MILITARY: Marine unit stands ready for Mideast emergencies Nov 14, 2008
Gen. Claude Reinke, who recently left his post as publisher of The Californian, the Riverside County edition of the North County Times. Capt. Reinke's unit is one of 18 around the world that can be called into action whenever a U.S. interest is threatened. (North County Times)
Deadliest U.S. Wildfires Nov 14, 2008
-- Four U.S. Forest Service firefighters killed in Riverside County, Calif. 1933. (KIRO TV, WA)
The New Conforming Loan Limits Are Limiting Nov 13, 2008
The Coachella Valley, Riverside County, which stretches from Palm Springs to La Quinta and beyond, and it one of the largest recreation and second home areas in the State of California. It has a much higher median home price but still is painted with Riverside County's brush, which is one of the hardest hit counties in the state. (Townhall.com)
Artificial kelp reef praised Nov 11, 2008
Edison owns 78 percent of the nuclear power plant, San Diego Gas & Electric owns 20 percent and Riverside County the remainder. When fully operating, the plant generates 2,200 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 1. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
MILITARY: Marine building boom extends to region Nov 9, 2008
"The amount being spent has ripple effects throughout this county and into Riverside County," said Marney Cox, chief economist for the San Diego Association of Governments, a regional planning agency. "It helps keep us from falling off a cliff.". (North County Times)
Authorities: Marines admit killing couple Nov 9, 2008
CAMP PENDLETON The four Camp Pendleton men accused of killing a Marine sergeant and his wife in their southwestern Riverside County home last month have admitted to ransacking the house, stealing items, sexually assaulting the woman and abusing the couple before shooting them execution-style, according to court documents ... Over the next two weeks, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department worked with military investigators to arrest Marine Lance Cpl. Emrys John, 18, of Maryland; Lance Cpl.... (San Diego Union-Tribune)
California Coastal Communities, Inc. Reports Third Quarter Results Nov 8, 2008
The Company currently has active homebuilding projects in Huntington Beach in Orange County, Corona and Beaumont in Riverside County, and Lancaster in northern Los Angeles County. As of September 30, 2008, the Company has an inventory of 680 owned lots, reduced by 11% compared with the 761 lots owned and controlled a year ago. (PR Newswire)
PUC hears case for, against Powerlink Nov 8, 2008
Opponents representing small communities, park lovers, environmental groups and a company proposing to store energy in a Riverside County water project asked the commission to reject Sunrise outright. Then Michael Shames, executive director of the Utility Consumers' Action Network, told commissioners that the arguments by SDG&E and the Independent System Operator sounded good but were built on shaky assumptions. (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Business)
4 Marines Arrested in Murder of Fellow Marine, Wife Nov 7, 2008
The four were charged Wednesday with the execution-style slayings of Sgt. Jan Pietrzak, 24, and Quiana Jenkins-Pietrzak, 26, who were found gagged, tied and shot in the head on Oct. 15 in the living room of their home in Winchester, in Riverside County southeast of Los Angeles ... The other three Marines lived at the Camp Pendleton base and were held there until they were transferred to a Riverside County jail on Wednesday. (Fox News)
SHOCK: Marine sergeant & wife tortured, slain in Calif.; 4 of his men arrested... Nov 7, 2008
" Neither mother believes that. "When I found out what they did to them, it was like they killed me, too," Pietrzak-Varga said. A spokesman for the Riverside County district attorney's office would not comment on reports that Pietrzak was killed by his own men. Detectives also did not divulge what the accused Marines were looking for, but the suspects were tied to the crime by items found in their homes and on the military base. Born in Poland, Pietrzak was 10 when he moved to the U.S. and... (The Drudge Report)
REGION: More details emerge in slayings of local Marine, wife (28250) Nov 7, 2008
"This was a very heinous act," Riverside County sheriff's homicide Lt. John Schultz said Tuesday ... Those three lived on the base and are being detained there, awaiting release into the custody of Riverside County authorities, Schultz said ... The transfer to Riverside County, at which time they will be booked at a county jail, could happen sometime Wednesday, a Marine Corps spokesman said Tuesday afternoon. (North County Times)
Prop 1A: Voters approve high-speed rail system Nov 6, 2008
The cost of building the line from San Francisco's Transbay Terminal to Los Angeles' Union Station and Anaheim is estimated at $32 billion with extensions to Sacramento, San Diego and Riverside County adding roughly another $12 billion. Kopp said Wednesday that he is optimistic about getting federal funding for high-speed rail and the remaining one-third of the funding from the private sector. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Politics)
LETTERS: NCT, Nov. 5, 2008 Nov 6, 2008
HotJobs Local Search. Clausen's welcome-home parade. (North County Times)
In conservative Temecula and Murrieta, McCain and Prop. 8 rule the day Nov 5, 2008
By David Kelly November 5, 2008 Most of California was solid Obama territory Tuesday, but a swath of southwestern Riverside County remained resolutely in the red. That was apparent in a garage polling station on Calle Katerine in Temecula where a bowl of candy and religious tracts sat inside the doorway. (Los Angeles Times)
REGION: GOP bucks national trend in legislative races Nov 5, 2008
Despite the national tidal wave of Democratic victories, Republicans were headed for victory Tuesday in several state legislative seats representing GOP-dominated North County and Southwest Riverside County, according to early returns. In the 66th Assembly District, Republican incumbent Kevin Jeffries of Lake Elsinore was leading in his bid for a second term against Democratic challenger Grey Frandsen of Temecula. (North County Times)
3 Marines arrested in fellow's death were in same unit Nov 5, 2008
CAMP PENDLETON Three of the four Camp Pendleton Marines arrested in the death of another Marine and his wife in Riverside County belonged to the same unit as the slain serviceman ... On Oct. 15, Riverside County sheriff's deputies found Jan Pietrzak, 24, and his wife, Quianna Jenkins-Pietrzak, 26, shot to death in their Winchester home ... John, Miller and Cox, now in pretrial confinement at Camp Pendleton, are scheduled to be transferred to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department Wednesday. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
REGION: Four Marines arrested in local slayings Nov 4, 2008
Both were killed by gunshots to the head, according to the Riverside County coroner's office ... Two of the four arrested Marines worked in the same unit as Pietrzak and all four were stationed at Camp Pendleton, Riverside County sheriff's Lt. John Schultz, of the department's Central Homicide Unit, said Monday ... On Monday afternoon, after meeting with homicide investigators, prosecutors with the Riverside County district attorney's office agreed to file murder charges against all four men,... (North County Times)
Obituaries in the news Nov 3, 2008
Ferguson died at her home in Riverside County. She is believed to have died of a heart attack, her son, Eric, told the Los Angeles Times. (Anchorage Daily News)
REGION: Watershed election awaits voters' decisions Nov 3, 2008
The question of whether gay marriage should be outlawed by amending the California Constitution is as polarizing in North County and Southwest Riverside County as is the presidential race ... Lorraine Watts, president of the Southwest Riverside County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, isn't as rosy about America's race relations ... North County and Southwest Riverside County residents have given more than 1 million to help the "Yes on 8" campaign amend... (North County Times)
High Turnout Could Mean Long Wait For Results Nov 3, 2008
During the 2004 presidential election, Riverside County used electronic machines and tallied the votes cast at polling places in six hours, said Barbara Dunmore, the county's registrar. This year, officials are planning for a 36-hour count -- and that's after borrowing two more machines to scan paper ballots, she said. (TheSanDiegoChannel.com, CA)
State Route 76: No easy road Nov 3, 2008
Traffic has increased steadily on Route 76 since the late 1990s, coinciding with development in North County and southwestern Riverside County. The accident rate exceeds the state average in some areas, which has prompted residents to call for action. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
ESCONDIDO: Four issues emerge as key to City Council race Nov 2, 2008
Patrol cars in Riverside County ... They have no problem with officers living in Escondido taking their cars home, but they object to officers using city fuel to drive patrol cars home to Temecula and other parts of Riverside County ... Mostly, up in Riverside County. (North County Times)
REGION: State slashes water deliveries to Southern California Oct 31, 2008
The situation is made worse for Southern California by the rapidly falling level of Diamond Valley Lake in Southwest Riverside County, the region's primary insurance policy against drought. As a result, Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District, said there is a "very real possibility" that the ongoing voluntary call to residents in Southern California counties ---- including San Diego and Riverside ---- to conserve voluntarily will be replaced by a mandatory cutback by... (North County Times)
Using kids in Prop. 8 ads Oct 30, 2008
Temecula (Riverside County). Tireless advocate. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
Charter candidates bring long county ties, enthusiasm with them Oct 28, 2008
Angeli is a retired sheriff s deputy from Riverside County, Calif. and also worked in the Klamath County Sheriff s office for three years. (Klamath Falls Herald & News, OR)
Demand Climbs for Wireless Voice, Multimedia and Internet Access in Riverside County Oct 27, 2008
Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Wireless users in more Riverside County locations are now experiencing expanded voice and data coverage thanks to the addition of four new cell sites from Verizon Wireless. The new sites improve 3G coverage and call capacity for customers in and around: -- Hemet - along Highway 74/Florida Avenue from Lyon Avenue to Soboba Avenue and surrounding area -- Idyllwild - along Highway 243 from Twin Pines Road to Hall Mill/Hall Canyon, including Poppet Flats community -- Perris -... (PR Newswire)
Weakening economy puts brakes on traffic Oct 27, 2008
On Interstate 15 north of Escondido, the region's link to Riverside County, the level of northbound traffic was down 9 percent on weekdays and 10 percent on weekends. Bob Leonard, chief executive officer of the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce, said his inland North County region has been particularly hard hit by the sharp downturn in the construction industry. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
REGION: Sacred objects to be returned to local tribes Oct 26, 2008
Other items belong to Luiseno Indians, who lived in North County and Riverside County, roughly north of the San Luis Rey River. Their descendants are now members of the Pauma, Pala, Rincon, La Jolla and Pechanga bands. (North County Times)
CHAPARRAL 28, VISTA MURRIETA 27: Overtime thriller Oct 26, 2008
The two teams were ranked No. 2 (Chaparral) and No. 3 (Vista Murrieta) in Riverside County and were playing a game under the pall of tragedy. Vista Murrieta junior varsity football player Shea Iose died earlier this week. (North County Times)
Foreclosures Help Housing Market Find a Bottom: John M. Berry Oct 25, 2008
In Riverside County, California, 4,551 homes were sold last month, more than double the sales a year earlier, according to MDA DataQuick based in San Diego. More than two-thirds were foreclosed properties. (Bloomberg -- Columnists)
REGION: County wants to revamp noise rules Oct 24, 2008
In 2006, Riverside County approved a noise ordinance that requires landowners in unincorporated areas to obtain permits and pay fees before riding dirt bikes and other motorized off-road vehicles on their property ... A coalition of off-road riding and industry groups later sued Riverside County over the noise regulations, saying the rules conflicted with existing laws and placed harsh burdens on longtime landowners. (North County Times)
MURRIETA: Candidates annoyed about misused stationery Oct 23, 2008
", Guess What? WE ALL support them, with MONEY from our taxes. That does not mean we are getting our money's worth from all of them. Agreed, there's never been a reason to doubt our firefighters. And, we have a few excellent police officers, but ALL of them? Only if you segregate the news in recent years to suit your prejudices. Please, don't be smarmy. Don't you know the difference between a "mistake" and an obviously intentional wrong? Mary wrote on Oct 22, 2008 2:17 PM:If a candidate for city... (North County Times)
Voters split in many ways on gay marriage ban Oct 23, 2008
8 supporters is making stops in Chico, Bakersfield, Indio (Riverside County) and Modesto. Yes' bus visits Oakland. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Police target pedestrian right of way Oct 21, 2008
Riverside County Sheriff's Deputies can't imagine what the citizens of this great city go through in life. Makes Sense wrote on Oct 20, 2008 6:23 PM:Those who are screaming and yelling about this must have been part of the 13 who received citations. (North County Times)
Industry Starts To Look Small Oct 20, 2008
KB Home began to roll out its most recent iteration of smaller homes earlier this summer in Beaumont, Riverside County, as part of a development dubbed Highland Vista. The homes are 1,230 square feet and have three to five bedrooms. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Business)
MURRIETA: Preservation bestowed on land near hillside Oct 20, 2008
Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority purchases land for 72 ... The Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority last month purchased 454 acres adjacent to the Hogbacks, which are large, rocky hills off Los Alamos Road ... By preserving the land, which hugs portions of the central and tallest Hogback, which stands higher than 1,500 feet above sea level, the agency has increased to 42,000 the number of acres to be preserved under the Riverside County Multiple Species... (North County Times)
Forensic loan review can ease homeowners' woes Oct 20, 2008
Maddux and partner Chad Ruyle say the chances are excellent that somewhere in your loan papers, the Corona (Riverside County) firm it works with, Loan Safe Solutions, will find a mistake. They say more than 80 percent of the recent audits Loan Safe has performed have revealed major truth-in-lending violations, errors in the good faith estimates required under the Real Estate Settlement and Procedures Act, illegal predatory lending practices or even fraud. (San Francisco Chronicle)
ESCONDIDO: Candidates debate take-home car policy for police officers Oct 19, 2008
Diaz contends that costs for the 26-year-old program have ballooned in recent years as gas prices have increased and as more officers have moved to Riverside County and other relatively distant locations. The city pays for maintenance of the cars and for all the fuel that the officers use. (North County Times)
MURRIETA: Student disciplined for 'anti-Obama' shirt Oct 19, 2008
Bonnie Connoley, former president of the Democratic Club of Southwest Riverside County, said Friday afternoon that anything that stokes hatred should not be allowed on a school campus. "I don't understand why someone in Murrieta or Temecula is still trying to get out that type of message. If you want to wear something with 'Vote for McCain' that's fine. Be positive in your message," she said. (North County Times)
Jury gets Britney case Oct 18, 2008
The actor did not appear in a Riverside County courtroom yesterday, but his attorney stood in for him. He was arrested after officers responded to a call about an intoxicated male outside a restaurant in Murrieta, about 80 miles east of Los Angeles. (Boston Globe)
REGION: Candidates flush as Election Day nears Oct 18, 2008
Congressional incumbents running in North San Diego County and Southwest Riverside County had plenty of money on hand to spend in the two weeks before Election Day, their latest campaign finance disclosure forms show ... In the 49th Congressional District race that includes much of North County and portions of Southwest Riverside County, incumbent Republican Darrell Issa of Vista had raised 919,615 and had 67,323 on hand as of Sept. 30, according to his financial disclosure report ... In the... (North County Times)
REGION: KZSW moves to Murrieta Oct 18, 2008
The most important of those three happens to exist in Southwest Riverside County. It happens to exist in Murrieta. (North County Times)
LETTERS: The Californian, Oct. 14, 2008 Oct 15, 2008
Apollo wrote on Oct 14, 2008 5:43 AM:Re: Ed DeCanniere (North San Diego County letter)What is the deal these days with the repeated delaying of North San Diego County letters while Riverside County letters get processed. Third time in a week. (North County Times)
Magnitude-3.4 quake hits near Palm Springs Oct 13, 2008
A dispatcher from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department says there has been no word of injuries or damages in the area. A service of the Associated Press(AP). (Hanford Sentinal, CA)
Blight law a national model Oct 13, 2008
Closer to home, Santee, Riverside County and Murrieta have followed the Chula Vista blueprint, tailoring it to their needs. Wednesday, Escondido City Council members voted to tighten property-maintenance regulations to hold lenders more accountable. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Clovis fire chief retires, takes Sonoma County post Oct 11, 2008
Aston came to Clovis in 1996 after serving with the Apple Valley Fire Protection District, Riverside County Fire Department and the Corona Fire Department. Millison said Aston has worked well with city officials in other departments and improved the Fire Department's performance. (Fresno Bee -- Local)
San Quentin Death Row Inmate Found Dead Oct 10, 2008
The attorney was kidnapped in Tustin and forced to drive to a remote area in Riverside County. Bridges tied Seiler's hands with the attorney's own necktie, then shot him twice in the head. (KCRA 3, CA)
Holding tight: can Australia ride the storm? Oct 10, 2008
Titled "Foreclosure Alley", it focuses on the hapless home "owners" of the Inland Empire, the sprawling new communities of California's Riverside County, where vast tracts of semi-rural land have been transformed into suburbia and to which first-home buyers flocked for "big homes, spacious lawns and sparkling pools" that they could ill-afford. The earthquake-prone region is a fault line in the current global economic meltdown where, to quote the program, the "biggest threat to homes and families... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Prop. 8 battle draws in $46 million Oct 8, 2008
Three large egg processors, Rose Acre Farms of Indiana, Cal-Maine Foods of Mississippi and Moark of Norco (Riverside County), each have given more than $500,000 to the campaign. E-mail John Wildermuth at. (San Francisco Chronicle)
HOUSING: Builders struggle to sell, turn to auctions Oct 8, 2008
The 34-house subdivision is based in San Jacinto, a northern Riverside County city. It has drawn plenty of interest from potential buyers in Murrieta and Temecula. (North County Times)
Man wanted in 1967 Toledo killing arrested in Calif. Oct 4, 2008
Robert Bowman was arrested Thursday in Cathedral City after two Riverside County district attorney's investigators spotted him on a bicycle and believed he was wanted on an unrelated case. Cathedral City police later discovered the 72-year-old Bowman was wanted in Toledo for the murder of Eileen Adams. (WKRC.com, OH)
REGION: Region's lawmakers maintain bailout opposition Oct 4, 2008
Federal regulators, the Bush administration and congressional leaders have failed the country, said Issa, whose district includes North County and portions of Southwest Riverside County ... Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, and whose district includes a portion of Southwest Riverside County, voted for the bill, as she did Monday. (North County Times)
Merced shut out of federal foreclosure funds Oct 4, 2008
3 million for Visalia to $48 million for Riverside County. In addition, the state will receive $145 million that it can distribute among other communities. (Fresno Bee -- Local)
Players lost in the fog - at least for a moment Oct 3, 2008
LPGA and Samsung officials scrambled to find a venue last winter, after deciding to leave Bighorn in Palm Desert (Riverside County). Half Moon Bay won out partly because of the Ritz Carlton hotel on property. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Sports)
Arrest Made In 40-Year-Old Unsolved Murder Oct 3, 2008
-- Investigators in Riverside County have found a fugitive wanted for the 1967 murder of a 14-year-old high school freshman in Toledo, Ohio. Robert Bowman was arrested Thursday in Cathedral City after two district attorney's investigators spotted him on a bicycle and believed he was wanted on an unrelated case. (TheSanDiegoChannel.com, CA)
Azinger and Company put Ryder Cup in the forefront Sep 25, 2008
But once Samsung officials decided to part ways with Bighorn in Palm Desert (Riverside County), they needed to quickly find a site for next week's tournament. They contacted several West Coast venues last winter, and Half Moon Bay responded enthusiastically. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Sports)
TEMECULA: Police search for clues in fatal shooting Sep 25, 2008
"Initially, it didn't look like the injuries to either man were life-threatening. ... Both were breathing, talking and walking around," said Sgt. Brandon Ford of the Riverside County sheriff's Central Homicide Unit ... Homicide investigators ask that anyone with information call the Riverside County sheriff's Central Homicide Unit at (760) 393-3500 or Temecula police detectives at (951) 696-3000. (North County Times)
ESCONDIDO: City's next landmark on the horizon Sep 25, 2008
Brouwer opened Escondido Ready Mix Concrete Inc. in 1959, and later expanded his business throughout the county and into Riverside County, according to the company's Web site. The various businesses he acquired were consolidated in 1989, when his company's name changed to Superior Ready Mix, which serves more than 20 plants in Southern California. (North County Times)
Debate over toll road isn't over Sep 22, 2008
Give the Marine Corps a quicker route to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County. Provide $100 million to improve public access, recreation and habitat for the state parks system. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
The Art of CraftGoing with the grain Sep 21, 2008
As for inspiration, both Meyer and Doriss mention the venerable California master woodworker Sam Maloof, of Alta Loma (Riverside County), and Swedish-born James Krenov, who created and led the College of the Redwoods' Fine Woodworking School in Fort Bragg. "I'm rereading all of Krenov's books right now," Doriss said. (San Francisco Chronicle)
MURRIETA: City sells land behind Wal-Mart for $5.2 million Sep 20, 2008
If I had a billion dollar project in mind for the best piece of land I could find in Southwest Riverside County, would I want it overlooking a used car lot. Of course not. (North County Times)
Wie saves round with 2 birdies Sep 19, 2008
Michelle Wie salvaged a ragged round with a birdie-birdie finish to remain among the leaders after the third round of an LPGA Tour sectional qualifying tournament in Rancho Mirage (Riverside County) on Thursday. More Sports. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Sports)
REGION: Chargers bus reinstated Sep 19, 2008
wrote on Sep 18, 2008 10:05 PM:Oceanside has the bus, three trains, the Orange county and Riverside county bus and Greyhound. Try to keep track of who's using the parking there. (North County Times)
Kern County high school football player dies Sep 19, 2008
Sophomore Vinnie Rodriguez of Boron High School suffered head trauma during a game Friday and died Tuesday night at Loma Linda University Medical Center in Riverside County. Boron athletic director Jim Boghosian says Rodriguez fell over on the sideline after making what appeared to be a routine tackle. (Hanford Sentinal, CA)
August SoCal Home Prices Fall 34% Sep 18, 2008
In Riverside County, 4,078 homes sold in August, up 43. 9 percent from the year-ago period. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Business)
