By Maryanne Jackson

Photo via Maryanne Jackson

May 14, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) -

Dear Maryanne,

I was wondering what the status is with home sales now.

Are Realtors still listing properties and conducting business as usual?

--Mureen S., Casa De Oro, Spring Valley

By Emmet Pierce

May 12, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) -- While East County residents anxiously wait out the COVID-19 pandemic, community groups and concerned citizens are rallying to help those in need.

May 12,  2020 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future—including the latest on COVID-19.

HEALTH

• 15 children in N.Y.C. identified with rare COVID-linked condition. More cases are likely out there. (NBC)
• Second-trimester miscarriage attributed to a coronavirus infection of placenta (CNBC)
• The coronavirus can be found in semen, raising questions of whether it can be sexually transmitted, new research says (Business Insider)
• In race for a coronavirus vaccine, an Oxford group leaps ahead (Seattle Times)
• Purplish Lesions On Feet Could Be Sign Of Virus, Say Dermatologists (Huffington Post)
• Young and middle-aged people, barely sick with covid-19, are dying from strokes (Washington Post)
• Hopes High for Anti-inflammatories to Combat COVID-19 Immune System Storms (TCT MD)
• Remdesivir drug shows promise -- but it is far from a coronavirus cure (CNN)
• Expert report predicts up to two more years of pandemic misery (CNN)
• The Dr. Fauchi of the 1918 Spanish flu (Forbes)

SCIENCE

• ‘Murder Hornets’ in the U.S.: The Rush to Stop the Asian Giant Hornet (New York Times)
• Elon Musk defies coronavirus order and asks to be arrested (The Verge)
• People Are Social Distancing Less, Cell Phone Data Show  (NPR)

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

By Ben Christopher | CALmatters 

CALmatters is an independent public interest journalism venture covering California state politics and government.

Photo:  CalMatters is tracking lawsuits against California's shelter-in-place order and other pandemic responses. Photography by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters; elements via iStockView Commentskkkkkk

May 11, 2020 (San Diego) - Alongside the beach-goers denied, the indignant gun shop owners and the house-bound pastors, Gov. Gavin Newsom now has yet another ticked off challenger to face in court: an extremely disappointed bride-to-be.

Pandemic’s impacts on Live Nation, operator of The Magnolia performing arts center, also discussed

By Paul Kruze, Contributing Editor

El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells Video

 

Santee Mayor John Minto Video

May 8, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) -- “When people are bored and feel trapped, they often resort to using drugs and alcohol. We’re going to see a huge increase in drug and alcohol abuse that’s going to have a corresponding effect on domestic violence and other problems like that,” said El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells (R) as a part of an hour-long question and answer webcast presented and moderated by San Diego County Republican Central Committee Chairman Tony Krvaric last Tuesday. 

By Mikhail Zinshteyn, CalMatters

CALmatters is an independent public interest journalism venture covering California state politics and government.

Photo:  A student walks back to her car after picking up eggs, milk, produce and dried goods from the weekly drive-thru food pantry at Santa Monica College. Photo by Mikhail Zinshteyn for CalMatters

May 8, 2020 (San Diego) - In the third week of April, Shannon Hill approved the donation of some $35,000 in emergency aid to 40 students at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Rev. Shane Harris, People’s Alliance for Justice

May 2, 2020 (San Diego) – San Diego County will deploy mobile testing sites to at-risk communities. The vehicles will include a new Live Well Bus, bookmobiles and other County vehicles, the County announced on Thursday. The County also announced plans to dramatically increase tracing of contacts with each person who tests positive and announced job openings for tracers.

By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Network

Photo:  A Scripps Health medical team. Group president/CEO says San Diego needs “PPE, pharmaceuticals and scarce medical equipment needed in this type of pandemic.” Photo courtesy of Scripps

May 1, 2020 (San Diego) - Executives with Scripps Health and Sharp HealthCare, two major San Diego hospital chains, have written to the federal government seeking “urgent action” to combat COVID-19 along the U.S.-Mexico border.

By Miriam Raftery

April 30, 2020 (San Diego) – Starting tomorrow, a new county health order eases many restrictions on recreational facilities. Specifically:

• All county parks will be reopened, with 50% parking capacity for social distancing.
• Members of the same household can picnic or participate in sports or other activities in parks, but gatherings are still prohibited.
• Recreational boating can resume at local lakes, bays and the ocean, however passengers must be in the same household.
• Golf courses can also reopen, but golf carts are not allowed. Courses must provide physical distancing and conduct temperature screenings on all golfers.

Source:  San Diego Foundation

April 28, 2020 (San Diego) - Today the San Diego Foundation Board of Governors announced it approved $5 million to support short-term, interest-free loans to San Diego County nonprofit organizations impacted by COVID-19.  

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Network

Photo:  Lifeguards enforce the closure of city beaches. Photo by Chris Stone

April 24, 2020 (San Diego) - San Diego County officials announced Friday that coastal cities may reopen beach access for swimming, surfing, paddleboarding and kayaking on Monday.

“The ocean is a symbol of who we are as San Diegans, and it is appropriate at this point that we open up limited access to the ocean as a step in our continued progress,” said Fletcher at the county’s daily media briefing during the coronavirus pandemic..

By Chris Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Network

Photo:  Enrique Morones, shown at a Waterfront Park rally in 2018, reminds state officials: “By helping the undocumented community, you’re really helping yourself.” Photo by Chris Stone

April 19, 2020 (San Diego) - Among Gov. Gavin Newsom’s indicators to be used before stay-at-home orders can be eased (and the economy reopened) are testing and contact tracing.

But what if California’s 2 million undocumented immigrants are too fearful to be tested?

By Suzanne Potter, Public News Service

Photo:  Creative Commons via Bing

April 17, 2020 (Sacramento) - Consumer groups want insurance companies to help prop up the restaurant industry, which has taken a massive hit in the COVID-19 crisis. Tens of thousands of restaurants have been forced to close their dining rooms, and many have closed entirely, resulting in massive layoffs.

By Mei Ling Nazar

 April 16, 2020 (San Diego) -- Nick Warner and his family of four are contributing their volunteer efforts to help healthcare workers on the front lines. Warner, who is a part of the Jesus Geeks Computer Services Ministry at the Rock Church in San Diego,  along with his wife Stephanie, and their children Ryley, 10, and Mason, 8, are utilizing their 3D printers to print face shields for local hospital staff that are in desperate need of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to guard them from the novel Coronavirus. 

East County News Service

April 16, 2020 (Sacramento) – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that effective last Sunday, California workers who are receiving unemployment benefits will begin receiving an extra $600 on top of their weekly amount, as part of the new Pandemic Additional Compensation (PAC) initiated by the CARES Act. This comes as record numbers of unemployment claims are being filed on a weekly basis in the state.