By Miriam  Raftery

July 4, 2019 (Ridgecrest) – A 6.4 temblor named the #RidgecrestEarthquake struck 125 miles northeast of Los Angeles in Kern County’s Searles Valley this morning shortly after 10:30 a.m.  It was felt as far south as San Diego’s North County and Orange County, where Disneyland has closed rides for safety inspections due to the quake.

Governor Newsom has issued an emergency declaration for Ridgecrest, the city hardest hit with damages.

The quake is the strongest centered in California since a 7.1 quake at the Twenty-Nine Palms military base 20 years ago and the strongest felt in southern California since the 2010 Easter Sunday quake in northern Mexico that rattled San Diego.

Authorities, in a press conference this afternoon, say they were inundated with emergency calls including a home on fire, medical aid calls, gas and water leaks, and stores with merchandise knocked off shelves in Ridgecrest. The Ridgecrest Regional Hospital and several apartment buildings were evacuated, local media outlets report.

The powerful temblor opened up crevasses in roads, knocked down power lines and left some residents without electricity.  Minor injuries from broken glass and falling objects have occurred, according to CNN, Fortunately, no deaths have been reported.

July 4, 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

• New legislation would ban move by San Diego DA requiring defendants to give up future rights in plea bargains  (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Mother of boy hit and killed by car in Lemon Grove files claim against city (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• New scooter regulations take effect in San Diego (10 News)
• Police transparency law does not cover car accidents, SDPD says (NBC 7)
• Pair convicted of murder in 2017 shooting outside La Mesa clothing store (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Ramona butcher claims top prize in History Channel contest (Ramona Sentinel)

STATE

• Hate crimes targeting Jews and Latinos increased in California in 2018, report says (Los Angeles Times)
• California lawmakers race to pass wildfire legislation by July 12 (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Scant details: Are California utilities doing enough to fireproof their equipment? (Cal Matters)
• Chicken-killing Newcastle outbreak shows signs of subsiding (Riverside Press Enterprise)
•  Trump administration still holding on to $9 million owed to California fire departments (Sacramento Bee)

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

July 4, 2019 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Why you should learn mental health first aid (CNN)
• Facebook wants to limit the reach of bogus medical ‘cures’ by treating them like spam (Washington Post)
• AMA Abortion Lawsuit Puts Doctors In The Thick Of Debate (Kaiser Health News)
• Incarceration, falling incomes may play a role in the US opioid epidemic, study says (CNN)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• SpaceX faces daunting challenges if it’s going to win the internet space race (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• A vast water reservoir has been discovered deep beneath the Atlantic Ocean (NBC News)
• U.S. judge blocks Qualcomm effort to put antitrust ruling on hold

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

By Miriam Raftery

July 3, 2019 (Ramona) -- Visitors at the Begent Ranch got hands-on artistic experiences at Ramona’s eclectic new event, the Anomar Arts Festival, last weekend. The festival is the creation of the 2CreateGallery and The Art Center of Ramona, with a goal to help everyone explore the world of art.

East County News Service

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By Ken Stone

Reprinted with permission from Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Ammar Campa-Najjar addresses media outside the courtroom after Duncan Hunter motions hearing. Photo by Ken Stone

July 2, 2019 (San Diego) - The pretrial Game of Motions isn’t over in USA v. Hunter et al, but Monday saw the government’s attorneys take a 14-0 lead against Rep. Duncan D. Hunter and his legal team.

In a 33-minute flurry of rulings, federal Judge Thomas J. Whelan handed setback after setback to Hunter lead lawyer Gregory A. Vega, hoping to keep his Republican client out of prison on charges including wire fraud, falsification of records and embezzling campaign contributions. He denies them all.

Source: San Diego Humane Society

July 2, 2019 (San Diego) -  As people plan their July Fourth celebrations, San Diego Humane Society is reminding pet parents to keep their animals in mind, as there is often an increase in lost pets following the holiday. For the safety and protection of pets, SDHS recommends the following:

By Mike Allen

Photo:  Hasan Ikhrata, executive director, SANDAG 

July 2, 2019 (Santee) -- Santee’s City Council heard first-hand this week about a massive, high-tech revamp to San Diego County's transportation system, but Council members weren’t impressed.

The Council appeared united in telling a team of three professionals from the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), the regional transportation planning agency, to keep its hands off any committed funding to expand the key highways to the city.

"Everybody here is excited to hear about bold, new ideas," said Councilwoman Laura Koval. "But we also want you to know that we're still moving forward with our plan...and we're still going after funds to complete our highways."

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: West Fire in Alpine, 2018

July 1, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – Across California, some insurance companies have stopped writing policies for homes in areas at high risk for wildfires, even dropping policies for some long-standing customers, Voice of San Diego reported in mid-June. 

Now, Supervisor Dianne Jacob has written a letter on June 27 to California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara urging him to take immediate action to “address the heavy-handed, blanket approach that insurance companies are currently utilizing to deny insurance though those who live in areas where wildfires may occur.” She also called on Lara to hold a public hearing in San Diego County on the issue, to allow residents to speak out and share concerns.