Aztecs will play in the MW Championship for a second straight season

Source: goaztecs.com press release

November 6, 2016 (Colorado Springs) - San Diego State has clinched the West Division crown of the Mountain West for the second straight year and a spot in the 2016 Mountain West Football Championship game, the league announced Sunday. The game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 3 and will kick off at either 4:30 p.m. PT, 4:45 p.m. PT or 5 p.m. PT on either ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.

For more sports coverage, visit ECM's Sports section

Source: goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

November 5, 2016 (San Diego) - Donnel Pumphrey ran for 112 yards, Rashaad Penny added 108 yards on the ground and San Diego State beat Hawaii 55-0 on Saturday night.

By Miriam Raftery

November 5, 2016 (Ramona) – If you’re looking for an unusual way to spend Thanksgiving weekend,  stop by Pomegranate Days at the Oasis Camel Dairy in Ramona.  The 6^th annual event on November 25, 26 and 27 will include camel rides,  feeding pomegranates to camels, family shows,  and a race featuring “pardoned” turkeys.

November 5, 2016 (El  Cajon)—Anonymous citizens have added commentary above and below a sign touting three conservative candidates for El Cajon City Council: Paul  Circo,  Star Bales and Bob McClellan. 

New signs cheekily note that these three candidates “did not show for debates,  did not show for a prayer vigil” (in response to a  police shooting), and “can’t spell their own name on their own signs,” a reference to a misspelling in McClellan’s name.

Update: The victim has been identified as Richard Kent Chartier. The cause of death was a penetrating gunshot wound to the abdomen. The manner of death was ruled a homicide. Chartier was a resident at the 1321 Oro Street property in unincorporated El Cajon.

 

By Miriam Raftery

November 5, 2016 (El Cajon) – Vincent Frank Peterson,42, has been arrested and will be charged with the murder of a man found with mortal wounds Friday night in unincorporated El Cajon.

Deputies were called to a home on Oro Street near Greenfield Drive after a caller to 911 reported an assault with a deadly weapon around 10 p.m. Friday.  The victim, 42, was found with injuries to his torso and died on the way to a hospital.

By Gene Carpenter and Anthony Mc Ivor

November 4, 2016 (La Mesa) -- Earlier this week, many La Mesa residents found a rude surprise in their mailboxes. It was a particularly vile attack mailer targeting La Mesa Council candidate Colin Parent.  The piece is slick, but  intellectually dishonest and shabbily written.  After three polite debates in city venues, who would use the post for such a vulgar purpose? 

Hunter opponent Patrick Malloy claims use of campaign funds for personal expenses was “corruption”

By Miriam Raftery

November 4, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) announced yesterday that he will repay nearly $49,000 in personal or unauthorized expenses charged to his campaign, the Riverside Press Enterprise reports.  The action comes months after revelations that Hunter charged up large sums for an Italian vacation with his family last Thanksgiving, as well as money paid to his children’s private school, a Hawaiian resort, an oral surgeon, as well as and purchases of jewelry, groceries, video games and more.

By Miriam Raftery

November 4, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – The future of the San Miguel Fire District hangs in the balance.  Should San Miguel keep its contract with Cal-Fire or return to being a stand-alone district, as the current board recently voted by a slim margin?  We interviewed a representative from  each of the two slates running for our East County Magazine Radio Show on KNSJ. Listen now by clicking the orange audio link.

 In this heated session,  incumbent Bill  Kiel, a retired engineer, makes the case for staying with Cal-Fire, while retired fire chief Kim Raddatz argues for giving Cal-Fire the boot and returning to an independent district.  Each side claims their position will be best for taxpayers and public safety.  One side is backed by Cal-Fire firefighters, the other by leaders of the former San Miguel firefighters.

By Mike Allen

November 3, 2016 (El Cajon) -- The Sycuan band of the Kumeyaay nation has plans to build a high-rise hotel and expand its casino.

The plans call for an 11-story, 300-room, hotel plus an additional 21,000 square feet of gaming space with 500 new devices, bringing the total to 2,500. The project would also include a 2,030-car parking garage, an upscale restaurant, a spa, fitness center, and larger outdoor area with two swimming pools.

By Gig Connaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office

November 3, 2016 (San Diego) - County officials are inviting the public Monday night to tell them what they think of a draft plan that aims to keep 75 percent of all trash out of landfills by 2020 — and maybe even hit a “Zero Waste” target by 2040.

By Miriam Raftery

October 29, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Multiple candidates in the Grossmont Union High School District Board race have complained of mailers containing false or misleading information on candidates' party endorsements or affiliations.

Below is information on which parties have endorsed candidates in the race,  as well as which candidates have teachers' union backing and which seem to be running stealth campaigns--offering little or no information for voters.

East County News Service

November 3, 2016 (Lakeside) - Take the kids to breakfast with Santa Claus from 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 3 at the Lakeside Community Center (9841 Vine Street).

For more sports stories, visit ECM's Sports section

Story and photos by Liz Alper

November 3, 2016 (San Diego) - The San Diego State Aztecs men’s basketball team kicked off its 2016 season with an exhibition game against UCSD tonight.

Update with comments from the Lincoln Club President and links to prior concerns raised about the PAC by the FPPC.

By Miriam Raftery

November 3, 2016 (La Mesa) — A hit piece mailer on La Mesa City Council Colin Parent has been sent by a shadowy political action group tied to his opponent.

The mailer deceptively states Parent moved to La Mesa only to run for Council and mentions he’s lived in Sacramento and San Diego.  It fails to mention his long and deep ties to East County.  Parent went to Fuerte Elementary School near Mt. Helix, had his first job on La Mesa Blvd. with the East County Development Council, grew up going to local La Mesa hang-outs such as the Aquarius roller rink, was active in Boy Scots and graduated from Valhalla High School in the Grossmont Union High School District before attending UC San Diego and later, getting a law degree in New York.

By Miriam Raftery

November 1, 2016 (La Mesa) – Someone with access to confidential files at Helix Water District violated state law and district policy by anonymously mailing part of a board candidate’s personnel file to East County Magazine.

We will not violate privacy rules by publishing the contents.  However, we did speak with the candidate, Louis Tejeda, who gave permission for us to disclose the leaking of his confidential record: a notice of proposed disciplinary action sent 21 years ago, when he was an employee of the district.