By Miriam Raftery

July 9, 2010 (San Diego's East County)  -  What are the odds of a big quake striking your community?  Now there's a website where you can type in your zip code and learn the probability of a major quake striking in the near or distant future.

I typed in my own zip code (91941 La Mesa) and was startled to learn that the odds of a 6.0 magnitude quake or greater striking within the next 10 years is 50%--and in some nearby towns the chances are even greater. 

What should you do to stay safe when an earthquake strikes?

July 9, 2010 (San Diego) – East County Magazine added another award to its growing list of honors last night at the Society of Professional Journalists awards banquet at the Bali Hai restaurant in San Diego. SPJ-San Diego presented ECM with a first-place award for investigative reporting in the daily news reporting category.

July 8, 2010 (La Mesa) – A 74-year-old woman whose car crashed through a fence and tumbled 60 feet down an embankment on Aztec Drive in La Mesa has been rescued. Heartland Fire & Rescue was dispatched to the accident at 12:30 p.m. and found the vehicle had landed in a drainage ditch. It took ten firefighters approximately half an hour to extricate the woman from the vehicle by removing the roof of the car.

July 7, 2010 - A strong earthquake jolted East County at 4:53 p.m. today.  The quake, which was centered 13 miles north northwest of Borrego Springs in San Diego's East County, was initially rated a 5.9 on the Richter scale but subsequently downgraded to a 5.4 according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

"Montezuma Valley Grade had boulders rock and come loose, laying in the roadway, a citizen reported," a deputy at Borrego Springs told East County Magazine.  "They felt it was a safety hazard and I dispatched County Roads...Cell phone service went out for about five minutes also; all circuits were busy."

"It was a rough jolt," Linda Narrin, an employee at Orchard Hill Bed & Breakfast Inn in Julian, told East County Magazine.  

July 6, 2010 (Washington D.C.) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on July 1st unveiled an innovative new on-line tool aimed at helping consumers take control of their health care by connecting them to new information and resources to access quality, affordable health care coverage.

July 4, 2010 (Washington D.C.) – The Fourth of July marks the anniversary of the signing of America’s most cherished document, the Declaration of Independence announcing the American colonies' freedom from British rule. Yet many today have never heard the inspiring words in their entirety.
 

 It was 234 years ago today, while the Revolutionary War was raging, that church bells rang out across Philadelphia to celebrate the Continental Congress' adopting Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence.

National Public Radio has a tradition of inviting journalists and show hosts to read the cherished document out loud each year at Independence Day.  Click here to hear the broadcast--and read the full text. Invite friends, family and neighbors to listen, too.  You may be amazed to find how many issues are just as relevant today as they were back in 1776. 

Story and photos by Dennis Richardson

July 3, 2010 (Del Cerro) – A driver who lost control of her pickup truck Thursday missed a turn on a steep downhill road, then crashed into two homes in the 6200 block of Camino Largo near Ridge Manor Avenue. The truck entered the garage of the first home, damaged an electrical sub- panel and started a fire.

The vehicle then broke through the garage wall and jumped over a property line, slamming into a neighbor’s garage wall.

East County News Service

June 30, 2010 (La Mesa) – Last night at 11:43 p.m., a driver in La Mesa collided into a parked vehicle, causing a chain reaction collision in the 5300 block of Baltimore Drive.

Recent coyote attacks on large dogs in East County also reported; area residents suggest packs are becoming more aggressive

By Miriam Raftery

June 28, 2010 (Spring Valley) – A coyote attacked a 12-year-old girl shortly before 9:30 this evening at 9119 Jamacha Road in Spring Valley, just one block from the Spring Valley Library and La Presa Middle School, Heartland Dispatch and the San Diego Sheriff's office have confirmed.  

Conservation and Demand-response Programs Still Important

East County News Service

June 28, 2010 (San Diego) – Summer is here, and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) says it has lined up adequate electricity supplies and required reserves to meet customers’ expected energy needs this summer, barring extreme weather conditions

June 28, 2010 (San Diego) – San Diego Police Department seeks two men who robbed a 7-11 store at 6571 El Cajon Boulevard Sunday night at gunpoint at 11:08 p.m.

This is the latest in a series on homeless persons in East County based on first-person accounts. Because voices of the homeless are seldom heard in the media, this provides an ongoing platform for the homeless to relay their unfiltered stories. If you are homeless, or know of a homeless individual willing to be interviewed, please contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org.

By Richard Darvas

June 28, 2010 (El Cajon) -- Lucy has lived a rootless life. In a recent interview with East County Magazine, the 46-year-old homeless woman detailed how she lost her way. (To shield her children from untoward attention, she is using a pseudonym for this article.)

“I am persuaded that this project will not be built. It was conceived in secrecy ….sold with misleading information.” – Stephen Volker, attorney

Anonymous donor pledges to match donations for legal battle up to $20,000

June 23, 2010 (9:55 p.m.)  - California Highway Patrol announced shortly after 9:30 p.m. that it would reopen Highway 54, which was closed this evening due to a brush fire near Plaza Bonita and I-805.

The fire started in the Sweetwater River bed near a homeless encampment. According to some reports, explosions were hurt that may have been from propane tanks.  No structures were lost.

Local tragedy on Father's Day serves as grim reminder of need for pool safety

East County News Service

June 22, 2010 (San Diego's East County) - As the Father's Day drowning of an East County child tragically illustrates, pool safety is an important matter for all pool owners and parents to follow. In California, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in toddlers ages one to four. 

George e. Lucia Sr., Valley Center Fire Prevention District Captain/Fire Marshal, offersthis advice to prevent child drownings, including pool safety and rescue tips: