By David Willauer

July 13, 2019 (San Diego's East County) - Here are this week's top headlines featuring East County alum:

July 7

East County News Service

July 13, 2019 (La Mesa) – You’re invited to join honorary guest Bill Walton, basketball Hall of Fame champion, to celebrate 20 years of successful parks projects and programs in La Mesa as the La Mesa Parks and Recreation Foundation kicks off fundraising to renovate McArthur Park.

East County News Service

July 13, 2019 (Washington, D.C.) - Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-CA), Chair of the Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee,  Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), Ranking Member of the subcommittee, and Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS) have introduced legislation to eliminate all administrative fees on federal student loans, which would save students over $1.7 billion per year.

By Tracy DeFore, County of San Diego Communications Office

July 12, 2019 (San Diego) - The County Board of Supervisors approved another step Wednesday toward increasing local drinking water supplies for East County residents.

The Board, acting as the Board of Directors for the County Sanitation District, voted to approve $2.35 million for the County’s contribution to final program development costs of the East County Advanced Water Purification Program.

32 of 41 draftees signed in addition to one non-drafted free agent

Source:  San Diego Padres

July 12, 2019 (San Diego) - The San Diego Padres announced today they have agreed to terms with four additional players from the 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft prior to today’s deadline: RHP Drake Fellows (6^th rd.), LHP Mason Feole (11^th rd.), LHP Bodi Rascon (14^th rd.) and C Jared Alvarez-Lopez (17^th rd.).  In addition, the Padres have also signed Helix alum Jack Stronach (21st rd.)

By Miriam Raftery 

July 12, 2019 (Washington D.C.) – Xylitol can kill a dog in just 10 to 60 minutes, or symptoms may occur up to 24 hours after ingestion. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has issued a warning to pet owners to avoid any products with xylitol and to seek immediate emergency veterinary care if a dog or a ferret consume anproduct containing it.  

East County News Service 

Photo: El Capitan Reservoir in Lakeside is among the lakes impacted.

July 11, 2019 (San Diego) – As part of a budget reduction of 3 percent citywide, each of the City of San Diego’s reservoirs including several lakes in East County will be closed an additional weekday each month beginning July 1, 2019. The additional days each month that reservoirs will be closed are as follows: 

By Miriam Raftery

July 11, 2019 (Campo) – The San Diego & Arizona Railway, known as the “Impossible Railway” for the many challenges faced during its construction, is celebrating its 100th anniversary with two major centennial events on September 7 and November 16.

On Saturday, September 7, a Groundbreaking Festival will commemorate the 1907 groundbreaking of the railway, which took a dozen years to complete. 

Then on Saturday, November 16, a Centennial Celebration Day will include a reenactment of the 1919 golden spike ceremony, when John D. Spreckels drove in the final spike to complete the rail line in Carriso Gorge.

Both events will be held at the Campo Railroad Park & Museum operated by the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, a nonprofit organization. 

At the events, the public is invited to come and enjoy train rides, view vintage railway cars and unique railroad equipment including a 1902 steam pump engine, an operating scale steam train exhibit, plus food, drinks, souvenirs, commemorative program and fun for the whole family.

July 10, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL

• San Diego County supervisors weigh a new way for the public to vote (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Public Advocacy Lawyer Cory Briggs Announces Candidacy for San Diego City Attorney (Times of San Diego)
• Campo family, community mourn recent graduate killed in crash (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Politics report: More on the email subject line that jolted the mayor’s race (Voice of San Diego)
• San Diego's Quake Risk Is Big, But Not 'Big One' Big (Voice of San Diego)
• Local Water Providers Have Racked Up Dozens of Violations (Voice of San Diego)

STATE

• California earthquakes left a crack in in the earth so big, it can be seen from space (USA Today)
• California’s not enforcing wildfire-prevention rules for homeowners, leaving tens of thousands of properties vulnerable to big blazes (San Diego Union-Tribune) 
• New CA rules for deadly police force go to governor’s desk (Calmatters)
• Amid fears of mass deportation of immigrants, State Bar warns of potential legal fraud (Sacramento Bee)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

July 10, 2019 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Federal judge in Texas strikes down affordable care act (CNN)
• Mental Health Patients Are Pouring Into Local Emergency Rooms (Voice of San Diego)
• Spike in autism may be linked to preservative in processed foods (Forbes)
• A deadly fungus is killing millions of bats in the U.S. Now it’s in California (Los Angeles Times)
• A hospital introduced a robot to help nurses. They didn’t expect it to be so popular (Fast Company)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• A Flaw in Teleconferencing App Zoom Could Have Let Hackers Access Your Webcam. Here's How to Fix it (Time)
• What to Know About Restrict, Instagram's New Anti-Bullying Feature  (Time)
• Massive, kilometer sized asteroid was just found orbing the sun (Fox)
• Could This Be the End of Frankincense? (New York Times)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

By David R. Shorey, East County Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies

Photo courtesy San Diego County Sheriff’s Department website, other photos via Creative Commons

July 10, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) -- Imagine you lived in an apartment complex so riddled with crime and danger, that law enforcement officers would not enter the property until backup arrived. A place where firefighters would not respond to a fire unless they were accompanied by sheriff’s deputies for protection. Where helicopters frequently flew overhead in search of a suspect, or attempting to restore peace. Where drive-by shootings, vandalism, prostitution, thefts, drug dealing, gangs and violence ruled the day.

East County News Service

July 6, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) -- This week’s Destination East County features lots of fun and festive upcoming summertime events, including Watermelon Days at Oasis Camel Dairy in Ramona, the Sunshine Boys at Lamplighters Theatre, in La Mesa, a Pacific Southwest Railway Museum meet and greet in La Mesa, the Pine Valley Days festival and parade, a Sip of Julian, Concert at the Lakes in Santee, a winetasting festival in Jamul, Herman’s Hermits live at Sycuan, the Ramona Country Fair, and the HeART of Mt. Helix.

There are also some all summer long events including outdoor concerts, movies in parks across our region, classic car shows and dive-in movies at the Kroc Center’s swimming pool.

So scroll down for all of these events and many more!

Overall water quality not compromised, but customers are being notified

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  When completed in 2008, the Twin Oaks Valley Water Treatment Plant was the largest submerged membrane water treatment plant in the world and the first treatment plant built by the San Diego County Water Authority.

July 10, 2019 (San Diego) -- A malfunction at the Twin Oaks Valley Water Treatment Plant resulted in a citation from the state Division of Drinking Water due to a two-day failure of one of its systems that kills harmful organisms. The plant provides water to water districts across San Diego County including East County, but the County Water Authority assures that water in regional pipelines continued to be safe for all uses due to additional treatment processes.