February 4, 2024 (Sacramento, CA) -- More and more Californians are going to college, earning an associate degree or higher but racial gaps persist, according to a new report.
Researchers from Georgetown University found degree attainment went up almost 6% between 2010 and 2020 but the gap between white adults and Latino or Black adults getting those degrees widened slightly.
February 4, 2024 (Julian) – The California Wolf Center in Julian invites you to book a guided tour of their facility to see their resident wolves and learn about wolf conservation. Various tours are offered each weekend this month at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Reservations are required.
The Wolf Conservation and Behavioral Enrichment Tours are both 1 hour in length and offer an unforgettable experience where you will have the opportunity to see critically endangered wild wolves and learn all about them from an expert at the center’s Conservation Facility on KQ Ranch Rd. in Julian.
February 4, 2024 (Lakeside) -- Susan Hewitt, an artist and resident of Lakeside, California, has won the first-place award in the highly competitive February 2024 San Diego Watercolor Society (SDWS) Member’s exhibition “Treasures”, an in-gallery show of the SDWS at 2825 Dewey Road in Liberty Station, San Diego, CA.
Hewitt’s painting titled “A Thinking Woman” was selected by prominent Escondido artist Suzanne Nicolaisen for this honor, out of over 250 entries. Nicolaisen said of the painting:“A picture of elegance and grace, kindness and wisdom clearly displayed in this beautifully executed work. The attention to detail is flawless. The limited palette, excellent color choice, composition and design depicts the artist’s ability to share an emotional connection. There is warmth and compassion throughout the creation.”
February 4, 2024 (Santee) -- The City of Santee’s eighth annual Fido Fest will take place Saturday, February 17 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Town Center Community Park East, located at 550 Park Center Drive, Santee 92071. Join the City of Santee for tail-wagging fun at one of San Diego County’s most popular dog events.
This family and dog-friendly event is an opportunity for attendees to view adoptable dogs from about 20 local rescues, shop from various vendors, watch amazing demonstrations, and enjoy giveaways. If walking or shopping through the excitement works up your appetite, 5 food vendors will be serving delectable eats for all to enjoy. There will be a variety of arts and crafts to paw-take in, including: yappy hour, treat finder, doggy tattoos, an off-leash area, fly ball demonstration, an agility course, and a sniff station.
Show off your four-legged friend in costume, size, and trick contests for a chance to win a giveaway item! In addition to the showcase of contest entries, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and Santee Fire Department will demonstrate their canines’ capabilities.
Photo, left: Forensic artist PJ Puterbaugh created this sketch of the unidentified woman found in Santee and a tattoo of a winged dolphin and hearts on her leg.
February 3, 2023 (Santee) -- The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office needs assistance identifying a woman found unresponsive in the brush on the southern border of Forester Creek in Santee. Paramedics responded to help on the afternoon of Monday, Jan. 22, but she could not be resuscitated.
A forensic sketch artist created this drawing of the woman. Photographs of the tattoo and jewelry are also provided.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
February 3, 2023 (San Diego) -- The San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 30, 2024, took new actions to help people in communities flooded by the Jan. 22, 2024, torrential rains, including putting into place temporary additional tenant protection measures. The approved ordinance prohibits people who were affected by the floods from being evicted without just cause. The ordinance also restricts certain rent increases on eligible properties from January 22, 2024, to March 30, 2024.
The flood affected areas specified in the ordinance include residential units located in the following ZIP codes: 92102, 92104, 92105, 92111, 92113, 92114, 92115, (San Diego); 91977 (Spring Valley); 91950 (National City);91945 (Lemon Grove); and 92118 (Coronado).
CalMattersis a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters
File photo: Fire in Grossmont area
February 2, 2024 (California) -- The fire-insurance premium for Bill King’s home has risen 145% since 2017 — from $399 to $979 — under the California FAIR Plan, the state’s last option for homeowners seeking fire insurance.
Photo via CalFire: Firefighters fill sandbags. Sandbags are available at most fire stations countywide.
February 2, 2024 (Spring Valley) -- The mood was one of somber preparation, mixed with some fear – and a palpable lack of optimism.
Around the corner from the Local Assistance Center set up last week for flood survivors at the Spring Valley library branch, firefighters at the San Miguel Fire District station heaved shovels all day last Thursday. They packed bags with sand, and then delivered them to the long line of cars idling at the corner of Gillespie and Orville Streets.
People searched for ways to prepare for more line, while others stood by to support the many families already impacted by the floods of January 22.
For the displaced people awaiting a fresh deluge of rain the following day, the question had remained the same: “Where can we go?”
Photo, left: flooded home of the Ford family along Chollas Creek
February 1, 2023 (Spring Valley)-- When 86-year old Bienvenida Ford felt the water on her feet January 22, all she could do was yell for her sleeping daughter, Debbie, who jumped up and called 911. But by then, the waters rushing in from the swollen Chollas Creek were already up to the women’s calves.
Within 20 minutes, the water in their National Avenue living room was up to Bienvenida’s ribs. In the nick of time, two rescue workers swam inside and dragged her by her armpits to higher ground. Meanwhile, Debbie Ford, age 50, was fending for herself, half paddling, half floating out the front door and towards higher ground. Hundreds of yards away she could see their freezer – recently stuffed with homemade lumpia – laying on its side on a neighbor’s property.
February 6, 2024 (San Diego) -- It’s always difficult to find that right Valentines Day gift. Chocolate and flowers are outdated. Look no further as this is the smoothest and healthiest gift to give this Valentines Day.
Did you know smooth jazz has certain heath benefits? Along with it reported to lowering blood pressure, it is reported to stimulate the brain, help with chronic pain and illness and not to mention its great music for the soul. So why wouldn’t you want to give the gift and love and well-being with a romantic weekend get-away at one of the most beautiful places in the Coachella Valley, at the Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort and Spa for you and that special person? Take a well deserved “staycation” with great food, golf, spa, and smooth jazz.
February 1, 2024 (La Mesa) - – San Diego State track and field has signed high school senior Laraigh Allen for next year, head coach Shelia Burrell announced on Wednesday.
February 1, 2024 (San Diego) -- If you lost food during the storm due to flooding or a power outage, you can request a replacement of your CalFresh benefits until Feb. 21, 2024.
Greater San Diego Association of REALTORS®Reminds Homeowners to Prioritize the Purchase of Flood Insurance
By Greater San Diego Association of Realtors®
File photo: CC by SA-NC via Bing
February 1, 2024 (San Diego) -- As the impact from the unprecedented flooding in San Diego County subsides, the Greater San Diego Association of REALTORS® (SDAR) is reminding homeowners of how critical flood insurance is to helping protect your home and valuables. It is key to note that most homeowner insurance options do not cover damage from floods, meaning that individuals are required to purchase an additional coverage option for full flood protection. While basic insurance policies will cover damage from broken appliances or a damaged water pipe, full-scale flood coverage is not included.
Statewide, fewer than 2% of all homeowners have flood insurance on their property, and less than 50% have flood insurance protection in higher risk areas. If an individual is looking to acquire flood insurance, they can purchase it from a state-licensed insurance agent through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Company provides safety tips to help keep customers safe during winter storm
February 1, 2024 (San Diego) – The safety of its customers, employees and the communities is of the utmost importance for SDG&E, which is why the company is taking proactive steps to prepare for the potential of back-to-back winter storms expected to arrive Thursday morning.
In anticipation of the forecasted wind and rain, SDG&E is increasing the number of field crews and equipment available to restore power as quickly and safely as possible should power outages occur. The company’s meteorology team is also monitoring weather conditions minute-by-minute to help provide situational awareness to front-line crews working to maintain the infrastructure that serves the region. However, preparedness is a community effort, and the company encourages all its customers to have a plan in place in case of unplanned outages.
To help customers prepare for the upcoming storms, the company is sharing the following safety tips to help keep customers and the region safe:
February 1, 2024 (San Diego) –Mayor Todd Gloria has issued a voluntary evacuation warning for people living in low-lying areas of the city ahead of the new storm moving into the area. The warning was texted to residents in theflood plain areas in Southcrest, Mountain View, Encanto, San Ysidro, Sorrento Valley and Mission Valley.
If the voluntary warning becomes an order, San Diego Police will go door to door to inform residents.
A shelter has been set up at the municipal gym in Balboa Park. Anyone in the evacuation warning areas who needs a free ride to the shelter can call (619)280-4444 under an agreement between the city and the Ride United app.
The Red Cross of San Diego and Imperial Counties is continuing to provide shelter for people displaced from their homes at the Lincoln High School Gymnasium located at 4777 Imperial Ave., San Diego, CA 92133. The Red Cross San Diego phone number is 858-309-1200.
January 31, 2024 (San Diego) -- In the wake of recent flooding in San Diego and with more rainy days on the horizon, it's crucial for pet parents to be prepared for emergencies. Just as we keep first aid kits for ourselves, it's vital to have one ready for our pets to provide immediate care until professional help is available.
January 31, 2024 (El Cajon) – A 20-year-old Lemon Grove man was shot and killed last night around 8:35 p.m. after exiting his vehicle, which had crashed and gone down an embankment off I-8 in El Cajon.
January 31, 2024 (Spring Valley) -- County crews are helping families clean up debris from the Jan. 22 storm.
Teams visited 40 homes in Spring Valley Monday to help support disposal of household hazardous waste.
More rain is forecast this week. Do not put debris near the curb where it can wash away and cause a hazard. If you live in the unincorporated area and your home was damaged by the recent storm, call 2-1-1 for referrals to resources.
January 31, 2024 (San Diego)—On the heels of last week’s severe storm, another atmospheric river is moving into our region, bringing widespread rain, mountain snow as low as 3,500 feet, gusty winds, cold temperatures and possible thunderstorms. A flood watch has been issued by the National Weather Service for Thursday morning through Friday morning for San Diego County’s mountains, deserts and valleys, with potential for flooding in some urban and low-lying areas as well as along rivers and streams.
The NWS has also issued a wind advisory for valley areas, a high surf and small craft advisory for coastal areas where waves could reach 10 feet.
Mountains and foothills have a 60% chance of 2-4 inches, a 10% chance of 4-6 inches, and a 5% chance of over 6 inches of precipitation. Deserts could receive as much as 2 or more inches of rain, with .5 to 1 inch likely. Valleys and coastal areas have a50%chance of 1-2 inches, a 40% chance of 2-3 inches,and a 5% chance of over 4 inches.
January 30, 2024 (San Diego) – Alvin McDonal Ruis, 36, has been charged with murdering his cellmate at the San Diego Central Jail. Brandon Andrew Yates, 24 was found unresponsive on January 16 in his cell. Despite lifesaving efforts including CPR and Naloxone, he was pronounced dead a short time later by a hospital doctor. He had been arrested one day earlier for alleged burglary.
JPA to discuss options in a closed-door meeting with legal counsel
By Miriam Raftery
Photo, left: Dr. Michael Hager, President, Friends of the Water Conservation Garden, and Lauren Magnuson, Interim Director of the Garden
January 30, 2024 (El Cajon) – Friends of the Water Conservation Garden and the garden’s new interim director, Lauren Magnuson, made impassioned pleas at a January 23 meeting, asking the Joint Powers Authority (JPA) to allocate additional funds through June to help alleviate a financial crisis.
The Water Conservation Garden is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Magnuson. said, “We supported the community during the pandemic. Now we are hoping that the community will support us.”
The Garden has over $1 million in financial obligations, including large loans taken out during the pandemic and some smaller grant funds slated to be returned. Questions have been raised by the JPA over years of inaccurate record-keeping practices and borrowing by Friends to cover the Garden’s operating expenses, among other concerns.
“The Garden has significantly cut our monthly budget by more than half,” Magnuson told ECM in an interview earlier this month. “We unfortunately had to furlough a good portion of our staff and lean on current staff to absorb those furloughed positions.” She has pledged full transparency and open communication with staff and volunteers, scrambling to pull together financial records and options to help the garden grow and thrive in the future—though the task is daunting.
Photo, left: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, backed by fellow Democrats on Monday, criticizes a Republican plan to open impeachment hearings this week against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. With Jeffries, from left, are Reps. Lou Correa of California, Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, Dan Goldman of New York and Glenn Ivey of Maryland. (Photo by Ian McKinney/Cronkite News)
January 30, 2024 (Washington, D.C.) -- Border officials said they encountered more than 300,000 migrants at the southern border in December, setting a one-month record that pushed the total for the first quarter of fiscal 2024 to 785,422.
The continuing surge in migrants comes as debate on immigration is heating up in Washington. Senators this week are expected to unveil a sweeping, bipartisan immigration reform bill that is already being called “dead on arrival” in the House, where a committee is set to start impeachment proceedings Tuesday against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
January 29, 2024 (El Cajon) -- The City of El Cajon is going to the dogs! Literally! They are trying to break the world record for the most dogs to watch a movie screening together. The current record of 219 dogs was set by a bunch of bored pooches in September 2023.
Organizers in El Cajon will attempt to break the record with Beethoven, a 1992 American family comedy film that features a St. Bernard dog who causes all kinds of trouble for his human family. Maybe he didn’t hear his owners yelling at him to stop!
January 28, 2024 (El Cajon) -- In 2024 Uprise Theatre partners with Cuyamaca College's Queer Student Center to offer East County San Diego monthly name and gender change clinics along with legal clinics specifically for those folks who identify as LGBTQ+.
Although hosted through Cuyamaca College these clinics are open to everyone, for free.
January 28, 2024 (Lakeside) -- Solana Center for Environmental Innovation will host a Vermicomposting Basic workshop on Feb. 19 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the Olde Community Church, 9906 Maine Ave. in Lakeside. Join Solana Center for this one-hour workshop to discover why red wiggler worms are composting superstars! Vermicomposting has a benefit for everyone, whether you want to divert kitchen scraps from the landfill, compost in small spaces, or create a natural fertilizer for your plants. This workshop will teach you how to get started and maintain a happy home for red wiggler worms.
January 28, 2024 (Escondido) -- A diverse group of community leaders including Senator Brian W. Jones (R-Santee), former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Escondido City Councilmember Joe Garcia, Escondido Union School Board Member Joan Gardner, and Michael Branch, CEO of the East County Transitional Living Center, recently held a press conference at Grape Day Park in Escondido to announce new legislation tackling the homeless crisis.
January 27, 2024 (San Diego) – Monsters on the Loose—a true crime novel by award-winning author and historian Richard L. Carrico—is set in San Diego in 1931. With forensic evidence at the time not quite what it is today, many murders went unsolved. In this gripping novel, San Diego historian and anthropologist Richard L. Carrico details the unsolved murders of three young women including one crime that took place in today’s Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP). In Monsters on the Loose, the author walks readers through the victims’ last days, the search for their killers, and the criminal trial of one suspect.
By Tracy DeFore, County of San Diego Communications Office
January 27, 2024 (San Diego) -- Flooding from Monday’s torrential storms was bad enough, but now residents cleaning up their damaged homes face the threat of mold.
The longer materials stay wet, the more likely mold will grow. It takes only two to three days for mold to form.
January 27, 2024 (San Diego) -- Supervisor Joel Anderson asked his staff to compile a list of scholarship opportunities and financial resources to assist students.
“I am aware of the financial barriers that many parents or students face. Having three children go through this process, I understand the value behind scholarship opportunities and the importance behind financial assistance,” says Supervisor Anderson. “We have made an effort to find a diverse set of scholarship opportunities that will be useful and relevant to you. It’s important to note that many of these opportunities have upcoming deadlines, so we recommend being mindful as these dates approach. Also, if there are any other resources you would like to see included in the list, please send them to paige.bounds@sdcounty.ca.gov and we would be happy to add them.”
Below are the scholarships available for spring 2024:
By Suzanne Potter, California News Service
East County News Service
East County News Service
East County News Service
East County News Service
Source: County News Service
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Source: goaztecs.com
East County News Service
Greater San Diego Association of REALTORS® Reminds Homeowners to Prioritize the Purchase of Flood Insurance 
Company provides safety tips to help keep customers safe during winter storm
East County News Service
East County News Service
By Miriam Raftery
East County News Service
JPA to discuss options in a closed-door meeting with legal counsel
By Ian McKinney, Cronkite News
By Jonathan Goetz
By Jocelyn Campos
East County News Service
East County News Service
East County News Service
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