Riverside County Indian casino announces layoffs
TEMECULA, 2:22 a.m. July 23 (AP)
The Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula plans to lay off about 400 of its 4,700 workers, blaming tough economic times.
The casino, the second-largest private employer in Riverside County, draws customers from across Southern California. Economist John Husing says people spend less on entertainment during an economic downturn, and the region has been hit hard by the housing slump and overall economic downturn.
More Temecula/Riverside News
RIVERSIDE, 8:46 a.m. July 23 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)Riverside County gas prices continue slide: The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in the Inland Empire fell for the 16th consecutive day and has dropped 20.4 cents since hitting a record high, according to figures released Wednesday by the Oil Price Information Service.
MURRIETA, 2:40 p.m. July 22 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Ex-deputy awaiting arraignment in alleged assault on wife: A 46-year-old former sheriff's deputy from the Temecula station is out on bail Tuesday, awaiting arraignment for allegedly assaulting his wife and threatening to kill her.
RIVERSIDE, 1:31 p.m. July 22 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)Thousands of marijuana plants seized in raids around county: Thousands of marijuana plants – which could have generated millions of dollars a year in illegal profits – were seized Tuesday during raids on three homes in Riverside County, authorities said.
MURRIETA, 2:35 p.m. July 21 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Doctor in prescription-abuse case found not competent to stand trial: A judge in Murrieta Monday ruled that a 78-year-old Lake Elsinore doctor suspected of writing prescriptions for commonly abused drugs in exchange for cash is not competent to stand trial.
RIVERSIDE, 3:43 p.m. July 21 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)3 plead not guilty to murder of Moreno Valley man: One of three men accused of gunning down a 24-year-old Moreno Valley man in an apparent robbery in May pleaded not guilty Monday to murder and other charges.
PALM SPRINGS, 2:32 a.m. July 21 (AP)
Winds, heavy rains knock out power in SoCal desert: A desert rainstorm stranded people in cars, flooded some homes and businesses, and knocked out power to thousands of people.
INDIO, 12:23 p.m. July 21 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)Mistrial declared in strangulation case: With jurors deadlocked, a mistrial was declared Monday in the murder trial of a homeless man charged with the strangulation death of an 85-year-old retired attorney during a sexual encounter in Palm Desert. RIVERSIDE, 10:47 a.m. July 21 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Riverside County gas prices continue decline: The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in the Inland Empire fell for the 14th consecutive day, and has dropped 18 cents since hitting a record high, according to figures released Monday by the Oil Price Information Service. MURRIETA, 10:49 a.m. July 21 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Three arrested for attacking woman: Three Banning women are locked up in lieu of $1 million bail each Monday on suspicion of beating up and cutting another woman, police said. INDIO, 3:19 a.m. July 21 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
More closing arguments called for in strangulation case: In a sign that jurors are struggling to reach a verdict, attorneys will deliver more closing arguments Monday in the trial of a homeless man charged with the strangulation murder of an 85-year-old retired attorney during a sexual encounter in Palm Desert.
COACHELLA, 2:04 a.m. July 19 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Two dead in Thermal crash: A motorist died in a two-vehicle crash in unincorporated Thermal, a California Highway Patrol dispatcher said Saturday.
LAKE ELSINORE, 8:25 a.m. July 18 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Stretch of I-15 to close Friday night for repairs: A stretch of the northbound Corona (15) Freeway in Lake Elsinore will be closed tonight so a Caltrans crew can make repairs to the Central Avenue Bridge.
RIVERSIDE, 2:07 a.m. July 19 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)Workshop participants perform free show: Classics by Bizet, Gershwin, Gilbert and Sullivan will sound throughout the Cesar Chavez Community Auditorium in Riverside Saturday, as teenagers and adults who attended the city's first operatic workshop perform in a free show.
RIVERSIDE, 3:14 p.m. July 17 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Differing views of child's death offered in Riverside murder trial: A Riverside mother killed her developmentally disabled son by delivering a fatal head blow to stop his crying, a prosecutor alleged Thursday, but her attorney said the toddler's death stemmed from his condition that had been worsening for weeks.
RIVERSIDE, 8:15 a.m. July 17 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)Riverside County gas price continues to decline: The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in the Inland Empire fell for the 10th consecutive day, having dropped 13.1 cents since hitting a record high, according to figures released Thursday by the Oil Price Information Service. RIVERSIDE, Calif./NEW YORK, 10:59 a.m. July 17 (REUTERS)
Battle over Bratz may not lead to full Mattel victory: Mattel Inc may win control of the $1 billion-plus Bratz franchise in a copyright infringement case, but the toy giant would still face a battle over damages and may have to start from scratch to make the dolls on its own.
MURRIETA, 3:34 p.m. July 16 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Comedian Dick posts bail after arrest in Murrieta: Andy Dick was arrested Wednesday in Riverside County on suspicion of sexual battery and marijuana possession after the comedian allegedly grabbed a 17-year-old girl's tank top and exposed her breasts at a Murrieta bar/restaurant, police reported.
CORONA, 1:17 p.m. July 16 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)Blast at natural gas refueling station injures six: An explosion at a city-run natural gas refueling station injured six people Wednesday, one of them seriously, authorities said. RIVERSIDE, 11:37 a.m. July 16 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
June home sales up, but prices fall sharply: Home sales in Riverside County rose 11.8 percent in June, compared with the same month a year ago, but prices fell by 31.3 percent, a real estate information service reported Wednesday.
LOS ANGELES, 4:34 a.m. July 16 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Riverside County may already be in recession: California's economy is on the brink of recession, and some regions – including Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties –are already there, according to an economic forecast released Wednesday.
RIVERSIDE, 12:58 p.m. July 15 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Gasoline price falls again in Inland Empire: The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in the Inland Empire fell for the eighth consecutive day and has dropped nearly 12 cents since hitting a record high, according to figures released Tuesday by the Oil Price Information Service.
RIVERSIDE, 11:02 a.m. July 15 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)UC Riverside professor found murdered: A man found murdered in his Long Beach home over the weekend was a professor at the University of California Riverside, school officials said Tuesday. TEMECULA, 7:31 p.m. July 14 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Murrieta man named as suspect in deadly crash: A 30-year-old Murrieta man was identified Monday by authorities as the driver they are seeking who fled after allegedly causing a vehicle crash that killed three people. MURRIETA, 4:48 p.m. July 14 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Temecula man pleads guilty in stabbing: A Temecula man who stabbed a cousin and chased his estranged wife's family around their Murrieta home with a knife pleaded guilty Monday to attempted murder and child endangerment and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
RIVERSIDE, 4:59 a.m. July 14 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
UC Riverside workers set to strike: Some union employees at UC Riverside's student health center plan to defy a court order and go on strike for five days beginning Monday.
RIVERSIDE, 3:53 p.m. July 12 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Lost Corona hiker located miles off trail: A 21-year-old Corona woman who got lost descending Southern California's highest peak was located miles off-trail Saturday morning, hoisted into a rescue helicopter and flown to a hospital, authorities said.
RIVERSIDE, 11:04 a.m. July 12 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)Firefighters close to home logging extra duty: With so many local fire crews sent north to battle fires still raging across Northern California, some firefighters who remain down south have worked up to 21 days in a row to cover for their missing comrades, it was reported Saturday. RIVERSIDE, 10:49 a.m. July 12 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Gas prices fall for a third straight week: Gas prices in the Inland Empire dropped a nickel in the last week, to $4.528 a gallon, as prices dropped ever-so-slightly for the third straight week, the Automobile Club of Southern California reports Saturday. RIVERSIDE, 3:38 a.m. July 11 (AP)
Barbie, Bratz battle headed for SoCal jury: The battle between Barbie and Bratz has gone to a jury. Lawyers completed closing arguments Thursday in the copyright infringement lawsuit that pits Barbie's maker Mattel against MGA Entertainment Inc., which introduced the hugely successful Bratz line in 2001.
RIVERSIDE, 3:07 p.m. July 10 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Luna to succeed Parrish as county's chief executive: The second-in-command to the county's retiring executive officer will succeed him, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors announced Thursday.
MORENO VALLEY, 2:21 p.m. July 10 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)Moreno Valley population up nearly 33% from 2000 census: The population of Moreno Valley jumped by 32.7 percent between April 2000 and July 2007, making it the 18th fastest-growing city in the nation over that time, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released Thursday. LAKE ELSINORE, 4:12 p.m. July 10 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
I-15 lanes in Lake Elsinore to be closed Friday-Saturday: Northbound lanes of the Corona (15) Freeway in Lake Elsinore will close at Main Street Friday through Saturday for repair work on the Main Street bridge, Caltrans officials said Thursday. TEMECULA, 3:50 p.m. July 10 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Gunman robs Temecula bank: A gunman robbed a Western Pacific Bank in Temecula Thursday, a police sergeant said. The robbery occurred about 11:30 a.m. at 27541 Ynez Road, said Sgt. Conrad Cease. RIVERSIDE, 1:17 p.m. July 10 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Deputy who killed robbery suspect returns to duty: A Riverside County sheriff's deputy who killed an armed robbery suspect at the end of a pursuit has returned to duty, as an investigation of the shooting continues, the Sheriff's Department reported Thursday.
RIVERSIDE, 5:54 a.m. July 10 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Pace of foreclosures dips in county: The number of foreclosure filings in Riverside County dipped last month but still exceeded the year-ago figure by more than 80 percent, a real estate tracking firm reported Thursday.
BEAUMONT, 11:20 a.m. July 10 (AP)
Man may have cut power poles to steal transformers: Riverside County sheriff's deputies have arrested a man on suspicion of hacking down three power poles to steal transformers each worth $1,500.
MENIFEE, 5:22 p.m. July 9 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)Fire damages Menifee home: A fire destroyed the garage of a home in Menifee Wednesday, also burning two vehicles inside before it was contained, a fire official said. WILDOMAR, 4:39 p.m. July 9 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Wildfire contained to six acres: A blaze that broke out Wednesday afternoon in the brushy hills east of rural Wildomar was contained to six acres, with no structural damage or injuries reported.
MORENO VALLEY, 10:58 a.m. July 9 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Moreno Valley man arrested on suspicion of beating baby: A 23-year-old Moreno Valley man was arrested on suspicion of physically abusing the 11-month-old child of a woman he was dating because the baby would not stop crying, authorities said Wednesday.
MORENO VALLEY, 1:01 p.m. July 9 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)Public's help sought in ID'ing pedestrian killed in Moreno Valley: Authorities asked for public help Wednesday in identifying a young man who was struck by a pickup truck while crossing a street in Moreno Valley on the Fourth of July and died of his injuries several days later.
SAN JACINTO, 12:55 a.m. July 9 (AP)
Boy, 5, wounded in San Jacinto drive-by shooting: Four teenagers have been arrested after a drive-by shooting in Riverside County left a 5-year-old boy wounded and his 65-year-old grandmother injured.
WILDOMAR, 1:38 p.m. July 9 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)Wildomar fire scorches six acres: A fire broke out Wednesday afternoon in the brushy hills east of rural Wildomar, quickly scorching about six acres. RIVERSIDE, 3:50 a.m. July 9 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Gas prices dip by just more than a penny: The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in the Inland Empire fell by 1.3 cents in a day, according to figures released Wednesday by the Oil Price Information Service.
RIVERSIDE, 2:28 a.m. July 8 (AP)
Calif. suing cement company over toxic emissions: State Attorney General Jerry Brown and Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco are suing a cement factory, saying it exposed neighbors to toxic cement dust without warning them.
HEMET, 1:55 p.m. July 8 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)Four arrested in drive-by shooting investigation: A 17-year-old boy and three adults were custody Tuesday in a drive-by attack in which a 5-year-boy was shot, and his grandmother was injured as she fell out of her wheelchair trying to get to the boy. RIVERSIDE, 3:46 p.m. July 8 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Man found dead outside Riverside business: The body of a 30-year-old man with head trauma was discovered outside a Riverside business Tuesday, a police spokesman said. 7:27 a.m. July 8 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Inland Empire gasoline price rises slightly: RIVERSIDE (CNS) - The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in the Inland Empire increased slightly, according to figures released today by the Oil Price Information Service.
SAN JACINTO, 2:08 p.m. July 7 (AP)
Soboba tribe, sheriff reach agreement after shootout: Leaders of Southern California's Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians and the Riverside County Sheriff's Department signed a federal mediation agreement Monday designed to improve communication and ease tension between the two parties.
RIVERSIDE, 3:04 p.m. July 7 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)N.Y. man pleads guilty to enticing minor for sex: A 46-year-old convicted sex offender who flew from New York to Southern California expecting to meet a 13-year-old Moreno Valley girl for sex – only to find out the girl was actually a police decoy –pleaded guilty Monday to federal charges. RIVERSIDE, 12:51 p.m. July 7 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
More than 40 arrested in Riverside on DUI suspicion: More than 40 people in the Riverside area were arrested on suspicion of impaired driving, and dozens more were cited for speeding, seat belt violations and talking on mobile phones without hands-free devices during the Fourth of July weekend, the California Highway Patrol reported Monday.
RIVERSIDE, 10:34 a.m. July 6 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Murrieta woman killed in watercraft accident: A young Murrieta woman was killed Saturday when a Sea-Doo watercraft she was on collided with a boat near Needles, according to a coroner's report, one of a pair of nasty boating accidents on the Colorado River.
TEMECULA, 2:31 p.m. July 6 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)Three injured when pickup overturns on I-15: Three people were injured, one critically, when a pickup with a trailer overturned Sunday on northbound Interstate 15 in south Temecula, authorities said. RIVERSIDE, 11:43 a.m. July 6 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Deputies cite illegal off-road vehicles: Deputies near San Jacinto and Temecula cited 10 people for illegal off-road vehicles and issued 10 off-road warnings on the Fourth of July and Saturday in a continuing enforcement operation, a sheriff's deputy said.
PERRIS, 12:13 p.m. July 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Experienced skydiver dies after chute malfunctions: Keith Colwick, 51, of Fallbrook died Friday morning in a parachute accident in Riverside County. He was an experienced sky diver.
MORENO VALLEY, 12:55 p.m. July 3 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Robbery suspect shot dead by deputy after pursuit: A man who allegedly robbed a Moreno Valley store was fatally shot by a Riverside County sheriff's deputy during a confrontation at the end of a pursuit, the sheriff's department reported.
RIVERSIDE, 10:53 p.m. July 3 (AP)
Federal judge orders 2 Marines released from jail: A federal judge in Riverside, Calif., has ordered two Marines released from jail despite their refusal to testify before a grand jury investigating the alleged killing of Iraqi detainees in 2004.
MURRIETA, 3:31 p.m. July 3 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)Woman testifies that prowler raped her twice in senior community: A woman in her 60s testified Thursday that a 21-year-old man crept into her gated senior community in Hemet and raped and beat her, and then raped her again about two months later. RIVERSIDE, 5:01 p.m. July 3 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Law-enforcement patrols stepped up for holiday weekend: Law enforcement agencies in Riverside County will be stepping up patrols Thursday night and through the Fourth of July weekend to crack down on drunken drivers and other traffic violators.
MORENO VALLEY, 12:22 p.m. July 2 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Three arrested in death of Morena Valley man, 24: Three suspects are in custody in connection with the mid-May shooting death of a 24-year-old Moreno Valley man, the Sheriff's Department reported Wednesday.
MURRIETA, 4:04 p.m. July 2 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)Prelim hearing set for man accused of rape-murder at senior complex: A preliminary hearing is set Thursday for a San Jacinto man who is accused of murdering a 74-year-old disabled woman, who died of head trauma suffered during an attempted rape at a gated Hemet seniors' complex, and twice raping another resident over a two-month period. RIVERSIDE, 2:00 p.m. July 2 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
County officials stress zero tolerance for fireworks use: Reinforcing the message that most fireworks are illegal in Riverside County, sheriff's and fire officials Wednesday demonstrated why Independence Day pyrotechnics are better left to professionals.
SANTA BERNARDINO, 9:29 a.m. July 2 (AP)
Mystery fireball flares over SoCal: A mysterious fireball has lit up the sky in San Bernardino County. Tom Barnes, a county fire dispatch supervisor, says people from the Nevada state line to Temecula reported seeing a bright streak falling near the San Bernardino Mountains on Tuesday morning.
RIVERSIDE, 6:19 a.m. July 1 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Riverside sheriff's dept.: No break for drivers using cell phones: Mobile phone users caught disobeying the new law banning drivers from talking on wireless phones without hands-free devices won't get a break from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
RIVERSIDE, 3:26 p.m. July 1 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)County supervisors approve $4.77 billion budget: The Riverside County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a $4.77 billion budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year, boosting funding commitments for public safety and narrowing the county's projected budget deficit. MURRIETA, 3:36 p.m. July 1 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Man who stabbed friend during party brawl gets 11 years: A 25-year-old Wildomar man who stabbed his best friend during a brawl that erupted during a party at his home was sentenced Tuesday to 11 years in state prison.
MURRIETA, 11:58 a.m. June 30 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Sex offender sentenced to 1,330-year sentence: A 44-year-old convicted sex offender was sentenced to more than a millenium in prison Monday.
RIVERSIDE, 3:24 p.m. June 30 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)Disputed jury verdict forms disrupt racing-murder trial: A Riverside jury's second failure to properly complete verdict forms in the trial of three defendants accused in the shooting death of a man in a Corona park prompted a judge Monday to order an in-chambers meeting with attorneys in the case.
RIVERSIDE, 2:05 p.m. June 29 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Pedestrian struck, killed by freight train: Union Pacific police are reviewing videotape to determine how a female pedestrian was struck by a freight train early Sunday in Riverside and died of her injuries, authorities said.
MURRIETA, 10:27 a.m. June 28 (AP)
SoCal man sentenced for slumber party molest: A Riverside County man has been sentenced to 45 years to life in prison for molesting two girls at his daughter's slumber parties.
CORONA, 9:42 a.m. June 28 (SIGNONSANDIEGO)
Man and woman killed in motorcycle collision: A man and a woman suffered fatal injuries when their motorcycle collided with a pickup truck in a fast lane on the eastbound Riverside (91) Freeway at the height of the Friday evening rush hour, authorities said Saturday.
