“Stop the drones.” – Mossaret Qadeem, Amn-o-nisa implores
May 30, 2012 (San Diego) -- Dressed in brightly colored robes and hijabs, the women of Amn-o-nisa make a powerful statement with their presence alone. These 11 Pakistani women have come to the United States for the second time to spread their message of peace and international cooperation.
The name Amn-o-nisa translates to “women for peace,” which is the message the group hoped to spread on their visit to the U.S. The group visited Washington D.C., San Diego and Los Angeles and met with political figures including Senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein.
May 30, 2012 (Palomar) -- It's official! Palomar Mountain State Park, which was slated for complete and permanent closure this July, will be permitted to stay open for the next three years as long as local citizens are willing to cover the deficit between the park's income and expenses. Palomar was one of 70 parks destined for shuttering due to state financial woes.
Free class to be held this Saturday, June 2 at Water Conservation Garden
By Sierra Robinson
May 30, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) -- Imagine plucking a ripe tomato off your roof, or filtering rainwater through your driveway. Green roofs and permeable pavement can make all of that a reality.
This weekend, the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College is offering a free class from 9-11am about how and why you can install a green roof or permeable pavement at your home or business.
May 30, 2012 (San Diego)- One of four candidates will succeed Nathan Fletcher when he leaves the Assembly. Republican Dustin Steiner is one candidate who hopes to represent the newly redrawn 77th District, which includes inland communities such as Tierrasanta, Scripps Ranch, Poway, and Rancho Bernardo, as well as coastal communities in Del Mar. View a map of the district: http://www.co.san-diego.ca.us/voters/Eng/maps/AssemblySDCountyMap.jpg
May 24, 2012 (El Cajon) -- The 17th Annual Wings Over Gillespie air show will be taking place the weekend of June 2-3, 2012.
This year’s show will feature WWII bombers, F4F Wildcat, the TBF Avenger, the A6M Zero, the SBD Dauntless, and many more "Flying Museums" including the only remaining of their type, the Northrop N9M Flying Wing and the F3F Flying Barrel. Also on hand will be USN/USMC helicopters and other static displays, Navy SEALs, special military and law enforcement vehicles and equipment, daring aerobats performances, and much more.
May 29, 2012 (El Cajon)--Last week, El Cajon Council voted to hear a proposal from the new ECPAC Foundation to save East County Performing Arts Center from the wrecking ball and restore the community theater.
May 29, 2012 (San Diego) -- The San Diego Public Library continues its poetry and spoken word series Downtown Verse during June. The next featured performance is by the Lake San Marcos Writers on Monday, June 11. The performance begins at 4:00 pm in the Lobby of the Central Library, located at 820 E Street in downtown San Diego. This event is free and open to the public.
May 29, 2012 (Washington, D.C.) -- More than 3 million Americans had difficulty voting in the 2008 election for a number of reasons. To improve our voting system, Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) joined her Democratic colleagues to introduce the Voter Empowerment Act to protect the right of Americans to choose their government.
The Voter Empowerment Act includes language from two Davis bills – the Universal Vote by Mail Act, which would eliminate barriers to voting by absentee ballot and the Election Integrity Act, which would prohibit top elections officials from participating in the political campaigns whose results they oversee.
Founding instructors of landmark programs leave a legacy
May 29, 2012 (El Cajon)– For more than three decades, two instructors at Cuyamaca College have worked within hailing distance of one other, each heading an academic program they personally designed and cultivated.
Not only have Jim Custeau, the founder of the automotive technology program and Brad Monroe, the creator of the ornamental horticulture program, worked in close proximity – their careers have followed similar trajectories.
May 29, 2012 (San Diego) -- Recent Federal Environmental Protection Agency rules to reduce diesel emissions were forcing our fire engines off the road, putting the public at risk. Fire apparatus in San Diego and across the nation were breaking down because of the new diesel engine requirements. In the interest of public safety, City Councilmember Marti Emerald called on the federal government to exempt public safety vehicles.
May 29, 2012 (Santa Ysabel) – The National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC), the federal agency charged with oversight of gaming on Indian lands, has warned the County of San Diego that its recent debt collection effort against the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel could violate the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA).
May 29, 2012 (El Cajon) -- East San Diego County high school teachers and their former students will join together Wednesday, May 30, 2012, to highlight a daylong symposium on changes made to better prepare high school students for college.
A panel presentation by Grossmont Union High School District English teachers and past graduates is set for 8:45 a.m. in Griffin Gate at Grossmont College. The 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. symposium is expected to draw more than 100 teachers sharing changes made this past year as part of the English Curriculum Alignment Project. ECAP is a project of the California Partnership for Achieving Student Success (Cal-PASS), the institute for Evidence-Based change (IEBC) and the Grossmont Union High School District.
May 28, 2012 (Washington D.C.) -- Today, all across America, we’re coming together to remember our men and women in uniform who gave their lives so that we could live free. In town squares and national cemeteries, in moments of quiet reflection and parades down city streets, we’ll pay tribute to all those who gave the last full measure of their devotion, from Lexington and Concord to Iraq and Afghanistan.
This Memorial Day also holds special significance because it marks the beginning of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.
May 29, 2012 (San Diego) - As temperatures sizzle, many East County residents are heading for the shore. Gary Kelley's got the scoop on the coolest place around.
May 28, 2012 (Spring Valley) – A head-on collision has occurred at 10850 Jamacha Blvd. in Spring Valley. Incident Page Network reports four people are injured, including at least two in serious status.
One vehicle is a Toyota Camry, according to the CHP website. The other vehicle is not yet identified.
May 28, 2012 (Sacramento) --We at CalVet can find no better way to express the true meaning of Memorial Day than by quoting the words Abraham Lincoln wrote in a letter to Mrs. Lydia Bixby, a widow living in Boston to express his condolences for the death of her sons.
Note: ECM apologizes for not sending an alert on this incident. Our editor was away briefly and our assistant editor was left without power due to an SDG&E outage. Thanks to Cal-Fire and Donna Tisdale for the information provided below.
May 24, 2012 (San Diego)--Antonio and Africa have lived in this house for twelve years. It is the only home their four children have ever known. Antonio bought the house from Africa’s father in 2005. When faced with difficult financial hardship due to the crashed economy and medical bills, they went to their lender to negotiate in good faith.
Antonio works in construction and Africa has a business she runs from her home office. They were late on just one mortgage payment by 60 days, and ultimately made the payment. They learned there were government programs like the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) andthe Principal Reduction Alternative (PRA).
Authorities probe series of medical pot thefts, assaults on drivers
May 28, 2012 (Rolando) – The latest in a series of attacks on medical marijuana delivery persons occurred May 25 at Livingston and 69th Street in the Rolando area, where a 23-year-old woman driver was shot in the face with a pellet gun and tried to drag her out of the vehicle. She ran away and the assailants, two Hispanic men, then carjacked her 1998 white Chevy Malibu (CA license 6JAR 664).
May 28, 2012 (Otay) - The California Energy Commission staff yesterdayreleased its final analysis recommending the licensing of the proposed Pio Pico Energy Center.
In the final staff assessment (FSA), Commission staff concluded that with the implementation of staff's recommended mitigation measures described in the conditions of certification, the proposed 300-megawatt peaker power plant would comply with all applicable laws, ordinances, regulations, and standards (LORS).
Genetically modified foods linked to animal deaths, liver damage and sharp rise in allergies
May 28, 2012 (Sacramento)--California is ground zero in the growing national movement to give consumers the right to know if their food contains genetically engineered food, according to today’s front page story in the New York Times. The California Right to Know ballot initiative to label genetically engineered foods “cleared a crucial hurdle this month, setting the stage for a probable November vote that could influence not just food packaging but the future of American agriculture,” wrote Times reporters Amy Harmon and Andrew Pollack.
May 18, 2012 (Escondido) – The San Diego Archaeological Center will be celebrating 10 years in San Pasqual Valley with its annual BBQ on June 2, from noon to 5:00 p.m. at 16666 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido.The catered event will include smoked pork sandwiches, beans, coleslaw, drinks and dessert for $6.00.
May 28, 2012 (El Cajon) – This morning between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., a series of “hot prowl” burglaries occurred at homes in the vicinity of Mollison and Bradley in El Cajon. A “hot prowl” burglary occurs while residents are home, often at night while victims are sleeping.
May 28, 2012 (San Diego) – In November of 2007, Dad called me. He informed me that he put our Rancho Peñasquitos house of twenty years on the market. I was surprised because it was so abrupt, but I understood that it was time for my parents to move on.
May 28, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – Approximately 3,012 SDG&E households in La Mesa and Lemon Grove are without power today due to a suspected problem in the overhead electrical system, according to SDG&E. The power went out at 1:47 a.m.
Update May 28, 2012 with a video news report by Paul Kruz, exclusive to East County Magazine, including interviews with the developer and Councilman Wells:
By Janis Mork and Miriam Raftery
May 23, 2012 (El Cajon)--El Cajon Council drew applause yesterday when by a unanimous decision, Council members rejected a proposal to tear down the East County Performing Arts Center (ECPAC) and build a hotel on the site.
Instead, Council agreed to work with community members and a newly formed ECPAC Foundation to reopen the theater long heralded as a centerpiece of El Cajon's downtown revitalization.
May 27, 2012 (Mount Helix) – Sipping wine and noshing on chocolate dipped strawberries, a vineyard planting team at Stephanie Young’s Mount Helix home savored a sunset and the camaraderie of friends.
www.SDWriteWay.org
By Miriam Raftery
May 18, 2012 (Escondido) – The San Diego Archaeological Center will be celebrating 10 years in San Pasqual Valley with its annual BBQ on June 2, from noon to 5:00 p.m. at 16666 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido.
By Brian Lafferty
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