October 10, 2017 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Even deadlier form of fentanyl reaches San Diego County (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• School vaccinations 'cut cervical cancer alerts by 41%' (BBC)
• Brain's Link to Immune System Might Help Explain Alzheimer's (NPR)
• Why 'Plague Season' is a Big Worry in Madagascar This Year (NPR)
• Stomach acid blockers promote liver disease, study finds (San Diego Union-Tribune)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Google closer to using balloons for telecom in Puerto Rico (Wired)
• Can Elon Musk fix Puerto Rico’s broken power grid? (CNN Money)
• Consumer alert: Beware of Netflix phishing scam (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Once Its AIM Was True, But Soon AOL's Instant Messenger Will Be No More (NPR)
• Butterfly swarm shows up on Denver radar system (BBC)
• Light Pollution Can Impact Nocturnal Bird Migration (NPR)
• 'Sooty birds' reveal hidden US air pollution (BBC)

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

By Vinny Lavalsiti and Matthew Ochoa, reprinted with permission from The Summit at Grossmont College

Images: property of The Summit and Grossmont College's Graphic design program

October 10, 2017 (El Cajon) -- Martha Amezcua was nine when she came to the United States, and she didn't know a lick of English, creating a hefty language barrier between her and her classmates once she enrolled in school. Her silence, because of the language barrier, led to a lot bullying.

By Miriam Raftery

October 8, 2017 (San Diego) – The City of El Cajon will be reholding public hearings on filing liens against city residents over unpaid bills for trash removal services provided by Waste Management. That decision comes after Councilman Ben Kalasho voted in favor of filing the liens after Waste Management paid $2500 in membership fees to a chamber of commerce that he founded and which his wife headed up since his election to the City Council. 

East County News Service

October 10, 2017 (La Mesa) - The Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) is continuing its support of the Challenge Center, a nonprofit facility in La Mesa where people with disabilities receive long-term physical therapy rehabilitation and fitness services.

Source:  El Cajon Elks Lodge

October 10, 2017 (El Cajon) - The El Cajon Elks Lodge 1812 is working with a local Haunted House Production Company, “Scareventures,” to present a Haunted Lodge for the community in their parking lot from October 26^th through 31^st.  This will be one of the only Haunted Houses in San Diego’s East County, it represents an important charity fundraising effort where the Elks will contribute 100% of proceeds from the event for children’s charities as a part of their annual “Purple Pig” (or CHEMPI) and “Youth Charities” fundraising efforts. 

East County News Service

Photo:  from left to right: GHD board members Randy Lenac, Gloria Chadwick; from GUHSD --  Paul Dautremont, Mary Nishikawa, Heather Peterson, Dr. Tim Glover (superintendent); GHD board members Michael Emerson, Virginia Hall, Robert “Bob” Ayres

October 9, 2017 (La Mesa) -- The Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) has awarded a $202,500 grant to the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) in support of the GHD Health Career Pathways Initiative. The grant will provide curriculum materials, support and instruction for approximately 2,500 high school students interested in pursuing healthcare careers during the 2017-2018 school year. 

By Miriam Raftery, East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts

October 9, 2017 (San Diego ) – Governor Jerry Brown has declared states of emergency in Napa, Sonoma and Yuba Counties due to wildfires that have burned at least 1,500 homes and commercial buildings and killed at least one person, Cal Fire director Ken Pimlott said at a press conference today. There is zero percent containment as of late morning.  At least 16 major fires are burning statewide.

An estimated 20,000 people have been evacuated as fires blacken skies even in Bay Area cities, forced evacuations of hospitals, shut down schools and  threaten thousands more structures in California’s wine region, gold rush towns and even coastal counties.  Many residents fled for their lives during the night as fast-moving flames destroyed wineries, vineyards, major stores and homes, dousing dreams with despair.

East County News Service

File photo: Sheriff SWAT officers

October 9, 2017 (Boulevard) – Brian Ellis, 34, was arrested around 11 p.m. last night for arson and assault with a deadly weapon following an overnight SWAT stand-off in Boulevard.

Deputies responded to a call reporting assault with a deadly weapon in the 38000 block of Tierra Real Road around 5:38 p.m..  According to San Diego Sheriff’s Sergeant William Hout, the suspect “had struck a female relative in the face with a baseball bat and injured a male relative with a sword.”

By Miriam Raftery

October 9, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – President Donald Trump has rolled out a tax reform plan that would slash the corporate tax rate from 35% to 20% and cap at 25% the rate for “pass through” entities from small businesses to large pass-through entities such as hedge funds.  It eliminates inheritance taxes on large estates and changes tax brackets from seven to just three—12%, 25% and 35%.  So, the poorest taxpayers now paying 10% would pay more, while the wealthiest now paying 39.6% would pay less.

East County News Service

October 9, 2017 (El Cajon) – The Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors (PSAR), a 2,500-member trade group for San Diego-area realtors, will provide free paper shredding and electronic recycling services from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 18, at PSAR’s East County Service Center, 1150 Broadway, El Cajon. The event is open to the public.

By Sam Warren © 2017

“Alas for those that never sing, but die with all their music in them!”

--Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. Jurist —

October 8, 2017 (San Diego) -- You Shakespeare fans should see how Ian Doescher mixes Shakespeare with Star Wars on October 11^th.at the Mysterious Galaxy.

Scroll down for a full list of local readers and writers’ events.

Aztecs record second double-overtime tie this week

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

October 8, 2017 (San Diego) - San Diego State for the second time in three days settled for a double-overtime draw, this time tying Fresno State, 1-1, Sunday afternoon at SDSU Sports Deck. The Aztecs are now 6-6-2 and 3-1-2 in the Mountain West, while the Bulldogs leave Montezuma Mesa with a 6-5-3 record (1-3-2 MW).

By Mary England, La Mesa Chamber

October 8, 2017 (La Mesa) - The La Mesa Chamber believes that being a good community leader includes assisting those in need. Each year we assist La Mesa homebound seniors and this year we shall assist 24 wonderful seniors - 20 women and 4 men. We collect items to make their holidays bright and meaningful.