January 6, 2012(San Diego) -- Community leader and educator Pat Washington has announced she is running for the 79th State Assembly seat.

 
January 6, 2012 (Alpine and Spring Valley) -- TC Construction is offering a $500.00 reward for the return or conviction of the person(s) responsible for taking the following items from a jobsite in Spring Valley on December 27, 2011. This is the second theft within the December 2011 time frame.

Items taken include:

 Aluminum shoring, Flanges, Ladder, and Traffic Control Signs. Scroll down for photos and details.

 
January 6, 2012 (East County) --  Estela De Los Rios, social justice advocate from El Cajon, has been selected to receive the Ashley Walker Social Justice Award from the San Diego Human Relations Commission.  She has championed battles to end human trafficking, hate crimes, and discrimination in our region. 

 

January 6, 2012 (Alpine) -- In  December, the “Alpine Squares” square dance club held their 27th annual Christmas Sock Hop for the benefit of Rady Children’s Hospital.  Over $3700 was raised at this event, to be used for recreational therapy for the severely medically challenged children being treated there.  The dance was co-sponsored again by Toyota of Santee, and held at their showroom.

 
January 6, 2012 (North County San Diego) --  On Monday, January 16, at 10-11a.m., North County area families are invited to  join Westfield North County and the Westfield Family Program for Family Fun Days featuring "Cultural Traditions". They will explore how other cultures celebrate the New Year and hear classic folktales from around the world.

BRAVO “Top Chef” Finalist Brian Malarkey Will Dish Out “Meat Market” Cuisine

January 6, 2012 (La Mesa) – Dubbed the first “urban cowboy diner” and offering “meat market cuisine”, Gingham restaurant is set to open next week in La Mesa in a remodeled building that formerly housed Gio Bistro Wine Bar. 

 
January 6, 2012 (El Cajon) -- Twenty-four recruits will begin a 16-week Firefighter 1 Academy starting this coming Saturday, January 7, at the Heartland Fire Training academy located at 1301 N. Marshall Avenue in El Cajon. The Academy Coordinator will be retired El Cajon Fire Chief Rich Henry.

January 5, 2011 (Alpine) Responding to an alarming teen fatality trend in San Diego County,  Alpine Sheriff’s Station will host “Start Smart” on Thursday, January 12 at 7 pm. at the Viejas Training Center, 5000 Willow Road in Alpine (first driveway on the left after the casino).

 
José Antonio Vargas, award winning multimedia journalist and founder of Define American, to headline Breakfast program heralding “inspirational voices for acceptance, inclusion, opportunity and change.”

January 5, 2011 (Julian)--The San Diego County Department of Parks and Recreation will be conducting weekday pile burns in January through May, weather permitting, at Santa Ysabel East Preserve, Volcan Mountain Preserve and William Heise County Park.

The pile burns — in which piles of cleared brush and other cut vegetation are burned — will reduce the fire hazard of excess vegetation fuels.

 
January 5, 2012 --  (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:   

• San Diego farmers hit record sales in 2011 amid many challenges (KPBS)
• San Diego leaders eye new law to save redevelopment  (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• What redevelopment’s death means for San Diego (Voice of San Diego)
• D.A. says officials took dinners, tickets, more (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego VA Hospital to get influx of Iraq War vets (KPBS)
• Helix Water District chief is staying on through Jan. 31—or perhaps later (La Mesa Patch)
• Rep. Hunter attends services for aide “Mac” MacWilliams, killed in road accident (Ramona Patch)
• Village’s Larry Stowe sought on arrest warrant; made infamous on ’60 Minutes’ (La Mesa Patch)
• Otay Water contracts tied to board chairman (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• USO Sailor of the year killed in Afghanistan(San Diego Union-Tribune)

• State Board eyes fire fees again (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• California Legislature returns to face more budget woes, new election rules (Sacramento Bee)
• Federal judge blocks California emission rules (Reuters)
• LA Arson: A turning point for police use of Twitter, social media (Los Angeles Times)
• Deputy who arrested arson suspect shuns limelight (Los Angeles Times)

January 4, 2012 (Santee)—The driver of a sedan that struck another vehicle was unconscious at the scene of an accident on Mission Gorge Road in Santee this evening, ECM photographer Dennis Richardson reports.  

 
January 4, 2012 (San Diego County) -- Effective January 1, 2012, California Fire Safe Council (CFSC) will become the state liaison for the Firewise Communities/USA program in California. This new designation is part of an agreement between Firewise USA, CFSC and CAL FIRE that delegates CAL FIRE's authority as State Firewise liaison to the California Fire Safe Council. The agreement is memorialized in a Memorandum of Understanding between CFSC and CAL FIRE.

 
January 4, 2011 (Scripps Ranch) –A man in his 40s has been transported to a hospital with fractured vertebrae following an accident on Scripps Lake Drive yesterday.