January 18, 2012 -- (San Diego’s East County) – ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflecting 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.
National News
Obama seeks to revamp government, focus on exports (Reuters)
Limits on military funeral protests advance (San Diego Union Tribune)
USDA says it will close 259 offices to save $150 million (San Diego UT)
Tea Party may get rebuffed in tax cut showdown (Reuters)
Cantor: US allies have doubts about policies to control Iran (The Hill)
Presidential Campaign
Huntsman drops out, endorses Romney (CNN)
Romney takes some heat over Bain Capital’s actions (Winona Daily News, South Carolina)
Judge rejects Republican candidates requests to be on Virginia ballot (Fox News)
Mitt Romney’s lies (US News & World Reports)
Which presidential candidates have earned the defense industry’s support? (RawStory)
CNN Poll: Ron Paul tied with President Obama (CNN)
WORLD
Government says Hezbollah profits from U.S. cocaine market via link to Mexico drug cartel (Propublica)
U.S. warns Iran over military posturing (CBS News)
It’s official: S&P announces mass downgrade of Eurozone countries (Business Insider)
Iran says nuclear expert killed by bomb attach (NPR)
Russian ship stopped with arms bound for Syria (NPR)
Shiite and Sunni: what are the differences? (Christian Science Monitor)
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Research provides diabetes hope (BBC)
New tuberculosis strain thwarts all antibiotics (NPR)
Lights at night not a bright idea (Jerusalem Post)
Scroll down for excerpts and links to full stories.
January 19, 2012 (San Diego) – Tonight, the Coalition for Reproductive Choice will commemorate the 39th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. Speakers will give international and local perspectives on the battle over reproductive rights. The event will be held at the Joe & Vi Jacobs Center, 404 Euclid Avenue in San Diego.
January 18, 2012 -- (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:
STATE
California lawmakers take another crack at single payer healthcare bill (Sacramento Bee)
Jerry Brown’s budget demands would strip demands, payments from local governments (Sacramento Bee)
Education magazine gives California a “C” for its students (Sacramento Bee)
California in eye of Internet piracy storm (San Francisco Chronicle)
LOCAL
Can $20 a head “cash mobs” save local shops? (U-T San Diego)
E. County leaders like their politics unbuttoned (U-T San Diego)
Parents protest, but are told school attendance boundaries won’t change (La Mesa Patch)
San Diego County Water Authority challenges rate (KPBS)
Stuck in traffic, long awaited Park Place project awaits fifth study (La Mesa Patch)
Chaldeans launch community newspaper (U-T San Diego)
Chickens finally okayed in Santee (U-T San Diego)
5 involved in Sweetwater District probe plead not guilty (10 News)
Sweetwater says workers stole from cafeterias (U-T San Diego)
Campaign limits proposed for Southwestern and San Diego Schools (U-T San Diego)
Scroll down for excerpts and links to full stories.
January 19, 2012 (Jacumba) – The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and assigned Administrative Law Judge Hallie Yacknin will hold a hearing in Jacumba on January 24. The public may testify with comments on SDG&E's proposed $285 million 60-85 acre ECO Substation and 13 miles of new 138kV transmission lines planned for Boulevard.
January 18, 2012 (La Mesa) – East County has long been a conservative bastion. But with changing demographics, party registration has shifted in some communities; La Mesa is now a majority Democratic and El Cajon has only a slight Republican edge. With reapportionment, La Mesa and much of El Cajon have shifted into districts represented by Democrat Susan Davis, raising visibility for the party.
January 18, 2012 (San Diego) – SDG&E will host a Sustainable Architecture seminar on Thursday, January 26, 2012 from 11am to 1 pm at the Center for Sustainable Energy, 4760 Clairemont Mesa Blvd San Diego, CA 92117. The presentation will be made by Simi Razavian, a certified green building designer who specializes in environmentally friendly building design incorporating ancient ideas into modern buildings.
Update: The device has been found to be harmless. "Itw as either debris or a device made to look like an explosive," said Maurice Luque with San Diego Fire. Also, the device was on Conrad in San Diego, not Conrad on Mount Helix.
January 18, 2012 *(San Diego's East County) – The Metro Arson Strike Team from San Diego Fire Department, along with a representative from the federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agency, has been deployed to a home at 4549 Conrad, Chris Hoffman with the ATF has confirmed to East County Magazine.
According to Incident Page Network, a suspicious device in front of the home has triggered the investigation and multiple homes on the street are being evacuated.
Pilot Program Will Offer Solar Options for All Customers
January 18, 2012 – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has filed with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for approval of its new solar proposal called “connected…..to the sun.”The proposal complements rooftop solar and includes two different pilot programs that would give all SDG&E customers options to buy solar power even if they do not own a home, cannot afford a solar investment, or do not have the ability to put photovoltaic panels on their roof.
Customers could choose to buy all or some of their energy from solar projects located in SDG&E’s service territory or negotiate directly with a local solar provider.
“SOPA and PIPA go too far, allowing the government to take down any website for even a single unintentional post with copyrighted material. Even a comment posted by a reader could be enough to get a site shut down.” –ECM Editor Miriam Raftery
January 18, 2012 (San Diego's East County)--On Wednesday Wikipedia and many other major sites will go dark to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA,).Other sites such as Google will remain on line, but post protest messages opposing the bills on their homepages.
January 17, 2011 (El Cajon) -- The Hyde Art Gallery at Grossmont College opens its spring semester with “Mmmultiplicy” Installation Works by Lea Anderson. This exhibition runs from January 23 to February 23, with an artist opening even on Tuesday, January 31 from 7-9 p.m.
January 17, 2012 (La Mesa)— The City of La Mesa is serving up “10 and Under Tennis” for kids. This is a new method using the QuickStart format to learn the game of tennis in a fun, fast, and effective way. Kids will use shorter lighter rackets, slower and lower-bouncing balls, smaller court dimensions and modified scoring systems tailored to the age and size of the child.
January 17, 2012 (Santee) -- The FBI and San Diego Sheriff’s Department are seeking the public’s assistance to identify a man who robbed the Pacific West Bank, 9955 Mission Gorge Road, Santee, California, on Tuesday, January 17, 2012.
January 16, 2012 (Palomar) – Friends of Palomar Mountain State Park has submitted a plan to the California Dept. of Parks and Recreation that could prevent the park from closing permanently on July 1 due to budget cuts. The group seeks pledges from inidividuals in hopes of reaching $60,000. [Editor's note: 16% of the goal was met when we posted this. Now on Jan. 17, 20% of the goal has been met. Thanks to our readers who helped! I made a pledge and hope many more of you will help save this beautiful place!)
January 17, 2012 (El Cajon)--World-renowned speaker Azim Khamisa on January 29, 2012 will kick off the 15th annual "Season for Nonviolence" at Christ Church Unity in El Cajon. Khamisa, who has been praised by dignitaries including the Dalai Llama and former President Bill Clinton, delivers his inspirational message following the senseless-gang-related death of his son, Tariq in 1995.
January 17, 2012 (Rancho San Diego)--The Cougars are unstoppable! Led by head coach Parris Pisiona, Steele Canyon’s Midget team has earned the coveted title of National Champions.
Co-Authored by Senator Joel Anderson, 36th District, Kathy Kassel, Executive Director, Lakeside Chamber of Commerce, and John Olsen – Executive Director, Santee Chamber of Commerce
January 17, 2012 (Lakeside)--Employers already struggling to survive in California’s difficult business climate can’t afford to take their eye off another lurking hazard: lawsuit abuse.
January 18, 2012 (Tecate) – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Tecate port of entry in East County have apprehended a 21-year-old fugitive, Jose Legaspi Jr., with an outstanding felony warrant for homicide.
Update February 4, 2012 -- The Department of Defense still has not listed the death of Jay Polk, nor has any notice of his death been published in New Iberia, Louisiana, where he claimed to live. A source informs ECM further that his name has not been provided for addition to a memorial for special forces soldiers. Thus it now appears he was not killed in service to his country and likely fabricated the "report" of his death and possibly his military service as well. Now a blog site claims to have obtained military records showing a Jamond Polk was thrown out of the military at Fort Jackson. We do not know if this is the same Jay Polk referenced below, but include this information for anyone who may be able to confirm or disprove the connection:
We are leaving this story posted, with this disclaimer, because the research on special forces operations includes numerous well documented links on that issue even if Polk's tale is a hoax.
By Nadin B. Abbott
January 17, 2012 (San Diego)— On January 2, a soldier in San Diego claiming links toSpecial Forces posted on his Facebook page that he was deploying to Syria. This tantalizing piece of information startled readers, leading many to ask: does our country have troops in Syria and if so, why?
January 16, 2012 (El Cajon)—A 12-year-old boy has died of stab wounds in a crime that has shocked a neighbors on Royal Road in the unincorporated area of El Cajon.The suspect is a 10-year-old boy, Lt. Larry Nesbitt with the Sheriff's Homicide Detail confirms.
A neighbor, Derek Gorton, 18, told 10 News that the boys were close friends, but indicated that the younger child suffered from severe emotional issues. “Even though he threw temper tantrums, we never thought he’d do anything like this,” he said.
Brothers had long criminal pasts, court records reveal
January 16, 2012 (Santee)--Anthony Tesch, the man who was shot inside a Santee home on January 13, has died at a local hospital. He was 41, according to the San Diego Medical Examiner.
January 16, 2012 (Lindo Lake) -- The latest poser for my Canon was this beautiful Mandarin Duck on January 14. On a cold, cloudy Saturday morning at the water’s edge at Lindo Lake it was my first new bird of the year 2012! This is the first time I’ve seen a Mandarin Duck in the wild.
January 16, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – Richard Bradley Smith, 61, was found dead this morning by San Diego Sheriff’s Search and Rescue volunteers. Smith had become separated from friends while fowl hunting in the McCain Valley area of Boulevard, near Cottonwood Campground. He resided in San Diego with his wife.
January 16, 2012 (Rancho San Diego)A fundraiser to benefit the two young sons of Debra Meltzer will be held tonight at Hooley’s Irish Pub and Grill, 2955 Jamacha Road in the Rancho San Diego area of El Cajon.Meltzer’s estranged husband is accused of killing her on December 23.
Hooley’s will donate 20 percent of all proceeds between 5 and 9 p.m.at tonight’s event, which also includes live entertainment, silent auction and raffle.
January 16, 2012 (La Mesa) – A 67-year-old man who drove to a dumpster behind his residential complex at 4842 Parks Avenue in La Mesa to discard trash was robbed shortly after 11 a.m. The thief stole the victim’s red 2005 Hyundai Elantra 4-door car and wallet at gunpoint, then fled northbound on Williamsburg toward El Cajon Blvd.
By Doug Deane, Chair, 2011 GUHSD Boundary Committee
January 16, 2012 (San Diego East County) -- I’m writing this in response to residents of the GUHSD who believe that they were not given adequate notification of changes recommended by the 2011 Boundary Committee. I was Chair of that committee. I’d like to make it clear that I speak only for myself. The opinions stated below are mine only, and are not necessarily the opinion of the GUHSD, its Trustees or its administrative staff.
January 15, 2012 (San Diego) – Southern Gospel singers Ernie Haas & Signature Sound will be performing at the College Avenue Baptist Church, 4747 College Avenue in San Diego on January 26 at 7:00 p.m.
The vocal group, founded in 2002 and winner of three GMA Dove awards, recently finished a nine country European tour and is soon to release its first new studio album in three years.
January 19, 2012 (San Diego) – Tonight, the Coalition for Reproductive Choice will commemorate the 39th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. Speakers will give international and local perspectives on the battle over reproductive rights. The event will be held at the Joe & Vi Jacobs Center, 404 Euclid Avenue in San Diego.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and assigned Administrative Law Judge Hallie Yacknin will hold a hearing in Jacumba on January 24. The public may testify with comments on SDG&E's proposed $285 million 60-85 acre ECO Substation and 13 miles of new 138kV transmission lines planned for Boulevard.
Pilot Program Will Offer Solar Options for All Customers
New! View a video of what may be lost: 
January 17, 2012 (Rancho San Diego)--The Cougars are unstoppable! Led by head coach Parris Pisiona, Steele Canyon’s Midget team has earned the coveted title of National Champions. 
By Nadin B. Abbott
January 16, 2012 (Santee)--Anthony Tesch, the man who was shot inside a Santee home on January 13, has died at a local hospital. He was 41, according to the San Diego Medical Examiner. 
Advice For Weekend Warriors to Extreme Sports Enthusiasts
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