December 25, 2011 (Alpine) – TC Construction is offering a $500 reward for return of items stolen from a job site pump station at Victoria Drive and Victoria Park Terrace in Alpine, or for information leading to conviction of the person(s) who stole the equipment.  The theft occurred the morning of Wednesday  December 21.

Items taken include: 

• 1 ½” submersible pump
• 100ft extension cord
• 3 jackhammers: 90 lb., 60 lb. & 40 lb.
• 80 lbs. of aluminum

Local business leaders praise decision to expand renewable energy

Opponents hope Supervisors, court will protect scenic, cultural and wildlife resources

By Miriam Raftery

December 26, 2011 (McCain Valley) – U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar signed approval December 20 forTule Wind Project on federal lands in McCain Valley in East County. The federal lands portion approved by the Department of the Interior constitute the bulk of the project, capable of generating up to 186 megawatts (MW) of the project’s total 200 MW capacity. 

The project will need additional approvals from the County of San Diego, California Public Utilities Commission, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and California State Lands Commission.  The County will hold hearings on a major use permit in the first quarter of 2012.  Planning Commissioners and ultimately, the Board of Supervisors are expected to vote on the issue.

 Region’s community colleges eyed as potential future sites

By Buck Shott

Past presidential fibs have led to impeachment and resignation. Shouldn’t honesty be a key qualification for any presidential candidate?

December 28, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Voters, and the candidates they support, often have drastically different views on the various issues.  But honesty and integrity are two traits we should all agree upon as minimal “qualifications” for anyone seeking the presidency.

Granted, in the heat of a campaign any candidate may have a slip of the lip, forgetting a statistic or misstating an name. But when presidential contenders knowingly tell brazen lies, air campaign ads with outright falsehoods, and then shamelessly defend such fibbing, we should all think twice about the character of those seeking our nation’s highest office.

 
December 28, 2011 (Kensington) Chef/Owner Ken Irvine of the Bleu Boheme invites the public to celebrate the "Reveillon" a New Years Eve celebration for a three -course festive menu with four choices of each course at $59.95 per person this Saturday, December 31. Bleu Boheme is located at 4090 Adams Avenue, San Diego CA 92116, in the Kensington area (between Terrace Drive and Kensington Drive).

December 27, 2011 (Bonita) - A dune buggy accident has claimed the life of David Sylvester Metje, a 52-year-old married man from Bonita.  Metje was the driver and sole occupant of an off-road vehicle when he lost control and was ejected. The accident ccurred in the 4700 block of Butternut Hollow Lane in Bonita.

December 27, 2011 (Otay) – San Diego Police seek help to locate Josephina Yolanda Lopez, 58.  “The San Diego Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue Unit has been called out to look for Lopez,” said Lt. Andra Brown.

 By Charlotte Reed

• East County Realtors rally to aid less fortunate at Christmas time
• Two new scams reported in East County

 Travels in time to Bucuresti, Romania

December 27, 2011 (Valley Center) – Thieves ransacked a Valley Center home last Thursday, making off with over $10,000 worth of belongings. The family’s cherished miniature Yorkshire Terrier, “Cookie”, is also missing. 

“She’s part of our family,” owner Joanne Hansen told ECM news partner 10 News. The dog weighs just one pound, eight ounces.

By Walter Davis

Update December 27, 2011:   The victim has been identified as Daniel C. Dacon, Jr., 24, a single man who lived with his parents n San Diego. 

December 26, 2011 (Barrett Junction) – A motorcyclist has died at the scene of an accident on State Route 94 just east of Romo Road near the Barrett Café.

December 25, 2011 (Ramona)—Nelson Edward “Mac” MacWilliams, 54, has been identified by the Medical Examiner’s office as the driver who died December 20 in a rollover accident on Wildcat Canyon Road in Lakeside. RamonaPatch.com reports that MacWilliams worked in Congressman Duncan Hunter’s El Cajon office, handling military and veterans’ issues.
 

Company went out of business without recalling dangerous product

December 25, 2011 (Washington D.C.)--The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers again not to use the ShoulderFlex Massager, imported by King International and sold by various companies, due to serious potential health risks.