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September 23, 2011 (San Diego's East County) -- East County Roundup features top news stories of interest to our region, published in other media. Top Roundup stories this week include:
- Grid operators didn’t share info during blackout (San Diego Union-Tribune)
- Outage had roots in Mexico, too (San Diego Union-Tribune)
- Downtown redevelopment: A special report (La Mesa Today)
- Only 5 schools making `adequate progress” in La Mesa Spring Valley District (La Mesa Patch)
- 13 students barred from local middle schools for lack of booster shots (La Mesa Patch)
- City sues 12 marijuana dispensaries(San Diego Union Tribune)
- Sycuan Indians shrink reservation expansion plan (San Diego Union-Tribune)
- Questions over missing items at Lions’ sensory garden (Santee Lakes)
- Jerry Schad dies at 61; hiking writer once lived in La Mesa (La Mesa Patch)
- California borrowing benefits from market, improved budget stability (Sacramento Bee)
GRID OPERATORS DIDN'T SHARE INFO DURING BLACKOUT
September 22, 2011 -- Probes into the massive Sept. 8 blackout are highlighting a communication breakdown between five authorities that balance the electrical grid across southernmost California, western Arizona and Baja California.
A detailed timeline has emerged of the lightning-fast grid failures leading up to the region’s massive blackout on Sept. 8, as a task force of utilities, regulators and system operators reconstruct events. The afternoon outage knocked out power to nearly 7 million people, with most lights back by morning the next day.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/sep/22/5-authorities-handle-electric-grid-didnt-share-inf/
OUTAGE HAD ROOTS IN MEXICO TOO
September 16, 2011 -- Twenty seconds after an Arizona utility worker shorted out a high-voltage power line near Yuma, Ariz., last week, part of a Mexican energy plant shut down, exacerbating an emergency that quickly roiled across southern California, the state’s top transmission official said Friday.
The interruption south of the border was one of nearly two dozen events on five different grids over an 11-minute stretch that culminated in the massive blackout Sept. 8, according to Stephen Berberich, chief executive officer of the California Independent System Operator.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/sep/16/outage-had-roots-in-mexico-too/
DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT: A SPECIAL REPORT
September 24, 2011 -- When the Downtown Village Merchants Association filed its 2010 taxes the IRS form included this routine question: Was the organization a party to a business transaction with any current directors?
The Merchants Association answered “no.’’
But it was – and it still does.
And then the IRS form asked: Does the organization have a written conflict of interest policy?
Again, the Merchants Association answered “no.’’
A review of the latest Downtown Village Merchants Association financial records by LaMesaToday.com, in fact, shows a number of obvious errors that may be red flags to IRS auditors who are cracking down on the performance of non-profit organizations and closely reviewing their adherence to rules that govern tax-exempt groups.
http://www.lamesatoday.com/profiles/blogs/downtown-development-3?xg_source=activity
ONLY 5 SCHOOLS MAKING "ADEQUATE PROGRESS" IN LA MESA SPRING VALLEY DISTRICT
September 21, 2011 -- Three-quarters of the schools in the La Mesa-Spring Valley district aren’t making the improvement grade, according to state Adequate Yearly Progress reports on standardized tests.
Unsatisfied with the progress, officials discussed the K-8 district’s reports for nearly two hours at Tuesday night’s school board meeting.
13 STUDENTS BARRED FROM LOCAL MIDDLE SCHOOLS FOR LACK OF BOOSTER SHOTS
September 22, 2011 -- Despite a 30-day grace period, 13 students in the local K-8 school district have yet to provide proof of the Tdap booster shot or an immunization waiver and have been barred from classes, district officials say.
“Parents had been notified and provided information on where to obtain a free or low-cost vaccine,” said David Kinzel, La Mesa-Spring Valley School District coordinator of student intervention.
http://lamesa.patch.com/articles/13-students-barred-from-la-mesa-spring-valley-schools-for-lack-of-shots
CITY SUES 12 MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES
September 21, 2011 -- The City Attorney’s Office on Wednesday filed civil complaints against a dozen medical marijuana dispensaries it says are operating within 600 feet of schools, a violation of state law.
City Attorney Jan Goldsmith is seeking injunctions against the collectives for allegedly flouting city zoning laws “in a manner that puts our children at great risk.”
“We are asking the court to shut them down now,” he said.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/sep/21/city-attorney-files/
SYCUAN INDIANS SHRINK RESERVATION EXPANSION PLAN
September 16, 2011 -- The Sycuan Indian band has scaled back a proposal to dramatically expand the size of its reservation near El Cajon, saying the smaller footprint was spurred by environmental concerns.
The tribe wants federal permission to gain sovereign control over 1,350 acres it already owns, including the sprawling Sycuan Resort, down from the 2,000 acres it proposed in 2009.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/sep/16/sycuan-indians-shrink-reservation-expansion-plan/
QUESTIONS OVER MISSING ITEMS AT LION'S SENSORY GARDEN
September 22, 2011 -- Longtime Rancho Santee Lions member Ike Enzenauer is not holding back his concern regarding the recent disappearance of plants and plaques at the Santee Lions’ Sensory Garden, a fragrant garden for the blind and sight impaired at Lake 4 of the Santee Lakes.
“It just makes you wonder if you should do good things,” Enzenauer said.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/sep/22/questions-arise-over-disappearance-of-items-at-lio/
JERRY SCHAD DIES AT 61; HIKING WRITER ONCE LIVED IN LA MESA
September 22, 2011 -- Jerry Schad, the prolific hiking writer and former La Mesan, died Thursday at his home in downtown San Diego, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported on its website. He was 61.
“I am beyond heartbroken,” his wife, Peg Reiter, said in an email to the Union-Tribune’s Steve Schmidt, who wrote a long profile of Schad’s battle with kidney cancer.
Schad’s Afoot & Afield in San Diego Countybooks are considered the definitive guide to local hiking. His Reader magazine column, Roam-O-Rama, began in January 1993 and ended only last July with a piece titled End of the Trail.
CALIFORNIA BORROWING BENEFITS FROM MARKET, IMPROVED BUDGET STABILITY
September 21, 2011 -- Wall Street, which has long frowned on California and its budget grief, cracked a smile Tuesday.
In its first sale of general obligation bonds since the passage of a rare, on-time state spending plan, California will pay tens of millions of dollars less in interest than it did last fall.
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/09/21/3926092/california-borrowing-benefits.html
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