June 18,  2020 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• On the bleeding edge of the COVID-19 fight (San Diego Union-Tribune) Coronavirus: Dexamethasone proves first lifesaving drug (BBC)
• Record spikes in new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations sweep parts of U.S. (Reuters)
• Hydroxychloroquine: FDA pulls emergency use of malaria drug touted by Trump to treat the coronavirus (USA Today)
• 7 Things to Know About Hand Sanitizer (AARP)
• What to Do If You Have Coronavirus and No Caregiver to Help(AARP)
• What Experts Say You Can Do to Treat Yourself at Home If You Have a Mild Case of COVID-19 (Healthline)
• Why some nursing homes are better than others at protecting residents and staff from COVID-19 (Conversation)
• 1st-Known U.S. Lung Transplant For COVID-19 Patient Performed In Chicago (NPR)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Thousands of Tons of Microplastics Are Falling from the Sky (Scientific American)
• Microsoft won’t sell police its facial-recognition technology, following similar moves by Amazon and IBM (Washington Post)
• Tesla defied county orders so it could restart production. Days later, workers tested positive for the coronavirus.(Washington Post)
• Twitter has suspended more than 23,000 accounts it says were linked to the Chinese Communist Party (Washington Post)

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

By Mikhail Zinshteyn, CALmatters

CALmatters is an independent public interest journalism venture covering California state politics and government.

Photo:  U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos speaks at CPAC in National Harbor, Maryland in 2018. Photo by Gage Skidmore via Flickr

June 18, 2020 (San Diego's East County) - A federal judge sided with California’s community colleges today in ruling that the Trump administration illegally restricted recent federal stimulus funds to as many as 800,000 students, including undocumented students.

By Kendra Sitton

Photo: Jack Shu has proposed a ballot measure to create a police oversight commission for La Mesa.

June 17, 2020 (La Mesa) -- In a meeting Wednesday, June 17, the Citizen Oversight Task Force set a plan in motion that could culminate in a November ballot initiative to bring a strong police oversight commission to La Mesa.

After missing several meetings due to the coronavirus, the group resumed meeting in the wake of mass protests and riots over the La Mesa Police Department’s mistreatment of the Black community.

By Miriam Raftery

June 17, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) – After the state of California released a 62-page “Stronger Together” guideline for schools to reopen, the County Office of Education released its own extensive COVID-19 recovery and reopening plan for the nearly 800 public and 230 private schools in our region.

Source: SANDAG

June 17, 2020 (San Diego) -- As the San Diego region’s labor market continues to experience an historic decline, Black and Hispanic communities are most impacted, according to a new SANDAG Data Science and Analytics report, “COVID-19 Impact on the San Diego Regional Economy: Black and Hispanic Communities Hardest Hit.”

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: CC by ND via Bing

June 17, 2020 (San Diego) – Couples eager to tie the knot can now hold weddings under newly announced state of California rules, but with limits due to COVID-19. However, receptions are generally not allowed per state health guidelines, due to concerns about dancing and close contact among non-household members potentially spreading the virus.

Outdoor weddings are allowed with no limit on size, provided social distancing is maintained. Indoor weddings of up to 100 people or 25 percent of a facility’s capacity are allowed.  All participants must wear face masks and maintain six feet of social distancing, except the bride and groom do not need to wear masks when they are six feet apart for others, so they can have wedding photos at the altar and share a post-wedding vow kiss.

The new guidelines are part of relaxed guidelines for all religious events, including worship services. 

Dawn D’Aquisto, a San Diego County spokesperson, said the rules for weddings and receptions are being reviewed after the agency has received many phone calls. She added that couples could potentially host a post-wedding dinner with guests at a restaurant, provided the restaurant can meet county guidelines for capacity, social distancing, and seating household members together.

By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego News Association

Photo:  John Earnest, shown during September 2019 court appearance, is a defendant in suit along with his parents. Pool photo

June 17, 2020 (Poway) - Brady United has opened a new front in the gun-control wars, filing a lawsuit that targets gunmaker Smith & Wesson and the San Diego shop that sold the firearm tied to the Chabad of Poway killing.

Source:  Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District

June 16, 2020 (El Cajon) - Grossmont College announced today that it will hire Marshall T. Fulbright III, Ed.D., as its new vice president of academic affairs. Fulbright will join the college on July 1.

By Mimi Pollack, San Diego Jewish World, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Jeff and Fern (Platt) Hall with their dog Chico

June 16, 2020 (La Mesa) - Growing up in the last century, it was not always easy being outside of the box.  In most cultures and countries, one followed a certain path:  go to school, work an eight-hour job, get married, have kids, etc. For those of us who didn’t follow all or part of the path, we were mostly accepted, but with questions. For that reason, I have always admired humans–especially women--who lived their lives by their own rules and beliefs.  A good example of someone who has lived both a life of adventure and service is Fern Platt Hall. She is a good example of a kind, but no nonsense, adventurous spirit.

East County News Service

A convenient online registration process is now available for La Mesa businesses damaged during civil unrest overnight on Saturday, May 30, and Sunday, May 31 to receive money from the La Mesa Disaster Recovery Fund.

The East County Economic Development Council (ECEDC) is supporting the effort initiated through the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce and La Mesa Chamber of Commerce. It will receive and manage the applications on its website.

“We had one single objective at this stage of this process: making registration and documentation as easy and quick as possible,” said Jo-Marie Diamond, President and CEO of the East County Economic Development Council.  

Businesses can register through an online form on the East County Economic Development Council website. Applicants able to complete their registration by Friday, June 26 and have it verified will be part of the Phase I distribution.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy of ECM  news partner 10 News

June 15, 2020 (Lakeside) – Dustin Banzhof, 39, was shot by a Sheriff’s deputy and arrested last night after Banzhof reportedly fired multiple shots during a domestic dispute.

Deputies responded at 8:30 p.m. to the 11600 block of Hi Ridge Road in Lakeside, where a woman had locked herself in a bedroom with her two children in an effort to hide from the children’s estranged father, who was inside her home.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Student walk-out at Helix Charter High School in January 2018 

June 15, 2020 (La Mesa) – The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Friday that the City of La Mesa quietly signed an agreement back on Sept 5, 2019 to settle a lawsuit filed by a Helix Charter High School student over a use-of-force incident shown on a video that went viral.  

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy of ECM news partner 10 News

June 14, 2020 (El Cajon) – A fire last Wednesday that killed two dogs at 1660 Via Elisa in El Cajon started in the bedroom and back deck. The cause is “most likely accidental,” with “no evidence of a criminal cause” despite a THC butane oil extraction lab found on the premises, says Greg Hampton with the San Diego Sheriff’s department.

By Miriam Raftery

June 14, 2020 (Washington D..C. ) – If you purchased ground beef this month from Walmart or other retailers, it may be contaminated with e-Coli. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture has announced a class I recall nationwide, which means there is a “reasonable probability” that the products could cause “serious, adverse health consequences or death.”

The recalled ground beef packages were produced June 1 at the Lakeside Refrigerated Services facility in Jersey and were sold under several brand names, including Thomas Farms and Marketside Butcher. The latter is sold through Walmart stores.  The products have the establishment number “EST. 46841” inside the USDA inspection mark.

According to the recall notice, the problem was found during routine testing. Although no illnesses are reported so far, the USDA urges consumers to throw away or return any recalled ground beef products in your refrigerator or freezer, since E.coli can potentially cause kidney failure in young children and older adults, as well as dehydration, bloody diarrhea, and abdominal cramps three to four days after exposure.

If you ate ground beef and experienced these symptoms, contact your medical practitioner immediately.

The recalled products include: