The Californian from Temecula, California • 1

SOUTHWEST RIVERSIDE COUNTY Chance of THE DEL DIOS FIRE Blaze scorches 1 ,200 acres Nora stirs up uncommon valley weather Fire started at Lake Hodges and forced evacuation of hundreds of residents Tilt CALIFORNIAN REPORT Rain is expected today for Southwest County; temperatures in high 80s, low 90s DANIELLE BENSON-CLARK Sr fe Writer temperatures with them, he added. Forecasters expect the hurricane to hit land in northern Baja early today. So what you had today was high-level clouds with hot, dry, clear air underneath, Dan Atkin, another NWS forecaster said Wednesday afternoon. Then the low pressure over the deserts brought in some gusting winds that were like the Santa Ana winds. Same effect, different weather definition.

But that will all change today. Atkin and Stitt said residents should dig out their umbrellas, as they expect a quarter-inch to one inch of rain to fall throughout the day. The unusual system will also bring cloud cover and cooler temperatures, settling out in the upper 80s to low 90s. Humidity should be in the 60 percent range, with showers tapering off by midday, Stitt said. The weekend promises a cooling trend with a change in flow to an onshore wind, Stitt said.

This means residents can expect the predictable low cloud marine layer in the morning, clearing to patchy skies by midday, he noted. The wind will NORA, A 6 Southwest County felt more like southeastern Florida on Wednesday when warm temperatures were accompanied by high humidity and a hot, dry wind. This definitely didnt fit any nice neat weather pattern, said Richard Stitt, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in San Diego. We had an offshore flow associated with a low-pressure area going from the desert to the coast. That produced a Santa-Ana-ish type of hot wind and temperatures.

Temecula reported a high of 97 degrees Wednesday with a balmy 76 percent humidity. Stitt said the tropical system known as Hurricane Nora, brewing off the coast of Baja California, produced the high humidity in the region. The storm also pushed its high clouds north bringing the hot DEL DIOS Firefighters gained the upper hand against a wildfire Wednesday that put a scare into North San Diego County until Hurricane Noras cool moist winds swept across the region. The blaze destroyed at least two houses, blackened more than 1,200 acres and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents. The fire started about 12:45 p.m.

near the entrance to the Lake Hodges recreation area and raged uncontrolled for about three hours as winds from the east pushed hot, dry desert air across the county. Three hours later, temperatures dropped and humidity rose as the leading edge of Hurricane Nora arrived, quickly stifling the fires fury. It was about 30 percent contained late Wednesday, and firefighters were expected to fully surround it by 6 a.m. today. Authorities allowed evacuees back into the area by 7 p.m.

For a time, it appeared the fire would march unabated to the west, a pi aspect reminiscent of last Octobers Harmony Grove fire, which destroyed more than 100 homes and charred 8,600 acres. Wednesdays Del Dios fire consumed brush that hasnt burned in about 15 years on steep hills west of Lake Hodges. A towering plume of thick, browm smoke could be seen as far south as Tijuana and as far north as Riverside. The cloud cast a dark shadow across Escondido, prompting afternoon motorists on Interstate 15 to drive with their headlights on. White and gray ash rained down on much of North San Deigo County, from Oceanside BLAZE, A 5 Above, North San Diego County firefighters start to back up when flames explode in front of them near Del Dios Highway in Escondido on Wednesday.

Right, firefighters from Yucca Valley test their equipment Wednesday at Temecula fire station 12, designated as a staging area for firefighters headed to the Del Dios Fire near Escondido. Avocado value at all-time high STEVE WATERSTRAT Stif Writfr STEVE THORNTON Staff riloTouumiR cados by consumers, Bob Bed-nar, chairman of the Avocado Commission, said Wednesday. No matter how many avocados the growers produce, it only matters if someone wants to buy them, said Bednar, a Poway resident who grows avocados in Valley Center. Years of advertising and a strong marketing campaign are paying off. Another factor that has helped the industry is a steady, reliable flow of the fruit from growers.

Avocado Commission Vice President Tom Bellamore, the industrys Santa Ana-based spokesman, said the industry tries to avoid gluts followed by shortages, and also to increase availability of the fruit for holidays and peak consumption periods. Growers can pick Hass avocados, accounting for 90 percent of the market, about nine months of the year. The packing houses and AVOCADO, A 5 Senate OKs FDA overhaul California avocado crops will bring in more money this year than ever before, with wholesale value estimated at $256 million for about 330 million pounds of the fruit. Figures released Wednesday by the California Avocado Commission show wholesale income for the states 6,000 growers is up 9 percent, from $235 million, despite a drop in actual production of about 3 percent, or 10 million pounds, over last year. The 1997 crop value is projected through Oct.

31. Industry experts attribute the crop output to fair weather, good pest control, and a successful consumer marketing campaign. California growers produce more than 90 percent of the nations avocados. The reason for the increased value is simple theres a lot of demand for avo JIM ABRAMS lYTtl) PRr-'S Programs end frets green card hopefuls CRAIG DELAVAL Spit Writfr The bill to overhaul the Food and Drug Administration review process passed 98-2. But as the legislation moved to the House, disputes lingered on some issues, and some consumer groups continued to warn that safety was being sacrificed for speed.

The legislation, Senate Labor and Human Resources Chairman Jim Jeffords, said, marks the first substantial reform in the FDA in 30 years. What we have is going to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of FDA, A 6 WASHINGTON The Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation Wednesday that would help speed new drugs and medical devices into the marketplace. Hate-crime crackdown sought Htfgss- 1 STEVE WATERSTRAT f'tu-r Win i ii News-Ads 676-4315 Main fax 699-1467 Newsroom fax Customer Servlce676-7550 Toll free ESCONDIDO The future of Rosario Mendoza and many other illegal immigrants and their families in the U.S. is in the hands of the federal government. Within weeks, Mendozas family of four could be splintered, separated by an international border.

Or she could remain in Ramona, where the undocumented woman lives with her documented husband and where her two young daughters attend school. The Mendoas fate hinges on whether Congress extends the life of a pilot immigration project due to expire by the end of the month. The decision could determine whether Mendoza and others like her can stay while seeking a green card, the much-coveted docu- Stone said Wednesday. Temecula Police Chief Pete Labahn said the graffiti incident is still under investigation. He said racist graffiti does appear in Temecula, but not on a regular basis.

This happens here, like everywhere, but not usually to the extent of this incident at the high school, Labahn said. He said the city and local police take a strong stance on graffiti crimes. We take enforcement action whenever we are able to, and we make arrests when we identify suspects, he said. Ann Landers B-5 Classifieds D-4 Comics B-S Cryptoquote D-4 Easy Crossword D-4 Horoscope D-4 Jumble D-4 Local B-l Money D-l Movies 2 National News A 3 Obituaries A-2 Opinion A-4 Sports Cl State News A 3 Stocks D-2 Television 2 Times Crossword B-2 Weather 6 World News A 3 Classifieds 676-4315 Toll free Whatever you want to sell or buy you can do it in The Californian classifieds. wants to increase citizen rewards, and that city officials are reviewing Temeculas graffiti ordinance.

He wants to make sure the ordinance carries the harshest penalties allowed under state law. We need these individuals punished for this crime. This kind of thing is rare in Temecula, but it wont be if it goes by unpunished, TEMECULA City Councilman Jeff Stone said there is no way this city will tolerate hate crimes like the recent racist graffiti incident at Temecula Valley High School. Stone said Wednesday that he is arranging a meeting between city officials and Riverside County District Attorney Grover Trask, to make sure that any suspects in the recent incident will lie prosecuted and receive the highest possible penalty. In addition, Stone said he fBV ffS nfxwscuj-r flhp Tkies fwy fed i suWfid ALIENS, A 5 HATE, A 5.