UPDATE: She's been found safe. See new story posted.

Evidence found in missing woman's beige Nissan Ultimata parked near Target store

December 23, 2010 (La Mesa)—La Mesa Police, with assistance from the San Diego Sheriff’s crime lab, have processed the vehicle of Sara Rafou, 19, whose vehicle was found in Grossmont Center’s parking lot after she disappeared last night. “Evidence in the vehicle leads us to believe that Sara is missing under suspicious circumstances,” a press release issued by Captain Ed Aceves with La Mesa Police late today states.

Co-workers from Bank America in Grossmont Center saw her exit the front doors at 6:30 last night at the end of her shift. Her unoccupied vehicle was found in the parking lot near the Target Store.  A Facebook page has been set up to help find her.

December 23, 2010 (La Mesa) – Shortly after midnight at 12:07 a.m., La Mesa Police received a report of a missing 19-year-old woman, Sara Rafou of El Cajon. Her car was found abandoned in the parking lot at Grossmont Center, near the Bank of America where she works. According to La Mesa Patch.com, she left work at 6:30 p.m.last night and has not been seen since.

By: Jeremy Los

December 23, 2010 – So much for the “lame duck session” on Capitol Hill. The last winter session after an election, before the new Congress is sworn in, is often an uneventful time of farewells. The 111th Congress, though, seemed determined to end the year with a bang, bringing meaningful legislation to the forefront as exiting members of Congress strived to put their stamp on the future of our nation in a big way.

Major bills passed include repeal of the military’s `don’t ask, don’t tell’ ban and a bill to improve food safety. Bills that fell short, without enough votes, include the Dream Act, which would have allowed children of undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship, and a bill that would have paid for healthcare costs of 911 first responders.

Do you know how your representatives voted? Find out here.

December 22, 2010 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Police are seeking a suspect who attacked a woman, 30, this evening in Aztec Park at 5400 Aztec Drive. The attack was reported at 6:19 p.m. The woman was walking her dog in the southeast area of the park when she was grabbed from behind and hit on the right side of her head.

December 22, 2010 (San Diego) – San Diego River Park Foundation program coordinator Shannon Quigley-Raymond has provided this astonishing video of the floodwaters rushing into Mission Valley today. Amazed to see small islands of reeds, plants and debris being pushed along by flood waters from the San Diego River, she stopped to take a video on San Diego Mission Road, where two cars had just been pulled into the river by floodwaters.

“San Diego is steadily establishing itself as a leader in the emerging clean technology industry. With our entrepreneurial business culture, an educated workforce and plenty of skilled labor, our region is ideal for supporting this vibrant new sector.”--Mayor Jerry Sanders

December 22, 2010 (San Diegio) --San Diego County stands out as an established leader in California in transforming the business environment to leverage the growing clean, green-tech economy, according to research released last week by The San Diego Foundation. 

December 22, 2010 (San Diego) – More than 8,000 people in San Diego County are without power this morning due to storm damage, including inland communities in Crest, Ramona and Poway as well as a large outage in Oceanside and other scattered outages.

December 21, 2010 – CHP’s website reports that a “mountain side came down” completely blocking Rainbow Valley Blvd. at I-15, including a boulder the size of a vehicle. Many other area motorists faced obstacles in the following areas:

KRC Rock Partners with Lakeside’s River Park Conservancy

San Diego, CA, (December 15, 2010) – KRC Rock, a San Diego natural stone and boulder provider, has partnered with the Lakeside’s River Park Conservancy to help them in their mission to preserve and restore the biological integrity and beauty of the San Diego River.

Palomar Mountain doused with nearly a foot of rain

“We are moving into the last, most dangerous stage of the event…Thunderstorms, tornadoes, waterspouts possible later tonight into Wednesday.” – National Weather Service
 

December 21, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Dangerous conditions are forecast for tonight and tomorrow, as heavy thunderstorms are slated to move into our already water-soaked region, dropping 1-2 inches of rain per hour. Flash flood watches and warnings remain in effect across San Diego County.

New tribal council also elected

December 21, 2010 (Alpine)—Anthony Pico has been elected chairman of the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, replacing Bobby Barrett, who served five terms and chose not to run for reelection. Pico previously served as chairman for three terms and vice chairman for two terms, a total of more than two decades of leadership.

“Under his stewardship and vision, the Viejas Band achieved national and state recognition for its economic and social progress,” California Indian Education’s website states. During his prior tenure as Chairman, Viejas proved a leader in promoting inter-tribal business ventures as well as economic development for the tribe locally.

December 21, 2010 (2:30 p.m. update) – Here are updates new since our earlier story today, with the latest hazards and casualties of the storm.   Incidents include evacuation of a flooded apartment building, another swift water rescue, traffic accidents, and a sinkhole.

December 21, 2010 (San Diego) 9:15 a.m.--The flood watch issued yesterday has been upgraded to a flood warning for the San Diego River. In addition, many roadways are flooded and there are accidents on numerous streets and highways. Below are details on several of the most recent and severe:
Southbound I-15 at Eastbound I-8: all lanes flooded
Southbound I-5 at 1st Ave. flooded near downtown San Diego

More road problem reports this a.m.:

Video by Dennis and Trever Richardson shot December 20, 2010