By Miriam Raftery

August 20, 2016 (Santee) – Three people have been hospitalized following a head-on crash at Carlton Oaks Drive and Oakbourne Road in Santee yesterday at 12:35 p.m.

By Tracy DeFore, County of San Diego

August 19, 2016 (Boulevard) -- County Animal Services seized four horses from a property in Boulevard Thursday and Friday after investigating reports of neglect.

By Miriam Raftery

August 19,2016 (San Diego’s East County) – State and local water agency representatives have offered more information for the public following a recent report revealing that 150 reservoirs statewide are “mercury impaired,” including10 in San Diego County, as ECM reported. 

A key clarification is that the term “mercury impaired reservoirs” referred to testing of fish in those waters,  not testing of water for drinking.  Drinking water can test with no detectable mercury levels, yet still have high, unsafe concentrations of mercury in fish, particularly larger fish that have consumed smaller fish.  This problem raises a new issue: the need for new testing methods to detect low levels of mercury that while not unsafe in drinking water,  can result in unsafe levels in fish living in those waters.

By Miriam Raftery

August 18, 2016 (Lakeside) – A 58-year-old Lakeside man died at the scene of a three-vehicle crash in Lakeside yesterday afternoon.

By José A. Álvarez, County of San Diego Communications Office

August 17, 2016 (San Diego) --San Diego area landlords: homeless people need your help.

The County of San Diego and its many partners are looking for landlords who are willing to rent apartments to help house 130 people who are currently homeless.

East County News Service

August 17, 2016 (La  Mesa) – At today’s 2 p.m. meeting of the Helix Water District Board (7811 University Ave., La Mesa), directors will consider addition of fees and other changes at Lake Jennings, including adding kayak rentals and a tee-pee rental venue at the campground.  These are the latest improvements proposed by a committee led by director Joel Scalzitti.    As a result, the lake that some board  members sought to close due to budget shortfalls is now operating at a profit.  View board package and agenda.

At its last meeting, the board voted 3-2 for hefty rate hikes of 10.1%, effective on water use after  November 1,2016 and billings starting January 1,2017. That action has inspired five challengers to run against two board members who voted for this hefty rate hike as well as earlier recent increases—moves that fueled outrage in public comments and emails sent to the board.

East County News Service

August 16, 2016 (San Diego, CA) – San Diegans living with Alzheimer’s received free GPS devices under a Wandering Prevention Pilot Program started by Alzheimer’s San Diego and funded by the County of San Diego.

East County News Service

August 15, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – A red flag alert for high fire danger has been issued for the mountain and desert areas in East County due to hot, dry,windy conditons through Friday. In addition, a heat advisory is in effect for inland regions in our county due to triple digit temperatures today.

East County News Service

August 12, 2016 (Campo) — A 25-year-old motorcyclist from San Diego struck a tree of State Route 94 in Campo this morning shortly after 10:30 a.m., suffering serious injuries.

UPDATE:  SEARCHERS STILL NEEDED!  Need more on horseback, on foot and on bike to search brush areas.  Bring Bluetooth wireless speakers for phones or MP3 players and play horse sounds for Royal to reply to.  Meet Aug. 13 at the Sweetwater Bridge parking lot.  Call Shawna (760) 880-1714

East County News Service

August 10, 2016 (Cuyamaca) – Searchers on foot, on horse, and a drone are requested to help find a horse named Royal that ran off on August 7 in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park at Dyar Springs Trail south of the spring.  “He was fully tacked when he left us. His saddle slipped under him and scared him,” the owner says, according to a post at the Brush Fire Partyline on Facebook.  The horse took off bucking and the owner fears he could be caught up on brush.

By Jonathan Goetz

Photos:  Councilman Tony Ambrose, left, leveled harsh words at Richard Graydon, right, a citizen seeking more help for homeless people.

August 11,2016 (El Cajon) – Tempers grew heated during Tuesday’s El Cajon City Council hearing, where  Council member Tony Ambrose scolded a citizen, Richard Graydon, who had criticized the City's approach to homelessness.  The agenda included the city’s responses to two critical Grand Jury reports, one on homeless issues and the other calling for formation of a citizens’ police oversight board. 

The City determined it already does enough to help homeless people--more than other East County cities-- and also concluded there is no need to allow citizens'oversight of any complaints against El Cajon Police.

By Miriam Raftery

August 11, 2016 (Jamul) — On August 5^th, a head-on crash between a big-rig and three other vehicles at the steel bridge on State Route 94 near Jamacha shut down the highway for several hours.  A truck lost a rear axle. One car flipped, another partially over the side,” says Kim Hamilton, Deerhorn Valley Antler editor, who cancelled family dinner plans due to the delay. ”Cars were going the wrong way, no law enforcement,” she told ECM.

By Miriam Raftery

August 9, 2016 (El Cajon) — The Federal Aviation Administration has approved a request from Gillespie Field Airport Manager Marc Baskel to permanently raise the minimum altitude for air traffic over Gillespie Field from 1,188 feet to 1,388 feet.

A national search will soon begin to fill the role of athletic director for SDSU

Source: SDSU Media Relations

Photo: Jenny Bramer, courtesy goaztecs.com

August 8, 2016 (San Diego) - San Diego State University President Elliot Hirshman today announced that university Athletic Director Jim Sterk has resigned.  Jenny Bramer, who has been a valuable member of Aztec Athletics leadership for 13 years, will assume the role of Interim Director of Athletics.

Update:   Helix Water says Lake Jennings drinking water tests clean, issue is with fish tissue; state clarifies problem is with fish tissue, not necessarily water for drinking

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

August 6, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – State officials are warning that 150 reservoirs statewide are tainted by mercury. Ten San Diego reservoirs are contaminated, including some of East County’s most popular fishing spots.  “Mercury is negatively impacting the beneficial uses of many waters of the state by making fish unsafe for human and wildlife consumption,” the State Water Resources Control Board website warns.

However some local officials dispute those findings.

 

What lakes locally have mercury issues,accordingto the state?

Local reservoirs listed as "mercury impaired" on the state's document are El Capitan Reservoir, Lake Henshaw, Lake Hodges, Lake Jennings, Loveland Reservoir, Lower Otay Reservoir, Lake Morena Reservoir, San Vicente Reservoir, Lake Sutherland, and Sweetwater Reservoir, according to a California Water Boards publication released in June.