Update Nov. 20, 2015:  Here is how San Diego's Congressional members voted:  Representatives Duncan Hunter, Scott Peters and Darrell Issa voted for banning refugees from Iraq and Syria, while Representatives Juan Vargas and Susan Davis voted against the broad-based ban.

East County News Service

Photo: Iraqi Christians in El Cajon at a 2014 rally pleaded for help to save persecuted Christians in Iraq

November 19,2015 (San Diego’s East County) –The House of Representatives has passed a bill to suspend admission of refugees from both Syria and Iraq into the U.S., until national security agencies certify that they pose no security risk.

The measure passed by 289 to 137, a wide enough majority to override President Barack Obama’s threatened veto, with 47 Democrats joining Republicans to push the bill through.  But Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has pledged to block the bill in the Senate.

Photo:  Youtube screen-shot

By Liz Alper

November 18, 2015 - After ISIS released a video vowing that it would attack several other major cities worldwide, including Washington, D.C., the hacker group Anonymous released its own video stating that its members would unleash "waves of attacks" on the terrorist group, CBS News reports.  ISIS is also known as ISIL, the Islamic State, or by the Arabic acronym Daesh.

November 16, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) -- Residents in the Mt. Helix area and elsewhere in the County have reported receiving phone calls from scammers posing as Internal Revenue Service or IRS representatives. East County Magazine editor Miriam Raftery’s household has received several such calls.

106 planes struck by lasers in San Diego so far this year

East County News Service

Photo: Federal Aviation Administration, public domain

November 16, 2015 (San Diego) – In the wake of recent terror attacks in France and ISIS threats to target coalition force leaders, security is being beefed up across the U.S.  One area of potential concern is the dramatic increase in laser beams striking commercial airliners, helicopters, private jets and other air traffic.

On November 11^th, just two days before the Paris massacres, 20 aircraft were hit by laser beams during flights in the U.S., Reuters reported. Such strikes are potentially lethal, as laser beams could blind pilots, or temporarily distract them during critical take-off or landing times. A laser beam, though a pinpoint of light when transmitted, fans out to become a bright bubble of pulsating light when it reaches the cockpit window. 

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), nationwide this year through October 2^nd there had been 4,966 incidents of lasers striking planes. That includes 106 incidents right here in San Diego through October 2^nd this year, 10 news reports – nearly double the 58 incidents locally in all of 2014 and over triple the 29 cases in 2010 of lasers striking planes here.

East County News Service

November 14, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) –Strong winds across our region are forecast for Sunday afternoon through Monday, with gusts over 70 miles per hour possible on mountain crests and desert mountain slopes and gusts of 35 to 60 mph in mountain and desert areas. 

Gale force wind gusts of 35 to 40 knots are also forecast over coastal waters, says Stephen Harrison, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Showers are also forecast, with rainfall light in most areas, though mountains could receive a half inch of precipitation.

East County News Service

November 13, 2015 (San Diego)—For over a century, members of the Ku Klux Klan have terrified and tormented minorities in the U.S.  Now Klan members are getting a taste of  the fear they havge long dished out.  Anonymous, the noted hactivist, has launched a mission of unmasking—or rather unhooding—members of the Ku Klux Klan.

Updated 11 p.m. with State Dept. contact nunbers for those seeking to locate loved ones in France, along with a link to 24 hour live English-language coverage from France.

East County News Service

November 13, 2015 (Paris, France) – Multiple explosions, suicide bombings and shootings at major entertainment venues across France today have left at least 140 people dead, many wounded and others held hostage by the attackers, Associated Press reports.

French President Francoise Hollande was evacuated from the Stade de France, the national stadium during a soccer match after explosions erupted outside, Reuters reported.  Calling the attacks “horrific” and of an “unprecedented scale,” Hollande ordered borders sealed and said his government has “mobilized all the forces we can muster to neutralize the threats and secure the region.”

“This is an attack not just on Paris, not just on the people of France, but an attack on all humanity and the universal values we shares,” President Barack Obama said at the White House, CNN reports.

By Janis Russell

November 11, 2015 (La Mesa)- On November 6^th, the Caregiver Coalition of San Diego with the city of La Mesa had an event for caregivers of military veterans called “Finding the Balance in Caregiving- Caring for Veterans.” The event took place at the La Mesa Community Center with resource booths, free lunch provided by AARP, and a drawing. Respite care was available, provided by Heritage Senior Care.

East County Magazine was there- and below are details on many important programs and services to help our local veterans.

By Miriam Raftery

November 10, 2015 (Santee) – The Sheriff’s department seeks public help to locate a Hispanic man in his late 20s or early 30s reported to have stalked multiple teenage girls in Santee near Santana High School.  The suspect was driving a white 1997-2004 Ford F-150 two-door pickup truck, dented on the passenger side between the front wheel well and passenger door. There was a silver tool box in the truck bed.  When last seen, he was unshaven with short hair and a dark complexion.

In the most recent incidents, the truck was seen driving past the home of a 17-year-old girl near Magnolia Avenue and Tomel Court several times over the weekend, at times honking the horn. On November 9, while in the street near her home, the victim recognized the same truck driving slowly behind her.  She started running and the truck then sped up and passed her. She ran home and later saw the truck pass her residence again, said Sergeant Joe Passalacqua.

In late September, Santana’s principal sent a letter warning parents about a suspect in a white pickup following multiple female students near Mast and Magnolia, as ECM reported. 

Students’ hunger strike, athletes’ threatened walk-out led to action

By Liz Alper

November 10, 2015 (Columbia, Mo.) -  Just one year after the shooting of an unarmed black man in Ferguson, the nation's collective eyes are again focused on Missouri. This week, students at the University of Missouri successfully pushed for resignation of the campus president following his failure to halt racial slurs on campus.

By Sara Bell

Image via Pixabay by panicci

November 10, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)--In many places throughout the country, thunderstorms—and the rain, wind, hail, and lightning that come with them—are unavoidable. And in fact, according to the National Weather Forecast Office, lightning from thunderstorms causes “several hundred million dollars “ in property damage each year, while hail causes $1 billion in damages each year.

You might think that since there is nothing you can do to prevent thunderstorms, there’s nothing—other than staying indoors—that you can do to protect yourself, your family, and your home from their, sometimes, devastating effects.

East County News Service

November 8, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)—Hikers in the Japatul Valley area east of Alpine found human remains this morning, the Sheriff's department confirms.

Deputies from the Pine Valley sub-station responded at 9:30 to a call in the 24000 block of Japatul Valley Road and confirmed the grisly finding in a nearby canyon. The Sheriff’s Homicide detail is investigating the death, said Lieutenant Kenn Nelson.

East County News Service

November 7, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – The 45-day review period for public comments on proposed changes to the County’s Tiered Winery Ordinance ends November 23^rd. 

In 2010, Supervisors established a Tiered Winery Ordinance. A key component of it was creation of a Boutique Winery tier, which allowed for tasting rooms in conjunction with ongoing agricultural vineyard operations. Since its adoption, a number of issues have arisen that affect implementation of the ordinance. Planning & Development Services (PDS) held workshops on January 17, 2014 and July 1, 2015  to gather information and comments to utilize in formulating the proposed amendments to the Tiered Winery Ordinance. See our prior coverage of the July hearing here, when some wineries voiced alarm over proposals they feared could put some wineries out of business, while others voiced support for suggestions such as limiting food offerings and sharply restricting entertaining at smaller wineries. 

One set of stakeholders whose voices have been largely ignored thus far have been consumers--the wine tasting public who may want to weigh in on whether they want to hear music at weekend wine tastings or be able to savor food along with wine when visiting local wineries. 

East County News Service

November 7, 2015 (San Diego) – On November 3^rd, the  utility fraud attorneys at Aguirre & Severson  filed an action in Superior Court seeking to prevent construction of  the world’s first beach-front nuclear waste dump at San Onofre, or what critics call the “most irresponsible nuclear dump ever,” according to a press release issued by the attorneys, who filed the suit on behalf of Citizens Oversight.

The California Coastal Commission is chartered to protect our state’s coastal resources. But on October 6 approved the dump just 100 feet from the beach near San Onofre State Park in San Diego County to hold nuclear waste that remains toxic for thousands of years. Wastes would be stored in thin-walled steel casks guaranteed by the manufacturer to last only 10 years, though the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved them for up to 20 years of use. Salt water spray soaking casks could result in even earlier corrosion, yet there is no plan to remove casks even after 20 years. By then, the casks, each weighing 400,000 pounds, are apt to have degraded to the point where moving them safely would be nearly impossible, a press release issued by plantiff's attorneys contends.

Attorney Mike Aguirre called the Coastal Commission’s unanimous vote “an outrageous departure from its chartered responsibilities and the California Coastal Act,” adding, “We want the court to revoke Southern California Edison’s permit to pollute, and force Edison to find a safer location.”  The suit seeks revocation of the permit for the dump.

Source: State Park Service

November 6, 2015 (San Diego)--Veterans, Active Duty and Reserve Military Personnel have free access to state parks on Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11.

In San Diego, state parks offering free admission include Border Field State Park, Cardiff State Beach, Carlsbad State Beach, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park,  Palomar Mountain State Park, San Elijo State Beach, San Onofre State Beach, Silver Strand State Beach, South Carlsbad State Beach, Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve and Torrey Pines State Beach.

Participating state parks include 134 parks that are accessible with the “California Explorer” Annual Pass, plus the California State Railroad Museum and eight State Vehicular Recreation Areas. Veterans, active duty and reserve military personnel must show a valid military ID at the park in order to receive free admission.