By Mayan Avitable

June 3, 2011 (La Mesa) -- When I first met David Moye, he was a sixth-grader at Maryland Avenue Elementary School in La Mesa, California. The school’s students went on to a variety of colleges, careers and dreams.  David's dreams varied from music to public relations to living the American dream. In 1995, he started his career of weird news wriitng. 



"La Mesa," he says, "is the perfect place to start a career in weird news." After all, he tells me, he remembers the story of Frank Zappa coming up from El Cajon to La Mesa to go to the music store to find an obscure LP he had been searching for since reading a Look magazine article: The Complete Works of Edgard Varèse, Volume One. "Where else coud Zappa have possibly found such a work that influenced the world of modern music so much?" he asks."Where else could you find The Age of Unarius?"  The East County cult-like group believed there would be 33 spacecraft landing one on top of the other to teach us the way of peace and harmony. Those are just two among many experiences that led Moye to start a career in weird news. 

May 24, 2011 (Lake Murray) – Organizers of the annual Music Fest and Fireworks show at Lake Murray seek donations—large and small--to fund this year’s event on the 4th of July.

“We understand times are tight right now, so here's the deal,” a press release issued by Navajo Events, the organizer of the Music Fest, states. “If you and each of your neighbors were able to scrounge up just 20 bucks to donate we would be in great shape."

May 16, 2011 (El Cajon) – Captain Darren Norton and his wife, Mary, will be transferred from the Salvation Army’s El Cajon headquarters to accept new assignments as the Corps Officers at the Pasadena Tabernacle Corps effective June 29th. Captain North has headed up many activities in East County for the Salvation Army, including the annual East County Toy & Food Drive each holiday season as well as efforts to help fire survivors.

 May 4, 2011 (La Mesa) -- La Mesa Firefighters Local 4759 invites you to attend a pancake breakfast fundraiser on May 22, 2011 from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon at the La Mesa fire station 11 at 8034 Allison Avenue, La Mesa. The tickets are $5.00 each. The breakfast will consist of pancakes, eggs, sausage, orange juice and coffee.

April 23, 2011 (Lemon Grove)—Soroptimist International of Lemon Grove recently created and shipped four handmade quilts to their sister club, Soroptimist International of Yamaguchi, which will auction the quilts on May 8 at a special bazaar. Proceeds will benefit displaced victims of the devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear radiation disaster in Japan which have left over a half million people homeless.

April 16, 2011 (San Diego) -- In times of intense personal crisis and community-wide disasters, Sheriff's Department dispatchers are always ready to respond to the call for help. They work under stressful conditions, yet must think clearly and send help to people in need of emergency services.

In honor of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, the County Board of Supervisors recognized these unsung heroes with a proclamation commending Sheriff’s Department dispatchers for outstanding service, leadership and commitment to keeping our communities safe.

More donations needed for annual patriotic event

By Diana Garrett

April 9, 2011 (Julian)--The Julian Fourth of July Parade Committee raised over $800 at a fundraiser held at Wynola Pizza on March 28, putting the committee halfway to its goal of raising $6500 from its new corporate sponsorship program. More than 75 people from all walks of life enjoyed themselves at the event while supporting the parade, which Julian has presented for nearly 20 Independence days.

SDSU and San Diego residents are invited to participate by donating gently worn jeans

Total contribution includes matching program for team member donations to
American Red Cross; public donations also encouraged

March 25, 2011 (San Diego) – Many San Diegans are unaware that the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Unit is an all-volunteer unit.

To learn skills needed for rescuing people who may become trapped in rugged terrain, 25 volunteers are undergoing training this weekend by rappelling down the side of a 70-foot-high tower at Stu Segall Productions in Kearny Mesa.

"You may remember that when the City of San Diego experienced the devastating wildfires in 2007, the citizens of Yokohama donated over one million yen to the Wildfire Disaster Relief Fund." -- Harry Bishop, San Diego-Yokohama Sister City Society

March 21, 2011 (San Diego) – Victims of the 2007 wildfires our region received help from San Diego's sister city, Yokahama Japan. Now, some local residents are seeking to give back to Japanese people in need. The San Diego-Yokohama Sister City Society is establishing a disaster relief fund for victims of the 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

“We are asking everyone to join us to help those who lost loved ones, homes, and communities to this disaster,” Harry Bishop told East County Magazine.

By Jeremy Los

March 12, 2011 (San Diego) -- The massive 9.1 earthquake-fourth worst in recorded history--and subsequent tsunami in Japan Friday has left the world reeling. More than 1,300  are dead, Modern Tokyo Times reports, and 88,000 missing according to Business News. Today, 150,000 have been evacuated due to emergencies at nuclear reactors.  

Safe Start Conference to Take Place March 18

March 7, 2011 (San Diego)--Given that a high number of domestic violence victims are children, the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) and its many partners are sponsoring the Safe Start San Diego 2011 Conference. The event, titled “Working with Children and Families Impacted by Violence”, will take place Friday, March 18  from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Marina Village Conference Center, 1936 Quivira Way, San Diego.

The conference is free and designed for professionals from any organization that serves children, youth and families; however, the general public is also welcome.

By Miriam Raftery

“We want you to have a good start in America, and for the rest of your lives.” – Dory Beatrice, president of La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club, speaking to Somali women at Project Refuge
 

February 17, 2011 (San Diego) – Dory Beatrice felt shocked to learn that people who fled persecution and have been granted asylum in America are being released on the streets of San Diego with no funds, no information on resources, and no place to go.

So she worked with local Rotary chapters to raise funds and open Project Refuge, a transitional housing program in partnership with Somali Family Services that now assists asylees who have no family or friends here to help them.