miller

(2-3) - 6

Game notes: West Valley’s Jason Ramirez ran for three touchdowns and had a touchdown pass to lead the Mustangs (4-1) to a nonleague victory. Drew-Sene Amisone led the rushing attack with 126 yards and a touchdown.

Xavier Prep (3-1) - 24, Rancho Christian (4-1) - 21

Game notes: Rancho Christian dropped their first game of the season, falling to Xavier Prep in the final minutes of their nonconference game Thursday, Sept. 14. The Saints scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, capitalizing on an interception and a fumble recovery, both of which led to scores. Eagles QB Blake Nadler threw for 171 yards, connecting with Jonathan Alexander for two TDs on the night, but also had two turnovers by way of interceptions. Fausto Atilano led Rancho Christian with 33 yards on the ground (7 carries), and 68 yards receiving (5 catches).

Temescal Canyon (3-1) - 22, Lakeside (0-5) - 21

Game notes: In a tight game, Marley Escobar scored on a 20yard run in the closing minutes of the game to lift the Temescal Canyon Titans (2-2) to their final nonleague win of the season. Noah Morgan ran for 101 yards and a touchdown, while Louis Alvis threw a touchdown pass and also ran for 81 yards. The high point for the Titans came when they recovered an onside kick to set up the final touchdown.

FRIDAY 9/15

Manzanita League

California Military Institute

(2-2) - 22, San Jacinto Valley Academy (0-3) - 11

Game notes: Manuel Velasquez ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns as the Roughriders

(2-2) won their Manzanita League opener over SJVA.

Nonleague Beaumont (5-0) - 43, Murrieta Mesa (0-5) - 14 Bloomington (4-0) - 32, Citrus Hill (1-4) - 14 Cornerstone Christian (3-1) - 47, Horizon Prep (0-3) - 6 (8-man)

Game notes : Cornerstone Christian’s Devin Jarrett threw for 201 yards and four touchdowns as the Crusaders (3-1) took down Horizon Prep in a nonleague bout. Matthew Cole Contreras caught two of those touchdowns from Jarrett, and Matthew Huffman added 86 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Linfield Christian (3-2) - 22, Norwalk (2-2) - 20

Game notes: Linfield Christian’s Micah Little rushed for a pair of touchdowns as the Lions (32) erased an early double-digit deficit to beat Norwalk. A Thomas

Paschal’s rushing TD in the third quarter helped give Linfield Christian a 19-14 lead.

Diamond Bar (3-2) - 33, Paloma Valley (3-2) - 20

Game note: Keegan Kelley ran for 130 yards and a touchdown to lead Paloma Valley (3-2).

Eisenhower (5-0) - 14, Elsinore (2-3) - 9

Game notes : The Elsinore Tigers could not find a way to contain Dashaun Benton, who was a special teams ninja for Eisenhower. From the opening kickoff to the fake punt first down run in the fourth quarter, Elsinore fell 14-9 in a nonleague loss last Friday Night. The Eagles took a 14-9 lead in the second quarter, and from there, neither team scored again nor came within their opponent’s red zone. Elsinore missed a 38-yard field goal with 5:28 left in the game, giving Eisenhower the ball. Elsinore (2-3)

begins Ivy League play Sept. 29 at home against Heritage.

Chaparral (4-1) - 35, Great Oak (2-3) - 3

Game notes: Chaparral QB

Dash Beierly picked apart Great Oak’s defense, throwing for 221 yards and three touchdowns while Jayce Venable ran wild, rushing for 178 yards, scoring twice in his 28 carries, and another in the air. Blake Lowe and Princeton Anderson hauled in the other two Beierly TD passes with Anderson clearing the century mark bringing down 106 receiving yards. Great Oak’s lone score came from field goal kicker Alejandro Colina in the second quarter. As seen on X (formerly Twitter), Chaparral laid claim to being city champs for the 14th time, despite the two teams being in separate leagues now.

Adelanto (2-3) - 26, Hemet (2-3) - 12

Perris (3-2) - 40, Jurupa Valley (1-4) - 32 (OT)

Game notes: Perris QB Ryan

Arredondo tossed six touchdown passes, including the18-yard game-winner to Mike Lawson in overtime, to lift the Panthers (3-2) to a nonleague victory. Arredondo completed 21 of 25 passes for 341 yards. Lawson had 13 receptions for 129 yards and two touchdowns, and Jerett Sewell also hauled in two touchdown catches.

Liberty (4-1) - 48, San Gorgonio (4-1) - 7

Game notes: The Liberty Bison held up their end defensively and capitalized on a number of turnovers defeating San Gorgonio 48-7 in their final nonleague games of the season. Andre Skelton had 176 all-purpose yards with three

Murrieta Valley’s Asa Chatman (1) hurdles over King defender Matheus Cunha (2) in the Nighthawks win Thursday, Sept. 14. Valley News/Action Captures Media Group

Kurrelle Thomas (10) makes a touchdown catch for the Nighthawks between King defenders Matheus Cunha (2) and Aaron Porter (4). Valley News/Action Captures Media Group

Temescal Canyon’s Marley Escobar (24) scores late in the game to help lift the Titans to their final nonleague win of the season over Lakeside High School. Valley News/Time Stood Still Photography

Chaparral senior, Shane Klingelberg (4), pressures Great Oak QB Cole Vasquez early in the first half of their Week Four matchup. Valley News/Rob Davis Photography

Liberty’s Andre Skelton (3) scores one of his three touchdowns in the Bison’s Week Four win over San Gorgonio. Valley News/Action Captures Media Group see FOOTBALL, page C-6

Valley News Prep Notebook: Week ending 9/16

Derryl Trujillo

Sports Writer

In this week’s edition of the Valley News Prep Volleyball notebook, we recap a busy opening week of league play, one tournament involving area teams, last week’s CIF-SS coaches polls, and take a look at a busy week ahead.

This week the road to CIF-SS postseason berths started for many area leagues. Here are the highlights as well as some matches to watch. Week one of the Southwestern League was covered in another story.

Ivy League: Paloma Valley survived a wild match at Riverside Poly on Friday afternoon with a 3-1 victory (22-25, 32-30, 27-25, 25-18) and is 2-0 in league while Rancho Christian won their debut in the league at Hemet in a sweep (25-19, 25-22, 25-15). Poly split the week by winning a five-set thriller on Wednesday afternoon at home against Elsinore (24-26, 19-25, 25-23, 28-26, 15-12). It sets up a much-anticipated match on

Wednesday between the Wildcats and Eagles for first place.

Match of the Week:

Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 5:30 P.M.

Rancho Christian at Paloma Valley

Both sides are mentioned in the current CIF-SS coaches poll with Paloma Valley at eighth in division four and Rancho Christian receiving votes in division five. The Wildcats are four-time defending league champions between Sunbelt (before that league came under the Raincross Conference banner) and Ivy League play. After a brief stint as a freelance program the Eagles returned to league play in a big way last season running through the Sunbelt League undefeated and without dropping a set en route to a CIF-SS division six quarterfinal appearance. It’s also a matchup of student vs teacher as Eagles head coach Luci Villafana and assistant Paige Williams both played under Paloma Valley’s Stephen Kaas in club volleyball.

Mountain Pass League:

Defending champion and CIFSS division seven quarterfinalist

Hemet West Valley is off to a 2-0 start after a five-set win over San Jacinto (25-18, 23-25, 22-25, 2522, 15-9) and a sweep of Citrus Hill. Kamryn Hubbell had 17 kills and four aces to lead the Mustangs in the win over San Jacinto.

Match of the Week:

Hemet West Valley at Liberty

Thursday, Sept 21 at 6:30 P.M.

The Bison swept San Jacinto,

Rancho Christian players along with head coach Luci Villafana and assistant Paige Williams celebrate the program’s third straight Hamilton Tournament title on Saturday, Sept. 16 in Anza. Valley News/Courtesy photo

a team that West Valley needed five sets to get through at home and get to host the first meeting between these two ranked CIF-SS opponents. It’s a matchup of the Mountain Pass League’s two ranked teams and, with Liberty moving to the Raincross Conference next year, the final regular season Bison home match between the schools.

Majestic League: Unlike the other area leagues Majestic League play is two weeks in and Cornerstone Christian/ Wildomar, led by former Calvary Murrieta head coach Paul Amoy (who guided the Warriors to three straight CIF-SS championship game appearances between ‘06-

’08 with two wins), is tied atop the standings at 4-0 (7-2 overall). This comes just one year after the Crusaders won just two matches in total. The Crusaders will play Tuesday at Crossroads Christian/ Corona and Thursday against St. Jeanne De Lestonnac. If they prevail Tuesday it sets up a showdown with Calvary Baptist/ La Verne (seventh in the division nine poll dated Monday, Sept. 11) for early control of the Majestic League title chase on Thursday, Sept. 28 in Wildomar.

Ambassador League: Linfield Christian swept their opener against once third ranked Woodcrest Christian by 25-13, 25-14, and 25-16 and also swept a match against Entrepreneur earlier in the week. After spending Saturday at the Anza Hamilton tournament Linfield Christian hits the road for trips to Aquinas on Tuesday and defending CIF-SS division six champion Arrowhead Christian on Thursday.

Hamilton Tournament:

In an all-Valley News area final Rancho Christian defeated Linfield Christian in three sets, 17-15 in the third, to win Hamilton’s tournament for a third straight year.

Savannah Thomas was named Most Outstanding Player for the Eagles while Anna Roth earned an alltournament selection for Linfield Christian.

CIF-SS Coaches Poll:

In this week’s CIF-SS Coaches poll (dated Monday, Sept. 11) nine teams from the Valley News coverage area find themselves in their division’s top ten or receiving votes.

Leading the pack are Linfield

Temecula Prep’s Nola Fairborn serves in a non-league match against Cornerstone Christian. The Patriots were ranked second in the most recent CIF-SS coaches poll for division eight from Monday, Sept. 11. Valley News/Time Stood Still Photography

Christian and Temecula Prep who are each ranked in their division’s top five. The Lions are ranked first in division six for a second straight week while the Patriots are ranked second in division eight.

Paloma Valley is ranked eighth in division four, California Lutheran ninth in division eight, Orange Vista and Cornerstone Christian are both tenth in division’s six and nine respectively.

Also receiving votes are Rancho Christian in division five, Hemet West Valley in division six, and Liberty in division eight.

Player of the Week:

Maddie Snow, Temecula Valley

It’s not often this award goes to a player on a team that goes 2-1 on the week but the Bears played three quality opponents in Vista Murrieta, Chaparral, and Rancho Christian. These are three teams likely to reach the CIF-SS postseason and Snow shined, averaging 3.7 kills per set. She led the way in a Thursday night Southwestern League victory over Chaparral with 17 kills, 11 digs and 2 aces against a Puma side that started the year 11-0.

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

Anna Roth and the Linfield Christian girls volleyball team are ranked first in division six according to the most recent CIF-SS coaches poll dated Monday, Sept. 11. Valley News/Time Stood Still Photography

Prep Volleyball: Vista Murrieta opens league with back-to-back wins

JP Raineri Sports Editor

MURRIETA – Southwestern League volleyball action got underway this past week and Vista Murrieta picked up where they left off in 2022, without a loss. Two days after defeating Temecula Valley 3-1 Tuesday, Sept. 12, the Broncos (8-1) entered the “Den” to face Great Oak (5-10) and left with a 3-1 victory over the Wolfpack. In a match that was not filled with much flash, Vista Murrieta defeated

Great Oak in workman like fashion. The Wolfpack did stretch the match to four sets by winning the third by the score of 25-16. Vista Murrieta has won eight straight matches after falling in their season opener to Marymount.

This week the Broncos will be home to take on Murrieta Valley (9-4, 1-0), and Murrieta Mesa (136, 0-1), with match times set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19, and Thursday, Sept. 21. JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.com

Broncos MB Charlotte Underwood scores a point for Vista Murrieta over the block attempt of a Wolfpack defender.

Madison Pulsipher with a block for the Broncos in their 3-1 win over Great Oak Thursday, Sept. 14. Valley News/David Canales photo

Valley News/David Canales photo

Vista Murrieta defeats Great Oak 3-1 to improve their record to 8-1 Thursday, Sept. 14, in the “Den” at Great Oak High School. Valley News/David Canales photo Temecula Valley’s Alison Chapin attacks at the net against Vista Murrieta in their Southwestern League opener Tuesday, Sept. 12. Valley News/Action Captures Media Group

Eagle football drops home opener in new stadium

JP Raineri

Sports Editor

A large crowd of over 1,500 fans were on hand as the MSJC Eagles played their first football game in the long-awaited, brandnew stadium at the Menifee campus Saturday, Sept. 9. While the pre-game celebration had just about everything you could want including a military fly-over after the national anthem, the game itself had an outcome that didn’t go as planned. Despite a hard-fought game, MSJC lost to visiting Citrus 16-7.

Both teams had a tough time finding the end zone in the first half as the game was scoreless for over 25 minutes. With 4:40 left to play before halftime the Owls scored on a 46-yard pass when Koy Riggin hit Tayvonne Miller to take a 7-0 lead. Citrus would tack on a field goal on the final play of the half to lead 10-0 going to the break.

MSJC fought their way back into the game in the third quarter when they scored on a 21-yard TD run by Hayden Lara, with Mason Krause cutting the lead to 10-7 with the extra point. An early fourth quarter touchdown by Citrus would put the end cap on the game.

Former Vista Murrieta graduate, Matthew Caldera (22), finds room to run in the Eagles home opener at their brand-new stadium in Menifee Saturday, Sept. 9. Valley News/Action Captures Media Group

Former Vista Murrieta standout, Matthew Caldera, led the ground attack for the Eagles with 56 yards rushing as Lara finished his night throwing for 187 yards on 17 of 35 passing attempts. Koa Apana, formerly of Temescal Canyon, had a team high six receptions and Elijah Simley (King High School) had a team high 70 yards receiving

on five catches. Christian Kretz, a Temecula Valley graduate, also made five grabs for the Eagles and Caldera caught four passes out of the backfield.

On defense Quentin Evans, a Temescal Canyon graduate, recorded a team high eight total tackles, Miron Hazem (Norte Vista) had a QB sack, and Tyler

Tyler Martin (23), a Murrieta Mesa graduate, picks off a pass against Citrus Saturday, Sept. 9.

Martin, formerly of Murrieta Mesa, had an interception. When the night was over Citrus had out gained the Eagles in total offensive yards, 417 vs. 295. The key factor was the run game where the Owls outrushed MSJC by over 150+ yards.

The loss had put the Eagles at 0-2 on the season while Citrus

Valley News college volleyball alumni notebook

Derryl Trujillo

Sports Writer

In this week’s edition of the Valley News College Volleyball notebook, we take a look at area alumni playing in NCAA Division One. We also cover the early season exploits of a couple of alumni we missed in last week’s small colleges notebook.

NCAA Division Three

Brenna Bell, Murrieta Valley (2020) - Claremont Mudd Scripps

Last year the Athenas won both SCIAC regular season and tournament titles en route to a 30-1 record and appearance in the division three West Region finals where they fell to Trinity (Texas) in a five-set thriller. Bell hit .404 and finished seventh nationally in attacking percentage while averaging 2.73 kills per set. Early on in 2023 she is averaging 2.67 kills per set and hitting .267 for a CMS side that is 4-2 and ranked second nationally by the AVCA coaches poll as of Tuesday, September 5.

NCAA Division Two

Tamiya Wilson, Temecula Valley (2022) - San Francisco State

Averaged 4.03 kills per set en route to CCAA Freshman of the Year last fall for a Gators team that went 14-11 overall and 10-8 in conference play but narrowly missed out on tournament play due to tiebreaker. Early in 2023 she’s averaging 3.30 kills per set for the Gators, 4-4 early on in 2023 but 1-2 against ranked opponents.

Rebecca Rendahl, Murrieta Valley (2018) - San Francisco State

After redshirting at Minnesota and then spending three seasons at Fresno State joined the Gators last year and averaged 2.03 kills per set while leading the Gators in blocks with 54. Early in 2023 she is averaging just under a kill per set with four total blocks while appearing in 17 sets.

Brianna DeBoer, Murrieta

Valley (2020) - San Francisco

State

Has played in every set of her first two college campaigns as the Gators starting Libero and was fifth in the conference in digs at 4.12 per set while recording 26 aces. In 2023 she is averaging 2.3 digs per set while appearing in all 30 sets played by the Gators.

Kimberly DeBoer, Murrieta Valley (2020) - San Francisco

State

Was named last year’s CCAA Setter of the Year while averaging 10.93 assists per set and reaching

tenth in program history in total assists with 1,603 to finish the 2022 campaign. So far in 2023 she is averaging 10.1 assists per set for a Gator offense that is hitting .218. She won CCAA Setter of the Week honors for the week ending Saturday, September 3 which was the third time in her career she has earned the award.

Rendahl and both DeBoer’s earned all CCAA academic honors last season. CCAA play begins this week.

Mariah Hughes, Rancho Christian (2023) - Point Loma Hughes has appeared in 20 out of 25 sets and is currently averaging 1.36 kills per set for a Sea Lion team that is 3-4 overall and opens PacWest play this week.

NCAA Division One

Skyler Darr, Vista Murrieta (2023) - University of North Dakota

Darr has entered 16 sets so far for a Fighting Hawks team that is 3-5 and has averaged 1.75 digs per set.

Breanna Mitchell, Linfield Christian (2022) - Boise State Spent last season at CSUN where she was named to the All-Big West Freshman Team along with winning Big West Defensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week twice. Mitchell led the conference with 513 digs (averaging 4.17 per set which was also first) while recording 33 aces (16th in the Big West). At Boise State she is averaging 3.92 digs per set while recording 29 aces (1.12 per set) in 26 sets played. Has played in every set for the Broncos (2-5) so far. Also on the roster is Vista Murrieta graduate Nicole Jacobs.

Juliette Russell, Vista Murrieta (2020) - Gonzaga

A senior middle blocker who led her team in total blocks during the fall 2021 campaign and was fourth in total kills that year is averaging 2.21 kills per set to start 2023 with 17 total blocks.

Julia Haynie, Chaparral (2019) - San Diego State

Has made 89 career starts

Wolfpack control Southwestern League golf race with solid round on Stonehouse nine

Derryl Trujillo

Sports Writer

TEMECULA- There’s an old saying in golf which goes, “The hardest thing to do is follow a low round with another low round.”

On Tuesday, Sept. 12, at Bear Creek Golf Club, the Great Oak girls’ golf team shot their season low of 198 (+18) in a Southwestern League dual match against Murrieta Valley. Defending team co-champion Vista Murrieta followed that up with a season low 218 (+31) in a non-league matchup against Paloma Valley at Canyon Lake Golf Club on Wednesday, Sept. 13.

It was a windy afternoon on Temecula Creek Inn’s Stonehouse nine Thursday, Sept. 14 but that didn’t deter the stars of see GOLF, page C-6

improved to 2-0, but after this past weekend’s 33-26 loss to Moorpark, MSJC is now 0-3. The Eagles will be on the road Saturday, Sept. 23, when they travel to Fullerton before returning home to host Riverside on Saturday, Sept. 30. JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia. com

State is 5-4 so far with a series against Oregon State coming this week.

Liz Markovska, Paloma Valley (2020) - Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Portland State’s Gabby Hollins (#22) attacks a volleyball as San Diego State’s Julia Haynie (#13) goes up to block her in a non-conference match on Aug 27,2023. Valley News/Courtesy: Scott Larson (Portland State Athletic Communications) between two years each with the Vikings and Aztecs and last year was fifth in the Mountain West in hitting percentage posting a .356 mark. So far in 2023 she is averaging 2.26 kills per set with a .398 hitting percentage and nine total blocks for an Aztec side that is 3-6.

Sarena Gonzalez, Temecula Valley (2022) - San Diego State

Last year appeared in all 31 matches for the Aztecs (starting in 11 contests) while averaging 4.58 assists per set. So far in 2023 she’s taken that number up to 6.12 per set with four service aces.

Gabby Hollins, Paloma Valley (2020) - Portland State

In her first two seasons as a Viking averaged 2.2 kills per set before not recording an appearance last season. As a senior she’s off to a really good start in 2023, averaging 3.48 kills per set while hitting .208. Both marks early on this year are the highest in her career. Portland

Last year earned All-Big West freshman honors by appearing in 30 matches and averaging 1.77 kills per set. So far in 2023 she is averaging 3.09 kills per set for a Mustangs team that is 5-4. This week they host Washington, St. Mary’s, and Pepperdine in the Mustang Invitational.

Madi Allen, Great Oak (2020) - University of San Diego

After a stint at BYU in which she was part of a Sweet Sixteen team in 2021 transferred to USD and was part of their Final Four team a season ago, totaling 34 digs and five service aces in 20 sets. She tied a season high for digs with 12 in USD’s win over Stanford in the Elite Eight.

Derryl Trujillo can be reached at socaltrekkie@gmail.com

Murrieta Valley graduate Brenna Bell has a key role in the offense at NCAA Division Three ranked Claremont-Mudd Scripps.

Valley News/Courtesy photo: CMS Athletic Communications

Murrieta Valley graduates Rebecca Rendahl (#9), Brianna DeBoer (#11) and Kimberly DeBoer (#12) along with Temecula Valley’s Tamiya Wilson (#6) are key pieces on a San Francisco State volleyball team looking to return to the CCAA postseason. Valley News/Courtesy photo: SF State Athletic Communications

Vista Murrieta graduate Juliette Russell is a senior on the Gonzaga volleyball team and is off to a good start in 2023. Valley News/Courtesy photo: Gonzaga Athletic Communications

Vista Murrieta’s Wren Saithong hits a tee shot during a Southwestern League dual match against Great Oak at Temecula Creek Inn’s Stonehouse nine on Thursday, Sept. 14. Valley News/Andrez Imaging

Healthy habits for Bonsall, Fallbrook and Valley residents –Melanoma and protecting our skin from cancer

Dr. Megan Johnson McCullough

Special to the Valley News

The most serious type of cancer is melanoma. Cancer develops in cells called melanocytes which are the cells that make melanin. We get our skin color (pigment) from melanocytes. Therefore, melanoma is often generalized as skin cancer.

Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the major cause of this skin condition, which can come from the sun and/or UV tanning beds. If detected early, melanoma can be treated. Limiting exposure to UV rays is the key.

The most common places melanomas form is in the areas of the skin that have been the most exposed to UV rays. This is usually on the back, arms, legs, and face. They can also be found in more uncommon areas such as the palms of your hands, soles of your feet, or even on fingernail beds. People with darker skin may not even be aware they have developed melanomas.

The first signs you might see when melanomas have formed are unusual growths on your skin and/ or changes in how a mole looks/ feels. A normal mole is uniform in color with a border that separates it from the rest of your skin. A normal mole is usually brown, tan, or black, has a round shape and is about the size of a pencil eraser (1/4 inch, 6 millimeters).

When it comes to unusual moles,

the ABCDE method can be used for melanoma assessment:

A – Asymmetrical shape –irregular shape, the two halves of the mole look different

B – Irregular border – notched or scalloped border

C – Changes in color – many colors and/or uneven distribution of color

D – Diameter – the mole has grown to be larger than ¼ inch/6 millimeters in diameter

E – Evolving – over time the mole has grown and/or changed in color; keep checking all your moles over time

There are risk factors that can increase your chance of having melanomas, besides UV exposure. This could include having fair skin because you burn easier in the sun, having had a history of sunburns, living at a higher elevation or closer to the equator (puts you at more direct exposure to UV rays); if you have a lot of moles (50 or more) the chances of having unusual moles increases, and/or having a family history of melanoma.

It is very important to avoid the sun during the hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The sun’s strongest rays are during these hours. The clouds are not enough protection no matter what time of day or year it is. Wearing sunscreen is a must too. A broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher is best.

Avoiding tanning beds is important, or any type of tanning

lamp. Wearing a hat, sunglasses, and clothes that cover skin exposed to the sun is always a good idea no matter how long you are going to be in the sun.

For diagnosis, a doctor will take a biopsy of the skin with potential melanoma. If it is in fact melanoma, the thickness of it needs to be determined to plan treatment type. A thicker melanoma might require more testing to see if it has spread. The doctor wants to be sure it has not spread to the lymph nodes. Melanoma is diagnosed and labeled with Roman numerals 0 to IV. The higher the numeral, the lower the chance of recovery.

For treatment, a doctor can surgically remove the melanoma and even the affected lymph nodes. Immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and radiation are all treatment options. Regular skin checks are important and can be done at your yearly physicals and every six months by your dermatologist. Even the tiniest, questionable skin change should be looked at. Being proactive is always better than being reactive when it comes to your health. Sunshine is part of life, but we must be cautious. Tan skin doesn’t mean healthy skin. Living in the moment is not always the best decision. Have some sunscreen around wherever you go and lather up. Your skin will thank you and protect you in the long run when you do your job to protect it.

Melanoma is the most serious type of cancer, so we need to protect our skin from the sun.

bodybuilder and is a National Academy of Sports Medicine master trainer.

Valley News/Courtesy photo Megan Johnson McCullough, EdD, recently earned her doctorate in physical education and health science, is a professional natural

Temecula to host 13th annual Health and Community Resource Fair

TEMECULA ─ The city of Temecula will host the 13th annual Health & Community Resource Fair Saturday, Sept. 30, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Temecula Civic Center and Town Square, 41000 Main Street, in Temecula. Attendees will have the opportunity to receive the latest information on health-related resources and services around the Temecula

Valley. Come for the health of it and enjoy live entertainment, free health screenings and prize giveaways. Free or low-cost resources and services may be available to many residents through nonprofit organizations within the community.

As part of the Health & Community Resource Fair, there will be a wide range of nonprofit organizations from the region, exhibiting services

from health/wellness, special needs, veteran/military services and many more. Some of the free preventative health assessments and screenings include blood pressure checks, glucose tests, grip strength tests, dental screenings, visual acuity, fall risk assessments, lipid panels, bone density and more.

“‘A Healthy & Livable City’ is one of our city’s core values which instill a high level of civic pride, community engagement and a strong sense of place,” Temecula Mayor Zak Schwank said. “Temecula’s annual Health &

Community Resource Fair presents a variety of resources and services for health awareness, health and wellness education and information on prevention. We encourage all to come and explore the many options for integrated wellness that are easily accessible in our community.”

Temecula Valley Hospital, as a Premier Sponsor, has joined the city of Temecula in hosting the Health & Community Resource Fair for the past 11 years.

“We are proud to have the Temecula Valley Hospital as a

major, premier contributor again this year providing advanced hospital technology, screenings, services and more. Special thanks to our co-sponsors: EOS Fitness and ProFlo Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing,” according to a news release from the city.

For more information, visit http:// TemeculaCA.gov, call 951-6946464 and stay tuned for more programming from Temecula’s Community Services Department by following @TemeculaParksAndRec on social media. Submitted by city of Temecula.

Highway Update

Electronic truck parking space availability signs before rest stops coming in October

Tony Ault Staff Writer

The California Department of Transportation announced it will begin work on a $2.1 million project to install and deploy a Truck Parking Availability System which will include electronic signs to display the number of available truck parking spaces a few miles before the rest areas along Interstate 10 in and near Yucaipa, Whitewater, Coachella and Blythe.

This will help truckers decide on their needed rest stops and help in lane changes once they are installed.

The project was awarded to Bancroft Construction Services, LLC of Yucaipa California. Crews will be working in Riverside before Whitewater eastbound and westbound rest areas.

Construction begins in October along with installing the Electronic Vehicle charging stations

Those hours of operation will be Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. which are subject to change.

The shoulders may be closed intermittently to safely set up signs. No lane or ramp closures are expected on a regular basis but may take place, as needed, for equipment movement.

Caltrans tells motorists to remember to reduce your speed in and surrounding the work zone.

TEMECULA

In Temecula major work is continuing on the Interstate 15 French Valley Improvement project (Phase II) to reduce congestion and improve safety by relieving the I-15/Winchester Road interchange and minimizing weaving movements on I-15 between Winchester Road and the I-15/I-215 Junction.

Motorists are finding a detour connector on the northbound I-15 just past the Winchester bridge, providing for the construction work, which is still causing some congestion until northbound motorists get used to the change. The detour will remain in place until the project is completed

sometime in early 2025.

City engineers suggest motorists proceed with caution, obey all signs, and allow time for everyone to adjust to the new 215 detour connector. Some nightime closures and ramp closures may take place For more information on any northbound I-15 and I-215 nighttime closures see https:// temeculaca.gov/277/FrenchValley-Parkway-Interchange

Beginning late this month work is scheduled to begin on widening the NB I-15 bridge over Santa Gertrudis Creek as a part of the project. This work will impact use of the bicycle/pedestrian path underneath I-15.

ANZA, AGUANGA

Caltrans slurry seal and rumble strips maintenance project continues on State Route 371 from Aguanga through Anza in Riverside County. This project involves dig outs, slurry seal operations, striping, and installation of safety rumble strips on the inside and outside of the lanes in both directions.

Crews this week continue working on SR-371 from the junction of State Route 79 and SR 371 to the junction of State Route SR-74 and SR-371. This project is ongoing for 20.67 miles with some traffic slowing in different areas. Caltrans reports one way traffic control with flagging and pilot vehicles will take place. Motorists must wait for the pilot vehicles to escort them through the construction zone. Expect delays up to 15 minutes.

IDYLLWILD

Caltrans continues its work on the emergency project to remove and replace culverts, perform rock scaling and install safety measures at culverts in both directions on SR-74 in the Idyllwild to Hemet area.

Crews will be working on SR-74 from just east of View Lane to just east of Strawberry Creek Bridge in Idyllwild . The project length is 6.4 miles. Hours of operation will be from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Crews are constructing a temporary access road at Blackburn Road to help local residents.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Caltrans is working on a $3.7 million bridge upgrade project on SR-74, SR-79, State Route 86, State Route 111 , State Route 243, and I-10. This project will take place in various locations throughout Riverside County. Weather permitting.

The project includes concrete overlay, replacement of joint

seals on the bridges, and repair/ replace approach slabs. Work will take place in multiple locations in and near the cities of Riverside, Beaumont, San Jacinto, Perris, Hemet, Palm Springs and various unincorporated areas.

Hours of operations: Mondays through Fridays from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. One-way traffic control with flagging operations will

be in effect at each end of the bridge locations being upgraded . Expect intermittent traffic breaks with expected delays of 15 to 20 minutes during the construction process at those locations as they change.

Tony Ault can be reached at tault@reedermedia.com

Illegal fireworks campaign leads to hundreds of citations, pounds of explosives confiscated

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

–Riverside County, as part of the three-year-old county ordinance 858.2 allowing for civil penalties for illegal fireworks, was in full force during the Fourth of July holiday. County teams from the sheriff’s department, fire department and code enforcement department wrote more than 250 citations, including one arrest and the seizure of more than 830 pounds of explosives, according to a news release from the county. Additionally, the sheriff’s department received more than 3,200 fireworks related calls. For comparison, the department received 4,800 fireworks related

calls in 2021, a reduction in calls by 33%.

“The reduction in calls from residents is a positive indication that our strong enforcement and advertising is working,” Chair Kevin Jeffries, First District Supervisor, said. “We still have plenty of work to do to stomp out illegal fireworks; however, I’m very pleased that folks appear to be getting the message. Posing a threat to life and property won’t be tolerated in Riverside County.”

This year, new advertisements were developed for the “If You Light It, We’ll Write It” campaign focusing on how destructive illegal fireworks are for people, pets

and property. The advertising campaign ran on digital and traditional media platforms, including digital freeway boards, local newspapers, broadcast radio, audio streaming, social media and digital display banners in both English and Spanish. The campaign reached 4.6 million people.

Working in collaboration, the sheriff’s department, fire department and code enforcement department chased down tips and issued hundreds of tickets totaling thousands of dollars in fines.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department issued 187 citations, made one arrest and took 831

pounds of fireworks off the streets, air and hillsides.

Code Enforcement staff spent 484 hours on fireworks enforcement, resulting in 46 citations. The civil penalty starts at $1,000 and goes up to $5,000 depending on the number of violations a person has had over three years.

“This year with the help of our residents, we were able to be proactive,” Bob Magee, director of county Code Enforcement, said. “As residents reported locations that historically light off fireworks, we were able to pay them a visit the week before the holiday and educate them on the

penalties for illegal fireworks. All those locations were dark on July 4th.” Riverside County Fire responded to more than 680 incidents, issued 23 citations for illegal use/ possession of dangerous fireworks, unlawful off-road use and unlawful burning.

The comparison in activity year-over-year sends a clear message that this year’s operation successfully achieved the goal to reduce illegal fireworks that pose significant risk to the safety and health of Riverside County residents.

Submitted by Riverside County.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to acquire more SW Riverside County land with new grant

Tony Ault Staff Writer

Valley, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

SAN DIEGO – It is a special International Red Panda Day for the 3-monthold red panda cub at the San Diego Zoo, after the conservation organization announced her new name. The endangered cub will now be called Pavitra (pronounced pah-vee-tra), which means “sacred” in Nepali. Pavitra was born June 9 to first-time parents Adira and Lucas, and she is the first red panda born at the Zoo since 2006

Red pandas are listed as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, due to their dwindling global population. They face many threats, including habitat

loss and degradation related to increased human encroachment and climate change.

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance collaborates with multiple partners to identify unprotected red panda habitats, train teams to monitor the health of the forest and provide awareness-building workshops in communities in Nepal where red pandas live.

San Diego Zoo guests may be able to catch a glimpse of Pavitra as she explores her outdoor Asian Passage habitat.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, already partially managing the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve, announced it will be acquiring more land in the area with a $8.9 million grant.

The purchase of the additional lands will be used to protect the land and the plant and animal species on them, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. The Plateau Reserve above Murrieta is a part of the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (USFWS).

Many local city officials make up the USFWS board.

The $8,971,625 grant is a part of more than $40.6 million in grants from the Federal Government used for conservation planning projects across the nation. The grant will be used to acquire and protect hundreds of acres of land within unincorporated Murrieta’s French

The land involved will support the USFWS goal of maintaining biological and ecological diversity.

The acquired land surrounding the Murrieta area provides a habitat for the federally endangered Riverside fairy shrimp like those at the Santa Rosa Plateau’s vernal pools, Quino checkerspot butterfly, least Bell’s vireo, and Munz’s onion; and federally threatened coastal California gnatcatcher and Stephens’ kangaroo rat; and the at-risk western spadefoot toad and western pond turtle, the USFWS reported.

“The land proposed for acquisition is a key linkage between conserved habitat and complements the existing and future preserve areas within the Western Riverside County MSHCP,” the USFWS announced. Tony Ault can be reached at tault@reedermedia.ocm

The Interstate 15 French Valley Improvement Project aims to allow Winchester Road onramp traffic to merge onto northbound I-215 or I-15 without disrupting the flow of traffic on the freeway, as shown in this artist rendering.

This artist rendering shows that Winchester onramp northbound traffic will have the choice to merge onto the I-215 or I-15 after the freeway split. Valley News/Youtube screenshots

Three-month-old red panda cub at the San Diego Zoo named in time for International Red Panda Day Cub is the first born at the zoo in almost two decades

Pavitra is the first red panda born at the San Diego Zoo since 2006.

School boards rebel against California AG’s gender ideology guidance

Brandon Poulter

Contributor, The Daily Caller

School boards across California are instituting parental notification policies, which require notification if a child believes they are a different sex than the one they were born as, despite the attorney general’s suggestions that the policies might violate the law, according to news reports.

After Chino Valley Unified School District passed a parental notification in July and was blocked by a judge in September, at least three school districts have defied Democratic California Attorney General Rob Bonta and instituted similar policies.

“People are telling Bonta, basically, screw you. We’re not afraid of you,” Erin Friday, lawyer, mother and parental rights activist, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Multiple school boards in California are openly defying the attorney general’s gender ideology guidance and passing parental notification policies, which require notification if a child believes they are a different sex than the one they were born as, according to news reports.

Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) passed a policy in July to notify parents when their child believes they are a sex different than their sex at birth, and Democratic California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued to block the policy in August, which a judge did on Sept. 6 as the lawsuit makes its way through the courts. Since then, at least three more school districts have openly defied Bonta’s admonishments and instituted similar parental notification policies.

Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District (DCJESD), Rocklin Unified School District (RUSD) and Orange Unified School District (OUSD) all passed similar parental gender notification policies after the lawsuit against CVUSD and the blocking of its policy.

“We’re going to protect parents’ rights and children,” Friday continued.

Bonta has criticized these parental notification policies and called them “forced outing” in a press release. He said these policies might violate California’s constitution and subject students to “discriminatory harassment.”

“Attorney General Bonta urges school districts in California to take note and prioritize the well-being of transgender and

gender-nonconforming students that they are charged to protect as he continues monitoring school districts considering similar policies statewide,” a spokesperson for Bonta told the DCNF.

Friday said school districts are being more thoughtful about how they craft their policies now but that they’re still pushing ahead. She said she tells them either way, their policies are going to ruffle some feathers.

“They’re worried, but what I tell them is the parents are going to sue you, or the teachers are going to sue you,” Friday said.

RUSD implemented its parental notification on Sept. 7, one day after CVUSD’s policy was blocked by the courts. Following RUSD implementing its gender notification policy, Bonta put out a press release saying that Rocklin’s policy of telling parents if their child believes they are a different sex than the one they were born as may “endanger” children’s “civil rights.”

“I have said it before, and I will say it again: We will not tolerate any policy that perpetuates discrimination, harassment, or exclusion within our educational institutions,” Bonta said in the press release.

Another school district, OUSD, implemented its policy on Sep. 7 as well. The school board passed the policy in a 4-1 vote after hours of comments from the public.

“Rocklin Unified stood up for students, parents, and families in passing a parental notification policy that is not only well supported in the Rocklin community but across California,” Jonathan Zachreson, a parental rights activist who spoke in favor of the policy at the meeting, told the DCNF.

DCJESD passed a parental notification policy on Sep. 14 unanimously, according to KCRA 3 News.

DCJESD Board President Scott Otsuka is aware of the CVUSD lawsuit and is confident his policy best serves parents and is in line with the letter of the law, he told the DCNF.

“We will always place a high priority on coming along side our families to support our students, this policy simply codifies that.

We are aware of the California Attorney General’s lawsuit and will closely monitor as it makes its way through the system. Developed with legal counsel, our recent policy update complies with both federal law and those of the State of California,” Otsuka told the DCNF.

“Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District’s decision to adopt a forced outing policy poses a serious threat to the emotional, psychological, and physical safety and privacy of transgender and gender-nonconforming students,” Bonta said in a press release. Other school districts in California previously passed similar policies.

The Murrieta Valley School Board approved a policy to tell

parents if their child believes they are a sex other than the one they were born as Aug. 10. Anderson Union High School District instituted a similar policy on Aug. 22, which Bonta called “deeply troubling,” according to a press release. Temecula Valley Unified School District (TVUSD) approved a gender notification policy Aug. 23.

Some school districts in California have also banned the

flying of the Pride flag. TVUSD voted Sept. 12 to ban all flags other than the U.S. and California flag. Sunol Glen Unified School Board voted Sep. 12 to institute a similar policy after parents showed concern over “special interest flags being flown.”

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, OUSD and RUSD did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

Ancient treasure discovered beneath temple

Kay Smythe News And Commentary Writer, The Daily Caller

Archaeologists discovered a rare treasure in an ancient temple outside of Lillehammer, Norway.

A team of archaeologists uncovered at least 35 gold pieces dated back to around 550 A.D. (roughly 1,500 years ago) hidden beneath a Pagan house of worship outside the town of Lillehammer, according to local news outlet Dagsavisen. The small pieces are as thin as aluminum foil and adorned with engravings of men and women wearing fancy outfits.

The pieces are as small as a fingernail and so detailed, it’s

FOOTBALL from page C-1

TDs as the team finished with 282 overall rushing yards on the night. After their Bye Week, in Week Five, Liberty will open Mountain Pass League play at West Valley. La Puente (4-1) - 20, Temecula Prep (1-3) - 7 Vista Murrieta (4-0) - 30, Temecula Valley (2-3) - 13

Game notes:

SATURDAY 9/16

Manzanita League

Webb (3-0) - 34, Nuview Bridge

(0-4) - 0 Silver Valley (3-1) - 62, St. Jeanne de Lestonnac (1-2) - 0

Nonleague

Capistrano Valley Christian

(3-1) - 7, Santa Rosa Academy

(3-2) - 6 Cal Lutheran 28, Downey Calvary Chapel 22:

Game notes: Ren Ukai rushed for 154 yards on 21 carries and scored two touchdowns as the C-Hawks (2-2) won a nonleague game.

Week Five schedules

Here is the schedule for area football teams playing Week Four games from Thursday, Sept. 21, to Saturday, Sept. 23. (Dates, sites, and times subject to change.)

FRIDAY 9/22 (Games at 7 p.m., unless noted)

Cottonwood League

hard to imagine how our ancestors managed to make them so tiny. Some of the pieces show couples facing each other, whereas others depict them in some type of embrace, as seen in images shared on Facebook.

It’s believed the pieces date back to the Merovingian dynasty.

“Despite the fact that the gold nuggets are so small, the motifs have a striking richness of detail,” University of Oslo archaeologist Nicolai Eckhoff, who was involved in the discovery, wrote on Facebook.

“Usually the woman is dressed in a side dress, sometimes with a tow and a cape, and the man has a shorter skirt so that the feet

are visible. He can also wear a cape, and both can wear jewelry, different hairstyles and hold different things like drinking cups, wands or rings in the hands or have hands to point to different gestures. The goldfinches are actually so detailed and varied that they are the source of studies of the time’s costume and iconographic studies,” he continued.

It’s an incredible discovery, since these types of treasures are rarely found within Norway, Newsweek noted. As usual, the archaeologists assumed the pieces were related to myth or ritual, instead of possibly just being really fashionable for the period.

Business Services

Landscape Architecture and Design Studio specializing in the planning, design and construction of custom homes, large estates, farm and agricultural properties and commercial redevelopment. KMB Design Studio 949-446-4087 www.kmbdesignstudio. com Garage

GOLF from page C-3

Southwestern League girls’ golf from shining in an early season matchup, one which Great Oak won 202-243 to move to 4-4 overall and 2-0 in league play. With the loss Vista Murrieta is 5-4 overall and 1-1 in league play.

Five of the 12 players who teed it up broke 45 in Thursday’s nine-hole match, led by Jessica Li’s (GO) 33 (-3) which included birdies on both par fives and the short par four fourth hole. Li’s strength is her iron game which was on full display Thursday as she made all three birdies from less than ten feet including a tap-in at the first hole.

Maranatha at Hamilton

Manzanita League

St. Jeanne de Lestonnac at Nuview Bridge Nonleague

Cal Lutheran at San Diego Jewish Academy, 2 p.m. (8-man)

Cornerstone Christian at PAL Academy, 3 p.m. (8-man)

Jurupa Hills at San Jacinto Lakeside at Laguna Beach

Murrieta Valley at San Clemente

Orange Vista at Paloma Valley

Rancho Cucamonga at Vista

Murrieta Vista at Temescal Canyon

SATURDAY 9/23

Manzanita League

San Jacinto Valley Academy at Temecula Prep, 7 p.m.

*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? Want to leave a game note? 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 sports@reedermedia. com

Mission Rd.

“I feel like my game is pretty solid right now. I’m hitting a lot of greens and making putts,” Li said. “I took last year off because I was starting to feel burnt out, but I came back because I feel refreshed and I’m excited to be out here again.”

Joining the Wolfpack junior were three freshmen and a senior from both teams who also broke that mark.

Great Oak freshman Skylar Earle holed a bunker shot at the par five first hole on the bounce for birdie and made four bogeys en route to a 39 that could’ve been a few shots lower except for an uncooperative putter. Senior Brooke Carpenter also aided the Wolfpack cause with a five over par round of 41, highlighted by a birdie on the ninth hole which helped her, and sister Kimi, win their group by 11 shots.

Vista Murrieta’s freshman duo of Wren Saithong and Breanna Noble shot matching 38’s for the defending champions, playing without back-to-back individual

champion and CIF-State finalist

Lauren Sammon.

Noble’s round capped off an impressive two days for the left hander who also shot 31 (-6) at Canyon Lake Golf Club in a non-league match against Paloma Valley 24 hours earlier.

In Thursday’s round Noble made just one lone birdie at the par five ninth hole, using a deft touch from 40 yards to set up a tap-in birdie which offset three bogeys.

“We haven’t played Stonehouse in roughly three and a half weeks (since tryouts) so I consider this an exceptional performance,”

Wolfpack coach Rachel Reif said.

“We are also 100% aware that Vista Murrieta is a different team with Lauren Sammon in the lineup and that they put up a different

number with her but we’re doing the things we have to do to put good numbers on the board ourselves.”

Great Oak:

Jessica Li - 33, Skylar Earle

- 39, Brooke Carpenter - 41, Kimi Carpenter - 49, Gwenyth Dempsey - 43, Madison Murakami

- 46

Team Total: 202 (+22)

Vista Murrieta:

Wren Saithong and Breanna Noble - 38 (+2), Kathryn Freely 50 (+14), Alyzah Manalang - 51 (+15), Cynthia Molina - 66 (+30), Katelyn Cabrera - 72 (+36)

Team Total: 243 (+63)

(Bolded score does not count in team total.)

Derryl Trujillo can be reached at socaltrekkie@gmail.com

Vista Murrieta’s defense stops Jake Bester and the Temecula Valley Golden Bears on their way to a 30-13 victory Friday, Sept. 15. Valley News/David Canales photo

Community Hall members welcomes new board of directors

Diane Sieker

Staff Writer

The Anza Community Building, Inc. held an open membership meeting and board of directors

election Wednesday, Sept. 13. After the Pledge of Allegiance and a short introduction by president Mike Patke, secretary Chris Skinner reviewed the organization’s latest 2020 bylaws

referring to voting and election procedures.

“Each nominee will be given the floor up to five minutes at the annual meeting to explain to the membership why they are seeking

Wine & Dine benefit raises over $5,200 for Anza Community Broadcasting

KOYT 97.1 LPFM radio station

positions on the board for a period of time not exceeding one hour will be set aside at the annual meeting for the nominees to be questioned by the membership,” she said. “After a period of questioning, the

member is elected to the board

KOYT 97.1 Anza Community Broadcasting annual membership meeting to elect new board of directors

KOYT 97.1 Anza Community Broadcasting will be holding their 8th annual membership meeting Saturday, Sept. 23.

Diane Sieker

Staff Writer

Anza Community Broadcasting

KOYT 97.1 LPFM hosted a Wine & Dine fundraising event Saturday, Sept. 9, raising over $5,200 for the nonprofit radio station.

The well-attended event was held at Sage Mountain Farm of Anza, which included a farm tour and a professionally-prepared Farm to Table gourmet meal. A silent auction for bottles of wine and champagne, gift baskets,

original art and other items, prize drawings and live acoustic entertainment provided by talented guest artists entertained radio station patrons. “Our silent auction was a success,” said Erinne Roscoe, radio station program director.

“People bid generously and all of the 18 items received bids. The auction brought in $1,295 for your community radio station. In total, KOYT Anza Community Broadcasting received $5248 in donations that evening.”

Sponsors for the fundraiser included Once Upon A Thread, Rancho Del Sol Vineyard, High Country Chaparral Vineyard, Wilson Creek Winery, Cali Produce, Cahuilla Mountain Market and the Anza Pizza Factory. “A great time was had by all,” said Roscoe. “So many interesting and lively conversations, so many smiles, and so much laughter. We learned so much from our vintners, and Farmer Phil Noble. We are so

KOYT 97.1 Anza Community Broadcasting will hold their annual membership meeting Saturday, Sept. 23. The event will occur at the Anza Pizza Factory at 1 p.m., with free pizza and drinks for members of the nonprofit. “You can become a member the day of the meeting, but will not be able to vote in this year’s election,” said radio station program director Erinne Roscoe. “In addition to the election, there will be an update on KOYT station operations, future planning, and the results of the election will be announced for the two directors to the 7-member all volunteer, ACB Council of Directors, and the results of the proposed bylaw amendment. We are asking that our current members attend or get their ballot to us as soon as possible because we will need a 2/3 membership vote to pass

Anza Valley Outlook/Courtesy photo our bylaw amendment. We would like to make our all volunteer Council of Directors flexible with a size of 7 to 9 members, as this year we have a new nominee and wish to keep our two dedicated Council Directors, Annika Knöppel and Liese Carney, as well as add the new nominee, Heather Graff.”

The station is managed by Anza Community Broadcasting (ACB), a community funded and member operated California nonprofit corporation.

“Support and help shape your 501(c)3 nonprofit, all volunteer, community-powered radio station,” said Roscoe. “Become a member today. All membership donations help keep KOYT on the airwaves. Members who had a current membership as of July 10 th 2023 will be able to vote at our annual meeting, where you can find out about KOYT Koyote Radio,

The new Anza Community Building board of directors are Christi James, left, Pebbles Lewis, Tami Ferris, Kevin Short, Chris Skinner, Mike Patke, Birdie Kopp, Barbara Keller and Kevin Watson. Anza Valley Outlook/Courtesy photo secretary will distribute the ballots. If a

and resigns or refuses to be seated on the board before voting then

Diane Sieker Staff Writer

Chef Alexander Calapodis prepares a gourmet meal for patrons of the KOYT Wine & Dine fundraiser held at Sage Mountain Farm of Anza Saturday, Sept. 9. Anza Valley Outlook/Debbi Vesey photo

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 10:30-11:30 a.m. All are welcome. Cal-Fresh 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 951763-4333.

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 “Hamilton-Museum-and-RanchFoundation.”

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 Latterday 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

– A 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 951-763-4226.

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 951-551-2826.

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, 951-763-4759.

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

– Dinners at 1 p.m. 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 951-7635636.

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 951-763-0856.

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

– Meetings at 1 p.m. 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 951-763-5611 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 951-663-6763.

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 951763-2884 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 951-2824267 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.

Anza Valley Christian Fellowship tent sale to be held Sept. 28, 29 and 30

Diane Sieker Staff Writer

The Anza Valley Christian Fellowship has announced their semi-annual tent rummage sale will be held Thursday, Sept. 28 through Saturday, Sept. 30 at the church grounds off Bautista Road in Anza. The event will occur from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. each day.

Volunteers and church members will be on hand to assist guests with finding the perfect item or carrying loads out to their cars.

Kitchenwares, collectibles, shoes, purses, linens, books, tools, toys, clothes, jewelry and more will be offered to shoppers all three days at reasonable prices.

The funds raised with the rummage sale events are used for various outreach ministries, community projects and for church upkeep and maintenance.

To learn more, visit the Anza Valley Christian Fellowship on Facebook at www.facebook. com/groups/1532610550359135 or online at www. avchristianfellowship.org . The church is located at 55180 Hwy. 371 behind Jilberto’s Mexican restaurant and the entrance is off Bautista Road. Diane Sieker can be reached by email at dsieker@reedermedia. com

Husbands enjoy the sale while wives shop at the Anza Valley Christian Fellowship’s tent sale last year.. Anza Valley Outlook/Diane Sieker photo

Living Free Animal Sanctuary dog of the week: Meet Rusty

Rusty is a 6-year-old Shepherd mix. He is the epitome of easy going and laid back. He effortlessly rolls with the ebb and flow of life, adapting to whatever’s happening around him. His favorite pastime is tagging along with his roommate and dear friend, Titus, on their dog park escapades, diligently watching over as Titus investigates gopher holes.

With a gentle and caring demeanor, Rusty’s main aim in life is to bring joy to those around him. While he’s often found indulging in peaceful naps or basking in the sun’s

BOARD from page D-1

the member with the next highest number of votes but not elected shall replace that director without needing a new election.”

Nine positions were available on the board with 10 people running. Each nominee made a short presentation, after which Skinner distributed ballots to the membership.

After an announcement of the election results, the new board went into executive session to organize the structure of the group amongst themselves.

The board of directors election results are as follows:

Kevin Short, president

Kevin Watson, vice president

Barbara Keller, treasurer

Chris Skinner, secretary

Pebbles Lewis, fundraiser chair

Christi James, director

Tami Ferris, director

Mike Patke, director

Birdie Kopp, director President Short made an announcement via social media Thursday, Sept. 14 in an open letter to the Anza Valley community.

“We live in challenging times,” he wrote. “This statement has possibly been made more lately than ever before, but it remains true. With our social and political problems, economic pressures and worldwide struggles of all scales, the challenges we face can seem overwhelming.

“However, I feel that by shifting our focus to our community helps bring both the scale and the priority of the issues down to earth a bit.

“On September 13, the members of the Anza Community Building association voted to install a new board. That board then chose its officers for the next year; I am honored and humbled to serve as president for this term, and I look forward to working with the new board.

“Looking ahead, the new board has its work cut out for it. The challenges we face are especially acute for a nonprofit community building that is celebrating its 75th birthday. We have funding shortages, long neglected maintenance issues, and - perhaps the most serious - a lack of members.

“This is a critical problem for us all. The Community Hall is a place of gathering, a place of meeting and a place of celebration. Without members, the building stands empty and unused, as a silent reminder of days past. The main objective for the new board is to restore membership interest, promote the built-in value of the

warmth, he also relishes playful moments and leisurely walks. This kind-hearted and carefree pup is eagerly awaiting his forever family, and there’s no doubt that he’ll make an exceptional companion.

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

building and keep it affordable

and accessible to everyone. These objectives are large, especially given the financial obstacles in our way.

“I invite everyone to attend our next meeting, to be held at the Community Hall Wednesday, October 11 at 6 p.m.. The first few minutes will be a board only meeting, with the doors open but no interaction with members. Following that, we will open the meeting up for member discussion.

“Look for an announcement in the next few weeks that will include the meeting agenda. Thank you all for your continued support of the Anza Community Building.”

The Anza Community Hall succeeds with the support of the community. Community Hall board meetings are open to the public and everyone is encouraged to attend.

Membership packages include:

Annual Personal Membership

- $30. This package includes one voting right, valid for one person, and good for one year from the date of purchase.

Annual Household Family Membership - $30. This package includes one voting right per family member up to five people, and good for one year from the date of purchase.

Lifetime Personal Membership

- $500. This package includes

one voting right. No renewal ever needed. Not valid for businesses, not transferable and non-refundable.

Annual Business Membership

- $50. Valid for one business and good for one year from date of purchase. A single person can vote for a maximum of 2 combined voting rights: one personal membership and one business membership, no matter the number of business memberships purchased by the personal membership.

Cash, PayPal and checks are accepted as payment.

Each Anza Community Hall member shall be eligible to cast one vote for their personal membership and a maximum of two votes if they have purchased a business membership, in the elections held for Board of Directors or in any other vote put before the membership.

Anyone interested in becoming a member of the Anza Community Building, Inc., or to discover upcoming events can call Pebbles Bartlett-Lewis at 951-760-9244, email ACHAGeneral@gmail. com , visit the Hall’s website at https://anzacommunitybuilding. org/ or Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ groups/337754646415866.

To donate, please click https:// anzacommunitybuilding.org/

Now you can get Connect Anza’s Super Speed 100 internet for just $19 a month with Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) discount. The federally-funded ACP provides eligible households a $30 monthly discount on home internet services. You may be elegible for ACP benefits if someone in your household is enrolled in any of the following programs:

donations/. The Anza Community Building, Inc. is located at 56630 CA-371 in Anza.

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

grateful to have such interesting and generous supporters and so lucky to be able to have great events like these.”

Attendees learned about Sage Mountain Farm, a working farm that filled out orders during the event.

“We had farm dogs and sheep keeping us company,” Roscoe said. “I want to send out a huge howlin’ thank you to Farmer Phil Noble and all of the folks who make Sage Mountain Farm run. Phil generously donated not only the use of the location, but also most of the ingredients for our Farm to Table dinner. He took out interested attendees on a farm tour.”

Glass and ceramic artist Val Vinson and master woodworker Mark Wilden donated unique art items for the silent auction. Live music throughout the night was performed by Art Gomez, Marea Stinnett, Ed Wall, Joanna Crombie and Aaron Stinnett.

“Special thanks to Kevin Short and the Anza Electric Cooperative crew for upcycling old telephone poles to help us shade our event attendees, and for Farmer Phil to utilize in the future for his farm,” said Roscoe. “Thank you for hanging up those crazy sail shades. We truly appreciate all of your time and your long-time support of KOYT. Thank you to Kevin Short again for lighting up the parking field with his LEDs and electric vehicle so attendees could safely make it back to their vehicles.”

Locally sourced vegetables organically grown at Sage Mountain Farm were the main event, blended and prepared by chef Alexander Calapodis into a unique and exotic presentation.

He reviewed the Sage Mountain Farm production for the month of September and based the entire menu on the availability of certain vegetables and leafy greens.

The appetizer plate consisted of the farm’s Shisito peppers, grilled and dressed with olive oil and sea salt.

“While traveling through Eastern Europe a few years ago, I was enchanted by a Serbian national dish that is a common street food called Cevapcici, a type of grilled spicy minced meat sausage,” Calapodis explained.

“The night before the event, I baked Serbian-style Lepinja bread. Using the farms’ ground lamb and grass-fed ground beef, I handshaped ground meat fingers which were grilled over redshank and olive wood coals and kissed with the smoke from the wood.”

The meat was served with his homemade Ajvar vegetable relish and Kajmac farmer’s cheese to

make an elegant sandwich-style meal.

A chopped salad was served, consisting of greens picked on the farm especially for the event.

Broccoli leaves, chives, assorted peppers, onions and arugula. Lovage, sorrel and fennel, grown in Calapodis’ home garden, were added to the mix and dressed with an organic oil and vinegar dressing with thyme, lemon balm, sumac and other herbs and spices.

Dessert was home-baked individual pastry tarts filled with rosemary-hinted mixed berries.

“Special thanks to volunteers

Alex Calapodis, Allison Renck, Annalisa Vesey, Annika Knoppel, Brandi Machado, Betsy Hansen, Diane Cheney, Heather Graff, Joe Hageman, Kathy Blair, Lacey Evans, Greg Pennyroyal, Mellissa Pennyroyal, Jeremy Huntington, Lorraine Elmore, Michael Lewis, Nina Esparza, Pebbles Lewis and Tabitha Dawes,” said Roscoe.

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 the general public.

For more information about the radio station, call (951)763-5698, email info@koyt971.org , visit them at https://www.facebook. com/koyt97.1 or https://koyt971.

org/. Diane

MEETING from page D-1

Anza Community Broadcasting, meet the Koyotes, and help make decisions that strengthen and help our community radio station grow. Ballots are available at the KOYT Station, on the KOYT website, and they will be emailed to all members in good standing for whom we have email addresses,” Roscoe said.

Memberships can be renewed on the website at www.koyt971. org and membership forms are available at Lorraine’s Pet Supply in Anza and from Annika Knöppel at Overland Realty. Forms may be found at the KOYT Station in the outside box to the left of the door, or by calling 951-763-KOYT (5698).

It is Roscoe’s hope to gain enough donations for professional remote broadcasting equipment and improved backup power in case of

an extended power outage.

“It is important to be able to keep the community informed in the event of an emergency situation,” she said.

KOYT plays all genres of music, from blues, rockabilly, big band, jazz, pop, hair metal and more.

Shows like Fika with Annika, where Knöppel interviews local movers and shakers, and Kevin Short’s Jazz Notes with Kevin are standards for the station, delighting listeners every week.

The radio station is 100 percent volunteer operated under the guidance of an all-volunteer Council of Directors, who are elected by the membership.

KOYT 97.1 FM transmits music, news, and educational programs to much of the Anza Valley and streams over the internet at www. koyt971.org. The radio station offers local

information and entertainment in which the community can participate. Local businesses that donate funds or services can get short mentions on air to advertise their products or services.

The station has an Emergency Alert System (EAS) that will enable residents to get relevant information over the FM airwaves in case of a community emergency.

The station is located at 56030 Highway 371, Ste. 5 in Anza.

To learn more, email info@ koyt971.org or programming@ koyt971.org , call (951)763KOYT(5698) or visit www. koyt971.org or visit them on Facebook at https://www.facebook. com/koyt97.1/.

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

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

Farm owner Phil Noble partakes in the wine tasting at the KOYT Wine & Dine fundraiser held at Sage Mountain Farm of Anza Saturday, Sept. 9. Anza Valley Outlook/Debbi Vesey photos

Gift baskets were offered for the silent auction at the KOYT Wine & Dine fundraiser held at Sage Mountain Farm of Anza Saturday, Sept. 9.

Guests enjoy wine tasting at the KOYT Wine & Dine fundraiser held at Sage Mountain Farm of Anza Saturday, Sept. 9.

Live music is performed by local talent at the KOYT Wine & Dine fundraiser held at Sage Mountain Farm of Anza.

Serbian Cevapcici, Serbian style Lepinja bread, Ajvar relish and Kajmac farmer’s cheese are the main course at the KOYT Wine & Dine fundraiser held at Sage Mountain Farm of Anza.

Organic vegetables grown at the farm were prepared for dinner at the KOYT Wine & Dine fundraiser held at Sage Mountain Farm of Anza.

Locally produced beers and wines are auctioned off at the KOYT Wine & Dine fundraiser held at Sage Mountain Farm of Anza.

COURTS & CRIMES

Family of boy fatally assaulted by bullies to receive $27 million

United States.”

“This lawsuit has put schools on notice to find ways to effectively deal with bullying and to enact real anti-bullying policies,” Gehlawat said. “We believe real change will come, and there will be a renewed focus on anti-bullying programs across the nation.”

The civil action was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court in September 2020.

Diego Stolz was a student at Landmark Middle School, and the victim was consistently bullied by two to four boys, starting while he was in seventh grade. Ring could not cite the number of bullying incidents but said the mistreatment began with verbal insults and stealing Diego’s belongings.

Diego Stolz, 13, died nine days after suffering major trauma from two boys who repeatedly punched him at school, causing him to hit a concrete pillar. Valley News/Courtesy photo

City News Service

Special to Valley News

The guardians of a 13-year-old boy who suffered at the hands of bullies, culminating in a fatal attack that was videotaped on his middle school campus reached a $27 million settlement with the Moreno Valley Unified School District stemming from a lawsuit filed over the youth’s death, it was announced recently.

“The family will forever be heartbroken by the death of Diego, but they hope this case brings

about change in school districts across the country,” plaintiffs’ attorney Dave Ring said. “Schools need to realize that bullying can never be tolerated and that any complaints of bullying and assault must be taken seriously. Diego’s death was preventable if this school had simply prioritized an anti-bullying policy.”

MVUSD officials declined to comment on the payout.

Ring and his co-counsel, Neil Gehlawat, said the $27 million due the plaintiffs represents the “largest bullying settlement in the

When the boy entered eighth grade in August 2019, the abuse escalated, Ring said. He had no explanation for the victimization, observing that at one point, the bullies were on good terms with Diego.

He said Diego’s aunt filed “multiple complaints” at Landmark in the 2018-2019 academic year, as well as the first month of the 2019-2020 school year, but her concerns fell on deaf ears.

The harassment came to a head Sept. 12, 2019, when one of the boys cornered and punched Diego in the chest, threatening to inflict further physical harm, at which point the youth went to a science teacher and revealed what he had endured.

“This teacher saw his emotional state and knew there was

Felon accused of providing fatal dose of fentanyl to Temecula man arrested

City News Service

Special to the Valley News

A convicted felon accused of supplying a deadly dose of fentanyl to a 30-year-old Temecula man was arrested Friday, Sept. 15.

Quinn Aaron McKellips is charged with second-degree murder for the 2020 death of Calin Sender.

According to Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Sean Liebrand, on the afternoon of Jan. 17, 2020, deputies and paramedics were called to the victim’s residence in the 44000 block of Festivo Street to investigate reports of an unconscious man.

Paramedics pronounced Sender dead at the scene.

“Deputies located several M30 pills and Xanax bars in Sender’s bedroom,” Liebrand said, adding that an autopsy soon confirmed that the victim “died as a result of fentanyl poisoning.”

“In November 2022, the investigation was assumed by the sheriff’s Overdose Investigations & Narcotics Unit,” the sergeant said. “The M30 pills in Sender’s bedroom were sent for testing,

and the results were positive for fentanyl. Over the next several months, investigators worked to identify the person responsible for selling the fentanyl that killed Sender.”

Liebrand alleged McKellips was confirmed to be the seller. How the defendant and victim knew one another was not disclosed.

The case was submitted to the District Attorney’s Office for review, culminating in the filing of a criminal complaint on Tuesday. A warrant was then issued for the defendant’s arrest, and he was taken into custody without incident early Friday afternoon in the 29300 block of Cavalry Circle in Winchester.

According to court records, McKellips has prior convictions for possession of controlled substances for sale, being a narcotic addict in possession of a gun, transportation of controlled substances for sale and domestic violence.

Since February 2021, roughly two dozen individuals countywide have been charged with murder in connection with fentanyl poisonings. Last month, county

prosecutors won their first seconddegree murder conviction against a fentanyl dealer, Vicente David Romero, who provided a fatal dose of the synthetic opioid to a 26-year-old Temecula woman in 2020.

Romero is due for sentencing on Oct. 6.

According to public safety officials, there were 503 confirmed fentanyl-related fatalities countywide last year, compared to just under 400 in 2021, a 200-fold increase from 2016, when there were only two.

Fentanyl is manufactured in overseas labs, principally in China, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which says the synthetic opioid is smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border by cartels. The drug is 80-100 times more potent than morphine and can be mixed into any number of street narcotics and prescription drugs, without a user knowing what he or she is consuming. Ingestion of only two milligrams can be fatal.

Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans between 18 and 45 years old.

Deputy accused of extorting female inmates in Banning

to their homes.

something wrong, but there was nothing done,” Ring said, pointing specifically to inaction by the campus’ former vice principal, Kamilah O’Connor.

That afternoon, Diego told his aunt, Juana Salcedo, about the assault, and she asked her adult daughter, Jazmin Salcedo, to address the matter with administrators, according to Ring.

His court filing said Salcedo, Diego and O’Connor met for 20 minutes, and “after the meeting, O’Connor told Jazmin that she had learned the names of the bullies involved and she would suspend them for three days, starting Monday, Sept. 16. She also said their class schedules would be changed so that they would not be in Diego’s class anymore.”

When the victim returned to school the following week, the two assailants who had hounded him the previous week caught him in front of a building during lunch recess. Ring referred to widely circulated mobile phone video footage that showed one boy in Diego’s face, while the victim stands limply, then backing up and punching him in the mouth. The second assailant blindsided Diego with another punch, causing him to fall and strike his head on a concrete pillar. He suffered major trauma and was pronounced brain dead and taken off life support nine days later.

In November 2020, the two assailants, whose identities were not disclosed, both admitted

an involuntary manslaughter charge, and five months later, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Roger Luebs sentenced the teenagers to unspecified terms of probation.

Luebs further directed that each offender enroll in character development and anger management classes, as well as perform 150 hours community service, not play violent video games, avoid social media and write letters of apology to the victim’s relatives.

Within a year of Diego’s death, MVUSD revamped its policies regarding student complaints, implementing a program with a series of procedures for deterring all forms of bullying.

Felipe and Juana Salcedo, who raised Diego from when he was a toddler after both of his parents died, were initially denied legal standing to file suit against the school district because they were not the boy’s natural parents, and there was no clear provision in state law for legal guardians to bring civil action under such circumstances.

Due to lobbying on the part of attorneys, the Legislature in September 2020 enacted Assembly Bill 2445, enabling guardians to file a wrongful death suit when a minor is involved. O’Connor, another assistant principal and the principal of Landmark all lost their positions in the wake of the lawsuit, according to the plaintiffs’ attorneys.

Felon accused in standoff with deputies charged with probation violations

City News Service

Special to Valley News

A felon who allegedly barricaded himself in a Temecula motel room when deputies tried to arrest him on outstanding warrants, leading to a two-hour standoff, was charged recently with probation violations.

Christopher Adam Williams, 38, was arrested Monday, Sept. 11, following the confrontation with law enforcement in the 27000 block of Jefferson Avenue.

Williams is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta and was slated to make his initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 13, at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

According to Sgt. Jesse Maldonado of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were called to the motel at about 1 p.m. Monday in response to a disturbance and learned that Williams was holed up in a room that wasn’t his, refusing to vacate it.

“A records check revealed three outstanding felony warrants

City News Service

Special to the Valley News

A corrections deputy has been arrested on suspicion of extortion and engaging in sexual activity with female inmates assigned to home confinement in Banning.

Christian Heidecker, 32, was booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on Friday afternoon, Sept. 15, on $1 million bail after he turned himself in to investigators, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

On Aug. 31, sheriff’s investigators were notified of possible crimes being committed by an employee formerly assigned to the Riverside Alternative Sentencing Program located at the Coordinated Custody Management Unit in Banning. Investigators say they learned a correctional deputy was extorting female inmates who were assigned to the home confinement unit.

Inmates assigned to the program are required to wear ankle monitors to complete their courtordered sentencing while confined

Heidecker was booked into Cois Byrd Detention Center on one count of engaging in sexual activity with an inmate, three counts of attempted sexual activity with an inmate, and four counts of extortion under color of authority.

Heidecker has been placed on administrative leave. Sheriff’s officials believe there may be additional victims, and are asking anyone with information about the case to contact Investigator R. Deanne at 951-955-2777.

DA to be awarded $2.05 million to dismantle retail theft

City News Service Special to the Valley News

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office will be awarded a $2.05 million grant from the Board of State and Community Corrections to combat organized retail theft.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, the grant will be implemented through a program that will be able to provide prosecutors an experienced team, including a full-time investigator, district

attorney, technician and research specialist.

“We recognize this as a serious problem, which impacts every single consumer and retailer in Southern California. Our ORT program will use proven strategies specially designed to identify the core participants behind these operations and then hold them accountable,” said District Attorney Mike Hestrin.

The Riverside District Attorney’s office has taken 53 cases of organized retail theft ever since California law PC 490.4 was in effect, which states

any person having participated in stolen merchandise can be charged as a felony if the value of the merchandise is worth more than $950.

Managing Deputy District Attorney Chris Bouffard, who has nearly 23 years of experience, will be in charge of the grant program, which will run from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, 2026.

In California, 12 prosecutor’s offices and 38 law enforcement agencies were funded for the same effort.

for Williams,” Maldonado said, adding that the warrants were tied to his previous convictions for domestic violence and resisting arrest. “Despite repeated verbal commands from deputies, Williams persisted in his noncompliant behavior, necessitating the precautionary evacuation of neighboring guests.”

Deputies tried to negotiate the defendant’s surrender over the ensuing two hours, but Williams remained barricaded in the room, refusing to emerge, the sergeant alleged.

“To facilitate Williams’ surrender, tear gas was strategically deployed into the room, prompting him to exit peacefully,” Maldonado said.

The defendant was not injured, nor were any deputies. It was unclear whether the motel room sustained damage.

Along with domestic violence and resisting arrest, Williams also has priors for possession of controlled substances and being under the influence of drugs, according to court records.

Man sentenced to 35 years in prison for molesting Lake Elsinore girls

City News Service

Special to the Valley News

A 52-year-old man who molested two Lake Elsinore girls was sentenced Friday, Sept. 15 to 35 years to life in state prison.

In July, Victor Saragosa Morones of Temecula admitted eight counts of lewd acts on a child under 14 years old, as well as a sentence-enhancing allegation of targeting multiple victims in a sex crime, as part of a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.

In exchange for his admissions, prosecutors dropped eight related offenses against Morones.

During a hearing Friday at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, Superior Court Judge F. Paul Dickerson certified the terms of the plea bargain and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense.

According to sheriff’s Sgt. Jeff Reese, deputies initiated an investigation in November 2022

after receiving information that Morones had engaged in illicit acts involving one of the girls, identified in court documents only as “A.A.” Court papers indicated that in the ensuing investigation, another girl, “E.M.,” was also determined to have been molested by the defendant.

The assaults occurred between January 2019 and December 2021, according to the criminal complaint.

The circumstances behind the assaults, including Morones’ relationship, if any, to the children were not disclosed.

Sufficient evidence was gathered to obtain an arrest warrant, and Morones was taken into custody without incident in the 28000 block of Old Town Front Street in Temecula on the morning of Feb. 9.

He had no documented prior felony or misdemeanor convictions in Riverside County.

I have some questions that I would love some feedback on in letters next week

Julie Reeder Publisher

The issues surrounding minors, transgender, gender-fluid, nonbinary, etc don’t seem to be going away. This life-changing, familychanging cultural phenomena is complex and controversial.

Teenage gender transitions and the impact on families and individuals involved can be permanent and sometimes fatal. For that reason, we have to discuss it continuously,

especially as all these issues work their way through the courts, and so far, our Governor and our AG seem to be on the wrong side of the law, at least from the decisions so far. Parents still have the right to care for their children. They aren’t wards of the state, at least yet. There are two precedent setting lawsuits that have been won on the part of parents and teachers who don’t believe they should be hiding information from parents, The Spreckels and the Escondido

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lawsuits. See story in this paper.

The mother in the Spreckles District who won her lawsuit from the district that hid her daughter’s social transitioning (who has now transitioned back to a girl), and the Escondido teachers who won an injunction against their district that was instructing them to hide transitioning of their students from their parents.

Then there is the story “Mother of trans teenager: Los Angeles County killed my daughter”

Questions: Why is Gender theory such a cultural focus right now? (Gender theory is the ideology that you can identify as a different sex than that which you were born)

Is it a social contagion?

Why are schools in California and around the nation promoting gender theory?

Why are so many teachers, school counselors, and admin hiding what is going on with students from their parents? (U.S.

District Judge Roger Benitez sided with Escondido teachers and parents, granting a preliminary injunction request prohibiting enforcement of policies that bar teachers from discussing students’ gender identities with their parents, which is opposite of Governor Newsom and California AG Bonta’ position)

Since when were parents assumed to be dangerous? (Chino Valley talked to 15 sets of parents about their student identifying as something different with no problems reported)

Why is social media so focused

on transgender people? Is it just because it’s interesting to see men in dresses and full make-up? Just wondering…

Since when were sexually explicit books explaining in detail heterosexual sex, oral sex, homosexual sex, considered ageappropriate for elementary aged children?

Why is this even an issue when we are so far below the average grade level in the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic? Or does that even matter anymore?

Why do we need to have grown men, trained in exotic dancing and cross-dressing reading to young children?

Gender transitioning, whether it’s cross-sex hormones, or surgery, has become a very profitable line of work for surgeons and gender clinics. How much money is being spent on these new irreversible procedures for children?

How many are detransitioning afterward or committing suicide?

How many of these students’ sex lives are permanently ruined?

How many are sterile afterward?

Why are counselors who actually counsel kids trying to get to the root of why they are uncomfortable in their bodies having their licenses taken away?

Why is our legislature so focused on passing blatantly antiparenting, and pro-child trans laws right now?

Since when were parents advocating for their children labeled “extremists”? Send emails to jreeder@reedermedia.com

will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-help Center (www. courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court. There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services website (www.lawhelpca. org), the California Courts Online Self-help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association.

NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in in

ANZA VALLEY OUTLOOK LEGAL NOTICES