September 24, 2011, (El Cajon) -- The Mother Goose Parade Association will be holding a fundraising dinner at Mangia Bene's Italian Restaurant,Tuesday, September 27 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. It’s an-you-can-eat buffet dinner, $12 per adult, $8 for children under 10. Mangia Bene's Italian Restaurant is located at 221 East Main Street in El Cajon.
September 24, 2011 (El Cajon)--The Salon Series at the Knox House Museum continues Friday, October 7, with guest Del Hood, executive editor of the formerDaily Californiannewspaper before his retirement. Hood, who is currently writing a book, will share stories of the newsroom. He has also written an article on El Cajon history which is featured on the elcajonhistory.orgwebsite.
September 22, 2011 (San Diego)--After experiencing a wet winter, most of California’s reservoirs are brimming and many people are relaxing their guard about water use — including Mayor Sanders. The mayor decided that San Diego’s reservoirs are in such good shape that the city can afford to draw down its reserves so that it won’t have to buy as much imported water from the County Water Authority which has scheduled a rate increase for January 2012. That decision allowed him to announce that the city will not impose a pass-through increase to the city’s customers this year.
September 24, 2011 (La Mesa)--Frank Abagnale’s life of crime was depicted in a best-selling book and the Steven Spielberg filmCatch Me If You Can. Since his imprisonment, Mr. Abagnale has worked for the FBI for 36 years as a specialist in fraud prevention. As the opening speaker at this year’s FPA conference, he told his own riveting story of forgery, identity theft, and embezzlement.
September 24, 2011 (La Mesa)--Sharp Grossmont Hospital’s Senior Resource Center offers free or low-cost educational programs and health screenings each month. The Senior Resource Center also provides information and assistance for health information and community resources. For more information, call 619-740-4214. For other programs, call 1-800-827-4277 or visit our web site at www.sharp.com.
September 24, 2011 (La Mesa) -- Do you have E-Waste? Are obsolete computers, monitors, laptops, TVs, printers, cell phones, faxes, VCR & DVD players, stereos, cameras, etc. (working or not) cluttering your closets? Are they taking your car’s rightful place in the garage?
Here’s your chance to clean house! Load ‘em up! Bring to the parking lot of the United Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM), 5940 Kelton Avenue, La Mesa, CA 91942 between 10am and 4pm, Saturday, October 8, 2011. There is no drop-off fee. Proceeds benefit the church and Mother Earth!
September 26 – On Thursday, September 29, San Diego’s Civilized Conversation Club will hold an open forum titled “To Fix the Economy, We Must…?” The long-time community discussion group meets each Thursday from 7-9 p.m. at Filter Coffee House, 4096 30th St. in San Diego (map). According to the club’s leader, David Genser of Poway, Civilized Conversation was formed because “It’s hard to find open, respectful discussions of controversial topics, especially in today’s political climate."
Kinde Durkee is accused of stealing funds from dozens of Democratic candidates including Congresswoman Susan Davis, as well as many charitable organizations
September 24, 2011 (La Mesa)--Grossmont Center invites you put on your 60's threads and come to a to a free family-friendly celebration that's a blast from the past.
September 23, 2011 (Julian) – Approximately 1,272 customers are without power tonight in Julian, SDG&E reports, due to an outage caused by a thunderstorm.
The National Weather Service reports thunderstorms and dry lightning are possible tonight and tomorrow across San Diego County.
September 24, 2011 (Alpine) – Alpine Community Planning Group member George Barnett resigned following last night’s meeting, Barnett has informed ECM. “It’s time for me to move on towards other community service activities I wish to pursue, and for others to pick up the baton at the Alpine Community Planning Group,” he said.
September 23, 2011 (Santee)--Sip wine while tapping your toes to some lively music at the Santee Wine and Bluegrass Festival this Saturday, September 24. The festival runs from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at 550 Park Center Drive, Santee, CA 92071. Advance tickets are $30; tickets purchased after September 12 are $35.
September 23, 2011 (San Diego) – A few years ago I watched the 1959 version of Ben-Hur. I sat in my seat mesmerized, so hooked that I did not take a single break during the entire three hours and forty-five minutes (which included the overture and intermission).
September 30, 2011 (Lakeside) – Supervisor Dianne Jacob will be at Mario’s Italian Restaurant, 12440 Woodside Avenue in Lakeside this morning at 8:30 to meet with constituents regarding community problems. Local residents are invited to stop by, voice concerns, and hear what Supervisor Jacob and other citizens have to say.
September 23, 2011 (Alpine) – A proposed 150-room hotel adjacent to the Viejas Casino would be “great for our guests and great for the community,” said Viejas public affairs director Robert Scheid at last night’s Alpine Community Planning Group meeting. The $36 million project would generate 450 construction jobs and upon completion, 45 employees at the hotel, said Scheid.
September 23, 2011 (La Mesa) – A 16-year-old girl was punched repeatedly in the face and robbed of her cell phone by two women Tuesday afternoon. The attack occurred at a bus stop in the 8100 block of Allison--the same block where La Mesa's Police station is located.
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)
September 22, 2011 (San Diego's East County)--ECM World Watch highlights top U.S. and world news stories, published in other media. This week's top headlines include:
U.S.
House approves spending measure opposed by Senate Democrats; shutdown possible (Washington Post)
Obama pushes jobs bill on GOP rivals’ turf (Washington Post)
Perry is focus of attention, attacks at Florida debate (CNN)
One in four U.S. children living in poverty, study finds (Huffington Post)
Postal service wants to end overnight delivery (Reuters)
Troy Davis execution sparks anti-death penalty backlash (Washington Post)
U.S. official: program aimed at Libyan scientistsSan Diego Union Tribune)
Reno’s reckless air tragedy (Daily Beast)
World
Walkout at UN as Ahmadinejad speaks (CNN)
Solar window is green game changer (Israel21c)
Global leaders struggle to calm recession fears (Yahoo News)
September 22, 2011 (Alpine) – A dog that fell and became wedged inside a rocky, 15-foot deep crevasse in the 2600 block of Big Wheel Way is free and in good health, thanks to the extraordinary efforts of Alpine firefighters.
September 22, 2011 (San Diego)--To recognize the efforts of the Ovarian Cancer Advocacy Alliance of San Diego (OCAA) to effect change inthe way medical doctors consider diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer by educating the medical community, patient organizations and the community at large, Congresswoman Susan Davis andtheCity of San Diego issued Proclamations declaring September 2011 as Ovarian Cancer Awareness month.
Celebrate the Chargers with a fun-filled event to benefit San Diego Charger Marcus McNeill’s “Mack’s Miracles Foundation.”
September 12, 2011 (El Cajon)–Westfield Parkway, The San Diego Chargers, and Connection Firm invite you to join a “Super Charger Rally” to support the San Diego Chargers on Saturday, October 1, from 1-4 p.m. The family-friendly event will occur in a tented area in the parking lot at the corner of Fletcher Parkway and Johnson Avenue in El Cajon Proceeds benefit “Mack’s Miracles Foundation,” which strives to promote healthy lifestyles with our youth.
September 21, 2011 (Boulevard, California)--A dear friend lies in hospice for her final days on earth; it is sad, so sad. And not fair. It is incomprehensible, from our perspective. We mouth all the platitudes such as “I cannot imagine what it would feel like to lose my mother” or “I feel for you” and other kind words. We really cannot imagine the feelings until it happens to us, and it will.
Do you believe this quote?
“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” – Teilhard de Chardin, priest, philosopher, geologist, mystic 1881-1995
September 6, 2011 (La Mesa) -- AbEx invades La Mesa Village! Bay area abstract expressionist John Krempel is bringing a selection of larger oil and acrylic paintings to East County for his exciting show September 7 – October 9 at O’Dunn Fine Art. Art lovers are also invited to meet this talented artist at a reception on Wednesday, September 28 from 5-8 p.m.
Influenced by the 20th century San Francisco abstract expressionist movement, Krempel references the beauty of both natural and man-made landscapes in his work. He has been featured in dozens of bay area shows, and is the founder of the Temporary Artists Group (TAG), which brings emerging artists to the community. With degrees in both the arts and psychology, John's paintings dance at the interface of the physical and psychological worlds.
ACPG meeting Thursday includes Powerlink issues as well as proposals for a solar farm, a hotel, zoning changes, and a new park for Alpine
By Miriam Raftery
September 21, 2011 (Alpine) – An already hot agenda for tomorrow night’s Alpine Community Planning Group meeting (set for 6 p.m. at the Alpine Community Center) just got hotter.
On September 19, Aspen, environmental consultant to the California Public Utilities Commission on the Sunrise Powerlink project, released a report on construction and compliance activites for the high-voltage power line. The report reveals over 30 cases of non-compliance and serious incidents including fires, diesel spills, accidents, ignoring monitoring requirements, and heavy objects falling from helicopters--again.
September 22, 2011 (San Diego)--After experiencing a wet winter, most of California’s reservoirs are brimming and many people are relaxing their guard about water use — including Mayor Sanders. The mayor decided that San Diego’s reservoirs are in such good shape that the city can afford to draw down its reserves so that it won’t have to buy as much imported water from the County Water Authority which has scheduled a rate increase for January 2012. That decision allowed him to announce that the city 
Do you have E-Waste? Are obsolete computers, monitors, laptops, TVs, printers, cell phones, faxes, VCR & DVD players, stereos, cameras, etc. (working or not) cluttering your closets? Are they taking your car’s rightful place in the garage? 
3 local Congressional members vote to cut funds for disaster relief
By Brian Lafferty
By Miriam Raftery
Recent comments