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

FARMER'S MARKET SPROUTS UP IN CAMPO: FIRST AND LAST SATURDAY EACH MONTH

 

East County News Service

June 28, 2019 (Campo) – Golden Acorn Casino announces launch of an "Open Aire Market" that will be held the first and last Saturdays of each month from 3:30 to 7 p.m. starting this Saturday, June 29.

The market, held in the grand entry of the casino, will feature fresh produce, eggs from pasture-raised hens, dried and canned goods and other locally grown goods as well as a variety of vendors plus live music.

TWO EL CAJON STRONG-ARM ROBBERY SUSPECTS STILL AT LARGE, ONE ARRESTED IN ROLANDO

By Miriam Raftery

June 27, 2019 (El Cajon) – Two suspects masked with black bandanas demanded merchandise from customers at a T-Mobile store at 354 N. Second Street in El Cajon at 11:05 a.m. yesterday. A customer was assaulted, suffering minor injuries before the two robbers fled in a dark Chrysler four-door sedan along with a third suspect.

Two of the suspects were described as black male adult wearing jeans.  One wore a black hooded sweatshirt and is around 6 ft. tall, weighing 200 pounds. The other is approximately 5 ft. 7 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds.  A third suspect is of unknown description.

REWARD OFFERED FOR INFO ON SUSPECT IN SHOOTING OF LA MESA WOMAN

East County News Service

 

June 27, 2019 (La Mesa) – A woman who was shot in the leg at her La Mesa home called 9-1-1 this evening.  La Mesa Police responded at 6:13 p.m. to the residence at 3752 Harris Street, where they found the woman in the front of the home and administered first aid until paramedics arrived.

TWO FROM GROSSMONT COLLEGE RECEIVE NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP FOR LGBTQ STUDENTS

Source:  Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District

June 27, 2019 (El Cajon) -  Two Grossmont College students are recipients of scholarships from the Point Foundation, the nation’s largest scholarship-granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) students of merit.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: LIGHTS FANTASTIC AT HUBBELL HOUSE CHAPEL

June 27, 2019 (Julian) -- No, our editor hasn't gone punk. The vivid colors on her hair, hands and stone floor below are caused by sunlight filtered through stained glass crowning the "chapel" building at Hubbell House near Julian, which was recently open for the facility's annual Father's Day Tour.

The complex includes the home, studios and galleries of famed artist and architectural designer James Hubbell.  Proceeds from the tour benefit the Ilan Lael Foundation, working to keep alive the magical artistic style created by Hubbell for future generations to enjoy.

COUNTY APPROVES CONTROVERSIAL MASTER-PLANNED COMMUNITY IN OTAY RANCH

Ths project site burned in the 2007 Harris wildfire. State Route 94 through Jamul, the main access route, is rated by Cal Fire in the most dangerous 1%  of areas in the state for evacuation during a major fire.
 
By Kendra Sitton
 
June 27, 2019 (Jamul) – San Diego County Supervisors have voted 3-2 to approve a Master Planned Community outside of Otay along Proctor Valley within the Jamul area, known as Village 14 and Planning Areas 16/19. Supervisor Dianne Jacob, who represents Jamul, voted against the plan alongside the only Democrat on the board, Nathan Fletcher during the Wednesday, June 26 meeting.

SANTEE REVERSES COURSE, BANS SMOKING ENTIRELY AT PARKS

By Mike Allen
 
June 27, 2019 (Santee) -- In a stunning reversal of an earlier vote last month, Santee’s City Council rejected a watered down smoking ban for its parks, and approved an ordinance that bans the activity entirely.
 
The vote for a 100 percent smoking ban at its June 26 meeting was 4-1 with Councilman Rob McNelis opposed.

ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS

June 27, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) -- East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen on important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

 

U.S.

 

Migrant children crisis

 

Other national news

 

WORLD 

 

 

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS GERRYMANDERING FOR PARTISAN PURPOSES

“The bottom line is voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around.” – ACLU voting rights attorney Alona Thomas Lundborg, criticizing the decision

By Miriam Raftery

June 27, 2019 (Washington D.C.) – By a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority has ruled that gerrymandering, or the redrawing of district lines to benefit a political party, is not unconstitutional. The ruling drew a blistering dissent by Justice Kagan and harsh criticism from voting rights advocates.

REJECTING WHITE HOUSE CLAIMS AS 'CONTRIVED,' SUPREME COURT BLOCKS CENSUS CITIZENSHIP QUESTION...FOR NOW

"The Trump administration's attempt to politicize and manipulate this fundamental pillar of our democracy has failed."

By Jessica Corbett, staff writer

Reprinted with credit to CommonDreams.org under a Creative Commons License

June 27, 2019 (Washington, D.C.) - Civil liberties and immigrant rights advocates celebrated Thursday as the U.S. Supreme Court blocked—at least temporarily—the Trump administration from adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census, an effort critics had decried as a blatant attempt by Republicans to "weaponize" the national survey for political advantage.

BRUSH FIRE IN BOULEVARD COULD REACH 20 ACRES

Update 9:56 a.m.:  The strucure fire has been extinguished and the brush fire has been halted, Cal Fire reports.  Firefighters will remain on scene for mop-up activities.

East County Wildfire & Emergency Alert Service

June 27, 2019 (Boulevard) -- Cal Fire is at the scene of a fully-involved outbuilding fire in the 41000 block of Old Highway 80 in Boulevard that has spread into the vegetation. Though currently only a 20 by 20 foot spot fire, the #McCainFire has the potential to reach 20 acres, Cal Fire San Diego tweeted shortly after 9 a.m.

LEMON GROVE MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO MANSLAUGHTER

East County News Service
 
June 27, 2019 (Lemon Grove) – Gustavo Flores, 39, has pleaded guilty to killing Juan Martinez, 47, after a fight near the Home Depot store in Lemon Grove last year on June 21, 2018. 
 
The charge was reduced from murder to manslaughter.  Martinez could face up to 13 years in prison for striking fatal blows with an unknown weapon.

JACUMBA MAN, 76, DIES A WEEK AFTER ROLLOVER CRASH

By Miriam Raftery
 
June 27, 2019 (Jacumba) – Larry Wayne McClellan, 76, of Jacumba died in a hospital June 24th of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident that occurred a week earlier.
 
On June 17th, he was driving a sedan from Jacumba to El Centro when he struck a fixed object and his vehicle rolled over off an embankment. He was transported to UCSD Medical Center, where his condition declined and he was pronounced dead at 3:30 p.m. on June 24, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner.

DISENCHANTED REVIEW: THE PRINCESS COMPLEX

By Kathy Carpenter

June 26, 2019 (Spring Valley) - The Princess Complex is the age-old idea that you’re only desirable and valid if you are a beauty-obsessed, ditzy, insecure, Bambi-like-waif. Of course, this is not the Disney princesses at all. Nor is it what we want our daughters and loved ones to be. This show is about females being empowering and independent.

MUSIC, MISCHIEF AND MAGIC: MINDY DILLARD IN CONCERT JULY 28 AT THE TABLE UCC IN LA MESA

East County News Service

June 26, 2019 (La Mesa) -- Adventurer, musical alchemist and mythological scholar Mindy Dillard plays clawhammer banjo and rhythm guitar, often in alternate tunings to accompany her electric and raw, crystal-clear voice.  Through her music, which pulsates with funky rhythmic grooves and sparkles with heartfelt storytelling, she transforms the ordinary into the magical. A genre hopper, Mindy’s sound holds shades of old-time Appalachia, contemporary folk, gospel, musical theatre and rhythm and blues.  In the words of Ruthie Naccarato, “...She will make you laugh and cry and you’ll leave her performance with a genuine smile and feeling of goodness.”

CVUSD ASST. SUPERINDTENDENT PAINTS POSITIVE FINANCIAL FORECAST FOR DISTRICT AND OTHER LOCAL SCHOOLS, BASED ON GOVERNOR’S REVISED BUDGET

By Paul Kruze, Contributing Editor

June 26, 2019 (El Cajon) -- Cajon Valley Union School District Assistant Superintendent Scott Buxbaum (photo, left) painted a positive financial forecast for the district at its Board of Trustees meeting on Jun 11, after attending a meeting in Sacramento with Governor Gavin Newsom.

The latest financial forecast based on the Governor’s May budget revision is good news not only for the CVUSD, but for all local public school districts. Newsom, a father of young children, has pledged to make public education funding a priority.  

According to Buxbaum, the May Revision builds off of Newsom’s “California for All” vision from January. Due to strong April tax revenues, Newsom was able to retain most of his proposals from January, and invest additional funds into programs he has envisioned as prioirities.

LA MESA COUNCIL APPROVES 3-YEAR OKTOBERFEST CONTRACT AND INCREASED EDCO FEES

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: LMVA president Peter Soutowood and Councilwoman Akilah Weber, during Oktoberfest discussion

June 26, 2019 (La Mesa) – La Mesa’s City Council, majority approved a 3-year permit for McFarlane Promotions to run the city’s popular Oktoberfest in partnership with the La Mesa Village Association, which will be from October 4-6 this year.

This year’s event will include several changes including an additional beer garden that will be German-themed with traditional German music, foods, and German-costumed servers.  Event-goers can still find a broader variety of music and foods at another beer garden plus food trucks that will be moved to a side street for improved flow; a total of 45 food vendors and 95 nonfood vendors will be included. There will be two kids fun zones with attractions such as a trampoline, inflatable jumps, and face painting. Wiener dog (dachshund) races, another crowd favorite, will return but be moved to Alison Avenue.

McFarlane will  provide a 50% cost recovery to the city, up to a maximum of $50,000 per year. Councilmembers Kristine Alessio and Akilah Weber voted no, wanting a higher cost recovery rate in the wake of projections that the city will likely have to tap its reserves to balance its budget in the next couple of years.

JAYWALKING PEDESTRIAN KILLED ON LAKE MURRAY BLVD.

Update: The pedestrian has been identified as Billy Allen, 66, of La Mesa, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner.
 
By Miriam Raftery
 
June 25, 2019 (La Mesa) – A 66-year old man crossing mid-block on Lake Murray Blvd. near Marengo Ave. in La Mesa at 3:35 p.m. today was struck and killed by a black Toyota SUV.
 
“The pedestrian is being considered the party-at fault in this collision,” says Lt. Brian Stoney with La Mesa Police Dept.  The SUV, driven by a 19-year-old woman, had the right of way, he adds.

HEALTHCARE LIBRARY IN LA MESA TO HOST FREE MEETING ON HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE ON JUNE 26

Source:  Grossmont Healthcare District

Photo:  Janine Lortscher, Sharp HospiceCare representative  

June 25, 2019 (La Mesa) - The Dr. William C. Herrick Community Health Care Library will host a program on hospice and palliative care from 10 to 11 a.m., Wednesday, June 26, 2019, as part of its monthly “Wellness Wednesday” health education series.

COUNTY TO USE WIRELESS ALERT TO TEST EARTHQUAKE WARNING

By Yvette Urrea Moe, County of San Diego Communications Office

Photo:  All cell phones in the San Diego County area will receive this message at 11 a.m. June 27 to test ShakeAlert, the Earthquake Early Warning system.

June 25, 2019 (San Diego) - The San Diego County Office of Emergency Services together with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and the United States Geological Survey will be conducting a test at 11 a.m. on June 27 using the Wireless Emergency Alert system. The test will affect all mobile phones in the county area and will evaluate if the system could be effectively used for the California Earthquake Early Warning, also called a ShakeAlert.

REP. DUNCAN HUNTER: EMAIL PROVES WHY FEDERAL PROSECUTION IS POLITICAL

By Ken Stone

Reprinted with permission from Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Rep. Duncan D. Hunter, shown at recent Ramona forum, says a Freedom of Information Act request generated a Secret Service email indicating San Diego federal prosecutors attended a Hillary Clinton fund-raiser for the sake of getting a photo with the eventual Democratic presidential nominee. Photo by Ken Stone

June 25, 2019 (San Diego) - Rep. Duncan D. Hunter has long accused the San Diego U.S. Attorney's Office of being out to get him for political reasons. Now his lawyers are hoping a motion filed Monday proves it.

STATE ENDANGERED SPECIES PROTECTION SOUGHT FOR MOUNTAIN LIONS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, CENTRAL COAST

Some populations face extinction threat from freeways, sprawl, rat poison

 

East County News Service

 

Photo: National Park Service

 

June 25, 2019 (San Diego) -- The Center for Biological Diversity and Mountain Lion Foundation formally petitioned the California Fish and Game Commission today to protect mountain lions under the California Endangered Species Act.

 

The petition seeks protections for “gravely imperiled” cougar populations in Southern California and on the Central Coast, including all of San Diego County, the Eastern Peninsular Range as well as Santa Ana Mountains, San Bernardino Mountains, San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Monica Mountains, and north along the coast to the Santa Cruz Mountains.

GROSSMONT CENTER TO HOST FARMER’S MARKET ON WEDNESDAYS STARTING JULY 24, AS LA MESA WEIGHS NEW PROPOSALS FOR FARMER’S MARKET

By Miriam Raftery

 

June 24, 2019 (La Mesa) – Grossmont Center shopping mall today announced that it will host a weekly farmer’s starting July 24th. From 2 to 6 p.m. every Wednesday, visitors can enjoy fresh produce straight from the farm and support local San Diego farmers. 

INDEPENDENT VOTERS RISK BEING IRRELEVANT IN CALIFORNIA PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY

 

By Ben Christopher, CALMatters

CALmatters is an independent public interest journalism venture covering California state politics and government.

Photo:  Sign at San Diego County Registrar of Voters Office in Kearny Mesa directs customers. Photo by Ken Stone

June 23, 2019 (San Diego) - Presidential challengers hoping to glide to victory through California’s newly relevant primary, a heads-up: Your electoral fate may hinge on convincing enough left-leaning millennials to send postcards over the holiday season.

CALIFORNIA GAS TAX RISES TO HIGHEST IN NATION

East County News Service

June 23, 2019 (Sacramento) --- Starting July 1st, California’s tax on gasoline will rise to over 60 cents per gallon, up from 55.2 cents currently, as a result of legislation signed by former Governor Jerry Brown.  That will make the state’s gas tax the highest in the U.S., so you may want to fill your tank before the end of June.

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