EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: TOP LOCAL AND STATE NEWS

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September 13, 2012  --  (San Diego’s East County)--East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL REGION

  • U-T San Diego to buy North County Times, Californian (North County Times)
  • Security tightening at Gillespie Field flight schools that service foreign nationals (Santee Patch)
  • San Diego’s low income communities want clean energy (KPBS)
  • Local mom: School puts putting son’s life at risk (10 News)
  • Poway man invents eco-friendly lawn mower (10 News)
  • Arrest made in auto theft series involving Maseratis and Mercedes (Mount Helix Patch)
  • Lakeside crime report: Three cars torched (Santee Patch)
  • Guilty plea by 21st century “snake oil salesman” targeted by 60 minutes (La Mesa Patch)
  • Reporters challenge SDPD credentialing process (CityBeat)

STATE

  • Judge upholds Schwarzenegger reduction of Nunez son’s prison sentence (Sacrament Bee)
  • Jerry Brown: Chamber clearing the way for tax bid by staying neutral (Sacramento Bee)
  • Sikhs applaud as Brown signs 2 anti-discrimination bills

Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.

LOCAL REGION

U-T San Diego to buy North County Times, Californian (North County Times)

September 13, 2012 -- U-T San Diego has agreed to purchase the North County Times from Lee Enterprises Inc., North County Times publisher Peter York said Tuesday. The price was $11.95 million.

The sale of the Times, including The Californian, its edition in Southwest Riverside County, had been rumored for some time. A story in the San Diego Business Journal on Monday said a sale had been completed.

However, York said negotiations continued until late Monday before the deal was officially reached. North County Times staff in Escondido, Oceanside and Temecula were informed of the deal at a meeting Tuesday morning .

http://www.nctimes.com/business/media-u-t-san-diego-to-buy-north-county-times/article_1a704a44-a29c-5435-9ec6-bf8badac660a.html

Security tightening at Gillespie Field flight schools that service foreign nationals (Santee Patch)

September 11, 2012 -- The San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously backed federal legislation to tighten scrutiny on foreign nationals who attempt to receive flight training in the United States at their meeting on Tuesday.

The supervisors also ordered staff to create a local ordinance to require 11 flight schools that operate at San Diego County-run airports to comply with vetting and screening programs for foreign students. Seven are at Gillespie Field, three of which primarily serve international would-be pilots, said Supervisor Dianne Jacob, who brought the proposal to the board.

http://santee.patch.com/articles/security-tightening-at-gillespie-field-flight-schools-that-service-foreign-nationals?ncid=newsltuspatc00000001

San Diego’s low income communities want clean energy (KPBS)

September 6, 2012 -- Amid the flurry of bills sent to Governor Jerry Brown's desk at the close of the state Assembly session last week, a solar energy bill was left out. Assembly Bill 1990, which would have created small-scale energy projects in low-income neighborhoods, failed to find the needed support.

A recent poll about solar energy taken among residents in Barrio Logan, Sherman Heights, City Heights and National City showed 72 percent of those residents would be willing to pay 10 cents more a month for SDG&E to install solar in their communities.

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2012/sep/06/san-diegos-low-income-communities-want-clean-energ/

Local mom: School puts putting son’s life at risk (10 News)

September 6, 2012 -- A Kearny Mesa mother is outraged that her child's school is telling her it can't give her son his life-saving medicine if he needs it.

Reed's 7-year-old son, Nico, is severely allergic to tree nuts and needs to have his Epinephrine injection (EpiPen) nearby, just in case.

http://www.10news.com/news/31417194/detail.html

Poway man invents eco-friendly lawn mower (10 News)

September 3, 2012 -- A Poway man has invented an eco-friendly lawn mower that operates using technology from a bicycle. "The Cycle Mower was designed to be the world's most energy-efficient, human-powered lawn mower," he told 10News. Hartman came up with the idea four years ago after a bike ride. When he got home, he had to mow the lawn.

http://www.10news.com/news/31408158/detail.html

Arrest made in auto theft series involving Maseratis and Mercedes (Mount Helix Patch)

September 10, 2012 -- Nearly three dozen vehicles have been recovered in an ongoing investigation of 85 rental-car thefts including such high-end makes as Maserati, Mercedes and Land Rover, authorities said Friday.

Wesam Georges, 33, of El Cajon was arrested in connection with the thefts Thursday night in San Diego's Mid-City area, CHP Capt. Scott Parker, commander of the Regional Auto Theft Task Force, said Monday.

Georges was released on $50,000 bond, according to Tanya Sierra of the District Attorney's Office, who added: “If we file charges, he is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 17 for arraignment at 1:30 downtown.” 

http://lamesa.patch.com/articles/arrest-made-in-record-local-auto-theft-series-including-maseratis?ncid=newsltuspatc00000001

Lakeside crime report: Three cars torched (Santee Patch)

September 7, 2012 -- The following information comes from Santee Sheriff’s Dept. reports. The suspects have not been convicted of a crime.

http://santee.patch.com/articles/lakeside-crime-report-d4d78243?ncid=newsltuspatc00000001

Guilty plea by 21st century “snake oil salesman” targeted by 60 minutes (La Mesa Patch)

September 9, 2012 -- Nearly 2½ years after 60 Minutes labeled him a 21st century snake-oil salesman, former La Mesa merchant Larry Stowe has pleaded guilty to federal charges.

Along with a partner from Brownsville, TX, who also pleaded guilty, Stowe faces a five-year prison sentence and $250,000 fine for one conspiracy conviction and up to three years and additional fines for other convictions.

http://lamesa.patch.com/articles/guilty-plea-entered-by-21st-century-snake-oil-salesman-targeted-by-60-minutes?ncid=newsltuspatc00000001

Reporters challenge SDPD credentialing process (CityBeat)

September 12, 2012 -- As of Sept. 15, 436 individuals held media credentials issued by the San Diego Police Department.

“We’re pretty liberal on most of this stuff, we really are,” SDPD Det. Gary Hassen says. Under an agreement brokered by the San Diego Police Chiefs’ and Sheriff’s Association, SDPD is the sole regional provider of press badges.

But some members of the media say SDPD isn’t liberal enough and allege the credentialing process is not managed fairly or evenly.

http://www.sdcitybeat.com/sandiego/article-10954-reporters-challenge-sdpd-credentials-process.html?utm_source=cooleremail&utm_medium=email&utm_content=23580&utm_campaign=193579

STATE

Judge upholds Schwarzenegger reduction of Nunez son’s prison sentence (Sacrament Bee)

September 8, 2012 -- Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's reduction of the voluntary manslaughter sentence of his pal Fabian Núñez's son was "distasteful," "repugnant" and an abuse of his discretion – but it wasn't illegal, according to a judge who let it stand Friday.

In turning back an effort by a slain man's family to throw out the commutation and reimpose Esteban Núñez's full 16-year prison term, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Lloyd G. Connelly said in a ruling from the bench that Schwarzengger was empowered by his executive authority to do what he did.

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/08/4799012/judge-lets-nunez-sentence-stand.html

Jerry Brown: Chamber clearing the way for tax bid by staying neutral (Sacramento Bee)

September 1, 2012 --  Gov. Jerry Brown said today that it is "amazing" the California Chamber of Commerce's decided to take no position on his Nov. 6 ballot initiative to raise taxes, adding that the group's neutrality is "basically clearing the way" for passage of the measure.

"The chamber is neutral," Brown said, "which is amazing that the Chamber of Commerce would work so carefully with my administration and is not in opposition at all - is basically clearing the way for us."

The Democratic governor said at a bill signing event here that the chamber's neutrality "is a very important sign ... it's a very, very positive indicator of Proposition 30's potential to get the 'Yes' vote."

http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/09/jerry-brown-chamber-clearing-the-way-for-tax-bid-by-staying-neutral.html#MTRecentEntries

Sikhs applaud as Brown signs 2 anti-discrimination bills

September 8, 2012 -- Blue, green, saffron, red, pink and black turbans crowded around Gov. Jerry Brown on the north steps of the Capitol on Saturday when he signed two bills designed to battle anti-Sikh discrimination.

"Breaking down prejudice is something you've got to do every day, and to help us do that, I'm going to sign a couple of bills," Brown told an enthusiastic crowd of 500 Sikhs from as far away as Texas and Colorado. "Sikhs everywhere can see in California they are a powerful presence."

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/08/4800993/sikhs-applaud-as-brown-signs-2.html


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