YOU'RE INVITED! JULY 17 FEAST AT HIMALAYAN CUISINE IN LA MESA WITH EAST COUNTY MAGAZINE'S DINING CLUB

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT WEST NILE VIRUS SPREAD: COUNTY TO HOLD PROGRAM SATURDAY IN LA MESA

SUSPECTS ARRESTED FOR WELLS PARK MURDER IN EL CAJON

COUNTY EXTENDING MOSQUITO SPRAYING IN LA MESA EARLY MON. AND TUES.

RAMONA MAN KILLED IN TWO-VEHICLE CRASH

SPRINGS FIRE SPARKS EVACUATIONS IN JAMUL

TODDLER DIES FROM FALL OUT LA MESA WINDOW

LEMON GROVE COUNCILMAN AND HELIX FOOTBALL COACH STEVE FAIAI DIES

COTTONWOOD SAND MINE BACKERS FAIL TO DREDGE UP ENOUGH VOTES, AS PLANNERS DEADLOCK

MOST EVACUATIONS LIFTED IN STEELE FIRE; DRONE HAMPERED FIREFIGHTERS

OVER 4,700 UNDER EVACUATION ORDERS FROM STEELE FIRE

COUNTY TO SPRAY FOR MOSQUITOS IN ROLANDO AREAS OF LA MESA AND SAN DIEGO TO REDUCE RISK OF WEST NILE VIRUS

SDG&E ANNOUNCES NEW WILDFIRE SAFETY INITIATIVES AHEAD OF PEAK WILDFIRE SEASON

New Blackhawk helicopter, tactical command vehicle, evacuation planning map books, Information and Community Resource Centers and Wildlife Resiliency Fairs provide protection to customers

Source: SDG&E

August 8, 2019 (San Diego) – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) announces new upgrades to improve wildfire preparedness and help ensure the safety of everyone in the region. For more than a decade, the company has been adding new monitoring technology, upgrading existing infrastructure and working with first responders. Today, the company unveiled additional enhancements, including a second aerial firefighting asset, as the latest strategic improvement to help ensure public safety.

COUNTY BOARD VOTES TO BUY LAND TO EXPAND IRON MOUNTAIN PRESERVE

By Gig ConaughtonCounty of San Diego Communications Office

Photo:  a view of Iron Mountain along the trail in Poway

August 8, 2019 (Poway) - County supervisors Wednesday approved buying 160 acres near Iron Mountain in Poway to give threatened animals like deer and the California gnatcatcher more room to roam, and potentially, people more trails and connections to hike.

SAN DIEGO BLOOD BANK HOLDS THREE BLOOD DRIVES IN EAST COUNTY

East County News Service

Photo: Creative Commons by SA-NC via Bing

August 8, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – The San Diego Blood Bank is hosting blood drives in Rancho San Diego on August 24,  Santee on August 25, and El Cajon on August 27.   Scroll down for details.

IMMUNIZATION PERCENTAGES BY SCHOOL: EAST COUNTY RATES RANGE FROM 10% TO 95%

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

August 8, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) -- If you have ever been curious about the immunization levels at your child’s school or preschool ---wonder no longer.

Shots for School offers information on school requirements, what the immunization levels are, and more. Preschools, K-12, universities and more are addressed on the site:

Preschools: https://www.shotsforschool.org/child-care/how-doing/

Elementary (kindergartens): https://www.shotsforschool.org/k-12/how-doing/

Middle schools (7th grade) : https://www.shotsforschool.org/7th-grade/how-doing/

PROTESTORS IN CA, US STAND AGAINST WHITE SUPREMACY

By Suzanne Potter, California News Service

August 7, 2019 (Pasadena) - Thousands of Californians joined protests across the state to take a stand against white supremacy after the mass shooting in El Paso. 

Last weekend, a gunman killed 22 people at a Walmart store in that border city, shortly after posting a racist, anti-Latino essay online. 

REAL ESTATE REALITY: COOLING PLANTS, AVOIDING A BRUSH FIRE AT HOME

By Maryanne Jackson

Real estate broker CNE, CPRES. DRE# 01784021

August 7, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) -

Dear Maryanne,

My fiancé and I purchased a home recently in Lakeside. The home sits on a large lot with a lot of vegetation. Were a little nervous with all the fires that have been flaring up around east county.

Are there steps we could take to help fireproof our yard? Any ideas appreciated.

Joannie B.

Lakeside, CA

COUNTY OFFERS $28.5M IN GRANTS TO HELP ORGANIZATIONS UPGRADE HIGH-POLLUTING VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT

 

By Katie White, County of San Diego Communications Office

Video by Jose Eli Villanueva

August 7, 2019 (San Diego) - The County of San Diego is inviting businesses, nonprofits and government organizations that currently use high-polluting heavy-duty equipment to apply for a share of $28.5 million in grant funding for greener vehicles, machinery and equipment.

TIERRASANTA TODDLER FOUND DEAD IN CAR, TWO PEOPLE LATER OVERDOSE AT SAME HOME

By Miriam Raftery
 
August 7, 2019 (Tierrasanta) – A mother called 911 Monday to report she had fallen asleep and upon awakening, could not find her 2-year-old daughter.  The woman later called back and told the dispatcher she had found the toddler in her vehicle, not breathing. Medics arrived at the Tierrasanta residence in a military housing complex, but could not revive the girl, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

HOME ELEVATOR WARNING ISSUED AFTER SEVERAL CHILD DEATHS

East County News Service  

August 7, 2019 (Washington D.C.) – The Acting Chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission today sent a letter to governors of all 50 states urging building code changes to protect consumers from a dangerous feature found in some residential elevators.  The letter follows a warning issued to consumers after several children became trapped in gaps between the elevator car door and room access door; the youngsters were crushed and died.

If you own a residential elevator, dangerous gaps can be eliminated by placing space guards on the back of the room access door or installing an electronic monitoring device that deactivates the elevator when a child is detected in the gap.  The CPSC urges consumers to contact their elevator manufacturer or an elevator installer to obtain these critical safety devices and protect children from this hidden hazard.

CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE AMMAR CAMPA-NAJJAR HOSTS TOWN HALL IN ALPINE AUGUST 18

East County News Service

August 7, 2019, 2019 (Alpine) – Congressional candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar will be at a Town Hall Meet and Greet open to the public at the Alpine Community Center on August 18th from 1 to 4 p.m. Food and beverages will be served. The event is hosted by Alpine resident Anne Craig-Tillmond.

 

Campa-Najjar is facing off in the November, 2020 elections against incumbent Congressman Duncan D. Hunter, Jr. and/or other primary challengers.

 

The Town Hall format offers an opportunity for constituents to ask questions about issues that matter most to them.

BABY WITH MEASLES MAY HAVE EXPOSED OTHERS AT KAISER FACILITIES IN CLAIREMONT AND OTAY

By Tom Christensen, County of San Diego Communications Office

August 7, 2019 (San Diego) - The first case of measles this year in San Diego County has been confirmed in an 11-month-old resident who had recently traveled to the Philippines, the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency announced Wednesday.

The unimmunized infant is currently hospitalized, but may have exposed others while seeking care at the following locations:

  • Kaiser Permanente Otay Mesa Medical Offices, 4650 Palm Ave., San Diego, CA 92154 on the following dates and times: July 29 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Pediatric Clinic; August 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Pediatric Clinic, Urgent Care and Pharmacy; and August 5 from 4:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the Pediatric Clinic.
  •   Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center, 9455 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., San Diego, CA 92123: August 5 from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the Emergency Department.

HEAR OUR INTERVIEW: CONGRESSIONAL CANDIATE AMMAR CAMPA-NAJJAR ON HIS PLANS TO BRING HIGH-INCOME JOBS TO EAST COUNTY AND MORE

By Miriam Raftery

Listen to the full interview, originally aired on KNSJ radio: click the audio link.

Learn more about Ammar Campa-Najjar's town hall at the Alpine Community Center on August 18 from 1-4 p.m. by clicking here.

August 9, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – “We need an economy and a government that works for working people,” says Ammar Campa-Najjar, who is running for the 50th Congressional district seat currently held by indicted Congressman Duncan Hunter. So we sat down with Campa-Najjar on our radio show to discuss those plans in detail.

Headlines tout a strong GDP as well as low unemployment. But  those numbers don’t tell the full story,  Campa-Najjar points out. “That’s great if you own stock.  But it’s not great if unemployment is low because one person is working three jobs, barely making a living and living paycheck to paycheck, having to choose whether to buy a gallon of gas or a gallon of milk.”  He says that in talking with people across the district, he’s hearing from people who are having to cut prescription pills in half or who can’t pay for insulin, choosing which bills to skip paying to cover basic survival needs. “These are real issues in the district, especially in rural areas."

Unlike most candidates who have run for this seat through the years, Campa-Najjar says he is uniquely positioned to bring good jobs to East County and elsewhere in the district because “I worked at the Department of Labor to create good-paying jobs, not just in San Diego County, but throughout the country.”

At the Department of Labor, he worked on creating apprenticeship jobs to train workers in high-paying fields, as well as setting up summer youth jobs and opportunities for veterans.  He later worked for the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as communications and marketing director, which included promoting opportunities for small businesses to secure contracts with the federal government and corporations. He’s also worked as an educator teaching at UCSD, USD and SDSU.

He’s also a small business owner and Jamul resident who was born in La Mesa and raised by a working class Catholic mother. His first job was as a janitor at his church, where he became a youth leader before graduating from San Diego State and later working in the White House and at the U.S. Department of Labor.

So what kinds of jobs would he bring to the district, including rural areas, small towns and Native American reservations?

Audio: 

Ammar Campa-Najjar interview

BOY SCOUTS ACCUSED OF HIDING ABUSE INCLUDING LOCAL CASES: LAWYERS URGE VICTIMS TO SPEAK OUT, PROTECT THEIR LEGAL RIGHTS

By Miriam Raftery

August 7, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – A  new lawsuit alleges that Boy Scouts of America (BSA) covered up names of some sexual abusers, the Washington Post reports. In a press conference this week, attorneys from Abused In Scouting say that researchers have found 350 names of suspected pedophiles were left of a blacklist with some 5,000 names previously made public. Both lists cite alleged abuse cases in our region including San Diego, El Cajon, La Mesa, Mount Laguna, Palomar Mountain and Poway.

“We as a group can start to change things and make sure that the next generation of kids does not have to suffer the way they did,” says San Diego attorney Van Arsdale  with AVA Law, a local firm that is one of three law firms nationally working with Abused in Scouting. 

DRIVER SOUGHT IN LAKESIDE CRASH THAT LEFT MOTORCYCLIST BRAIN DEAD—JUST BEFORE HIS WEDDING DAY

 
By Miriam Raftery
 
Photo courtesy ECM news partner 10 News
 
August 7, 2019 (Lakeside) -- Steven Johnson was set to be married this Saturday, beginning a new life with his fiancée, Karlene Moen. Instead, his grieving family and friends will be holding a celebration of life in his memory. Johnson, left brain-dead after a motorcycle crash, is set to be removed from life support. 
 
Now his loved ones are asking for public help to find the woman driving a gray compact car, who fled the scene of the accident. The crash occurred last Friday morning around 5:30 a.m. on southbound Highway 67 near Willows Road in Lakeside, 10 News reports.

SUPERVISOR GASPAR REQUESTS DEVELOPMENT OF COUNTY LACTATION POLICY FOR EMPLOYEES AND THE PUBLIC

Also contributed $95,000 to new Mother's Milk Bank

Source:  County News Service

August 7, 2019 (San Diego) - At today’s Board of Supervisors’ meeting, Supervisor Gaspar requested County staff and health experts develop a countywide lactation policy for employees and nursing mothers who do business at the County Administration Center.

PROSECUTION SEEKS DELAY IN SENTENCING OF REP. HUNTER’S WIFE

By Miriam Raftery
 
August 6, 2019 (San Diego) – Federal prosecutors have filed a request in U.S. District Court asking to postpone the sentencing date for Margaret Hunter until December 2, after the trial of her husband, Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine), the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

SEVEN HEALTHY HACKS FOR HOMEMADE SCHOOL LUNCHES

By Tom ChristensenCounty of San Diego Communications Office

Image credit:  Shutterstock

August 6, 2019 (San Diego) - You’re rushing off to work in the morning and still have to find time to make a doctor’s appointment, sign permission slips for a field trip and drop the children off at school.

Oh, and find time to pack the kids’ lunches?

DESTINATION EAST COUNTY: AUGUST 10-SEPT. 7, 2019

East County News Service

August 6, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) -- This week’s Destination East County features the HeART of Mt. Helix food, wine and art festival, Mary Poppins Returns at MacArthur Park in La Mesa, a star party at Mission Trails, a twilight walk at Mission Trails, Beat the Heat activities at Stelzer Park in Lakeside, DJ nights at Viejas Roller Rink in Alpine, the Captain Marvel movie August 17 at Wells Park in EL Cajon, Elvis Tribute concerts in Lemon Grove and El Cajon, Queen Nation in concert in Santee, Cajon Speedway family night and more.

Plus, we have a preview of coming events including powwows at Barona and Sycuan, a sky hunters demonstration with birds of prey in Julian, a Laurel and Hardy comedy night in Spring Valley, the Campo Grape Picking and Stomping Party, and more.

 

So scroll down for all of these events and many more!

SAN DIEGO PROFESSIONAL EDITORS NETWORK SEPT. 19: GEORGEANNE IRVINE: SAN DIEGO ZOO GLOBAL PRESS

Source:  San Diego Professional Editors Network

August 6, 2019 (San Diego) — On Thursday, September 19,  Georgeanne Irvine, author and director of corporate publishing for San Diego Zoo Global Press, will give a behind-the-scenes look at the zoo’s new book publishing endeavor at the next program meeting for the San Diego Professional Editors Network (SD/PEN). Launched last year, San Diego Zoo Global Press is dedicated to publishing books that inspire children and adults to care about wildlife and conservation. The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the San Diego Health Services Complex.

FROM THE FIRE CHIEF’S CORNER: LET’S HAVE SOME CLASS ON BACK-TO-SCHOOL SAFETY TIPS

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

August 6, 2019 (San Diego) -- When I was younger, I hated all the back-to-school commercials. They were a dreaded reminder that summer was over and pretty soon, I'd be back inside a hot, stuffy classroom, mourning my lost freedom.

PALA BAND OF MISSION INDIANS TO HOST 'HONORING TRADITIONS' GATHERING IN PLACE OF ANNUAL POW WOW AUGUST 31

Day-long event is free and open to the public

East County News Service

August 6, 2019 (Pala) -- The Pala Band of Mission Indians will hold its first annual “Honoring Traditions” Gathering on Saturday, August 31 at the Pala Rey Youth Camp on the Pala Indian Reservation.

While this new event replaces the Tribe’s longstanding Pow Wow Celebration, the Gathering will be dedicated to offering many of the same rich traditions of Pala–including bird songs, shinny games, bow and arrow making, peon lessons and demonstrations, a peon tournament and much more.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: THE FACE OF POISONING

By Debbie Merrill

August 5, 2019 (Jamul) - This was the breeding male of a Jamul coyote pack. The first image was taken before he ingested most likely a poisoned rodent, based on his symptoms. He had already recovered from mange, also most likely due to rodenticide poisoning. The second is a picture of him the afternoon before he died, and one of his last attempts at standing.

EL CAJON WEIGHS STIFFER PENALTIES FOR STORES SELLING TOBACCO TO KIDS

By Miriam Raftery
 
August 5, 2019 (El Cajon) – El Cajon’s City Council will consider tough new penalties for retailers caught selling tobacco to minors. A proposed new ordinance includes cracking down harder the very first time a retailer violates the law, since there have been 43 instances of first-time offenders selling tobacco to youths from 2017 to the present.

SD REP: FOR THE RECORD...

By Caley Hernandez and Eva Anderson

 

August 5, 2019 (San Diego) - San Diego Repertory Theatre brings 33 ⅓ House of Dreams to the stage at the Lyceum Theatre downtown this August and promises a fun show filled with music and history.  

 

Before the performance begins, you have a chance to explore the lobby and read the history of David Gold and Stan Ross of Gold Star Recording Studios and even participate in some trivia!  Of note, the show is the brainchild of Ross’ son, San Carlos dentist Brad Ross, and La Mesa teacher/psychologist Jonathan Rosenberg, as ECM previously reported.)

DEPUTY SHERIFFS DENOUNCE DEMAIO RUN FOR CONGRESS

By Miriam Raftery

 

August 5, 2019 (San Diego) – The San Diego Deputy Sheriff’s Association today announced its unanimous decision to oppose former San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio’s just-announced candidacy for the 50th Congressional District seat held by indicted Rep. Duncan Hunter. 

FIND YOUR INNER LUMBERJACK: SOCAL AXE THROWING AT HH BAR & GRILL IN LAKESIDE

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

August 5, 2019 (Lakeside) - Don’t use the axe to shave, cut your double axe burger in half, or to divvy up a piece of cherry cobbler or deep-fried Portuguese donut at Lakeside’s newest bar and restaurant---SoCal Axe Throwing at HH Bar & Grill (9927 Maine Ave, Lakeside). 

 

Use the axe for target practice, fun, as a form of exercise, or to compete in an axe throwing tournament. Lakeside’s newest bar and restaurant comes with the opportunity to throw axes, eat, drink, and compete against your family or friends in a friendly game of axe throwing.

CARL DEMAIO TO RUN FOR HUNTER’S SEAT IN CONGRESS

By Miriam Raftery
 
File photo: Carl DeMaio on election night
 
August 5, 2019 (San Diego) – Former San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio is the latest Republican to announce plans to run for the 50th Congressional district seat currently held by indicted Congressman Duncan D. Hunter.

MASS SHOOTINGS IN GILROY, EL PASO AND DAYTON HEIGHTEN CALLS FOR ACTION TO PROTECT PUBLIC SAFETY

By Miriam Raftery
 
Photo: Mourners in El Paso, Texas; victims of mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio and Gilroy, California; White House flag at half mast
 
August 5, 2019 (San Diego) – After posting a violent anti-immigrant manifesto on the same white nationalist hate site used by the Poway synagogue shooter, a heavily armed gunman wearing body armor opened fire at an El Paso Wal-Mart on Saturday with a military-style assault weapon. He slaughtered 20 people and injured 26 more before police arrested him.  

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