By Brigitte Garcia

January 18, 2016 (San Diego's East County) - El Niño has brought flooding since it has arrived in California this winter, but now those heavy rains may finally be doing something to help us. The snowpack is higher than it has been in years, and reservoir levels in San Diego County are looking better than they have in the last four years of drought.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy of Backcountry Land Trust

January 18, 2016 (Alpine) – Clearing local watersheds of the arrundo donax, a hardy bamboo-like, non-native plant that is a major fire fuels hazard, and other invasive species is tough work.  To clear a four-mile stretch of Alpine Creek required contacting owners of about 700 private and public parcels, mapping the terrain and securing liability insurance and contracts.  So far, the initial work has been done on about 50 parcels, funded mainly by private donations.  But a lot more work is needed, including maintain those parcels already cleared.

Leak at So Cal Gas facility exposes nationwide problem of aging gas infrastructure at hundreds of sites

By Miriam Raftery

January 17, 2016 (Los Angeles)—The news sounds like the plot of a disaster thriller movie, but it’s real.  The worst environmental disaster since the BP oil spill, a methane gas leak that began Oct. 23 at a storage well in Aliso Canyon in northern Los Angeles has pumped over 85,000 metric tons of methane into the air.  According to the Environmental Defense Fund, each day of the leak spews as much climate pollutant into the air as 4.5 million to 9 million cars. 

The leak at the site operated by Southern California Gas (a Sempra Energy company that also supplies San Diego’s gas) is endangering health and safety of residents as well as contaminating the environment and pumping a powerful climate pollutant into the atmosphere.   But it may soon get a lot worse. 

A Los Angeles Times investigation reveals that efforts to plug the leak has been halted—after a backwash from those efforts caused a crater 80 feet long, 30 feet wide and 25 feet deep, leaving the wellhead itself exposed and now at risk of a catastrophic blowout. Access to control valves are cut off, documents revealed.  Should a massive explosion and fire occur with a 10-mile-long plume of methane over suburban neighobrhoods, the scenario would be horrifying.

By Miriam Raftery

January 17, 2016 (San Diego's East County) - Join naturalists, called Canyoneers, from the San Diego Natural History Museum, for a free guided walk in Oak Canyon in Mission Trails Regional Park on Sunday, January 24 starting at 9 a.m.

By Miriam Raftery

January 17, 2016 (San Diego) -- Pacificaires and Cedar Center Chorus present this year’s winter concert at the College Avenue Baptist Church (4747 College Ave., San Diego) on January 30th at 2 p.m..  You're invited to join in singing in the New Year.

13 projects will boost conservation, habitat, water recycling and more

Source: County Water Authority

January 17, 2016  (San Diego) -- The San Diego region has been awarded $31.1 million in grant money by the state Department of Water Resources for a variety of projects that will increase local water supplies, decrease water demands, improve water quality, manage storm water, restore habitat and enhance species.

The awards include several East County and inland region projects, notably expansion of Padre Dam’s advanced water treatment reclamation facility, a program to improve water quality in disadvantaged rural communities, habitat recovery at Sweetwater Reservoir, water-wise educational programs for Lemon Grove and Spring Valley schools, water capture and grey water reuse in the Chollas Creek/Encanto area, as well as rehabilitation of the San Diego River headwaters including removal of invasive plant species, feral pigs, unauthorized trails/campgrounds and restoration of sites.

By Miriam Raftery

January 16, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Steve Van Zant, former superintendent of Mountain Empire Unified School District, was arraigned today in San Diego Superior Court on a felony conflict of interest charge, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. 

While serving as Superintendent of Mountain Empire, Van Zant pushed through charter schools to operate in other school districts---while profiting by having some of those same charters hire his consulting firm, EdHive Inc.

Update: The Medical Examiner's office has identified the deceased woman as Kelsey Rose Hauser, 25.

East County News Service

January 16, 2016 (El Cajon) – Following a three mile pursuit of an allegedly stolen red Toyota with several people inside, the driver reportedly rammed two law enforcement vehicles.  El Cajon Police opened fire, killing a woman passenger and a dog, 10 News reports.

By Miriam Raftery

January 16, 2016 (San Diego) – The National Park Service has announced it must change the names of some of its most iconic landmarks due to a copyright claim filed by Delaware North, the former park concessionaire.  Items slated for name changes include the historic Ahwahnee Hotel and Wawona Hotel (both Native American names),  as well as Curry Village, Yosemite Lodge and Badger Pass http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/article54736110.html).

County News Service

January 16, 2016 (San Diego) -- Breeding season is underway and San Diego County Animal Services is offering spay/neuter discount coupons throughout the month of January to reduce the number of unwanted and homeless animals that typically arrive in the spring. 

By Miriam Raftery

January 16, 2016 (San Diego) –A Muslim woman and a Jewish man were forcibly removed from a speech being given by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in South Carolina last week.  They were staging a peaceful, silent protest over Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric, both wearing yellow Holocaust stars of David and the word “Muslim.”  The woman also wore a hijab head scarf and a shirt that read, “Salam. I come in peace.”  She stood up after Trump suggested refugees fleeing Syria are affiliated with ISIS terrorists.  Hecklers shouted hateful remarks at the pair and Trump later backed their ouster.

By contrast, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, speaking at a rally in Virginia five days later, stepped from behind the podium to embrace a Muslim woman student who voiced concerns over “Islamophobia” and bigotry voiced by some candidates.  Sanders, stood hand in hand with the woman, then spoke of his father’s family who died in concentration camps and gave an impassioned speech, vowing to stand against racism of all forms.

By Miriam Raftery

January 14, 2016 (Descanso) -- KNSJ Radio (89.1 FM Descanso) is off the air affter the station's transmitter on Mount Laguna froze and broke during  last week's winter storm.  The repair estimate is $1,500, said Martin Eder, founder of KNSJ, a public nonprofit radio station that serves East County and San Diego.

Donations are urgently needed to cover this unexpected major repair cost and may be made via PayPal, credit card or check at http://knsj.org/donate/.  

The East County Magazine  Show airs on KNSJ on Mondays and Fridays from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.  During the outage, which began last week, our radio show and others on the station can still be heard online by downloading the TuneIn App for your cell phone or by listening to the streaming audio online at http://knsj.org/knsjpopup.html.

By Liz Alper

January 14, 2016 (El Cajon) - An El Cajon homeowner arrived home to find a burglar in his home in the 2400 block of Chatham Street at 12:30 p.m. today, according to Sgt. J. Larson with the El Cajon Police.