By Miriam Raftery

October 26, 2017 (Spring Valley) – The AM/PM gas station at 9065 Campo Road was robbed at gunpoint yesterday at 5:29 p.m. According to Sheriff’s Sergeant Michael Hettinger, the suspect pointed a handgun at a cashier and a second employee, ordering them not to move. He took an undisclosed amount of money and is believed to have fled in a black Ford Explorer driven by an accomplice.

By Miriam Raftery

October 25, 2017 (San Diego) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced a massive recall of processed vegetable products due to possible Listeria contamination.  The products were packaged by Mann Packing of Salinas, California and sold through multiple brands at major retailers in the U.S. and Canada including Trader Joe’s and Walmart.

By Miriam Raftery

October 25, 2017 (San Diego) -- East County Magazine picked up four more awards at the San Diego Press Club’s Excellence in Journalism Awards dinner held on Tuesday night, bringing our total to 105 journalism awards over the past nine years.

October 25, 2017 (San Diego's East County) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL

• Public can use webcams to watch wildfires across San Diego County (SD Union-Tribune)
• Median Price of San Diego Homes Rises By 8.1 Percent (KPBS)
• El Cajon farmer’s market closes (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Driverless car testing coming to San Diego County (Patch.com)
• El Cajon native Jimmie Johnson giving back to his community again (SD Union-Tribune)
• Here's your water bill — complete with $5,000 in district legal costs (SD Union-Tribune)
• Bills mount as cities switch to district elections (SD Union-Tribune)
• Protesters’ giant chicken prompts attention—from deputies (SD Union-Tribune)

STATE

• National Park Service proposes Yosemite entry fee hike: $70 per car (KQED California Report)
• Raids on pot grow houses finding more Chinese nationals, mysterious financing (McClatchy News)
• Why 2 other California utilities have joined SDG&E's push to make consumers pay for 2007 wildfire costs (SD Union-Tribune)
• Santa Rosa couple claims PG&E negligence leads to wildfire (San Jose Mercury News)
• California's Six-Figure Pension Club Has 62,000 Members (Reason)
• Fundraising effort started for firefighter who died in Napa County crash (Napa Valley Register)
• California Tried to Seize Millions of This Inventor’s Fortune. He Fought Back. And Won (Reason)

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

By Miriam Raftery 

October 25, 2017 (San Diego) – The NAACP, the nation’s original and largest social justice advocacy organization, has issued a travel advisory alleging racial discrimination by American Airlines and warning African-American travelers about risks to their safety and well-being aboard American flights.

By Miriam Raftery

October 25, 2017 (Washington D.C.) -- The public has until November 23^rd to weigh in on a proposal by the National Park Service to hike up entry fees to $70 a vehicle at 17 of the most popular parks, mostly in the West.

East County News Service

October 25, 2017 (El Cajon) -- Waste Management of San Diego and the Mother Goose Parade Association announce launch of a non-perishable food drive benefiting the East County Transitional Living Center, which provides housing to help the homeless and others in need. The drive will run through November 15 with local businesses serving as drop off sites and will culminate with food being collected in Waste Management Bagster® bags at the Mother Goose Parade on Nov. 19.

East County News Service

October 24, 2017 (San Diego) – With the firestorms in Northern California wine country, Sonoma, Napa and Santa Rosa being contained, the impact is now being seen and recovery efforts underway. The numbers of displaced people is staggering. Bernardo Winery will hold a wine and food tasting event November 12^th from 1-4 p.m., partnering with other San Diego County wineries and restaurants to support winery and vineyard workers and their families, who have lost their homes or been displaced in these devastating fires, to re-establish their households.

Source:  Caltrans

October 24, 2017 (San Diego) -- Caltrans has 15 fix-it-first projects in San Diego and Imperial counties that will benefit from the passage of the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), the Road Repair and Accountability Act.  Almost half of those projects will began much sooner than expected due to the passage of SB 1, the state’s transportation agency announced today.  The list includes one East County project, fixing a dangerous curve on State Route 94 in Dulzura.  Another will impact commuters from East County, including a paving improvement project on a section of State Route 52.

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Story by Liz Alper

Videos courtesy goaztecs.com

For videos of Quest Truxton and Ronley Lakalaka's portion of the press conference, click "read more" and scroll to the very end.

October 24, 2017 (San Diego) - SDSU football suffered another loss last week.  This one was worse; the Aztecs only managed a field goal and lost 27-3 to Fresno State.  Things are getting tense in Aztec Nation, and this week, head coach Rocky Long, senior wide out Quest Truxton and junior linebacker Ronley Lakalaka sat down with the media to calm the storm.

The Dangerous Case Of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President, by Bandy Lee, M.D., M.Div. (Thomas Dunne Books, 2017, New York, NY, 360 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

October 24, 2017 (San Diego) - Bandy X. Lee, M.D., M.Div., Assistant Clinical Professor in Law and Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine, has written a timely and provocative book about our President; The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President.

East County News Service

October 23, 2017 (La Mesa) – “Join us as we celebrate the strength of our community and help us gather toys, diapers and other items for children between the ages of 2-13 years old and the families of military personnel living in La Mesa military housing,” says Mary England, president of the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce.