March 7, 2013 (La Mesa)--Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, still stands as one of the most fantastical stories of all time. Odysseus, returning home from the battle of Troy, is waylaid by romance, Cyclopes, shipwreck, seduction, and supernatural forces.    

This modern adaptation of the timeless tale, vivid in imagery and rich in imagination, brings Odysseus' twists and turns to life in a whole new way. Directed by Beth Duggan, the play will be performed at 7:30 p.m. March 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, and 23 at the Stagehouse Theatre at Grossmont College. Performances will also be held at 2 p.m. on March 16 and 23. 

February 7, 2013--(San Diego’s East County)--East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL/REGIONAL

• Local ACLU defends data critical of Grossmont HS District (Santee Patch)
• Somali terrorism trial gets under way (U-T San Diego)
• Local ACLU defends data critical of Grossmont HS District (Santee Patch)
• Somali terrorism trial gets under way (U-T San Diego)
• Judge Strikes Down Plaza de Panama Approval (Voice of San Diego)
• Helix Honors Veterans with Heroes' Garden(La Mesa Patch) 
• School Board to fill La Mesa-Spring Valley vacancy on school board by appointment (La Mesa Patch)
• Gregory Canyon pits water against trash (KPBS)
• Video: Dynamite Brings Down Eyesore Power Plant, Sends Booms Across South Bay (Patch.com)
• Customer Advocates Accuse Regulators Of Capitulation In San Onofre Probe (KPBS)
• An interview with Terry Weiner, Desert Protective Council (Canyon Country Zephyr)
• Man accused of setting Rancho San Diego Church on fire pleads not guilty (10 News)
• Levy joins hospital construction oversight effort (La Mesa Today)
• Sea turtles coming out of their shells (U-T San Diego)
• Argument Between Ex-Housemates Blamed in Fatal La Mesa Shooting (La Mesa Patch)
• Thirsty farmers turn to wine  (Wall Street Journal –subscription required)

STATE

• Report questions how Calif. schools managed lands (Sacramento Bee)
• Solar development absorbing Calif. farmland UT San Diego)
• Calif. quake warning system proposed (Sacramento Bee)
• Second Snow Survey Shows Below Normal Conditions (KPBS)
• Another state agency caught hiding funds (U-T San Diego)
• Stolen ancient rock carvings in Calif. found (Sacramento Bee)
• State Abandons Algebra Requirement For 8th Graders (KPBS)
• Calif misses millions in federal money for inmates (U-T San Diego)

 Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.

Photos by Stephen Harvey/Grossmont College photographer

January 25, 2013 (El Cajon)--Spring semester begins January 28 at Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges in a restorative vein, with hundreds of classes added back as the result of California voters’ approval of Proposition 30, the governor’s sales and income tax measure.

The November victory at the polls allowed the colleges to restore 235 course offerings for the new semester that had been cut when the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District approved its budget .The action was taken to prepare for the worst-case scenario of the district losing $5.6 million in funding had voters rejected Prop. 30.

Peg Marcus, Grossmont College’s student body president, shares a laugh with the campus mascot, Gizmo, this week as the campus prepares for the start of the new semester Monday, Jan. 28. 

January 24, 2013--(San Diego’s East County)--East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL/REGIONAL

• ACLU rips Grossmont Union High School District over lack of English learner services (Lemon Grove Patch)
• Help ID suspects in two armed robbers at Santee ATMs (Santee Patch)
• La Mesa Earns ‘F’ for Its Tobacco Policies (La Mesa Patch)
• La Mesa facing $1 million fine for sewage overflows in 2010 storm (La Mesa Patch)
• City Seeks Federal Trial in Ray Lutz Lawsuit Arising from Occupy San Diego (La Mesa Patch)
• Boulevard Project Awaits SANDAG Grant  (La Mesa Today)
• New Commuter Airline To Fly Between San Diego, Imperial County (KPBS)
• Gillespie Field Airport to Expand, Council Talks 'Santee Aerotropolis' (Santee Patch)

STATE

• California sees a revenue bump after tax changes (Sacramento Bee)
• New proposal would lower voter threshold for police, fire taxes (Sacramento Bee)
• California awarded $674M to build health exchange (Sacramento Bee)
• Report: CPUC budget riddled with errors  (Sacramento Bee)
• Court: Calif. lawmakers violated law to help Brown (Sacramento Bee)

Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.

January 10, 2013--(San Diego’s East County)--East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

STATE

• California's Child Population Projected To Drop Significantly (KPBS)
• Jerry Brown defiant in fight over prison overcrowding (Sacramento Bee)
• California man says he can drive in carpool lane with corporation papers (U.S. News)
• California Conditionally Approved to Run Its Own Health Insurance Market (KPBS)
• Parks Department Investigation Shows Intentional Hiding of Funds ( KPBS)
• Sierra snowpack has water managers happy so far (KPBS)
• Yosemite plan would ease traffic, shut ice rink  (Sacramento Bee)

LOCAL/REGIONAL

• Great-granny student body president at Grossmont: If I can do it, so can you (U-T San Diego)
• Bald eagles nesting in Ramona (10 News)
• Unmanned aerial vehicles and drone surveillance issues (IVN San Diego)
• La Mesa 2012: 100 years in the making (La Mesa Today)
• GOP picks Latina to lead local party (U-T San Diego)
• Day of service, Filner speech on tap for MLK Day (San Diego Free Press)
• Does new UCAN board want reform? (SD Reader)
• 3 more indicted in South Bay corruption probe (U-T San Diego)
•  Indictments rain down across South Bay (NBC San Diego)
• Is Bob Filner canceling San Diego's Earth Day? U-T San Diego)

Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.

January 2, 2013--(San Diego’s East County)--East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

 EAST COUNTY

• Hiking in San Diego County? There's an App for That (La Mesa Patch)
• La Mesa resident prevails in illegal search case U-T San Diego)
• Ways to Work’ helps families move their lives forward by putting wheels on them (East County Californian)
• Spring Valley Citizens Association survives by a single vote on third ballot (La Mesa Patch)
• Sailors sue Japan over illnesses they say stem from radiation exposure at Fukushima (10 News)
• New members for Grossmont Hospital Foundation (U-T San Diego)
• New San Diego Humane Society adoption center opens at East County Petco (East County Californian)

SAN DIEGO REGION

• San Diego Can Now Have Redevelopment Funds For Some Projects (U-T San Diego)
• Gov. Brown Grants 79 Pardons, Including Seven Cases in SD County (La Mesa Patch)
• Economy for 2013: San Diego worse than state, nation?  (SD Reader/Don Bauder)
• Sempra completes Hawaii wind farm project (San Diego Business Journal)

STATE

• Mortgages, vaccinations, guns among new-law topics (Sacramento Bee)
• New California laws to affect drivers in 2013 (Sacramento Bee)
• California's snowpack levels above normal (Sacramento Bee)
• Jerry Brown pushes new funding system for California schools (Sacramento Bee)

Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.

December 31, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – A photo is worth a thousand words, as the saying goes. East County Magazine’s photographers and readers have compiled an impressive portfolio of dramatic images this year. These are our editor’s picks for the photos that create an emotional chord, from inspiration to anguish. We deeply appreciate our professional photojournalists and citizen photographers who helped document the images that defined the news and character of our region this year.

December 30, 2012 (La Mesa)--The Grossmont Hospital Foundation recently appointed three new members – Harry Ellison, M.D., Lew Silverberg and Philip Szold, M.D. – to its 2013 Board of Governors. Each appointee serves a three-year term, which began October 1, 2012.

The Grossmont Hospital Foundation Board of Governors mission is to establish policy for the Foundation, determine its fundraising priorities, and support Sharp Grossmont Hospital in developing high-quality, accessible and affordable inpatient and outpatient services to the residents of San Diego’s East County community.

December 19, 2012 -- (San Diego’s East County)--East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL

• Mayor Filner calls San Diego Summit in response to Sandy Hook shooting (San Diego Free Press)
• Lemon Grove supports assault weapon ban (U-T San Diego)
• As Loans Come Due, District Asks Ramona Teachers to Sacrifice (Voice of San Diego)
• The $900 million question re: San Diego’s crumbling infrastructure (U-T San Diego)
• Grossmont Students Witness Courtroom Assault By Defendant on Attorney (La Mesa Patch)
• Disgraced U.S. Rep Cunningham released to halfway house (U-T San Diego)
• UC San Diego Researchers Create A 'Designer' Cancer Drug With Algae (KPBS)
• La Mesa party of the century will be pricey, exclusive affair on Jan. 12 (La Mesa Patch)
• Think You Can Fix Local Government? Apply To Be Part of County Grand Jury (La Mesa Patch)
• Gun dealer near Murray Manor School: ‘My heart weighs very heavy’ for town (La Mesa Patch)
• Couple appeals $700 water bills, calls usage claim ‘physically impossible’  ( Ramona Patch) 
• Evaluating Homelessness, as Far as the Eye Can See and Count (Voice of San Diego)
• Who should pay for SDG&E wildfires? (U-T San Diego)
• After just a year, Gingham may be selling (La Mesa Today)

STATE

• Federal appeals court OKs lower payments to Medi-Cal providers (Sacramento Bee)
• Doctors Livid About Medi-Cal Pay Cut  (KPBS)
• San Diego desalinization impact on Calif.  (SFGate )
• California health officials sound alarm over hookah smoking (Reuters)
• UC Suspends Use of Controversial New Logo (KPBS)
• The UC system’s modesty problem (U-T San Diego)
• California wins a round in electricity battle with JPMorgan Chase (Sacramento Bee)
• California state employees involved in bribery, theft, auditor reports (Sacramento Bee)
• Calif. mall on lockdown after shots were fired U-T San Diego)

Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.

September 10, 2012 (El Cajon) -- Cuyamaca and Grossmont colleges are holding public remembrances of the Sept.11, 2001 terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and triggered the global war on terror.

The Associated Students  of Cuyamaca College is sponsoring an on-campus display of 2,977 flags, with volunteers from the college, student leaders from Steele Canyon and Monte Vista high schools, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), area police and fire departments and the U.S. Armed Forces setting up the display in the grand lawn starting at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 10, the day before a community remembrance ceremony set for 12:30 p.m. at the college at 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway in Rancho San Diego.

• CA Wildfire liability bill emerges from the ashes (Sacramento Bee)
• This summer, electric cars are merging into California’s traffic (New York Times)

• Citizen protests $11 million no bid contract; Grossmont school district (UT San Diego)
• La Mesa war hero survived wounds, not runaway car (UT San Diego)
• Plug pulled on San Diego power plant (KPBS)
• 16-year-old driver in SR 52 crash pleads guilty to vehicular manslaughter (Santee Patch)
• How Darrell Issa’s pursuit of Attorney General Eric Holder is playing back home (Daily Beast)
• Great white shark sighting closes beach (UT San Diego)
• San Onofre workers lack whistleblower protections (KPBS)
• County makes a disaster of the Brown Act (CityBeat)

• Bill protects businesses from disability act suits (Sacramento Bee)
• Counties miss deadline to send ballots to overseas, military voters (California Watch)
• More water to be shipped to California; good news for avocado growers (North County Times)

• Fire Chief saves colleague’s life (NBC)
• AT&T opposes SDG&E wildfire recovery request (North County Times)
• Civic leader  Jim Wieboldt drops out of race for La Mesa City Council (La Mesa Patch)
• Grossmont and Alvarado hospitals get B and C grades for safety (La Mesa Patch)
• Bullets fired in field hit close to residents, Hanson Elementary (Ramona Patch)
• Man Who Tried To Kill Wife Sentenced To Life In Prison (10 News)

• Grossmont District deals with layoffs for 2012-13 (UT San Diego)
• Fundraiser for missing hiker search efforts (CBS 8 News)
• DeMaio and Fletcher heat up mayoral debate (UT SanDiego)
• Heated exchange highlights SD Mayoral debate (10 News)
• City attorney threatens to squeeze legal fees out of civic watchdog (CityBeat)
• Controversy, dispute envelop Palomar College construction site at Indian burial ground (OB Rag)
• Group launches effort to recall Sweetwater school trustees (UT San Diego)
• SDG&E avoids shutdown of Powerlink helicopters (UT San Diego)
• Getting to the bottom of city issues (La Mesa Today) 
• El Cajon Nixes Chickens (UT San Diego)
• Council refuses to sign PBID petition (La Mesa Today)

• Measure to repeal death penalty in CA qualifies for ballot (Sacramento Bee)
• Social media password bill advances in state Senate (Sacramento Bee)
• Steinberg to push California for initiative changes (Sacramento Bee) 

• Community meeting discussing Quail Brush Power Plant Feb. 28 (Santee Patch)
• Grossmont expands school enrollment choices for some (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego Gas & Electric wants you to pay for its negligence (San Diego Reader)
• Nature reclaims local cold war relic (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Hunter introduces bill to name Ramona Post Office after Mac McWilliams (Ramona Patch)
• Helix claims Hills League title with tiebreaking victory over Grossmont (La Mesa Patch)
• Veterans recover from war wounds on the farm (MSNBC)
• SDPD Oversight Board Faces Favoritism Accusations
   

• Prop 8 backers seek review of gay marriage case (Sacramento Bee)
• Jerry Brown:  California to reopen trade offices in China (Sacramento Bee)

• Grossmont High School teachers vote to explore becoming charter (La Mesa Patch)
• Fire Chief Augie Ghio chats about state of San Miguel Fire District following release of RFPs (La Mesa Patch)
• City Council okays livestock for city residents (10 News)
• A Guide to Understanding the Sweetwater Scandal (Voice of San Diego)
• San Onofre shutdown costing up to $1 million a day (KPBS)
• Secrets of the Centennial: How suffrage put progressive town on path to self determination (La Mesa Patch)
• Light on cockroaches (Valley Roadrunner editorial on Supervisors’ recent actions)
• Bob Filner to La Mesa: You have a stake in who is mayor of San Diego(La Mesa Patch)
• Nuke inspections focus on unusual wear on tubes (Sacramento Bee) 

• Federal appeals court: CA gay marriage ban is unconstitutional (AP)
• Governor signs bill that allows internal borrowing (Sacramento Bee) 

By Jack Bailey

By Dennis Moore

December 3, 2011 (San Diego East County) -- Beginning December 6, the schools in the Grossmont Union High School District will be presenting their winter concerts. Each school has a different program, and has different features highlighted. Many schools will have band, choir, and orchestra performances. While individual schools will have dance, clubs, guitar, or performances unique to the school.

June 1, 2011 (La Mesa) --Sharp Grossmont Hospital’s Senior Resource Center 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 the web site at www.sharp.com.

by Christopher Mohr

February 8, 2011 (El Cajon) - Friday night's (2/4) boys basketball game at Grossmont High School between the host Foothillers and the visiting Cougars from Steele Canyon High School was a critical game for the home team. Grossmont badly needed to win this game to avoid possibly falling three games behind Grossmont Hills League leader Helix. A 52-47 road loss to the Cougars on January 14 was also something they did not want to repeat. 

by Christopher Mohr

November 4, 2010 (El Cajon) - It's hard to argue with the old sports adage that says the scoreboard does not lie. The final score does after all, trump any yardage statistics, hypothetical situations known as 'ifs' and 'buts' and any excuses fans make to defend their team. While the scoreboard may not lie, it doesn't tell the whole story either. Such was the case Friday night (10/29) at Grossmont High School where the host Foothillers defeated the visiting Eagles of Granite Hills High School, 21-14.

by Christopher Mohr

October 25th, 2010 (La Mesa) - Domination. That word best describes how the Highlanders of Helix High School played last Friday night (10/22) in their homecoming game at Jim Arnaiz Field against the Foothillers of Grossmont High School. Not only did the Foothillers not score in this game, they could not get a first down from their own effort until near the end of the third quarter. The Highlanders' offense was as good at scoring points as their defense was at denying them and the end result was a 41-0 blowout win.

by Christopher Mohr

February 7, 2010 (Rancho San Diego) - Whoever coined the phrase, 'a win is a win', never met the Grossmont Foothillers' basketball team. If you knew nothing about the outcome of Friday night's game and observed the Grossmont players' demeanor afterwards, you would have been surprised to find out that they won. Although it's a game they would rather not talk about, the Foothillers survived their lackluster play and a late run by the host Steele Canyon Cougars to pull out a 47-36 win.

By Steve Haiman
Co-coordinator, GUHSD Academic League

December 9, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) -- The layoff for Thanksgiving did not slow up the four teams in week four’s featured match with the Santana “Sultans” hosting the Grossmont “Foothillers”.

In, fact all of the teams got right down to turkey…pardon the pun…from the very opening question right down to the last one. They were amazingly, evenly matched teams!

by Christopher Mohr

(SOLANA BEACH) September 26 - One of the most common sports cliches is that some opponents can't be stopped; they can only be contained. Anyone who defended Michael Jordan, pitched to Tony Gwynn or golfed against Tiger Woods knows the concept all too well. So do Santa Fe Christian's first three opponents this season.

September 24, 2009 (El Cajon) – Grossmont Union High School District will host a free public forum Oct. 3 on the future of the district. The public is invited to learn more about projects planned for each campus and school project timelines, as well as celebrate the future of Grossmont schools. Imagery of design guidelines for specialty classrooms will be on display.

by Christopher Mohr

September 15, 2009 (El Cajon)--Sisyphean. That one word  describes how the Grossmont Foothillers must have felt in Friday night's 34-7 loss to the host Valhalla Norsemen.

The term refers to Sisyphus, a character from Greek mythology, who was sentenced to an eternity of rolling a large rock up a steep hill. Although Sisyphus was always able to move the rock part of the way up the hill, the rock always found a way to roll back to the bottom.