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.
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.
June 12, 2011 (Spring Valley)-- The official groundbreaking of the Heartland Regional Fire and Public Safety Training Centerwas 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.
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 “FEMA either rescinded or adjusted the amount identified for recoupment on three of the four appeals.”
June 12, 2011 (Ramona) – Yesterday morning, a warrant sweep in East County was conducted by the San Diego Sheriff’s Department Court Services Field Unit to apprehend suspects with outstanding felony and misdemeanor warrants. A total of 12 adults and one juvenile were arrested and 14 warrants were cleared.
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.
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.
June 11, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – A brush fire that started near 12th and H Streets in Ramona charred two acres, but was swiftly extinguished. In addition, a spot fire burned a 30 x 30 foot section off Wildcat Canyon Road at the 10-mile marker in Lakeside this morning, Cal-Fire reports.
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.
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.
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.
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.
June 11, 2011 (La Mesa) -- The City of La Mesa, in partnership with the La Mesa Park and Recreation Foundation, San Diego County La Mesa Branch Library, Readers Inc., and Friends of the La Mesa Library, will co-host Reading in the Park on Sat., June 18 from 10:00 a.m. to Noon at CollierPark, 4401 Palm Avenue, La Mesa.
Hear children’s book authors give theatrical readings of their works and explain how their stories are created. Visit the craft table where kids can decorate a bookmark to take home. Everyone in the family can bring a gently used book to the event’s book exchange table and take home a fun new read. Guests can also sign up for La Mesa Library’s Summer Reading Program.
June 11, 2011 (Ramona/Lakeside) On two different dates, there will be workshops to help people learn how to save money, improve soils, protect waterways, and grow healthy plants. In Ramona, the workshop will be at the Ramona Library on June 18th from 12:30-2:00 p.m. On June 25th the workshop will be from 3:00-4:30 p.m. at the Lakeside Polo Club.
Photos by Dennis Richardson June 10, 2011 (San Diego)—Just four days after its sky crane dropped a Sunrise Powerlink tower 200 feet, a second transmission line tower has toppled in the Imperial Valley.
Following last Monday’s accident, SDG&E promised in a press release that the company was “taking immediate steps…to investigate what occurred today in order to ensure that this does not happen again.”
But it did happen again. Today at 8 a.m., the Sun Bird Erickson Air Crane helicopter was placing the fifth of five towers near Plaster City when three of the helicopter’s four hooks released. Dangling by just one hook, the 15,000 pound tower was lowered to the ground and released, where it tipped over. Fourtunately, no one was injured in either incident. But residents of East County, where construction of Powerlink is also underway, are voicing concerns over safety of workers and the public.
June 10, 2011 (Mission Valley East) –Two men armed with a handgun robbed a woman in her home at 8301 Rio San Diego Drive. Her husband returned to the apartment and was confronted by the armed suspects. Running outside, he saw his wife and five-year-old son on the balcony.
The woman dropped the boy into her husband’s waiting arms, then leaped off the balcony to escape the home invasion robbers, according to SDPD officer David Stafford.
June 10, 2011 (San Diego) – The Tree of Life isn’t merely a movie. To call it an experience would be putting it mildly. It’s films like this that make me say, “This is why I go to the movies.” Only one other movie elicited such a response from me since I’ve been a film critic and it happened to be the best film of 2010: Gaspar Noe’s Enter the Void.
une 11, 2011 (Julian) -- Disaster Service Volunteers from across San Diego County will converge on the town of Julian Saturday morning to sharpen their skills during a “very realistic” 12-hour emergency response exercise.
Facility Closed from State Route 56 to State Route 163
June 10, 2011 (San Diego) --Beginning Saturday, June 18, the Interstate 15 (I-15) Express Lanes will be closed for nine consecutive days from State Route 56 (SR 56) to State Route 163 (SR 163).
June 10, 2011 (La Mesa) --The City of La Mesa will host its second annual Transportation and Mobility Expo for older adults and persons with disabilities on Wednesday, June 15, 2011. Supported by funding from SANDAG, the Expo will be held at the La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Drive, La Mesa 91942 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.
June 10, 2011 (Santee) -- The Santee Summer Concert Series, now in its 28th year begins June 16 and features a live band from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. every Thursday through August 18 (Except July 7). The series features the return of four bands that last year were crowd favorites, plus six other bands that range from doo-wop to authentic blues.
Bands will perform on a raised stage overlooking a lawn at the east side of Town Center Community Park just north of the former concert at Trolley Square.
June 10, 2011 (San Diego) – A coalition of organizations serving people in need hosted a forum on June 2 at the City Heights Center to voice sharp criticism of San Diego County Supervisors. The criticism stemmed from two new reports by the Center on Policy Initiatives titled San Diego County Revenues and Reserves and County Employees: Overworked and Undermined.
The first report compared California’s 12 largest counties and found that San Diego takes in less revenue and has amassed reserves of $2.2 billion while restricting safety net services amid a recession. The County has left millions of dollars in state and federal aid funds unclaimed even though there are many eligible local residents for programs such as food stamps, CalWorks and Medi-Cal.
June 10, 2011 (Lakeside)--As we watch the fires burning our neighbors in Arizona, we are again reminded why relying on imported power transmitted over hundreds of miles of vulnerable transmission lines, is a dangerous gamble for San Diego.
June 10, 2011 (La Mesa) --The Chipotle “Sundays At Six” Summer Concerts Series at Harry Griffen Park in La Mesa continues for its tenth season beginning on Sunday, June 12, 2011, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The concerts are held at the outdoor amphitheatre at Harry Griffen Park, 9550 Milden Street, La Mesa.
Donated Dwellings Expand Camping Options at Scenic Ramona Getaway
June 9, 2011 (Ramona) --County Supervisor Dianne Jacob joined County staff and a local nonprofit donor Thursday to unveil two new cabins the public can now reserve at Dos Picos Regional Park in Ramona.The 200-square-foot cabins are designed to accommodate disabled users and the general public. They were donated by Cabins by the Lake, Inc., a local nonprofit dedicated to establishing accessible cabins around the region.
June 10, 2011 (Julian)--Residents throughout San Diego County are invited to attend the Julian Woman’s Club Apple Blossom Tea today. The annual event, attended by people of all ages, offers a formal English tea serving with sandwiches and sweet pastries. The event also includes opportunities to win themed gift baskets.
June 9, 2011 (San Diego) --San Diego Police Department Homicide Unit detectives have arrested a suspect in Monday’s murder of Jonathan Gonzalez on a Skyline street. On June 6, 2011, at approximately 2:00 p.m., Gonzalez was standing in the 600 block of Chester Street when a four-door, burgundy-colored Cadillac with chrome rims stopped near him. Gonzalez and the vehicle’s occupants briefly spoke to each other. The passenger pulled out a gun and shot Gonzalez before the suspects fled.
Detectives identified the primary suspect as Ronnie Bonaparte, 27.
June 9, 2011 (San Diego) --San Diego Police Department Robbery Unit detectives are investigating an armed robbery that occurred at the AM/PM gas station located at 6301 El Cajon Blvd. On Wednesday, June 1, 2011, at about 5:30 a.m., the suspect entered the store, pointed a handgun at the clerk and demanded money.
The suspect fled with an undisclosed amount amount of cash. He was last seen running southbound on 63rd Street.
June 9, 2011 (Lakeside) – A driver is unconscious but breathing following a 100-mph crash into a tree on I-8 eastbound just east of Los Coches Road. The vehicle reportedly had a blow-out and lost control , according to the CHP webpage.
June 9, 2011 (San Diego's East County) – One of the nation’s only DC-10 very large Airtankers has been deployed from California to assist in fighting the raging wildland fire in Arizona. The request was made yesterday by the U.S. Forest Service. The aircraft, Tanker 911, took off this morning from its base in Victorville.
June 12, 2011 (Spring Valley)-- The official groundbreaking of the Heartland Regional Fire and Public Safety Training Center
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.
June 12, 2011 (Ramona) – Yesterday morning, a warrant sweep in East County was conducted by the San Diego Sheriff’s Department Court Services Field Unit to apprehend suspects with outstanding felony and misdemeanor warrants. A total of 12 adults and one juvenile were arrested and 14 warrants were cleared.
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.
June 11, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – A brush fire that started near 12th and H Streets in Ramona charred two acres, but was swiftly extinguished. In addition, a spot fire burned a 30 x 30 foot section off Wildcat Canyon Road at the 10-mile marker in Lakeside this morning, Cal-Fire reports.
June 10, 2011 (San Diego)—Just four days after its sky crane dropped a Sunrise Powerlink tower 200 feet, a second transmission line tower has toppled in the Imperial Valley. 
June 10, 2011 (Mission Valley East) –Two men armed with a handgun robbed a woman in her home at 8301 Rio San Diego Drive. Her husband returned to the apartment and was confronted by the armed suspects. Running outside, he saw his wife and five-year-old son on the balcony.
By Brian Lafferty
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By Miriam Raftery
June 10, 2011 (La Mesa) --The Chipotle “Sundays At Six” Summer Concerts Series at Harry Griffen Park in La Mesa continues for its tenth season beginning on Sunday, June 12, 2011, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The concerts are held at the outdoor amphitheatre at Harry Griffen Park, 9550 Milden Street, La Mesa.
Tea, Cakes and Frivolity Planned 
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