Source: Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District

October 19, 2021 (El Cajon)  – Grossmont College’s 43rd annual Career Expo will be virtual again this year to avoid the crush of attendees the popular event typically draws, but organizers are making the online environment as interactive as they can.

Grossmont College, the San Diego Workforce Partnership, and the East County Chamber of Commerce will host the free, public event 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 27.

Students, alumni, job- and career- seekers in the general public can register at https://tinyurl.com/VirtualCareerExpo2021. Employers can register for free at https://tinyurl.com/5ctu4xyb. A Remo login will be emailed upon registration.

Remo is an easy-to-use virtual conference platform that will allow job-seekers to visit multiple “tables” and be interviewed privately in real time by potential employers. When the conference switches to presentation mode, attendees can visit as avatars. A digital room with tables will be available where they can sit and listen to presentations. They can also take part in chat and networking sessions among themselves and vendors.

Source: County Office of Emergency Services

File photo by Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

October 18, 2021 (San Diego) – Cleanup crews worked throughout the weekend to remove remaining tar balls and assess beaches  after the recent Huntington Beach oil spill.  Workers removed all boom in Orange and San Diego counties with the exception of Talbert Marsh. All public beaches in Orange County and San Diego County are open, San Diego County’s Office of Emergency Services announced today.

By Miriam Raftery

October 17, 2021 (La Mesa) – A memorial service for long-time local umpire and newsman Michael “Mike” Jon Hart  will be held on November 9 at 11 a.m. at the La Mesa National Little League Field.  Hart spent years as an umpire behind the plate at the field where he also played baseball in his youth.  A 1970 graduate of Grossmont High, where he also coached, Hart spent decades umpiring local youth and college sports, became President of the San Diego County Umpires Association, and was inducted into the San Diego Sports Officials Hall of Fame.

“It would really mean a lot to our family, and a true honor to Mike, if we saw a lot of umpires in the audience,” says Carlynne Albee, sister of Hart’s wife, Michelle Harvey. Umpires are invited to dress in uniform as a tribute.

Hart, also known locally as the long-time publisher of the Julian News , died September 14 after battling brain and lung cancer.

By Henri Migala

October 16, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) -- If you’ve ever seen the classic 1972 movie, Jeremiah Johnson, played by Robert Redford, about the golden age of Mountain Men, you might remember the last line of the movie, “…. and some men say, he’s up there still.”

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.