News

Pala Today News – 1/5/26

Written by John Fox on January 5, 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

Most local areas have had at least some rain every day for the past four or five days. Here are local storm totals for the past 72 hours.

1.25” in Pala
1.08” in Oceanside
.97” in Vista
1.59” in Carlsbad
1.22” in Fallbrook
1.89” in Rainbow
1.37” in Bonsall
1.19” in Couser Canyon
1.12” in Pauma Valley
.90” in Valley Center
.90” at Lake Wohlford
.61” in Escondido
No report at Deer Springs
.89” inches at Rincon
2.71” inches at Birch Hill
2” at Palomar observatory
1.3” inches at Lake Henshaw
No report at La Jolla reservation
1.62” inches at Mesa Grande
1.29” inches at Santa Ysabel
.91”at Warner Springs.
.02” at San Felipe
.55” at Oak Grove
Nothing measurable at Borrego Springs
.01” at Ocotillo Wells
.98” at Temecula
.28” at French Valley
.63” at Lake Skinner
.52” at La Cresta
.55” at North Lake Elsinore

A man seated on the median of Oceanside Boulevard just east of College was struck and killed Friday evening by an eastbound Mustang. The driver of that vehicle remained at the scene and cooperated with police. He was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. https://www.newsbreak.com/times-of-san-diego-555715/4424292568579-mustang-strikes-kills-man-sitting-in-oceanside-median

San Diego Fire & Rescue in cooperation with deputies from the San Marcos substation rescued a woman who’d been swept into a creek flowing into Lake Hodges. A couple had entered a low water crossing for the creek near where they’d parked at about 7a. By the time they returned to head back to their vehicle about an hour later, that same crossing had become flooded. Both were swept away by the current. The man reached solid ground, but the woman was swept away. He walked to a nearby residence to call 9-1-1. Officials note that as little as six inches of moving water is enough to sweep you off your feet. https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/woman-rescued-on-new-years-day-in-flooding-emergency-at-lake-hodges

A North County Transit bus was involved in an accident at South Mission and Ammunition Roads in Fallbrook Saturday afternoon. There were no injuries. https://www.villagenews.com/story/2026/01/01/news/nctd-bus-involved-in-traffic-collision-in-fallbrook/80851.html

Deliberate sabotage and vandalism destroyed two radio repeaters belonging to Temecula Wireless Emergency Mesh shortly after sunrise Saturday. Local authorities are investigating. There could eventually be federal charges against the perpetrators. Willful or malicious destruction of communications used for civil defense is a federal felony, punishable by hefty fines and up to ten years in prison. Investigators are looking for two individuals and a specific vehicle observed on surveillance. The car is a gold 2004 to 2007 Toyota Corolla with a mismatched black front fender. The organization that owns the destroyed radio repeaters is currently in negotiations to provide emergency communications service to the city of Temecula. https://www.villagenews.com/story/2026/01/01/news/vandalism-of-emergency-mesh-network-could-face-federal-scrutiny-amid-city-partnership-talks/80850.html

The chance of rain will be ending today and Pala will have cool temperatures with partly to mostly sunny skies the rest of this week, warming into the 70s by the weekend. 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 NFL – The regular season ended yesterday with the Week 18 winners being Tampa Bay, Seattle, Atlanta, Cleveland, Minnesota, Jacksonville, Houston, Buffalo, Detroit, Denver, Las Vegas, New England, Washington, Pittsburgh, the Rams and the Giants. This weekend’s Wild Card games start with the Rams at Carolina on Saturday at 1:30p. The Chargers play Sunday at 5p at New England.

The Raiders have fired coach Pete Carroll after just one season. Yesterday was only the team’s third win this season. The Raiders had lost their previous ten games. That gives them this year’s #1 pick in the NFL draft. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47513676/raiders-fire-pete-carroll-one-season-gm-john-spytek-remains

The Cardinals have fired head coach Jonathan Gannon after they finished the season 3 and 14, losing 37-20 to the Rams yesterday. Gannon’s record is 15 and 36 in his three years leading the team. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47512424/sources-cardinals-fire-jonathan-gannon-15-36-record

The Cleveland Browns have fired head coach Kevin Stefanski after six seasons. They finished the current season at 5 and 12. General Manager Andrew Berry, who arrived with Stefanski will keep his job. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47512228/browns-fire-head-coach-kevin-stefanski-6-seasons

College Football Playoffs results and schedule –

Fri 12/19 – #8 Oklahoma 24 v. #9 Alabama 34

Sat 12/20 – #10 Miami 10 v. #7 Texas A&M 3

Sat 12/20 – #11 Tulane 10 v. #6 Ole Miss 41

Sat 12/20 – #12 James Madison 34 v #5 Oregon 51

Quarterfinals

Wed 12/31 –Cotton Bowl in Arlington, TX – Miami 21 v #2 Ohio State 14

Thu 1/1 – Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens – Oregon 23 v. #4 Texas Tech 0

Thu 1/1 – Rose Bowl – Alabama 3 v. #1 Indiana 38

Thu 1/1 – Sugar Bowl in New Orleans – Ole Miss 39 v #3 Georgia 34

Coming up …

Thu 1/8 – Fiesta Bowl – Miami v Ole Miss semifinal at 4:30p on ESPN

Fri 1/9 – Peach Bowl – Oregon v. Indiana semifinal at 4:30p on ESPN

Mon 1/19 – CFP National Championship game at Miami Gardens, FL at 4:30p on ESPN

In the NBA – The Lakers topped the visiting Grizzlies 120-114 last night. Other winners were Detroit, Orlando, Brooklyn, Miami, Minnesota, Phoenix, and Milwaukee. Eight games tonight including the Clippers hosting Golden State.

In hockey – Yesterday’s winners were Florida, Carolina, and all in overtime, Montreal, Pittsburgh and Chicago. Five games tonight including the Ducks at Washington and the Kings hosting Minnesota.

In the minors – The San Diego Gulls lost a home game to the Coachella Valley Firebirds 5-2 on Friday. Their next game is Wednesday hosting San Jose.

In Major League Baseball – Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatrano has agreed to a 3-year contract extension with a team option for 2030. Since he joined the team in 2024, they’ve gone from a disastrous losing season to their first two consecutive winning seasons in a decade. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/47503086/royals-manager-matt-quatraro-gets-3-year-extension-29

Toronto has signed Japanese third-baseman Kaxuma Okamoto to a four-year, $60m contract including a $5m signing bonus. The 29-year-old has a league-best 248 home runs. With the exception of an injury-plagued year last season, he’s hit at least 27 home runs every season since 2018. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/47491589/sources-japanese-3b-kazuma-okamoto-blue-jays-agree-deal

In lacrosse – The San Diego Seals lost 15-11 to Calgary Saturday at Pechanga Arena. Their next game is this Friday hosting Toronto.

In racing – The 2026 NASCAR schedule begins February 1 at Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Local High School Sports –

Bonsall – no scheduled games today

Great Oak – no scheduled games today

Fallbrook – boys’ basketball hosting Del Lago Academy at 4:30p

Valley Center – boys’ soccer hosting El Capitan at 4:30p

BUSINE$$

As of midday trading on Wall Street, oil stocks are leading the charge following the New Year invasion of Venezuela and capture of its president with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 1.6%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq each gained ¾ of a percent. Gold shot up almost $122 on the Comex, trading at $4,451.50 an ounce. The benchmark West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures gained almost a dollar at $58.30 a barrel.

Chevron gained the most of any of the oil companies, up 1 ½% this morning.

American automakers did well in 2025. General Motors today reported a 5 ½% increase in sales last year, despite a nearly 7% drop in the fourth quarter. EV sales drove the gains until tax credits for them ended in the third quarter. Chrysler parent, Stellantis was down 3.3% as it took charges related to a turnaround plan. But its Jeep division had its first annual gain in seven years. Tesla sales were down to the point that it is no longer the #1 EV brand in the world. China’s BYD took over that title in 2025. Its cars are not sold in this country. American EV maker, Lucid increased its sales by 55% over last year, though that’s still only about 16k units. Lucid is ramping up for the introduction of its new Gravity SUV. Foreign-owned automakers with factories here contributed to the U.S. manufacturing gains. Toyota was up 8% and Hyundai achieved its third consecutive year of record gains with an 8.4% increase. Honda production in the U.S. was up slightly. Overall, the U.S. auto industry is expected to have increased by about 2% last year, according to Cox Automotive. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/05/gm-posts-5point5percent-us-sales-gain-in-2025-while-jeep-ends-annual-declines.html https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/05/lucid-ev-deliveries-2025.html

Saks Global, which includes Saks Fifth Avenue, its discount division Saks Off 5th, Bergdorf Goodman, and Nieman Marcus is reportedly on the verge of bankruptcy. They’ve just appointed executive chairman Richard Baker as CEO, replacing Marc Metrick, who’d left after being with the company for about 30 years. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/02/saks-global-new-ceo-richard-baker-bankruptcy-reports.html

LIFESTYLE / GREEN LIVING

Over the weekend at the movie box office, “Avatar: Fire and Ash” continued to be the nation’s most popular film in its third week of release. It sold another $40m worth of tickets – double that of the #2 film, “Zootopia 2”. “The Housemaid” and “Marty Supreme” swapped places as #3 and #4. “Anaconda” is still in 5^th place. The only new movie this week, “We Bury the Dead” opened in 11^th place with $2.5m on just 1,200 screens. Total attendance for the top ten films was $124m – a good start to the new year, but down over 25% from the past two weeks which were dominated by Avatar. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/2026W01/

Here’s news for those who’ve made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight. Novo Nordisk has launched the first-ever GLP-1 pill for weight loss in this country. It was approved by the FDA two weeks ago. The starter dose of 1.5 milligrams is now available at more than 70k U.S. pharmacies and some telehealth providers. Cash price for the Wegovy pill ranges from $149 to $299 a month, depending on dosage. That’s an introductory price that will go up by a third in April. Injection versions of Wegovy and its main competitor from Eli Lilly are about $1k a month. Eli Lilly’s pill version is expected to get FDA approval later this year. Weight loss pills are expected to capture about $22b of the annual weight loss drug market by 2030. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/05/first-glp-1-pill-for-obesity-from-novo-nordisk-launches-in-the-us.html

Newly minted coins commemorating the nation’s 250^th anniversary begin circulating today. The coins feature pilgrims and early presidents, Washington, Jefferson and Madison. The U.S. Mint is also considering issuing a $1 coin with the face of current President Trump. That move is usually shunned as a symbol of monarchy. The coins’ concept was approved five years ago. Congressional and civilian advisory committees initially recommended five commemorative designs for the quarter to honor civil rights and women’s suffrage. Those recommendations were overruled. https://www.npr.org/2026/01/05/nx-s1-5660747/new-redesigned-coins-250th-anniversary

On this day in music history – January 5,

1961, The Beatles played a show at Litherland Town Hall in Liverpool. In the audience was the drummer for Rory Storm & The Hurricanes, Ringo Starr. It was the first time The Beatles’ future drummer ever saw John, Paul and George perform.
In 1965, The Supremes spent the first of three days in sessions at Motown’s Studio A recording “Stop! In the Name of Love”. One month later, it was #1 on the singles chart.
In 1967, a concert reviewer in Queen magazine said of Pink Floyd’s concert at The Marquee Club in London, “The two guitarists looked moody, the drummer thrashed wildly about and the lights kept flashing. After about twenty minutes it became very boring and after half an hour, I left.” Apparently a Mantovani fan.
In 1968, Jimi Hendrix spent the day in jail in Stockholm, Sweden on drunk and disorderly charges after destroying everything in his hotel room.
In 1969, Led Zeppelin finished their four nights at LA’s Whisky A Go-Go where they were billed as “Led Zeppelin featuring Jimmy Page, formerly of The Yardbirds”. Page had originally wanted the group to be called The New Yardbirds, but was legally prevented from doing so.
In 1973, Bruce Springsteen released his debut album, “Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ”. It flopped. Singles from it, “Blinded By the Light” and “Spirit in the Night” failed to chart. Four years later, the Manfred Mann’s Earth Band version of Blinded hit #1.
In 1976, former Beatles roadie and confidant Mal Evans was shot and killed by LA Police in his apartment. He was despondent over the separation from his wife two weeks earlier and had pointed a rifle at officers.
In 1979, Prince made his live concert debut in Minneapolis. Executives from his label, Warner Bros. felt he need more time to develop his music.
On the same day, jazz musician, composer and bandleader Charlie Mingus died at the age of 56.
In 1980, David Bowie appeared as musical guest on Saturday Night Live.
In 1998, singer, producer and politician, Sonny Bono was killed in a skiing accident near Lake Tahoe. The 62-year old had been one half of the popular 1960s duo Sonny & Cher. Nine months after his death, The U.S. Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, extending the term of copyrights by 20 years was named in his honor.
On the same day, bass player for Love, Ken Forssi died of brain cancer at age 55.
In 2003, Green Day lead singer Billy Joe Armstrong was arrested in Berkeley and charged with drunk driving.
In 2004, Kinks singer Ray Davies was shot in the leg in New Orleans while pursuing two men who’d stolen his girlfriend’s purse at gunpoint. His injuries were not serious.
In 2015, Taylor Swift was at #1 with her fifth studio album, “1989”. It sold 5.5m copies that year.
In 2019, original Hollies bass player, Eric Haydock died at the age of 75. He was one of the first British musicians to play one of Fender’s six-string bass guitars.

Born this day …

In 1923, Sun Records founder, Sam Phillips, who discovered Elvis Presley.
In 1934, music producer and digital recording pioneer Phil Ramone. In his career Ramone won 14 Grammys.
In 1940, Athol Guy from The Seekers – the first Australian group to have a #1 hit in the US with 1965’s “I’ll Never Find Another You”.
In 1941, Grady Thomas from Parliament and Funkadelic.
In 1949, George Brown from Kool & The Gang
In 1950, Chris Stein from Blondie
In 1963, Grant Young, drummer for Soul Asylum
In 1969, Brian Warner, better known as Marilyn Manson

https://www.thisdayinmusic.com/

Other celebrity anniversaries today …

Actor and San Diego native, Robert Duvall is 95
Actor, screenwriter and director Ted Lange, who played the bartender on TV’s “Love Boat” is 78
Actor Bradley Cooper is 51
Actress January Jones is 48
Among those who’ve passed, actor Hugh Brannum, best remembered as Mr. Green Jeans on TV’s “Captain Kangaroo” was born in 1910

http://www.davesfunstuff.com/a-mb/2080-date0105.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 (1/6) – taco Tuesday, Spanish rice, pinto beans 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 – partly sunny with a high of 64 and a 20% chance of isolated showers this afternoon … partly to mostly sunny and 66 tomorrow through Thursday … sunny and 69 Friday … 72 Saturday … 75 Sunday … overnight lows, 43 tonight … about 45 tomorrow and Wednesday night … 41 Thursday and Friday night … 44 Saturday 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

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.