Allied forces gain ground: Iraqi Prime Minister declares end to ISIS caliphate, but plight of refugees remains dire

By Miriam Raftery; Photos by Kainoa Little

Photo, left:  Refugees flee the embattled city of Mosul

July 4, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) -- East County Magazine has obtained dramatic photos from the Battle of Mosul, taken in the Iraqi city during April 2017 by photographer Kainoa Little, who specializes in photographing war zones and refugees. 

His images show Iraqi federal police fighting to free Mosul from occupation by Islamic State, or ISIL, militants who seized the city in June 2014.  The photos poignantly depict the courage of soldiers and at times, fear, as they fight amid the ruins and also the anguish of residents and refugees fleeing the city. 

The battle captured in these April photos continues, with the allies gaining ground. Today, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi held a press conference to praise his troops for a “big victory in Mosul” including retaking what remains of the al-Nuri mosque in the old city, Associated Press reports. 

Source: National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP)

Photo: Donald Trump, by Gage Skidmore

July 4, 2017 (San Diego) -- The National Association of Rail Passengers denounced the budget outline released by the Trump Administration, which slashes investment in transportation infrastructure. These cuts to Amtrak, transit, and commuter rail programs, and even air service to rural towns, would not only cost construction and manufacturing jobs, but place a disproportionate amount of pain on rural and working class communities.

July 3, 2017 (Ramona) -- State Route 78 is closed in both directions at Moma in the Ramona Trails area due to a semi-truck that overturned,  Cal Fire reports. 

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the vehicle was hauling chicken feed. The truck leaked hydraulic fuel and a clean-up is ongoing for the next couple of hours.

The driver was injured and transported to a hospital, CBS 8 reports.

Updated with corrections based on CHP data just received:  accidents spiked in 2015, before the casino opened. But DUI-related crashes are up.

By Miriam Raftery; Jonathan Goetz also contributed to this report

Photo by Jonathan Goetz

July 2, 2017 (Jamul) – Supervisor Dianne Jacob joined Jamul residents Friday in a press conference to share concerns over accidents along an 11-mile stretch of State Route 94.  The group also called for completion of promised roadway improvements that have not yet begun. 

The Jamul Indian Village has issued a response contending that the casino is being unfairly blamed for an uptick in accidents that may be related to other factors, and points a finger at CalTrans and Supervisor Jacob for delays in roadway improvements that the tribe says is due to Caltrans lacking land use authority.

By Miriam Raftery

July 1, 2017 (Spring Valley ) – Two vehicles were struck in a drive-by shooting this evening near the intersection of Jamacha Road and Gillespie Drive in the La Presa area of Spring Valley, sending the driver of a white Ford Focis to the hospital, NBC 7 reports.

  Witnesses reported hearing 10 to 11 shots around 5:17 p.m.  A witness told Fox 5 that he saw the white car hit a corner and rushed to help.  “I unlocked the door and he was riddled with bullets on his right side. The right side of his passenger door was riddled with bullets,”  the witness told Fox 5, adding that he used the driver’s phone to speak with a 911 dispatcher and applied pressure to the driver’s wounds until emergency personnel arrived.

By Miriam Raftery

July 1, 2017 (La Mesa) – A motorcyclist crashed into the rear of a vehicle on Interstate 8 east in La Mesa yesterday near the Jackson Drive exit shortly before noon.  The motorcyclist was reportedly unconscious following the crash.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Vigil following 2015 San Bernardino shooting

June 30, 2017 (Sacramento) – U.S. District judge Roger Benitez with California’s Southern District Court has granted a preliminary injunction sought by the National Rifle Association, temporarily blocking part of Proposition 63 that required Californians to dispose of large-capacity ammunition magazines by Saturday or face fines and potentially, jail time.

By Miriam Raftery

Updated with responses from planning group members Russo and Martinez.

June 30, 2017 (Alpine) – The Alpine Community Planning Group (ACPG) voted at its meeting last week to censure member Lou Russo for violation of the Group’s code of ethics. The vote was unanimous with the exception of Russo. 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Mojave rattlesnake

June 28, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – The canine rattlesnake vaccine has been administered to over 100,000 dogs since it came on the market in the early 2000s. While only about 1 percent of dogs had side effects, the bad news is “there remains little fact-based data to support the efficacy of the vaccine to date,” according to Valerie Wiebe, Pharm.D with the University of California, Davis. In other words, it’s not clear if the vaccine actually works.

East County News Service

June 27, 2017 (Ramona) – Lane closures on State Route 67 at the Highland Valley Road/Dye Road intersection are slated from 7 p.m .to  5 a.m. tonight as well as Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday nights.   At least one lane will remain open, but motorists are advised to expect traffic delays, Cal Trans has announced.

The closure is due to paving and road striping work.  Highway workers will be directing traffic in the affected area.

Ruling allows immigration from six Muslim nations for those with ties to U.S., but bans others until full case is heard this fall; refugees hardest hit by decision

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Syrian refugee boy's future remains in limbo

June 27, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a temporary order reinstating a portion of President Donald Trump’s travel ban previously halted by multiple appellate courts.  The decision allows immigration to continue from six Muslim nations (Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen) but only for people with a “bona fide relationship” to the U.S.  The temporary order is in place until the high court hears the case in the fall and issues a ruling.

The definition of such relationship or ties is not spelled out, but legal experts generally agree that travelers with family in the U.S., jobs or job offers, and students at U.S. universities will be protected.  It is unclear whether others, such as those with medical conditions seeking treatment here, would be banned or not. Visitors seeking visas who don’t have ties here would be barred from entry.  Hardest hit would be refugees fleeing violence, whose hopes of a brighter future in America will now be dashed unless they already have family or other ties in the U.S., international aid groups warn.

East Couty News Service

June 27, 2017 (El Cajon ) – A woman in her 50s who was walking home from the grocery store crossed North Mollison Avenue near Main Street outside of a marked intersection last night at 8:45. She was struck by a black Acura sedan driven by a 19-year-old driver.  Paramedics transported the woman to a hospital, where she later died.

By Miriam Raftery

June 26, 2017 (San Diego) – The U.S. Supreme Court today let stand California’s concealed weapons law, leaving intact local law enforcement’s power to restrict the issuance of permits for carrying concealed handguns.  The high court declined to review the case of Peruta v. California, which stemmed from a challenge to San Diego Sheriff Bill Gore’s refusal to issue a concealed carry permit to an applicant who said he wanted a gun for self defense, but according to Gore, failed to justify that need.

By Miriam Raftery

June 26, 2017 (Ramona) – A water tender truck wound up out on a limb last Friday – literally. 

The driver of the commercial-sized vehicle was heading on Agrarian Road east of Ramona when his vehicle went off the side of the road and hurtled down 30 feet, rolling over.  But the freefall plunge was stopped by a tree branch that snagged the front of the truck, leaving the bulky vehicle dangling.

Update:  Cal Fire has corrected the size of this fire to 46 acres based on more accurate mapping.  Evacuated residents have been allowed to return home.

East County Wildfire & Emergency Alert Service

June 25, 2017 2:15 p.m. (Mesa Grande) – A brush fire burning in Cleveland National Forest has scorched 75 acres and is now threatening two homes, Cal Fire reports.  The blaze began on Black Canyon Road near the Mesa Grande Reservation, about a mile north of Lake Sutherland in Ramona.

The fire is burning at a moderate rate of spread and is zero percent contained. Cal Fire is battling the blaze along with U.S. Forest Service firefighters.  #BlackFire.

If you have photos, eyewitness reports or other information please email editor@eastcountymagazine.org and post in comments below.