January 16, 2012 (La Mesa) – A 67-year-old man who drove to a dumpster behind his residential complex at 4842 Parks Avenue in La Mesa to discard trash was robbed shortly after 11 a.m. The thief stole the victim’s red 2005 Hyundai Elantra 4-door car and wallet at gunpoint, then fled northbound on Williamsburg toward El Cajon Blvd.
By Doug Deane, Chair, 2011 GUHSD Boundary Committee
January 16, 2012 (San Diego East County) -- I’m writing this in response to residents of the GUHSD who believe that they were not given adequate notification of changes recommended by the 2011 Boundary Committee. I was Chair of that committee. I’d like to make it clear that I speak only for myself. The opinions stated below are mine only, and are not necessarily the opinion of the GUHSD, its Trustees or its administrative staff.
January 15, 2012 (San Diego) – Southern Gospel singers Ernie Haas & Signature Sound will be performing at the College Avenue Baptist Church, 4747 College Avenue in San Diego on January 26 at 7:00 p.m.
The vocal group, founded in 2002 and winner of three GMA Dove awards, recently finished a nine country European tour and is soon to release its first new studio album in three years.
January 16, 2012 (Alpine) -- The Council for Youth Empowerment, a 501 c 3 non-profit organization announces their 2012 Father-Daughter Dance on Friday, February 3, 2012 at the Alpine Community Center. Attendance is limited to the first 100 couples who apply and this event completely sells out each year.
January 16, 2012 (La Mesa)--Grossmont Healthcare District’s Dr. William C. Herrick Community Health Care Library, 9001 Wakarusa St. in La Mesa, will host a free seniors discussion group on “What is Laughter Yoga” from 10 to 11 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 25. The public is invited to attend, and RSVP is not required. The speaker will be Michael Coleman, executive director of Laughter Matters, a San Diego-based non-profit organization that promotes the physical, mental and social health benefits of laughter yoga.
The Dead Celebrity Cookbook, By Frank DeCaro (Health Communications, Inc., Deerfield Beach, Florida, 2011, 370 pages.)
Book Review by Dennis Moore
January 15, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)--Best known for his years as the flamboyant movie critic on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Frank DeCaro has written a book with wit and humor – packed with celebrity profiles and pop-culture ponderings, party menus, and more – The Dead Celebrity Cookbook pays homage to the departed stars of television, film, radio, and Broadway.
January 15, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) -- The San Diego East County Chamber of commerce celebrates 100 years of service to the business community with an elegant gala on February 4. The soiree of the century for East County business leaders will be held at the opulent U.S. Grant Hotel in San Diego.
January 15, 2012 (La Mesa) -- The city of La Mesa holds frequent household hazardous waste and electronic waste disposal dates at the EDCO Disposal site at 8184 Commercial Street in La Mesa.
January 15, 2012 (Scripps Ranch) -- The FBI and San Diego Police Department are seeking the public’s assistance to identify the man who committed a takeover robbery of the California Coast Credit Union, 9835 Mira Mesa Boulevard, in Scripps Ranch this morning at 10:30 a.m.
January 15, 2012 (San Diego)--On Thursday January 11th, 2012 Mr. Derek Casady of La Jolla brought a proposal for the June Ballot allowing for voluntary publicfinancing of elections in the City of San Diego. We are just starting to see the toxic effects of the Citizens United Supreme Court Decision on our democracy. In that decision, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations could pour virtually unlimited amounts into funding campaigns for candidates and political initiatives, opening wide the floodgates for corruption and undue influence on public officials.
January 17, 2012 (San Diego) – On the Go: Transportation Solutions of Older Adults, founded in 2008, a division of Charitable Adult Rides & Services, Inc. delivered its 100,000th ride last week to Sara “Suzanne” Tell, 80 years old. She received her most recent ride from Bill Farrar, retired police officer who has been volunteering since 2010 and has provided about 100 rides.
January 14, 2012 (Rancho San Diego) -- Wind blew the smell of gunfire in the air. You can hear gunshots and people screaming. There are many dead and injured people. A shooter is at large on campus. The chaos during a school shooting is real, but it’s only a drill.
January 14, 2012 (Santee) – On Monday, January 23, 2012 Sportsplex USA president Bill Berghoff will make a donation to the Santee School District Foundation in the amount of $1440. Sportsplex USA and the Santee School District Foundation (SSDF) have partnered with the goal of offering affordable youth indoor soccer programs to all parents and children in Santee.
Update: All but two Americans have been accounted for and are safe.
By Miriam Raftery
January 14, 2012 (San Diego) –The United States embassy in Rome has announced that 126 Americans were on board the Costa Concordia cruise ship which struck rocks and sunk off the coast of Tuscany, Italy this morning. All were passengers, not crew.
January 14, 2012 (Alpine) – The Alpine Community Network reports that a reader has alerted the publication to a possible attempt to read ATM users' personal identification number (PIN) codes with binoculars outside a local market.
The suspicious individual was reported in Alpine and drove a red Cadillac, however if the activity was a scam operation it could possibly target people in other communities.
Update: The Sig Alert has been cancelled and the bridge is now reopened.
January 14, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – A Sig Alert has been issued for the Eastbound 8 transition to State Route 67 northbound due to a traffic accident involving two cars on the bridge. One lane remains open but others are blocked, so caution is advised.
Amid firefighting cuts, County Fire Chiefs voice concerns
By Megan McGlamery
January 13, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)--On January 5, the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center released the United States Seasonal Drought Outlook for January 5- March 31. The forecast map reveals that drought is likely in southern California and the southwest. View map.
Restricted water usage and rate hikes were among the impacts the last drought had on local residents. But in East County, drought also brings heightened risk of wildfire-- a potentially alarming prospect at a time when firefighting resources are spread thin.
January 13, 2012 (Santee) – The San Diego Sheriff seeks public help to locate Joseph Todd Hall, also known as “Happy.” He is wanted for an attempted murder in Santee this morning and is considered armed and dangerous.
January 13, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – In today’s column, we cover the latest hot topics in real estate locally and nationwide.This week’s topics are:
MLS consumer website now available
Three realtor associations in merger talks
Agents search for the perfect office
Fair-lending charges against Bank of America settlement
January 13, 2012 (Santee) – The Sheriff’s Homicide detail has been called to the scene of a shooting in the 10000 block of Prospect Avenue in Santee. At 5:09 a.m., deputies responded to a call of a shooting and found the victim inside the home.
January 13, 2012 (San Diego) – Contraband is a goofy mess. It inspires laughter at the wrong moments and reticent admiration for its actors, who display a work ethic not unlike the horse in Animal Farm, but are deserving of a better film. Part of me wants to tell you to see it for its awfulness, but I can’t. Time and money are precious. Maybe it when it comes out on home video.
FalconRidge Equine Rescue and the San Diego Horse Coalition to Rehabilitate Two Horses
Animal Control Officers with San Diego County Department of Animal Services (DAS) rescued two severely neglected horses from the community of Boulevard, and now those horses need a new home.
Chula Vista Police becomes first local law enforcement agency to use high-tech system—and offers tracking devices free
January 13, 2012 (Chula Vista) -- This week, the Chula Vista Police Department announced a new partnership with a national emergency location system known as EmFinders, a program created to enhance police response capability by greatly expediting the safe return of adults who become lost.
January 13, 2012 -- Grossmont College is looking for former students, faculty and staff members who met their spouses at Grossmont College. The couples who respond to college officials will be invited to attend a free pre-Valentine’s Day reception to be held on Friday, Feb. 10 at the El Cajon campus. The event is one of several the college is planning as part of its year-long 50th anniversary celebration through June 2012. The reception will feature refreshments and live music, including love songs from the past five decades.
Advice For Weekend Warriors to Extreme Sports Enthusiasts
January 15, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) -- The San Diego East County Chamber of commerce celebrates 100 years of service to the business community with an elegant gala on February 4. The soiree of the century for East County business leaders will be held at the opulent U.S. Grant Hotel in San Diego. 
By Nadin Abbott
ulent Activity Reported in Other Service Territories
By Brian Lafferty
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