March 6, 2013 (Alpine) – David Grub, 43, was taken into custody in the 1800 block of Tavern Court in Alpine last Thursday.  A SWAT team was called in to assist in the arrest, the Alpine Community Network reports.

Grub , along with another suspect still at large, is suspected of robbing a home in Rancho Santa Fe shortly before Christmas, where a housekeeper was held at gunpoint, then left handcuffed to a door when the suspects fled in a blue Hyundai.

March 4, 2013 (Jamul) – The water saving garden at Jamul Primary School has just been selected to receive a $5,000 grant from the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation.  “Catch Our Rainwater!” is the next major project planned by school garden directors Lois Young and Cass Crain.

“Our goal is to provide an outdoor learning environment for children, and a model for the community of sustainable gardening practices for our dry climate,” says Ms. Young. “We’re on our way to a new level of water conservation.”

School and District officials celebrated the district’s only student-run commercial restaurant

March 4, 2013 (El Cajon)--Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) and El Cajon Valley High School officials dedicated the new Restaurant Services Pathway Facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013.

Modernization of the 15,200 square-foot Building 400 includes the Wigwam, the only student-staffed commercial restaurant in the district, eight classrooms and new student restrooms. The building upgrades are part of the GUHSD Career Technical Education (CTE) program which provides students with hands-on technology training and skills to help them succeed in college and careers.

By Nadin Abbott

Photos by Tom Abbott

March 4, 2013 (Ocotillo Wells)—The 51^st  annual Tietra del Sol Desert Safari, a large meeting of off-road enthusiasts, convened at the California State Vehicular Area at Ocotillo Wells over the weekend.

Among the many thousands who came out were active duty Navy personnel, including Chief Mark Shultz, who serves as the President of 4 Wheel to Heal in his off duty time. This organization is an extension of Ward 57 at Bethesda National Naval Center in D.C.  Its goal is “boosting the morale of wounded veterans from all branches of service” by taking them four wheeling, rock crawling, mud bogging, shooting and camping.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy ECM news partner 10 News

March 4, 2013 (Lemon Grove)--The driver of a car that crashed into a Lemon Grove home last night has been taken into custody.  Residents told ECM news partner 10 News that they estimate the car, an older model station wagon, was traveling over 100 miles per hour.

March 14, 2013 (Sacramento)--A new bill in Sacramento aims to let energy companies remove nests that stand in the way of big projects, even during nesting season.  The measure would allow take permits to be issued, meaning energy companies would face no penalties if they inadvertently kill bird species normally protected, such as red-tailed hawks.

“Any work around these nests could be easily delayed unit late June after the young have left their nests,” wildlife biologist Jim Wiegand told ECM, adding that the measure should be killed.  

ECM investigations have previously led to fines and grounding of helicopters used by SDG&E due to violations of no-fly zones around protected eagle nests. Two massive industrial wind projects are proposed in eagle habitat in McCain Valley and Jewel Valley, where take permits or removal of eagle nests may occur.  

Read full details at the Riverside Press Tribune:

Wildlife: Bill would let power companies evict birds

By Jake Christie

March 4, 2013 (Alpine)--The Alpine Union School District Trustees Board discussed security measures at its latest meeting, in light of recent out-of-state school shootings. But the audience (including many teachers) was far more interested in the economic viability of the district than any security program.

Superintendent Tom Pellegrino began with a rundown of what the Alpine district was planning to do with security.

By Mike Hancock

March 3, 2013 (San Diego’s East County)—Three people have died in the past four days in crashes on East County roadways--including two accidents on Highway 94 and a third in Borrego Springs.

Devices transmit power over existing power lines

By Miriam Raftery

March 3, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – Smart meters have become a public relations nightmare for utility companies in California. After a flood of complaints by consumers alleging health problems suspecting of being caused by electromagnetic radio frequencies (EJF), the California Public Utilities Commission ordered utilities to allow consumers to opt out, or to have smart meters removed if already installers. Many homeowners have done so, but must pay for removal plus a monthly fee for reading meters.

Now Idaho Power has begun offering its customers smart meters that claim to avoid these problems. The company's website states: “Smart meters being deployed in Idaho Power's service territory do not transmit radio frequencies. Our smart meters do not use any wireless communication media or generate any high-frequency signals. Our system uses only wired infrastructure to communicate to and from our smart meters utilizing the low-frequency 60 hertz (Hz) power line signal as the carrier for our communications. This may be of interest because some smart meter deployments in California have raised concerns that radio transmission, wireless transmission or high-frequency transmission may pose health risks. The technology we're deploying is fundamentally different from the technologies in question in California.”

This begs the question: Why aren't these devices available to Califiornia ratepayers?

March 3, 2013 (El Cajon) – The city of El Cajon and CECO (San Diego County Employees’ Charitable Organization) awarded separate grants to Home of Guiding Hands.  The former approved a $35,270 grant for the residential program’s capital improvements on Tuesday, February 26 at the El Cajon City Council meeting.  Funds will be used on four of their 31 community based homes for individuals with developmental disabilities. Projects include a new kitchen, energy efficient replacement windows, flooring replacement and new bathroom vanities.

By Miriam Raftery

Governor Jerry Brown, in his State of the State Speech in January, praised legislators for casting “difficult votes to cut billions from the state budget.  You curbed prison spending through an historic realignment,” he said among other cost-cutting measures listed.

The realignment shifts responsibility for tens of thousands of prisoners from the state to local governments by 2014.  The action is fueled in part by a court ruling that ordered California to reduce overcrowding in state prisons by 33,000 prisoners, though the Governor’s move goes further in an effort to cut the budget.

The action, however, shifts responsibilities for those prisoners  to local counties and cities. It is also forcing some jurisdictions to release some prisoners early to avert overcrowding in local jails--and raises questions on how best to address the state's crime problems overall.

By Miriam Raftery

March 2, 2013 (San Diego) -- U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel this week dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Quechan Indians over cultural resource impacts of the Ocotillo Express Wind Facility.   In addition, the federal judge denied  motion sought by the Desert Protective Council to protect raptors at the site.  

"It is discouraging that our democratic system of checks and balances has broken down in relation to the administration's determination to usurp our public lands for industrial energy development,” said . Terry Weiner, Imperial County Projects and Conservation Coordinator at the Desert Protective Council. “  If we can no longer count on the courts to force our federal agencies to adhere to their own laws, how  are the American citizens supposed to protect our national natural and cultural heritage for future generations?"

March 2, 2013 (Jacumba) – The Jacumba Hikers will host three upcoming hikes into some of the most unique destinations in our region on February 16, March 2, and March 16--including sites where you can view Native American pictographs, spectacular scenery, and a 200-foot-high railway trestle. 

Destinations include Indian Hill and Gun Powder Shack,  Carrizo Gorge, and Mortero Palms/Goat Canyon.  Scroll down for details.

March 2, 2013 (La Mesa) – The La Mesa Police Department, in an effort to keep everyone safe, was aggressively enforcing the state’s speed laws during the fourth “Traffic Safety Enforcement Program” operation, which took place Saturday February 23, 2013. The program relies on heavy enforcement and public education as a means to help reduce deaths and injuries on our local roadways.

When caught speeding, driver’s often ask for just a verbal warning.  Though sometimes appropriate based on the overall circumstances, La Mesa Police Officers said “no” to that request at least 27 times and issued them speeding tickets during Saturday’s operation.  One speeding driver was also driving on a suspended driver’s license, and his vehicle was impounded.