• Maggie Avants, Patch Staff Verified Patch Staff Badge

  • Murrieta, CA

Hometowns: Where to start? I am originally from Indiana, but my family moved to Arizona when I was very young. I grew up in Prescott, Ariz., and moved to San Diego in my adult life. After living in San Diego for eight years, my family and I made Murrieta our home. I also (sorta) call North Hollywood my home, as that is where I visited my late grandmother for most holidays since moving to Southern California.

Birthday: April 23

I started writing in 1998 when I took my first journalism class. In 2008—many years and employers later—I went back to school, completing a degree in journalism at Palomar College in San Marcos, Calif. Before that, I wrote monthly columns in the Murrieta Bugle, including movie reviews, community news and opinion pieces.

During my studies at Palomar, I held various editorial positions for the student-run newspaper, The Telescope. First, as the assistant news editor, then as the opinion editor and finally as the online editor and copy editor.

I covered everything from the campus police blotter to in-depth stories about the college's struggle to keep accreditation. In 2010, I was named Distinguished Journalist of the Year for Palomar's journalism program. And at a state journalism convention, I took second place in a copy editing contest.

In 2009, I landed a freelance position as the education editor for Southwest Riverside News Network, based in Temecula. For more than a year, I covered education news in southwest Riverside County for four school districts: Temecula, Murrieta, Lake Elsinore and Menifee. My stories focused on the tough budget calls districts had to make, as well as on the many great programs our schools offer.

In 2010, I applied and was hired to serve as local editor for Murrieta Patch. In summer 2012, I also began serving as the co-editor or Temecula Patch.

I have lived in Murrieta with my husband, two daughters, two dogs and one cat since 2004. In my spare time, I enjoying reading and getting out into nature. On Sundays, I volunteer in the nursery of a local church.

Posting Activity

Murrieta|News|

Riverside: Body Found in Trunk ID'd as Missing San Diego Man

Investigators had been looking for Gianni Belvedere, 24, and his 2004 Toyota Camry with Utah license plates since the Tierrasanta resident's younger brother and fiancee were found shot to death at Westfield Mission Valley mall early Dec. 24.

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Riverside: Body Found in Trunk ID'd as Missing San Diego Man
Murrieta|News|

School Bus Crash Blocks Domenigoni Parkway

The crash occurred just after 6 p.m. on eastbound Domenigoni Parkway, about a mile east of Winchester Road/Highway 79, CHP reported on its Web page.

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School Bus Crash Blocks Domenigoni Parkway
Murrieta|News|

Southwest County Cities Score High on Anti-Smoking Survey

According to the American Lung Association's American Lung Association's "State of Tobacco Control 2014," Murrieta and Temecula were the only two cities in Riverside County to score a "B" or better. Temecula rated an "A."

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Southwest County Cities Score High on Anti-Smoking Survey
Murrieta|News|

Murrieta Fire Chief Presents 5-Year-Old With Life Saver Award

Murrieta fire Chief Matt Shobert presented 5-year-old Karli LaFever with a Life Saver Award from the Murrieta Fire Department for the swift actions she took the night her great-grandmother, Jennifer LaFever, was suffering a medical emergency.

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Murrieta Fire Chief Presents 5-Year-Old With Life Saver Award
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