By Richard Darvas

$63,000 bill stemming from $25,000 weed abatement charge raises questions over fire district's use of private contractor

May 3, 2010 (Dehesa)--As World War II drew to its nuclear close, Joseph Diliberti was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Sicilian parents. From an early age, however, Diliberti discovered his perennial roots in nature. Whether crab fishing in Long Island or hunting in upstate New York, outdoor activities were a family affair.

“I love this ‘cause I feel like I’m home,” the retiree observes several decades later, as he traces his arm in a circular motion to indicate his present rural home in Dehesa.