News

Pala Today News – 2/25/26

Written by John Fox on February 25, 2026

The following items are part of the award-winning “Pala Today” newscast heard this day at noon on PALA REZ RADIO™ 91.3 FM in Pala.

In any emergency, knowledge is power. Use our resources to leverage your family’s safety. Email 91.3@palatribe.com to subscribe to our daily M-F e-newsletter. Follow us at www.facebook.com/rezradio and www.twitter.com/rezradioFM. Additional resources at Palatribe.com

LOCAL AND REGIONAL NEWS

A two-vehicle collision sparked a vehicle fire and temporarily halted all traffic on southbound I-15 near the Lilac Road bridge last evening around 9:30p. A white Ford sedan collided with a Toyota RAV4 with the Ford ending up in the center divider and the Toyota catching fire on the right shoulder. At least one person required medical attention for a broken foot. A second medical transport was requested by CHP. No details on that person or persons’ injuries. https://www.villagenews.com/story/2026/02/19/news/two-vehicle-crash-and-fire-halt-traffic-on-southbound-i-15-near-lilac-road-bridge/81280.html

Fire heavily damaged Alfredo’s Mexican Restaurant on North Coast Highway in Oceanside just after 4a this morning. Arriving firefighters found a broken gas line near the front entrance and the building heavily involved in flames. It took about 40 minutes to bring it under control and prevent the fire from spreading to nearby buildings. The restaurant was closed and vacant at the time. No injuries reported. https://patch.com/california/oceanside-camppendleton/fire-damages-oceanside-restaurant

The Vista Planning Commission has unanimously approved permits for a 63-townhome project on a vacant lot on Hacienda Drive just south of the 78 freeway. Only four acres of the 4.6-acre site are buildable by eco-friendly homebuilder City Ventures. The seven buildings will have two to four-bedroom townhomes, each with a two-car garage. Seven will be set aside for moderate-income households. https://thecoastnews.com/planners-approve-63-unit-hacienda-townhomes-in-south-vista/

The Temecula school board has approved sending out layoff notices to 12 more support employees. Two weeks ago, trustees authorized the layoffs of 20 teachers. https://www.pressenterprise.com/2026/02/24/temecula-schools-ok-more-layoff-notices-this-time-for-12-support-employees/

After nearly 25 years in law enforcement, Menifee Police Chief Chris Karrer has filed for retirement. He’s been with Menifee since the inception of the city’s police department in 2020, which has since grown to over 120 officers and support personnel. Karrer will be replaced by Captain Dave Gutierrez as acting Chief of Police. https://patch.com/california/murrieta/menifee-police-chief-retires-new-acting-chief-selected

There’s a proposed ballot initiative winding its way through the legal process that would exempt some senior homeowners from paying property taxes. To qualify, you’d have to be 60 or older, have lived in the home as your primary residence for the past five years and have lived in California for at least ten years. The exemption would only be for the basic property tax, not including voter-approved special taxes, assessments or bonds. It would be a boon to fixed income seniors, but come at an estimated cost of $12b to $20b in lost revenue for local governments and schools per year. A petition is now being circulated with 875k signatures needed by August 4 to get the measure on the November ballot. https://patch.com/california/across-ca/ca-homeowners-ages-60-exempt-paying-property-taxes-under-new-proposal

Retired Navy Captain E. Royce Williams received the Congressional Medal of Honor at last night’s State of the Union Address in the Capitol building in Washington DC. The Hidden Meadows resident was presented his medal for exceptional valor and heroism during the Korean War by First Lady Melania Trump. Captain Williams will be honored again May 23^rd as Grand Marshal of this year’s Valley Center Western Days Parade. https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=valley%20roadrunner

Coffee With a Cop is coming up this Friday at the Temecula Starbucks at 27375 Jefferson Avenue. It’ll be from 9a to 11a. The casual coffee and conversation get-togethers are designed to break down barriers between law enforcement and the community. https://patch.com/california/temecula/coffee-cop-planned-temecula-jefferson-avenue-starbucks

This week’s heatwave is now predicted to get even hotter than first expected. The full forecast is coming up. (below)

SPORTS

In the NBA – A botched final play cost the Lakers the game last night against Orlando. Final score 110-109. That drops them to sixth place, a game behind Minnesota. Last night’s other winners were Philadelphia, Atlanta, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Cleveland, Charlotte, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Boston and Minnesota.

In the minors – The San Diego Clippers edged the Rio Grande Valley Vipers 123-122 last night in Edinburg, Texas. The same two teams play again tonight.

In college basketball – Top-ranked Duke routed Notre Dame 100-56. #2 Arizona topped Baylor 87-80. #3 Michigan beat Minnesota 77-67. Unranked UCF knocked off #19 BYU 97-84. UCLA whupped USC 81-62.

In women’s NCAA – both #1 UConn and #2 UCLA have win streaks dating back to last season. UConn’s is 29 including 18 this season. UCLA’s is 21 including 17 this season. UConn plays again tomorrow. UCLA’s season ends with a game against USC this Sunday.

In the NHL – The regular season resumes tonight. Eight games including the Ducks hosting Edmonton and the Kings hosting Vegas.

In the minors – The San Diego Gulls next game is tonight hosting Tucson.

In Major League Baseball Pre-Season – The Padres fell to the Cubs 6-5 yesterday. Marco Gonzales took the loss. The Dodgers thumped Cleveland 11-3. Both Angels split squads lost – Colorado won 7-5 and San Francisco won 4-1.

In soccer – The San Diego Sockers next game is Friday hosting Tacoma.

In lacrosse – The San Diego Seals next game is Friday at Denver.

In racing – The 2026 Indycar season begins Sunday in the streets of St. Petersburg.

Local High School Sports –

Bonsall – baseball hosting St. Jeanne de Lestonnac Catholic at 4:30p; softball at Francis Parker at 4:30p; boys’ volleyball at St. Jeanne de Lestonnac at 5p

Great Oak – girls’ beach volleyball vs. Temecula Valley at a tournament in Palm Desert at 11:30a; boys’ golf and freshman baseball at Martin Luther King at 3p; boys’ volleyball at Orange Glen at 5p

Fallbrook – no scheduled games today

Valley Center – varsity softball at Vista at 3:30p

BUSINE$$

As of midday trading on Wall Street, stocks were up on all three major U.S. indexes. The Dow gained 6 tenths of a percent. The S&P 500 rose ¾ of a percent. And the Nasdaq was up 1.1%. Gold traded $48.20 higher on the Comex at $5,224.50 an ounce. West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures fell 22 cents to $65.41 a barrel.

President Trump’s State of the Union speech set a new record at one hour forty-eight minutes – eight minutes longer than his own record set last year. In it, he called the Supreme Court’s ruling that his tariffs enacted citing the Emergency Powers Act were illegal “very unfortunate” and vowed to continue them, saying they will “replace the modern-day system of income tax. According to his own tax returns made public in 2022, Trump paid no income tax in 11 of the previous 17 years and less than $1k each in two of the other six. His speech mentioned a new kind of retirement plan, declared a “War on Fraud” and urged Congress to pass legislation to stop Congressional insider trading. For the second straight year, Democratic Rep. Al Green was kicked out of the chamber – this time for holding up a sign that read, “Black people aren’t apes” referring to the racist video Trump shared on social media depicting the Obamas as apes. www.morningbrew.com

A Washington DC federal court yesterday ruled that the IRS can continue to share immigrants’ taxpayer data with ICE. Judge Harry T. Edwards declined the request by immigrant rights group Centro de Trabajadores Unidos and others to temporarily block the IRS from sharing specific taxpayer data that could make it easier to identify and deport people who are in the US illegally. The controversial creation of the data sharing agreement between the IRS and ICE caused the acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service to resign last year. www.apnews.com

Waymo is adding four more cities to its robotaxi service, bringing the total to ten – the most of any autonomous driving service. New cities including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando were announced yesterday. Waymo is already providing more than 400k rides weekly in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, Miami, Atlanta and Austin. Their goal is to hit 1m fares per week by the end of this year. With a current valuation of $126b, there are rumors that Waymo will be spun off by parent company Alphabet, where it began as a secret project within Google in 2009. https://apnews.com/article/waymo-robotaxis-dallas-houston-antonio-orlando-2b976e3a71e7a53719c6ab9927469729

Spirit Airlines has unveiled a plan to emerge from bankruptcy within about four months, that call for it to sell off more of its Airbus planes, expand premium-class seating, and focus on flying to destinations only out of its two major Florida hubs in Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, as well as the New York area and Detroit. Spirit will focus on peak travel days and will cut money-losing flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/24/spirit-airlines-bankruptcy-flights.html

LIFESTYLE / GREEN LIVING

Actress Lauren Chapin, best-known as the youngest of the three children on TV’s “Father Knows Best” has died after a five-year struggle with cancer. The show ran for six seasons beginning in 1954. Chapin won five junior Emmys for her role as Kathy Anderson – referred to on the show by her TV dad, Robert Young as “Kitten”. She was in all but seven of the show’s 203 episodes. Chapin left acting in her early teens. She went on to teach natural childbirth and worked for a brokerage. She later owned two beauty pageant companies and helped manage and begin the career of actress Jennifer Love Hewitt. Lauren Chapin was 80. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_Chapin#:~:text=Lauren%20Ann%20Chapin%20(May%2023%2C,%5B1%5D%20between%201954%20and%201960.

Samsung today unveiled its latest Galaxy smartphones. They’ll have even more artificial intelligence technology and a new privacy shield mode that blocks bystanders from seeing the screen. The new S26 lineup will arrive in stores March 11 with price increases of about 10% on most models. They’ll begin at $899 with the top of the line Ultra remaining priced at $1,299. It’s the only model with the new privacy display. It’s been four years since Samsung was the world’s top-selling smart phone. Apple has held that title ever since, according to International Data Corp. https://apnews.com/article/samsung-galaxy-s26-artificial-intelligence-b23e8c9c51c2d09e772fe8709b867ca7

On this day in music history – February 25,

1956, Elvis Presley had his first nationwide hit with “I Forgot to Remember to Forget” which hit #1 on the Country and Western chart
In 1957, Buddy Holly recorded a new version of “That’ll Be the Day”, the title for which was taken from a line John Wayne used in the film “The Searchers”.
In 1964, The Beatles finished recording their next single, “Can’t Buy Me Love” at Abbey Road Studios in London. They’d begun it at Pathe Marconi Studios in Paris just before their triumphant first trip to America earlier in the month. They also recorded the B-side, “You Can’t Do That” and another new song, “I Should Have Known Better”.
In 1972, Led Zeppelin played for over 25k fans at Western Springs Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It was the largest crowd ever to attend a concert in that country. News the next day reported the band could be heard five miles away.
In 1981, at that year’s Grammy Awards, Bob Seger won Best Rock Performance for “Against the Wind”. Pat Benatar won Best Female Performance for “Crimes of Passion” and Christopher Cross won Best New Artist and Best Song for “Sailing”.
In 1984, “Jump” by Van Halen began the first of five weeks at #1. Lead singer David Lee Roth wrote the lyrics after seeing a TV news report about a man threatening to commit suicide by jumping off a high rise.
In 1995, at a private party for 1,200 guests on the final night of the Frank Sinatra Desert Classic golf tournament, Frank sang before a live audience for the last time. His final song was “The Best is Yet to Come”.
In 1998, at Radio City Music Hall, Bob Dylan won three Grammys including Best Album for “Time Out of Mind”. During Dylan’s performance of the song, a background dancer jumped amongst the band and ripped off his shirt, revealing the words “Soy Bomb” painted on his chest. Whatever that meant seemed to be lost on the world that night. Also that night, Ol’ Dirty Bastard grabbed the microphone during Shawn Colvin’s acceptance speech making various observations, mostly promoting Wu Tang Clan. He was escorted from the stage.
In 2004, The Rolling Stones topped the US magazine Rich List of music’s biggest money makers. Their “Forty Licks Tour” made them $212m from ticket, CD, DVD, and merchandise sales. Bruce Springsteen came in second. The Eagles were third.
In 2006, George Michael was found slumped over in a car in Hyde Park, London. He ended up being arrested for suspicion of drug possession. Afterwards he admitted he was indeed holding, complimented the police on their professionalism and said the event was “my own stupid fault, as usual”.
In 2015, on what would have been George Harrison’s 72^nd birthday, a new tree was planted in his memory in Griffith Park, LA to replace one that, ironically was killed by a beetle infestation.
In 2019, British publicist and talent manager Kenneth Pitt died at the age of 96. He’d managed David Bowie at the time of his first hit, “Space Oddity” and was responsible for publicizing American musicians in Britain including Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Born on this day …

In 1943, guitarist, singer and songwriter George Harrison. His #1 hits include “Something” with The Beatles and “My Sweet Lord” as a solo act. He was also a member of the Traveling Wilburys. Harrison died of cancer November 29, 2001.
In 1947, Doug Yule who replaced John Cale in the Velvet Underground and was with the band from 1968 to 1973.
In 1953, singer, songwriter and actor, John Doe from the LA punk band, X.
In 1957, Stewart Wood from The Bay City Rollers, and Dennis Diken, drummer with The Smithereens.

https://www.thisdayinmusic.com/search/?keyword=&date=25&month=2

Other celebrity anniversaries today …

Comedian and plastic surgery devotee Carrot Top is 61
Actor Sean Astin is 55
Comedienne and author Chelsea Handler is 51
TV show host Jameela Jamil is 40
Among those who’ve passed, the fourth Marx Brother, Zeppo was born this day in 1901
Actor Jim Backus, who’s best-remembered as Thurston Howell III on TV’s “Gilligan’s Island” and as the voice of Mr. Magoo was born in 1913

http://www.davesfunstuff.com/a-mb/2080-date0225.htm

Programming on Rez Radio 91.3 is made possible in part by the Pala Band of Mission Indians and donations from listeners like you. Call 760 742 4200 or email 91.3@palatribe.com for details on contributing to community radio in Pala.

Call the Pala Fire Department at 760 742 1632 before starting any open fires to get the day’s Cal Fire and APCD recommendations. Fire Department permits are required for any burning on Pala tribal land.

Pala seniors’ lunch menu for tomorrow (2/26) – fried chicken, mashed potatoes, vegetables and dessert

The Pala Band of Mission Indians has employment opportunities including full time and part time. For a list, go to the Palatribe dot com website.

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WEATHER

Pala Weather – sunny with a high of 83 this afternoon … 88 tomorrow … 94 Friday … 87 Saturday … 80 Sunday … 75 Monday … 76 Tuesday … overnight lows, 53 tonight … 57 tomorrow and Friday night … 52 Saturday night … about 47 Sunday and Monday night

FIRE PERMITS

Call the Pala Fire Department at (760) 742-1632 before starting any open fires to get the day’s Cal Fire and APCD recommendations. Fire Department permits are required for any burning on Pala tribal land.

PALA

The Pala Band of Mission Indians has a number of part-time and full-time employment opportunities.

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR

The Community Events and Casino Corner portions of this newsletter can be heard three times daily Mon-Sun on Rez Radio, at 7:25a, 12:25p (in Pala Today M-F), and at 5:25p as the “Pala Community Calendar”. Submit items for the calendar to 91.3@palatribe.com at least a week before the event.

You can view the events on the Calendar page.

SHOWS

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RESOURCES

The Pala Band of Mission Indians and Rez Radio gathered this list of resources as a courtesy and offers no guarantee of accuracy. Please contact us if you find an error or if any link needs to be updated.

Check out the list of information on our Resources page.