Source:  Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District

Photo:  Viriginia Hall

May 27, 2017 (El Cajon) - Graduates of Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges have done it again. The two East County colleges will award 4,833 degrees and certificates this year, a 13 percent increase from last year and another record high for the college district.

By Miriam Raftery

May 26, 2017 (El Cajon) – Deputies are seeking a black pickup truck and its occupants involved in an altercation that ended with another motorist stabbed in the neck in the parking lot of a McDonald’s restaurant at 13574 Camino Canada in unincorporated El Cajon around 6 a.m. this morning.

Source:  Toni Atkins' office

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday passed nine bills authored by Sen. Toni Atkins, including SB 2 – the Building Homes and Jobs Act – which would create a permanent source of funding for affordable housing.

Source:  City of La Mesa

May 26, 2017 (La Mesa) - May is Drowning Prevention Month in the City of La Mesa, and as the Memorial Day weekend approaches, the community is reminded to be safe in and around water.  

According to the World Health Organization, drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury and death worldwide. Children, males, and individuals with increased access to water are most at risk of drowning.  In addition, the Center for Disease Control and Injury Prevention states that children ages 1 to 4 have the highest drowning rate, with most of those drownings occurring in home swimming pools and during the months of May to August.  

ID camp set for July 1-2, youth camp scheduled for July 10-13

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo:  Mike Friesen courtesy goaztecs.com

May 26, 2017 (San Diego) - The San Diego State women’s soccer program is set to conduct an ID and a youth camp this summer on the SDSU campus. The summer ID camp is set for July 1-2, while the youth camp is scheduled for July 10-13.

By Jonathan Goetz; Miriam Raftery also contributed to this article

May 26, 2017 (El Cajon) – Following a lively public hearing on drawing up city council district lines to comply with Voting Rights Act requirements aimed at increasing minority representation,  El Cajon’s City council voted 3-2 to adopt  Paul Circo’s map PCirco1 for council district elections. 

Councilman Ben Kalasho,  a Chaldean-American and the only minority on the Council,  earlier sent a letter threatening to sue his city if that map was approved and request public records to determine if gerrymandering laws or the Brown Act were violated. 

Mayor Bill Wells, Councilmen Gary Kendrick and Bob McClellan voted to approve the map drawn by Circo, a Republican who ran for Council in 2016.  Councilmembers Steve Goble and Kalasho voted against it.  The district election map  chosen squares Kalasho off against fellow Councilman Kendrick, who also lives in Fletcher Hills, on the opposite side of Parkway Plaza. It also pairs Councilmembers Steve Goble and Bob McClellan, leaving two other districts that will be open seats. The Mayor will continue to be elected at-large by all voters in the city.

The plan chosen creates three majority minority districts.  Two have 70% minorities and a third has 51% . The minority definition used is broad, including language minorities such as Arabic speakers as well as all classes protected under state and federal  Voting Rights Acts.

Source: Cal Fire

After a wet winter, warming temperatures are quickly drying out the abundant annual grass crop. The increasing fire danger posed by the high volume of dead grass and hotter, drier conditions in the region is prompting CAL FIRE to suspend all burn permits for outdoor residential burning within the State Responsibility Area of San Diego County This suspension takes effect May 26, 2017 and bans all residential outdoor burning of landscape debris such as branches and leaves.

By Jordan Damond

May 25, 2017 (Spring Valley) -- Mardi Gras,  a small cafe and market located in Spring Valley, is named for the famed carnival held in New Orleans. Following this theme, the cafe sells ample New Orleans specialties for lunch, dinner or to outfit an entire party. As someone ofNew Orleans heritage who has grown up with these foods, I was  pleased to discover that the Mardi Gras Cafe lives up to the quality of  Cajun and Creole cooking served up in New Orleans.

East County News Service

May 25, 2017 (San Diego's East County) -- Throughout the month of June, approximately 4,797 students earning a high school diploma from nine comprehensive high schools, two charter high schools and three alternative high schools in the Grossmont Union High School District will be donning caps and gowns for  commencement exercises.  Congratulations, East County graduates!

Following is a schedule of graduation dates, times, locations, listing of valedictorians and salutatoriansby school, and a list of the valedictorians including parent names and communities.

By Miriam Raftery

May 25, 2017 (San Diego)—“Coast to Catcus: The Canyoneer Trail Guide to San Diego Outdoors” by Diana Lindsay has received first place in the Outdoor Writers Association California’s 2017 Craft Awards Media Competition. Judges felt that the design and visual appeal of the entry was “Inspiring, intriguing and compelling.”

East County News Service

May 24, 2017 (San Diego) -- Pack some popcorn and gather up family and friends for Summer Movies in the Park. The fun, family-friendly – and free! – series officially kicks off this season with “Moana” at Waterfront Park on Friday, May 26. Many showings coming up are at parks in East County, starting with a showing of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” in Dos Picos Park in Ramona on  Saturday, May 27.

Photo: Cal Fire

May 24, 2017 (Boulevard) -- The Ribbonwood Fire has scorched approximately 25 acres in the Boulevard/McCain Valley area. The fire started late this afternoon at Ribbonwood Road south of I-8.

Air and ground crews from Cal Fire responded along with U.S. Forest Service firefighters.

Forward spread has been stopped, Cal Fire public information officer Isaac Sanchez has informed ECM, adding that crews will remain on site this evening for mop-up of the blaze.

By Miriam Raftery

May 24, 2017 (Dulzura) – Back on in early April, Supervisor Dianne Jacob wrote to three officials at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management urging them to close down public shooting in and around Donohoe mountain in Dulzura.  Her requests were ignored, and last weekend, the Gate Fire that starting by a shooting range in the area charred over 2,000 acres, caused evacuations of residents and an exhaustive response by fire officials and first responders to keep the public safe. 

Now, Jacob has fired off a new letter – this one to Ryan Zinke, the new Secretary of the Interior, which oversees the BLM.

By Barry Jantz, CEO, Grossmont Healthcare District

May 24, 2017 (San Diego's East County) – Late last year, the Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) and Sharp HealthCare celebrated a new Central Energy Plant that we completed in partnership at Grossmont Hospital. I’m proud to say that we were named a finalist for this year’s Golden Watchdog Awards in the public-private partnership category, presented by the San Diego County Taxpayers Association.

By Miriam Raftery

May 24, 2017 (La Mesa) – The 25^th anniversary season of the La Mesa Classic Car Show will go on.  Council voted 3-0 last night to authorize a permit for the show to be managed by the new La Mesa Village Association, despite concerns over the LMVA’s decision to drop long-time popular  DJ Jack Leary, aka “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”