On Wednesday, Sept. 21, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) President Michael Peevey directed Southern California Edison (SCE), along with Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and San Diego Gas and Electric, to establish programs to allow customers to delay installation of controversial Smart Meters, which the utility companies are using to replace analog meters statewide. SCE…
Last week, both Lowder and Sanborn talked about the trend toward increasing class sizes as a result of less money to hire teachers. “I don’t expect class size to go back [to 20 students per teacher] anytime soon,” Sanborn lamented.
A rupture in a natural gas pipeline caused the temporary evacuation of Hemet High School. Construction crews near the high school hit a gas pipeline about 9:20 a.m. Thursday morning, Oct. 6. “I made the decision to evacuate to the football stadium [on the opposite side of Stetson Avenue from the class rooms],” said Principal…
Dr. Raul Ruiz, emergency room physician at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, has announced his intention to gain the Democratic nomination and challenge Republican Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack for her seat in the newly redrawn Congressional District 36. Ruiz, 39, grew up in the Coachella Valley and currently lives in Palm Springs, earned his…
By J.P. Crumrine, Editor and Marshall Smith, Staff Reporter As of Oct. 1, Riverside County and the other 57 California counties are now responsible for housing more convicts and parole violators, as well as monitoring the release of many more state prisoners. Legislation passed in April transfers responsibility for supervising specified lower-level inmates and parolees…
By J.P. Crumrine Editor and Marshall Smith Staff Reporter Editor’s note: Dr Steven Lowder, the superintendent of Hemet Unified School District (HUSD) and HUSD Trustee Bill Sanborn met with Town Crier staff on Wednesday, Sept. 21. This will be the first of several articles relating the school officials’ views of the district, its budget challenges…
Dannie Joe Farnum, 30, of Anza was found guilty of second degree murder. Farnum was arrested and accused of killing the infant son of his girlfriend, Delice Sharon Preston, in November 2008. Farnum was watching the infant while Preston went shopping. During this time, he apparently dropped or beat the child. When Preston returned, Farnum…
County executive officer resigns County Executive Bill Luna, 57, resigned effective Oct. 4. Luna had been Riverside County executive officer since July 2008. Ever since he took office, Luna has had to deal with balancing the county’s budget while its revenues continue to decline. “This letter confirms my statement in closed session on Sept. 13…
Layoffs versus salary reductions were the two sides of a debate between two Riverside County supervisors during the Board of Supervisors’ discussion of the 2011-12 budget. “It’s the worst budget and the county’s strategy has not yielded results. We’re headed toward a lot of layoffs,” Board Chair Bob Buster (1st District) warned his colleagues. Later,…
The final sessions to discuss the proposed Palms to Pines Scenic Byway are planned for October. The fourth series of planning meetings occurred from May 31 through June 2. At those meetings, a draft vision statement was presented to the participants and several other specific issues were discussed. The proposed vision statement read, “The Palms…
