Update 8:40 p.m. -- The Deerhorn Valley Antler Alerts has this update:
Expect 94 to be closed in both directions between Otay Lakes Rd and SR-188. Head-on crash 300 yds east of Community Bldg Rd has reportedly claimed 2 lives, with another serious injury transported. According to Yvonne Purdy from Dulzura CERT, the closure is will last approximately 3 hours. The coroner's was delayed by the traffic backup and had to travel east using the westbound lanes.
February 9, 2013 (San Diego's East County)--6:35 p.m. State Route 94 is shut down in both directions due to a head-on fatality accident at Marron Valley Road, near the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in East County, the California Highway Patrol reports.
February 9, 2013 (San Diego's East County)--In the spirit of Valentine's Day, the San Miguel District Fire Stations will be offering free blood pressure screenings, February 14th from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at any San Miguel District Fire Station. Come get your blood pressure checked. Take the first step towards heart health. Read more for locations.
Photos by Phu Nguyen/Cuyamaca College photographer
February 9, 2013 (El Cajon)-- A library exhibit featuring John Robert Clifford, a seminal figure in African American history and a forefather of a Cuyamaca College administrator, and a stepping demonstration by members of a historically black fraternity are part of the commemoration of Black History Month at Cuyamaca College.
Danene Brown, interim vice president of instruction at Cuyamaca College, poses next to a campus library exhibit about her great-great-great uncle, John Robert “J.R.” Clifford, a seminal figure in African American history. The display is part of the college’s commemoration of Black History Month.
February 9, 2013 (Washington D.C. -- Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-CA), joined by her colleagues Reps. Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), and Kathy Castor (D-FL), has introduced legislation to increase diversity among America’s teaching ranks. The Diverse Teachers Recruitment Act would help establish programs to recruit new male teachers and teachers from minority groups into the profession.
February 9, 2013 (El Cajon)--January is Financial Wellness Month — a great time to think about your own financial future. It also happens to be at this time that many people make resolutions for the New Year. Why not combine the two and make your own financial wellness a resolution for 2013?
February 9, 2013 (San Diego)--An editorial, written in defense of the proposed Gregory Landfill, recently complained that, “…the Pala decided to claim the entire mountain is a sacred site.” I sometimes wonder how much the people who do, or say, things like that know of their own ancestry? Without resorting to a genealogist, can they tell us where their paternal great, great grandfather lived? How about their maternal great, great, grandmother?
February 9, 2013 (Ocotillo) -- Photographer Jim Pelley brings us this perspective of how the Ocotillo Express Wind Facility has marred the beauty of nature in his desert community.
"The snow can been seen from Ocotillo and it used to be a good picture from my house," he writes. "Now the picture is littered with these monstrosities."
February 8, 2013 (San Diego's East County)--As problems with the large wind and solar projects in East County continue to surface, I suspect there will be a tendency to say Big = Bad. I’ve been doing that myself the last few weeks. I think we need to isolate the problems and deal with them one at a time.
The wind farm at Ocotillo appears to lack the necessary wind, but am also aware that one of the problems with wind farms in East Germany has been too much wind. The Czech and Polish governments are said to have flipped the switches, to cut off the flow of surplus energy into their countries. The alleged lack of wind at Ocotillo could be an insurmountable problem, which raises serious questions about how the facility came to be built in the first place. The alleged surplus in East Germany will cease to be a problem once we develop a method of storing the excess energy for months rather than minutes.
February 8, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – Avoid I-8 east of Alpine. White-out conditions are reported on I-8 at Crestwood/Campo. At Pine Valley, multiple vehicles have spun out due to snow and ice on the freeway.
Chains are required on Palomar Mountain and Sunrise Highway, and in other locations above 3,000 feet for two-wheel drive vehicles.
In Valley Center, Woods Valley Road is closed overnight due to a power pole down.
A winter storm warning remains in effect countywide until 3 a.m.,with rain and snow falling. Stay off roads if possible and use extreme caution if you must travel.
February 8, 2013 (San Diego) – Once again Museum Month is happening in San Diego County including five East County Museums. During the entire month of February individuals can pick up a free Museum Month Pass at any local Macy’s store and receive half-off admission to 42 San Diego County museums. Guests with passes may bring up to three people with them to any participating museum.
February 8, 2013 (San Diego)--It’s the most romantic day of the year… and San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk, Ernest J. Dronenburg, Jr., wants to make sure that all romantic couples wishing to “tie the knot” or renew their wedding vows come down to the historical County Administration Center overlooking beautiful San Diego Bay for their wedding ceremony.
“Valentine’s Day wedding ceremony reservations are filling up quickly,” said Ernie Dronenburg. “We are planning on added staff at our downtown location for Valentine’s Day to accommodate all those wanting to be married on this special day. Call right now so we can plan on helping you.”
Elected officials, education leaders, celebrities to read aloud at underprivileged schools throughout San Diego County on February 14
February 8, 2013 (La Mesa)--Rolling Readers, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping low-income, at-risk children enjoy reading, will celebrate the 2nd Anniversary of its “Share Your Love of Reading” event on Valentine’s Day.
February 8, 2013 (San Diego) – The press screening announcement for Side Effects read "Please note that due to the non-linear nature of this film, we will not let anyone into screenings of Side Effects if they arrive LATE.” The impression I got was that Soderbergh's last theatrical release - his final project is a Liberace biopic that will air on HBO later this year - would be a mind-bender like Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky or Christopher Nolan's Memento. I was wrong, but the publicity people were right to deny entry to latecomers. (Even if they didn't, I can't grasp how any critic could feel comfortable reviewing any movie they're late for. In many cases and for many reasons too irrelevant and lengthy to list, the first few minutes are a film’s most important.)
Vehicle found in Poway; sighting in Lakeside believed to be a hoax
February, 8 2013 (San Diego)--Police agencies all over the state of California are on high alert. The manhunt for Christopher Dorner, 33, a former Los Angeles police officer wanted for three murders in the L.A. area, has spanned multiple counties including San Diego. Citizens across Southern California are asked to not engage and call 911. Dorner is considered extremely dangerous and well armed.
He has threatened additional violence and released a manifesto accusing L.A. Police Department of corruption, other misconduct as well as wrongful firing. ECM news partner 10 News has an edited copy of it, with names removed.
Update February 8, 2013: The court in Imperial Valley has issued a restraining order requiring Graham to stay away from Park Ewing, the photographer he reportedly attacked.
By Miriam Raftery
Jim Pelley and Parke Ewing contributed to this report.
February 7, 2013 (Ocotillo) –Russell Scott Graham, 48, a representative at Pattern Energy’s Ocotillo Wind Express Facility, has been arrested after allegedly attempting to wrestle a camera away from an East County Magazine photographer and making violent threats, including one documented on video during the attack. (Warning, coarse language.) According to the Imperial Valley Press and photographers documenting the project's daily progress for many months, Graham is the construction manager at Pattern's site.
Freelance photographers Parke Ewing and Jim Pelley have spent months extensively documenting construction activities at the Ocotillo wind project. Many of their videos and photos have been published by East County Magazine, including photographic evidence that raised serious questions on whether the project is producing wind speeds claimed, as ECM previously reported in a story titled Where is the wind?
February 8, 2013 (San Diego’s East County ) – A cold front will bring chilly temperatures, thunderstorms and in mountain areas, snowfall starting Friday. Four to ten inches of snow are expected to fall above 4,000 feet, with snow levels dipping down to 2500 feet or even lower Friday night and Saturday.
Travel may be hazardous on portions of I-8 as well as on mountain roads.
February 7, 2013 (Washington D.C.)--Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) joined Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) and more than two dozen of her colleagues in introducing a constitutional amendment to undo the Supreme Court ruling that allowed corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money on campaigns.
“We need to restore accountability in our political process,” said Rep. Davis. “We are supposed to have a government of the people, by the people, for the people. The integrity of our democracy is at stake when corporations can drown out the voices of the people in our elections.”
February 7, 2013 (Crest) – The Crest Branch of the San Diego County Library, 105 Juanita Lane, El Cajon, is hosting a number of events throughout the month of February. They encompass activities for every age.
February 7, 2013 (San Diego) – Marsha Kay Seff, a former seniors writer for the Union Tribune, is teaching a class a class on storytelling at the College Avenue Older Adult Center, 4855 College Ave., on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 12:45 p.m. The classes began February 6 and the next one will be Feb. 20.
February 7, 2013 (San Diego’s East County)--ECM 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:
February 7, 2013--(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:
February 7, 2013 (El Cajon)--Looking for love in cyberspace? Just in time for Valentine's Day, the El Cajon Branch Library, 201 E. Douglas Av, will host a class on online dating, Tuesday, February 12, at 6:30 p.m. The free session will cover a wide variety of tips and topics, and is open to those ages 18 and over.
February 7, 2013 (La Mesa)—La Mesa Police Sergeant Michael Pierce sustained lacerations to his left arm and wrist from a bite by a police canine during a search for a suspect on February 4. At 7:49 p.m. La Mesa Police responded to a report of a disturbance in the 8200 block of Orchard Avenue, where a suspect reportedly had threatened his brother with a hammer. An El Cajon Police K-9 responded to assist in searching for the suspect.
February 7, 2013 (Washington D.C.) – This week marks the completion of Congressman Scott Peters’ first month in office. Since Peters was sworn in on January 3rd, he has been appointed to two key committees, helped introduce bipartisan legislation to repeal burdensome medical device taxes, and voted to improve Congress’ preparedness and accountability.
Editor’s Note: If you have any information on wildlife killed by tax-funded trappers in East County, please send your tips to editor@eastcountymagazine.org.
Reprinted with permission from Voice of San Diego.
A country club near Chula Vista’s Eastlake had a gnawing problem.
Coots. Lots and lots of coots.
The small, black bird that looks like a duck was chewing greens and fairways on the club’s golf course, pooping so much near the snack bar that it occasionally closed for cleanups. Birds are attracted to golf courses’ open space, a common problem in heavily developed Southern California. The private country club — records aren’t specific about which one — suspected the coots were hurting their bottom line.
More local control of alcohol-licensing process possible, experts say
Alcohol Policy Panel of San Diego presents model business policy as a case study
February 7, 2013 (El Cajon)-- Local community leaders, police and health officials will meet on February 8 with officials from Ventura County to discuss a model program that has successfully reduced alcohol-related problems by improving retail practices at bars, clubs, restaurants and liquor stores. The event, held by the Alcohol Policy Panel for San Diego County, will be held at the Ronald Reagan Community Center, 195 East Douglas Avenue in El Cajon, from 9-11 a.m. Friday.
$44,000 in stolen property seized along with explosives, drugs, guns, and stolen cars
February 6, 2013 (Ramona) – Mark Ertman, an ex-convict, has been arrested along with 12 others after a search warrant found stolen property at his residence at 2411 San Vicente Road in Ramona.
“The property, known as the "Chicken Ranch," was used by a burglary ring operating in the East County to conceal and dismantle stolen property,” Sergeant B. Hout with the San Diego Sheriff said. “The ring is believed to be responsible for over 20 burglaries during the course of the last year.”
The burglaries ranged from early morning residential hot prowls to commercial burglaries targeting the Girl Scouts of America.
February 6, 2013 (Washington D.C.) – The U.S. Postal Service has announced plans to end Saturday mail delivery as a cost-saving measure.
The announcement drew swift criticism from Congresswoman Susan Davis, who also noted that since Congress mandated Saturday delivery, eliminating it should require Congressional action.
February 6, 2013 (El Cajon) -- El Cajon Police are asking for the public's help to identify a suspect in the shooting of a dog in the 600 block of Millar Avenue last night. A witness reported hearing a shot at 7:55 p.m. and saw a medium-sized, mixed breed dog run about 25 yards before collapsing. A vehicle was leaving the area, but the witness saw only headlights.
It is unknown who owned the dog, which did not have a collar but appeared to be clean and well kept, said Lt. Mark Coit.
The El Cajon Police Department is investigating this cruelty to animals crime. There is no suspect or vehicle description at this time. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the El Cajon Police Department at 619-579-3311.
February 8, 2013 (San Diego) – Once again Museum Month is happening in San Diego County including five East County Museums. During the entire month of February individuals can pick up a free Museum Month Pass at any local Macy’s store and receive half-off admission to 42 San Diego County museums. Guests with passes may bring up to three people with them to any participating museum.
By Brian Lafferty
By Nadin Abbott
February 7, 2013 (Crest) – The Crest Branch of the San Diego County Library, 105 Juanita Lane, El Cajon, is hosting a number of events throughout the month of February. They encompass activities for every age.
February 7, 2013 (San Diego) – Marsha Kay Seff, a former seniors writer for the Union Tribune, is teaching a class a class on storytelling at the College Avenue Older Adult Center, 4855 College Ave., on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 12:45 p.m. The classes began February 6 and the next one will be Feb. 20.
February 7, 2013 (San Diego’s East County)--ECM 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:
February 7, 2013--(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:
Editor’s Note: If you have any information on wildlife killed by tax-funded trappers in East County, please send your tips to 
More local control of alcohol-licensing process possible, experts say 
Congresswoman Davis questions legality of action
February 6, 2013 (El Cajon) -- El Cajon Police are asking for the public's help to identify a suspect in the shooting of a dog in the 600 block of Millar Avenue last night. A witness reported hearing a shot at 7:55 p.m. and saw a medium-sized, mixed breed dog run about 25 yards before collapsing. A vehicle was leaving the area, but the witness saw only headlights.
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