East County News Service

Photo: 20-week fetus (public domain image)

May 16, 2015 (Washington D.C.) – The House of Representatives has passed a bill to ban virtually all abortions after 20 weeks.  The bill has an exception only for rape victims, after a 48 hour waiting period.

East County News Service

May 16, 2015 (Mt. Laguna)--The County’s Department of Environmental Health has issued a Boil Water Order for the Mount Laguna Recreation Area’s water system on Sunrise Highway on Friday. The agency indicated that  the drinking water system tested positive for E.Coli and total coliform bacteria, which means water may be contaminated with human or animal waste.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: National Transportation Safety Board, public domain

May 16, 2015 (Philadelphia)—What caused an Amtrak passenger train bound for New York from Washington D.C. to derail in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond neighborhood, killed eight passengers and injuring 200 people?

May 15, 2015 (La Mesa)--Want to learn more about wine but not sure where to start? @Spacebar Café & Wine Bistro invites you to a wine class, tasting and pairing on June 3rd from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Cliff LaPlant is honored by peers and jurors for high-quality photography.



May 14, 2015 (Alpine) – A photograph created by Cliff LaPlant, www.sierralara.com ) of Alpine, California has recently been accepted into the Motif Collective Galleries of Artists Showcase for the 2015 Landscape Photographic Competition. LaPlant’s work is now on display in the Online Gallery at www.motifcollective.com.  This International Photographic Competition is held monthly supporting Fine Art Photographers from around the world.

By Leon Thompson

May 15, 2015 (San Quintin, Baja Mexico) – About 220 miles south of Tecate near the Pacific Coast is the rich agricultural region known as San Quintin.  Strawberry fields stretch as far as the eye can see.  Tomatoes, blackberries and raspberries bound for American grocery stores like Whole Foods and Vons are grown in this fertile valley.  The work is backbreaking, the weather is scorching and the workers work from sunup to sundown.  They earn around $5 per day – about the cost of a basket of strawberries at Whole Foods.

East County News Service

May 16, 2015 (San Diego) – Award-winning investigative journalist Robert Scheer will speak May 16^th in San Diego on his new book, They Know Everything About you: How Data-Collecting Corporations and Snooping Governmetn Agencies are Destroying Democracy, a groundbreaking exposé of how government agencies and tech corporations monitor virtually every aspect of our lives--and a fierce defense of privacy and democracy. The event benefits KNSJ nonprofit community radio.

 Scheer, also the author of TruthDig, will speak and sign books on Saturday, May 16 at 7 p.m. at the Church of the Brethren, 3850 Westgate Place in San Diego. A dinner will be held at 6 p.m. Dinner is $10 and the presentation is $10.  Tickets for both are $19 at the door or $16 in advance.  Tickets can be reserved online at www.knsj.org.

By Janis Russell

May 14, 2015 (La Mesa)- At yesterday’s board meeting, staff at Helix Water District presented a drought action plan and resolution to the board.  No action was taken, with the measure slated to be brought back to the board for action  on May 20^th. If approved, the plan calls for tough enforcement and hefty fines of up to $500 against heavy residential water users who fail to cutback water use.

By Leon Thompson

May 14, 2015 (Washington D.C.) – A group that wants to kick Andrew Jackson off the $20 bill and replace him with a woman has, after months of collecting votes, chosen a successor: Harriet Tubman.

Tubman was the choice of hundreds of thousands of voters in an online poll by Women on 20s  that started with 15 worthy candidates.  Any of the final four would have been wonderful choices. The other three finalists were former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, civil rights activist Rosa Parks, and Wilma Mankiller, Chief of the Cherokee Nation.

Tubman is certainly an excellent choice and risked her life many times for others.  Tubman is an especially good choice because with every $20 dollar bill with her likeness on it, we will be reminded about the good that came out of the Civil War. 

May 14, 2015 (La Mesa) -- Park Station is coming before the La Mesa Planning Commission for the third time since the application was first submitted in 2008. The hearing will be held on May 20 at 7:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers. The first time it was kicked to the curb on the basis of height and density. The second time everyone -including the applicant- was stunned when the American Legion Hall withdrew their co-application during the hearing, requiring the Kitzman’s to come up with a new plan.

May 14, 2015 (San Diego)--Explore Mission Trails Day celebrates unparalleled outdoor opportunities within the confines of a major city. Mission Trails Regional Park is one of the nation’s largest urban parks. But it isn’t size alone which sets it apart. Mission Trails Regional Park is a natural—or “open space” urban park. The biodiversity represented here, because of the variety of habitats located within its bounds, is astonishing.

Pala receives largest On-Bill Financing loan in California for energy efficiency initiatives

May 14, 2015 (San Diego)-- San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) presented a $1,246,692.70 check to the Pala Band of Mission Indians and Pala Casino Spa & Resort for energy-efficient equipment scheduled to be installed in the nearly 630,000 square feet property on May 4^th, , making it the largest On-Bill Financing loan ever issued in California.

May 13, 2015 (San Diego's East County) - The Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation (MTRP) will present an exhibition featuring two award winning photographers Jodie Hulden and Robert Treat. This exhibit will be on display in the Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor Center Art Gallery May 23 – June 19, 2015.  The public is cordially invited to a reception in honor of the artists on Sunday, May 31, 2015 from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

May 13, 2015 (San Diego's East County)-- East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

NATIONAL

• China, India Surpass Mexico As Leading Sources Of New Immigrants To U.S. (NPR)
• Court ruling against NSA practice could reverberate far beyond phone spying (CS Monitor)
• Federal Judge Rejects Warrantless Search of Laptop Seized at Airport (Reason)
• House Approves USA Freedom Act, Extending And Revising The Patriot Act (NPR)
• U.S. House votes to ban most abortions after 20 weeks (Reuters)
• Texas, Arkansas governors declare disasters after deadly tornadoes (Reuters)
• Illinois languishes as lowest ranked state by credit: survey (Reuters) 
• Christians In U.S. On Decline As Number Of 'Nones' Grows, Survey Finds (NPR)
• Puerto Rico orders water-rationing measures amid dry spell (AP)

INTERNATIONAL

• Exclusive: Czechs stopped potential nuclear tech purchase by Iran - sources (Reuters)
• North Korea warns of 'targeted strikes' against South's navy (Reuters)
• Nepal earthquake kills dozens, triggers panic (Reuters)
• 1,600 Rohingya, Bangladeshi migrants reach land while thousands remain at sea (CS Monitor)
• Insulting police online banned by Granby, Que., bylaw (CBS News)
• Israeli general sees common interests with Hamas (Reuters) 
• Venezuela Faces Crime Epidemic (NPR)
• Police torture in China still routine despite reforms: rights group (Reuters)
• Diplomats: Traces of chemical weapons agents found in Syria (AP)

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