Update December 30, 2:15 p.m. - Wheeler has been located safely, SDPD confirms.

December 30, 2011 (San Diego) – San Diego Police seek help countywide to locate Gregory Jon Wheeler, 54.  He suffers from depression, bipolar disorder and high blood pressure. 

By Miriam Raftery

December 28, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) –If you’ve over-indulged in all those holiday goodies, or just want to look and feel your best in the New Year, now is the perfect time to make a resolution to get in shape! East County Magazine invites you to join our editor and publisher in a “24 day challenge” sponsored by ECM and Advocare.  Shaping up is more fun with friends  Plus we’ll have prizes and surprises.

The 24-day-challenge starts January 5.  It includes a combination of supplements and meal replacement products, a healthy eating plan, and as a special bonus to ECM readers, a fitness “boot camp” with trainers and one-on-one personalized counseling to assure your success.  The more, the merrier! (If you have a group of 10 or more, we can set up a special fitness boot camp at your location.)

By Miriam Raftery

December 27, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Starting January 1, new California laws take effect. Some give new protections to the public. Buying a used car? You now have a right to know its history. The government can’t snoop into your online reading habits. Your employer can't peek at your credit report, in most cases. New laws also benefit pregnant employees, organ donors, renters, domestic partners, and bullied gay students. 

Other laws impose restrictions. Want to buy popular cough syrups? You’ll need a prescription. If you order items online, you’ll be charged state sales tax. Shark fin soup and beer spiked with caffeine are banned. Employers have new requirements for notifying employees about pay and more. Kids must ride in a booster seat until age 8. Openly carrying a handgun is illegal, even if it isn’t loaded. 

These are just a few of the new laws in 2012. Scroll down for details on these and more. 

December 28, 2011 (San Diego) – All lanes on I-805 are shut down due to a fatality accident in which a vehicle struck a bridge support post just south of H Street at 4:37 p.m.  A SIG Alert has been issued.

Story by Miriam Raftery

Photos by Kathie Wellington

December 29, 2011 (Jamul) -- Firefighters are at the scene of a one-alarm structure at Skyline Truck Trail and Lawson Valley Road. Traffic is blocked in both directions at the 15000 block of Skyline Truck Trail at Lawson Valley Road.

December 27, 2011 (San Diego)—Emako Mendoza, 76, the Paradise Hills woman mauled by a neighbor’s two pit bulls in June, died on Christmas Eve after being hospitalized December 23 due to complications from those injuries, according to the Medical Examiner.

December 27, 2011 (Deerhorn Valley) –A paraplegic is trapped in a minivan that has rolled onto its side at 21325 Deerhorn Valley Road in the Jamul area, Incident Page Network reports.  Multiple victims are reportedly involved.

December 28, 2011 (Lakeside) – A motorcyclist down in the 11400 block of Wildcat Canyon Road has prompted shutdown of the highway.  The accident was reported at 3:27 p.m.  Traffic is blocked south of Barona, CHP reports. 

December 25, 2011 (Ramona)—Nelson Edward “Mac” MacWilliams, 54, has been identified by the Medical Examiner’s office as the driver who died December 20 in a rollover accident on Wildcat Canyon Road in Lakeside. RamonaPatch.com reports that MacWilliams worked in Congressman Duncan Hunter’s El Cajon office, handling military and veterans’ issues.
 

 
December 23, 2011 (El Cajon) -- At approximately 6:02 p.m. on Wednesday, December 21, 2011, El Cajon Police Officers and Heartland Fire & Rescue crews responded to reports of a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle in the roadway, in the 1200 block of Jamacha Road,  in El Cajon.

December 23, 2011 (San Diego)-- The National Weather Service has issued a wind warning for today and tomorrow in San Diego County.  Gusts of up to 60 mph are forecast with sustained winds in the 25-35 mph range.  Use caution when traveling particularly in high-profile vehicles.

Sunny skies are forecast for Christmas Day.

December 20, 2011 (Lakeside) -- At 1:22 p.m. today there was a single vehicle rollover accident at Wildcat Canyon Road and Muth Valley Road in Lakeside. The accident blocked Wildcat Canyon Road in both directions at Old Barona Road, and at Willows Road. One fatality has been confirmed.  

By Betty McMillen

December 19, 2011 (Lakeside) -- Dignitaries and VIPs braved the blustery wind for the grand opening of the new Lakeside Fire District Administration Office and combination Fire Station #2 on December 16.  It was branded a "sneak preview" since the station has about two weeks worth of finishing work to be done by the contractors.  Firefighters are hoping to be moved into the now empty 24,000 square foot structure by mid-January. 

December 18, 2011 (Jamul) – CHP reports a head-on collision on Highway 94 at Indian Springs in Jamul. The crash now involves three vehicles, a black SUV, a small white sedan, and a black mid-sized sedan. CHP, Cal-Fire and Border Patrol are now at the scene and an ambulance has been called.