By Sam Warren, copyright 2017

August 19, 2017 (San Diego) – From a happy hour adventure with a New York Times best-selling author to the San Diego Festival of Books, you’ll find many local events for literary lovers coming up across our region.

By Paul Kruze 

Photo: Shawn “Lone Wolf” Christman in mid-1980s

August 19, 2017  (Santa Ysabel) -- Things were not supposed to end this way.

Santa Ysabel resident Angela June (Sortore) Christman  has traveled a long road of frustration that ended in heartbreak on August 10th, when Detective George Chrysler of the San Diego Sheriff Department gave her the bad news that her long lost son, Shawn “Lone Wolf” Christman (known to his friends as “Coyote”), had drowned in Lake Michigan in 1993.  His body was laid to rest as an unidentified John Doe in a pauper’s grave outside of Chicago, Illinois in 1994. 

By Miriam Raftery

August 18, 2017 (El Cajon) – Works by Jack Jordan, a distinguished El Cajon artist, art teacher and former art director of the Evening Tribune, will be displaced at the Olaf Wieghorst Museum (131 Rea Ave.) in El Cajon from September 9-28, with a reception on September 9 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.  This is a benefit event to honor Jordan and raise funds for the aging artist’s medical expenses.

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Story and photos by Liz Alper

August 18, 2017 (San Diego) - The SDSU men’s soccer team took the pitch on SDSU Sports Deck for the first time in 2017 tonight against Cal Poly Pomona.

East County News Service

August 18, 2017 (La Mesa) – The Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) has awarded a $89,440 grant to Grossmont College’s Allied Health Division. The grant will be applied towards the purchase of three pieces of equipment that will assist in the training of cardiovascular, respiratory and orthopedic technology students.

East County News Service

August 17, 2017 (Alpine) — Authorities seek public help to find the man shown in this artist’s sketch.  He is wanted for attacking a 63-year-old woman who was walking in Alpine on the evening of June 20^th, breaking her nose and causing numerous scrapes and bruises.

Penny, Rosales, Kelly and Lomax elected captains for 2017 campaign

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo:  2017 Aztec captains (L-to-R) Kameron Kelly, Trey Lomax and Rashaad Penny (Antonio Rosales not pictured) exchanging gifts at MCAS Miramar.  Courtesy goaztecs.com

August 17, 2017 (San Diego) - San Diego State football has named seniors Rashaad Penny (Norwalk, Calif.), Antonio Rosales (Tucson, Ariz.), Kameron Kelly (Murphy, Texas) and Trey Lomax (San Diego, Calif.) as its captains for the 2017 campaign.

By Miriam Raftery

August 17, 2017 (La Mesa, California)—La Mesa Councilmember and Vice Mayor Kristine C. Alessio has quit the Republican Party over the party’s failure to take a stand against racism.

“I’m out of the Republican Party,” Alessio announced on her Facebook page yesterday. “I’ll never be pro choice, never be against the second amendment, but I cannot stand with anyone who will not say no to racism and prejudice. Count me as decline to state and in favor of liberty.”

Update August 17, 2017 -- President Trump has backed off his words from Monday  in an angry speech to reporters  yesteraday, where he claimed counterprotesters were "very violent" and that there were "good people" on both sides. His appeasement and excusing of those in a march with Nazi flags prominently displayed has appalled many, prompting resignation of numerous CEOs off his business advisory panel which Trump dissolved as more and more quit in protest over his racial views. Watch video on CNN.

By Miriam Raftery

Rally organizer tells HBO Vice reporter on video, "A lot more people are going to die."

August 15, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – President  Donald Trump on Monday issued a strong statement denouncing groups by name  that participated in the Charlottesville, Virginia gathering of radical racist hate organizations, at which a Nazi sympathizer plowed a vehicle into a crowd of protesters, killing a woman and injuring 19 others.

the president's announced came two days after the attack – and following a barrage of criticism including leaders in both parties who faulted Trump for not specifically denouncing white supremacism earlier.

"Racism is evil -- and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and other hate groups are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans," Trump said Monday."Those who spread violence in the name of bigotry strike at the very core of America," he added.  View the President’s full statement: http://www.10news.com/news/national/trump-expected-to-condemn-hate-group... .

By Mimi Pollack

Photos courtesy Cinewest Productions

August 16, 2017 (San Diego) -- Filmmaker Isaac Artenstein likes to tell good stories, especially unknown ones, and if those stories inform and entertain others, even better. He feels that the Jews of the Southwest have an untold story as the narrative has been mostly about the Anglo westward expansion; whereas other immigrants are also part of the history. He wants to show one of the missing pieces of the puzzle. To that end, he is working on a four part series of documentaries, Frontier Jews, which covers Jews of the Southwest, including New Mexico, San Diego, Arizona [Tucson] and El Paso. The documentary on New Mexico, Challah Rising in the Desert has just been completed and the one on San Diego, To the Ends of the Earth is near completion.

Whistleblower At The CIA: A Path Of Dissent – An Insider’s Account Of The Politics Of Intelligence, by Melvin A. Goodman (City Lights Books, San Francisco, 2017, 421 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

August 16, 2017 (San Diego) - Melvin A. Goodman, a former Soviet analyst at the CIA and the Department of State for 24 years, and a professor of international relations at the War College for 18 years, has written an intriguing and thought provoking book about espionage and politics; Whistleblower at the CIA. This is a timely and definitive book on the current state of affairs between America and Russia.

August 16, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) - East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views.  Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• Organizers of white nationalist rally in Virginia, driver sued for $3 million (Reuters)
• Anti-government extremist arrested in Oklahoma bomb plot (Los Angeles Times)
• Trump again blames ‘both sides’ for violence at white supremacist rally in VA (Washington Post)
• Google boots out neo-Nazi website that attacked Charlottesville victim (San Jose Mercury News)
• Turkey detains suspected Islamic State militant for planning to bring down U.S. plane (Reuters)
• Justice Dept. demands 1.3 million IP addresses related to Trump resistance site (The Hill)
• Virginia Governor declares state of emergency as alt-right rally turns violent (NBC)
• Trump threatens Venezuela with unspecified military action (Reuters)
• Trump’s odd thanks to Putin for expelling U.S. diplomats sparks anger among foreign service officers (Los Angeles Times)
• A New Report Raises Big Questions About Last Year’s DNC Hack (The Nation)

WORLD

• Patriot interceptor batteries to be deployed pronto in Western Japan (Japan Times)
• North Korea’s Missile Success is Linked to Ukrainian Plant, Investigators Say (New York Times)
• How ISIS nearly stumbled on the ingredients for a 'dirty bomb' (Jewish World Review)
• China issues order to implement U.N. sanctions on North Korea (Reuters)
• As Pakistan Marks 70 Years of Independence, Its Minorities Struggle for Space (NPR)
• Report: Iran and Russia violated U.N. weapons sanctions (JPost)
• Hearing loss of US diplomats in Cuba blamed on covert device (AP)
• PA arrests five journalists for "leaking" sensitive information (JPost)
• Report: Attack on police vehicle kills four in northern Sinai (JPost)
• Machine gun attack on U.N. Mali base in Timbuktu kills seven (Reuters)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

August 16, 2017 (San Diego's East County) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL

• El Cajon Family Endures Months, Possibly Years of Toxic Indoor Air (KPBS)
• Pope names new bishop for Chaldean eparchy of San Diego (Catholic News)
• Care about climate change? San Diego County seeks input (Times of San Diego)
• Already suing, El Cajon officer says she faces harassment, discrimination (SDUT)
• Energy choice might come down to which entity people hate less: government or SDG&E (Voice of SD)
• Large tents to house San Diego homeless endorsed (Times of San Diego)
• Bark beetle makes way in Julian (Borrego Sun)
• New Arguments Emerge Against AB 805 (Voice of San Diego)
• Escondido mom says Homeland Security agent pointed gun at her on I-15 (10 News)
• District admits it urged low-performing students to transfer to charters (Voice of San Diego)

STATE

• Despite California's strict new law, hundreds of schools still don't have enough vaccinated kids (Los Angeles Times)
• Faulconer lays out vision for ‘new California Republicans’ (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• California hopes ‘healthy soil’ will help fight climate change (KPBS)
• Schwarzenegger donates $100,000 to anti-hate group in aftermath of Charlottesville violence (Los Angeles Times)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

August 16, 2017 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Trump declares opioid pain drugs national emergency (BBC)
• End of U.S. payments to health insurers would cause premiums to rise: CBO (Reuters)
• Vitamin B-3 may prevent miscarriages and birth defects, study says (BBC)
• Marijuana use holds three-fold blood pressure death risk (Reuters)
• San Diego Scientists Tweak Gene Editing Tool to Target RNA (KPBS)
• UCSD: Desert plant could treat giardia and ‘brain-eating’ amoeba infections (Times of San Diego)
• Surgery waiting numbers highest in decade, says NHS England (BBC)
• 'Fat but fit' still risk heart disease (BBC)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

•  Scripps Research Institute ranked first worldwide in science (SD Union-Tribune)
• U.S. court rejects Obama-era plan to eliminate some potent planet warming chemicals Science)
• Forget Tough Passwords: New Guidelines Make It Simple (NPR)
• First ‘winged’ mammals flew over dinosaurs (BBC)
• Antarctica home to considerably more volcanoes than previously thought (Verge)
• Who owns the seeds bought by farmers and gardeners? (Marketplace)
• U.S. firm reveals gun-toting drone that can aim and fire in mid-air (BBC)
• Chinese quantum satellite sends 'unbreakable' code (Reuters)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

By Miriam Raftery

August 15, 2017 (Washington D.C.) -- President Donald Trump’s long tolerance of violence and hate speech by white  hate groups has long drawn criticism, brought to the forefront following his two-day-belated denouncement of deadly violence in Charlottesville at the hands of a neo-Nazi during a white supremacists  rally.