By Miriam Raftery

March 15, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) – Paul Hanks, a La Mesa resident, real estate broker and attorney with an office in Santee, was found by rescuers today in Joshua National Park.  He had fallen some 20 feet off a trail and suffered a head injury, but was conscious when found and is expected to have a full recovery, CBS 8 reports.

March 15, 2018 (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 news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views.  Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• U.S. accuses Russia of ongoing attack to hack energy grid (Associated Press)
• Despite Mueller’s push, House Republicans declare no evidence of collusion (New York Times)
• House Intelligence Committee Democrats release their own report on Russia investigation (The Week)
• Connor Lamb wins Pennsylvania House seat, giving Democrats a map for Trump country (New York Times)
• Toys R Us to close all 800 U.S. stores, affecting 33,000 jobs (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• USDA withdraws animal welfare rule (The Hill)
• Senator blasts United after dog dies in overhead bin, another sent to Japan (CBS)
• Seattle judge rules a homeless man’s truck was his ‘home,’ and that has city officials worried (Los Angeles Times)
• U.S. court upholds most of Texas law to punish 'sanctuary cities' (Reuters)
• Journalist charts the bizarre twists and turns of the Trump Russia dossier (NPR)

 WORLD

• Stephen Hawking, who examined the universe and explained black holes, dies at 76 (New York Times)
• China’s Xi allowed to remain ‘president for life’ as term limits removed (BBC)
• Britain and Russia brace for showdown as deadline expires for nerve attack explanation (Reuters)
• Russia Behind 14 'Natural' Deaths? UK Secret Service Looks Again at Mysterious suicides after Novichok Attack (Newsweek)
• Palestinian PM Hamdallah survives Gaza roadside bomb attack (Reuters)
• Syrian Observatory says war has killed more than half a million (Jerusalem Post)
• Germany on alert for possible attacks on Turkish sites (Reuters)
• Kenya's president and opposition leader promise to unite country (CS Monitor)

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

March 15, 2018 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Battling skin cancer with a piece of tape instead of a scalpel (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Dentists keep dying of this deadly lung disease. The CDC can’t figure out why. (Washington Post)
• Genes have a role in empathy, study says (BBC)

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• Amazon looks at drones dropping packages on your patio from as high as 25 feet (Mercury News)
• Burger flipping robot begins first shift (BBC)
• Data breach victims can sue Yahoo in the United States: judge (Reuters)
• Can You Believe It? On Twitter, False Stories Are Shared More Widely Than True Ones (NPR)
• This Is Why You Don't See People-Size Salmon Anymore (NPR)

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

East County News Service

March 14, 2018 (Ramona) – Utility boxes in Ramona will soon be sporting murals painted by local artists, sponsored by the Ramona H.E.A.R.T. Murals Project.

The 17 SDG&E utility boxes on or near Main Street in Ramona will be painted started this spring.

By Tom Christensen, County of San Diego Communications Office

March 15, 2018 (San Diego) - If you were among the San Diego County residents to receive a hepatitis A vaccine during the recent local outbreak, it could be time for your second dose of vaccine.

Anyone who received their first hepatitis vaccination before mid-September 2017 should get a second dose now to complete the series and assure long-term protection.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Frank Gormlie, San Diego Free Press

March 14, 2018 (San Diego) – In a visit to San Diego on Monday, President Donald Trump toured prototypes of a border wall in Otay Mesa.  Hundreds of protesters turned out, San Diego Free Press reports, at the border as well as downtown. 

Trump supporters also came to greet the president including rallies by the anti-immigrant organization San Diegans for Secure Borders, a group led by former San Diego Minutemen organizer Jeff Schwilk.

East County News Service

March 14, 2018 (El Cajon) – The El Cajon Police Department has identified Joseph Mercurio, 31, as the vehicular burglary suspect shot and killed on March 11^th.  Investigators have since learned from their investigation that “Mercurio was driving a stolen vehicle and had been involved in at least two vehicle burglaries the night of this incident,” Sgt. Forster said. 

East County News Service

March 14, 2018 (El Cajon) — St. Patrick’s Day is one of the most popular holidays in the United States. With a plethora of Irish immigrants and many, many more St. Paddy’s Day well-wishers, the holiday is heavily celebrated by most Americans with friendly pinches, bangers n’ mash, and green beer galore. Sadly, all this merry-making can lead to dangerous driving conditions as party-goers head home. 

By Miriam Raftery

March 13, 2018 (La Mesa) – After 14 years as Superintendent of the La Mesa0Spring Valley School District, Brian Marshall will retire on December 31^st, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Marshall has a long career in East County and San diego.  After receiving his Masters of Arts degree in Educational Administration from San Diego State University and a teaching credential at the University of San Diego, he became vice principal of Lakeside Middle School in 1993 and in 1995 was named principal of Tierra del Sol Middle School in the Lakeside Union School District.

By Miriam Raftery

March 13, 2018 (San Diego) – President Donald Trump has blocked a takeover of Qualcomm by Singapore-based Broadcom, which would have been the biggest technology merger in history.

In a a presidential order, Trump cited “credible evidence” that if Broadcom acquired Qualcomm, the foreign corporation “might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States.”

By Mimi Pollack

Photo:  Rosen’s painting: “Romance in the Desert”.  Photo by Mimi Pollack

March 13, 2018 (Borrego Springs) -- “Plein Air” means fresh air–think outdoors-in French and many painters feel inspired when working outdoors in natural light surrounded by the splendors of nature. The Borrego Art Institute currently has an exhibit called, “Borrego Art Institute 12^th Annual Plein Air Invitational.” This exhibit, which runs from March 5 to April 2, showcases the beauty of the desert. The curator is Shannon O’Dunn who owned an art gallery in downtown La Mesa before moving to Colorado.

Photos, left to right: Rex Tillerson, Mike Pompeo, and Gina Haspel

By Miriam Raftery

March 13, 2018 (Washington D.C.) – President Donald Trump has fired Secretary of State Ralph Tillerson, naming Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Mike Pompeo as his replacement and Gina Haspel, Deputy CIA Director, to replace Pompeo.  Both nominees have controversial backgrounds and will require Senate confirmation.

Tillerson’s ouster comes less than 48 hours after Tillerson blamed Russia for the poisoning of a Russian spy in Britain with a powerful neurotoxin. 

Source:  Cal Coast Credit Union

March 12, 2018 (San Diego's East County) - The Cal Coast Cares Foundation has announced it will award up to $35,000 in scholarships this year for college-bound high school seniors and current or former foster students in San Diego or Riverside counties.

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson and Miriam Raftery

March 12, 2018 (San Diego) -- Millions of readers who rely on Snopes.com to fact-check news articles, urban legends, conspiracy theories and more in today’s era of “fake news” may not be aware of the organization’s San Diego roots.  At a San Diego Press Club workshop titled “Nuts and Bolts”, Snopes’ managing editor Brooke Binkowski and vice president of operations Vinny Green shared insights into the fact-checking end of the news business.