January 11, 2010 (Warner Springs) – Richard Hawkins, 87, has died of injuries after the World War II Trainer plane (tail number N57027) that he was flying crashed crashed late yesterday at Warner Springs Airport. His son remains hospitalized in critical condition at Palomar Medical Center, 10 News reports.
“Tonight at 5:24 p.m., three engines companies under the direction of Battalion Chief John Butz responded,” Cal-Fire battalion chief Nick Schuler said yesterday. “When firefighters arrived, the aircraft was in multiple pieces.”
January 9, 2011 (La Mesa)--For the fourth consecutive year, youths at United Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM) are active participants in the “Souper Bowl of Caring,” a month-long, nation-wide program in which donations of food, goods, and money are solicited to benefit local service agencies.
January 9, 2010 (San Diego's East County) --The San Diego Sheriff's Department has been investigating a series of thefts of copper wire and construction materials from businesses along the Hwy 67 corridor north of Willow Road. Suspects would use cover of darkness and in many cases, bad weather, to sneak onto properties to cut out heavy gage copper wire from heavy equipment and machinery.
On January 5 around 5:30 a.m., Deputy Karl Miller and his team arrested Ronald Hyde for 15 counts of grand theft and conspiracy. Christine Vandecar was arrested for conspiracy (related to grand theft cases) and possession of methamphetamine for sale.
ALLEGED SHOOTER LISTED MEIN KAMPF AMONG HIS FAVORITE BOOKS
"In San Diego, we stand together today and say that violence has no place in politics, not here, and never again." -- Jess Durfee and Tony Krvaric, chairs of the San Diego Democratic and Republican parties, in a joint statement
Former ECM manager now in Tucson recalls meeting Giffords, says she was outspoken on need to `tone down' rhetoric that could incite violence
January 8, 2011 (Tucson) Updated 5:45 p.m. -- Democratic Congersswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona's first Jewish representative, has been shot through the brain and is in critical condition following surgery, according to a hospital spokesperson. A federal judge and a nine-year-old-baby are among the dead; ten others were wounded when a gunman opened fire in Tucson on a street corner where Giffords was hosting a meeting with constituents.
Health Officials Urge Parents to Vaccinate Their Children
January 7, 2010 (Santee)--Five students at Hill Creek Elementary School in the Santee School District have been diagnosed with chickenpox (varicella), according to San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) officials.
January 8, 2011 (Santee) – A family with five children seeks the public’s help to find their dog, Zoe, who has not been seen since New Year’s Day. Firefighters opened up the family home on Clifford Heights Road in Santee to save it from flames after a next-door-neighbor, Michael Cour, shot his wife and himself, also setting fire to the couple’s home.
Zoe, a 3-year-old Bichon frise, was recently groomed and had a shorter haircut than a typical Bichon, the Union-Tribune reported. The dog has a friendly personality, has a microchip ID, and was wearing a pink collar with tags when last seen.
January 8, 2011 (Dulzura) – An 84-year-old woman from Lemon Grove was broadsided by another vehicle while driving on State Route 94 in Dulzura this morning. Paramedics responded but she was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:25 a.m., the San Diego Medical Examiner reports.
January 7, 2011 (San Diego) – Looking at a few of Blue Valentine’s negative reviews (as of today, the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer stands at 91% with only nine “rotten” reviews against eighty-six positive) I find the film’s unfavorable comparisons to the directorial work of the late John Cassavetes a recurring observation.
Granted, the movie isn’t the first to explore a marriage’s disintegration. Cassavetes’ Faces and Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road come to mind. However, I believe this criticism is unfair to Blue Valentine. I don’t mind if a movie doesn’t have an original plot as long as it has unique and strong characters. This movie is populated with two of them.
January 6, 2011 (El Cajon) -- Josephine Ring, 66, was arrested today for the December 19th shooting death of her son, Vincent Bonfiglio, 48. She was taken into custody upon release from a health care facility in La Mesa, where she had been under a doctor's care since the incident at the family home on Tina Street in the unincorporated area of El Cajon.
January 6, 2011 (Washington D.C.) – The red Republican wave that swept through the nation in November has officially begun its reign in the United States House of Representatives yesterday as the 112th Congress commenced. The change elevates the positions and influence of local Republican representatives, while reducing the power of San Diego’s Democratic delegation in Congress.
Highlighted by the election of Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, as Speaker of the House, yesterday today marked the beginning of what House Republicans see as a chance to move the conservative agenda forward. The Republican leadership has announced its intent to repeal President Obama’s health care bill and begin to cut government spending in their first three weeks. Democrats in Congress now are on the defensive as they are now hoping to impede the destruction of what they pushed for since 2006.
January 6, 2011 (San Carlos) – Esther Weinsheker,93, was crossing Jackson Drive near Hyde Park Drive in the San Carlos neighborhood of San Diego was hit by a 2007 Toyota Tundra at 10:40 a.m. yesterday. She was transported to a hospitalwith CPR in progress, but despite life-saving efforts, she was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the San Diego Medical Examiner's office.
No alcohol was involved, San Diego Police Department officer Frank Cali reports. SDPD’s traffic division is investigating the tragedy.
January 6, 2011 (Anza-Borrego) – On Saturday, January 8 from 12 noon to 4 p.m., San Diego State University seismologist Tom Rockwell will lead a field trip to Coyote Creek Fault to discuss the geology of the area and its recent activity. Visitors should meet in the back parking lot of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center for the short off-trail walk, wich costs $35 (or $25 for Anza Borrego Foundation members).
January 6, 2011(LMt. Helix)--Kick off the New Year with a January 8 neighborhood walk from the San Miguel Fire Station, at 10105 Vivera in La Mesa, up to the amphitheater in Mt. Helix Park starting at 10 a.m.
The walk, co-sponsored by the Grossmont-Mt. Helix Improvement Association and the Mt. Helix Park Foundation, is a chance for neighbors to get to know each other.
January 5, 2011 (La Mesa) -- A volunteer citizens group monitoring construction projects financed by voter-approved public bonds at Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa is looking for a new member to replace former member Robert “Bob” Ayres, who was recently appointed to the Grossmont Healthcare District board of directors.
January 5, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – State Route 67 will be shut down between Prospect and Woodside avenues from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. tonight and tomorrow for construction, Caltrans has announced.
In addition, ramp closures will occur starting at 8 p.m. both nights including northbound SR67 on-ramp at Bradley Ave., northbound SR67 off-ramp to Prospect Ave., and southbound SR67 on-ramp from Magnolia Ave.
January 3, 2011 (San Diego's East County) - our photographers and readers have provided a wealth of amazing images in 2010--from dramatic news stories to astounding nature images to heart-warming images of humanity.
We hope you"ll enjoy our 50 most compelling photos. Which is your favorite? Please share your opinions in our comments section below!
January 4, 2011 (Mt. Laguna) - Yesterday's storm brought snow to Mount Laguna in San Diego's East County--along with a flurry of snow-goers eager to enjoy the seasonal treat.
January 4, 2010 (Warner Springs)--For historic Warner Springs Ranch, time seems circular as its past echoes for a return. In keeping with a Native American trend to buy back ancestral land, the Pala Band of Mission Indians is purchasing its former homeland, Warner Springs Ranch.
Technology Web Site for Older Adults Has Suggested Trainings
January 4, 2010 (San Diego)--Don’t let those technology gifts you received from well-meaning younger relatives stay in boxes this year: pull them out, plug them in and tune in to a computer class or other technology training programs available for older adults. Once you become familiar with some of these products, you’ll see how they can make your life easier and more enjoyable.
The new Technology & Aging Coalition of San Diego County can help you learn where to go for classes. The web site – www.AgeTechSD.org -- provides a listing of many technology education options that are available, as well as computer clubs for older adults.
January 4, 2010 (El Cajon) At 10:39 last night, El Cajon Police received a 911 call regarding a person down in the roadway at 500 Broadway. Responding officers found that the victim had been struck by a vehicle while crossing the street. He had major injuries to his leg and head.
The driver of the vehicle fled the scene after striking the victim. The suspect vehicle most likely has moderate to major front end damage.
January 3, 2011 (Sacramento) – Just before leaving office, outgoing Governor Arnold Scharzenegger yesterday appointed State Senator Dennis Hollingsworth to a lucrative $128,000 a year position on the state Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. Hollingsworth (R-Murrieta), whose district included San Diego’s East County, left office due to term limits.
A $115 million dollar stem cell research center is being built in San Diego
By Charlavan Hart
January 4, 2010 (San Diego--A heart patient's own skin cells soon could be used to repair damaged cardiac tissue thanks to pioneering stem cell research of the University of Houston's newest biomedical scientist, Robert Schwartz.
“I guess if you’re the son of somebody important you can kill someone and get all sorts of breaks.” – Fred Santos, father of slain student
December 3, 2010 (San Diego) –Hours before leaving office, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger commuted the sentence of Esteban Nuñez, son of former California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez. Esteban Nuñez had pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the fatal stabbing of Louis Don Santos, 22, during a fight near san Diego State University on October 4, 2008.
2 bodies found in burned home of retired teacher/coach and ailing wife;
Settlement just announced by CA Attorney General targets couple's lender for predatory lending practices--but relief is too late for Santee couple
By Miriam Raftery
January 3, 2011 (Santee) – Michael L. Cour, 60 and his wife, Janice Gervais, 70, faced a bleak future. The couple filed for bankruptcy June 30th. On December 6th, their lender, World Savings Bank, foreclosed on their property. A neighbor, Ruth Talaza, said Gervais had cancer and that the couple had tried multiple times to refinance, without success.
So Cour, who taught for 35 years in the Grossmont Union-High School District, told a neighbor that he was going to kill his wife and burn down their home on Clifford Heights Road, a quiet cul-de-sac in Santee. Soon after, a man called 911 to say he’d shot his wife and set fire to the home. He also threatened to shoot anyone if they tried to stop the inferno.
By Billy Ortiz and Miriam Raftery
January 11, 2010 (Warner Springs) – Richard Hawkins, 87, has died of injuries after the World War II Trainer plane (tail number N57027) that he was flying crashed crashed late yesterday at Warner Springs Airport. His son remains hospitalized in critical condition at Palomar Medical Center, 10 News reports.
January 9, 2011 (La Mesa)--For the fourth consecutive year, youths at United Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM) are active participants in the “Souper Bowl of Caring,” a month-long, nation-wide program in which donations of food, goods, and money are solicited to benefit local service agencies.
January 9, 2010 (San Diego's East County) --The San Diego Sheriff's Department has been investigating a series of thefts of copper wire and construction materials from businesses along the Hwy 67 corridor north of Willow Road. Suspects would use cover of darkness and in many cases, bad weather, to sneak onto properties to cut out heavy gage copper wire from heavy equipment and machinery.
January 8, 2011 (Tucson) Updated 5:45 p.m. -- Democratic Congersswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona's first Jewish representative, has been shot through the brain and is in critical condition following surgery, according to a hospital spokesperson. A federal judge and a nine-year-old-baby are among the dead; ten others were wounded when a gunman opened fire in Tucson on a street corner where Giffords was hosting a meeting with constituents.
Health Officials Urge Parents to Vaccinate Their Children 
January 8, 2011 (Santee) – A family with five children seeks the public’s help to find their dog, Zoe, who has not been seen since New Year’s Day. Firefighters opened up the family home on Clifford Heights Road in Santee to save it from flames after a next-door-neighbor, Michael Cour, shot his wife and himself, also setting fire to the couple’s home.
By Brian Lafferty
By Jeremy Los and Miriam Raftery
January 6, 2011 (Anza-Borrego) – On Saturday, January 8 from 12 noon to 4 p.m., San Diego State University seismologist Tom Rockwell will lead a field trip to Coyote Creek Fault to discuss the geology of the area and its recent activity. Visitors should meet in the back parking lot of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center for the short off-trail walk, wich costs $35 (or $25 for Anza Borrego Foundation members).
January 6, 2011(LMt. Helix)--Kick off the New Year with a January 8 neighborhood walk from the San Miguel Fire Station, at 10105 Vivera in La Mesa, up to the amphitheater in Mt. Helix Park starting at 10 a.m.
January 5, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – State Route 67 will be shut down between Prospect and Woodside avenues from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. tonight and tomorrow for construction, Caltrans has announced.
Story and photos by Ariele Johannson
January 4, 2010 (El Cajon) At 10:39 last night, El Cajon Police received a 911 call regarding a person down in the roadway at 500 Broadway. Responding officers found that the victim had been struck by a vehicle while crossing the street. He had major injuries to his leg and head. 
A $115 million dollar stem cell research center is being built in San Diego
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