Artists share their talent at EXCEED Art Show, B-1
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99 Cents Only stores to close nationwide, B-8
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SERVING TEMECULA , MURRIETA , L AKE E LSINOR E , M ENIFEE , WILDOMAR , H EMET, SAN JACINTO AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES April 12 – 18, 2024
VISI T myvalleynews.com
Volume 24, Issue 15
19th annual Tour de Murrieta Bomb threat leads to school lockdown takes to the streets in Menifee
Local News
Kim Harris Special to Valley News
Reports of a bomb threat at a Menifee charter school led to a lockdown and school closure while officers worked to investigate the threat, Monday, April 8. see page A-4
Entertainment DigiFest Temecula returns to JDS Creative Academy, sparking creativity this spring Karlee Skipper Special to Valley News
JDS Creative Academy will host the eighth annual DigiFest Temecula 2024 three-day signature event Friday through Sunday, April 19-21. This multimedia event celebrates the nonprofit’s mission to advance education, training, and opportunities in visual, performing and digital arts. DigiFest is so much more than a film festival. Creators across the digital media spectrum are given the opportunity to showcase their work while attendees immerse themselves in engaging presentations and hands-on workshops, as well as connecting with like-minded artists and reveling in the excitement of earning prestigious awards.
Cyclists race around the corner on Washington Avenue and Juniper Street during the annual Tour de Murrieta Grand Prix. See story and more photos on page C-1. Valley News/Shane Gibson photo
Hundreds take to Lake Elsinore levee shoreline for annual cleanup Kim Harris Special to Valley News
see page B-3
Hundreds of residents and volunteers took to the Lake Elsinore shoreline of the city’s namesake lake for a day of environmental stewardship and community engagement at the city’s Second Annual Beach Cleanup event held Saturday, April 6. Starting at 8 a.m. Volunteers met in parking lot D of Diamond Stadium before making their way to the levee where they filled plastic trash bags with all kinds of garbage, from paper goods to plastics, left behind by beachgoers, boaters and others. Following the cleanup, which spanned a mile-long stretch of the shoreline, a barbecue was held at Summerly Community Park to thank the volunteers of all
INDEX Anza Valley Outlook ......... D-1 Business ............................B-8 Business Directory .............B-8 Calendar of Events .............B-2 Classifieds .........................C-7 Education ..........................C-4 Entertainment ...................B-1 Faith................................. D-5 Health ...............................C-5 Home & Garden ................B-6 Legal Notices .................... D-6 Local ................................A-1 National News ...................C-7 Opinion............................ D-5 Regional News ...................C-6 Sports ................................C-1
VALLEY NEWS
Volunteers pickup trash along the shore of the Lake Elsinore levee during a cleanup day, April 6. Valley News/Shane Gibson photo
Partial solar eclipse seen across Southwest Riverside County
Lake Elsinore’s nanobubbler generator helps to clear water
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Kim Harris Special to Valley News
The sun is partially blocked by the moon during a partial solar eclipse Monday, April 8. While the eclipse was total for nearly 32 million people across the United States on a path from Texas to Maine, people watching in Southern California saw roughly 52% of the sun covered at the height of the event which began locally shortly after 10:30 a.m. when the shadow of the moon, or umbra, began to block out the sun. The peak of the eclipse, which lasted nearly 2 hours, occurred around 11:12 a.m. with the moon finally clearing the sun at 12:24 p.m., according to NASA. Valley News/Shane Gibson photo
see CLEANUP, page A-8
For year’s officials in Lake Elsinore have struggled to find a way to keep the terminal lake at the end of the San Jacinto watershed healthy and the city’s decision last year to use nanobubbler technology might just be the solution to that problem, Lake Elsinore Mayor Steve Manos said. “We are cautiously optimistic,” Manos said, adding that the city got a good amount of new water thanks to winter rains but that the new water doesn’t always translate into better water quality. Lake Elsinore announced it would begin to use nanobubbler
technology back in December as part of a $2 million restoration effort approved by city officials to eradicate algae growth in the 3,300-acre lake. Lake Elsinore, which has a maximum depth of 40 feet, has no outflow for the water leading to algae blooms and high levels of toxins from those blooms making it unsafe for people and pets to go into the water which in turn results in numerous lake closures and caution advisories. “This transformative project is a testament to our dedication to creating progressive and sustainable change for the betterment of see GENERATOR, page A-6