By Robert Gehr

July 18, 2015 (El Cajon)--Two new solar powered pedestrian safety lights were recently installed near Johnson Elementary School and should create a safer walk zone for the many children who attend this Cajon Valley school on west Madison Ave. in El Cajon.

East County News Service

July 17, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) - The American public’s attitude toward working Moms is changing. A study by San Diego State University and University of Georgia researchers published in Psychology of Women found that the overwhelming majority of Americans support working mothers.

By Juwan Armstrong and Miriam Raftery

July 18, 2015 (El Cajon) --Representatives from Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign spoke at the East County Democratic Club last Thursday at MJ’s Family Restaurant in El Cajon, seeking to fire up local support.

 A former Secretary of State, First Lady and Senator, Clinton is focusing her campaign vision on four goals: building an economy for tomorrow, strengthening America’s families, defending America and our core values, and revitalizing our democracy.

Patrick Alexander, JD, added that one of the most important issues in the campaign will be the appointment of up to four Supreme Court Justices that the next president could make – appointments that could shape the high court for the next half century and impact rulings significant for women's rights, voting rights, minority rights, labor, the environment, the enviroment and more. 

Photo: Clark Bunting, NPCA President and CEO, Rep. Susan Davis, and Craig Obey, NPCA Senior VP, Government Affairs

July 17, 2015 (San Diego)—When it comes to protecting national parks, the partisan divide between our local Congressional representatives is as wide as the Grand Canyon.

Three of San Diego’s Congressional members were honored with the Friends of the National Parks Award from the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association for their contributions to protection and enhancing America’s national parks. Congressional members Susan Davis, Scott Peters and Juan Vargas all voted to support national parks 100% of the time on bills tracked by the NPCA. California’s two Senators, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, also scored 100%.  All five of these legislators are Democrats.

By contrast, San Diego’s two Republican Congressmen, Duncan D. Hunter and Darrell Issa, each scored 0%, voting against every measure to protect national parks that the NPCA tracked in the last Congressional session. That included five measures that passed the House of Representatives, three of which were opposed by the NPCA.

District to include study of community choice energy

July 17, 2015 (San Diego)--San Diego Unified School District voted unanimously at its July 14 meeting to approve a resolution supporting development of a district-wide Climate Action Plan (CAP), in alignment with the City of San Diego’s CAP.

East County New Service

July 17, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – Want to know data on water well locations, levels, pumping rates and more?  Until now, this info was not available to the public. But now thanks to passage of Senate Bill 83, the reports are available by request through a Well Completion Report Request Form at the California Department of Water Resources at this site: http://www.water.ca.gov/groundwater/wells/well_completion_reports.cfm.

By Janis Russell

July 16, 2015 (El Cajon)- The San Diego East County Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce hosted its first Meet Your Candidates event at Nicky Rotten’s Bar and Burger Joint in Rancho San Diego Tuesday evening. The speakers were County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, who is running for re-election to the 2^nd Supervisorial district seat and 71^st State Assembly district candidate Mike Harrison, who has served as a staffer for Congressmen Duncan L Hunter and Duncan D Hunter.

By Miriam Raftery

July 16, 2015 (El Cajon) – El Cajon currently holds at-large elections where everyone in the city votes for all five Council races.  But on Tuesday, the City Council voted 5-0 to have staff move forward with implementing a shift to individual districts each electing its own representative.  The concept of districts aspires to provide greater representation for minorities to elect representatives reflective of their neighborhoods' concerns.

July 17, 2015 (San Diego's East County)-- East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• Gunman kills 4 marines at Chattanooga military site (New York Times)
• 1,800 undocumented immigrants re-arrested after release, report says (CS Monitor) 
• Boy Scouts committee approves allowing gay adults as leaders (Reuters)
• Why is the US Army cutting troops? (CS Monitor)
• Land Rover Recalls 65,000 Vehicles Over Unlatching Doors (NPR)
• CIA documents raise questions about spy agency's domestic data collection (CS Monitor)
• Report: Mergers Have Cut Airline Competition At Many Airports, Raising Fares (NPR)
• Canada cools to resisters of US's Iraq War. What's changed since Vietnam? (CS Monitor)

 Mexico

• Mexico kingpin 'Chapo' Guzman stages brazen jailbreak in blow to president (Reuters)
• DEA documents show 'El Chapo' began escape plots in 2014 (AP)
• Mexican cops arrest 2 allegedly building cartel radio system (San Diego Union Tribune)

Middle East

• Iran Nuclear Pact Could Spark Buildup Of Conventional Weapons (NPR)
• Interview: Israeli Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu On Iran Nuclear Deal (NPR)
• Iran nuclear deal should be scrutinized carefully: Khamenei (Reuters)
• Iraq gets first funding to rebuild war-struck regions (Reuters)
• UN report: 15,000 civilians killed in Iraq in 16 months (AP)
• U.S. steps up air strikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq: statement (Reuters)
• UN calls on Palestinians for information on missing Israelis (AP)
• Houthi attack sets refinery ablaze in Yemeni city Aden (Reuters)

Europe and Asia

• Greece licks wounds after bailout vote, ECB move expected (Reuters)
• IMF criticizes EU bailout of Greece. Other paths to economic stability?  (CS Monitor)
• Hungary starts building anti-migrant fence on Serbian border (San Diego Union-Tribune)
•  Which aid relief charities spend the most on fundraising? (Reuters Foundation)
• Crackdown on human rights lawyers intensifies in China (CS Monitor)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

By Miriam Raftery

July 16, 2015 (El Cajon ) – El Cajon’s City Council voted Tuesday to move forward on plans to build a Hampton Inn with upscale restaurants on the site of the former police station on Fletcher Parkway near North Magnolia Avenue.  The action comes after last month’s approval to bring a Marriott Hotel to town.

“Revitalization of El Cajon has a snowball effect,” Councilman Gary Kendrick told East County Magazine. Since approval of the Marriott deal, he says, “our phone has been ringing off the hook from investors because they know  that Marriott does their homework.”

July 16, 2015 (San Diego's East County)-- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Genetic Tweaks Are Restoring Hearing In Animals, Raising Hopes For People (NPR)
• States Make Laws To Protect Patients From Hidden Medical Bills (NPR)
• Biohackers Aim To Make Homebrew Insulin, But Don't Try It Yet (NPR)
• Trial over fate of frozen embryos underway in San Francisco (Reuters)
• Planned Parenthood says secret video distorts tissue donation program (CS Monitor)
• Even Mild Mental Health Problems In Children Can Cause Trouble Later (NPR)
• Why Sit-Down Meals May Be Just As Unhealthful As Fast Food (NPR)
• Smoking 'may play schizophrenia role' (BBC)
• Cancer immunotherapy approved in UK (BBC)
• 10 Drugs That May Cause Memory Loss (AARP)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• The future of travel? A tube called Hyperloop (Reuters)
• Why webcam indicator lights are lousy privacy safeguards (CS Monitor)
• Crazy paving: Rotterdam to consider trialling plastic roads (BBC)
• Is Google Photos storing your pictures without your knowledge? (CS Monitor)
• Malware And Hacking Forum Darkode Is Shut Down; Dozens Arrested (NPR)
• HostGator stops sending private encryption keys in plain text (CS Monitor)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

July 16, 2015 (La Mesa) -- Join the La Mesa Police Department and Heartland Fire and Rescue in celebrating the 4th annual “National Night Out against Crime” and Emergency Preparedness Fair Event, Tuesday, August 4th from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the La Mesa Police Station Parking lot (8085 University Avenue - same location as the La Mesa Farmers Market).

East County News Service

July 16, 2015 (Washington D.C.) – President Barack Obama has announced that the U.S. Department of Labor will propose extending overtime pay protections to nearly 5 million American workers, including over 400,000 Californians. This proposal would increase the current overtime protection threshold, guaranteeing overtime pay to most salaried workers earning less than $50,440 per year if they work more than 40 hours a week.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos, left: Three of the five special needs children in Zeldin's care.

July 11, 2015 (Rancho San Diego) – Friends describe Debra Zeldin as an “angel.”  Twice named the County’s foster parent of the year, she has taken in over 60 foster children, specializing in those with special medical needs.  She currently has five children in her care, including a blind, 6-year-old boy for whom she helped obtain a kidney transplant and a 10-year-old girl with muscular dystrophy who  just came home from the hospital when Zeldin discovered her van had been stolen. Two of the children use wheelchairs and one is on a tracheotomy curently.

Now Zeldin needs help –and a friend has launched a fundraising drive to raise money for repairs, since the thieves who stole her van had no insurance or assets and Zeldin’s insurance company has informed her that her policy lacked comprehensive coverage.

July 16, 2015 (Ramona)—The winemakers at Grant James Vineyard in Ramona say the best way to experience wine is dining in the vineyard. So they’re serving up Friday night dinners all summer long with a host of creative chefs.  Below are the delicious details on upcoming culinary events in the vineyard.