Listen to our interview with Adrianah Castro and Wyatt Holcomb originally aired Friday, June 27  on KNSJ 89.1 FM. You can now listen online to our podcast of this interview here: https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au...

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Adrianah Castro, from Venture crew 1833 El Cajon & Wyatt Holcomb, Troop 355 Spring Valley



June 24, 2014 (San Diego's East County)-- Four Boy Scouts  from East County are being honored with the Medal of Merit for saving  a woman's life. On June 8th 2013, Sierra Holcomb, 21, Wyatt Holcomb,16, Adrianah Castro, 15, and Padraic French, 17, were attending a party at Shelter Island on June 8, 2013 when they heard someone yelling for help and to call 911. The four Scouts went to see if they could help and found a young woman lying next to her car unconscious, injured and bleeding.

By Nadin Abbott and Miriam Raftery

June 27, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – San Diego Supervisors heard heated testimony on Wednesday regarding plans to change densities for lands on private property within the Cleveland National Forest boundaries. The Forest Conservation Initiative (FCI) passed by voters in 1993, which limited development on these lands to one home for each 40 acres, expired in 2010.  The County has rejected calls to enact the FCI protections into law. Instead, Supervisors directed staff to create an Environmental Impact Report based on staff recommendations that would increase densities in some areas and reduce them in others.

The hot potato is Alpine, where the Alpine Planning Group’s majority called on Supervisors to allow increased densities and development that could double the size of their rural town.  That has drawn opposition from environmentalists, board member Lou Russo, the Cleveland National Forest Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service itself, which raised concerns over fire dangers and preservation of federally protected wild lands adjacent to proposed development.

East County News Service

Photo: Anti-abortion protestors at a Mississippi abortion clinic

June 26, 2014 (Washington D.C.) – Today the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a 35-foot buffer zone around abortion clinics in Massachusetts violate the free speech rights of protesters.  But ironically, the high court has its own, far wider 100-foot-wide buffer zone to keep protesters away from the Supreme Court.

Massachusetts passed its law to protect abortion workers and patients after a gunman killed two abortion clinic receptionists and wounded five others at two area clinics in 1994.    Violence against abortion providers has occurred elsewhere, notably the murder of Dr. George Tiller, a doctor who provided abortions in Wichita, Kansas.

Similar laws are on the books in other states, including California. But abortion opponents argued that such restrictions violated their First Amendment free speech rights.

June 26, 2014 (San Diego's East County)-- ECM 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.

• DOJ’s Defense of Drone-Killing American Alleged Terrorist Without Trial: Because War (Reason)
• Judge Declares Secretive No-Fly List Process Unconstitutional (Reason)
• House Passes Amendment Ordering Actual Restraints on NSA Searches (Reason)
•  Problems with collective action (USA Today)
• Alaska earthquake 'rings the Earth like a bell' (CS Monitor)
• In growing US sex-trafficking business, majority of victims are American-born (CS Monitor)
• Mormon church excommunicates prominent US activist Kate Kelly (CS Monitor)
• Colorado suspends oil and gas wastewater disposal well after quake (Reuters)
• Violent and Legal: The Shocking Ways School Kids are Being Pinned Down, Isolated Against Their Will (Pro Publica)

WORLD

• Obama Asks For $500 Million To Train, Equip Syrian Rebels (NPR)
• Global refugees highest since WWII, pointing to lack of political solutions  (CS Monitor)
• Iraq government claims gain in anti-militant fight ((CNN)
• Russia's Putin renounces right to send troops to Ukraine (Reuters)
• Report Of Drone Crashes A 'Record Of Calamity' (NPR)
• Children being lured into Syrian civil war, suicide missions (Jerusalem Post)
• Hamas leader says terror group capable of targeting any Israeli city with rockets (Jerusalem Post)
• US drone killings: 'a secret war governed by secret law'? (CS Monitor)

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

By Suzie Kolber

June 26, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - It is customary to send condolences to the bereaved when someone dies, but sending condolences to someone you love, someone you’re extremely close to can be a difficult task.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Dust at job site during construction of Ocotillo Wind Energy Facility

June 26, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – With Valley Fever at epidemic proportions across the Southwest, the Monterey Herald has published tips from two attorneys on precautions employers should take at job sites to lessen the risk of contracting Valley Fever, particularly in desert areas. Suppressing dust is a key element –and one that some major project developers in our region have ignored.  (See photo of dust at Ocotillo wind construction site, where the developer was cited for violations of dust suppression requirements.)

Source: San Diego Sheriff

June 25, 2014 (San Diego)-- It's officially summer and finally time to take that vacation. You can make your break even more stress-free and sign up for vacation checks from the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

Residents question high cost of weed cutting by private contractor

By Grey Feathers

June 24, 2014 El Cajon – The City Council of El Cajon considered issues from a retired police dog to hookah lounges as Mayor Bill Wells gaveled in Tuesday’s meeting.

Councilmember Star Bales displayed items purchased at the El Cajon ‘America on Main Street’ event that she will proudly wear at the Fourth of July celebration at Kennedy Park (photo, left). The Council then voted to retire and release ownership of El Cajon Police dog “Turbo” to Officer Thompson, Turbo’s experienced and sole handler.  Happy retirement Turbo!

The longest discussion of the meeting concerned filing liens on properties of owners who owe money to the City for weed abatement, mandatory trash service and sidewalk repair. The staff recommendation was to authorize the City Clerk to record the amount owed as a lien on the property  and forward the list to the County Tax Assessor for billing on the owner’s next property tax bill.

All photos are Courtesy of HERO PACE,

• Synthetic Turf – Courtesy HERO PACE
• Weather based irrigation systems – HERO PACE
• Gray water systems – Courtesy HERO PACE

Originally Published in the ECOreport

By Roy L Hales

June 23, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - The Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE)program is spreading across the US. Maine offers single PACE loans for up to $15,000 and New Hampshire is preparing to life its cap to $1 million. There is a PACE program in Ann Arbor and another being formed to service the rest of Michigan. PACE programs are starting up in Arkansas , Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. Eighty percent of the US is said to be adopting . However the program is still primarily Californian and, according to company spokesperson Severn Williams, more than 90% of residential PACE installations are made through HERO.

By Miriam Raftery

June 24, 2014 (Borrego Springs)--Where have all the flowers gone?

Anza-Borrego has long been famous for its spectacular spring wildflower blooms.  But now the region’s biodiversity is threatened by an invasive weed—the Sahara mustard.

Increased Income Guidelines Expand Eligibility

June 23, 2014 (San Diego)– More San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) customers are now eligible to save every month on their bill and receive energy efficient home improvements due to new income guidelines that went into effect June 1, 2014.  Households of two with a yearly income of $31,460 or less can now enroll in the money-saving, state sponsored customer assistance programs California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) and the Energy Savings Assistance Program.

East County News Service

June 23, 2014 (Alpine) – A proposal before the San Diego Supervisors on Wednesday would weaken protections for federal forest lands by allowing development encroachment in East County. The plan could double the size of rural Alpine, putting forest lands at risks, conservationists warn.

Now Jack Shu, president of the Cleveland National Forest Foundation, has issued a plea for the public to contact Supervisors and urge them to support protections granted by the Forest Conservation Initiative that was approved by two-thirds of local voters but recently expired.  Below is the letter he sent to conservationists countywide.

June 23, 2014 (San Diego)— “Pertussis activity continues at a high level locally and the California Department of Public Health declared a pertussis epidemic in the state,” Wilma J. Wooten, M.D., San Diego County public health officer has announced.

By Miriam Raftery

June 23, 2014 (El Cajon)--Kassim Alhimidi, an Iraqi immigrant who was convicted of bludgeoning his wife, Shaima Alawadi to death at their home in El Cajon in March 2012 has been sentenced to serve 26 years to life in prison.

By Miriam Raftery

June 23, 2014 (Lakeside) – A suspect has been arrested by San Diego Police in the case of a triple homicide  of three young people with ties to Lakeside, where their family runs an Italian restaurant.