October 1, 2010 (Sacramento) -- Legislation by Assemblymember Marty Block (AD-78) to restore special education funding to cash-strapped school districts was signed by Governor Schwarzenegger. AB 184 prevents the California Department of Education from requiring school districts to repay the state for Special Disabilities Adjustment funds that districts received in the prior fiscal year and already spent to enrich the classroom experience for special-needs children.
“AB 184 is a life saver for some of our neediest students across the state and provides immediate assistance to school districts already struggling to make ends meet and maintain high quality instruction,” said Block.
October 1, 2010 (Sacramento) Governor Schwarzenegger has signed AB 1775 to designate January 30 of each year as Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution, in recognition of the Japanese American veteran's life-long fight to preserve civil liberties and constitutional rights. The measure was co-authored by Assemblyman Marty Block (D-Lemon Grove.)
“As a trailblazer of civil rights who stood against the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, Fred Korematsu’s legacy reminds us that we must use this dark period in our history as a teaching tool to educate future generations on the importance of preserving civil liberties for everyone," Block said.
October 1, 2010 (Sacramento) – Late yesterday Governor Arnold Scharzenegger signed SB 1449, a bill sponsored by Sen. Mark Leno that downgrades the possession of one ounce or less of marijuana from a misdemeanor to an infraction. This will spare petty marijuana offenders the necessity of a court appearance and criminal arrest record, while saving the state millions of dollars in court and prosecution expenses.
The Last Circle, By Cheri Seymour (TrineDay LLC, Walterville, Oregon, 2010, 584 pages.)
Book Review by Dennis Moore
October 1, 2010 (San Diego) Former investigative reporter Cheri Seymour, a San Diego County resident, has written a non-fiction thriller to end all thrillers. The Last Circle is ripped from the headlines of one of our era’s most controversial murder scandals: the killing of investigative journalist Danny Casolaro, whose discoveries about a shadowy organization that he dubbed “The Octopus” reached into the Mafia, the Cali Drug Cartel, and even the U.S. Department of Justice.
September 30, 2010 (San Diego's East County) -- Wild weather created the perfect storm for some spectacular skies over East County during the past couple of days. Here are a few of our favorites.
Scroll down for more amazing images of skies over East County.
15-Year-old faces felony arraignment Sept. 28 for carrying hunting knife while jogging in rural area where kids were stalked by mountain lion
East County News Service
“My 12-year-old daughter was put against the car and she was searched by an adult male officer; the kids said they were touching their butts. My son said they put their hands up between their legs. They were crying and they were all shocked…No one in my household has ever been involved in illegal activities.” – Carmen Gomez Villeda Wagner , mother of two children stopped, including a 15-year-old boy charged with a felony
"I would never in a million years say that wearing camouflage clothing constitutes reasonable cause for anything." -- Rebecca Jones, president, Criminal Lawyers Defense Club, San Diego, who questions the legality of the stop made by Sheriff's officers.
“If they were three white children, would it have happened at all? I think it’s racial profiling.” – a concerned mother in the neighborhood who asked that her name not be published.
Whitman denies claim; husband's handwriting on letter revealed today bolsters maid's case. Allegation may be tip of a larger iceberg, Social Security spokesman suggests.
By Miriam Raftery
September 30, 2010 (Sacramento) –Meg Whitman, Republican candidate for Governor, is under increasing fire as evident mounts that she knowingly employed an illegal immigrant and that and her husband ignored a 2003 warning from the Social Security administration that a maid working in their home did not have legal documentation.
September 30, 2010 (El Cajon) – Lawrence “Larry” Hoagland pled not guilty today to rigging his wife’s vehicle with a pipe bomb in an effort to murder her. According to 10 News, authorities found bomb-making evidence on his computer.
A Superior Court judge in El Cajon today denied bail for Hoagland, whose wife was seriously injured after her car exploded near the Rancho San Diego day care center where she works.
September 30, 2010 (Sacramento)-- Governor Schwarzenegger this week signed legislation by Senate Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth (R-Murrieta) providing for two free hunting days in California per year. The bill, SB 1179 is similar to the existing two “free fishing” days per year for fishing without a license.
September 30, 2010 (San Diego) – The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for dry lightning across San Diego County through 3 p.m. today, continuing in high desert areas through 11 p.m.
September 30, 2010 (Lakeside) – Lightning struck a transformer on a power pole on Main Street in Lakeside, causing a power outage. Moments later, a second strike ignited a palm tree in the area, an eyewitness has told East County Magazine. Power is now out to about 2,000 customers in Lakeside.
September 30, 2010 (Julian) -- As part of Julian’s Apple Days Centennial Celebration, a two-day Apple Days Festival will be held October 2nd and 3rd. Festivities take place at Menghini Winery in the historic gold rush town of Julian, located on Highway 79 in East County's mountain region.
September 29, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Who won last night’s gubernatorial debate? You decide! Here is a link to the video of the complete debate: http://debate.ucdavis.edu/webcast.html
September 30, 2010 (La Mesa) -- The Environmental Sustainability Commission is holding the third annual “Sustain La Mesa” Environmental Festival on Saturday, October 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Harry Griffen Park, 9550 Milden Street, La Mesa, 91942.This year's festival will feature over 30 booths and exhibits as well as expert speakers and activities for all ages.
September 30, 2010 (El Cajon ) – Johnney P. Minarick prays perserverance will pay off. He ran for Grossmont Health Care district board in 1998, getting just 4.92% of the vote, and for Grossmont Cuyamaca Community College District’s board in 2000, drawing 18.5%. Now he’s running for Mayor of El Cajon against four other candidates (incumbent Mayor Mark Lewis and challengers John “Mike” Garcia, Todd Moore, and Darris Mroz.)
Minarick says his biggest concern is that “nonbelievers took the Bible out of schools” and belives that kids "need the Bible to learn right from wrong.” As Mayor, he would seek to “bring reading the Bible back into schools again like we used to do when we were kids in Pennsylvania.”
September 29, 2010 (Washington D.C.) - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today warned consumers to stop using all infant sleep positioners.
September 30, 2010 (Alpine) – “Honoring our Heroes” is the theme of this year’s Alpine Viejas Days Parade this Sunday, October 3rd at 2 p.m. A full day of family-friendly events from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. also include an Alpine Craft and Vendor fair, a Health Fair, as well as opening ceremony at 10 a.m. The Viejas band of the Kumeyaay nation sponsors the day’s events, along with the Alpine Stagecoach Lions Club presenting the parade.
September 28, 2010 (La Mesa) -- The City of La Mesa, the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce and the La Mesa Village Merchants’ Association invite you to La Mesa's annual Oktoberfest celebration in the downtown Village October 1-3. This year's event will feature 400 vendors, two beer gardens, live music, carnival rides, and an estimated 200,000 visitors.
September 29, 2010 (SanDiego’s East County) – Four Hispanic men with guns staged a home invasion robbery at 344 Cardiff Street in the Jamacha/Lomita neighborhood in East County this afternoon. According to officer David Stafford with San Diego Police, the suspects tied up the victim, ransacked his house, and used a motorized drill found at the scene to puncture a hole in the victim’s back.
September 29, 2010 (Ramona) – Ramona resident Raul Leyva, 35, pleaded guilty today to five felony counts of owning and training dogs for fighting with other dogs.
30% are economically challenged; 17% of region’s children live below federal poverty line
East County News Service
September 29, 2010 (San Diego) -- More than 100,000 San Diego County residents fell from the middle class into poverty or severe economic hardship in the past two years. The County's highest poverty rate (22.4%) is in El Cajon.
September 29, 2010 (San Diego's East County)--The League of Women Voters of East San Diego County is hosting a series of forums about ballot measures, as well as candidates for the La Mesa and El Cajon City Councils, and the Grossmont High School District Board.
September 29, 2010 (El Cajon) –The German American Societies presents the 39th annual Oktoberfest in El Cajon over the first two weekends of October, the 1st – 3rd and 8th – 10th, 2010. Hours of this traditional, family-friendly festival are Fridays from 5:00 to 10:00 PM, Saturdays from noon until 10:00 PM, and Sundays from noon until 9:00 PM.
September 29, 2010 (Bonita) – Last night at about 9:05 p.m. Christina Green left on foot, without her shoes, from the 2900 Block Sylvia Street Bonita. The missing person is at risk, and her mindset fluctuates from that of a five-year-old child to her current age of 30, San Diego's Sheriff Department reports. She has disappeared three times in the last year, and the last time she was located on Briarwood Road, Bonita.
Vaccination, Booster Shot Best Defense, County Officials Say
East County News Service
September 29, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) -- Thirteen new pertussis (whooping cough) cases where other children may have been exposed were reported this week in San Diego County, including six in East County, according to County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) officials today.
September 29, 2010 (Alpine) – “Alpine is experiencing Auto Burglary and Window Smashes,” Paula Dickenson, USN Ret., crime prevention specialist with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Alpine substation said in release sent to media and area residents. “It's an opportunity for the thief…When it occurs, contact Sheriff's Dispatch, 1-858-565-5200, for our Alpine Deputy to take a report,” she said, also offering tips to protect your vehicle.
October 1, 2010 (Sacramento) Governor Schwarzenegger has signed AB 1775 to designate January 30 of each year as Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution, in recognition of the Japanese American veteran's life-long fight to preserve civil liberties and constitutional rights. The measure was co-authored by Assemblyman Marty Block (D-Lemon Grove.)
Jeremy’s on the Hill California-style Bistro
“My 12-year-old daughter was put against the car and she was searched by an adult male officer; the kids said they were touching their butts. My son said they put their hands up between their legs. They were crying and they were all shocked…No one in my household has ever been involved in illegal activities.” – Carmen Gomez Villeda Wagner , mother of two children stopped, including a 15-year-old boy charged with a felony
September 30, 2010 (El Cajon) – Lawrence “Larry” Hoagland pled not guilty today to rigging his wife’s vehicle with a pipe bomb in an effort to murder her. According to 10 News, authorities found bomb-making evidence on his computer.
September 30, 2010 (Sacramento)-- Governor Schwarzenegger this week signed legislation by Senate Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth (R-Murrieta) providing for two free hunting days in California per year. The bill, SB 1179 is similar to the existing two “free fishing” days per year for fishing without a license.
September 30, 2010 (San Diego) – The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for dry lightning across San Diego County through 3 p.m. today, continuing in high desert areas through 11 p.m. 
September 30, 2010 (Lakeside) – Lightning struck a transformer on a power pole on Main Street in Lakeside, causing a power outage. Moments later, a second strike ignited a palm tree in the area, an eyewitness has told East County Magazine. Power is now out to about 2,000 customers in Lakeside. 
September 30, 2010 (Julian) -- As part of Julian’s Apple Days Centennial Celebration, a two-day Apple Days Festival will be held October 2nd and 3rd. Festivities take place at Menghini Winery in the historic gold rush town of Julian, located on Highway 79 in East County's mountain region.
September 29, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Who won last night’s gubernatorial debate? You decide! Here is a link to the video of the complete debate: 
September 30, 2010 (La Mesa) -- The Environmental Sustainability Commission is holding the third annual “Sustain La Mesa” Environmental Festival on Saturday, October 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Harry Griffen Park, 9550 Milden Street, La Mesa, 91942.This year's festival will feature over 30 booths and exhibits as well as expert speakers and activities for all ages.
“The failure to sufficiently accommodate student needs is heartbreaking,” – Chancellor Cindy L Miles
East County News Service
September 30, 2010 (Alpine) – “Honoring our Heroes” is the theme of this year’s Alpine Viejas Days Parade this Sunday, October 3rd at 2 p.m. A full day of family-friendly events from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. also include an Alpine Craft and Vendor fair, a Health Fair, as well as opening ceremony at 10 a.m. The Viejas band of the Kumeyaay nation sponsors the day’s events, along with the Alpine Stagecoach Lions Club presenting the parade. 
September 28, 2010 (La Mesa) -- The City of La Mesa, the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce and the La Mesa Village Merchants’ Association invite you to La Mesa's annual Oktoberfest celebration in the downtown Village October 1-3. This year's event will feature 400 vendors, two beer gardens, live music, carnival rides, and an estimated 200,000 visitors.
September 29, 2010 (Ramona) – Ramona resident Raul Leyva, 35, pleaded guilty today to five felony counts of owning and training dogs for fighting with other dogs.
East County News Service
September 29, 2010 (Bonita) – Last night at about 9:05 p.m. Christina Green left on foot, without her shoes, from the 2900 Block Sylvia Street Bonita. The missing person is at risk, and her mindset fluctuates from that of a five-year-old child to her current age of 30, San Diego's Sheriff Department reports. She has disappeared three times in the last year, and the last time she was located on Briarwood Road, Bonita. 
September 29, 2010 (Alpine) – “Alpine is experiencing Auto Burglary and Window Smashes,” Paula Dickenson, USN Ret., crime prevention specialist with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Alpine substation said in release sent to media and area residents. “It's an opportunity for the thief…When it occurs, contact Sheriff's Dispatch, 1-858-565-5200, for our Alpine Deputy to take a report,” she said, also offering tips to protect your vehicle.
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