All electric powered community launches in Menifee, A-5
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Murrieta Mesa’s Elijah Green taken out of the running for CIF state championships, C-1
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Courts & Crimes Felon to stand trial for allegedly trying to recruit girl for sex services
VISI T myvalleynews.com
Volume 23, Issue 22
Murrieta Memorial Day ceremony honors the fallen
Cit y News Service Special to Valley News A convicted sex trafficker accused of cornering a Winchester girl riding her bike and trying to persuade her to work for him as a prostitute must stand trial for false imprisonment and other charges, a judge ruled Friday, May 26. Isaac Symeon Bragg, 43, of Hemet was arrested last month following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation. see page C-5
Local News Park district approves 5-year agreement for Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival to use Lake Skinner Joe Naiman Writer The Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District has approved an agreement allowing the Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival Association to use the Lake Skinner Recreation Area for five more years. see page A-3
Home & Garden Rancho Water moves to Stage 2 of Water Shortage Contingency Plan TEMECULA – Rancho California Water District has moved to a lower level of its Water Shortage Contingency Plan following a wet winter which alleviated drought conditions across much of California. On May 18, the District’s Board of Directors voted to move to Stage 2, which is considered a water supply alert. see page B-6
INDEX Anza Valley Outlook ......... D-1 Business ............................B-7 Business Directory .............B-7 Calendar of Events .............B-2 Classifieds .........................C-6 Community .......................B-1 Courts & Crimes ...............C-5 Food ..................................B-4 Education ..........................C-4 Entertainment ...................B-2 Faith................................. D-5 Health ..............................B-5 Home & Garden ................B-6 Local ................................A-1 National News ...................C-6 Opinion............................ D-5 Real Estate ........................B-8 Regional News ...................C-5 Sports ................................C-1
Members of the Vista Murrieta High School Air Force JROTC prepare to present the colors near the Murrieta Veterans Memorial during the city’s Memorial Day ceremony at Town Square Park, May 29. See more photos on page B-1. Valley News/Shane Gibson photo
National Invention Convention will feature Lake Elsinore students
Diane A. Rhodes Special to Valley News
Three young inventors who attend the Julia Lee Performing Arts Academy in Lake Elsinore will be sharing their creativity on a national stage when they head to The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, Michigan for the National Invention Convention, June 7-9. They are Chloe Barraza, Sofia Flores and Kingsley Reyes. April Watkins, site coordinator for the charter school’s Rising Stars after school enrichment program, said the students began working on their inventions in October. “We started with lessons on entrepreneurs and past inventions. They learned about who made things we use today and about patents,” she said. “Then the students were asked to invent something to solve a real-
world problem in their lives.” After a schoolwide competition, six teams were selected to move forward to compete at the California Invention Convention. From there, two teams were selected to move onto the national competition. Second-grader Kingsley Reyes created K-Connect, a device that will increase Wi-Fi reception and connectivity within homes. Because it concentrates Wi-Fi service to individual rooms rather than the entire house, the signals are stronger. It also provides parental control with the added advantage of turning off the connection to certain rooms that aren’t in use or shouldn’t be in use, like a young child’s bedroom, late at night. The team of Sofia Flores and Chloe Barraza will share their see CONVENTION, page A-2
Kingsley Reyes is taking his invention to Michigan as part of a national competition, after advancing from the California National Convention. Valley News/Courtesy photo
40 years of paving a positive path for young people Diane A. Rhodes Special to Valley News
Auctioneer Zack Krone engages guests at the Champions’ Luncheon in Temecula that helped celebrate the 40th anniversary of Rancho Damacitas. Valley News/Courtesy photo
Rancho Damacitas Children & Family Services, founded in 1983 as Thessalonika Family Services, was started as a foster home for young girls removed from their homes due to severe abuse and neglect. As the needs of the children grew, so did the organization. More foster homes were added until land was purchased outside Temecula to build a residential campus. In 1988, construction began for what people would soon come to know as “Rancho Damacitas.” “As a residential treatment program, our mission was to provide a normalized experience for children that were in the foster care system due to neglect and abuse,” board member Joseph Gray said. “Although these children required an intensive treatment program, our goal was see DAMACITAS, page A-4