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  • Football players hoist weights, raise money

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated Jul 20, 2018

    FALLBROOK – Members of Fallbrook High's football teams hoisted weights in order to raise money July 13 at the Lift-a-thon, an annual fundraiser organized by Fallbrook Football Boosters. More than 60 players – from freshmen to seniors – participated in the Lift-a-thon after having solicited donations (either a set amount or pay-per-pound lifted) from family, friends and businesses in the community. Fallbrook High head football coach Darius Pickett said the proceeds from this ye...

  • FHS needs players for freshman football team

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated Jul 20, 2018

    Fallbrook High School is in danger of not being able to field a freshman football team. "Right now our numbers are low for the freshman team so that's definitely a possibility this year," said Fallbrook High varsity head football coach Darius Pickett of not having a freshman squad. Pickett said only 15 incoming freshmen participated in the five-week summer football camp that wrapped up July 12. "Honestly, I'm just hoping they didn't want to do summer (camp)," said Pickett. "I'...

  • Del Mar opens summer meeting July 18

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated Jul 17, 2018

    It's almost post time for the 2018 summer racing season at Del Mar. The track where the turf meets the surf will kick off its 36-day meeting Wednesday, July 18, with an opening-day program that is expected to attract more than 30,000 fans. The first day of racing at Del Mar annually brings out a nattily-attired crowd ready to party and compete, as the Opening Day Hats Contest always features a bevy of creative participants vying for a share of more than $5,000 in prizes....

  • New commander no longer undercover

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated Jul 14, 2018

    Lt. Ricardo Lopez, the new commander of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department Fallbrook substation, plans to be visible in the community. That wasn't the game plan the last time he worked Fallbrook. "I was here but I wasn't visible, but I did get to see some things and gather some information," said Lopez, who, undercover, worked Fallbrook and the surrounding areas for many years as a member of North County Regional Gang Task Force. Lopez, a 47-year-old native of San...

  • Peterson heads roster of 90 FHS student-athletes to make academic team

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated Jul 9, 2018

    Junior Audrey Peterson, sporting a 4.63 GPA, tops a list of 90 student-athletes from Fallbrook High making the San Diego Union-Tribune's spring sports All-Academic Team. In order to make this All-Academic Team, which is for juniors and seniors, student-athletes must compete in a California Interscholastic Federation-approved varsity sport and maintain a cumulative, weighted GPA of 3.0 or better. According to the Union-Tribune, there were approximately 180,000 high school...

  • Pala offers smoke-free casino experience

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated Jul 9, 2018

    Nonsmokers who like to gamble can now try their luck in a smoke-free environment at Pala Casino Spa & Resort. Pala officials celebrated the opening of the property's 15,000-square-foot smoke-free gaming area June 29 and also introduced the new Marquise Bar & Lounge and the expanded Luis Rey's Restaurant, Bar and Patio Lounge. "We really focused on trying to concentrate an area of the casino where guests could actually enter the facility through the hotel lobby, gamble, have di...

  • Thomas of Edward Jones helps clients achieve financial goals

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated Jul 9, 2018

    Joe Thomas is very logical and calm, traits that have helped him to help his clients as a financial advisor for the highly respected investment firm Edward Jones for 16 years. Thomas, who possesses a bachelor's degree in economics and an master's degree in business administration and finance from Pepperdine University, said he is proud to be with Edward Jones, one of the largest financial services companies in the United States. Founded in 1922, Edward Jones handles more than...

  • Locals must hit road for fireworks

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated Jul 2, 2018

    Tom Ferrall Staff Writer The Fourth of July is a holiday celebrated with backyard barbecues and fireworks, however, since "safe and sane" fireworks are illegal throughout San Diego County, the only way to see brilliant pyrotechnics is to attend a professional show. Fallbrookians, for the second consecutive year, will have to travel to attend a public fireworks display. The town was left without a professional show when the Grand Tradition, which hosted Fourth of July...

  • Lt. Moreno to leave Fallbrook July 5

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated Jun 30, 2018

    Lt. Mark Moreno, commander of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department Fallbrook substation since July 21, 2017, will serve his final day in that capacity, July 5. Moreno, 51, is headed to the San Diego Regional Public Safety Training Institute at Miramar College, where he'll help train law enforcement personnel from agencies throughout San Diego and Imperial counties. "I'll be the director of the academy," Moreno, who has been with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department...

  • Caboose lands in Fallbrook

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated Jun 23, 2018

    Approximately a month later than Fallbrook Village Association members had planned – thanks to San Diego County permitting processes related to traffic engineered plans – a Santa Fe caboose landed in downtown Fallbrook, June 14. The caboose's arrival at the intersection of Main Avenue and Elder Street signified the completion of phase one of the new Fallbrook Railroad Heritage Park, a pocket park designed to showcase the town's rich railroad history and attract both loc...

  • Heyneman Park renovations include ADA upgrades

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writing|Updated Jun 16, 2018

    Jackie Heyneman Park, the half-acre pocket park located at Beech Street and South Mission Road, is undergoing a renovation that includes making the park more handicapped-accessible. "They are creating an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) parking space as well as new park benches that will be ADA compliant and a picnic table that is wheelchair accessible," said Roy Moosa, president of the Fallbrook Village Association. Other improvements including making sidewalks ADA compliant, installing a new drinking fountain that meet...

  • Desmond has strong showing in primary election

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated Jun 16, 2018

    San Marcos Mayor Jim Desmond established himself as the clear front-runner to replace termed-out Bill Horn as the District 5 representative on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors after winning 45.54 percent of the vote in the June 5 primary election. Desmond garnered 52,508 votes while runner-up Michelle Gomez collected 26,001 (22.55 percent). Gomez, a legislative analyst and community advocate, earned the opportunity to face Desmond again in the November election by edging Oceanside City Councilman Jerry Kern, who came...

  • Fire victim Belvoir Bay gets third stakes win of year

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated Jun 15, 2018

    The five-year-old mare Belvoir Bay, who suffered injuries when the Lilac fire tore through a portion of the San Luis Rey Training Center in Bonsall in December, is undefeated in three starts this year and all of the victories have come in stakes races. Belvoir Bay notched her most recent victory – and the richest of her career – in the $200,000 Monrovia Stakes at Santa Anita on Memorial Day, May 28, when she decisively defeated eight rivals. The win in the Grade 2 Mon...

  • Warriors' cap successful season with playoff run

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated Jun 11, 2018

    A strong playoff run capped a very successful season for the Fallbrook High School baseball team, which defined the term "greatly improved." Last year, a young varsity team that often started five freshmen struggled through a season in which it went 5-20 overall and 2-10 in Valley League play. This year's young team – six sophomores regularly started – finished 17-16 overall and 6-6 in league play. "What a difference," co-head coach Patrick Walker said of the Warriors' ove...

  • Fence that cost 'about $300,000' isn't around long

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated Jun 8, 2018

    The eight-foot tall chain link fence that lined a portion of Olive Hill Road in Bonsall for a month cost "about $300,000," according to Michael Aguilar, project manager for the County of San Diego Department of Public Works. The 1,200-foot long "debris fence" that straddled Olive Hill Trail was put up for safety reasons to prevent rocks or other things from falling onto Olive Hill Road from a burnt hillside produced by the Lilac fire last December. "We reviewed all the slopes and put in some erosion control measures through m...

  • Wine, Brews and Buckaroos Festival is June 16

    Tom Ferrall|Updated Jun 7, 2018

    The Rotary Club of Bonsall will present the 23rd annual Wine, Brews and Buckaroos Festival Saturday, June 16, from 5:30 to 10 p.m. at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido, and people can help out a young mother who recently suffered severe injuries by attending the event. Heidee Harkey, an employee of Pala Mesa Resort, sustained multiple injuries in an accident May 26. She is a single parent of a 3-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son. Jon Frandell, a board member of both the Bonsall Rotary Club and the Pala Mesa...

  • Equestrian standout Leonard headed to Texas A&M

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated Jun 2, 2018

    Bonsall High School senior Nicole Leonard, a standout on horseback, has earned a scholarship to Texas A&M and will be part of the Aggies' prestigious equestrian team. A rider being recruited by Texas A&M for its equestrian team is parallel to a defensive end being recruited by Alabama for its football team as both are powerhouses in those respective sports. The Texas A&M equestrian program has won 13 national championships. "I'm very excited to continue not only my education,...

  • Bonsall hosts candidates for supervisor

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated Jun 1, 2018

    The Bonsall Chamber of Commerce held a town hall meeting May 23 to give area residents the opportunity to hear from candidates seeking to represent District 5 on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. A small but appreciative crowd heard from Jacqueline Arsivaud, Jim Desmond and Michelle Gomez. Candidate Jerry Kern, who serves on the Oceanside City Council, couldn't make the town hall due to a city council meeting. The candidates are vying to replace termed out Bill Horn, who has served District 5 for 23 years. The...

  • Christopherson, Gross honored as scholar-athletes

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated Jun 1, 2018

    Emma Christopherson and Michael Gross were honored by the San Diego High School Sports Association, May 21, as the top scholar-athletes from Fallbrook High School. Christopherson and Gross, along with just 198 other students from across San Diego County, were recognized at an awards breakfast held at the Scottish Rite Center in San Diego. Christopherson, who has a 3.20 GPA, was the MVP of the Fallbrook High volleyball team her senior season as well as a first-team all-league s...

  • Candidates in primary election give credentials

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated May 27, 2018

    The primary election is quickly approaching – polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 5 – and of particular interest to North County voters is who will replace termed out San Diego County supervisor Bill Horn, who for 23 years has served District 5. The candidates looking to take over for Horn are Jacqueline Arsivaud, Jim Desmond, Michelle Gomez and Jerry Kern. The two candidates garnering the most votes in the primary will advance to the November election, unless one of the candidates wins the seat outright by earning mor...

  • Top student-athletes set to compete in college

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated May 22, 2018

    Eight student-athletes from the Fallbrook Union High School District were recognized May 9, for their signing of letters of intent to participate in sports at the collegiate level. Julian Arteaga will be joining the rugby team at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz.; Nathan Chalut will be playing lacrosse at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, Calif.; Emma Christopherson will take the volleyball court for South Dakota State University in Brookings, S.D. and Olivia...

  • World War II veteran Roberds, 98, takes Honor Flight

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated May 22, 2018

    Longtime Fallbrook resident Bud Roberds, a 98-year-old World War II veteran, recently enjoyed "a wonderful trip" when he joined 79 other veterans in traveling from San Diego to Washington D.C. – with all expenses paid – courtesy of Honor Flight San Diego. HFSD is a non-profit branch of the nationwide Honor Flight Network which consists of over 130 independent "hubs" across America. Honor Flight's mission is "to transport America's veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit tho...

  • Deputy busts man for drugs at park and ride

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated May 12, 2018

    San Diego County Sheriff’s deputy Steven Fealy arrested a Chula Vista man on drug charges the morning of May 4 after contacting him at the Park & Ride located adjacent to Interstate 15 on the 3400 block of S. Old Hwy 395 in Fallbrook. According to a media report filed by Sgt. Jim Pucillo, the park-and-ride location is known to law enforcement as a narcotics trafficking corridor, frequently used to smuggle drugs north from Mexico. Fealy, after engaging 64-year-old Roberto Corona in conversation and eyeing the vehicle he was dr...

  • Arteaga, Gripper, Ortiz and Tanner saluted as Students of the Month

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated May 12, 2018

    Four young leaders were recognized May 3, when Julian Arteaga, Santiana Gripper, Erick Ortiz and Ashley Tanner of Fallbrook Union High School were feted as the Students of the Month for May at an awards breakfast at North Coast Church. Arteaga was the first student to be celebrated, and he was nominated by Fallbrook High teacher Adriana Lopez. "He is kind, he is humble, a dedicated student who has tremendous generosity," Lopez said of Arteaga. "He portrays a strong, positive...

  • New railroad park just about ready to welcome caboose

    Tom Ferrall, Staff Writer|Updated May 5, 2018

    The first phase of development of the Fallbrook Railroad Heritage Park is nearly complete, which means a Santa Fe caboose will soon be sitting just northwest of the intersection of Main Avenue and Elder Street. "The ground has been graded, a pad created and the tracks put down," said Fallbrook Village Association president Roy Moosa, who noted that the 39-foot track panel was from a temporary line that ran in Los Angeles. "The next step is to bring in ballast, which is a...

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