Kaboom! and New City Seal/Logo/Motto in works

By Janis Mork

October 11, 2013 (El Cajon)- At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Mayor Mark Lewis made a request to rename East County Performing Arts Center (ECPAC) to El Cajon Performing Arts Center. Lewis insisted, “Now is the time to name it, because we’re in El Cajon..”

At the suggestion of Mayor Pro Tem Bill Wells, however, Council opted to delay a decision until mid-2014, when a manager for ECPAC is expected to be in place.

ECM Special Report reveals  rural fire stations shut down for weeks, seriously under-staffed in peak fire season

By Miriam Raftery

October 10, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – An East County Magazine special investigation raises some burning issues and reveals that lives are at risk in rural East County areas.

Since the Cedar Fire a decade ago, our County has promised to improve fire protection by consolidating rural fire agencies into a County Fire Authority. But our report exposes glaring deficiencies--and asks some critical questions:

• Could a man who died at De Anza Resort in Jacumba Hot Springs have been saved if the two closest fire stations had not been closed, dramatically delaying emergency response time?
• Why was Boulevard’s fire station shut down for 28 days in August, 30 days in September, and at least the first seven days in October – during peak fire season? 
• Why were both Boulevard and Jacumba Hot Springs fire stations unmanned on September 30, when a man found unconscious died after medical help took an hour or more to arrive, according to eyewitness accounts?
• Why haven’t funds promised by SDG&E  to mitigate dangers from new energy projects been spent in the communities most  at risk?
• Why, even when stations were open, were  there only two-man crews which firefighting professionals say is inadequate for structure protection or rescues from a burning building?
• How many other stations across East County may be similarly short-staffed or closed?

Our investigation raises grave concerns about public safety, but so far, officials have not provided any satisfactory answers.

October 10, 2013 (Kensington) – The Ken Cinema in Kensington, which celebrated its 100^th anniversary last year, is one of only two regularly operating single-screen theaters in San Diego (the other being the new Digital Gym Cinema in North Park, which opened up in April this year).  The Ken is known for two things, the first being San Diego’s home to unique, niche films (as I’ve written about before). 

By Miriam Raftery

October 10, 2013 (Julian) – Working in frigid weather amid blowing snow, sleet and high winds, a team of rescue units located a missing plane shortly after midnight in the Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve.  

The male pilot and a female passenger were found dead inside the plane, along with their dog. The plane crashed onto a rugged, steep hillside approximately half a mile from a road near the top of Volcan Mountain. ECM news partner reports that Andrew Thulin of San Diego, Robbie Rose and their poodle were on board.

(File photo)

October 10, 2013 (Alpine) –  An infant girl delivered by emergency Caesarean after her mother was fatally injured in a car accident has also died of injuries from the crash.  The medical examiner identified the newborn as Baby Oliver.

Darneshia McFarlin, 27, was eight months pregnant when the accident occurred the morning of October 6^th.   She was a passenger in an Oldsmobile driven by her husband when he lost control and the vehicle rolled over.

October 10, 2013 (San Diego’s East County ) --ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• Congress to probe veterans’ overdoses (CBS News)
• Debt ceiling deadline is biggest threat to U.S. economy (CBS News)
• 30 mind-blowing statistics about Americans today under the age of 30 (Zero Hedge)
• Fed websites shut even if it cost more (U-T San Diego)
• McDonald’s worker arrested after telling company president she can’t afford shoes (RawStory)
• U.S. forces strike in Libya, Somalia; capture Al Qaeda operative (CNN)
• NSA Head Admits Testing U.S. Cellphone Tracking (NPR)

WORLD

• Elite U.S. team questions seized al Qaeda leader on Navy ship (Reuters)
• Here's Why The Navy Is Holding A Terror Suspect At Sea
• Mexicans seek asylum as drug violence persists (U-T San Diego)
• North Korea puts army on alert, warns U.S. of 'horrible disaster' (Reuters)
•  Four dead, thousands evacuated after Typhoon Fitow hits eastern China (Reuters)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

October 9, 2013 (El Cajon ) – At 7:46 p.m. tonight, Domingues Salvador, 67, boarded a trolley at 352 South Marshall Avenue in El Cajon after becoming separated from his spouse at the trolley station.  Domingues has Alzheimer’s disease, speaks Spanish, and only knows his name.  He has no identification or money.

He is Hispanic with white hair and brown eyes.  He is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 140 pounds.  He was wearing a black jacket and sky blue pants.

October 10, 2013 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news each week that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Obamacare open enrollment begins: What you need to know Oct. 1 (CBS)
• Prescription drug abuse now more deadly than heroin, cocaine combined (CS Monitor)
• The Last Word On Hormone Therapy From the Women's Health Initiative (NPR)
• Vaccine Refusals Fueled California's Whooping Cough Epidemic (NPR)
• Antifungal Cream Discovered to Eradicate HIV (Reason)
• The Religious Alternative To Obamacare's Individual Mandate (NPR)
• Listeria arrests: Two Colorado farmers charged after outbreak (CS Monitor)

SCIENCE

• NASA preparing to launch 3-D printer into space (SacBee)
• Energy efficiency: How the Internet can lower your electric bill (CS Monitor)
• 10 heat secrets caught on camera
• Want To Read Others' Thoughts? Try Reading Literary Fiction (NPR)
• What have we learned from Fukushima? (BBC)
• Killer hornets rampage through China (CS Monitor)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click "read more" and scroll down.

(stock photo)

October 9, 2013 (Julian) – As searchers comb Volcan Mountain for a missing airplane tonight, thunderstorms have knocked the University of California’s hpwren atop the mountain offline—perhaps permanently, ECM has learned.

“This site was badly hit by lightning,” the webcam website states.  “The Volcan cameras may be outfor good, as we checked and they did not power back up after main power was restored. We can check them out further once we get them off the tower, but we have no hardware budget to repair or replace them any more.”

By Alex Riggins

(October 9, 2013 (La Mesa)--The La Mesa City Council voted 5-0 on Wednesday to postpone a decision on whether to place a measure on the November 2014 ballot regarding term limits for the mayor and council members. The item, introduced by Vice Mayor Kristine Alessio, is the first step towards imposing limits on the number of consecutive terms that councilmembers could hold office.

By Nadin Abbott

October 9, 2013 (San Diego) As things go, this is not precisely the best of news. Fidelity has sold a lot of its government debt. So reports the Journal Sentinel.  Money market portfolio managers at Fidelity Investments have been selling off their government debt holdings over the last couple of weeks, said Nancy Prior, president of Fidelity’s Money Market Group. While Fidelity expects the debt ceiling issue to be resolved, the Boston-based asset manager said it is taking steps to protect investors.

Prior said that Fidelity no longer holds any U.S. debt that comes due in late October or early November, the window considered by many investors to be the most exposed if the government runs out of money and defaults on its obligations.

Now this is very dangerous news, since it means Fidelity is getting ready for the other shoe to fall. As we have been speaking here of the effects of this Constitutional Crisis, and how a minority of the minority does not believe this is actually serious. How could this affect you and me? We could see a crash, quite brutally honest. This is not good news. In fact, this is very scary news.

Sports: The Competitive Spirit at Barona is Now Open to the Public

Photo: Vice Chairman Harold Hill, Curator Cheryl Hinton, and Brian VanWanseele, Barona Tribal member and President of the Board of Directors for Inter Tribal Sports

 October 8, 2013 (Lakeside) – To celebrate the history of sports on the Barona Indian Reservation, the Barona Cultural Center & Museum recently opened a new exhibition entitled Sports: The Competitive Spirit at Barona. The exhibit, on display this October through 2014, features Native American sports heroes from around the country as well as from the Barona Indian Reservation. Admission is free.

By Miriam Raftery

October 8, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reveals that attacks on the  power grid have occurred, the Arkansas Times reported on October 7.  The FBI is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to arrest of those responsible for these crimes.

The attacks included setting fire to a substation, rigging a cable in an attempt to cause a train to take down power lines, cutting down power poles, and downing a high voltage transmission line.  A warning painted on a control panel read, “You should have expected U.S.”

National security experts have long voiced concerns over a terrorist cyber-attack on the power grid. But the attacks  in August and September in Arkansas were of the low-tech variety, yet capable of major disruption. 

By Miriam Raftery

October 7, 2013 (Ramona) – A woman accused of murdering her mother has entered a not guilty plea.  The body of Mehria Mansury, 79, an Afghan immigrant, was found  in a field near San Vicente and Wildcat Canyon Road east of Barona Casino last week. 

Mansury was a resident of Serra Mesa. She  was last seen September 23 and was reported missing on September 25. Relatives told authorities that they feared her daughter, who has a criminal record, could be involved, ECM news partner 10 News reported.

The Fourth Annual Spring Valley Tailgate & BBQ Festival will take place on Sunday, October 20 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at  Troy Street between Bancroft Avenue and Central Avenue,  Initiated by the Spring Valley Chamber of Commerce and Cali Comfort Restaurant, the goal of the festival is to raise money youth sports programs in Spring Valley.