May 27, 2012 (San Diego) -- The San Diego Archaeological Center is hosting a trio of events in June starting with the Center’s Annual BBQ on June 2 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  The event is catered and will be held at the Center located at 16666 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido.  For $6.00 you will receive smoked pork sandwiches, beans, coleslaw, drinks and dessert.  Games and contests will round out the fun.

 Editor's note:  After posting a story on an early election "lead" based on information posted by the San Diego Registrar on the 50th Congressional District race, we received a full list of purported "early results" from all San Diego races that casts serious doubt on its authenticity. It included a July '76 date and results in other races that seemed impossible, such as Senator Feinstein with less than 2% of the vote, Bonnie Dumanis in first place in the Mayoral race (polls have showed her trialing other leading candidates), and obscure candidates leading well-known and well-financed contenders in several other prominent races.

Barry Jantz at San Diego Rostra advised ECM that some Republican candidates also viewed the results and were contacting him with questions. The Registrar's office later confirmed with Jantz that the "results" were in fact a test mistakenly posted online, he said.The Registrar has now taken down the site.

 Updated May 27, 2012, 10 a.m. -- The Banner Fire was held at 4,100 acres through the night and remains 65% contained. Fire suppression cost has reached $2 million. Excess resources are now being dismissed, according to Roxanne Provaznik with Cal-Fire.

By Miriam Raftery
Kristin Kjaero also contributed to this report

Vermont’s latest energy statute expands its statewide Clean Local Energy Accessible Now (CLEAN) Program and removes program cap for projects with locational benefits to the power grid.

May 26, 2012 (Montpelier, Vermont)– On May 18, Vermont’s Governor Shumlin signed into law the 2012 Energy Bill, which contains a groundbreaking acknowledgment of the locational benefits of distributed generation and more than doubles the amount clean local energy that will be brought online through the state’s CLEAN program. Similar programs could well be applied in places such as San Diego to encourage locally-generated rooftop solar and other local power as alternatives to massive industrial-scale energy projects and high-voltage transmission lines running long distances.  

May 26, 2012 (Santee) -- The Santee Street Fair is back May 26 at RiverView Parkway from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.  This year’s featured bands include Atomic Groove, Creedence Relived and Liquid Blue. 

There will be rides, entertainment, arts and crafts, vendor booths, a variety of food and a Beer Garden. The free festival is open to all ages.

By Miriam Raftery

May 25, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – The military has dealt a major blow to the wind industry, announcing that it may soon oppose  wind projects in the Mojave desert due to interference with military radar tracking aircraft.

All had criminal records, face new charges

May 25, 2012 (Poway) – San Diego Sheriff’s office has revealed details in a high-speed chase that ended in a crash in Poway on May 22.  Two of the occupants were on probation while a third had an outstanding arrest warrant; all now face new charges.

 Update 5:10 p.m. - The forward spread of this fire has been stopped. 

May 25, 2012 (Dulzura) – A brush fire titled the "Pink Fire" is burning in the 17000 block of Highway 94 near Sycamore Canyon in the Dulzura area. 

“It’s burning under power lines,” Battalion Chief Nick Schuler informed ECM.  Currently the fire is approximately three acres in size, burning in a canyon to the east.