By Miriam Raftery

April 5, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law a bill that will raise California’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2022.  The increase will be gradual, with the minimum wage going up from $10 an hour to $10.50 next January, $11 the next year, then rising by $1 a year, after which raises would be tied to the cost of living.  Small business will have an extra year to comply and the Governor could waive increases in bad economic times.

By students at Mount Miguel High School in Spring Valley and East County Youth Coalition members trained as advocates to educate the community about risks of underage drinking and how they can be prevented.

April 5, 2016 (Spring Valley) -- What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear Cinco de Mayo?

By Mike Allen

April 4, 2016 (Boulevard) --Customers of tiny Live Oak Springs Water Co. in Boulevard are worried that a pending 44 percent increase to their water bills won’t provide them with better service, and is nothing more than a bailout to the water company that remains in bankruptcy.

When the California Public Utilities Commission convenes April 7 the commission will likely grant Live Oak its rate increase, which is on the consent calendar. That will send average water bills to $107 a month, from the current average $74, according to the proposed resolution). Yet some customers say instead of helping the company, the PUC should replace the woeful management of Live Oak Springs Water.

“If it’s in bankruptcy, why in God’s name are they allowing him to run the water district?,” says Paul Isham, a 27-year resident of the area at the eastern edge of San Diego County. Isham said Live Oak pumped water from a stream near his property several years ago that caused his well to dry up. The action forced Isham to greatly curtail a small ranch business.

East County News Service

Photo: “Cabrillo Lighthouse”

April 3, 2016 (San Diego) -- The Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation (MTRP) is pleased to present an exhibition featuring an award-winning artist Marilyn Hallam.

By Meg Jensen

Photos:  New state laws ban abortions even for serious deformities that would result in a chlid doomed to pain, suffering, or death. Shown: Microcephalic fetus with brain deformity, conjoined twins,  infant with two faces.

April 4, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Media headlines have been filled the past few days with news about Donald Trump’s changing stance on abortion. The Washington Post reports Trump took five different stances in three days, after stating on MSNBC that he believed there should be “punishment” for women who have abortions (but not for the men who impregnate them).  

Though Trump later shifted his stance following stinging criticisms, the truth is that in many Republican-controlled states, women who seek abortions or obtain them are already been punished with laws that restrict access even in extreme cases such as to end a miscarriage in progress or help a mother prevent carrying to term a fetus so severely damaged that it could not survive, or would face a brief life filled with suffering.

Source: County News Service

Photo: A hiker and his dog on the trails at Sycamore Canyon.

April 3, 2016 (San Diego) -- You grab your leash, and your dog automatically starts heading for the door.  He knows it’s time for a walk.

East County News Service

Photo courtesy ECM news partner 10 News

April 2, 2016 (Fallbrook) – Jamul resident Dennis Hogge, 62, crash landed the Lancair IV plane he was piloting onto I-15 in the Pala Mesa area of Fallbrook this morning. Hogge has been hospitalized with life-threatening injuries including head trauma, 10 News reports.

By Liz Alper

April 2, 2016 (Alpine) - REACH and the Viejas Fire Department are unveiling their new medically-equipped helicopter in Alpine.  To celebrate, they are holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, April 8^th from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Source: Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District

April 1, 2016 (El Cajon) -- Grossmont College is hosting a free screening of “Underwater Dreams,” an inspirational documentary about the sons of undocumented Mexican immigrants who built an underwater robot as Arizona high school students in 2004 and defeated engineering powerhouse MIT in an international competition.

Native Gardens Tour April 2-3 previews

East County News Service

April 1, 2016 (Deerhorn Valley) --Two Deerhorn Valley couples who addressed their need for a fire-safe landscape using native plants discovered that native plants in the garden not only save water and reduce fire risk, but provide year-round beauty that appeals to all the senses.   They will be sharing their gardens and their experience as part of the California Native Plant Society’s (CNPS) Garden Native Tour, April 2^nd and 3^rd, which features a total of twenty gardens in inland San Diego County.  

April 1, 2016 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• U.S. urges waiting period before conception after Zika infection (Reuters)
• Mosquitoes could spread Zika in dozens of U.S. cities (CBS)
• Why cancer in the liver is no longer a death sentence (Daily Mail)
• How Potent Is That Pot Brownie? Dry Ice And A Blender Might Crack The Case (NPR)
• U.S. warns of Zika risk in Cuba  (CBS)
• That Cabernet Might Not Be Good For Your Health After All (NPR)
• Report Reveals Infection Rates For Individual San Diego Hospitals (KPBS)
• Hospital mergers within state borders drive up costs (Marketplace)
• Study says patients can manage complex care at home — and cut costs (Marketplace)
• Liberia closes part of border with Guinea after Ebola cases (San Diego Union-Tribune)
•  Children of Anti-Vaxxers Are Biggest Victims of Measles Outbreaks (Slate)
• San Diego Neurologist Says Gut Health Is Crucial (KPBS)
• From daredevil to chicken: Scientists find off-switch for risky behavior  (Ars Technica)
• A 'Forgotten Disease' Is Suddenly Causing New Worries (NPR)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Post mortem on 13 beached sperm whales found their stomachs full of plastic (IFL Science)
• Bogota's Bus Rapid Transit System Eyed By U.S. Urban Planners (KPBS)
• Automatic Braking Systems To Become Standard On Most U.S. Vehicles (NPR)
• Number of U.S. cyber incidents jumps in 2015 (Reuters)
• Nike's self-lacing shoes: Another product born of innovation (CS Monitor)
• FBI Warns About Car Hacking. Encryption Security Helps Prevent That. (Reason)
• Why the government can’t actually stop terrorists from using encryption (Washington Post)
• How cleaner air could actually make global warming worse (Washington Post)
• FCC Chair: Proposal Would Let Consumers Determine Value Of Internet Privacy  (NPR)
• Yellowstone supervolcano eruptions were even bigger than we thought (CS Monitor)
• Japanese Fleet Kills 333 Whales In The Antarctic (NPR)
• Are smart cars only as good as the roads they're driving on? (Marketplace)
• FBI agrees to unlock another iPhone (BBC)

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