News

Pala Today News – 3/17/26

Written by John Fox on March 17, 2026

by John Fox – 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 and worldwide online … click here to listen live. Listen on a smart speaker by asking it to “play KPRI”. Some portions of today’s newscast are only available in the live broadcast and not included in this transcript which is also available an hour or two after broadcast at www.RezRadio.FM . 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

One person is dead with another injured as the result of an assault last night in Fallbrook. Deputies responded the 3800 block of East Mission Road just after 8p where they found two men suffering from traumatic injuries. One died at the scene. The other was transported to a hospital where he is expected to survive. One other person was questioned. The investigation centers on a large home that has previously been used as a short-term rental. The Sheriff’s Homicide Unit is asking for anyone with information to call them at 858 565 5200 or submit anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers. https://www.villagenews.com/story/2026/03/12/news/span-classbrnwsbreaking-news-spanone-dead-one-injured-in-fallbrook-assault-homicide-investigation-underway/81444.html

Two people died as a result of the accident we reported yesterday from late Sunday afternoon in Valley Center. It happened just after 5p. A Nissan Frontier veered into the path of a Honda Accord on Cole Grade Road north of Fruitvale Road. The Nissan driver died at the scene. The Honda driver and passenger were taken to a hospital with major injuries. The passenger later died. Identities were being withheld as of yesterday afternoon. It’s not known if drugs or alcohol were involved. https://www.valleycenter.com/articles/fatal-head-on-crash-on-cole-grade-road

About 30 firefighters from three North County fire departments responded to a strip mall fire on marron Road in Oceanside at 7a Saturday. No injuries were reported. Several business suffered smoke and water damage. https://www.villagenews.com/story/2026/03/12/news/span-classbrnwsbreaking-news-spanone-dead-one-injured-in-fallbrook-assault-homicide-investigation-underway/81444.html

A firefighter was injured and 21 residents displaced by an apartment fire Friday afternoon in Oceanside. It happened in the Ocean Park Apartments on Canyon Drive. The fire was contained to one unit. Ten were affected. One resident was treated for smoke inhalation and a firefighter suffered a minor injury. https://patch.com/california/oceanside-camppendleton/21-displaced-firefighter-injured-oceanside-apartment-building

We’re under a National Weather Service Heat Advisory from Pala to the west and areas just to the east of us are under an Extreme Heat Watch now through Friday. As of noon, it was 98 in Pala. Take all due precautions. Stay out of the midday sun and check on elders – especially those who don’t have air conditioning. Record high temperatures are likely the next four days. The full forecast is coming up. (below)

SPORTS

In the NBA – The visiting Spurs beat the Clippers 119-115. The Lakers topped the Rockets in Houston 100-92 with Luka Doncic scoring 36 points for LA. Other winners were Atlanta, Portland, Boston, Chicago, New Orleans and Golden State.

Last night’s 125-117 win over Washington by Golden State was coach Steve Kerr’s 600^th career win. He’s been waiting for that for about two weeks while the injury-ridden Warriors lost five in a row. #600 was also his 943^rd regular season game. Only three coaches have reached the 600-game milestone in fewer games. Phil Jackson did it in 805 games. Pat Riley in 832. And Gregg Popovich in 887. Kerr also has 601 career wins as a player. He and Don Nelson are the only two people in NBA history to have 600 wins both as a player and as a coach. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48227851/steve-kerr-4th-fastest-coach-600-wins-warriors-top-wiz

In the minors – The San Diego Clippers lost 116-108 last night in Texas. Their next game is Thursday hosting the Valley Suns for the first of two games in Oceanside.

In college basketball March Madness – The NCAA first four tournament games are tonight and tomorrow night. Round 1 begins Thursday.

In women’s NCAA – Sunday’s bracket announcement included UConn edging out UCLA for the overall #1 seed. The divisional top #1 seeds are UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina. The Huskies need six more wins to complete their seventh undefeated season. They’re also trying to become the first team to repeat as champion since winning four in a row from 2013 to 2016. https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/48218812/uconn-huskies-top-overall-seed-women-ncaa-tournament-ucla-texas-south-carolina-round-1-seeds

In the NHL – The Kings beat the Rangers in New York 4-1. Other winners were Detroit, New Jersey, Utah and Pittsburgh. Colorado currently has the best record in the league and lead the Central division with 97 points – three more than second-place Dallas. Carolina leads the Metropolitan division with 90 points – seven more than second-place Pittsburgh. Buffalo leads the Atlantic with 88 – four more than Tampa Bay. And in the most closely matched division, the Ducks lead the Pacific with 77 points. Vegas has 76 and Edmonton has 75. All eight teams in the Pacific have between 65 and 68 wins. All but two have 66 or 67. https://www.espn.com/nhl/standings

In the minors – The San Diego Gulls next games are tonight and tomorrow night in Colorado.

In Major League Baseball Pre-Season – The Padres beat the Giants 3-1. Jeremiah Estrada got the win. Ty Adcock got the save. Milwaukee buried the Dodgers 24-9. The A’s shut out the Angels 3-0.

At the World Baseball Classic, Venezuela beat the only team that Team USA lost to – Italy. Final score 4-2. That sets up today’s championship match between the US and Venezuela at 5p on Fox.

Philadelphia outfielder Johan Rojas was suspended for the first 80 games of the regular season by the league yesterday for failing a drug test. He tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing substance, Boldenone. The suspension was announced after a grievance filed by the player’s union appealing the discipline was denied by an independent arbitrator. Rojas will lose $395k of his Major League salary. He was demoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in August and didn’t play for the Phillies for the rest of last year. He is the sixth player disciplined for a drug violation this year – the third under the Major League agreement. https://apnews.com/article/johan-rojas-drug-suspension-phillies-ba14adb7d4ca977ea27a9e500abb2d8c

In the NFL – Denver is acquiring wide receiver Jaylen Waddle from Miami along with a fourth-round pick in exchange for the Broncos first, third and fourth-round picks in this year’s draft. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/48231337/source-dolphins-trade-jaylen-waddle-broncos-picks

In soccer – The San Diego Sockers’ next game is Sunday hosting St. Louis.

In lacrosse – The San Diego Seals’ next game is this Saturday hosting Buffalo.

Olympic organizers announced yesterday that San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium will host 15 soccer matches for the 2028 Olympics. They will include men’s and women’s stage matches, a women’s quarterfinal, a men’s and women’s semifinal, and the men’s and women’s bronze medal matches. They’ll all take place between July 11 and 28, 2028. For these games, the venue will be referred to as San Diego Stadium. https://fox5sandiego.com/sports/olympic-soccer-matches-san-diego/

Local High School Sports –

Bonsall – softball at Victory Christian Academy at 3p

Great Oak – golf hosting Chaparral at Redhawk at 3p; boys’ tennis against Chaparral at 3:15p, JV hosting, varsity away; softball against Chaparral at 3:30p, freshmen and JV hosting, varsity away; baseball hosting Murrieta Mesa at 3:30p; boys’ volleyball at Chaparral at 5p

Fallbrook – JV baseball at Escondido Charter at 4p; boys’ volleyball at El Camino at 4:30p; boys’ lacrosse at King at 5:30p

Valley Center – boys’ varsity tennis hosting Rancho Buena Vista at 3:30p; softball at 4p, varsity at Classical Academy and JV hosting Orange Glen; varsity girls’ lacrosse hosting Rancho Buena Vista at 6p

BUSINE$$

As of midday trading on Wall Street, stocks showed modest gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 3 tenths of a percent. The S&P 500 was up a third. And the Nasdaq was up 4 tenths. Gold was $2.30 higher on the Comex, trading at $5,004.40 an ounce. The U.S. benchmark, West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures were up $1.45 at $94.95 a barrel. The international benchmark, Brent Crude is still above $100 a barrel.

In an X post over the weekend, FCC chairman Brendan Carr threatened to revoke broadcast licenses over what he called “news distortions” related to the Iran war. Carr accused stations of “running hoaxes and news distortions”, saying that’s not “operating in the public interest” as required and could therefore be considered cause for denying license renewals beginning in 2028. President Trump had recently accused the Wall Street Journal and, in his words, “other lowlife papers and media” of wanting the U.S. to lose the war. www.morningbrew.com

Even as Southern California is experiencing record-high heat for mid-March, snow falling in the Midwest has caused the cancellation of nearly 1k commercial flights and disrupted another 1,800. All of this on top of staffing issues with TSA as a result of the partial government shutdown has caused major delays at hubs including New York, Chicago and Atlanta. This is the third shutdown in less than a year to leave TSA workers temporarily working without pay. Many are having to seek second jobs, sometimes at the risk of missing their shifts with the TSA. https://apnews.com/article/travel-weather-storms-flights-airports-f485f93852f31ab2fbd0513a117c7e20

Dick’s Sporting Goods has been getting its act together, just about doubling its sales over the past decade. They’ve done it by catering to the youth sports market. According to the Aspen Institute, youth sports are a $40b annual market in the U.S. The average US sport family spent over $1k just on each child’s primary sport last year. That’s up 46% from 2019. Dick’s also invested in sports technology, acquiring GameChanger, a score and stat keeping app popular with youth sports leagues back in 2016. It now earns Dick’s about $150m annually. The app for Dick’s Sporting Goods is one of the most-downloaded apps at the iPhone App Store. Dick’s acquired Foot Locker last year and had planned to close underperforming stores, but found that reworking them with streamlined inventory turned many of them around. They also plan to roll out dozens of new megastores called House of Sport, modeled roughly on the Bass Pro Shops concept of keeping customers engaged in the store. Stock in Dicks has mostly outperformed the S&P 500 since 2020, but is still down about 3% while it digests its Foot Locker purchase. www.morningbrew.com

LIFESTYLE / GREEN LIVING

Four years ago, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused gas prices to skyrocket, five states temporarily suspended their gas taxes to give consumers a break. So far, the US-Israeli war with Iran has caused a 27% jump in the average price of a gallon of regular gas with diesel prices soaring even more, according to the Automobile Club. Increased transportation costs are expected to lead to price increases for many goods and services. Yet only one governor who suspended gas taxes in 2022 is even considering doing it again. Possible reasons are state budgets less able to sustain loss in revenue this time. Also, consumers don’t receive all of the savings, in most cases between 60 and 80%, making tax moratoriums financially and politically less attractive. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the tax suspension didn’t work as intended last time because bottom line fuel prices just kept going higher, negating the savings to consumers. She thinks the federal government should suspend its 18.4 cents per gallon tax since war was declared at the federal level and states are receiving less federal support under the second Trump administration. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont is the only governor calling for a one-month state gas tax holiday. That would save the average two-driver household about $21. It would cost the state $40m and would have to be approved by the state legislature. https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/17/economy/state-gas-tax-holidays

Today’s average retail price for a gallon of regular nationwide is $3.81, up 90 cents so far this month. In San Diego County, it’s $5.59, up $1.04 over the past 30 days – most of it in the last two weeks. In Riverside County, the average price is $5.48. Today’s lowest local price is $4.85 at Son’s on 5^th Avenue at Centre City Parkway in Escondido. In Southwest Riverside County, it’s $5.09 at Temecula Costco, Murrieta Sam’s Club and several other stations. https://www.gasbuddy.com/gaspricemap?lat=33.4934243&lng=-117.1488156&z=13

On this day in music history – March 17,

1957, Elvis Presley bought Graceland mansion from Ruth Brown-Moore for $102,500. It had once been used as a church but by then was a 23-room 10k square foot home on 13.8 acres. Extensive remodeling added another 7,500 square feet before Elvis moved in.
In 1966, the Walker Brothers had their second hit with a cover of Frankie Valli’s “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore”.
In 1967, Jimi Hendrix released his first single, “Purple Haze” on St. Patrick’s Day in the UK. The U.S. release came two days later on St. Joseph’s Day. Hendrix is believed to have taken inspiration for the song from a science fiction novel he’d read by Philip Jose Farmer, called “Night of Light” in which on a distant planet, sunspots producing a “purplish haze” had a disorienting effect on the inhabitants.
On the same day, The Beatles finished recording “She’s Leaving Home” for their upcoming “Sgt. Pepper” album. Harpist Sheila Bromberg became the first woman to play on a Beatles recording.
In 1973, Dr. Hook’s “On the Cover of the Rolling Stone” peaked at #6 on the U.S. chart. It was banned in Britain for its commercial publication reference.
In 1979, the Bee Gees first album since collaborating on the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack hit #1. “Spirits Having Flown” contained three singles that all hit #1 as well, tying The Beatles for six consecutive chart-toppers in the U.S.
In 1984, Van Halen’s “Jump” hit #1 on the singles chart.
In 1990, Rick Grech who’d played with Blind Faith, Traffic and Ginger Baker’s Air Force died of kidney failure as a result of alcoholism at the age of 43.
In 1996, singer songwriter Terry Stafford died of liver failure at the age of 54. He had a Top 10 hit in 1964 with “Suspicion”, which was also a Top Ten hit for Elvis. He was on the country music chart in 1973 with “Amarillo By Morning” which became an even bigger hit for George Strait in 1982.
In 2004, Ray Davies of the Kinks received his CBE from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace for services to the music industry.
In 2008, Ola Brunkert, drummer for ABBA was found dead at his home in Majorca, Spain at age 62. He’d accidentally cut his throat colliding with a glass door, tried to wrap it with a towel to go seek help but collapsed in his garden. He’d played on every ABBA album and toured with the group.
In 2010, Alex Chilton, songwriter, guitarist, record producer and lead singer with The Box Tops died in New Orleans at the age of 57 from heart problems.

Born on this day …

In 1919, Nat King Cole
In 1938, Zola Taylor from The Platters
In 1941, singer, songwriter and founder of Jefferson Airplane, Paul Kantner
In 1944, John Sebastian, best known as a founder of The Lovin’ Spoonful. He had a 1976 solo hit with “Welcome Back” the theme to the TV show Welcome Back Kotter.
In 1946, Harold Brown, original drummer and leader of the early 70s funk band, War.
In 1951, Scott Gorham from Thin Lizzy.
In 1967, Billy Corgan, songwriter and lead singer with Smashing Pumpkins.

https://www.thisdayinmusic.com/search/?keyword=&date=17&month=3

Other celebrity anniversaries today …

Actor Kurt Russell is 75
Actor Rob Lowe is 62

http://www.davesfunstuff.com/a-mb/2080-date0317.htm

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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 (3/18) – pasta alfredo, garlic bread, vegetables and dessert

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WEATHER

Pala Weather – A National Weather Service Heat Advisory is in effect for Pala and all areas west of the mountains through Friday … areas east of that are under an Extreme Heat Warning … Pala will be sunny with a high of 99 and winds up to 20 miles an hour today … 98 tomorrow … 102 Thursday … 101 Friday … 95 Saturday … 90 Sunday … 88 Monday … overnight lows, about 61 tonight through Thursday night … 58 Friday night … about 55 Saturday and Sunday night

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR

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RESOURCES

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Check out the list of information on our Resources page.