By Miriam Raftery

October 27, 2015 (Louisville, KY)--Can a black defendant get a fair trial with an all-white jury?

A judge in Louisville, Kentucky, says no – and he’s dismissed an entire jury because it lacked minorities in the trial of an African-American defendant facing drug charges.

By Miriam Raftery

Hear our exclusive interview with David Guefen, Solar City in San Diego: https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au...

October 12, 2015 (San Diego)—Solar City, the largest solar company in the U.S., has launched some of the most ambitious and empowering programs in the solar industry.  The company can even act as your utility company, enabling you to get a solar system for no money down and start saving on your utility bill from day one.   Average savings per home run 20 to 60 percent on utility bills, says David Guefen with Solar City San Diego.

The company is also giving back through programs that provide free solar to schools in impoverished countries, giving free solar power to families in military housing, and offering a rewards program for referrals. (If you buy a system from Solar City and mention East County Magazine, our nonprofit will receive a reward. Just click the ad in this story.)

But the window to go solar with maximum incentives ends December 31^st, when a 30% federal tax credit is set to expire or be slashed.

Story and photos by Robert Gehr© 2015

October 22, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)--Classic vehicles, hot rods, motorcycles and more are all part of Trunk or Treat at the Cajon Classic Cruise night on Wednesday, October 28 from 5 to 8 p .m. This family event in downtown El Cajon (Main Street at Magnolia Avenue and Prescott Promenade Park)  draws thousands of revelers celebrating Halloween - don’t forget to dress up for the occasion.

For complete Calendar including Authors Events, go to www.SDWriteWay.org

This column is also published in the http://EastCountyMagazine.org. If you are from East County, I highly recommend that you check out the ECM for articles and the latest in what is happening in the East County.

Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

October 25, 2015 (San Diego's East County) - Breast cancer is the second most common kind of cancer in women. About 1 in 8 women born today in the United States will get breast cancer at some point. The good news is that many women can survive breast cancer if it’s found and treated early. A mammogram – the screening test for breast cancer – can help find breast cancer early when it’s easier to treat.

Story and photos by Leon Thompson

October 24, 2015 (Lakeside) - - An overflow crowd was on hand to witness the dedication ceremony for the newly completed Cedar Fire Historic Monument on Saturday October 14^th at the Lakeside Fire District headquarters.  The monument includes a pocket park and honors first responders, those lost in the fire, as well as the strength and resilience of the survivors.

East County News Service

October 23, 2015 (San Pasqual)--A bat found at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in San Pasqual on October 9th has tested positive for rabies, the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency reports. The bat was found by a visitor near the Mobassa Pavillion and was removed by park security without touching it. 

County health officials want to know  if anyone who was in the park on Oct. 10 directly handled the rabid bat. Rabies transmission can occur from a bat bite or if a bat’s saliva comes in contact with a cut or abrasion, or with mucous membranes, such as the eyes, nose or mouth. Rabies is virtually always fatal unless post-exposure vaccines and treatment are promptly administered.

“Thou shalt not” is soon forgotten, but “Once upon a time” lasts forever.” (Philip Pullman)

October 22, 2015 (Santee and Escondido)--Tellabration is a global celebration of the art of oral storytelling.  Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment.  Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values.  Crucial elements of stories and storytelling include plot, characters and narrative point of view.

East County News Service

October 23, 2015 (San Diego) – Hurricane Patricia, described as a “potentially catastrophic hurricane” by the National Weather Service’s National Hurricane Center, is forecast to slam into the Pacific coast of Mexico later today.  With winds of 200  miles per hour, Hurricane Patricia is the strongest hurricane ever recorded by the center, which tracks all storms in North America.

CNN reports that 50,000 people have been evacuated along the Mexican coast, where a storm surge wave of 30 feet is expected to hit the Mexican state of Jalisco. The powerful storm is between Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco, about 85 miles southwest of Manzanillo Mexico and 155 miles south of Cabo Corrientes. Flights from San Diego and elsewhere in California into the region have been cancelled, the Los Angeles Times reports.

East County News Service

October 21, 2015 (La Mesa)—Asked by relative to conduct a welfare check on an elderly couple in their 70s, La Mesa Police found both the man and woman dead in the home in the 6900 block of Wyoming Avenue on Wednesday, October 14^th.

East County News Service

October 22, 2015 (La Mesa)—The bodies found in a home in the 6900 block of Wyoming Avenue in La Mesa on October 14 have been identified as Rose M. Welch, 73, and her husband, William R. Welch. 

“Based on our investigation we believe that Mrs. Welch was murdered by Mr. Welch,” Lt. Brian Stoney states. “Based on the autopsy. it appears that Mrs. Welch sustained multiple blunt force trauma injuries to her head and was asphyxiated. Several days later Mr. Welch committed suicide by apparently overdosing on prescription medications.”

By Suzanne Potter, Public News Service

Photo: Mojave Trails area in the southern California desert. Credit: Bryn Jones

October 22, 2015 (Palm Springs)  -- Senator Dianne Feinstein is drumming up support for three proposed national monuments in the southern California desert by holding a public listening session this afternoon at the Whitewater Preserve near Palm Springs.

Updated October 24, 2015 with recall details from the Registrar of Voters

By Mike Allen

October 21, 2015 (El Cajon)--At a sometimes raucous Oct. 20 meeting attended by union and non-union construction workers, the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District board voted 3-2 to table a vote on a proposed project labor agreement, saying it needs to meet with a citizens committee that oversees spending of bond funds.