EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: OCTOBER 13, 2010

East County Roundup covers the most important news stories of interest to East County residents published in other media.
Latest Roundup headlines include:
• Man convicted in arson case; jury hung on murder charge
• Viejas Indians, state officials alarmed by work on sacred site
• ACLU, local service providers debunk allegations in KPBS series on East African asylum seekers
• California’s cheapest region for business? San Diego, new study says
• Homeless survey results chilling
• Man, woman arrested after pursuit ends with crash
• Lemon Grove district squeezes reserves
• Somalis adjust to life in U.S., but integration and jobs still problems

MAN CONVICTED IN ARSON CASE; JURY HUNG ON MURDER CHARGE
James Kurtenbach found guilty of arson, conspiracy
October 12, 2010 (10 News) -- A Ramona gas station owner was convicted Tuesday of arson and other charges for having an employee set fire to a Mount Woodson home, but jurors could not reach a verdict on a second-degree murder charge stemming from the worker's death in the blaze.
http://www.10news.com/news/25369371/detail.html

VIEJAS INDIANS, STATE OFFICIALS ALARMED BY WORK ON SACRED SITE
October 7, 2010 (Union-Tribune)--The Padre Dam parcel near Lakeside was recently declared a "sanctified cemetery" by the California American Heritage Commission.
The Viejas Indians and state officials expressed serious concern Thursday after an East County water agency dispatched work crews to a parcel near Lakeside that has been declared a sacred burial site.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/oct/07/viejas-indians-state-offi...

ACLU, LOCAL SERVICE PROVIDERS DEBUNK ALLEGATIONS IN KPBS SERIES ON EAST AFRICAN ASYLUM-SEEKERS
October 6, 2010 (San Diego CityBeat) -- A coalition of community groups and service providers–including the ACLU, Horn of Africa, Somali Family Service, and the San Diego Refugee Forum–sent a letter to Rep. Brian Bilbray today debunking allegations in a recent KPBS series that East African asylum seekers may be connected to Al-Shabab, a Somalia-based Islamic terrorist group. After the series came out last week, Bilbray called for congressional hearings on the issue.
http://lastblogonearth.com/2010/10/06/aclu-local-service-providers-debun...

CALIFORNIA’S CHEAPEST REGION FOR BUSINESS? SAN DIEGO COUNTY, REPORT SAYS
State’s taxes remain higher than neighboring states
October 2, 2010 (San Diego Union-Tribune) -- San Diego County is the least expensive area of the state to do business, but taxes in California are high overall compared with those of neighboring states, says a nationwide analysis of business and property taxes released today.
The report — the 16th annual Kosmont-Rose Institute Cost of Doing Business Survey — tracks business tax rates in 413 major U.S. cities, and rates each city using a proprietary index.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/oct/02/report-san-diego-business...

HOMELESS SURVEY RESULTS CHILLING
October 1, 2010 (San Diego Union-Tribune) -- Data from a September survey of 738 homeless San Diegans shows statistically something that most people already know: Life on city streets is far from a breeze.
Eighty percent of those surveyed last week reported being homeless for more than a year, 76 percent reported having at least one behavioral health issue, 55 percent reported having no health insurance, 37 percent were found to have health conditions associated with a high mortality risk and 36 percent reported being a victim of a violent attack since becoming homeless.
Twenty-five percent said they were veterans.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/oct/01/san-diego-homeless-survey...

MAN, WOMAN ARERSTED AFTER PURSUIT ENDS WITH CRASH

October 1, 2010 (10News) -- Two people accused of trying to steal construction equipment led deputies Friday on a chase that ended with a crash at the bottom of a freeway off-ramp in Lemon Grove.
A witness reported people trying to steal a Bobcat, or gear related to a Bobcat, around 9:30 a.m. in the 10000 block of Valle Vista Road in Lakeside, sheriff's Lt. Mike Munsey said.
http://www.10news.com/news/25242517/detail.html

LEMON GROVE DISTRICT SQUEEZES RESERVES
September 30, 2010 (San Diego Union-Tribune) — The Lemon Grove School District spent $614,000 more than it brought in during the last fiscal year, according to district documents.
The district reported revenues of slightly less than $29.8 million and expenses and transfers of a little more than $30.4 million in the 2009-10 fiscal year, which ended June 30. That left Lemon Grove with a general-fund balance of $8.2 million, a 7 percent drop compared with the previous year.
“The Lemon Grove School District is fully solvent,” said Gina Potter, the district’s assistant superintendent of business services. “To get there, however, has been a rough road.”
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/sep/30/lemon-grove-district-sque...

SOMALIS ADJUST TO U.S. LIFE, BUT INTEGRATION AND JOBS STILL PROBLEMS
First in a three-part series
September 28, 2010 (KPBS) - It was 2 o'clock in the morning back in 1988. Amina Farah was about to go from a middle-class mother with a house and a job at the Central Bank of Somalia to refugee. Civil war had just erupted. The dark of the morning lit up with firefights. The air choked with smoke. And Farah says she had no choice but to grab her four-year-old son and run.
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/sep/28/somali-refugees-adjust-life-us-assi...