July 22, 2015 (San Diego's East County) -- Stay safe and informed!  East County Magazine's free wildfire and emergency alert service has been busy lately warning people here about flash floods, wildfires, roadway hazards and severe weather.

Our regional emergency alerts come via email, so you can get them even if phone lines burn down. You can also get alerts on your cell phone. Plus you can receive our free weekly newsletter with top news stories in our region.

Sign up today! It's FREE.  Click here.

East County News Service

July 19, 2015 (La Mesa)—Hospitals must release their rates of readmission and serioscomplications, due to a new Medicare requirement in the Affordable Care Act—and pay penalties for poor results.  That’s producing positive results, pushing hospitals  to work to improve those numbers and patient wellbeing.

For example, a study by BetterDoctors.com found that from mid-2010 to mid-2013, Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa ranked fourth worst in the nation for readmissions and complications. The good news is that since then, Grossmont's numbers have improved dramatically, according to Better Doctors and Grossmont, and penalty fees have dropped sharply as a result. Th hospital has also won several awards and honors for its patient care.

July 18, 2015 (La Mesa) - The Grossmont Healthcare District’s Dr. William C. Herrick Community Health Care Library, 9001 Wakarusa St. in La Mesa, will host a free program on “Getting REAL About Alzheimer’s,” from 10 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 22. The program is part of the library’s Wellness Wednesday series, normally held on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

"Meet us at The Lookout" and meet the artists

Kristin Kjaero

July 17, 2015 (La Mesa) -- La Mesa is marking the groundbreaking for it centennial legacy project with a public ceremony on July 23 at 9:00 a.m. 

Come meet and greet La Mesa residents and design competition winners Jess, Mary Lynn and Amy Dominguez, who will be on hand for the ceremony.

July 16, 2015 (La Mesa) -- There will be a planned power outage at the Public Works Maintenance Yard on Friday, July 17. The phones will be down through Sunday, July 19. 

For a public works related emergency, including a sewer backup, please call 619.667.1400. 

For other non-emergency service requests, please use Request Tracker.

East County Magazine

July 16, 2015 (La Mesa) – Helix Water District’s Board on Wednesday voted down a staff/legal recommendation for a tough new emergency drought action plan resolution that would have imposed a “civil volumetric penalty” for every unit of water over 30 used by residential customers.

By Ariele Johannson

July 15, 2015 (Mt. Helix) --The magic of Mary Poppins rises up on Mt. Helix this week - as she did in the sky above London - in this favorite  childhood story performed by Christian Community Theater. Mary Poppins: the Broadway Musical runs from July 9-August 2, 2015 and is the second summer production since CCT’s return to the Mt. Helix outdoor amphitheater. The players act, sing and dance their way into the hearts of the audience in this charming story of childhood and redemption, with a few surprises along the way.

By Miriam Raftery

July 14, 2015 (Mt. Helix) – Recently, Mt. Helix residents on the “Next Door” community forum website posted concerns after a distraught resident reported seeing a coyote kill her small Yorkie dog.  Fortunately, another  East County resident has offered a solution for residents who want to provide a safe outdoor area for small dogs or cats to exercise safely, without harming  coyotes, which are native to our region and help control rodent populations.

Tickets are on sale for the Eighth Annual heART of Mt. Helix held at East County’s most recognizable landmark, the memorial cross and historic amphitheater atop Mt. Helix. The Park is pleased to announce Tom Karlo, KPBS General Manager, will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for this Park fundraiser.

The sunset event will be held on August 15 from 5:30 pm to 10:00 pm and will feature vignettes by local performing and visual artists. After enjoying the 360 degree view and listening to two stages of local musicians perform, guests can dance under the stars to the Mighty Untouchables, a well known San Diego band. Mt. Helix painters Nora Clemens, Debi Nicols, Roz Oserin, Penelope Quirk, and Wood Turner Sally Ault will each be demonstrating their technique to showcase the variety of visual arts talent in East County.

By Kathy Carpenter

Associate and Youth Reviewer www.sdtheatrereviews.com

July 7, 2015 (La Mesa) - Frustrated as a college student screenwriter, Chris Montgomery recalls, life happened. Years later, the La Mesa father decided his time had come.  After watching many children's shows both good and bad, he decided he could put together a movie kids would watch and  that parents would approve. Olivia's Island Adventure will premiere at the San Diego Performing Arts Center (4579 Mission Gorge Place, San Diego, CA 92120) on July 10-11, 2015 @ 6:45pm.

East County News Service

July 4, 2015 (La Mesa) – A two-alarm fire 8420 Buckland Street in La Mesa on Friday morning started in a kitchen and caused $325,000 in damages to three apartment units and the contents, Heartland Fire reports.

East County News Service

Photo: Surveillance image from U.S. Bank

July 3, 2015 (La Mesa) - The FBI and La Mesa Police Department are seeking the public’s assistance to identify the suspect responsible for robbing the U.S. Bank, located inside of the Albertsons grocery store located at 8920 Fletcher Parkway, La Mesa, California, on Thursday, July 2 at 10:07 a.m.

July 2, 2015 (La Mesa) – There have been reports of a young man with dark hair observed going through people’s mailboxes as he goes door to door in La Mesa.  He then mentions neighbor’s names, supposedly to sell educational material.

In response, Claudia Ortega of the La Mesa Police Department provided a refresher on solicitors in La Mesa and how to stay safe:

June 30, 2015 (La Mesa)--Sharp Grossmont was honored with a 2015 Women’s Choice Award® as one of America’s best hospitals for cancer care. Sharp Grossmont is just one of 331 hospitals to have earned the award by meeting the highest cancer care accreditation standards of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and other robust criteria that consider female patient satisfaction.

East County News Service

June 28, 2015 (La Mesa)--Two pedestrians in the 4300 block of Rosebud Lane in La Mesa were robbed at gunpoint at 12:50 this morning by a suspect armed with a handgun.

The unknown suspect approached the male and female victim as they were standing on the sidewalk. The suspect produced a silver semi-automatic handgun and demanded the victims’ money and cell phones. After the victims complied, the suspect ran away southbound on Rosebud Lane.