East County News Service 

November 28, 2018 (La Mesa) – Two longtime Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) board members retained their seats in the recent November 2018 general election on the five-member board that represents more than 500,000 people residing in the district’s 750 square miles in East County.

November 28, 2018 (San Diego's East County) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL

•  If Trump closes the border, regional economy could suffer 'catastrophic losses' (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• SDG&E Is Looking to Leave the Power-Buying Business (Voice of San Diego) 
•  City of San Diego seeking public input on drone use in the region (KUSI)  
•  San Diego County's coastal communities struggle with sea-level rise (San Diego Union-Tribune) 
• El Cajon looks to regulate street vendors (San Diego Union-Tribune) 
• Trio charged with conspiracy to kidnap cannabis investment partner, trying to have him killed in Mexico (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego may require property owners to fix damaged sidewalk before they can sell (San Diego Union-Tribune) 
• San Diego’s Regional Transit Board To Have Bi-Partisan Leadership In 2019 (KPBS) 
• In wake of community choice, SDG&E seeks new contract with Otay Mesa power plant (San Diego Union-Tribune)  

STATE

• Authorities issued only limited evacuation alerts in Paradise as monster fire moved in (Los Angeles Times)
• After trading barbs all year, Newsom and Trump meet at California fire zone (Politico)
• Brown says Trump's promise not to cut funding to California is a "big, big win" (CBS news) 
• The Blue Wave Swept Him in. Dems Might Want to Toss Him Back. (Voice of San Diego)  

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

By Miriam Raftery

November 28, 2018 (El Cajon) -- A boy who suffered serious injuries due to a hit and run driver in El Cajon credits a bicycle helmet with saving his life.

East County News Service

November 28, 2018 (Santee) – The Chick-fil-A® Santee restaurant is hosting a “Stuff the Truck” event from 2 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1 to support Santee Santas, a local nonprofit that assists families in need during the holidays.

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

November 28, 2018 (La Mesa) — The driver fell asleep at the wheel but was not injured.  But La Mesa resident and passenger Mykeah D. Simpson is now a wheelchair-bound quadriplegic due to the 2010 auto accident. 

By Miriam Raftery

November 27, 2018 (Alpine) – Alpine resident Rhonda Lamar will be opening her home on December 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to showcase 25 decorated, themed Christmas trees – all to benefit Rady Chldren’s Hospital of San Diego.  She’s decked the halls with a popular peppermint tree, a wine tree, a monkey tree and an elf tree, among others. All guests will also be treated to apple cider and cookies.

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By Liz Alper

Videos courtesy goaztecs.com

November 26, 2018 (San Diego) - After a heartbreaking overtime loss to Hawaii on Saturday night, SDSU football head coach Rocky Long sat down with the media today and was surprisingly cheerful.

By Miriam Raftery

November 26, 2018 (San Diego) -- The deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history is finally fully contained. The Camp Fire scorched over 153,000 acres and destroying 18,000 structures, including 14,000 homes. At least 85 people died and around 250 remain missing, though that’s far fewer than the over 1,000 listed as missing in the fire’s immediate aftermath.

November 26, 2018 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Alvarado Hospital opens new 30-bed geriatric psych unit (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• An insurance company wants you to hand over your Fitbit data so it can make more money. Should you?(Jewish World Review) 
• How can you tell whether your doctor is any good? (Jewish World Review) 
•  Veganism, vegetarianism, bone mineral density, and fracture risk (Oxford Univ. Press)
•  Sleep apnea patients learn insurers are using CPAP devices to surveil them (NPR)  

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Chinese Scientist Says He's First To Create Genetically Modified Babies Using CRISPR (NPR)
•  A new Venezuelan ID, created with China's ZTE, tracks citizen behavior (Reuters) 
• Bacteria That Absorbs CO2 Has Been Discovered at the Bottom of Pacific Ocean (Newsweek)
• Unexpectedly Vanishing Quasars Are Mystifying Scientists (Wired)
•  Radioactive Rocks Under Antarctica Make an Area of Ice the Size of Rhode Island Disappear (Newsweek)  

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

By Miriam Raftery

November 26, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) – The first substantial winter storm of the season is predicted for this week. The National Weather Service is forecasting rainfall of up to two inches and snow in the mountains Wednesday through Sunday, with the heaviest precipitation likely on Thursday.

East County News Service

November 25, 2018 (Santee) – The Santee Historical Society invites you to an old-fashioned Christmas Open House on Saturday, December 1st from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Santee Barn (9200 Magnolia, between Mast and Mission Gorge Rd.)

East County News Service

November 25, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) -- The holiday season in East County has many fun and festive events coming up, including North Pole Limited train rides in Campo, the Spirit of Christmas in Lakeside, Ramona’s tree lighting with sleigh rides, outdoor ice skating at Viejas, the Alpine Parade of Lights and Snow Festival, La Mesa’s Holiday in the Village, Breakfast with Santa in Alpine, San Diego Festival Chorus & Orchestra’s Christmas concert and more.

Plus, there are some non-holiday happenings this season including concerts by such stellar performers as Fleetwood Mac, LeAnn Rimes, Barry Manilow, Tony Orlando and the Kingston Trio, a radio production of It’s a Wonderful Life, a comedy appearance by Trevor Noah,and a swingin’ holiday party with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

So scroll down for all of these events and more!

“The decision to release this damning report when families are beginning to celebrate the holidays and newsrooms are short-staffed is a brazen attempt to bury the truth.”

By Jake Johnson, staff writer, Common Dreams

November 25, 2018 (San Diego) - In a move environmentalists and journalists denounced as a blatant effort to bury facts that conflict with the president's denialism and pro-fossil fuel agenda, the Trump administration used the Friday after Thanksgiving to quietly release Volume II of the Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4), which warned "Earth's climate is now changing faster than at any point in the history of modern civilization" and concluded that "greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are the only factors that can account" for planet-threatening warming.

SDG&E now says it wants to exit power-purchasing business

By Miriam Raftery

November 25, 2018 (San Diego) – Across California, nearly 20 communities are now purchasing their own power through community choice energy programs that aim to lower utility bills and provide energy from clean, green sources. 

The concept is gaining bipartisan support locally, where Republican Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced his intent in October for the city of San Diego to establish acommunity choice option backed by prominent Democrats on the city council. La Mesa’s city council voted unanimously in April to pursue a community choice energy alternative and Solana Beach already has one. There is also talk of some local jurisdictions banding together to form a regional community choice energy program for ratepayers.