East County News Service

April 19, 2018 (San Diego) – Senate Bill 1487, the African Species Protection Act, is set for hearing in the California State Senate’s Public Safety Committee, where members include Senator Joel Anderson, whose district includes most of East County.  Wildlife conservation groups are urging the public to contact legislators on the committee to urge passage of the measure, which would ban possession in California of body parts from elephants, rhinos, giraffes, lions and other iconic African species.

By Miriam Raftery

April 19, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) - This week’s Destination East County includes a murder mystery theatre in Julian, a meteor watch in Lakeside, a hike for you and your dog in Santa Ysabel, an antiques and crafts fair at Summers Past Farms, girls night out at Cajon Classic Cruises, and a lilac festival.

Plus, we’ll have a preview of coming attractions including the San Diego Concert Band’s American salute, the Lakeside Rodeo, a garden and butterfly festival at the Water Conservation Garden, a medieval music concert at Mission Trails, History Alive and film nights at the Library in Lemon Grove, El Cajon’s dinner and a concert series, Vintage Alpine, the Final Adventures of Sherlock Holmes onstage at Grossmont College, a Salsa Fiesta in Lemon Grove, a Taste of Julian, and the Coyote Music Festival at Cuyamaca College.

So scroll down for all of these events and many more!

April 19, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) - East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen on important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

 U.S.

•  U.S. launches missile strikes in Syria (Washington Post)
• “Mission accomplished.” But what is the mission in Syria? (NY Times)
• Trump order targets wide swath of public assistance programs (The Hill)
• Trump administration abandons crackdown on legal marijuana (LA Times)
• Pulitzer prizes for coverage of Harvey Weinstein, Russian meddling (CBS)
• Sandy Hook parents have just hit Alex Jones with a defamation lawsuit (MSN)
• The Trump administration has officially clipped the wings of the Migratory Birds Treaty Act (Washington Post)
• Investigators focus on another Trump ally: The National Enquirer (NY Times)
• Trump grants pardon to former Bush official; some say he is using the law as a political tool (Washington Post)
• FCC shuts down request to investigate Sinclair over ‘distorted news’ claims (FierceCable)
• More Than 600 Justice Department Alumni Sign Letter to Protect Mueller (GovExec)
• Massachusetts top court declares stun gun ban unconstitutional  (Reuters)

 WORLD

• U.N. Security Council rejects Russian resolution condemning Syria strikes (New York Times)
• Germany takes a run at online hate speech. Some cry censorship. (CS Monitor)
• Under military rule, Venezuela oil workers quit in a stampede (Reuters)
• Intelligence released proving Iranian military involvement in Syria (JPost)
• South Korea's elderly boogie, find connection in daytime discos (CS Monitor)

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

East County News Service

April 18, 2018 (San Diego) - East County’s San Diego Festival Chorus presents its spring concert on April 29th with Rutter’s "Requiem" and songs from "West Side Story" and "The Wizard of Oz".

The "Requiem" comes from the Englishmen, John Rutter. It is a contemporary masterwork, a beautiful, simple requiem with an appeal to all who hear it.

By Miriam Raftery

April 18, 2018 (San Diego) -- The dream of home ownership is slipping away from many San Diego County residents.

The median price of a home has shot up 9.5 percent in the past year, hitting a record $625,400 in March, according to the California Association of Realtors.

East County News Service

April 18, 2018 (San Diego) -- The County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation is seeking nominations for the third annual Parks and Recreation Champion Awards. 

The program recognizes local champions for their work in environmental education and ambassadorship at parks and public centers across San Diego County. The winner will be awarded at a banquet in July in celebration of National Parks and Recreation Month. 

By Tracy DeFore, County of San Diego Communications Office

April 18, 2018 (San Diego) - Poll workers, especially those who are bilingual in any one of six specific languages, are needed for the June 5 Gubernatorial Primary Election. The Registrar’s office is required by federal law to provide bilingual speakers and voting materials to voters who speak Spanish, Filipino, Vietnamese and Chinese. In addition, a survey conducted by the University of California, Berkeley showed a need for speakers of Arabic and Korean at just under 90 precincts across the county so the Registrar’s office is also recruiting poll workers who are bilingual in those languages.

Hear our interview on KNSJ on these hot topics and more by clicking the audio link:  Protecting residents from wildfires and frequent power outages,  setting state standards to shorten ambulance response times and beef up fire protection, make healthcare more accessible,  create opportunities for middle class jobs, and stop special interest influences.

By Miriam Raftery

April 15, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) – “I’ve bene fighting to save lives and protect people my entire adult life,” says Cal Fire Captain/paramedic Jeff Griffith, who is also an elected member of the Palomar Health District board.  Now he’s running for the 38^th State Senate district seat being vacated by Joel Anderson due to term limits, which includes most of East County’s urban, rural and mountain areas.

He’s running against Brian Jones, former Assemblyman and current Santee Councilman—and taking Jones to task for a legislative record that he says favored special interests over public health and safety. 

Captain Griffith wants to solve concerns raised recently by residents in San Diego’s inland region, such as  protecting residents not only from wildfires, but also from dangers posed by frequent intentional power outages. He would support legislation to improve ambulance response times, as a paramedic who has seen what happens when patients don’t get to an ER in time.  He also wants legislative to put fire protection as a guarantee in our county's charter and pledges to fight for better access and affordability to healthcare, as well as opportunities for middle class jobs.

By Bobbi Zane

Photo, left, and interior photos courtesy Julian Gold Rush Hotel

April 17, 2018 (Julian) -- Julian Gold Rush Hotel is a lovely Victorian bed and breakfast that dates back to the 1890s. Known as the “Queen of the Back Country,” the hotel is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: ECM News partner 10 News

April 17, 2018 (San Diego) – A driver who exited his vehicle after striking and killing a deer on northbound State Route 125 south of State Route 54 before dawn died after falling off an overpass into a canyon.

California Highway Patrol’s dispatch was notified of the collision at 4:39 a.m.   Upon arrival, CHP units found a black 2007 Audi A3 that had crashed into the deer in the right-hand lane.

By Jonathan Goetz and Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Standing room only crowd included dozens of gun control supporters as well as gun rights advocates

April 17, 2018 (El Cajon) – Actions of the Cajon Valley School District have become targets for both sides in the gun violence debate. At the April 10^th board meeting, members came under fire for:

• Hillsdale Middle School students put on lunch detention for participating in an on-campus walk out during the nationwide March for Our Lives;
•  Termination of a contract for counseling intern Margaret Katchur Morghen, who sat with students during detention as a “learning exercise on the First Amendment” and also spoke with media about the walk-out;
• School board member Jim Miller firing off a derisive letter to a retired teacher who had written to the Superintendent asking for actions to reduce gun violence at schools. Miller responded on behalf of the San Diego Gun Owners Political Action Committee, and wore a National Rifle Association (NRA) hat during the school board’s April 10, 2018 public meeting.

Those actions got the public up in arms, figuratively speaking. Gun rights advocates and people concerned about gun violence packed the hearing room at the April 10^th school board meeting.  Eight people testified during public comments, split evenly with four rounds on each side.

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Story and photos by Liz Alper

Cover photo:  Valhalla junior Max Hageman drove in the game-winning walkoff single in the eighth inning.

April 17, 2018 (El Cajon) - Valhalla baseball, usually one of the best high school baseball teams in San Diego County, is off to a rare bad start to 2018.  The Norsemen were 6-11 overall coming into today’s game, but were so far, so good in league with a 2-1 record.  The Cougars of Steele Canyon are quite the opposite.  They’re undefeated in league (3-0) and a solid .500 (8-8) overall.  Both teams met on Norsemen turf today.  In football, this would be the battle for the Jamacha Trophy.  We’ll call it that in baseball too for fun.  Senior Trevor Back started for the Cougars against senior Tanner Smith for Valhalla.

East County News Service

April 17, 2018 (La Mesa) – The Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) recently awarded $90,000 in scholarships to 40 high school seniors who have expressed interest in a career as a healthcare professional.

East County News Service

April 16, 2018 (La Mesa) – Foothills Christian Church, 365 West Bradley Ave., El Cajon, will host “Blessed with a Dress,” a free event for young women needing high-quality, fashionable formal wear for school dances and other special occasions. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 21, girls can visit the church campus and select a free dress, pair of shoes and jewelry for upcoming formal events.

By Miriam Raftery

April 15, 2018 (Lemon Grove) – The Lemon Grove Lions Club invites you to enjoy salsa tasting plus salsa dancing, Mexican food, music and prizes at their annual Salsa y Salsa Fiesta. The festivities will be held on Friday, May 11 from 6 to 9 p.m. to benefit service projects including support for the Lemon Grove Little League, Girls On The Run at Lemon Grove Schools,  sponsorships to send kids to camp, and the Lion's International Disaster Fund.