By Ken Stone

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

Photo:  Southern white rhino calf conceived through artificial insemination is said to be bonding well with Victoria, its mother. Photo by Ken Bohn / San Diego Zoo Safari Park

July 30, 2019 (San Diego) - San Diego Zoo Global on Monday announced what it called a historic birth of a southern white rhino calf via hormone-induced ovulation and artificial insemination — raising hopes that the nearly extinct northern white rhino can be saved.

By Miriam Raftery

Hear our interview at the audio link and scroll down for highlights.

July 28, 2019 (Lemon Grove) – East Count Magazine sat down last week for an interview with Warsan Artan.  Born in Nairobi, Kenya, after her parents fled civil war in Somalia, she came to Lemon Grove as a refugee at the age of 10. A decade later, she is the lead Youth Organizer at Youth Will, a nonprofit dedicated to making San Diego a world-class region for children and youth. Youth Will recently rolled out a Summer of Youth Power campaign with a series of events to help young people’s voices be heard.

Her goal to create a brand-new regional master plan for San Diego's children and youth. The organization also recently held the region’s first youth county budget forum with Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, created a youth bill of rights, hosted youth presidential debate watch parties, and more.

Source: San Diego Sheriff’s Department

July 26, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) -- Patrol bag? Check. Ballistic helmet and shield? Got it. First aid kit and rescue sled. Packed. Cuddly teddy bears? Absolutely! 

By Miriam Raftery

July 26, 2019 (Jamul) – Beside a babbling brook under shady oak trees at D&S Farms, home to Granite Lion Cellars, the 2019 Jamul's Premier Wine Festival  is set to be the best yet this Saturday, July 27 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. In addition to speakers ranging from sommeliers to winemakers, guests can savor tastings from 10 area wineries plus beer and hard cider. Dining tastes will including offerings from the award-winning Crafted Greens restaurant, Valentine’s Bar and Grill, and chefs Desmond Fonesco and Joe Coppola serving up everything from linguini to luscious desserts.

“People love the ambience—the coolness of the place in a relaxed atmosphere, the sound, the music, the talks in the Grotto,” says Gary Gorton, marketing director at St. Pius X Church.  All funds benefit the 50-year-old church’s building fund to add solar and fund classrooms to support youth programs and a retreat for young people coming up at the University of San Diego in August.

New this year, two golf carts with drivers donated by Imperial Beach Golf Club will ferry guests from the parking lot to the party under the oaks, illuminated by twinkling lights. A DJ from Brandon Watts Entertainment will provide music for guests to enjoy or dance beneath the stars.

By Miriam Raftery

July 25, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – “Punish people in hotter communities for trying to survive the record heat – are you kidding me?” State Senator Brian Jones asks in a video he made after learning that the California Public Utilities Commission has refused a request from SDG&E to eliminate or suspend high use charges (HUC).  

By Miriam Raftery

July 25, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – Four overdose deaths have occurred in the past 24 hours in Lakeside, Santee, Poway and Valley Center due to a counterfeit oxycodone drug known as M-30.  The illicit blue pills known as M-30s contain fentanyl, so potent that a speck the size of a salt grain can kill you – or even just touching it. Users may swallow the pills or crush and smoke them.

San Diego Sheriff’s Narcotics and Gang Division responded to the four overdose deaths. Detectives are now working with first responders to learn if they have received any similar overdose calls. 

Anyone with information regarding this illegal drug operation is urged to call the anonymous Crime Stoppers tip line at (888) 580-8477 or the Sheriff's Department at (858) 565-5200.

By Miriam Raftery

July 9, 2019 (El Cajon) – The East County Leadership Council will host its second annual regional issues forum on July 27 from 1-3 p.m. at the El Cajon Library (201 E. Douglas Ave. in El Cajon).

July 25, 2019 (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

• Former Employees at Youth Migrant Facility  in El Cajon Describe Wide-Ranging Neglect of Children and Employees (NBC 7)
• Wildlife center seeing record number of patients (Ramona Sentinel)
• Footprints on the moon: local region has been big contributor in every major space program, including 3 astronauts who graduated from Grossmont High School (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Ratepayer Lawsuit Claims New Wildfire Fund Law Unconstitutional (KPBS)
• Activists fight to keep serial rapist behind bars (Fox 5)
• All too rare: Public agency quickly improves transparency after being called out (San Diego Union-Tribune editorial)
• San Diego council members call for inquiry of alleged Junior Theater sex abuse cover-up  (10 News)

STATE

• Not enough Latinos and women are applying to draw new California political districts (Sacramento Bee)
•  U.S. Forest Service relents in California firefighting dispute, state to recoup millions (Sacramento Bee)
• 'California Is Being Overrun By Rodents,' Study Shows (Patch.com)
• Idyllwild prized its isolation. Now, with the roads into towns wrecked, it feels all alone. Los Angeles Times)

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

LOCAL

East County News Service

July 26, 2019 (El Cajon) – Keller Williams Realty San Diego East Foothills in El Cajon, one of the largest residential real estate brokerages in San Diego County, has named Eric Tai as team leader. The announcement was made by Joe Garzanelli, broker, Keller Williams Realty San Diego East Foothills.

By Chris Jennewein 

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

Photo:  The Kumeyaay flag is raised at the Presidio to celebrate San Diego’s 250th anniversary. Photo by Chris Jennewein

July 24, 2019 (San Diego) - San Diego officially celebrated its 250th birthday last week while also recognizing millennia of Kumeyaay Indian history before the European arrival.

July 24, 2019 (San Diego's East County) -- The National Weather Service has issued a flash flooding and extreme thunderstorm warning for the southeast portions of San Diego County in effect now through 4 p.m.  Locations likely to experience flooding include  Alpine, I-8 Between Pine Valley And Boulevard, Lake Morena, Potrero, Campo, Pine Valley, Descanso, Tecate, Guatay and Barrett  Lake.

Photo, right: Rainstorm over Boulevard, taken by Donna Tisdale this afternoon

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS:

Excessive runoff from heavy rainfall will cause flooding of small creeks and streams, country roads, farmland, and other low lying  spots.

In hilly terrain there are hundreds of low water crossings which are potentially dangerous in heavy rain. Do not attempt to cross flooded roads. Find an alternate route.

By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office

July 24, 2019 (San Diego) - Three of San Diego County’s Top 10 Crops reached their highest total values in the past decade in the annual Crop Report released by the County this week, while total agriculture values dipped slightly after two straight years of increase.

By Preston Brown

Photo: Preston Brown, copyright (c) 2019

July 23, 2019, (San Diego’s East County) -- Recently at the Board of Supervisors hearing on the Otay Ranch V14 Project, “Adara," all the issues of land use in the wildland urban interface (WUI), environmental protection, conservation, urban planning, housing sprawl, fire safety and the County process for granting approval came together in this one project proposal for Proctor Valley in the Jamul Dulzura Sub Area Plan jurisdiction. 

Some people have a knack for hitting the bull’s eye. That would be our Supervisor Dianne Jacob of the 2nd District. Dianne spoke first and her first question was this. ‘Do you folks have any fire insurance?’ ‘Have you been able to get fire insurance?’ This was a memorable moment. The room just froze. A proposal for 1,119 new high-density housing sprawl in a very high fire prone area in California and no one had thought about fire insurance.