Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

Articles written by Alex Groves


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  • Pechanga event will offer gourmet chili and craft brews to benefit Habitat for Humanity

    Alex Groves, Associate Editor|Updated Jun 2, 2018

    Visitors to Pechanga Resort & Casino will be able to sample gourmet chili and choose from a selection of hundreds of beers during an event to benefit Habitat for Humanity's Inland Valley Chapter. The 10th annual Pechanga Microbrew Fest & Chili Cookoff will be taking place Saturday afternoon, June 9, in Pechanga's brand-new Summit Event Center, where event guests will be treated to limitless bites of eight varieties of chili, which will be cooked up by Pechanga's award-winning...

  • Firefighters making progress on blazes in De Luz, Temecula Valley Wine Country

    Alex Groves, Associate Editor|Updated May 5, 2018

    Update: 10:32 a.m., May 5, 2018 Two fires which began Friday in the Temecula area were mostly contained by the following morning, according to fire officials. The 75-acre Tornado fire, burning in the unincorporated community of De Luz, was 75 percent contained and the 26-acre Woodchuck fire burning in Temecula Valley Wine Country was 90 percent contained according to updates from a fire department spokeswoman. The fires broke out within hours of each other late Friday... Full story

  • Firefighters battling blazes in De Luz, Temecula Valley Wine Country

    Alex Groves, Associate Editor|Updated May 4, 2018

    Update at 6:50 p.m., May 4, 2018. Firefighters were fighting two separate blazes in the Temecula area early Friday evening, one in the community of De Luz west of town and another near Temecula Valley Wine Country The blaze burning in De Luz, the Tornado fire, had grown to 70 acres early Friday evening but firefighters also had achieved 20 percent containment on that blaze. As firefighters were starting to get a handle on that blaze, another fire erupted near Wine Country.... Full story

  • Hearing a loud noise? That may just be Camp Pendleton

    Alex Groves, Associate Editor|Updated Apr 16, 2018

    Residents of Southwest Riverside County and North San Diego County may hear loud booming noises during the day as Camp Pendleton fires High Explosive munitions as part of an exercise, according to a noise advisory. The live fire exercise will be taking place in the Whiskey and Zulu impact areas between 6 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. The Whiskey Impact area is about 7.3 miles from Fallbrook and the Zulu Impact area is about 5 miles from Fallbrook. Depending on atmospheric conditions,... Full story

  • Fallbrook man, 80, dies days after being struck by vehicle in Temecula

    Alex Groves, Associate Editor|Updated Mar 16, 2018

    An 80-year-old Fallbrook man died earlier this week from injuries he suffered after being struck by a vehicle near the Promenade mall in Temecula, sheriff’s and coroner’s officials said. Frederic Blume was pronounced dead Monday night at Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar, according to a Riverside County coroner’s release. About 10:30 a.m. on Friday, March 9, authorities received a call of a vehicle versus a pedestrian in the area of Margarita Road and Overland Drive, said sheriff’s Deputy Mike Vasquez. A man in his... Full story

  • Area artist uses sculpture skills to honor fallen heroes

    Alex Groves, Staff Writer|Updated Feb 15, 2018

    The Temecula Duck Pond, known for having a wide variety of sculptures and artworks, will soon be welcoming another installation later this year: A memorial for Temecula residents who were killed while serving their country. The Temecula Heroes Memorial, designed by La Cresta-based artist Austin Casson, will include a 17-foot-tall steel tower, life-size bald eagle forged in steel and a battlefield cross. On the ground in front of the tower will be five 12-inch bronze seals...

  • Man crashes trying to evade authorities near Pala

    Alex Groves, Staff Writer|Updated Feb 9, 2018

    A 23-year-old man was hospitalized after crashing into a transit bus near Pala Casino as he tried to evade sheriff’s deputies on Jan. 31, San Diego County sheriff’s officials said. Cesar Lopez, 23, was booked into jail on Feb. 2 following the crash, which happened in in the 10300 block of Highway 76 in the Pala area, according to a San Diego County sheriff’s news release. He remained there as of press time, with no bail set. Sheriff’s officials say that about 4:15 p.m. they saw a 1999 Dodge Durango in the parking lot of Pala...

  • FPUD looks at agenda full of repairs and improvement projects

    Alex Groves, Staff Writer|Updated Feb 5, 2018

    The Fallbrook Public Utility District approved several expenditures during its most recent meeting Jan. 23, most of them repairs or redesigns to various projects. The board unanimously approved a professional services agreement not to exceed $60,000 with Platinum Consulting Group to review and improve its financial accounting system, which is in need of an overhaul, according to chief financial officer David Shank. Shank wrote in a staff report that there were several fixes that needed to be made to the district’s financial a...

  • Man killed in single-vehicle crash in De Luz

    Alex Groves, Village News Correspondent|Updated Jan 18, 2018

    A 68-year-old Corona Del Mar man was killed late Wednesday evening when his car veered across double yellow lines and collided with a tree in the unincorporated community of De Luz, the California Highway Patrol said. The single-vehicle crash happened about 11:45 p.m. on De Luz road north of Via Vaquero, according to a CHP news release written by Officer Mike Lassig. The man had been driving his 2007 Volkswagen south on De Luz road at a high rate of speed when for unknown reasons he drove over double yellow lines, across the... Full story

  • Temecula's Grape Drop among numerous unique New Year's Eve events

    Alex Groves, Staff Writer|Updated Jan 18, 2018

    Hundreds flock to Old Town Temecula every Dec. 31 for a fun and unique tradition where a series of balls made to look like a cluster of grapes are dropped outside city hall twice: Once at 9 p.m. to sync with the New Year's Eve countdown on the East Coast and once again at midnight. But, Temecula is not the only place with a unique way of ringing in the New Year. Across the country, cities have come up with themed and unique New Year's events. Here's a sampling of some of...

  • Man shot following standoff with deputies in De Luz

    Alex Groves|Updated Jan 8, 2018

    A Riverside County sheriff’s deputy fired his weapon at an uncooperative 59-year-old De Luz man who refused to come out of his home and who was in possession of a firearm on Thursday, Jan. 4, sheriff’s officials said. Robert Utley was admitted to a hospital after apparently suffering injuries in the deputy-involved shooting and is expected to be booked into the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in French Valley on suspicion of false imprisonment, criminal threats and other related charges when he’s released, according to a River...

  • Man shot following standoff with deputies in De Luz, sheriff's officials say

    Alex Groves, Associate Editor|Updated Jan 6, 2018

    A Riverside County sheriff's deputy fired his weapon at an uncooperative 59-year-old De Luz man who refused to come out of his home and who was in possession of a firearm on Thursday, Jan. 4, sheriff's officials said. Robert Utley was admitted to a hospital after suffering injuries in the deputy-involved shooting and is expected to be booked into the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in French Valley on suspicion of false imprisonment, criminal threats and other related charges...

  • In the wake of Lilac fire's destruction, family tries to pick up the pieces

    Alex Groves|Updated Dec 24, 2017

    Hardly anything was left of Jerry Yang and Jenni Southwell's childhood home in Bonsall on Tuesday as they sifted through the rubble, ash and twisted metal that had been left behind from the 4,100 acre Lilac fire that blazed through the area. Amid the ash there were some recognizable items: ceramic bowls, some kitchenware and antique clay figures were left intact. Still, much of the rest of the home and surrounding buildings where their parents raised roughly 10,000 finch...

  • Fallbrook Public Utility District approves water rate increase

    Alex Groves|Updated Dec 15, 2017

    The Fallbrook Public Utility District Monday, Dec. 11, voted to increase water rates by 6.5 percent for the 2018 calendar year following a busy meeting where residents packed nearly every chair. The board voted 4-1, with Director Milt Davies dissenting, to approve the rate increase. They also approved a schedule of maximum price increases over the next five years. FPUD’s Acting General Manager, Jack Bebee, said that the board was only voting to increase rates for the 2018 year and that future rates for each subsequent year w...