October 5, 2011 (La Mesa)—Three San Diego teens have been booked into juvenile hall on burglary charges. Yesterday at 1:29 p.m., La Mesa Police responded to a call in the 5600 block of Urban Drive from a neighbor who reported a possible burglary.
October 5, 2011 (Potrero) – A PAR Electric employee working on a Sunrise Powerlink structure south of the Hauser Wilderness area injured after falling 12 feet from the structure, SDG&E spokesperson Jennifer Ramp has confirmed. “The employee was transported by ambulance to the hospital, and has been treated and released,” she said.
Investing in Employees with Disabilities Benefits Community
October 3, 2011 (San Diego)—October is National Disability Employment Awareness month. Slow economic growth means that businesses, government, and nonprofit organizations have to innovate to compete in a global economy.
"San Diego County needs motivated, productive employees who will use their talent and creativity to produce results. Individuals with disabilities represent a hidden population of skilled workers, across all industries, who have demonstrated that they are capable of overcoming daily challenges and are ready to play a vital role in creating solutions and solving problems that are often overlooked," a press release from Goodwill states.
October 4, 2011 (San Diego) –Yesterday, the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) rolled out a new model low-floor Trolley. MTS has received the first six of a 57-vehicle order of the new Trolleys. Two of these cars will begin service on the Green Line with the first trip out of Old Town to Santee at 5 a.m. By 2014 the new fleet will operate on the Blue Line in Downtown and South Bay and on the Orange Line in East County.
October 4, 2011 (Poway) – Poway resident Sean Webber, 30, has been arrested after leading authorities on a 38-minute, 23-mile chase. He is accused of stealing a Senior Volunteer Patrol (SVP) car while two San Diego Sheriff’s volunteers were helping with traffic control for the Tour of Parkway bicycle event.
October 2, 2011 (Santee) –At the Museum of Creation and Earth Science in Santee, free admission as part of national “Museum Day” drew a large crowd estimated at 1,500 people, according to The Christian Post. The event also attracted 23 protesters, who object to the museum’s openly religious teachings on the basis that they are “unscientific,” according to protest organizer John Viggiano.
October 4, 2011 (La Mesa) -- The Grossmont College Hyde Art Gallery opens an exhibition of paintings by: Ben Aubert, Jennifer Bennett, Daphne Hill, Tom Lazzara, Bill Mosley, Anna Stump and Michael Wheelden. All of the participating artists have represented our Art Department over the years. This makes for a logical connection between Grossmont College celebrating its fifty years of higher education and these particular examples of artwork produced by those artists having a direct influence on our students.
October 4, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – A cold front from Alaska will bring unseasonably chilly temperatures along with rain, possible thunderstorms and strong winds. A wind advisory has been issued for East County mountain and desert areas from 1 p.m. Wednesday to 4 a.m. Thursday, when sustained southwest winds of 25 to 35 miles per hour (mph) and gusts up to 55 mph are forecast. Snow is possible at higher elevations.
October 6, 2011 (La Mesa) – How will federal health care reforms impact the health of your business and employees? The San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce presents a free program tonight, featuring a panel that includes physicians, representatives from the hospital and insurance industries, the County health department, and a human resources/employment law specialist.
October 3, 2011 (Alpine)—Several controversial issues will be discussed a special meeting of the Alpine Planning Group on Tuesday, October 4 at 6 p.m. Chairman Greg Fox will discuss future meeting protocols and his reasons for not accepting resignation of George Barnett, who rescinded his resignation.
October 3, 2011 (La Mesa) – A SIG Alert has been issued in La Mesa, where a pedestrian was struck and killed on Highway 125 just north of I-8 near Fletcher Parkway. The driver of a Grey Honda accord notified authorities that she hit a pedestrian who was running across the freeway around 10:26 p.m. The individual was also struck by several other cars.
October 3, 2011 (Julian) Update 7 p.m.- The Great Fire is 65 percent contained this evening and holding at 2,000 acres, the same size the wildfire has been estimated at since yesterday morning.
October 3, 2011 (San Diego)--October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. So how did The Koala welcome in the month? Tabloid owner George Lee Liddle III of San Diego, released the latest issue of The Koala at Cal State University San Marcos (CSUSM), with the message that rape, violence, racism, homophobia, sodomy of minors and forced pornography are laughable entertainment. Students and faculty at CSUSM have had enough, and they are calling on members of all three San Diego County public university communities to take action.
October 2, 2011 (San Diego) --As autumn falls upon us with its charm of a girl in an orange dress who just said “Goodbye!” to summer, I decided to venture to inland San Diego, away from my beloved Pacific.I did not know what to expect… networks of snakelike freeways and paved surface streets guided me east as multi-colored cars were carrying faces locked in the air-conditioned reality of another day of work.
October 3, 2011 (Santee) -- The city of Santee has scheduled a community meeting to explain the long-term financial outlook of landscape maintenance zones currently administered by the city.
The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 5 in Building 7 at the City Hall complex, 10601 Magnolia Ave., Santee, CA 92071.
October 3, 2011 (Julian) 1:25 p.m. – All evacuation advisories have been lifted in the Julian area, where the Great Fire is 40% contained. Road closures have also been lifted, however the Pacific Crest Trail in the fire affected areas remains closed, as well as Rodriguez Truck Trail.
October 3, 2011 (San Diego) Update 4:50 p.m. -- I-5 reopened moments ago after being closed from I-805 to Del Mar Heights Road, with traffic diverted onto Highway 56 for investigation into a series of shootings earlier today.
October 3, 2011 (La Mesa)…Rides4Neighbors offers Travel San Diego, an “Explore/Learn/Discover” opportunity. This nine-week class is designed specifically for adults over 60 who enjoy travelling and meeting new people, and who are looking for an alternative to freeway driving.
October 2, 2011 (El Cajon) - Lydia Myers, 93, died September 28 of injuries sustained in a car accident in El Cajon on September 21. According to the Medical Examiner, Myers was driving a 2000 Buick and pulled out into oncoming traffic on Avodaco, colliding with another vehicle.
She was transported to Sharp Memorial Hospital, where she was diagnosed with an aortic dissection and multiple fractures.
October 2, 2011 (Spring Valley) – Paul Swayze, 27, has died at Scripps Mercy hospital of injuries sustained at 3:45 this morning in a motorcycle accident.
By Ed and Donna Tisdale, Morningstar Ranch, Boulevard
October 2, 2011 (Boulevard) – We express our appreciation for the firefighters and others who responded so quickly and successfully to the Sept 30 lightning -sparked fire in Tierra Del Sol area of Boulevard AND for the Viejas Wildfire Alerts.
As I write this letter of appreciation for our family and neighbors, my thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by and fighting the Great Fire currently burning over 2,000 acres near Julian and into Anza Borrego Desert State Park and the Cleveland National Forest.
October 2, 2011 (In-ko-pah) – Two people are confirmed to have been killed in a roll-over accident this afternoon, Incident Page Network reports.
According to the California Highway Patrol website, the vehicle is a green sports utility vehicle that rolled off I-8 and down an embankment near In-ko-pah, landing on its roof.
October 2, 2011 (El Cajon )—Students and faculty in the Grossmont College Media Communications Department had an opportunity to apply their journalism skills as they posed questions to Assemblyman Marty Block, who visited the campus last week to discuss impacts of state budget cuts. Chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee and currently a candidate for State Senate, Block fielded questions on a variety of education issues—offering candid assessments on the state budget shortfall as well as on diminishing access to affordable higher education for California students.
October 2, 2011 (Borrego) – Cal Fire reports that the Great Fire, which started south of 78 near Julian yesterday (see ECM report ), has grown to 2,000 acres and is only 5% contained, Cal Fire spokesoperson Roxanne Provaznik confirms.
October 2, 2011 (El Cajon)—El Cajon Animal Shelter currently has a large population of kittens, cats and dogs available for adoption. “At this time there are a large number of small dogs, perfect for apartments or homes with small yards,” says Monica Zech, public information officer for the City of El Cajon. “The shelter also has two bunnies available for adoption.”
October 2, 2011 (Rancho San Diego)—The Water Conservation Garden, in partnership with the San Diego County Watershed Protection Program, has opened a new exhibit that highlights storm water pollution prevention. The public is invited to view the new exhibit any time during its normal operating hours—9am-4pm, 7 days a week. The new exhibit features a permeable pavement installation, complete with re-circulating fountain, situated alongside a straw bale house with a green, living roof. Funding for the exhibit comes from a generous grant from the County of San Diego’s Watershed Protection Program.
October 2, 2011 (Alpine)--The September 29, 2011 Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) Special Board Workshop did not turn out as we expected. We expected full consideration of all available demographic data when the Board voted on new boundaries for all schools in the district. We did not get that.
The GUHSD Board discussions totally avoided data and charts that offered reasons to build the District’s 12th high school in Alpine. The majority of Board members rushed to hasty judgments, made unfounded conclusions, and then voted to kill the Alpine and Blossom Valley-serving 12th high school (HS12) project.
Update October 2, 2011 6:45 p.m. --The Great Fire is 20 percent contained and holding at 2,000 acres. Currently there are 119 engines, 52 fire crews, eight bulldozers, and 21 water tenders at the scene, a total of 1,486 firefighters. Fire crews have four miles of containment line to construct; cost to fight the fire is estimated at $650,000, said Roxanne Provaznik at Cal-Fire.
October 4, 2011 (San Diego) –Yesterday, the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) rolled out a new model low-floor Trolley. MTS has received the first six of a 57-vehicle order of the new Trolleys. Two of these cars will begin service on the Green Line with the first trip out of Old Town to Santee at 5 a.m. By 2014 the new fleet will operate on the Blue Line in Downtown and South Bay and on the Orange Line in East County.
October 4, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – A cold front from Alaska will bring unseasonably chilly temperatures along with rain, possible thunderstorms and strong winds. A wind advisory has been issued for East County mountain and desert areas from 1 p.m. Wednesday to 4 a.m. Thursday, when sustained southwest winds of 25 to 35 miles per hour (mph) and gusts up to 55 mph are forecast. Snow is possible at higher elevations.
October 3, 2011 (Alpine)—Several controversial issues will be discussed a special meeting of the Alpine Planning Group on Tuesday, October 4 at 6 p.m. Chairman Greg Fox will discuss future meeting protocols and his reasons for not accepting resignation of George Barnett, who rescinded his resignation.
Update 2 a.m. - The highway is now reopened.
October 2, 2011 (Spring Valley) – Paul Swayze, 27, has died at Scripps Mercy hospital of injuries sustained at 3:45 this morning in a motorcycle accident.
October 2, 2011 (Boulevard) – We express our appreciation for the firefighters and others who responded so quickly and successfully to the Sept 30 lightning -sparked fire in Tierra Del Sol area of Boulevard AND for the Viejas Wildfire Alerts.
October 2, 2011 (In-ko-pah) – Two people are confirmed to have been killed in a roll-over accident this afternoon, Incident Page Network reports.
October 2, 2011 (Borrego) – Cal Fire reports that the Great Fire, which started south of 78 near Julian yesterday (see 
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