By Miriam Raftery

August 26, 2015 (Lakeside) - - Residents, environmentalists and medical experts presented strong evidence for why a proposed sand mining project in Lakeside’s El Monte Valley should not be approved.  Opponents of Enviornmine’s proposed 167-acre project spoke out at tonight’s scoping meeting conducted by the county.’s Planning department.  Public comment remains open until September 14^th, after which an Environmental Impact Report will be drafted.

Dr. Christy Walker, an emergency room physician, testified about the confirmed presence of Valley Fever (coccidioides immitis) in El Monte Valley; evidenced in the treatment of both people and pets who contracted the potentially lethal illness in the Valley. She indicated that Valley fever does not just affect the lungs but can affect multiple organs. Her concern is that mining that lift layers of sand to dig the 100' deep, 182 acre wide mining pit would release fungal coccidioides spores d into the air, greatly increasing exposure and infection.

East County News Service

Photos courtesy of Mary Moran: crowd downtown, Pastor Jim Garlow, and Rosemary Garlow

August 22, 2015 (San Diego)—Hundreds of people demonstrated outside multiple Planned Parenthood locations in San Diego as part of a nationwide  protest in over 310 cities.  Mary Moran, a local organizer, says the protests are over Planned Parenthood “harvesting and selling aborted baby parts—some organs were harvested while the baby’s heart was still beating.”

East County News Service

August 22, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – Monsoonal flows could bring afternoon and evening thunderstorms, lightning and heavy downpours Monday through Thursday in East County, along with gusty winds.

August 22, 2015 (El Cajon)--Learn how to avoid getting reeled in by financial scammers and other crooks at East County’s first-ever “Don’t Get Hooked” event set for Wednesday, Sept. 23, in El Cajon.

By Miriam Raftery

August 21, 2015 (Borrego Springs)—A mother and her infant son are dead of injuries sustained in a two-vehicle collision that occurred yesterday shortly before 4 p.m. in Borrego Springs. Three other people were injured, according to the California Highway Patrol.

August 21, 2015 (San Diego's East County) -- You can reap rewards for saving electricity on hot days with SDG&E’s Reduce Your Use Rewards program. Here’s how it works:

• Enroll in Reduce Your Use alerts so you know when to save.
• Receive a day-ahead alert
• Save energy between 11a.m. and 6 p.m. on the actual day
• Automatically earn rewards for saving
• View your reward credits online or on your bill

Looking for other ways to keep cooling costs down?

East County News Service

Photo: U.S. Department of Agriculture

August 18, 2015 (La Mesa)-- State, federal and County of San Diego officials have announced that 93 square miles covering portions of San Diego City and East County communities have been put under quarantine after the discovery of four Mediterranean fruit flies — a dangerous pest that can infest more than 250 crops.

East County News Service

August 16, 2015 (Salton Sea) – The National Weather Service confirmed yesterday that a severe storm that tore through Mecca on the north shore of the Salton Sea on August 6 was a tornado that caused over $10 million in damages.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Joseph Zatarain, Potrero Town on Facebook

August 18, 2015 (Jamul) – On Sunday, we reported on a 10-hour closure of State Route 94 last Friday due to a head-on collision involving a semi-truck that left many local residents stranded and angry by the long delays.  Our story included documentation of numerous past lengthy closures on the highway in the Jamul area provided by the Deerhorn Valley Antler editor.We asked the California Highway Patrol and Supervisor Dianne Jacob for comments on this serious issue.

Supervisor Jacob responded,  “The public has every reason to be outraged, given the length of the closure, the dangerously high temperatures that day and the lack of communication from state authorities. I will be sharing those concerns with the Caltrans, CHP and other state officials. Drivers are already at risk on this dangerous and congested state highway, and the situation will become even more dangerous if a casino opens. Thousands of lives are at risk in the event there is a need for an evacuation of the area with nowhere to go."

Kevin Pearlstein, public information officer for the California Highway Patrol in El Cajon, today advised East County Magazine that the delay was due in part to the truck shifting and dropping part of its load. 

"The truck was carrying a form of coal.  When the trailer opened up like a aluminum can it spilled everywhere," he said, adding that the prolonged road closure was due to cleanup of the coal spill.  The accident caused five injuries,two major and three minor to moderate, he added, and providing additional details:

 East County Magazine and the Santee Solutions Coalition invite you to meet our editor on Tuesday, August 25th from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Santee Library (9225 Carlton Hills Blvd.) Help us build our new Santee and Lakeside community section!

What important community events, issues and organizations do you want covered in East County Magazine?

Memorial planned for September 26, 2015

By Miriam Raftery

August 16, 2015 (Descanso) –For the past 43 years, Garry McClintock has been making saddles to outfit trail riders and cowboys across our region. On August 14^th, the master  saddle maker passed away at his Descanso home. With his passage, a towering part of San Diego’s western heritage rides off into the sunset. though his memories live on.

East County Magazine’s “Sounds of History” host Helen Ofield interviewed McClintock for our radio show on KNSJ. You can hear the  series here, including McClintock discussing the art of saddlemaking in part 1 and the history of vaqueros in our region in part 2:

http://k001.kiwi6.com/hotlink/7avse2re64/Soundsof_History-GarrymcClintock-saddles1.mp3

    http://k001.kiwi6.com/hotlink/n2cwhibth1/SoundsofHistory-2McClintock-Vaqueros.mp3

By Miriam Raftery

Photos courtesy of Camilia Sadik

August 15, 2015 (El Cajon) –This photo is not in Egypt nor Tunisia.  The scene is Iraq, this month, where demonstrators are calling for an end to corruption and a return to secular government amid scorching temperatures that have reached 122 degrees. 

A solidarity rally is planned today in El Cajon from 6 to 8 p.m. at 201 East Main Street.

“Mass demonstrations were triggered in Baghdad by lack of electricity and unbearable heat in August,” linquist Camilia Sadik told East County Magazine, also providing photos taken by her friend in Baghdad.  “They began in Tahreer Square in Baghdad on August 1 and then spread all over Iraq.  Two major slogans are `In the name of religion, we were burglarized by thieves” and “Yes to secularism, No to Shiites, no to Sunnis.”

East County News Service

August 14, 2015 (San Diego)—Fruits, nuts, and other crops including some sold as organic have been grown using irrigation from oil fracking wastewater laced with toxins in drought-stricken California.

Now some consumer advocacy groups including Food & Water Watch are calling for a halt to the practice.  Courage Campaign has launched a petition for consumers to pledge that they won’t buy food products grown with oil wastewater, or what Courage Campaign calls “toxic sludge.”

 A shocking investigation by Mother Jones magazine reveals that oil wastewater has reportedly been sold to 90 landowners in Southern California, including Bee Sweet Citrus and  Halos, a citrus company which has the slogan “pure goodness” and Sunview, which sells grapes and raisins including some certified as organic.  Another company reportedly irrigating with oil wastewater is Trinchero Family Estates, which supplies grapes for winemakers including Sutter Home.

August 8, 2015 (San Diego)--Thinking about getting a pet? Mark Saturday, Aug. 15 on your calendar. County Animal Services is among more than a dozen local organizations taking part in “Clear the Shelters,” a one-day, all-out push in cities around the country aimed at getting every shelter animal into homes. For that day only, County Animal Services is waiving all adoption fees on its pets for qualified applicants, and that includes a spay or neuter, vaccinations, a microchip and a free veterinary exam.

By Miriam Raftery

Updated August 11, 2015 with a statement from the Metropolitan Water Authority.

August 10, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – More than 3 million gallons of toxic waters contaminated with heavy metals from the King Gold Mine in Colorado were accidentally released by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency employees working at the site.   The spill has turned clean waterways in three slates a sickly mustard color from a flow moving at four to five miles per hour.

The toxic plume has flowed into major rivers in Colorado, Utah and New Mexico and is expected to soon reach Arizona, where it could potentially taint Lake Powell, the second largest reservoir in the United States and a major source of drinking water for San Diego, California as well as Las Vegas, Nevada. However the Metropolitan Water District has issued a statement indicating it does not anticipate an impact on local districts' water supplies in our region.