March Members Month, The Backyard Flock: Raising Urban Chickens, Village Aquaponics Workshops, Fall in Love with Bees!, Designing a Small Space Garden and The Spring Garden Festival.
January 10, 2012 (Rancho San Diego)—The Water Conservation Garden invites the public to enjoy its 2012 winter and spring events. Gardening classes help residents save water and money by focusing on water-smart landscaping techniques and plants. Classes are taught by experts and topics include lawn removal, water-smart landscape design, backyard composting, irrigation design and gardening for children. Pre-registration is required for all classes. To enroll call 619-660-0614 x 10.
January 10, 2012 (San Diego) -- One in 16 children in the U.S. is suffering from food insecurity, the state of not being able to provide nutritious foods to you, oneself or family. This is a major problem all around the country, even in our own backyard. How can a country so advanced still be living in the 1950s in terms of food insecurity?
January 10, 2011 (McCain Valley)-- If you see smoke this week, don't panic. Cal-Fire will be conducting a prescribed burn in the area of McCain Valley in San Diego's East County during daylight hours January 11 and January 12. Approximately 90 acres of brush will be burned over the next few days as part of a vegetation managegement burn plan.
Lakeside Winner Achieves Nearly 50 Percent Energy Savings
January 5, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)– An energy efficiency program piloted by San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) succeeded in more than doubling energy savings among participating residential customers during a three-month period. Erica Faunce of Lakeside, Calif., was declared the Biggest Energy SaverSM contest winner in San Diego after achieving a 46.5 percent energy savings, equal to 1,356 kilowatt hours for her family of three, and won a new laptop computer.
January10, 2012 (Lakeside) - ECM photographer Dennis Richardson snapped this photo of the unusually bright full moon this weekend at his home in Lakeside.
“I took it from my back yard using a 100 X 400 mm Canon lens set on 400 mm,” he said.
January 10, 2012 (San Diego) – For the first time, all four of the leading contenders running for San Diego Mayor will debate this Friday, January 13 at 4 p.m. Bob Filner, Bonnie Dumanis, Nathan Fletcher, and Carl DeMaio have all agreed to participate.
The event will be held at the U.S. Grant Hotel.In the public interest will jointly sponsor this debate by The City Club, Lincoln Club, Independent Voter Network (IVN.US), and the U-T San Diego.
January 8, 2012 (San Diego) – The Salvation Army Kroc Center invites guests to visit the facility at 6845 University Ave La Mesa, CA 92115 on Saturday January 14, 2012 from 10a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring the family and enjoy child care, tours, fitness assessments and drop in on exercise classes in the gym and pool. All activities are free during the open house.
Buy a bottle of “Sequoia” wine and help save animals at a no-kill shelter
By Millicent Arko
January10, 2012 (Warner Springs) -- During January, the owners of Hawk Watch Winery in Warner Springs will be accepting donated items for Living Free, a nonprofit no-kill animal sanctuary. Dog and cat collars, beds, food, scratching posts, treats, biscuits, and items the staff needs to maintain the animals’ living spaces and grounds are all needed. In fact, Living Free has an animal “wish list” posted on its website www.living-free.org/about/our_wishlist.html
January 9, 2012 (San Diego) -- In a ceremonial changing of the gavel, Ron Roberts assumed Chairmanship of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors today, Monday, January 9 at 9 a.m. at the County Administration Center at 1600 Pacific Highway in San Diego.
January 9, 2012 (San Diego) -- On Sunday, January 15, 2012, the San Diego Clarinet Quintet will perform at Mission Trails Regional Park at 3:00 p.m. in the Visitor & Interpretive Center theater or amphitheater.
The quintet is part of the San Diego Clarinet Society, and is composed of professional musicians who have performed with the San Diego Symphony, San Diego Ballet Orchestra, San Diego Opera Orchestra, and Starlight Opera.
January 9, 2012 (Sacramento) -- State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced that the 2012 Heritage School Registration System is open. Heritage schools—which give students a chance to focus on the language, culture, and traditions of a foreign country—must register online annually with the California Department of Education (CDE) by the end of January.
Update: The male suspect and a woman have been taken into custody early this afternoon. No injuries were reported.
January 9, 2012 (Del Cerro) – Shots have been fired at law enforcement officers by a suspect who has barricaded himself inside a Days Inn Motel at 5343 Adobe Falls Road near Waring Road in Del Cerro, visible from I-8 in the east end of Mission Valley, ECM has learned.
January 9, 2012 (San Diego) -- San Diegans should be alarmed at the amount of money coming out of their pocketbooks as a result of underage drinking, the head of San Diego County’s Alcohol Policy Panel Beth Sise said today. Underage drinking cost Californians nearly $6.8 billion in 2010, according to a report released recently by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, a nationally recognized nonprofit specializing in research related to the use of alcohol and other drugs.
Corporate Exec-Turned-Novelist Says It’s Never Too Late
January 9, 2011 (Los Angeles)--With 7 million Americans receiving unemployment benefits, and many counting the years – instead of months – since their layoff, author Darlene Quinn says now is a good time to reinvent yourself. She cites James Sherk, a senior policy analyst for the Heritage Foundation, who says the jobs people held two or three years ago often simply aren’t there anymore.
January 7, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – A petition has been launched by residents of the Grossmont Union High School District asking the Board to rescind boundary changes that impact approximately 3,675 current students as well as many more future students. Gregory Kerrebrock, who launched the online petition, says many homeowners and parents were never notified. “Our voices were not heard in the original decision making process,” the petition reads. “Do you know how this may affect you or your school children or property value?”
January 5, 2011 (La Mesa) – If the holidays have left you with old computers, TVs or other electronic items you no longer need, you can recycle them at the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce’s electronic waste and recycling event January 14-15 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will be held at Grossmont Center between B2B Fit and Fuddruckers.
La Mesa woman who wrote tell-all book about film industry was third-oldest Californian
January 8, 2012 (La Mesa) – Silent movie screenwriter Frederica Sagor Maas gained fame and notoriety in an era when few women attained such acclaim.But on Thursday, December 29, 2011, Maas made her final exit, passing away at Country Villas, a La Mesa nursing home.
Scripts written by Maas starred some of Hollywood’s leading talents on the silver screen, including Greta Garbo, Norma Shearer and Clare Bow. The Hollywood Reporter called her a “pioneering” female screenwriter, while the Los Angeles Times memorialized her as “one of the last links to the silent film industry.”
January 7, 2011 (San Diego's East County)--The National Weather Service has issued a "fire weather planning forecast" for southwestern California. In San Diego County, moderate to strong northeast winds and very dry weather with low humidity are forecast for inland areas, combining to create "near critical fire weather conditions" on Sunday.
January 7, 2012 (Alpine) – A multi-vehicle pile-up shut down I-8 east near Dunbar Road this evening, but the roadway is now open, CHP reports. The accident results in injuries to seven people, who were transported to Grossmont Hospital.
Update 8:35 p.m.: The fire is now knocked down and residents are cleared to return to their residences.
January 7, 2012 (Lakeside)--Firefighters are on the scene of a garage fire at 12097 Gay Rio Drive in Lakeside. "The fire is putting up a lot of smoke and they're getting people out of the houses nearby," ECM photographer Dennis Richardson told ECM.
One person is reportedly suffering smoke inhalation and will be transported to a local hospital.
January 7, 2012 (Spring Valley) – A runaway truck has rolled down a hill, struck a home and landed on a gas meter at a home at 1313 Portola Avenue in Spring Valley. A gas line has been ruptured and SDG&E has been called, Incident Page Networks reports at 5:13 p.m. A victim has been transported to a local hospital in moderate trauma status.
January 7, 2012 (La Mesa) -- In the past three months the La Mesa Police Department management team has gone through many new changes. With Chief Lanning’s retirement in September of 2011 and Captain Medero’s retirement in December 2011, seven promotions of existing LMPD staff were made in 2011 to consist of a new Chief of Police, two new captains, two new lieutenants and two new sergeants.
January 7, 2012 (Santee) -- Grossmont Adult School will be offering a 42-hour - Healthcare Interpreting Class at the Health Occupations Center, 9368 Oakbourne Road, Room 5, Santee CA 92071. This class prepares bilingual individuals with the skills, knowledge, and ethics to present accurate healthcare interpreting for people who do not speak English.
“Wind farms are the main cause. The issuing of license to kill will accelerate the decline toward extinction.”—Save the Eagles International
An East County Magazine Special Report
By Miriam Raftery
January 6, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – San Diego County’s 48 pairs of nesting golden eagles and even rarer bald eagles could be in peril if proposed industrial-scale wind farms are built.In a press release issued today,Save the Eagles International (STEI) issued a dire warning, providing detailed documentation proving that golden eagles and their nests are disappearing rapidly near wind farms across the U.S.
The group also blasted the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for changing its mission from protecting wildlife to “catering to the interests of an industry” that is a “ruinous one to boot.”
January 6, 2012 (La Mesa) – Police seek two suspects who led police on a high-speed chase early this morning in a stolen white 1988 Toyota Camry (CA plate 2LQR720). The chase began when La Mesa Police officers tried to stop a stolen vehicle leaving the parking lot at the Heritage Inn at 7851 Fletcher Parkway in La Mesa at 5:49 a.m.
January 6, 2012(San Diego) -- Community leader and educator Pat Washington has announced she is running for the 79th State Assembly seat.
“I have worked with San Diegans and for San Diego for a long time to help make this city a better place for us all. Through my leadership and activism, I have helped promote educational access, equity and opportunity for local youth and have bridged communities across the San Diego Region. I am proud of the work I have done at the local level, and I now want to fight for our hard-working families at the state level.”
January 6, 2012 (Alpine and Spring Valley) -- TC Construction is offering a $500.00 reward for the return or conviction of the person(s) responsible for taking the following items from a jobsite in Spring Valley on December 27, 2011. This is the second theft within the December 2011 time frame.
Items taken include:
Aluminum shoring, Flanges, Ladder, and Traffic Control Signs. Scroll down for photos and details.
OnJanuary 18, San Diego Jewish Academy will welcome the community to explore its beautiful 56-acre campus and speak with faculty and current parents.
January 6, 2012 (San Diego) – San Diego Jewish Academy (SDJA) will host its Pre-K to 12 Open House on Wednesday, January 18, for both prospective parents and current SDJA families. The event will provide an opportunity for parents and students to learn about the school, view classrooms and speak with faculty, staff and administrators.
January 8, 2012 (San Diego) – The Salvation Army Kroc Center invites guests to visit the facility at 6845 University Ave La Mesa, CA 92115 on Saturday January 14, 2012 from 10a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring the family and enjoy child care, tours, fitness assessments and drop in on exercise classes in the gym and pool. All activities are free during the open house. 
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