October 15, 2021 (La Mesa) -- Four candidates participated in a lively forum last night hosted by East County Magazine on Zoom and streamed live on Facebook.  Mejgan Afshan, Kathleen Brand, Patricia Dillard and Laura Lothian participated. (Note, Lothian joined a minute late due to techincal issues and is not shown in the screenshot)

shared their diverse views on issues including homelessness, equity/police reforms and public safety,  affordable housing and development, the downtown district and neighborhood revitalization, the potential for a new library and/or community meeting space, public health mandates, the role of the new Arts and Culture Commission, and candidates' endorsements.

Each candidate gave a two minute opening statement and a one minute closing statement. (Two other candidates, Jim Stieringer and Michelle Louden, did not participate in the forum but Stieringer sent candidate information. Read more about the candidates at https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/ecm-host-la-mesa-city-council-candida... .

View forum full screen by clicking the Youtube image above or this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htVd2cSh-2E

You can also share this link on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/EastCountyMagazine/videos/981838262677468

Hear radio versions of the forum broadcast on KNSJ (part 1 and part 2) by clicking the audio links below.

By Mike Allen

October 15, 2021 (Santee) -- The joint powers agency creating the East County Advanced Water Purification (AWP) Program is using a new virtual reality video to inform local citizens about the project as it moves toward construction.

Prospect of a pro-pot industry ballot measure leaves some members fuming

By Mike Allen

Photo:  Kathleen Lippett

October 14, 2021 (Santee) -- The Santee City Council held a third workshop Oct. 13 examining whether to allow cannabis businesses in their city, while making it clear they aren’t fond of the prospect

East County News Service

Event slated for Oct. 30-31 and Nov. 6-7

By Henri Migala

Photos by Mark and Miriam Raftery

October 14, 2021 (Escondido) -- What can be better than knights in shining armor, jousting, pirates, music, food and Halloween? You can have them all at the upcoming Escondido Renaissance Faire.

East County News Service

October 13, 2021 (Ramona) - The 9^th annual Ramona Art & Wine Festival will feature nine wineries participating in the three-day progressive event on Friday to Sunday, November 5, 6 and 7, 2021.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  international border crossing at San Ysidro, via U.S. Customs & Border Patrol

October 13, 2021 (Washington, D.C.) - The White House has announced an easing of COVID-related Title 19 travel restrictions along the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada. Starting next month, non-essential travel across borders will be permitted for travelers who are fully vaccinated. Essential travelers will have to show proof of vaccination starting in January.

By Manuela Tobias, CalMatters

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters

Photo:  Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf speaks during a press conference with Gov. Gavin Newsom at The Unity Council in Oakland to announce additional rent relief on May 10, 2021. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

October 13, 2021 (San Diego) - After more than a year of waiting, landlords in California will once again be allowed to take their tenants to court over missed rent payments as the state's eviction ban ends after tonight.

Some cities and counties will have ongoing protections for renters, and the state will also keep a few guardrails in place — all tied to billions of dollars in rent relief the state is urging landlords and tenants to apply for. About 724,000 California households are still $2.5 billion behind in rent, according to a recent National Equity Atlas anaylsis. And some advocates are warning of a wave of evictions.

Here’s what you need to know about the state’s eviction law going forward:

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Tar balls on a local beach, via San Diego County Office of Emergency Services

October 12, 2021 (San Diego) – If you’ve suffered harm due to the oil spill off the Huntington Beach coast, such as damage to a boat, you can file a claim by calling 1-866-985-8366. 

Below are details on cleanup of vessels, skin contact with tar balls, and reporting oiled wildlife locally, since tar balls have been found on several San Diego County beaches.

Peril by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa (Simon & Schuster, New York, 2021, 482 pages)

Book Review by Dennis Moore

          “We have much to do in this winter of peril.” -- President Joseph R. Biden Jr. in his inaugural address, January 20, 2021, at the United States Capitol

October 12, 2021 (San Diego) -- Peril, by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa is the scariest book that I have read among my more than 400 book reviews, for it portends the destruction of our democracy as we once knew it. The publishers of this well written book, Simon & Schuster, states: “The transition from President Donald J. Trump to President Joseph R. Biden Jr. stands as one of the most dangerous periods in American history.”

This book is scary for all the revelations made in it about the former president, which is ongoing in the aftermath of the January 6, 2021 attempt at a coup at the Capital Building in Washington, DC, and the ties between former President Trump and his supporters. The co-author of this book, Robert Costa, gives a riveting audio presentation to NPR, which readers can listen to by clicking here.

By Tom and Nadin Abbott

October 11, 2021 (Santee) The call came in at approximately 12:15 p.m. to the Heartland Dispatch center. A small plane had gone down in a residential neighborhood of Santee, initally reported at 9915 N. Magnolia Ave.

The plane, later identified as a Cessna 340 twin engine six-seater by the Federal Aviation Administration, crashed into at least one house that was destroyed by the impact, which was actually on the corner of Green Castle and Jeremy. Neighboring homes also suffered damage from the flames.

Two people were confirmed killed on scene and two transported to the hospital, according to Santee Assistant Chief Justin Matsushita. The injured were in the first house hit. Their condition is unknown, but they were conscious when transported.

Bystander recounts efforts to help rescue survivors from burning home

By Miriam Raftery and Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

Nadin and Tom Abbott also contributed to this report.

Photo, left: Screenshot off video by ECM news partner 10 News

October 11, 2021 (Santee) – A plane has crashed near Santana High School close to the intersection of Greencastle and Jeremy, setting homes nearby on fire.

Two fatalities are confirmed and two others have been transported to a hospital with injuries. 

A temporary evacuation point has been set up at the Cameron Family YMCA at 10123 Riverwalk Drive, Santee, for families displaced by the crash.

Santana High tweeted that all students are safe and a secure campus order has been lifted.Students are being allowed to leave if they have no afternoon classes.

An ECM reporter witnessed body parts on roofs and scattered across the neighborhood, adding to the trauma facing residents.

Stephanie Diaz, another neighbor, says the crash occurred at 12:12. "It was just like in the movies," she said of the sound, adding that the whole house shook. 

David Witthoft said he used to work on military jets as a mechanic. He said he was in the house when "I heard the pilot go full throttle, and then I heard it hit the ground" with a loud boom. His house filled with smoke and the stench of burning debris, he added.

Numerous homes in the area suffered damage ranging from blown-out windows to cracked solar panels, in addition to two homes destroyed by fire.

Hillcreek Elementary also alerted parents/ guardians that they were "safe and sound."

San Diego Sheriff asks that the public avoid the area. A Hazmat team has been dispatched.

There are reports of a box truck also damaged by the crash.

October 10, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) - East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen on important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• Garland taps FBI in response to ‘disturbing spike’ in threats against educators (Yahoo news)
• Covid is killing rural Americans at twice the rate of people in urban areas (NBC)
• Who wants what out of Congress’s fiscal battles?  (Washington Post)
• Biden to restore three national monuments cut by Trump (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• U.S. appeals court reinstates Texas abortion law, two days after it was halted (Reuters)
• Biden declines Trump request to withhold White House records from Jan. 6 committee (NBC)
• 1 In 7 People Are 'Some Other Race' On the U.S. Census. That's A Big Data Problem (NPR)

WORLD

• Extremists target African village leaders in wave of assassinations (Reuters)
• Journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov win Nobel Peace Prize (CNN)
• Afghanistan: Deadly attack hits Kunduz Mosque during Friday prayers (BBC)

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

October 10, 2021 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• A ‘Historical Event’: First Malaria Vaccine Approved by W.H.O. (New York Times)
• COVID-19 is linked to new diabetes cases—but long-term problems could be more severe (National Geographic)
• Tylenol could be risky for pregnant women – a new review finds acetaminophen may contribute to ADHD, other developmental disorders in children (Richmond.com)
• Hospital system says it will deny transplants to the unvaccinated in ‘almost all situations’ (Washington Post)
• How does COVID-19 affect the brain? A troubling picture emerges. (National Geographic)
• Tennessee doctors who spread COVID-19 vaccine misinformation could lose their licenses (NBC-WBIR)
• Study saying COVID-19 vaccines cause heart inflammation that was hyped by anti-vaxxers, withdrawn due to miscalculation (Business Insider)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Whistleblower: Facebook is misleading the public on progress against hate speech, violence, misinformation (CBS 60 Minutes)
• QR codes are a privacy problem — but not for the reasons you’ve heard (Washington Post)
• Facebook is drawing a bipartisan backlash from Congress, but the SEC could deliver a tougher blow (Washington Post)
• William Shatner's Blue Origin space trip delayed by weather (NBC)

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

East County News Service

October 10, 2021 (La Mesa) -- Spacebar Café and Wine Bistro in La Mesa offers comedy nights the fourth Friday of each month at 7:30 p.m. On October 22, headliner Lisa Gilbert and featured comic Brian Apprille will join comedians Jarwan Nelson, Toni Torquato, Mohammed Sahul, Iris Neal and Gene Levin.