December 17, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – Flooded with complaints from ratepayers, the California Public Utilities Commission will hold a public meeting tomorrow night at 6 p.m. in San Clemente on whether to allow SDG&E to impose a hefty fee hike for customers who want to opt out of having smart meters on their homes.

Susan Brinchman of La Mesa, director and founder of the Center for Electrosmog Prevention, has led efforts to stop the fee hikes.  “Come join us to protest and speak out about smart meter opt-out fees in front of the CPUC judge making decisions on fees and whether to DOUBLE the opt-out fees,” she wrote in an e-mail to ECM. “We need speakers.”

December 19, 2012 (San Diego) – Tomorrow night’s Poinsettia Bowl game between the San Diego State University Aztecs and the Brigham Young University Cougars will be the 36th meeting between the two teams—and the first since BYU’s final season in the Mountain West in 2010.

Kick-off sis at 5 p.m. at Qualcomm Stadium for this year’s Poinsettia Bowl, sponsored by the San Diego County Credit Union.

By guest columnist Jennifer Douglas, Save KLSD film writer/co-producer

December 17, 2012 (San Diego)--As we celebrate the holidays and ring out 2012, it’s also time to pay attention what is happening right now with ownership of the mass media. Sad to say, the mood is more Scrooge-like than reflecting the spirit of Santa or Jesus. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is about to deregulate the media--and San Diego’s very own media mogul, U-T owner/developer Doug Manchester, may buy-up even more media outlets.

By Nick Pellegrino, East County Sports

December 17, 2012 (El Cajon) —Just like all of her classmates, Brittany Wnek grew up going to school, participating in a variety of school activities and sports -- just being an everyday kid.

Then one day she found her life consumed with hospital appointments, CT scans and MRI's, chemo, radiation and many surgeries.

Obama Talks Back: Global Lessons – a Dialogue with America’s Young Leaders, by Gregory J. Reed, Esq., (Amber Books, Phoenix, Arizona, 2012, 294 pages).

Update: Obama Talks Back has received an NAACP Image Award nomination for literature. The winner will be announced live on TV from Hollywood February 1, 2013.

Book Review by Dennis Moore

December 17, 2012 (San Diego)--Gregory J. Reed, Esq., CEO and Founder of Keeper of the Word Foundation, has written a poignant and heartfelt book that resonates with me for a number of reasons: Obama Talks Back: Global Lessons – A Dialogue with America’s Young Leaders.

December 17, 2012 (El Cajon) – HAZMAT is on the scene at a gas depot at Main and North Second streets in El Cajon, where a minor explosion has occurred with underground vault off-gassing, Incident Protection Network reported late this morning.  SDG&E confirms a power outage in the area with cause under investigation; estimated power restoration time is 2:29 p.m.

The Quantum Love Gene, by Raymond J. Pilon (Choice MaKer Productions, Victoria, BC, Canada, 2009, 136 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

December 15, 2012 (San Diego)--The Quantum Love Gene by Raymond J. Pilon has been described as possibly a hotter product than Avatar, and after reading this spellbinding fantasy science fiction novel, I am inclined to agree. The book is based on dreams, which the author’s wife describes as “automatic handwriting.” It incorporates many of the aspects of Avatar, as well as some of those in Ray Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles.

The premise of Pilon’s book is that we are all “Spirit Beings” and that we evolved from an ancient alien civilization called the Pleiadians that actually traveled to earth and inhabited our planet some 26,000 years ago. Pilon is a master story-teller in how he weaves together the mysteries of Stonehenge, the pyramids, the most intriguing crop circles, and many other unexplainable structures.

Water Authority already is diversifying supplies, encouraging conservation

December 15, 2012 (San Diego County)--A new study of the Colorado River Basin’s water future released Wednesday offers the most thorough assessment ever done on the topic and serves as an important framework for meeting water demands in coming decades, officials with the San Diego County Water Authority said.

The study was issued by the seven Colorado River Basin states and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. It outlines several strategies to reduce the potential for water shortages on the river system through 2060.

December 15, 2012 (La Mesa)--Become a Play-Well Engineer! Students explore concepts in physics, architecture, mechanical and structural engineering, from Gear Cars to Battletracks. The engineer-designed curriculum challenges new and returning students to reach higher level of engineering comprehension while having fun.

Camp meets four days, Monday, December 31 through Friday, January 4 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Camp will not meet on Tuesday, January 1. Over 1000,000 pieces of LEGOS^® are used. Campers should bring a snack and water bottle each day, everything else is provided at camp. This camp is not affiliated with the LEGO^® Group.

December 15, 2012 (Lakeside) – The San Diego Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team performed a hoist rescue last night to save two hikers off El Cajon (El Capitan) Mountain in Lakeside’s El Monte Valley area.

“The hikers reported that they were lost, cold, wet and unprepared for the cold weather,” Sgt. Mike Forbes with the Santee Sheriff Patrol Station reports.

Doing some catch-up on films I’ve missed.

By Brian Lafferty

December 15, 2012 (San Diego) – Every now and then someone writes to Dear Abby, saying his friend or relative is addicted to alcohol and drugs.  The friend thinks nothing is wrong with him, but doesn’t realize the damage his addiction is causing to his relationship with his friends, family, and significant other.  Invariably, all Abby can advise the writer is that – as much as he’d like to believe otherwise – he can't change or rescue his friend or loved one from their problem.  Only the friend can change and, unless he admits he has a problem, there’s nothing that anyone can do.

December 14, 2012 (Santee) -- The city of Santee dedicated on Tuesday, December 11 a 107-acre open space parcel along the San Diego River as a future public trail and parkway at a ceremony located at the 9600 block of Magnolia Avenue.

The event marked the transfer of the property from private to public ownership, a project spearheaded by the San Diego River Conservancy that was four years in the making.

“The San Diego River Conservancy is proud to have been the catalyst for the conservation of the Walker Property,” said Mike Nelson, executive officer for the San Diego River Conservancy. “It is a remarkable addition to a river park that will someday extend from the Cuyamaca Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.

December 14, 2012 (La Mesa) – Last night at approximately 10:54  p.m., the La Mesa Police Department received a report that a female was robbed of her cell phone at the 70th Street Trolley Station, located at 7255 Alvarado Road in La Mesa. The victim reported to officers that just minutes before, she was traveling on the MTS Trolley Green Line from Fashion Valley to the Grossmont Center Station. 

December 13, 2012 (Julian)--A Julian holiday tradition, Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," will be performed this weekend at the Julian Town Hall at 2129 Main Street. Adapted by best-selling novelist Don Winslow and directed by Sandi Bennett, the show will take stage on Thursday Dec. 13, Friday Dec. 14 and Saturday, Dec. 15. There will also be a matinee on Saturday, Dec. 15.

Come and enjoy the charm of Christmas in Julian, with spiced cider, apple pie, horse drawn carriages and strolling carolers. And maybe even a visit from St. Nick himself.

Elf visit, BMW dealership, and Hanson-Cox support letters also hot topics at council meeting

By Miriam Raftery and Janis Mork

December 13, 2012 (El Cajon) – “We’re going back to our roots in El Cajon, because this was agricultural community,” Councilman Gary Kendrick told East County Magazine after the El Cajon Council unanimously approved both community gardens and chicken ownership for city residents. 

Kendrick noted that the El Cajon valley was the grape-growing capital of the United States before Prohibition and orange groves once occupied the hillsides.  “There is great soil on the valley floor,” he said, adding that residents will now be able to grow fresh vegetables on numerous vacant lots in the community.