June 2013 Articles

POLITICAL REFLECTIONS COLUMN: HIGH COURT ON RIGHTS: 1 WIN, 1 LOSS, 2 DRAWS

 

By Mark Gabrish Conlan

Columnist's elation over marriage equality rulings is tempered by dismay over high court's ruling on Voting Rights Act

June 26, 2013 (San Diego)--The sun is shining this Wednesday, June 26 and it’s a beautiful, if rather hot, day in San Diego. I sent my husband Charles off to work this morning after we both got up early to watch MS-NBC broadcast news of the United States Supreme Court’s rulings on two cases involving the rights of same-sex couples to marry each other. It was a personal story to us because Charles and I are legally married.


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HUNDREDS CHEER OPENING OF WINERY IN LA MESA AS WINEMAKER REAPS REWARDS

 

 

By Miriam Raftery

June 26, 2013 (La Mesa) – “Isn’t this amazing?” Linda McWilliams, winemaker at San Pasqual Winery, exclaimed, standing inside the company’s new winery in a former industrial building in La Mesa. Hundreds of guests packed into the 4,500 square foot space for the winery’s grand opening celebration last weekend, savoring the fruits of McWilliams’ labors.

Those labors are yielding some impressive results.  At this year’s  San Diego County Fair, San Pasqual Winery picked up six awards, including a gold medal for the winery’s most popular offering, Habañera passionfruit wine.


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MOUNTAIN EMPIRE MEN'S CLUB HOSTS SCHOLARSHIP FUNDRAISER JUNE 28 AT DESCANSO TOWN HALL

                       

By Ariele Johannson

June 26, 2013 (Descanso) -- Get ready to kick up your heels, because there will be live music and dancing in Descanso on Friday evening, June 28, 2013. Mountain Empire Men’s Club presents their 5th Annual Scholarship Fundraiser at the Descanso Town Hall. The newly designated “historical” town hall is located at 24536 Viejas Blvd. in Descanso. The event is from 5-10 p.m.

Descanso Junction Catering is hosting the event and cooking up a delicious smoked barbecue dinner. This special event also features a silent auction and raffle prizes. All funds collected will go directly to the Scholarship Fund for students in the Mountain Empire School District, of which Descanso is a  part.


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SENIORS GROUP AT LA MESA HEALTH CARE LIBRARY TO LEARN "THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP" ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26

 

June 25, 2013 (La Mesa) – The Grossmont Healthcare District’s Dr. William C. Herrick Community Health Care Library, 9001 Wakarusa St. in La Mesa, will host a free senior discussion group presentation on “The Importance of Sleep,” from 10 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 26.  The public is invited to attend, and RSVP is not required.  The speaker will be Jason Chagnon, senior technician with Grossmont Hospital Sleep Disorders Center.


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GROSSMONT COLLEGE TO PRESENT "FAMILY-FRIENDLY" SEASON AT STAGEHOUSE THEATER

 

June 25, 2013 (El Cajon) – Grossmont College will offer a “family-friendly” schedule of theater productions in the 2013-2014 season, starting Oct. 3-12 with Pygmalion, the George Bernard Shaw play that was converted into the musical My Fair Lady, and ending May 8-17 with “a new spin” on Alice in Wonderland, according to Beth Duggan, chair of the Theatre Arts Department.

In between those two offerings, students will also act in, design costumes and build sets for such productions as To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday by Michael Brady (Nov. 14-23); Follow Me by artist Dominic Pangborn (Dec. 6-7, followed by a tour of local elementary schools); Inside the Actors Process by Grossmont faculty member Jerry Hager (Feb. 7 and 8, followed by a tour of local high schools); and You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (March 13-22).


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CITY HEIGHTS TO ROLL OUT SKATE PLAZA AND PARK

 

June 25, 2013 (City Heights) – Skateboarders in City Heights will soon be able to enjoy recreation at a Mini-Park and Skate Plaza. The site, designed as a safe place for families to enjoy outdoor activities, will also include a tot lot, playground, turf area and plaza with games, landscaping and trees. Construction will begin in October 2014 with completion due in November 2015.

The total site is slightly less than two-thirds of an acre, with the skate plaza 0.145 acre.  A design phase will include community outreach and input.


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SAN DIEGO RANKED 9TH MOST EXPENSIVE CITY TO LIVE IN

 

June 25, 2013 (San Diego) -- San Diego ranks 9th on the list of most expensive cities. Kiplinger’s ranks the ten cheapest—and also the ten most expensive— US cities to live in based on the Council for Community and Economic Research’s calculations of living expenses in 307 urban areas. The Cost of Living Index measures prices for housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, health care and miscellaneous goods and services and also screens out cities with populations below 50,000.


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SHARP GROSSMONT SENIOR RESOURCE CENTER PROGRAMS FOR JULY 2013

 

June 25, 2013 (La Mesa) – The Senior Resource Center at Sharp Grossmont Hospital offers free or low-cost educational programs and health screenings each month. The Senior Resource Center also provides information and assistance for health information and community resources. For more information, call 619-740-4214. For other programs, call 1-800-827-4277 or visit our web site at www.sharp.com.


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RENO DISPATCH: THE SAD DEATH OF ONE OF AMERICA'S LAST REAL INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS

Originally posted Wednesday, June 19 at the Reno Dispatch

June 25, 2013 (San Diego) – The news of Michael Hastings' death comes as a total shock. Michael, 33, who was killed early Tuesday in a car crash in Los Angeles, was among the last of a disappearing breed of fearless investigative reporters. A friend and former colleague, he and I worked together often when we were fellow writers at Newsweek.

I'll never forget our marathon phone conversations about politics, war, civilian casualties and General David Patraeus. Michael was probably the general's most outspoken critic, as you can see in this article he wrote for Rolling Stone. Michael ripped the general in that story, and in others. I haven't exactly gone easy on Patraeus, either, but I've typically left it to my sources to evaluate him in stories such as this one for Newsweek/Daily Beast. Michael had no time for that. It just wasn't his style. He called it the way he saw it, and I admired him for it.


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LA CASA DEL ZORRO TO REOPEN THIS FALL; MARKETING AND PR AGENCIES ANNOUNCED

 

June 25, 2013 (Borrego Springs) - Hotel Managers Group (HMG Hotels) and Casa Del Zorro LLC., the ownership and management team for La Casa Del Zorro Hotel and Resort in Borrego Springs, CA. recently announced that Lure Agency and Jen Roche PR have been selected as social media marketing and public relations agencies of record respectively. The two agencies will work in concert to rebuild the brand of the iconic property, which will reopen in fall 2013.


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READERS CALENDAR FOR JUNE 25-29

 

June 25 (Tuesday, 5:00 pm) — Author: Professor Larry Berman will be signing his new book Zumwalt: The Life and Times of Admiral Elmo Russell Zumwalt. Jr. at Bay Books, 1029 Orange Ave, Coronado. It is a compelling and rich portrait of one of the most important Navy leaders of the 20th century. The book offers a fascinating, detailed look at an extraordinary man and is an inspiring portrait of leadership.

For additional information, go to www.baybookscoronado.com or call (619) 435-0070.


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SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN HEART OF VOTING RIGHTS ACT, SPARKING NATIONAL OUTCRY

 

 

"Discrimination at the ballot box is intolerable, and we must ensure that minorities don’t have their votes purged, packed, gerrymandered, and redistricted away.” -- Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, commenting on the decision

 

By Miriam Raftery

June 25, 2013 (Washington D.C.) – By a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down a requirement for states and communities with a history of discrimination against minority voters to obtain federal approval before changing their voting laws.  The Court did not find the Voting Rights requirement of preapproval itself unconstitutional, but ruled that Congress must act to assess which areas still have evidence of discrimination.

The action in the Shelby v. Holder case has triggered outraged reactions from civil rights leaders across the nation. 

“Communities of color, and young, women, elderly, and disables voters are at risk,” the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) warns.  The NAACP has launched a petition asking Congress to act to protect voting rights . (Petition: http://www.naacp.org/page/s/vra-no-voting-rights?subsource=strucklb)


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WORLD REFUGEE DAY HEALTHCARE FAIR DRAWS HUNDREDS

 

 

Event is part of massive roll-out to educate local refugees on new healthcare laws and more

By Miriam Raftery

June 24, 2013 (City Heights) – “This is the largest refugee resettlement community in California and one of the largest in the United States,” Councilmember Marti Emerald said at Somali Family Service Community Healthcare Fair held on World Refugee Day event Saturday in City Heights Community Park, in collaboration with East African Collaborative.


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SUPERMOON RISING

 

June 23, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – This week, a phenomenon known as a Supermoon is occurring.  The Moon will be closer to the Earth than at any other time during the year - in fact, the upcoming Starting today, Supermoon will be the closest encounter between the Earth and the Moon until August 2014.


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21-YEAR-OLD MAN KILLED IN HEAD-ON CRASH IN LAKESIDE

 

Photos by Jeff Holz

June 23, 2013 (Lakeside) – A head-on collision late last night on Lake Jennings Road just west of El Monte Road in Lakeside resulted in two dramatic rescues and one fatality.  The crash involved a four-door Altima sedan and a four-door Jeep.

Sheriff’s deputies were first on the scene and extinguished a fire in the Altima. Lakeside Fire Protection District arrived to find two patients trapped in their vehicles and another who had self extricated.  Lakeside resident Harold Wise IV, 21, the driver of the Altima, was pronounced dead at the scene.


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ACLU CLASS ACTION SUIT ALLEGES U.S. OFFICIALS DUPED IMMIGRANTS INTO GIVING UP RIGHTS IN VOLUNTARY DEPORTATIONS

 

June 23, 2013 (San Diego)--Using misinformation, deception, and coercion, Border Patrol and ICE officers have pressured hundreds, if not thousands, of Mexican nationals with deep roots in the United States into forfeiting their right to a fair hearing and a chance to live here lawfully, alleges the ACLU in a lawsuit filed June 4 in federal court in Los Angeles.  

Plaintiffs include the mother of an autistic son who is an American citizen, a grandmother of U.S. citizens, a man with an American wife and children, and a man engaged to marry a U.S. citizen who has since wed his fiance in Mexico. All are barred from returning to the U.S. for at least 10 years.


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MILLION DOLAR LOTTERY TICKET SOLD IN LA MESA

 

 

June 23, 2013 (La Mesa) – If you bought a Powerball Lottery ticket at Excalibur Liquor on Baltimore Drive in La Mesa, you could be a millionaire.  A ticket sold at the store matched five of six numbers chosen, state Lottery officials reported  Thursday.  The winning ticket is worth $943,604.   

Winners have 180 days to claim the prize.


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“CQ. CQ STANDING BY FOR A CALL!!” HAM RADIO OPERATORS IN LAKESIDE TAKE PART IN GLOBAL FIELD DAY

Story, photos and video by Billy Ortiz

June 22, 2013 (Lakeside) The airwaves have come alive at the Lakeside Fire Protection District fire station annex this weekend, where the Lakeside Amateur Radio Club is taking part in a two-day Field Day event held worldwide. 

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL ) is a 150,000 + member organization partaking in an annual US, Canada, and Hawaii event. More than 35,000 radio amateurs gather with their clubs, groups or simply with friends to operate from remote locations . ARRL says of the occasion,  “ Field Day is a picnic, a campout, practice for emergencies, an informal contest and, most of all, FUN!”


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JULIAN MAN, 88, KILLED IN ACCIDENT

 

June 23, 2013 (Julian) – Mitchell Chapin Durbin, 88, was killed June 17 at 5:08 p.m. when the Dodge truck he was driving veered off the roadway and struck a tree on State Route 78 east of Riverwood Road in Julian.

Durbin, a widower who lived in Julian, was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the accident. Paramedics responded and initiated CPR, but the victim failed to respond and was pronounced dead at the scene.


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TEEN KILLED BY FIRE ENGINE IDENTIFIED

 

Photo courtesy ECM news partner 10 News

June 23, 2013 (Poway) – Evelyn Jean Courtney, 19, a has been identified by the County Medical Examiner as the victim killed when the vehicle in which she was a passenger was struck by a fire engine en route to an emergency medical call.

Courtney, an aspiring model, was wearing her seatbelt when the fire engine broadsided the vehicle in which she was riding on June 20, 2013 at 4 a.m. in the intersection of Poway Road and Midland Road in Poway.   She had attended Poway High School and Mt. Carmel High School, according to 10 News. She was single and lived with her parents.


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IDENTITY UNKNOWN OF ACURA DRIVER KILLED IN CRASH ON HIGHWAY 94

June 23, 2013 (San Diego ) – The San Diego Medical Examiner has listed a man killed June 20 as a John Doe, since his identity remains unknown.  He was driving a white Acura Integra westbound on State Route 94 just east of 25th Street in San Diego at 7:38 p.m. June 20 when he lost control of the vehicle. It overturned and struck a palm tree.


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WORLD REFUGEE HEALTH FAIR JUNE 22 IN CITY HEIGHTS

 

June 22, 2013 (City Heights)--The Fifth Annual Health Fair in Honor of World Refugee Day willl be held on June 22 in the City Heights Community Park at 3795 Fairmont Avenue, San Diego from 1-5 p.m. This year Somali Family Services is partnering once again with the East African Collaborative - a collaborative of eight organizations working with East African communities in San Diego. The Fair’s theme is Healthcare Reform, and this year SFS aims to inform the East African community about the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Admission is free and includes free healthcare screenings and presentations, cultural entertainment, children's activities, giveaways, and more.


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BIRD TALK: THE WESTERN BLUEBIRD

 

 

By Greg Dunne

June 22, 2013 (Alpine)--“I'm a bluebird, I'm a bluebird I'm a bluebird, yeah, yeah, yeah,” to quote Paul McCartney. Just last week our “children” left the nest here in Alpine, our Western Bluebird children, that is. We enjoyed their company for about three weeks.

We have a birdhouse sitting on the railing going down steps leading to the front door of our house. It was put there some time ago just for yard décor; we thought it was too close to everyday foot traffic to be a choice place to set up raising baby birds.


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COUNTY PARKS SERVICE TAKES ACTION TO SAVE MIGRATORY BIRDS AT LINDO LAKES

 

 

View a video by Billy Ortiz of water flowing into Lindo Lakes.

View an earlier video of stilts in low water. 

View a Facebook page created by Ortiz with photos of wildlife at Lindo Lakes.

June 22, 2013 (Lakeside) – Migratory shorebirds at risk for nesting areas drying out will be saved, thanks to an inquiry from Lakeside resident Billy Ortiz, a volunteer with the Lakeside River Park Conservancy. 

“I am happy to inform that as of June 21, 2013 San Diego County Parks and Recreation is pumping fresh water into Lindo Park Lake’s East basin,” Ortiz informed ECM today. The decision is a result of a request made in late May by Ortiz, also an ECM photographer and publicity chair of the Lakeside Hisotrical Society.


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AP CEO DENOUNCING "CHILLING EFFECT" FROM PHONE RECORDS SEIZURE; CALLS FOR SAFEGUARDS TO PROTECT A FREE PRESS

 

 

"A free and independent press is fundamental to a functioning democracy--it differentiates democracy from dictatorship; separates a free society from tyranny."-- Gary Pruitt

June 21, 2013 (Washington D.C.) – Associated Press President and CEO Gary Pruitt, in an address to the National Press Club on June 19, warned journalists that AP and other news organizations are experiencing a “chilling effect” on news gathering due to revelations that the government had covertly accessed reporters phone records and  more.

Sources, even in law enforcement, have voiced fears over talking to reporters as a result of the surveillance, Pruitt said.

Below is the full text of his speech from a press release issued by AP:


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HOW TO SPOT AND PREVENT A STROKE

 

County News Service

June 21, 2013  (San Diego) -- Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States suffers a stroke. Every four minutes, someone dies because of a stroke. What can you do? Learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of stroke which might save someone’s life.

 “The County and its many public and private partners have been working to increase awareness of stroke,” said County Supervisor Ron Roberts Friday at Petco Park.  “It is extremely important for people to heed the warning signs so we can save lives.”

What should you do if you or someone near you is having a stroke? Act F.A.S.T. and call 9-1-1 immediately. It can be the difference between life and death. F.A.S.T. is an easy way to remember the sudden signs of stroke. F.A.S.T. stands for:


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COURT SETS TRIAL DATE FOR WITCH CREEK/GUEJITO WILDFIRE VICTIMS

 

 

Cases have significance for ratepayers if jurors find SDG&E liable for punitive damages

By Nadin Abbott; Miriam Raftery also contributed to this report

June 21, 2013 (San Diego)—Six years after the Witch Creek/Guejito fires, which the California Public Utilities Commission found were caused by SDG&E’s lines, over 2,000 victims have reached settlements with SDG&E. But 16 victims have not settled or received any compensation from the utility for their losses.  Now a judge has ruled that some cases may proceed to trial.

At a court hearing on June 19, Judge Richard E. L. Strauss ruled that victims will finally have their day in court—in some cases, with a tort liability, all-issues trial. That could force SDG&E to pay punitive damages if a jury finds the utility was negligent and knew of fire hazards that it failed to correct.    

Judge Strauss has set a date for the all-issues trial to finally settle the remaining cases of the Witch Creek/ Rice and Guejito Fires of 2007. These were among the most destructive fires in San Diego history.


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: THE RUNNING DEAD (WORLD WAR Z)

 

 

By Brian Lafferty

June 21, 2013 (San Diego) – After a long and troubled production history going back to 2007 – none of which needs to be rehashed here – World War Z is finally here.  It’s a simple pulpy globetrotting zombie flick starring Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane, a former member of the United Nations called into action to combat a worldwide zombie pandemic.  Such a simple plot, yet it serves a movie so confounding that I may never know if it’s good or bad.  If I were to look at it from every respect, it would be split right down the middle at 50%.  I can make strong arguments from both sides.


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: BLAND EDUCATION (MONSTERS UNIVERSITY)

 

By Brian Lafferty

June 21, 2013 (San Diego) – There’s always a first for everything.  Monsters University is the first Pixar film I disapprove of (I should note that I still haven’t seen Cars 2).  Has Pixar gotten complacent since Toy Story 3?  It sure seems so.  Since 1995 they could be counted on to turn out a high-quality product.  Now they’re dangerously close to being indistinguishable from DreamWorks, Blue Sky Studios, and Sony Pictures Animation.


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CALIFORNIA CERTIFIED FARMERS’ MARKET NOW OPEN IN ALPINE

June 21, 2013 (Alpine) – The Alpine Certified Farmers’ Market opened earlier this month at the Alpine Creek Town Center, 1347 Tavern Rd.  The market is held every Tuesday from 3 – 7 p.m.  The Market is also a pick up location for Sage Mountain Farms’ CSA program for all of East County.

CSA is Community Supported Agriculture and it allows anyone to “partner” with a local farmer and reap the benefits of their efforts while supporting the farmer by assuring they will have a place to sell the crop.


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