News

Pala Today News – 6/19/25

Written by John Fox on June 19, 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

At its regular meeting last night, the board of the Bonsall Unified School District unanimously, with one member absent approved a five-year renewal of the charter for Vivian Banks school in Pala. In open forum, Pala Tribal Secretary Theressa Villa spoke on behalf of Chairman Robert Smith, who could not attend, saying the school has provided generations of kids from Pala a quality education with the unique advantage of being a part of local history and sharing local culture. Pala resident Lenore Garcia and Bonsall school board trustee, Eric Ortega echoed those sentiments with Ortega noting that all of those goals should not be tagged with the qualifier, “unless it costs too much.” Enrollment in a charter school is voluntary. In general, charter schools enjoy specialized instruction, strong parental and community involvement, and smaller class sizes. Classes at Vivian Banks are about half the size of those at Bonsall Elementary. All of that tends to make it more expensive per student. It was noted that the per-student cost of operating Vivian Banks Charter is about 80% higher than the district’s other two elementary schools. Incoming Principal Tina Calabrese promised greater community involvement and dedication to seeking out grants and sponsorships to defray costs. Also, at issue was the declining enrollment at Vivian Banks, which school advocates attributed to the ongoing uncertainty over the school’s future. It was pointed out that parents, not wanting to have the rug pulled out from under them, have been sending their children to other schools – in many cases, outside of the Bonsall district. According to published reports, Vivian Banks has 89 enrolled students over all the lower elementary grades. According to board member for Area E of the district including Pala, Eric Ortega, the current enrollment is 71. A dozen or more years ago, enrollment was well over 100. Efforts will be made to boost enrollment with additional unique programs – many of them involving local culture. Principal Calabrese promised frequent progress updates to the board.

A wildfire yesterday in Perris was held to 50 acres. The Rider Fire in Mead Valley, west of the 215 Freeway near Perris began around 5:19p at Vista Del Lago and Sunny Canyon Streets in Perris. By around 6:30p it had burned 50 acres. A half hour later, an evacuation order was issued for the area north of Orange Avenue, south of Rider Street, east of Old Elsinore Road and west of Seaton Avenue. But 15 minutes later that order was downgraded to a warning. Nearby areas were temporarily under an evacuation warning. All evac orders and warnings had been lifted by shortly after 8p. https://www.pressenterprise.com/2025/06/18/firefighters-battle-vegetation-fire-near-perris/

The weather pattern will remain consistent for at least the next week in Pala – morning June gloom with sunny afternoons. Daytime highs will fall from 85 today into the upper 70s by Saturday and then back to the mid-80s by next Wednesday. 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 championship series – Oklahoma City leads three games to two going into tonight’s Game Six in Indianapolis.

The Buss family have sold majority ownership in the Lakers to businessman Mark Walter. The deal values the team at $10b – a significant increase of $3b over the most recent Official NBA Team Valuation. In March, the Boston Celtics sold for a then-record $6.1b. Team valuations have been skyrocketing since the league completed its most recent media rights agreement valued at $77b over 11 years. Jeanie Buss will retain her governor seat and a minority stake in the team owned by her family since 1979. Walter has been a stakeholder in the Lakers since 2021. He the CEO and founder of Guggenheim Partners and is also the majority owner of MLB’s Dodgers, the WNBA’s Sparks, the Professional Women’s Hockey League, and Cadillac’s upcoming Formula 1 racing team. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/18/lakers-owners-buss-family-sell-majority-stake-valuation.html

In Major League Baseball – The Padres lost their third straight game to the Dodgers – this time 4-3 on a 9^th inning walk-off homer by Will Smith. The Padres have scored first in all three games, but failed to suppress the Dodger offense, or counter with more of their own. Cleveland beat the Giants 4-3. The Angels are on a tear, edging New York 3-2. Their win streak is at 3 and they’re now just a game below .500 in third place in the AL East. They’re playing their final game of the series right now. The Padres try to avoid a sweep by the Dodgers in LA this evening.

In part thanks to the heated rivalry with San Diego, the Dodgers have surpassed the 2m mark in attendance at Dodger Stadium in just 40 games this season. It’s the soonest in franchise history that they’ve ever reached that mark. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/45545012/dodgers-set-franchise-mark-2-million-fans-just-40-games

In the NHL – It wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last, but the Stanley Cup is a little the worse for wear following celebrations by the Florida Panthers. The famous trophy is cracked and the bottom is dented. It happened during partying into the wee hours Tuesday night and well into yesterday afternoon. Keepers of the cup are having it repaired for the celebration parade planned for Sunday. NO worries. The 131-year old, 37-pound chalice has been abused like this for more than a century. https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/45540021/stanley-cup-damaged-panthers-celebrate-back-back-titles

In Rugby – the San Diego Legion host the Western Conference final on July 2.

In Golf – The Travelers Championship teed off today in Cromwell, Connecticut. Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion. With most of the field still on the course. Austin Eckroat led into the clubhouse at 8 under par 62. https://www.espn.com/golf/leaderboard

BUSINE$$

As of midday trading on Wall Street, stocks were mixed. The Dow was off by a tenth of a percent. The S&P 500 was down a small fraction. The Nasdaq was up a tenth. Gold traded down $17.70 on the Comex at $3,390.40 an ounce. The benchmark West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures shot up more than $2 to $77.20 a barrel.

We’ve already got a global trade war going. Now it’s looking increasingly like the Israel-Iran conflict is on the brink of becoming a full-blown war. Although it’s thousands of miles from US soil, Americans may not be able to escape the economic impact of a new war in the Middle East. It’s already caused a significant jump in crude oil prices. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told reporters Wednesday after the central bank’s latest monetary policy meeting that officials are monitoring the situation. President Trump is taking a wait-and-see stance for now. https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/19/economy/americas-economy-war-shock

President Trump today continued his targeted verbal attacks on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, calling for a massive 2.5-point reduction in interest rates – the equivalent of ten of the usual quarter percent adjustments. Powell has hinted there will probably be two adjustments this year. Rates are currently in the 4 ¼% to 4 ½% range. Despite appointing Powell to the role in 2017, Trump has frequently criticized the Fed chair for keeping rates higher than the president would like. After yesterday’s monetary policymaking meeting, Powell notied that the economy remains strong but the path of inflation is uncertain in part because of huge tariffs that Trump placed on foreign goods, then repeatedly revised. https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/19/economy/trump-fed-rate-cut

Nike is pushing back its launch of Kim Kardashian’s highly-anticipated NikeSKIMS line due to production delays. It was supposed to launch right about now. It will instead happen later this year at a yet to be determined date. The Skims partnership with a line of apparel, footwear and accessories was supposed to liven up Nike, whose stock is down 20% this year. Skims, last valued at $4b is a growth opportunity in to the leisure market. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/18/nike-skims-kim-kardashian.html

Mercedes Benz of Temecula is planning a major expansion. At the June 18 Temecula Planning Commission meeting, commissioners will consider a development plan for an approximately 49k-square-foot Mercedes-Benz van dealership on a vacant lot at 40900 Temecula Center Drive. The lot is next to the existing Mercedes-Benz of Temecula dealership at 40910 Temecula Center Drive. https://patch.com/california/temecula/mercedes-benz-temecula-planning-large-expansion

LIFESTYLE / GREEN LIVING

Retail gasoline prices ticked up a few cents this week after slowly declining for the past month or more. According to the Auto Club, the average price for a gallon of regular in San Diego County is now $4.68. In Riverside County, it’s $4.46. Today’s national average is $3.20. Today’s best local price is $3.92 at the Mohsen stations on Coast Highway and Mission Avenue in Oceanside. There are still a number of stations below $4 in North County. It’s $3.99 at Horizon Fuel in Valley Center. In Riverside County, Temecula Costco and Murrieta Sam’s Club are the lowest at $3.69. https://www.gasbuddy.com/gaspricemap?lat=33.544046794849436&lng=-117.10976367322424&z=12

The Health Department’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a panel of vaccine advisors appointed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will soon vote on a shot preservative that contains mercury, which is safely used in some flu jabs but has been incorrectly linked to autism in the past. They’ll hear a presentation on the preservative June 26. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/18/rfk-jr-vaccine-advisors-flu-shots-mercury.html

There may be something to the “buy American” movement. A new book from Financial Times journalist Patrick McGee, titled “Apple in China” says the tech company’s involvement in manufacturing there had a lot to do with China’s rise as a world economic power in the last couple of decades. In 1999, Apple was on the verge of what would become a big comeback. It had been nearly bankrupt two years earlier. The company had rehired co-founder Steve Jobs. A chance call between future CEO Tim Cook and Taiwan-based Foxconn’s Terry Gou led to a deal to base increasingly greater portions of Apple device manufacturing in Foxconn factories on mainland China. China joining the World Trade Organization in 2001 made it an even more attractive place to do business. According to the book, Foxconn’s strategy was to offer Apple dirt-cheap, high quality work in exchange for learning from the best. By 2009, almost all Apple products were made in China with Apple investing upwards of $15b a year there. Foxconn may have actually lost money making Apple products, but it became a very profitable major tech player as a result their relationship and the knowledge gained. The same thing happened when Chinese business enticed Tesla to bring manufacturing there, then took what they learned and applied it to their own homegrown EV industry, which is now eating Tesla’s lunch. https://www.npr.org/sections/planet-money/2025/06/17/g-s1-72993/how-apple-turbocharged-chinas-development

On this day in music history – June 19,

1961, Pat Boone had the number one song in America with “Moody River”.
In 1965, The Four Tops were at #1 with “I Can’t Help Myself”. Unhappy with the day’s sessions, lead singer Levi Stubbs was promised he could do it again the next day. That session never happened and what was released was the group’s second take from the first day.
In 1968, The Rolling Stones were at #1 with “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”. That was the name Keith Richards called the gardener at his country house.
In 1971, Carole King began the first of five weeks at #1 with the double single “It’s Too Late” and “I Feel the Earth Move” from her million-selling album, “Tapestry”.
In 1973, Edgar Winter’s #1 hit “Frankenstein” earned a gold record for sales. The instrumental song earned its name because of all the cuts and patches in the original studio tape.
In 1987, Guns N’ Roses made their British debut to a sold-out theater on the strength of their American club reputation and one four-song EP. Their debut album, “Appetite for Destruction” wouldn’t be released for another month.
In 1990, Prince played the first of 12 sold-out nights at Wembley Arena in London. Less than nine years earlier and mostly unknown, he’d been booed off stage at the LA Coliseum when he opened for the Rolling Stones in a lineup that also included George Thorogood and the J. Geils Band.
In 2006, 16-year old Taylor Swift released her debut single, “Tim McGraw” from her self-titled first album. It peaked at #40 on the Hot 100.
In 2007, lawyers for Britney Spears forced a Florida radio station to remove billboard ads for their morning show picturing Spears with a shaved head and the captions, “Total Nut Jobs”, “Shock Therapy”, and “Certifiable”. Spears had been photographed earlier in the year shaving her own head at a California salon.
In 2011, Amy Winehouse was booed by crowds in Belgrade, Serbia for being too drunk to perform. It was the first of 12 shows on a European tour. Concert-goers had paid as much as $70 for tickets in a country with some of the lowest wages on the continent.
In 2013, yodeling country singer, songwriter and country & western musician Slim Whitman died at the age of 90. He’d sold over 120m records in his career.
In 2014, Gerry Goffin, former husband and songwriting partner of Carole King died at the age of 75.

Born on this day …

In 1930, Tommy Devito from The Four Seasons
In 1939, soul singer Al Wilson, whose hits included “Show and Tell” and “The Snake”.
In 1942, Elaine McFarlane from 60’s pop group Spanky and Our Gang. She joined the re-formed Mamas and the Papas in 1982, replacing the late Cass Elliot.
In 1950, Ann Wilson, lead singer from Heart
In 1963, singer, songwriter, dancer and choreographer Paula Abdul.
In 1983, rapper Macklemore

https://www.thisdayinmusic.com/search/?keyword=&date=19&month=6

Other celebrity anniversaries today …

Actress Phylicia Rashad from The Cosby Show is 77
Actress Kathleen Turner is 71
Among those who’ve passed, Moe Howard from The Three Stooges was born on this day in 1897
Actor Pat Buttram, known as Gene Autry’s movie sidekick and as Mr. Haney on TV’s “Green Acres” was born in 1917
In 1956, after years of nightclub shows and 16 films together, the comedy team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis broke up.

http://www.dementeddatebook.com/2080-date0619.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 (6/20) – baked Caesar chicken, roll, 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.

Go to Facebook.com/RezRadio for community events and news affecting, or of interest to Pala and inland North County.

Listen to Rez Radio just about anywhere and access all of our assets with the free Rez Radio App, available at Google Play and the Apple App Store.

A transcript of this newscast will be available at our website, Rez Radio dot FM and on the Rez Radio App an hour or two after broadcast.

WEATHER

Pala Weather – sunny with a high of 85 this afternoon and winds gusting up to 20 miles an hour for the next three days … patchy morning low clouds and fog tomorrow, clearing to sunny and 82 … 77 Saturday … 80 Sunday … 81 Monday and Tuesday … 84 Wednesday … overnight lows, 55 tonight … about 53 tomorrow through Monday night … 55 Tuesday 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.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Friend/like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/RezRadio

Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/rezradiofm

LISTEN TO REZ RADIO

Rez Radio Website – Listen to Rez Radio 91.3 through your browser at RezRadio.fm.

iHeartRadio Website – Listen to Rez Radio 91.3 through your browser at iHeart.com.

iHeartRadio Apps – Download the free iHeartRadio music app for iOS, Android, Windows, and participating car, home, and portable devices. Once the app has been downloaded, search for “Rez Radio” and save us as your favorite.

TuneIn Website – Listen to Rez Radio 91.3 through your browser at Tunein.com.

TuneIn Apps – Download the free TuneIn music app for iOS, Android, Windows, and participating car, home, and portable devices. Once the app has been downloaded, search for “Rez Radio” and save us as your favorite.

AudioNow – Provided by AudioNow, listen to Rez Radio 91.3 anywhere there is phone service by dialing (712) 775-5748. There is no cost for the service, but calls will use mobile plan minutes. If you’re calling from a landline, normal long distance charges will apply.

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

You can find a wide-range of Pala Rez Radio programming on our Shows page.

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.