The Friday Flyer • February 10, 2017

CANYON LAKE’S NEWSPAPER • FEBRUARY 10, 2017
Elsinore High School takes first place in Aca demic Decathlon Pg. A9
Residents make a new start with Celebrate Recovery Pg. 7
Kathy Faught requests unusual birthday gift from family Pg. 11
The 2017 Chamber Board of Directors are, in front row, Jeannie O’Dell, Ria Riley, Secretary Debby Gagnon, Alison Burrafato and Treasur- er Jennie Ehrenkranz. In back row, President Jim Randle, Matthew Svendsen, Barry Walker, Mike Irvin and (not pictured) Dolores Badillo.
Chamber honors citizens at Gala
BY DONNA RITCHIE EDITOR, THE FRIDAY FLYER
The Canyon Lake Chamber of Commerce honored the Community Award winners and installed its new Board members at its 21st annual Board Installation and Community Awards Gala on Saturday, January 28, in the Holiday Bay Room at the Lodge. More than 130 guests attended.
This year’s Gala included a sit-down dinner, silent auction, presentation of community awards and instal- lation of new Chamber Board of Directors. The host of the evening was emcee extraordinaire Dave McCrory.
Several dignitaries were in attendance to honor the award winners, They include District Representa- tive Debbie Herrera from Senator Jeff Stone’s office, State Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez, Riverside County 1st District Supervisor Kevin Jefferies, Tricia Almiron, Legislative Assistant to Supervisor Kevin Jefferies, Mayor Dawn Haggerty, Mayor Pro-Tem V i c k i Warren, Canyon Lake Council members J o r - dan Ehrenkranz, Larry Greene and
Randy Bonner and Canyon Lake POA Board of Direc- tors Eric Spitzer, Dale Welty and Paul Queen.
The five Community Award winners were presented with a trophy from the Chamber of Commerce and Proclomations from U.S. Congressman Ken Calvert, Senator Jeff Stone, State Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez and Riverside County 1st District Supervi- sor Kevin Jefferies.
The Citizen of the Year Award was sponsored by Eric an Michelle Spitzer and awarded to Donna Ritchie. This award is for an individual who has enhanced the quality of life in Canyon Lake through outstanding community involvement.
The Chamber says, “Donna Ritchie and her fam- ily moved to this “Little Bit of Paradise” in 2013 and Donna immediately fell in love with Canyon Lake. Her passion and love for our community has been por- trayed through her amazing photographs and numerous articles which highlight all the amazing attributes of Canyon Lake. She keeps thousands in the community informed on activities and information through the two
community Facebook pages she monitors - the Can- yon Lake Community page and Canyon Lake Crime and Safety Alerts. She is also the new Editor of The Friday Flyer. The 24/7 news cycle never stops and we’re not sure Donna ever sleeps. With her dedication and her big heart she is a great asset to our community and we are proud to present her with this year’s Citizen of the Year Community Award.”
The Volunteer of the Year Award was sponsored by CR&R Waste Services and presented to Shawan Bow- en. This award is for an individual who has made a significant difference to the community through vol- unteerism.
The Chamber says, “Shawna Bowen has been a Canyon Lake resident for 7 years. She had noticed a little over three years ago that there were clubs for men, women, children and specific organizations but wanted a club that was more family oriented. Shawna’s pride in Canyon Lake inspired her to begin the non-
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Police determine dog’s death a result of bird attack
BY DONNA RITCHIE
EDITOR, THE FRIDAY FLYER
The result of a necropsy (a pet autopsy) per- formed on Jen and Eric Kerkers’ six-year-old York- shire Terrier, Deuce, showed that the dog was a victim of bird prey, and died as a result of blunt force trauma. The dog did not die as a result of a gunshot wound as
the Kerkers had originally suspected.
News of Deuce’s death became local and even in-
ternational news when some Canyon Lake commu- nity members staged a protest outside the Kerkers’ neighbor’s home after word began to falsely spread that the dog had been shot to death by the neighbor. Los Angeles television station KTLA-TV broadcast the original story and the news went viral and was
picked up by media outlets across the country and even as far as Britain.
In a statement to The Friday Flyer, Lieutenant Earl Quinata from the Riverside Sheriff’s Depart- ment and the Canyon Lake Police Department said, “In working in conjunction with Animal Friends of the Valleys, a necropsy was conducted and the re- sults show that the dog was a victim of bird prey that resulted in blunt force trauma. There was no projectile found in the dog as a result of the inves- tigation.”
No one is more happier to have the results made public than Manuel Garvis, the Kerkers’ neighbor
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