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Pop Warner cheer squad
to compete at nationals B1
Calexico farmworker breakfast set A4
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2015
El Centro
ready for its
Christmas tree
lighting event
A4
Your news, our passion.
INSIDE
TODAY
ivpressonline.com | adelantevalle.com
SAN BERNARDINO
Police advise public of scam
14 killed
in mass
shooting
BY JULIO MORALES
Home & Garden
How to offer
hospitality in even
the smallest of
homes during the
holidays. A8
Staff Writer
CALEXICO — Police
here are alerting the public
to be aware of a 36-yearold Mexicali woman posing as a grieving mother of
a deceased child that had
been going door-to-door
soliciting money to help
pay for nonexistent funeral expenses.
The woman, Marlene
Mary Aranda, is currently
in custody and had been
arrested on Thanksgiving in connection with
an alleged
theft, said
Calexico
Police Det.
Armando
Orozco.
Aranda
Following her
arrest, and the discovery
of numerous suspicious
items in her possession,
Aranda allegedly confessed to soliciting money from residents under
false pretenses over the
past year throughout the
Valley, but particularly in
Calexico.
At the time of her arrest,
Aranda was accompanied
by her 11- and 13-year-
old daughters, who also
allegedly appeared to be
assisting their mother perpetuate the scam, Orozco
said.
“It’s a bad situation
when you have the parents
grooming the kids to be
as bad as the parents are,”
he said.
Aranda had allegedly
been telling residents that
her daughter had recently
died of leukemia and that
she needed money to help
pay for funeral expenses in
Mexicali, Orozco said.
In her possession police
had found numerous flyers
with a picture of a young
child as well as informa-
tion explaining Aranda’s
dire situation, Orozco
said. Dates printed on
the flyers that correspond
with the day her daughter supposedly died span
several months and were
made using a date stamp
commonly purchased at
an office supply store.
Reports of Aranda’s activities date back about a
year, and over time had
resulted in sporadic reports of sightings, as well
as one confirmed contact
with Calexico police while
Aranda had her children
in tow.
mentary School took their place
in the kiosk to sing an animated
rendition of “Jingle Bells,” “Has
Anybody Seen Santa?” and “We
Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
They were followed by Frances Nunez’s kindergarten class
from Phil D. Swing Elementary School, which performed
a rousing rendition of “Jingle
Bells” and “Felice Navidad.”
“I’m glad everyone is getting
in the Christmas spirit,” Mrs.
Nunez said.
At last the guests of honor
arrived, not by the light of Rudolph’s shiny nose but a fire
engine red hook ‘n ladder.
Yes Virginia, there is a Santa
Claus — and a Mrs. Claus.
SAN BERNARDINO
(AP) — At least two heavily armed attackers opened
fire on a banquet at a social
services center for the disabled Wednesday, killing
14 people and seriously
wounding more than a
dozen others in a precision
assault that looked “as if
they were on a mission,”
authorities said.
Hours later, police hunting for the killers riddled a
black SUV with gunfire in
a shootout two miles from
the late-morning carnage,
and a man and woman
with assault rifles, handguns and “assault-style
clothing” were killed, San
Bernardino Police Chief
Jarrod Burguan said.
A third person who was
spotted running near the
gunbattle was detained,
but Burguan said it was
unclear if that person had
anything to do with the
crime.
It was the nation’s deadliest mass shooting since
the attack at a school in
Newtown, Connecticut,
three years ago that left 26
children and adults dead.
Police shed no light on
the motive for the massacre, but David Bowdich,
assistant director of the
FBI’s Los Angeles office,
said the bureau is looking
at several possibilities, including workplace violence
and terrorism. He did not
elaborate.
The attackers invaded the Inland Regional
Center and began shooting around 11 a.m. They
opened fire in a conference
area that the San Bernardino County Department of
Public Health had rented
out for an employee banquet, said Marybeth Feild,
president and CEO of the
nonprofit center.
Police spokeswoman
Sgt. Vicki Cervantes said
witnesses reported seeing
one to three gunmen.
“They came prepared to
do what they did, as if they
were on a mission,” the police chief said.
Burguan said that someone had left the county employees’ event after “there
was some type of dispute,”
but investigators were not
sure whether that had anything to do with the subsequent massacre in the
Southern California city of
214,000 people about 60
miles east of Los Angeles.
SEE TREE | A5
SEE SHOOTING | A5
SEE ARANDA | A5
‘CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE’
Valley Briefs
 Body found in
canal.
 Rib-eye steaks
reported stolen.
 429 pounds of
marijuana seized. A3
Mexicali Briefs
 UABC to host
National College
Games in 2017.
 Man arrested with
counterfeit bill.
 New department
heads take office. A3
OBITUARIES
Donald Gibson
78, Heber
Felipe Martinez
52, Calipatria
OBITUARIES | A5
TODAY’S
WEATHER
73/43
50¢
CALEXICO
Aranda would claim
she was trying to pay
for funeral expenses
Community Photos
See the Imperial
Valley through
readers’ eyes. A2
Vol. 115 No. 163
Santa Claus talks to Brawley residents after the city held its Christmas tree-lighting ceremony Wednesday evening. WILLIAM ROLLER PHOTO
Brawley’s downtown shines bright
Wharton asked the children.
“By the way, I’ve been talking to
your moms and dads — I just
he town here
hope you’re all on the list.”
lit up like the
Wharton then ratcheted up
North Star as
the excitement with the anits tree-lighting nouncement of a very special
guest visitor and urged everyceremony welcomed
one to remain until his arrival.
the Christmas season
He then introduced Councilwith a dazzling display woman Helen Noriega. She
thanked numerous
at the Kiwanis Kiosk on graciously
sponsors who helped make the
Wednesday evening.
tree-lighting ceremony possible.
New Brawley Mayor Don“We are a very happy city and
nie Wharton greeted a packed
we
work together as a team,”
crowd and said how excited he
Noriega told the crowd.
was to be there for the festiviIt was then Jennifer Boquist’s
ties.
“Who’s been naughty? Oh my transitional kindergarten class
goodness. Who’s been nice?”
from the Myron D. Witter Ele-
BY WILLIAM ROLLER
Staff Writer
Dateline: Brawley
T
FORECAST | B5
DESERT RESEARCH CENTER
CONNECT
VP gets firsthand look at local issues during Valley visit
BY EDWIN DELGADO
Staff Writer
INDEX
Abby .............B5
Calendar ......A2
Classified .B6-7
Comics .........B7
Lottery..........A3
Obituaries ....A5
Opinion.........A6
Region ..........A4
Scoreboard .B3
Sports .......B1-3
Weather .......B5
To subscribe 760-337-3456
Imperial Irrigation District Assistant Water Department Director David Bradshaw (left) talks to
Glenda Humiston about how fast the Salton Sea
is receding at the Red Hill Bay. EDWIN DELGADO PHOTO
HOLTVILLE — Visits to
local farms, the Salton Sea,
the UC Desert Research
and Extension Center and
discussions about renewable energy in the county
made up the focus points
during the visit Wednesday for Glenda Humiston,
vice president for University of California, Division
of Agriculture and Natural
Resources.
Humiston’s goal for the
visit was to get familiarized
with the nature of the agricultural industry in the
Imperial Valley and the
work that it is being done
at the Desert Research and
Extension Center and UC
Cooperative Extension of
Imperial County.
“It’s important for me,
being new in my position,
to really have a better understanding of what is going on down here,” Humiston said. “So If I get stuck
in meetings discussing policy and priorities and allocation of resources, I have
a sense of what is needed
here and at the same time
to know what the opportunities are down here.”
As part of her new role,
she will oversee 1,350 people working for 60 county
offices and nine research
and extension centers. Humiston was appointed to
the position by UC President Janet Napolitano in
July.
“It’s great to have our
new vice president here to
learn about the programs
that we have here and discuss how we can improve
them and bring more resources to the area,” County Director for the UC Cooperative Extension of Imperial County Khaled Bali
said. “That is basically my
objective, bringing more
resources to the area and
have more collaborative
projects.”
To begin the day local
and UC ANR official began
in Seeley to talk to local
grower Jack Cato to share
his experience of using
subsurface drip irrigation
to grow alfalfa.
SEE VISIT | A5