by Gayle Early

(photo by Miriam Raftery)

February 10, 2009 (Campo)--Editor’s Note: Should wind turbines hundreds of feet tall –higher than the existing Kumeyaay wind farm turbines—be allowed in the rural McCain Valley/Boulevard region in East County? Does the nation’s critical need for “green” energy outweigh the concerns of residents seeking to preserve the rural character of their backcountry communities? With new industrial-scale wind farms proposed across America, East County Magazine’s Gayle Early set out on a quest to explore these issues in depth for our three-part series on wind energy.

PART I: BACKCOUNTRY RESIDENTS BATTLE SPANISH WIND GIANT

As they were talking, they saw thirty or forty of the windmills found in that countryside, and as soon as Don Quixote caught sight of them, he said to his squire:

“Good fortune is guiding our affairs better than we could have desired, for there you see, friend Sancho Panza, thirty or more enormous giants with whom I intend to do battle and whose lives I intend to take, and with the spoils we shall begin to grow rich, for this is righteous warfare, and it is a great service to God to remove so evil a breed from the face of the earth.”

February 9, 2009 (Mesa) “ Thanks to the generosity of La Mesa citizens, business leaders and elected officials who donated out of their own pockets, La Mesa’s annual flag day parade has been saved from the budget chopping block. The 14th annual event will take place on Saturday,

“We met the goal and then some,” an e-mail signed by Council members Ernest Ewin and David Allan stated. “Thank you, Shannon O’Dunn for your leadership in this effort.” O’Dunn (photo), a La Mesa resident, ran for La Mesa Council in the last election.

By Yuliana Cerda

February 6, 2009 (La Mesa) -- The La Mesa City Council held an open forum meeting in the auditorium at Rolando Elementary School last Thursday night. The meetings are meant to provide an opportunity for citizens to voice concerns or input on issues throughout their city. La Mesa citizens voiced their views on an array of issues ranging from proposed cuts in police and fire budgets to road maintenance.

BOARD TO CONSIDER CHARTER SCHOOL CURE CORRECT ORDERS AT FEB. 12 MEETING

February 6, 2009 (La Mesa) Did administrators at Helix Charter High School respond appropriately to four incidents of sexual abuse and misconduct involving teachers and students and has enough been done to prevent similar problems in the future? The Grossmont Union-High School Governing Board will consider these questions and review conflicting findings from two reports in closed session followed by open public testimony at the February 12 GUHSD Board meeting.

By Joel A. Harrison

February 6, 2009 (San Diego) — In a 20-year saga that
never ends, according to an article in the Union-Tribune on January 8, "opponents of the
cross atop Mount Soledad urged a U.S. appeals court yesterday to overturn a
federal judge's ruling in July that said the controversial La Jolla landmark
could remain." A similar controversy in East County several years ago
was resolved when a cross atop Mt. Helix was transferred from public ownership
to a private group of area homeowners. (Privatization is not
an appropriate option for Soledad, since the site is a U.S. military memorial.) Instead
of rehashing the Constitutional pros and cons, I would like to reflect a moment
on my view of the meaning of Christianity - and the most appropriate monuments
to faith and humanity.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Food Stamps are a "SNAP."
But Not in San Diego County

By Sylvia Hampton

February
1, 2009 (San Diego) — After the embarrassing front-page news
that San Diego County has only one in five people who need food supplements
enrolled to receive them (the worst enrollment record of any county in the
nation) the supervisors are finally paying attention. They voted to find ways
to streamline and improve access to the food supplement program and county
administrators will report back to the board within 90 days with changes that
can be made.

Jan Hedlun, right, at victory celebration last year after Blackwater dropped plans to build a training base in Potrero.

February 1, 2009 (San Diego's East County) —--"Blackwater has been fired
by the State Department from its job protecting U.S. diplomats in Iraq," ABC
News has reported. The U.S. State Department has announced
it will not renew a $1.2 billion contract for Blackwater's Iraqi operations
after Iraq refused to license the U.S. firm. Iraqi officials cited "lingering
outrage" over September 2007 shootings by Blackwater guards that killed 17
civilians in Iraq's Nisour Square. In East County, leaders who
fought to keep Blackwater from opening a training camp in Potrero greeted the
news with cautious optimism, while Blackwater Vice President Brian Bonfiglio
defended the company's record.

"Huzzah!!!!!! Miracles do happen!" Jan Hedlun, Potrero Planning Group
member who led her town's battle to oust Blackwater, stated in an e-mail to
East County Magazine. But she added, "Although we know this is not the demise
of Blackwater, persay, or companies like them, it is gratifying to know that
their mask has been lifted and they have been seen for what they are. And
though they continue to try to fly under the radar of public scrutiny and the
transparency promised is still not forthcoming, now we are aware of the danger
inherent in our ignorance." Hedlun cited a quote by James Thurber: "Let
us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness."

By Miriam Raftery

February 1, 2009 (San Diego's East County) — Winter's chill is past--time to
step out in the sunshine and savor some of the many fun-filled events this
month in San Diego's eastern regions. Find details on all of these events and
more. Just click the calendar
link at the top of our homepage!

This is the prime season to visit Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, where a
wealth of activities are slated in February--from a desert night sky lecture
on Feb. 6th to Archeology Weekend on the 21st-22nd and a hike through slots,
vistas and side canyons on the 28th.

Local and national news of interest to the Native American community

OBAMA REACHING OUT TO NATIVE AMERICANS

February 1, 2009 (Ramona)--Each Saturday in February from 9 a.m to noon, the public is invited to visit the Ramona Grasslands with the Wildlife Research Institute, Inc. for a free educational program. You will see raptors such as the Golden Eagle, the wintering Ferruginous Hawk, the Red-tailed Hawk, Prairie Falcon and the Red-shouldered Hawk. Nineteen (19) species of raptors alone have been recorded at this Raptor Hotspot.

Trouble keeping resolutions?

By Penelope Young Andrade

February 1, 2009 (San Diego) — Are you having trouble keeping your New Year's
Resolutions? For many, February finds you slinking back to old habits. You
hate and berate yourself for being ˜weak willed" but can't find a way to resist
temptation. The problem, typically, is not that you're weak willed, but rather
that you haven't found a way to use your will skillfully.