Fallbrook resident’s cooking show “It’s a Party” to premiere in January, A-5
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Hometown hero Jackson brings passion, purpose to NFL, Rams and Synovial Sarcoma Awareness, C-1
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$2.00 Peace and Joy this Holiday Season from Valley News
SERVING TEMECULA , MURRIETA , L AKE E LSINOR E , M ENIFEE , WILDOMAR , H EMET, SAN JACINTO AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES December 27, 2024 – January 2, 2025
VISI T myvalleynews.com
Volume 24, Issue 52
Local News
Joan Sparkman, Woman survives tasing and Central Homicide longtime asking for help Temecula-area attempted kidnapping, bites off to solve Aguanga civic leader, mass shooting dies at 90 suspect’s finger Julie Reeder Publisher
On September 7, 2020, the Central Homicide Unit began investigating a mass murder that occurred in the 45000 block of Highway 371 in Aguanga. A total of seven victims, all of Laotian descent, were shot to death in what appeared to be a home invasion robbery targeting an illicit marijuana operation. Over 1,000 marijuana plants and several hundred pounds of processed marijuana were found at the scene. see page A-8
Education MVUSD sees new trustees and lower enrollments in 2025 Tony Ault Staf f Writer Three new Murrieta Valley Unified School District Board of Education members took their seats after being sworn in at the regular board meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 17. see page C-5
INDEX Anza Valley Outlook ......... D-1
Business ............................B-6 Business Directory .............B-6 Calendar of Events .............B-2
Classifieds .........................C-7 Education ..........................C-4
Julie Reeder Publisher Erin Quinn, a Temecula resident, narrowly escaped an attempted kidnapping, or worse, on Wednesday morning, Dec 17. After enduring a harrowing ordeal involving a stun gun attack and a forced drive through a residential neighborhood she says she’s grateful to be alive. The suspect was identified as the Quinn’s former housekeeper, Olga Mendez, and remains at large, authorities confirmed. Quinn recounted the terrifying encounter that began with what seemed like an innocent exchange. On Tuesday, she received a text message from a woman named “Connie,” offering to donate gifts for Quinn’s Christmas drive to benefit Project Touch. The person texting claimed she was unable to drive due to age and health, “Connie” requested the victim pick up the donations the next morning at her home with very specific instructions on where to park. When Quinn arrived at the designated address on Wednesday, she parked her car as instructed and approached the house. She was told via text that “Connie’s” caregiver would bring the gifts out shortly. After waiting briefly at the door, Quinn returned to her vehicle, where the assailant was waiting inside. Quinn recounted, “I left my car unlocked just thinking I was going to run really quick to the door and
Joan Sparkman. Valley News/Courtesy photo Julie Reeder Publisher
“So I go walk back to my vehicle, and I open my door, and as I’m sitting down, this lady grabs a hold of my hair and starts tasing me on the right side of my head. And I immediately started trying to fight and get out of the situation and she kept doing the taser and I wasn’t cooperating. So she held the taser to my head for about 45 seconds to a minute, and my brain was jolting so bad and I wasn’t
Joan Sparkman, a pioneering civic leader whose contributions shaped the educational, business, and healthcare landscape of Temecula and southwest Riverside County, died Tuesday, Dec. 17, of natural causes. She was 90. Sparkman’s influence in the region spanned more than five decades. A Temecula/Murrieta resident since 1969, she was instrumental in the community’s growth and development, serving on the Temecula Valley Unified School District board for 22 years, where she advocated for funding and land to build as many as 25 new schools. Her efforts extended to higher education, with 14 years of service on the Mt. San Jacinto College board. Her civic involvement began shortly after moving to Temecula
see KIDNAPPING, page A-6
see SPARKMAN, page A-7
Erin Quinn survives an attempted kidnapping and tasing. Valley News/Courtesy photo pick up the presents and get back in my car. I wound up going to the door, and when I was at the door, I knocked and I didn’t hear anything inside. Nobody answered, and I’m waiting for about a minute. And this lady kept stalling [texting] that she was waiting for her caregiver to open the door and it would just be a minute. And then she said that she was in the shower, and then it was just going to be another minute. And then she said to go ahead and wait in my car.”
‘Ramona’ returns for 102nd season with history-making director at the helm
Entertainment ...................B-1 Faith..................................A-7
Health ...............................B-5 Legal Notices .................... D-7
Local ................................A-1 National News ...................C-7 Opinion.............................B-7
Regional News ...................C-6
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Duane Minard is the Artistic Director this season, making him the first Native American to lead the production. HEMET - The Ramona Bowl Amphitheatre announces the 102nd season of the beloved outdoor play “Ramona,” with performances held April 26, 27, May 3, 4, 10, and 11, 2025. This season marks a historic milestone
as Duane Minard takes the reins as Artistic Director, becoming the first Native American to lead the production. A century of storytelling under the stars Since 1923, the Ramona Bowl, a
magnificent outdoor amphitheater nestled in the hills of Hemet, has hosted the annual production of “Ramona.” This open-air play, based on Helen Hunt Jackson’s influential novel, breathes life into her characters, transporting
Valley News/Courtesy photo audiences back in time to experience the struggles and triumphs of Ramona and Alessandro amidst a backdrop of cultural clash and injustice. see DIRECTOR, page A-2