News

Pala Today News – 3/18/25

Written by John Fox on March 18, 2025

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 fatal accident on Highway 76 east of Lilac Road in Pala around 1a Sunday resulted in a DUI arrest. 38-year old Jason Angelo Albright was booked into Vista jail on suspicion of murder, gross vehicular manslaughter and DUI after his Tahoe veered into oncoming traffic, striking a Mitsubishi Outlander driven by a 58-year old woman who later died at the hospital. Her identity has not been released. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/03/17/suspected-dui-driver-arrested-in-fatal-pala-crash/

About 20 staffers at ABC10 television in San Diego have been fired as part of chain-wide layoffs by station owner, E.W. Scripps Company. They include anchors, reporters, photographers and producers. Scripps announced earlier this month that there would be layoffs at about a dozen of its 61 stations located in 41 markets. https://timesofsandiego.com/business/2025/03/16/marketink-job-cuts-at-kgtv-10news-include-familiar-anchors-reporters/

Some Tesla vehicles and the dealership building in Encinitas were spray painted with swastikas and profanities early yesterday morning. That followed a protest outside the dealership at 1302 Encinitas Boulevard on Saturday as part of the nationwide “Tesla Takedown” movement, urging a boycott of Elon Musk’s company in the wake of federal funding cuts implemented by Musk’s federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). https://patch.com/california/encinitas/teslas-spray-painted-swastikas-dealership-encinitas

Two people were arrested in a Vista drug bust Thursday when a warrant was served at a home in the 800 block of Wandering Road. Sheriff’s deputies found a registered Glock handgun, ammunition, Xanax pills, psilocybin mushrooms, almost 13 grams of methamphetamine and 22 grams of cocaine. Children were found living in the home. They were relocated with other family as 23-year old Ruben Novellan Felicano and 23-year old Evelyn Gomez Herrera were taken into custody on a variety of drug charges plus suspicion of child endangerment. https://patch.com/california/oceanside-camppendleton/2-arrested-drug-bust-north-county

Sorry we missed you yesterday. Pala Today took the day off for some St. Patrick’s Day shenanigans and malarkey. Tomorrow is St. Joseph’s Day – the day the swallows return to Capistrano. Not quite the same level of partying.

A little additional rain fell in some areas yesterday. Pala had 9 hundredths of an inch yesterday. But our seasonal totals throughout the region are still only about half what they should be and our rainy season could now be over.

Spring has sprung in Pala – not officially until Thursday. But it’ll feel like it all week. Downright hot by Monday. The full forecast is coming up. (below)

Mass at Pala Mission Church is broadcast live on Rez Radio 91.3 and streamed live on the Rez Radio App every Sunday at 8a.

SPORTS

In the NBA – the Lakers beat the visiting Spurs 125-109. Detroit shellacked the Pelicans in New Orleans 127-81. Two overtime games – Indiana over Minnesota 132-130 and Houston over Philadelphia 144-137. Other winners yesterday were New York, Chicago, Denver, Phoenix, Sacramento and Portland. Four games tonight including the Clippers hosting Cleveland.

In college hoops – no games yesterday. The NCAA tournament begins today with the First Four round. Among today’s games, San Diego State hosts North Carolina. In the NIT first round, UC Riverside is at Santa Clara.

In the NHL – Five games yesterday. The Kings lost at Minnesota 3-1. Tampa Bay shut out Philadelphia 2-0. New Jersey edged Columbus 2-1. Toronto routed Calgary 6-2. And Buffalo over Boston 3-2. Alex Tuch scored the winning goal with 10 seconds left in overtime.

In minor league hockey – the San Diego Gulls lost a pair of games to Colorado Friday and Saturday at Pechanga Arena. Their next game is tomorrow at San Jose.

In Major League Baseball – The season began earlier today with the first of the two-game Dodgers-Cubs series in Tokyo. The Dodgers won 4-1. LA’s Yoshinobu Yamamoto got the win. Shohei Ohtani had two hits and scored twice. Game Two is tonight. The regular season resumes on March 27. Meanwhile, in yesterday’s Spring Training games, the Padres whupped the Brewers 14-8. The Angels topped the Diamondbacks 11-5.

The San Francisco Giants have reportedly sold a 10% share in the team to private equity firm, Sixth Street. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/44304510/giants-sell-reported-10-stake-private-equity-firm-sixth-street

In Major League Soccer – San Diego FC and Columbus tied at 1 and LAFC lost 1-0 to Austin on Saturday. The LA Galaxy and Portland Timbers tied at 1 Sunday.

In Lacrosse – The San Diego Seals beat Las Vegas 20-11 Sunday at Pechanga Arena.

In Rugby – The San Diego Legion’s next game is Saturday at USD’s Torero Stadium hosting Miami. https://stats.majorleague.rugby/fixtures/

In the NFL – Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham announced his retirement today after 15 NFL seasons – all of them with Philadelphia. He holds the team record for most games played at 206 and has been part of two championship seasons. Graham was a first round draft pick out of Michigan in 2010. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/44303112/eagles-de-brandon-graham-officially-retires-15-seasons

In local high school sports: weather permitting …

Bonsall – baseball hosting St. Joseph Academy at 5p

Great Oak – boys’ golf hosting Murrieta Valley at Bear Creek at 3p; boys’ tennis against Vista Murrieta at 3:15p, JV hosting, varsity away; stunt cheer at Murrieta Valley at 4:30p

Fallbrook – boys’ golf hosting Valley Center at Pala Mesa at 3:30p; boys’ tennis at San Pasqual at 3:30p; girls’ lacrosse hosting Mira Mesa at 4:15p; boys’ volleyball at Mission Vista at 4:30p

Valley Center – boys’ tennis against Mission Hills at 3:30p, JV hosting, varsity away; JV baseball hosting Westview at 4p; boys’ lacrosse at Eastlake at 7p

BUSINE$$

As of midday trading on Wall Street, after a two-day rally, stocks resumed last week’s decline. The Dow fell 8 tenths of a percent. The S&P 500 was off by 1%. The Nasdaq was down 1 ½%.

Google today announced its biggest-ever acquisition. It’s buying cybersecurity firm Wiz for $32b. The all-cash deal is a bet by Google that cloud and other cybersecurity is poised for growth as the artificial intelligence field expands exponentially. https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/18/tech/google-wiz-acquisition/index.html

An analysis by the New York Times shows that retaliatory tariffs being levied by foreign governments are designed to affect industries that employ mostly Trump voters. www.NYTimes.com

One apparent result of the US-China trade war is that China has stopped importing liquid natural gas from the US. Chinese buyers with long-term contracts for LNG are reselling and diverting those imports to Europe. New Chinese contracts are only being negotiated with Middle East and Asia-Pacific countries. https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/China-Stops-Buying-US-LNG.html

Poppi, the brand of soda that got a foothold on TV’s “Shark Tank” in 2018 when it was known as Mother Beverage has achieved the American Dream. PepsiCo announced yesterday that it has purchased the startup soda brand that mixes prebiotics, juice and apple cider vinegar and has just 5 grams of sugar per serving for $1.95b. Rival, Olipop announced new funding last month that has that company valued almost as high at $1.85b. Both companies advertise their sodas as benefiting gut-health. Last summer Poppi was hit with a class action lawsuit claiming it over-hyped that aspect. The company denied the claim, but settled with consumer-plaintiffs for $8.9m. Elsewhere in the beverage sector, Coca-Cola recently debuted its own prebiotic soda called Simply Pop. www.morningbrew.com

Sales of soda accompaniment, chips and cookies are down. It’s not out of health concerns. They’ve just gotten too expensive … as have many small indulgences. PepsiCo, Campbell, and JM Smucker all reported weak sales of their snack brands last week. Market research firm, NIQ reports 42% of consumers surveyed say they’re buying fewer snacks due to high prices. As an example, although most supermarkets discount them and have frequent sales, standard size 7 ¾ ounce bags of Lays potato chips come from the supplier marked with an indicated retail price of $4.99. That’s over $10 a pound. Sales of Frito-Lay products fell 3% last quarter. https://democraticunderground.com/111699970

Retail sales overall were weaker than expected last month. The Commerce Department reported a 0.2% gain in February from the previous month. Economists polled had expected a 0.7% gain. It’s another bad sign for the American economy and further proof that consumers are tapped out. Consumer spending accounts for a full one third of our economy. https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/17/economy/us-retail-sales-february/index.html

Forever 21 will be forever gone soon. The young women’s clothing retailer that has already been through bankruptcy once filed again Sunday after being unable to find a buyer. Unable to compete with online retailers like Temu and Shein, all 350 of Forever 21’s US stores will now close. Closeout sales are already underway at stores in California. The name and intellectual property will continue to be owned by Authentic Brands Group, so Forever 21 may return in some new form in the future. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/03/17/forever-21-closing-bankruptcy/82489501007/

LIFESTYLE / GREEN LIVING

Over the weekend at movie theaters, “Novocaine” debuted in first place with a lackluster $8.8m in ticket sales. “Black Bag” debuted in second place with $7.6m. However, showing on 500 fewer screens it had a slightly better per-screen average. “Mickey 17” dropped to 3^rd place, followed by “Captain America: Brave New World” and the debut of “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie”, debuting with $3.1m. The total take for the top ten films over the weekend was close to the lowest this year, which was two weeks ago. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/2025W11/

Singer/songwriter/producer and activist Jesse Colin Young died yesterday at the age of 83 at his home in Aiken, South Carolina. He co-founded the group, the Youngbloods in Greenwich Village in the mid-1960s and was its lead singer. The group was best-known for the 1969 hit, “Get Together” which summed up the utopian dream of the Sixties counterculture. While not one of his composition, Young is indelibly identified for singing the song’s hook, “Come on, people now. Smile on your brother. Everybody get together. Try to love one another right now.” He later released numerous solo albums with songs ranging from folk, blues, jazz, and country to rock & roll. He founded and ran the label, Ridgetop Music and released his final album, “Dreamers” in 2019. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/jesse-colin-young-dead-obituary-youngbloods-get-together-1235298241/

On this day in music history – March 18,

1967, UK’s version of Billboard and Cashbox, the New Musical Express announced that former Spencer Davis group member Steve Winwood was planning to form a new group with Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason to be named “Traffic”.
On the same day, The Beatles scored their 13^th #1 single with “Penny Lane” whose B-side was “Strawberry Fields Forever”. Penny Lane was the name of a street near John Lennon’s childhood home in Liverpool. He and Paul McCartney would meet at the Penny Lane junction in Mossley Hill to catch the bus into the center of Liverpool. It was the first of several stream-of-consciousness songs by the song writing team.
In 1972, Neil Young began the first of three weeks at #1 with “Heart of Gold” from his album, “Harvest”. James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt sang backup on the song.
On the same day, Paul Simon’s solo debut album was at #1, featuring the hits “Mother and Child Reunion” and “Me and Julio Down By the School Yard”.
In 1977, The Clash released their debut single, “White Riot”, a typical three cord fast-tempo punk song.
In 1978, The Bee Gees were responsible for the top three songs on the Billboard chart – “Night Fever” by the Bee Gees at #1, “(Love Is) Thicker Than Water” by solo brother Andy Gibb at #2, and “Emotion” by Samantha Sang at #3. All were written and produced by the Bee Gees.
In 1989, a California radio station destroyed all of its Cat Stevens records by running over them with a steamroller in protest of the singer/songwriter’s support of Iran’s anti-American leader Ayatollah Khomeni.
In 2001, singer/songwriter John Phillips of The Mamas and The Papas died of heart failure at age 65. He was one of the organizers of The 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, the prototype for multi-day music festivals worldwide.
In 2002, The Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam.
In 2008, a judge found Heather Mills’ evidence in her divorce case against Paul McCartney to be “inconsistent, inaccurate and less than candid.” Out of Sir Paul’s estimated $600m in assets, Mills had sought more than $225m. She was offered $23m. The courts awarded her about $36m.
In 2017, Chuck Berry died at the age of 90. In the mid-1950s, he as much as anyone refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that became rock and roll.

Born on this day …

In 1938, country singer Charlie Pride who had 39 #1 hits on the country chart. In 1970 he became the best-selling performer for RCA Records since Elvis Presley. He was the first black performer inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.
In 1941, singer songwriter Wilson Pickett
In 1945, Scottish songwriter, musician and producer Eric Woolfson. Co-founder of The Alan Parsons Project, he also wrote songs for Marianne Faithfull, The Tremeloes, Marmalade, and Peter Noone.
In 1947, Barry J. Wilson, drummer for Procol Harum
In 1950, John Hartman, original drummer for The Doobie Brothers
In 1959, singer, songwriter, dancer and actress Irene Cara, best known as Coco in “Fame”.
In 1963, actress singer and fashion designer Vanessa Williams who became the first African-American Miss America in 1983.
In 1966, lead guitarist and co-founder of Alice in Chains, Jerry Cantrell
In 1970, Dana Elaine Owens, better known as Queen Latifah
In 1979, Adam Levine from Maroon 5

https://www.thisdayinmusic.com/search/?keyword=&date=18&month=3

Other celebrity anniversaries today …

Comedian, actor and director Carl Gottlieb is 87
Character actor Brad Dourif is 75
Actor director Geoffrey Owens is 64 – he played Elvin on TV’s “The Cosby Show”.
Among those who’ve passed, actor Edward Everett Horton was born on this day in 1886
Actor Peter Graves was born in 1926

http://www.davesfunstuff.com/a-mb/2080-date0318.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 (3/19) – breaded pork chops, 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 66 this afternoon … jumping to 71 tomorrow … 74 Thursday (the first day of Spring) … 77 Friday … 75 Saturday … 80 Sunday … 87 Monday … overnight lows, 41 tonight … mid-40s tomorrow through Saturday night … 51 Sunday 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.