Football dreams come to life on College Signing Day, A-10
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SERVING TEMECULA , MURRIETA , L AKE E LSINOR E , M ENIFEE , WILDOMAR , H EMET, SAN JACINTO AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES February 14 – 20, 2025
VISI T myvalleynews.com
Volume 25, Issue 7
Western Center Academy wins San Jacinto City Council returns county academic decathlon 15% city tax fee
Local News
Charter school in Hemet Unified School District clinches Riverside County title for 3rd consecutive championship, advances to California Academic Decathlon
on cannabis dispensaries Tony Ault Staf f Writer
Just over 30 days after San Jacinto’s cannabis dispensaries were to receive a reduced city tax rate of 10% of each retail item sold, they will see it increased back to the original 15% tax rate on April 1. see page A-2
Education Black History Month essay contest opportunity Diane A. Rhodes Contributed The Human Relations Council of the Hemet, San Jacinto, and Menifee Regions is seeking entries for its 21st annual Black History Month Essay Contest. Open to middle, high school, and college students in the areas served by the nonprofit, essay submissions are due no later than Monday, Feb. 17 at 5 p.m. More than $2,000 in cash awards will be presented. see page B-7
INDEX Anza Valley Outlook ..........B-1 Business ............................B-8 Business Directory .............B-8 Calendar of Events .............A-8
Classifieds .........................B-9
The Western Center Academy team holds their trophy and winnings for first place in the countywide academic decathlon. RIVERSIDE – The 42nd annual Riverside County Academic Decathlon ended with the same result as the last two years as Western Center Academy defeated teams from 10 Riverside County
high schools and will represent Riverside County at the California Academic Decathlon March 20-23 in Santa Clara. Featuring the theme, “Our Changing Climate”, the competi-
tion started virtually with essay writing and objective tests on January 16. All teams proceeded to the speech and interview competition and Super Quiz on Saturday, February 1, held for the first time
Valley News/Courtesy photo
at the Riverside County Office of Education Conference Center in downtown Riverside. Beaumont High School’s Team see DECATHLON, page B-7
CIF-SS Playoffs gear up for Camp Pendleton local winter sports teams Marine killed in
Philippines plane crash
Education ..........................B-6 Entertainment ...................A-7 Health ...............................A-9 Home & Garden ................B-9 Legal Notices ................... B-10 Local ................................A-1 National News ................. B-12 Opinion........................... B-10
Regional News ................. B-12
VALLEY NEWS
Sports .............................. A-10
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Lawrence Sanford (3) and the Vista Murrieta boys’ basketball team will travel to Los Alamitos, representing the local area in the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs. Valley News/Andrez Imaging
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JP Raineri Sports Editor The CIF-Southern Section playoffs are here, bringing high-energy matchups in basketball and soccer for local high school teams. From basketball’s pool-play format to the single-elimination excitement in soccer, the next few weeks promise drama and skill on display across divisions. Local girls’ basketball teams have much to look forward to despite no
representation in the Open Division. Ontario Christian and Etiwanda, both top-seeded teams, enjoy home-court advantage for their Open Division pool-play games. Division 1 will see Rancho Christian, seeded No. 5 based on their final season rank, host Mira Costa on Thursday night. Meanwhile, Temecula Valley and Temecula Prep, seeded No. 2 in Division 3A and No. 4 in Division 4AA respectively, see CIF, page A-12
Sgt. Jacob M. Durham A U.S. Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton has been identified as one of four people killed in a plane crash last week in the southern Philippines, military officials confirmed Sunday. Sgt. Jacob M. Durham, 22, an electromagnetic warfare analyst with the 1st Radio Battalion at Camp Pendleton, died when the aircraft crashed in a rice field in Maguindanao del Sur province on
Valley News/(U.S. Marines Corps photo Feb. 6. The plane was conducting a routine mission “providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support at the request of our Philippine allies,” according to a statement from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. The crash also claimed the lives of three Department of Defense contractors. Philippine authorities see DURHAM, page A-5