September 24, 2012 (Valley Center) – Collin Barnes, a 21-year-old college student and church preschool teacher who lived with his parents in Valley Center, told his parents he was going for a run up Flat Top Mountain near their home to photograph the sunset on September 13. When he failed to return, his family called the Sheriff’s Department.
September 24, 2012 (Ramona) – A man, 34, was shot and killed in Ramona on September 16 at 3 p.m. following an altercation with a homeowner and the homeowner’s son in the 1300 block of Walnut Street.
According to Lt. Glenn Giannantonio with the Sheriff’s Homicide Detail, the victim was unknown to the homeowner. “The man got into an argument with the homeowner and the two started fighting. The homeowner's adult son also got involved in the altercation. The homeowner's son retrieved a gun from the residence and the man was ordered to leave at gunpoint. There was a struggle over the gun and the man was shot by the homeowner.”
September 24, 2012 (San Diego)—La Mesa resident Norrie Robbins, PhD helped organize a San Diego rally yesterday in support of Proposition 37, a ballot measure that if passed will require labeling of genetically modified foods.
September 24, 2012 (San Diego)--My trusted veteran sources tell me that we may soon know if Veterans for Common Sense v. Eric K. Shinseki, the historic lawsuit filed by veterans advocates against the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) way back in 2007, will be heard by the Supreme Court.
Block’s AB1731 requires lifesaving testing of newborns for heart disease
September 17, 2012 (San Diego)--Little Caleb Peltier celebrated his second birthday today at the Balboa Park playground with his parents, his brother and some new friends who all celebrated the fulfillment of the one birthday wish they all had for the toddler who has experienced more familiarity with hospitals, surgeries, and emergency rooms than many adults.
BLM Begins Rio Mesa Project EIS Process to Strong Opposition Over Desert Solar Siting
Story and photo by Robert Lundahl
September 17, 2012 (Blythe, California)--The Bureau of Land Management scoping meeting for the Rio Mesa Solar Plant outside Blythe, California likely caused heartburn for the BLM, applicant Brightsource, and related subcontractors and agencies last Thursday.
September 24, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – Cal Fire reports this morning that an estimated 20 homes have been destroyed and another 10 damaged, along with approximately 15 outbuildings. The fire is now 2,000 acres and 10% contained.
Homes lost are all in the Tierra del Sol area, Mike Mohler of Cal Fire told ECM. “We’re going to go out right now to compile a list of the addresses,” he said when asked for details on locations of residences that burned.
“Tierra del Sol and Jewel Valley remain evacuated and are still threatened,” Roxanne Provaznik of Cal Fire said in a release issued at 6:50 am. Highway 94 is closed between the Shockey Truck Trail east to Jewel Valley.
September 23, 2012 (Campo)-- On arrival at the Golden Acorn Casino, a plume of smoke rose in the distance.The wildfire, named Shockey Fire by CAL-Fire, was making swift progress east towards Jacumba. Some residents forced to evacuate were looking on, concern etched on their faces, as the thick billows rose into the sky.
Update 12:10 a.m. September 24 -- Due to the wildfires, all schools in the Mountain Empire Unified School District will be closed on Monday Sept. 24.
Update 11:45 p.m. – The Shockey Fire has swelled to 2,000 acres and is 10% contained, Cal-Fire Battalion Chief Mike Mohler advises. Evacuation advisory for Jacumba; structure threat and evacuations continue for Boulevard and Tierra del Sol communities. Numerous structures are damaged or destroyed; Southwest power grid is also threatened.
September 23, 2012 (San Diego's East County)Update 5:10 p.m. - The Shockey Fire has topped 1,000 acres, IPN reports. Numerous outbuildings have burned, Cal Fire confirms. Scanner traffic now indicates that at least four homes have burned in the Tierra del Sol area.
SDG&E reports that the Shockey Fire has left 183 customers without power in Live Oak Springs, Boulevard and Jacumba. Powerlines have burned and some lines are down.
Jewel Valley is under mandatory evacuation orders following earlier evacuations of 77 homes in Tierra del Sol.
The Evacuation Center has been changed to Mountain Empire High School, 3305 Buckman Springs Road. If you need help evacuating large animals, call 619-767-2675 or 619-236-2341.
Please join us this evening to enjoy some cheer and help fund live reporting of wildfires and other hot news in East County! We now have THOUSANDS of dollars in great prizes!
Join us Wed. Sept. 26 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at El Cajon Brewing Co. for beer-tasting, great food, live music by Charlie Rae (she's opened for Sheryl Crow and other stars), tons of prizes, hot cars from Carrera Coachwerks and more during El Cajon's Classic Cruises' season finale.
First 100 guests get a $10 voucher for FREE FOOD OR BEER!
September 23, 2012 (Boulevard) – Boulevard Planning Group Chair Donna Tisdale has provided ECM with a dramatic eyewitness account of the Shockey Fire, which started on the Campo Reservation just west of her home in Boulevard. Power and phone lines have burned down, she reports, adding that the area has no cell phone reception.
“A Deputy showed up to warn us and recommended evacuation.We stayed and the fire raged through parts of our Morning Star Ranch and our son's property next door. Together we have over 300 acres--much now looks other worldly, stark and smoldering,” wrote Tisdale, who sent photos taken from her property.
September 23, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – Help tell East County’s story through photos!
The Far East Project, a print/multimedia anthology and performance project, is comprised of personal narratives, interviews and histories from East County communities and residents. This living history project for our region is sponsored by San Diego Foundation Arts and Culture Foundation along with So Say We All.
You’re invited to submit photos that “capture the soul of East County” as you see it. Deadline for entries is Sunday, October 7, 2012.
September 23, 2012 (San Diego's East County) -- A Cal Fire vehicle traveling east on Highway 94 at Forrest Gate, in the vicinity of the Shockey Truck Trail fire, has been struck by shots fired. The shots are believed to be from a pellet gun, a Cal Fire individual reported, scanner traffic indicates. The driver's side window was broken, but no one was injured.
September 23, 2012 (Del Mar)-- Democrats gathered on the off ramp of Ted Williams Parkway at Carmel Country Road, waving protest signs as Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s motorcade passed by yesterday.
Among the crowd of about 50 people were veterans, senior citizens and workers, a cross-section of the “47 percent” slammed by Romney in remarks caught on video released last week. In the video, recorded secretly at a fundraiser with wealthy donors, Romney denigrated the 47 percent of Americans who receive some form of government assistance (including Social Security retirees, the military, disabled and poor Americans) as well as those who pay no taxes.
September 23, 2012 (San Diego) -- For the first time ever, voters in our state can now register completely online -- no paper form needed. Californians whose current addresses match the address they have on file with the DMV can register (or reregister) at www.sandiegovotes.org.
Update September 23, 2012 -- The Sheriff has identified the victim as Dillon A. Davis, 20, of 4S Ranch.
By Miriam Raftery
September 20, 2012 (Jamul)—Firefighters summoned to extinguish a vehicle fully engulfed in flames in the 16200 block of Skyline Truck Trail in Jamul at 4 a.m. found the charred remains of a human body.
"We are treating this as a homicide. The position of the body was suspicious," Captain Duncan Fraser with the Sheriff's homicide detail told ECM. "The body was not behind the wheel." He added that there was no evidence of a vehicle accident and that "it appears to be a deliberately set fire."
Officials want to hear from any witnesses or individuals who have information, he added.
Update 1:40 p.m.: The Shockey Fire is now over 100 acres and spreading rapidly to the east, being driven by a southwest wind, Cal Fire’s Roxanne Provaznik reports. The Incident Commander has requested 5 additional engines, 4 additional airtankers, 2 additional water tenders, and 1 additional bulldozer. There are structures out ahead of the fire but they are not immediately threatened, per Cal Fire.
September 23, 2012 (San Diego)—Back in July, the state suspended the Ralph M. Brown Act. As a result, cash-strapped cities and counties no longer have to provide agendas to the public prior to meetings--opening the door for a return to backroom actions without public scrutiny. On July 24, Supervisors affirmed that they intended to continue following the Brown Act anyhow.
But just two weeks later, Supervisors announced resignation of Chief Administrative Officer Walt Ekard—and named a replacement in the same meeting, with zero public notice. San Diegans for Open Government, which has sued the County for prior Brown Act violations, sent a cure and correct letter to the County on August 14.
The County’s response? County Counsel Ellen Pilsecker fired back a letter stating that there’s “no legal basis” for a lawsuit because the Brown Act “no longer exists.” Clearly, voters can no longer count on open government in San Diego County--a fact confirmed by other recent troubling actions by Supervisors.
September 23, 2012 (Spring Valley)--"Bullying is tough on kids. It's tough for adults because no one teaches the grownups how to handle it!" says Scot Conway, Ph.D. "Very often, adults end up playing the bully's game. With every good intention in the world, adults end up giving power to the bully."
September 22, 2012 (San Diego) – A local organization is accusing Congressman Brian Bilbray of being a “slum lord.” The independent expenditure group, Much Better Choices, has filmed a video revealing numerous apparent building code violations. Fox 5 aired the video on Sept. 21.
The video shows old boats, gas cans, a trash-littered weedy lot, and a dilapidated trailer with a growth resembling mold or fungus around windows--all on an unfenced lot adjacent to a school. Neighbors confirm the allegations and have said that they hope to see fines levied and the mess cleaned up.
September 22, 2012 (Washington D.C) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration yesterday issued a warning advising consumers not to eat Trader Joe’s Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter.
September 22, 2012 (El Cajon)-- A power outage that left downtown El Cajon, including the courthouse, in the dark yesterday afternoon and evening was started by a transformer fire, ECM has learned.
According to a fire official, there was also an underground explosion and gas leak--a potentially dangerous situation that forced shut down of an adjacent gas station and blocking off a section of Main Street just west of downtown.
The outage began about 3 p.m. SDG&E's website indicated power restoration could take up until 11:59 p.m. The website blamed a "suspected problem in the overhead electrical system" although there are no powerlines visible near the transformer in question.
September 22, 2012 (Washington, D.C.) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to use Intestinomicina, a drug product manufactured in El Salvador and marketed as a treatment for infectious diarrhea and acute gastrointestinal infections. Consumers who have purchased this product should immediately stop taking it and consult with a health care provider.
Intestinominica contains the prescription drug ingredient, chloramphenicol. Oral forms of chloramphenicol were formally withdrawn from the United States market in July 2012 due to the risk of serious and life threatening injuries.
September 22, 2012 (Washington, D.C.) -- The Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs on Wednesday has approved a package of bills, including legislation (S 3313) that would expand access to assisted reproductive technologies for veterans with combat-related infertility conditions and their spouses, CQ Today reports (Fuller, CQ Today, 9/12).
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide coverage for in vitro fertilization and other ART procedures. Since 2003, more than 1,830 veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq sustained pelvic or genital injuries that could affect their fertility, according to Department of Defense figures released by Murray's office.
SDSU is No. 8 nationally for least debt among graduates, in top 20 for ethnic diversity and top 100 overall
September 22, 2012 (San Diego) -- U.S. News & World Report’s annual “America’s Best Colleges 2013” ranks San Diego State University No. 8 in the nation for students graduating with the least amount of debt. Among universities in California, SDSU ranks No. 1 for students with the least debt. According to the magazine, 44 percent of SDSU students graduate with no debt at all and the average amount of a student’s debt is $16,400.
September 22, 2012 (San Diego) -- On Saturday, September 29, hundreds of East County residents will shine their belt buckles and don their best pair of jeans for East County Family YMCA’s annual fundraiser called The Branding. The event, now in its 19th year, will be held in a western setting at McGrath Family YMCA in Rancho San Diego.
Since The Branding’s inception, thanks to the generosity of community members, sponsors, donors, and dedicated volunteers, The Branding has raised more than $1.5 million.
September 22, 2012 (San Diego) --Be a part of film history! Media Arts Center San Diego is now seeking films and videos for 20th Annual San Diego Latino Film Festival (March 7-17, 2013)! Come celebrate our landmark 20th year with an even broader program of exhilarating new activities, special events, and initiatives. The 20th Annual San Diego Latino Film Festival (SDLFF) is now accepting entries for the 2013 festival. SDLFF will take place March 7-17, 2013 at the Ultrastar Cinemas Mission Valley at Hazard Center located in San Diego, California.
September 22, 2012 (La Mesa) – Around 9:43 last night, La Mesa Police responded to a report of a vehicle accident at Myrtle and Johnson. Upon arrival, they found a Hispanic male face-down on the ground. He had suffered a gunshot wound to his face.
The man died early this morning at a local hospital of his injuries. Police are investigating this as a homicide. If you have information please call La Mesa Police at 619-463-6611.
September 21, 2012 (Ramona)--Looking for free family fun this weekend? The Ramona Airport Open House will display classic and modern hot rods and big trucks; classic war birds will fly in formation and be on display from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Visitors can tour U.S. Forest Service operations, the airport control tower, and Classic Rotors (the helicopter museum.)
There will also be arts and crafts and Smokey Bear for children to enjoy. Special guest Capt. Claude Rowe, one of the original Tuskegee Airmen of WWII fame, will also be there.
September 24, 2012 (Valley Center) – Collin Barnes, a 21-year-old college student and church preschool teacher who lived with his parents in Valley Center, told his parents he was going for a run up Flat Top Mountain near their home to photograph the sunset on September 13. When he failed to return, his family called the Sheriff’s Department.
September 24, 2012 (Ramona) – A man, 34, was shot and killed in Ramona on September 16 at 3 p.m. following an altercation with a homeowner and the homeowner’s son in the 1300 block of Walnut Street.
By Nadin Abbott
By Jamie Reno
Block’s AB1731 requires lifesaving testing of newborns for heart disease
BLM Begins Rio Mesa Project EIS Process to Strong Opposition Over Desert Solar Siting
By Miriam Raftery
By Nadin Abbott
Update 12:10 a.m. September 24 -- Due to the wildfires, all schools in the Mountain Empire Unified School District will be closed on Monday Sept. 24.
September 23, 2012 (San Diego's East County)Update 5:10 p.m. - The Shockey Fire has topped 1,000 acres, IPN reports. Numerous outbuildings have burned, Cal Fire confirms. Scanner traffic now indicates that at least four homes have burned in the Tierra del Sol area.
Please join us this evening to enjoy some cheer and help fund live reporting of wildfires and other hot news in East County! We now have THOUSANDS of dollars in great prizes!
By Miriam Raftery
September 23, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – Help tell East County’s story through photos! 
September 23, 2012 (San Diego's East County) -- A Cal Fire vehicle traveling east on Highway 94 at Forrest Gate, in the vicinity of the Shockey Truck Trail fire, has been struck by shots fired. The shots are believed to be from a pellet gun, a Cal Fire individual reported, scanner traffic indicates. The driver's side window was broken, but no one was injured. 
By Nadin Abbott
September 23, 2012 (San Diego) -- For the first time ever, voters in our state can now register completely online -- no paper form needed. Californians whose current addresses match the address they have on file with the DMV can register (or reregister) at 
Update September 23, 2012 -- The Sheriff has identified the victim as Dillon A. Davis, 20, of 4S Ranch. 
By Miriam Raftery
September 23, 2012 (Spring Valley)--"Bullying is tough on kids. It's tough for adults because no one teaches the grownups how to handle it!" says Scot Conway, Ph.D. "Very often, adults end up playing the bully's game. With every good intention in the world, adults end up giving power to the bully."
September 22, 2012 (Washington D.C) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration yesterday issued a warning advising consumers not to eat Trader Joe’s Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter.
September 22, 2012 (El Cajon)-- A power outage that left downtown El Cajon, including the courthouse, in the dark yesterday afternoon and evening was started by a transformer fire, ECM has learned.
September 22, 2012 (Washington, D.C.) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to use Intestinomicina, a drug product manufactured in El Salvador and marketed as a treatment for infectious diarrhea and acute gastrointestinal infections. Consumers who have purchased this product should immediately stop taking it and consult with a health care provider.
September 22, 2012 (Washington, D.C.) -- The Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs on Wednesday has approved a package of bills, including legislation (
SDSU is No. 8 nationally for least debt among graduates, in top 20 for ethnic diversity and top 100 overall
September 22, 2012 (San Diego) -- On Saturday, September 29, hundreds of East County residents will shine their belt buckles and don their best pair of jeans for East County Family YMCA’s annual fundraiser called The Branding. The event, now in its 19th year, will be held in a western setting at McGrath Family YMCA in Rancho San Diego.
September 22, 2012 (San Diego) --Be a part of film history! Media Arts Center San Diego is now seeking films and videos for 20th Annual San Diego Latino Film Festival (March 7-17, 2013)! Come celebrate our landmark 20th year with an even broader program of exhilarating new activities, special events, and initiatives. The 20th Annual San Diego Latino Film Festival (SDLFF) is now accepting entries for the 2013 festival. SDLFF will take place March 7-17, 2013 at the Ultrastar Cinemas Mission Valley at Hazard Center located in San Diego, California. 
September 22, 2012 (La Mesa) – Around 9:43 last night, La Mesa Police responded to a report of a vehicle accident at Myrtle and Johnson. Upon arrival, they found a Hispanic male face-down on the ground. He had suffered a gunshot wound to his face.
September 21, 2012 (Ramona)--Looking for free family fun this weekend? The Ramona Airport Open House will display classic and modern hot rods and big trucks; classic war birds will fly in formation and be on display from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Visitors can tour U.S. Forest Service operations, the airport control tower, and Classic Rotors (the helicopter museum.)
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