U-T OWNERS BLOCKED EDITORIAL ON ICE PROTESTS SAYS FIRED OPINION EDITOR

COURT RULES TRUMP’S ORDERING NATIONAL GUARD TO L.A. IS ILLEGAL AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL

FANITA RANCH GETS GO AHEAD FROM SANTEE CITY COUNCIL--AGAIN

“NO KINGS” PROTESTS PLANNED SATURDAY NATIONWIDE OVER AUTHORITARIAN TACTICS, INCLUDING 11 EVENTS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY

SAN DIEGO GROCERY WORKERS VOTE TO OK STRIKE AMID CONTRACT DISPUTE

CALIF. SENATOR PADILLA FORCIBLY REMOVED FROM HOMELAND SECURITY PRESS CONFERENCE AND HANDCUFFED

“HIGHWAYMAN” TOM WELLER, WHO AIDED THOUSANDS OF STRANDED MOTORISTS, NOW NEEDS HELP FOR EMERGENCY HOME REPAIRS

IN A WIN FOR PUBLIC ACCESS, CITY COUNCIL VOTES TO KEEP LAKE MURRAY OPEN DAILY

GUHSD BOARD REJECTS TEACHERS’ ETHNIC STUDIES PROGRAM, PROVIDES UPDATES ON AI AND TECHNOLOGY UPGRADES

LOS ANGELES IMMIGRATION PROTESTS, CIVIL UNREST FUEL CLASH BETWEEN GOVERNOR AND PRESIDENT

FARM TOUR DAY RETURNS JUNE 28

PASSAGES: ART MADRID, FORMER LA MESA MAYOR WHO SERVED THE CITY FOR OVER 30 YEARS

HAUTE WITH HEART: FASHION SHOW AUG. 21 TO RAISE FUNDS FOR ST. MADELEINE SOPHIE'S CENTER

 

August 3, 2010 (San Diego) -- "Oh my, isn't fashion fun?" is the theme for the 33rd annual Haute with Heart fashion show.  The program will benefit St. Madeleine Sophie's Center in El Cajon, which meets the needs of developmentally disabled adults.  

 

The benefit event will be held August 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina.

GROSSMONT HEALTHCARE DONATES $25,000 FOR RURAL FIREFIGHTING SUPPLIES

 

 

August 3, 2010 (San Diego's East County) -- The Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) board of directorshas unanimously approved a $25,000 grant to the non-profit San Diego Regional Fire & Emergency Services Foundation.  

 

VIEJAS & FOX 5 ROLL OUT “CASH CUBE” TO HELP LOCAL CHARITIES

 

August 3, 2010 (Alpine) --Viejas Casino and Fox 5 San Diego rolled out the Viejas Cash Cube last week to help raise money for San Diego area charities. The event kicked off a month-long “Cool Cash” promotion at the Casino, where over $1,000,000 is up for grabs in August.

CRIME RATE DOWN IN SAN DIEGO; VIOLENT CRIMES FALL SHARPLY

 

Gang-related homicides down 60%

August 3, 2010 (San Diego) – The City of San Diego had a 3.8% decrease in crimes in the first six months of this year. Violent crimes fell 4.6% decline in violent crimes including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. The murder rate fell by one-third (33%), while robberies dropped over 11% and vehicle thefts fell nearly 16%.

 

If the rate continues through year’s end, it will mark the seventh straight year of crime reduction in San Diego. Despite tight budgets, response times to priority calls also became faster. SDPD Chief William Lansdowne announced.

1 DEAD, 4 INJURED IN PLANE CRASH ON TIERRASANTA GOLF COURSE


WITNESS RECOUNTS HARROWING NEAR-MISS

By Miriam Raftery

 

August 2, 2010 (Tierrasanta) – A pilot who reported a door falling off in flight crashed onto the 11th hole at Admiral Baker Golf Course in Tierrasanta this afternoon, killing a woman passenger and injuring four others.  The plane was a single-engine Velocity Super XLRG5.
 

“Whoever was at the helm of that plane was a hero in my mind.  It could have been much worse,” Arrit McPherson told East County Magazine, before news of the fatality was known. “There are a lot of houses around here, as well as power lines.”  McPherson was working on his boat, Treasure Seeker, at San Diego Boat Movers, when he saw the pilot make an evasive move to avoid striking his boat, then head for an opening between trees at the golf course.

ANDERSON “IOU TAXPAYER PROTECTION BILL” TO BE HEARD MONDAY AUG. 2


East County News Service

August 1, 2010 (Sacramento)--Assembly Bill 1506, the "IOU Taxpayer Protection Bill" authored by Assemblyman Joel Anderson (R-El Cajon) will be heard on Monday, August 2 in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“As the State's cash flow situation continues to deteriorate, California is once again in danger of issuing IOU's to its businesses and citizens. AB 1506 will protect taxpayers from the state's forced borrowing,” Anderson said.

NATIONAL "NIGHT OUT" AGAINST CRIME TONIGHT IN EAST COUNTY

 

August 3, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) America's Night Out Against Crime is in its 26th year. The national event provides opportunities for Neighborhood Watch participants, communities, and law enforcement agencies to celebrate effective crime prevention practices and partnerships. San Diego Sheriff's Department supports Neighborhood Watch, Crime-Free Multi-Housing, Start Smart, and other programs targeting crime and safety, and has crime prevention specialists at all patrol stations dedicated to community education and support.

Sheriff's Department National Night Out events in East County will take place at Lakeside, Santee, and San Diego near La Mesa/Lemon Grove Details:

7-COURSE WINE-PAIRING DINNER OFFERED IN JULIAN AUGUST 6

 

August 1, 2010 (Julian)--Jeremy’s on the Hill California Style Bistro in Julian will host a Seven-Course Wine Pairing Dinner featuring fine wines from five back country wineries on Saturday, August 6 at 7 p.m.

 

"We have so much talent here in the back country and it is such a pleasure to work with these amazing vintners,” said Jeremy Manley, the restaurant’s Cordon-Bleu trained chef.

SWEEPS OF HOMELESS CAMPS IN RANCHO SAN DIEGO

 
 

 

By Miriam Raftery

July 31, 2010 (Rancho San Diego) – San Diego Sheriff deputies along with U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials conducted sweeps of homeless camps in wooded areas of Rancho San Diego in the grey light of early morning.

 

East County Magazine accompanied officers on the first sweep, behind Savanna Grill. More sweeps were held near Cuyamaca College, the YMCA, Target, and the old Steele Canyon bridge off Highway 94. No homeless people were present or arrested, though many left behind trash and/or treasures that could not be toted away in a backpack or shopping cart. Makeshift tents, lean-tos and mattresses were found, along with more poignant items: a large stuffed monkey, a cracked mirror with ornate frame, a pushcart, cooking utensils, nail polish, and a chipped china pitcher.

 

All lay forgotten in the mud, symbols of shattered lives and broken dreams.

110 ACRE FIRE BURNING NEAR JULIAN

 


East County News Service

August 1, 2010 (Julian) – Over 120 firefighters have worked through the night battling the Scissors Fire, which is now 110 acres. Full containment is expected by tonight, said Cal-Fire Battalion Chief Nick Schuler. The fire is burning along State Route 2 in the Scissors Crossing area, about 10 miles northeast of Julian.

ALLEGED ARSONIST ARRESTED

 

Eloy Bazan suspected in Lakeside blazes

 

July 30, 2010 (Lakeside)--An arrest has been made in connection with a series of recent vegetation fires in the Lakeside area. The most recent fire occurred last night  near I-8 and Los Coches Road at approximately 10:45 pm. Fire crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire; there was no damage to structures and no one was injured.

RAMONA STUDENT WINS 2 MAJOR AGRICULTURAL SCHOLARSHIPS

 

July 31, 2010 (Escondido) -- Jena Glasgow enters her senior year this fall as a Dairy Science major at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. When the Ramona resident graduates next June, she aims to enter veterinary school in pursuit of a career supporting health of dairy cattle and food animals. The San Diego County Farm Bureau Scholarship Committee recently selected Glasgow to receive both the 2010 Farm Bureau Scholarship ($1,300) as well as the 2010 Leo McGuire Sr. Memorial Scholarship award ($1,200).

11 LOCAL AG STUDENTS REAP REWARDS, EARN $16,000 IN FARM BUREAU SCHOLARSHIPS

July 31, 2010 (Escondido)– Eleven  San Diego County agriculture students have been awarded scholarships from the San Diego County Farm Bureau Scholarship Program. This year, the San  Bureau's Scholarship Committee awarded $16,000 in varying amounts to the students.

U.S. JUSTICE DEPT. AWARDS FUNDS FOR SAN DIEGO INTERNET CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN TASK FORCE

 

East County News Service

 

July 31, 2010 (Washington D.C.) – U.S. Congressman Bob Filner announced this week that the federal Department of Justice (DOJ) has awarded $320,403 for the San Diego Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

 

“We have to work together across city lines if we are going to catch online child predators,” said Filner. “These funds will go to making sure we have the resources to be proactive in investigating and prosecuting those using the internet to commit crimes against children.”

240 LOCAL FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE BLAZES IN L.A. AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA; CAL-FIRE CALLS IN OFF-DUTY FIREFIGHTERS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY

By Miriam Raftery
 

July 31, 2010 (San Diego) – “Countywide, there are approximately 240 firefighters from San Diego at fires in the north,” Cal-Fire battalion chief Nick Schuler told East County Magazine today. That includes the Crown Fire southwest of Palmdale in Los Angeles County, which has scorched 13,918 acres and is 62% contained. In Kern County, another large blaze has charred 1,658 acres and is 85% contained.
 

About 220 of the 240 local firefighters deployed in northern regions are Cal Fire personnel, including 128 inmate firefighters. Cal-Fire employees a total of 500 people in San Diego County, Schuler said.

FAMILY DOG KILLS TODDLER IN TIERRASANTA

 

Update August 1:  County Animal Control officers have euthanized the dog, at the request of the family, which has other small children.

 

July 31, 2010 (Tierrasanta) – A family’s German shepherd fatally mauled a toddler in their home at 3529 Lofberg Street late this morning. “The baby, a boy, was taken to Children’s Hospital but did not survive,” San Diego Police officer Kevin McNamara confirmed.

HUNTER CALLS FOR INCREASED SHIPBUILDING

 

July 30, 2010 (Washington D.C.) – Congressman Duncan D. Hunter (R-El Cajon), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, today highlighted a report by the bipartisan Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) Independent Panel, which calls for increasing the Navy to a 346-ship fleet and expanding America’s focus to prepare for threats in the Western Pacific.

 

LUTZ SLAMS FILIBUSTER OF $30 BILLION FOR SMALL BUSINESS LOANS; ACCUSES REPUBLICANS OF “SABOTAGING” ECONOMY FOR POLITICAL GAIN

July 29, 2010 (San Diego's East County) – “This is destructive...It’s sabotage,” said Ray Lutz,  Democratic challenger to the 52nd Congressional seat. Lutz was reacting to Senate Republicans' filibuster of the Small Business Lending Fund Act, which would create a $30 billion lending fund for small businesses.  The bulk would be used to help community banks and credit unions start lending money again to local businesses.

PRESIDENT SIGNS TRIBAL LAW AND ORDER ACT

Bill enables tribal police to enforce federal laws, protects Native American rape victims

 

4 San Diego legislators support law; Rep. Hunter votes “no”
 

By Miriam Raftery
July 30, 2010 (Washington D.C.) - “If the Tribal Law and Order Act had existed 16 years ago, my story would be very different,” Lisa Marie Lyotte said, choking back tears in a White House press conference today. In 1994, Lyotte was raped and beaten on the Sioux Indian reservation where she lived; her children witnessed the attack.  Tribal police had a suspect, but federal authorities refused to prosecute.

Native American women suffer violent crime at a rate more than triple the national average; one in three Indian women is raped during her lifetime, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Calling the situation “an assault on our national conscience,” President Barack Obama today fulfilled a campaign promise made to tribal leaders by signing the Tribal Law and Order Act into law.

BOOK REVIEW: BAREFOOT IN BAGHDAD


Barefoot in Baghdad, By Manal M. Omar (Sourcebooks, Naperville, Illinois, 2010, 242 pages.)

 

Book Review by Dennis Moore


Barefoot in Baghdad is a Muslim American Woman’s Story of Struggle, Sisterhood, and Love in the Chaos of Iraq

 

July 29, 2010 (San Diego) -- Manal M. Omar, author of Barefoot in Baghdad, an international aid worker from an Arab and Muslim heritage, has provided valuable first-hand insights into events a world away following the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster. One of the book's major characters is now a prominent member of San Diego's Iraqi community.

FIERY FINDINGS: AMONG MAJOR CITIES, SAN DIEGO HAS LOWEST LEVEL OF FIREFIGHTERS—AND BIGGEST REVENUE SHORTFALL


Leaders propose options to address serious public safety crisis in City and County

 

By Miriam Raftery


July 28, 2010 (San Diego) – San Diego has the fewest firefighters per capita of any major city in the nation, a shocking new report by Center for Policy Initiatives revealed yesterday.

 

“Service quality has dropped below acceptable standards, most tragically in the fire-rescue department,” a CPI press release warned. “Without increased revenue, the city could face the closure of almost half of our fire stations and the firing of several hundred police officers, as the chief operating officer described to the Council yesterday.”

ON THE SILVER SCREEN: "DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS" SERVES A FINE COMEDIC MEAL

By Brian Lafferty

 

July 30, 2010 (San Diego)--Intelligently dumb may sound like an oxymoron but it is the best phrase I could use to accurately describe Dinner for Schmucks. It is at times goofy and stupid but there is always a certain astuteness that permeates throughout the material without coming off as pretentious. The “dinner” doesn’t arrive until the second to last reel and it is a little bit of a letdown but that doesn’t mean the lead-up isn’t hilarious at times.

 

HOMES SAVED IN LAKESIDE FIRE


East County News Service

Photos by Dennis Richardson

July 28, 2010 (Lakeside) – A brush fire charred several acres near Rocky Lane and San Vicente Avenue this evening, briefly threatening several homes including one that had previously burned and was rebuild following the 2003 Cedar Fire. Flames came with 50 feet of homes before firefighters contained the blaze.

EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: JULY 29, 2010

 

East County Roundup highlights stories of interest to East County residents, published in other media

 

July 29, 2010 (San Diego's East County) -- This week’s Roundup stories include:

•Fetal position: County Supervisor Bill Horn uses your money to promote pro-life education
• Schwarzenegger orders furloughs for state workers
• Judge blocks part of Arizona immigration law
• Q&A with Ralf Swenson, new superintendent of Grossmont Union High School District
• Fallbrook: Mountain lion believed shot
• San Diego’s refugee brain drain
• Governor orders National Guard to border
• Powerlink booster may have powered up too soon
• Economy threatens parks
 

 

ALOHA! ANNUAL LUAU IN DESCANSO AUGUST 1

 

 

July 30, 2010 (Descanso) --  A Hawaiian vacation is the grand prize at an annual luau hosted by Chapel of the Hills Community United Methodist Church (www.chapelofthehills.org) on Sunday, August 1st from noon to 4:00 p.m. All are invited to the Hawaiian-style pit-barbequed pork dinner. Music and authentic Pacific Island dance entertainment, carnival games and  door prizes round out the afternoon.

Pages