Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

February 24, 2024 (Cathedral City, Calif.) - The San Diego State softball team dropped a 7-0 decision to three-time defending NCAA champion and top-ranked Oklahoma in its final game of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic Saturday in Cathedral City, California. The Aztecs (8-6) finished 3-1 for the tournament with wins over previously unbeaten No. 11/13 Missouri and Nebraska.

By Miriam Raftery

February 24, 2024 (El Cajon) – The family of Akeel Robinson, a 17-month-old toddler critically injured by flying concrete in a crash caused by a wrong-way driver Jan. 28 in El Cajon have launched a GoFundMe drive to help pay medical expenses. The boy remains hospitalized with serious head and neck injuries.Donate here:  https://www.gofundme.com/f/medical-expenses-for-baby-akeel?utm_campaign=...

Akeel’s father, Anthony Robinson, was stopped at a traffic light in El Cajon with his three children in the family’s SUV, including Akeel, who was asleep in a car seat. Then a woman driving  a pickup truck the wrong-way on I-8 crashed into a concrete guardrail and plunged off the overpass.  It struck a wall below and burst into flames next to Robinson’s SUV. The wrong-way driver, Katy Frausto Aguilar, died at the scene.

Robinson was able to help his two older children out of the vehicle, but Akeel was slumped over, his head bleeding. He was rushed to Rady Children’s Hospital, where he underwent surgery for a fractured skull. To reduce brain swelling, he was put into a medically induced coma with part of his skull temporarily removed.

Ashleigh Jarrell, a cousin of Akeel’s mother, Kayte Blocker, has organized the GoFundMe page as the family’s medical bills mount.

East County News Service

February 23, 2024 (Lemon Grove) -- The Lemon Grove Lions Club is always actively collecting gently used reusable eyeglasses for the Lions Club International Recycle for Sight Program.

Refractive errors can be easily corrected with eyeglasses, yet millions of people living in low and middle-income areas lack access to basic eye care services. The Lions Club recognizes the urgent need for corrective lenses and collects usable eyeglasses in their communities. The lack of eyeglasses denies children and adults opportunities for education, employment, and a better quality of life. 

February 23, 2024 (San Diego) -- The U.S. Small Business Administration will open an SBA Business Recovery Center in National City on Monday, Feb. 26, to provide a wide range of services to businesses countywide impacted by the severe storm and flooding that occurred Jan. 21 - 23.

No appointment is necessary. All services are provided free of charge. The Business Recovery Center will be located at :

Southwestern College, Higher Education Center National City

First Floor, Room 7100 - Center for Business Advancement

880 National City Blvd., National City, CA  91950

It will be open starting Monday, Feb. 26 at 12 p.m. and thereafter Mondays-Fridays from 8:30 a.m.. to 5 p.m.

Source: Spring Valley Community Alliance

February 22, 2024 (Spring Valley, CA) -- Spring Valley residents applaud Tuesday's approval of FEMA aid for those affected by the January 22 rainstorm, but the community is already taking action to support recovery efforts. A coalition of area churches, community organizations, and residents led by the Spring Valley Community Alliance have partnered to open a site at Spring Valley Community Church to collect and distribute donations for those affected. 

A donation site located at 3310 Bancroft Drive, Spring Valley will open Saturday February 24 from 10am to Noon. The site's regular hours will be Mondays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to Noon.

While the waters receded quickly from the thousand-year flood, more than 200 Spring Valley homes were left badly impacted. Cars, furniture, appliances, and other essential belongings were left severely damaged or destroyed.  

"Many Spring Valley residents were left with the clothes on their backs and the items they could grab as they attempted to escape the rising waters," said Chris Pierce, Vice President of the Spring Valley Community Alliance. "There are physical needs that our neighbors have beyond what the County Resource Center set up at the Spring Valley Library could provide."

The Aztecs finished the game on a 20-4 run and have won seven of their last nine games

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

February 21, 2024 (San Diego) - The San Diego State women’s basketball team (18-10, 9-6) beat Air Force (12-16, 5-10) 73-63 inside Viejas Arena Wednesday night for their seventh win in the last nine games.

East County News Service

February 21, 2024 (Santa Ysabel, CA) – An 11-year-old girl has died as a result of a two-vehicle collision that occurred in Santa  Ysabel on February 17 around 2:40 p.m.

According to Officer Jared Grieshaber with the California Highway Patrol, an Escondido woman,27, was driving a 2020 Honda Accord with three passengers. She was headed east on State Route 76 and stopped at the intersection with State  Route 79, then pulled out in front of a 2022 Ford F-150 pickup truck that was heading south on  State Route 79.

By Miriam Raftery

February 21, 2024 (Santee) – The Santee Firefighters Association (SFA) is sponsoring the “Protect Santee” ballot initiative aimed at improving fire protection. The city’s fire department resources have not kept pace with growth in the community, a problem so severe that firefighters and emergency medical first responders are not able to meet national safety response time standards, multiple reports confirm.

“With just 17 on-call firefighters and two outdated fire stations, the fire department’s response times are often DOUBLE the crucial 4-minute National Fire Safety Response Standard, as AP Triton reported in its 2023 Santee Community Risk Assessment,” a press release from  the SFA states.

The International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) was hired by the SFA to provide a report on the fire department’s capabilities. It found that most fire engines are staffed by  three firefighters, not the minimum of four required by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Moreover, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that two firefighters cannot enter a burning building or other dangerous situation unless at least two more fighters are outside. So Santee’s three-person crews must wait until another crew arrives before they can enter a burning home, for example.

The study also found most area roads are not currently served  within the safe time frames outlined in the report.  “As such, it results in an increased risk of death or injury to firefighters and the citizens of Santee, as well as increased risk for considerable property loss of housing units and businesses throughout the City,” the report concludes.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: cc via Bing

February 21, 2024 (San Diego)—San Diego will be well represented on the House of Representatives’ new Task Force on Artificial Intelligence (AI). The bipartisan task force’s 24 members include two from San Diego—Democrat Sara Jacobs and Republican Darrell Issa.

The goals of the task force are to explore how Congress can drive innovation and maintain American leadership in AI, assure fair usage of the technology across numerous industries, and safeguard against current and emerging threats.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Flooded cars, City of La Mesa, January 22, 2024

February 20, 2024 (San Diego) – Water damaged vehicles may be flooded the market after the severe January storms submerged many vehicles. Flooded vehicles are apt to have permanent damage to electrical systems including airbags, putting lives at risk. But some water damage can take months or even years to appear.

Most insurers will declare a flooded vehicle a total loss, which means it should be issued a salvage or flood title. It is then sent to auction, where it may be stripped for parts, or sold to unscrupulous buyers who may resell it.

 So how can you protect yourself from buying a flood-damaged vehicle? Here are some tips,compiled from Consumer Reports and NBC news.