News

Pala Today News – 7/29/26

Written by John Fox on July 29, 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

One new lane opened on I-15 through Temecula yesterday. More are on the way this week. The new auxiliary lane (number 5 counting left to right) opened on the southbound side between Rancho California Road and Temecula Parkway yesterday. The new #5 lane from Winchester Road to the Rancho California Road exit and the matching northbound lane are expected to open in the next two days. Auxiliary lanes are designed to improve traffic flow by allowing more distance for merging between major on and off ramps. The work is part of a $33.8m Caltrans project that is expected to wrap up next month. https://patch.com/california/temecula/new-lanes-open-15-freeway-help-ease-traffic-through-temecula

High surf shorte-out railroad communications systems along the track south of the San Clemente Pier over the weekend, delaying several Metrolink and Amtrak trains on runs between San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles.

Waves also eroded some of the gravel ballast beneath the track, which required Amtrak to cancel two Pacific Surfliner trains Saturday night while emergency repairs were made. Rail officials say the high surf will continue through Thursday and could bring more problems for the coastal rail line. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/07/28/trains-delayed-by-high-surf-erosion-between-san-diego-and-orange-county/

A large high-pressure system will move into San Diego County later today, triggering several days of extreme heat that will coincide with potentially deadly rip currents along the coast, according to the National Weather Service. Lifeguards are concerned because the ocean is 3 to 7 degrees warmer than normal, which draws larger numbers of people into the water at a time when Hurricane Genevieve is sending big waves and strong rip currents to local beaches. The swell is expected to produce waves in the 5- to 7-foot range Thursday and Friday, with periodic sets reaching 9 to 11 feet. The biggest surf will occur at beaches that face south and southwest. Over the past week, two people were found dead in local waters, including a man who drowned after going swimming on Saturday evening near South Carlsbad State Beach, and a woman who was found in the water near La Jolla Shores Beach. Her cause of death has yet to be determined. Last weekend, San Diego lifeguards made 464 water rescues, mostly people who got caught in rip currents. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/07/28/extreme-heat-and-dangerous-ocean-rip-currents-about-to-hit-san-diego-county/

A reminder that there will be a planned power outage for a number of SDG&E customers in Pala south of the San Luis Rey River and along Lilac Extension including the fire station beginning at 8:30a tomorrow morning and lasting up to six hours. Cool Zones in Pala include the casino, Pala Admin until 4:30p weekdays and Pala Fitness Center during regular hours which include early evenings on weekdays, 8 to 4 Saturday and 8 to noon Sunday. (SDG&E notification)

The heat will get even hotter this weekend in Pala – though the highs might not reach the century mark as previously predicted. There will still be an Extreme Heat Warning from the National Weather Service for Friday through Sunday. So, it’ll still be the hottest weekend so far this year. The full forecast is coming up. (below)

SPORTS

In Major League Baseball – The Padres needed a full nine innings to beat the visiting Rockies. The Padres scored first. But Colorado took the lead in the 3^rd. San Diego was playing catch up the rest of the game with Xander Bogaerts hitting a walk off sacrifice fly, scoring Jackson Merrill in the bottom of the 9^th. Seattle edged the Dodgers 7-6. Arizona topped the Pirates in Pittsburgh 8-7 in 12 innings. Houston beat the Angels 3-2 in Anaheim. All four series continue today.

The Dodgers’ Kike Hernandez returned to the lineup yesterday, just two months after a severe oblique tear just two days into his season debut. He’d missed the first two months of this season recovering from elbow surgery. He suffered the oblique injury during batting practice in late May. He was supposed to be out for three months, but cut that by a third with stem cell injection and rehab that included daily sessions in a hyperbaric chamber. Hernandez played five games at Triple-A Oklahoma City going 6 for 18 with one home run to complete his rehab. https://apnews.com/article/dodgers-kike-hernandez-bda65200464bf079b63f5366507dd98b

Former Cy Young award winner Shane Bieber had a bad night against the Washington Nationals. He gave up six walks in the first inning, allowing four runs, with Toronto eventually losing 8-4. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/49475966/blue-jays-shane-bieber-walks-six-two-thirds-inning

In the minors – The Lake Elsinore Storm won 6-1 at Stockton last night. Game 2 of 6 is tonight.

In the MSL – Tonight, the MLS All-Stars play Liga MX All-Stars at 5p in Charlotte.

In the NBA – Draymond Green will return to the Warriors on a one-year, $27.7m deal. He had turned down almost that exact same amount as a player option earlier this summer. That created the possibility for Golden State to get LeBron James. After James decided to go with Philadelphia, negotiations between Green and the Warriors resumed. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49472083/draymond-green-returns-warriors-1-year-277m-deal

In the WNBA – Five games last night. New York beat the Sparks in Los Angeles 113-109. Other winners were Washington, Minnesota, Indiana and Las Vegas.

In the NHL – After a stellar second season, San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini has signed a five-year contract extension worth $94m. The $18.8m average annual value makes him the highest-paid player in the NHL. The #1 pick in the 2024 draft set a Sharks franchise record last season with 115 points and at 45, the second-most goals in team history. https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/49480184/sharks-sign-macklin-celebrini-five-year-94m-extension

BUSINE$$

As of midday trading on Wall Street, stocks were once again mixed, with only the Nasdaq slightly positive. The Dow fell 1.1%. Caterpillar and Boeing led the decline. The S&P 500 was off by just over a tenth. The Nasdaq was up a small fraction. Comex gold gained $4.80, trading at $4,043.50 an ounce. West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures gained back a big chunk of what they lost Monday and Tuesday – up $5.37 to $84.63 a barrel today.

After two days of deliberations, the Federal Reserve left its key interest rate unchanged today. The vote to keep the prime rate at around 3.6% was 9 to 3. It’s the fifth straight month of no rate changes. Meanwhile, inflation has been stuck above the Fed’s target of 2% for more than five years. New Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh has said he has “no tolerance” for high inflation. The President appointed Warsh with the expectation that he would push for rate cuts. The Iran war is the main factor driving prices higher. Most Wall Street traders expect the Fed will cut rates at its next meeting in September. https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-inflation-interest-rates-iran-war-ad10c177cb8d96f9e3ed122e12352a74

Former top federal health official, Dr. Anthony Fauci today invoked the Fifth Amendment over 100 times during questioning by a Congressional committee about his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Some GOP lawmakers have waged a years-long campaign for his arrest. Committee chair Sen. Rand Paul closed the hearing by saying lawmakers will take a vote next week on whether to hold the retired infectious disease expert in contempt for refusing to engage. Though Democrats generally defend Fauci, Republicans hold an 8-7 majority on the committee. https://apnews.com/live/trump-news-updates-07-29-2026

LIFESTYLE / GREEN LIVING

Wildfires aren’t just a California problem. Major fires worldwide are increasingly in the headlines. Canadian fires have caused air quality problems from the upper Midwest through New England and New York. Now, a fire 4 times the size of Paris is threatening the Bordeaux region of France’s wine country. Temperatures there have hit as much as 104 degrees. More than 200k people have evacuated. Three firefighters have died in a wildfire on the island of Crete. Ten people are still missing from a wildfire in Spain. This June was the hottest on record for Western Europe. 2.5m acres burned there last year, setting a record. More than half of last year’s destruction was in the month of August and we’re not there yet this year. https://apnews.com/article/france-spain-bordeaux-wildfires-heat-wave-climate-change-c3d9c45cdbf57d19bbec46d49e5237de

The National Firefighter Protection Association has issued a concerning report about the number of on-duty firefighter deaths in 2025. 83 U.S. firefighters died while on-duty or as a result of heart attacks, strokes or medical conditions within 24 hours of duty last year. That’s a 17% increase over 2024 and the first significant increase. Most of last year’s fatalities were municipal firefighters – 34 career and 45 volunteers. The remaining four were wildland firefighters. As in most years, heart attacks were the leading cause of death – 45 of them. 27 were while on-duty. 18 more occurred within 24 hours of duty. Though the number does fluctuate each year, over the past 50 years there has been a consistent downward trend as better training, better conditioning, and increased knowledge about safety have spread among the ranks. The firefighter fatality study aims to further that knowledge. (NFPA media release)

On this day in music history – July 29,

1956, Carl Perkins was on the charts with “Blue Suede Shoes”, a song based on a story Johnny Cash told Perkins when the two, along with Elvis were touring the South, about a black airman serving in Germany who referred to his regulation flying footwear as “blue suede shoes”.
In 1963, with Hot Rod songs all over the charts, Capitol Records sent disc jockeys a glossary of car terms to promote the new Beach Boys single, “Little Deuce Coupe”.
On the same day, Elvis was at #1 in England with “You’re the Devil in Disguise”. The song had debuted in that country a few weeks earlier on the TV show Juke Box Jury where John Lennon was a guest. In “Hit or Miss,” he voted the song a miss, saying Elvis had become “like Bing Crosby”.
Exactly two years later in 1965, The Beatles second film, “Help!” premiered in London.
One year after that in 1966, John Lennon’s “We’re bigger than Jesus now” comment was published creating a huge backlash by American Christians against the group. Elsewhere in the world the comment was largely ignored.
On that same day in 1966, Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker made their debut as the group, Cream in Manchester, England. And Bob Dylan crashed his motorcycle at a garage near his Woodstock home, breaking his neck.
In 1967, The Doors began the first of three weeks at #1 with “Light My Fire”.
In 1968, Graham Parsons left The Byrds on the eve of a tour in South Africa, refusing to play to segregated audiences.
In 1974, Mama Cass Elliot died in her sleep after playing a sold-out show in London.
In 1978, the movie soundtrack to “Grease” was at #1 on the album chart.
In 1990, Elton John checked into a Chicago clinic to cure bulimia and an addiction. He took a year off from recording and touring.
In 2007, heart problems forced KISS singer and guitarist Paul Stanley to leave a show in California. Paramedics stopped and restarted his heart to gain a regular rhythm after it spontaneously jumped to 190 beats per minute.
In 2011, Singer, songwriter Gene McDaniels died after a short illness at the age of 76. He had the 1963 hit “A Hundred Pounds of Clay” and wrote Roberta Flack’s #1 Grammy award winning hit, “Feel Like Makin’ Love”.

Born this day …

in 1946, Neal Doughty, keyboardist for REO Speedwagon.
In 1953, Geddy Lee from Rush.
On the same day, singer-songwriter Patty Scialfa who worked with the Rolling Stones, and was part of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band beginning in 1984, before marrying The Boss in ’91.

https://www.thisdayinmusic.com/search/?keyword=&date=29&month=7

Other celebrity anniversaries today …

Actress Roz Kelly, who played Pinky Tuscadero on TV’s “Happy Days” is 83
Rodney Allen Rippy, the cute kid from the 1970s Jack in the Box commercials is 58. He’s now a marketing director, producer and former candidate for Mayor of Compton.
Actor Wil Wheaton from the movie “Stand By Me” and TV’s “Star Trek the Next Generation” and “The Big Bang Theory” is 54
Among those who’ve passed, actor, comedian and actual professor, the late “Professor” Irwin Corey was born on this day in 1914.
In 1928, the first Mickey Mouse talking picture, “Steamboat Willie” was delivered to the movie’s distributor.
In 1957, “The Jack Paar Tonight Show” debuted on NBC, creating the modern late-night talk show format.

http://www.davesfunstuff.com/a-dd/2080-date0729.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 (7/30) – Hawaiian pork chops, brown rice, vegetables, and applesauce

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 92 this afternoon … patchy night and morning low clouds and fog, clearing to sunny and 93 tomorrow … 97 Friday with a National Weather Service Extreme Heat Warning for Friday through Sunday … 99 Saturday … 98 Sunday … 95 Monday … 96 Tuesday … overnight lows, 59 tonight … 61 tomorrow night … 63 Friday night … 65 Saturday night … about 63 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.