September 3, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – I first discovered the enchanting music of the mbira while visiting Milagro Winery in Ramona. It turns out the mbira, inspired by the African kalimba but much bigger, is a unique musical instrument invented by a local entrepreneur and crafted by musician Patrick Hadley.
On our East County Magazine radio show on KNSJ, we interviewed Hadley, who shared news about the crafting of this amazing instrument--and some famous musical stars now including the mbira in their performances. Hadley also gave an improve performance on our show.
September 3, 2014 (San Diego's East County)--East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:
Autumn is in the air – and this week’s Destination East County activities reflect that. This weekend you can enjoy apples, trains, grape stomping and a pow-wow! Plus we have a preview of coming attractions, from an attempt to break the world record for fireworks, to an end-of-summer music festival.
September 3, 2014 (San Diego)--Three brothers in the Wise family went to war, serving in our military. Beau remains on active duty in Iraq. Jeremy joined the Navy Seals and Ben joined the Army’s elite Green Berets. A suicide bomber took Jeremy’s life in Afghanistan in December 2009. Just over two years later, in January 2012, Ben died in a firefight in Afghanistan.
August 30, 2014 (Descanso) – Julia Elizabeth Hills, 53, was killed in a motorcycle crash on State Route 79 in Julian on August 24th. Her husband, Norman "Scott" Allen, broke his hip and suffered a compound break in his right leg in the crash. Hills is survived by her son, Chuck, as well as her mother, two sisters and a brother serving in the mlitary in Iraq.
Ericka Dehoyos, a friend of the famliy, has set up the Norman "Scott" Allen fund. "They need financial help in burying the love of his life as well as his medical bills and help so he doesn't lose his home and what he has worked for," Dehoyos states. To donate, visit http://www.gofundme.com/djq08k.
Photo: Constituents join Davis at a press conference in support of her resolution
September 2, 2014 (San Diego) -- With the U.S. Postal Service already beginning to phase out door delivery, Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) has introduced a bipartisan House Resolution stressing that door delivery should not end. Two Republicans joined Davis as lead cosponsors of House Resolution 711.
September 2, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – Just a few months ago, the future of Lake Jennings, in Lakeside appeared dire, with someHelix Water District board members ready to close it permanently or eliminate campgrounds. But a special committee was established to come up with solutions to save this resource for the public enjoyment--and the results are promising, based on a dramatic drop in losses and increasing use by the public.
The future of the lake is on the agenda this Wednesday at 6 p.m. at a special meeting of Helix Water District’s Board at 7811 University Avenue in La Mesa. (View full agenda: http://www.hwd.com/board/package090314.pdf)
September 2, 2014 (Sacramento)--On Friday, the California Senate closed its annual legislative session. Not a single Senator would sponsor AB 2145, which opponents had dubbed the “anti-competitive Monopoly Power Grab Act,” so the bill is now dead.
The measure, authored by Assemblyman Steven Bradford, would have undermined efforts in San Diego to create an alternative to San Diego Gas & Electric under community choice energy law.
September 2, 2014 (Campo) – Over the objections of Campo residents and Supervisor Dianne Jacob, San Diego County Superior Court Judge Margie Woods has ruled that a convicted child molester can be released to live in Campo starting in late October.
September 2, 2014 (Sacramento)--One in five students nationwide is a victim of sexual assault, Increasingly, campuses across America are facing criticism for not doing enough to protect students from sexual assault.
September 2, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - The ballot box may soon be a relic of the past for voters in special elections.
A bill on the Governor’s desk would allow the Registrar of Voters to conduct all special elections entirely by mail. San Diego has had many special elections in recent years, including mayor, city council, state legislature and Congress.
From head to toe, 3-D implants are revolutionizing modern medicine
By Miriam Raftery
September 2, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - Doctors at Peking University in China have implanted the first-ever vertebra in a patient made using a 3-D printer, Business Insider reports. Unlike most items printed in 3D, which use plastic, the custom-designed vertebra is made of titanium powder – a lightweight, porous material that allows real bone to grow through it, eventually creating a more natural fusion for the young patient’s spine.
September 1, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - Thirsty lawns and fussy shrubbery are out of place in East County. The Earth Discovery Institute's (EDI) annual Native Plant Sale is a great opportunity to locally source native plants.
September 3, 2014 (Jacumba) – “It’s impossible to gauge the size of this substation from this photo. It’s huge,” Wayne Brammer writes of the still-under-construction ECO substation project that SDG&E is building in rural Jacumba.
September 1, 2014 (San Diego) – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) is continuing to alert customers to be aware of an ongoing wire fraud that has been targeting SDG&E residential and business customers. Reports indicate that individuals are misrepresenting themselves as utility employees by calling customers and threatening to turn off electric and gas service if an immediate payment is not made. Customers are instructed to purchase a pre-pay credit/debit card, and are directed to call another phone number where information is then obtained from the card and the cash value is then removed.
September 1, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - You hear the term, but you don't know what it really means. Why are some grapes called Bordeaux grapes, if what I drink is from California? And why are they sometimes called vinifera or Vitis vinifera and why are they connected to each other? What is a cultivar, or a Bordeaux grape?
September 1, 2014 (San Diego) - Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego)--has four measure that she authored now on the Governor’s desk awaiting signature. The measures address medical and education issues, rights of homeowners, and protection for peace officers injured in the line of duty.
September 1, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – A reward of up to $1,000 is offered by Crimestoppers for information leading to the arrest of Tavarris Deshawn Garcia.
September 1, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)—San Diego Supervisors meet Tuesday and Wednesday this week, with many important items on the agendas impacting East County and our region overall.
September 1, 2014 (Washington D.C.) – Two former investigators with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are speaking out to say that the federal government is ignoring harm to wildlife caused by industrial scale wind and solar facilities.
August 30, 2014 (Alpine) – Author Carlette Anderson will share stories and artifacts from the Alpine Woman’s Club’s 100-year history during the group’s meeting on Thursday, September 11th at 6 p.m. in the Alpine Library, 2140 Arnold Way in Alpine.
September 1, 2014 (Jacumba Hot Springs)—The Jacumba Hikers and Walkers have announced their outings for September and October. Viewschedulehere. View hiking tips here.
August 30, 2014 (El Cajon)--There's always been a steady assault by religious groups of all stripes, on the separation of church and state, but what El Cajon doesn't need is for the City Council to initiate such activity as in its proposed contract with the "Rock Church" (do they worship rocks?) for the utilization of the East County Performing Arts Center (ECPAC) for religious purposes. The Council cannot dodge the issue of the church/state violation when it agrees to allow a church to utilize 'public property' for what is clearly religious purposes. Included in this agreement is the proposed erection of an additional building on 'public property' to serve the needs of this religious group, with the generous proviso that the building would revert to the city at the end of its use by the religious group.
Photo: View of Oak Creek/Boulder Creek area taken by Cynthia Burnham from her home, where she reports seeing an SDG&E helicopter hovering "very low" for at least 10 minutes.
An open letter sent to the California Public Utilities Commission, U.S. Forest Service/Cleveland National Forest, Congressman Duncan Hunter and Supervisor Dianne Jacob:
By Cindy Buxton
Dear CPUC, Foresters, Congressmen, and Supervisors:
August 31, 2014 (Boulder Creek)--Several residences and visitors to the Cleveland National Forest lately between Descanso and Julian in the Boulder Creek area have complained about low flying helicopters. These were seen hovering over people's back yards by only a few hundred feet. Subsequently we are to learn in the East County Magazine that several other residences identified the helicopters belonging to SDG&E, also experienced this to the point that horses were so frightened that they were injured. One of the helicopters seen by several residences along Boulder Creek Road had a visible camera on the front and apparently was not necessarily in line with the ROW (right of way) for the TL626 line.
August 30, 2014 (Lakeside)—An 18-year-old Lakeside man, Christian Nee, died August 17th shortly after his motorbike struck the rear of a truck on Sunview Drive in EL Cajon. He was taken by ambulance to Sharp Memorial Hospital, where despite aggressive medical intervention, he died shortly after arrival, of injuries to his head and torso, the Medical Examiner’s office reports.
August 30, 2014 (Jacumba Hot Springs)—Two agave roasting pits found recently in Jacumba Hot Springs have been carbon-dated, indicating Kumeyaay Native American occupation in the Jacumba region dates back at least 9,000 years. Termed “an astounding recent archaeological find” by the Imperial Valley Desert Museum in Ocotillo, the agave roasting pits were unearthed during construction of SDG&E’s ECO substation project in San Diego’s East County.
Howard Cook, chair of Jacumba Hot Springs Sponsor Group (the town's advisory planning board) believes the find should have impacts on future develoment projects pending in the area.
“This is highly relevant to the proposed Jacumba Solar project located next door and sharing roads with the under construction Eco project,” he told East County Magazine. “Certainly this calls for a cultural monitor and perhaps some preliminary excavating of the proposed site by [an] historical society and Native American historical/cultural experts."
August 30, 2014 (Lakeside) – Leon Thompson shot this tranquil shot of a sunset over the San Vicente Reservoir, with water level higher than in the past due to the largest dam height raising in America.
August 29, 2014 (San Diego)--It appears the California Grape Crush came crashing in a bit early and un-expectantly for the Napa wine region. On the eve of the 2014 harvest, Napa and Napa Valley wineries were rocked by a 6.1 magnitude earthquake in the early hours of Sunday morning. The quake injured over 100 people, but fortunately claimed no lives says Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna. Napa’s Resiliency is to be commended, however, a good reminder for all of us to be prepared… Coincidentally, September is National Wine Awareness Month and wine has become so vital to California, that it deserves a whole month.
Photo: Wind turbines in Ocotillo dwarf resident and mountains surrounding the desert town
By Miriam Raftery
August 29, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)--Jim Avery, a senior vice president at San Diego Gas & Electric Company, says the utility will meet California’s 33% renewable energy goal by the end of 2014 – six years ahead of schedule, IT San Diego reports.
August 30, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – Three East County residents have contracted West Nile Virus – the first victims of the disease in San Diego County in the past two years.
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