COUNTY BUDGET INCLUDES MANY EAST COUNTY PROJECTS

MCCANN CONCEDES: AGUIRRE WINS SUPERVISOR SEAT

NEW NAME FOR SANCTUARY IN ALPINE

AGUIRRE TAKES STRONG LEAD IN DISTRICT 1 SUPERVISORIAL RACE

ISSA BILL WILL INCENTIVIZE WILDFIRE PREVENTION THROUGH TARGETED TAX RELIEF

EL CAJON POLICE ARREST PAROLEE IN POSSESSION OF FIREARM, NARCOTICS AND AMMUNITION

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: RACCOONS IN SAN CARLOS

DRIVER CHARGED WITH HOMICIDE, DUI IN FATALITY LEMON GROVE CRASH

MARINES NOW STATIONED IN CAMPO AT BORDER; NEWSOM OFFICE: 'DANGER' TO COMMUNITY

INJURED MOUNTAIN LION RETURNS TO WILD; 2 OTHER CUBS CONTINUE REHAB AT RAMONA WILDLIFE CENTER

SUSPECTS ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER AT PARKWAY PLAZA

SUPREME COURT LIMITS INJUNCTIONS THAT BLOCKED TRUMP’S PLAN FOR BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP

ART LOVERS DELIGHT: 6 GALLERIES, 1 SHOW JUNE 17 IN DOWNTOWN EL CAJON

 

June 15, 2011 (El Cajon) -- Art lovers are invited to stroll through "6 Galleries-1 Evening" in a "Downtown Gallery Walk" on June 17 from 5-8 p.m.  All six galleries are now located within a half-block in the heart of downtown El Cajon.  In addition to savoring art by local artists, visitors can also sip champagne and wine, enjoy hors d'oeuvre's and a passport full of prizes--followed by a free concert in the park.

 

Participating galleries include:

JEWEL THIEF ROBS ZALES IN GROSSMONT CENTER AT GUNPOINT

June 14, 2011 (La Mesa) -- La Mesa Police Department responded to a call of a robbery at the Zales Jewelry Store in Grossmont Center shopping mall at 8:17 p.m.  The store’s manager advised that he had just closed the business and was locking the doors, with one customer still in the store. The customer pulled out a black semi-auto handgun and pointed it at the manager, ordering the manager and another employee to get on the ground.

SENATE APPROVES ANDERSON MEASURE TO DEDICATE “BORDER PATROL AGENT ROBERT W. ROSAS MEMORIAL HIGHWAY” IN EAST COUNTY


June 15, 2011 (Sacramento)-- Senate Concurrent Resolution 37, authored by State Senator Joel Anderson (R - El Cajon) has been approved by the California State Senate. The measure would dedicate a portion of Interstate 8 in honor of f Border Patrol Agent Roberrt Rosas Jr., who was murdered while on duty in the Campo area of San Diego’s East County on July 23, 2009.

WATER CONSERVATION GARDEN OWLETS NAMED JUST BEFORE TAKING FLIGHT

 

Local elementary school names wild owlets and wins their own owl nesting box with spycam!

 

June 14, 2011 (Lakeside) –The four owlets of Hoot and Holla, a mated pair of wild barn owls at The Water Conservation Garden, have fledged the nest (or taken their final flight into the wild) as of June 7, 2011.   Unbeknownst to them, the owlets have been observed by a loyal group of fans 24-hours a day via a live infrared Owlcam at www.thegarden.org, since they were eggs laid by Holla in mid-February of this year. 

AMTRAK CALIFORNIA RIDERSHIP AND REVENUE OFF THE CHARTS


June 14, 2011 (Sacramento)  –With the rise in gasoline prices, San Diego area and California motorists left the highways, and are riding the rails in record numbers over the past 12 months to ride two of California’s highly successful intercity passenger rail corridors, Caltrans has announced.

 

Led by the San Joaquin corridor, which serves the Central Valley, linking Los Angeles and Bakersfield with Sacramento and the Bay Area, California’s state supported intercity passenger rail corridors had banner years.  Compared to May 2010, ridership on the San Joaquin, the nation’s fifth busiest rail corridor, shot up over 12 percent with a 19 percent increase in revenue.

 

NILE SISTERS WORLD REFUGEE MONTH OPEN HOUSE

 

June 14, 2011 (San Diego) -- On Saturday, June 18 the Nile Sisters will be holding an open house from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. in recognition of World Refugee Month. The Nile Sisters help refugee women in the San Diego area with the needs they have to get settled. 

The cost is free, but donations are appreciated. The event will include cultural music, and Hors d'oeuvre from different ethnicities. African artifacts will also be available for purchase. Please RSVP to Sistersinitiative@sbcglobal.net.

 

 

Fundraiser Thursday for La Mesa's Environmental Festival and K-12 Contest

June 13, 2011 (La Mesa) -- Take your family to dinner and at the same time support the fourth annual "Sustain La Mesa" Enviromental Festival and the "Our Planet, Our Home" K-12 Environmental Literacy and Art Contest, organized by the City of La Mesa's Environmental Sustainability Commission.

Print and bring the flyer to Souplantation, (9158 Fletcher Parkway, La Mesa 91942) between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Souplantation will donate 20% of sales. (A printiable flyer can be downloaded from the Souplantation link here.)

 

LOCAL MOMS CALL FOR NEW PATH AT JUNE 17 RALLY, 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF NIXON’S DECLARATION OF “WAR ON DRUGS”

June 13, 2011 (San Diego)--June 17 will mark forty years since President Richard Nixon, citing drug abuse as “public enemy No. 1”, officially declared a "war on drugs."Caroline Stewart, president of the board of directors at A New PATH, an organization founded by an East County mother, added, “We must treat drug use as a health issue. We need to use our resources to increase access to addiction treatment, rather than to warehouse people who use drugs or become addicted to drugs behind bars.” 

WITNESS SAYS SDG&E TRIED TO HIDE EVIDENCE OF FALLEN POWERLINK TOWER & INTIMIDATED PHOTOGRAPHER



Supervisor Jacob seeks records on “investigation” by CPUC

By Miriam Raftery

Video by Jim Pelley

 

June 12, 2011 (Imperial Valley) – Jim Pelley, an Ocotillo resident, was taking his son to school on June 7th when he passed by a Sunrise Powerlink construction project where a tower was on the ground in preparation to be lifted into place. “There was nobody directing traffic,” he told ECM in an exclusive interview, adding that his wife took photos on her cell phone.



About half an hour later, while driving back on the same road, he and his wife came upon the scene of a crash where SDG&E’s sky crane helicopter had inexplicably dropped a 15,000 pound tower. Pelley started shooting photos. “One of the guys said `Hey, we’d appreciate if you wouldn’t take pictures until we clean this mess up,” he recalled.  When he refused to comply, Pelley said the employee held a hand up in front of his camera lens. “So I started shooting video,” he told ECM.

 

NEW LAW REQUIRES CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS IN HOMES

 

June 13, 2011 (Sacramento) – Starting July 1, 2011 new legislation will go into effect requiring homeowners to install carbon monoxide detectors in every California home; a move CAL FIRE officials say will save lives. “Carbon monoxide is a silent killer, each year claiming the lives of an average of 480 people,” said Acting State Fire Marshal Tonya Hoover. “And sending more than 20,000 people to emergency rooms across the nation.” Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas that is produced from heaters, fireplaces, furnaces and many types of appliances and cooking devices.  

LATINO GROUPS HOST REDISTRICTING WORKSHOP THURS. JUNE 16 IN CITY HEIGHTS

 

June 15, 2011 (San Diego) – A workshop on proposed redistricting will be this Thursday, June 16 from 6-8:30 p.m. at the City Heights Wellness Center, 4440 Wightman Street, #200 in City Heights. 

 

Redistricting will determine California’s political boundaries for the next 10 years. California’s Citizens Redistricting Commission will draw district lines for the first time in California history for state Congressional, Senate, Assembly and Board of Equalization Districts. Latinos comprise nearly 40% of California’s population—and representatives from the Latino community want to make sure that redistricting will assure representation that reflects those numbers.

POWERLINK OPPOSITION LEADER TO SPEAK JUNE 16 IN EL CAJON

June 15, 2011 (El Cajon) – Laura Cyphert, a Cedar Fire survivor who co-founded the East County Community Action Coalition along with her husband, Milt, will provide an update on the legal battle against Sunrise Powerlink on Thursday, June 16 from 7-8:45 p.m.

 

NAVAJO STARLINGS TAKE THE GOLD

June 12, 2011 (San Diego's East County) -- Navajo Starlings U12 took 1st place in the Gold Division at the Starlings San Diego County Championships for volleyball held at Alliant University. The team is comprised of 5th & 6th graders attending 10 different elementary and middle schools throughout the greater Navajo area.

 

The division had 14 teams, and the hard work put in by the girls over the course of the season paid off when the team took first in its pool to move into the gold division. They then won three matches to capture the title, including a very tough and competitive three game semi-final match against Santee. They led the entire way in taking a two game match against East Lake in the final.

 

CHALLENGE CENTER HELPS ACHIEVE GRADUATION GOAL

 

 June 12, 2011 (La Mesa) James Hartwell's big wish when he started physical therapy at the Challenge Center in La Mesa was to walk across the stage to be handed his diploma at his high school graduation at Mt. Carmel High School. For most seniors, this would be a done deal.  But for Hartwell, who suffered a spinal cord injury in a motocross accident, and had to spen most of the last two years in a wheelchair, it seemed it might take a miracle.

 

 Luckily, he found that miracle in a little white building in La Mesa that holds the Challenege Center.

FIRST NEW TRAINING CENTER FOR EAST COUNTY REGION IN MORE THAN 40 YEARS

June 12, 2011 (Spring Valley)-- The official groundbreaking of the Heartland Regional Fire and Public Safety Training Center was celebrated on June 8th. The goal of the new center is to develop a new phase of first responder training across the East County and beyond.

FEMA ADJUSTS REFUND DEMANDS MADE TO MORE LOCAL FIRE VICTIMS

 Miriam Raftery

June 12, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Last week, as ECM reported, FEMA retracted its demand for Harris Fire survivor Veronica Lytle of Potrero to pay back disaster funds that FEMA had claimed were paid in error. Now FEMA informs ECM that 40 survivors of the 2007 California firestorms have been sent recoupment letters.

“FEMA received four appeals from applicants who were affected by disasters which occurred in San Diego County,” said a FEMA spokesperson who asked not to be named. “FEMA either rescinded or adjusted the amount identified for recoupment on three of the four appeals.”

PAIPA'S BUFFET REOPENS IN NEW SPACE AT SYCUAN CASINO

 

Photos by Sami Roy Photography

June 11, 2011 (El Cajon) – Paipa’s Buffet restaurant has reopened in a new location within the Syucan Casino. The restaurant, which is entirely smoke-free, has been renovated with a new kitchen, seating for 320 people, more specialty food stations and new design elements.

 

“DUMP THE PUMP” DAY JUNE 15

 

June 11, 2011 (San Diego) – The average car emits 12,000 pounds of C02 pollution each year – the weight of an adult elephant! Metropolitan Transit Service and the San Diego Zoo have teamed up to urge San Diego County residents to leave their cars at home and ride public transit on national “Dump the Pump” Day this Wednesday, June 15.

OVERHEAD UTILITY LINES TO GO UNDERGROUND ON NORMAL AVENUE

 

June 11, 2011 (La Mesa) -- The City of La Mesa has begun a four phase project to relocate existing overhead utilities (SDG&E, Cox, and AT&T lines) into underground conduits, repave the street, remove existing utility poles, and install new street lights on Normal Avenue from Lowell Street to Windsor Avenue.

SAVE OUR SACRED SITES RALLY

 

June 11, 2011 (Mesa Verde) -- La Cuna de Aztlan Sacred Sites Protection Circle and the Colorado River Environmental Warriors invite the public to join in a protest June 18 that tribal members hope will help stop destruction of  sacred Native American sites by approved desert solar power projects in California.   Native Americans have raised concerns about numerous desert solar farms planned in the state,  including a project in Imperial County that would bring power to San Diego.  The June 18 protest is slated for Blythe, however, where construction is underway and ancient geoglyphs are reportedly being destroyed.

 

BAREFOOT BLISS: ORFILA GRAPE STOMP SET FOR AUGUST 27

 By Miriam Raftery

 

 

June 6, 2011 (San Pasqual) –Doff your shoes, kick up your heels and dive into a barrel of ripe grapes at Orfila Vineyards annual Grape Stomp on Saturday, August 27th.   This popular event sells out early each year and includes a wine-tasting reception with hors-d’oeuvres, dinner buffet, live performance by Java Sounds featuring saxophonist Adrienne Nims, tractor rides, and grape stomping.

FATHER'S DAY AT LIONS TIGERS AND BEARS

 

June 11, 2011 (Alpine) Lions tigers and Bears is a big cat and exotic animal rescue service. It will  be celebrating Father's Day with a Tacos and Beer celebration.   

There will be a  taco cart  with a server on the premises making fresh tacos. The tacos and beer will be served from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Margaritas can be purchased for $6.00 each. During the event, feel free to roam the grounds to see all of the amazing animals.

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