March 11, 2014 (El Cajon )- - Bernardo Teran, 49, owner of a tree trimming company, was killed February 26 while he and his sons, along with two employees, were removing a date palm tree from the yard of a home  at 1586 Falda Del Cerro in El Cajon.

By Miriam Raftery

March 11, 2014 (La Mesa) – Helix Water District will hold a special meeting with the Lake Jennings Campground Committee and Board of Directors on Wednesday, March 12 at 5:30 p.m. at the District headquarters, 7811 University Avenue in La Mesa.

The meeting will include a PowerPoint presentation and discussion regarding activities, marketing, and suggested maintenance at the Lake Jennings campground.  The Board has previously indicated closure of the campgrounds is likely if additional funding sources are not found.

By Miriam Raftery

March 9, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) -- Supervisor Dianne Jacob’s proposal to bring veterans’ services to several County libraries in rural areas. Will be on the agenda for San Diego Supervisors on Tuesday. Jacob introduced the measure following an East County Magazine investigation which found there are no County veterans services in rural areas of East County, or anywhere east of La Mesa.

March 8, 2014 (Santee) – Padre Dam Municipal Water District Board Member Doug Wilson has been appointed by the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors to serve on the Colorado River Board.

March 4, 2014 (El Cajon)--At approximately 2:15 p.m. Monday afternoon, Heartland Fire & Rescue crews from El Cajon and La Mesa responded to reports of a structure fire in the one-thousand block of Leslie Road in El Cajon.  As fire crews arrived on scene they found heavy smoke coming from a lower unit of the apartment structure at 1016 Leslie Road. Firefighters were able to stop the fire in approximately twenty minutes.

Urgent Call—Get the Call When it Counts

March 4, 2014 (LOS ANGELES) - The founder and creator of Urgent Call™ missed the most important call of his life when his father had a heart attack. He was sleeping and his phone was on silent. This crisis inspired the creation of Urgent Call™, a service created to make sure you are available to your loved ones when they need you most. UrgentCall™ is a mobile app and service designed to notify call recipients of an emergency situation, regardless of their phone’s setting. The easy-to-use mobile app allows users to receive emergency calls from anywhere in the world, regardless of a “do not disturb” or “silent” setting, from any type of phone: mobile, landline, and VOIP telephones.

Update March 2, 2014:  The body of the missing fisherman has been found, ECM has learned.

March 1, 2014 (Ramona) – A search and rescue effort is underway at Lake Sutherland, where a kayar was found floating upside down at 5:20 p.m. in the Ramona lake.  According to Lt. Dave Schaller with the Sheriff’s office, the kayak is believed to be owned by a 55-year-old man who frequents the lake for fishing and is known to employees at the lake.

February 28, 2014 (San Diego)—Over 242 collisions were reported yesterday during just 16 hours on the first day of the storm, compared to 50 to 75 accidents on “good weather” days.  The stats include freeways and unincorporated area streets in San Diego County as well as Temecula.

February 27, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)-- Here’s some good news for the directionally challenged:  California’s 5^th District Court of Appeal has ruled that it is legal for a driver to check a map application on a cell phone.

February 28, 2014 (San Diego)--By an 8 to 1 vote, the San Diego City Council has voted to create new zoning laws allowing up to 30 medical marijuana dispensaries within the city limits – up to four in  each council district.

County News Service

February 26, 2014 (San Diego)--It’s been one of the driest winters on record, but finally some significant rain is headed our way.

Once again the County of San Diego is making free sand and bags available to residents in the unincorporated areas. Residents just need to bring their own shovel.

Locations are below, along with links to find updates on road conditions during this storm and other emergencies.

Photo, left: 2013 storm in East County's Boulevard community

February 27, 2014 (San Diego)-- As San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) crews prepare for periods of heavy rain, gusty winds and scattered lightning to continue, the utility is reminding customers to be on alert and prepare for unplanned power outages.   

“As the region prepares for much-needed rainfall, SDG&E crews are ready to respond to any impacts the weather may have on our electrical system,” said David L. Geier, vice president of electric operations for SDG&E. “We’re committed to providing reliable electricity service to our customers but sometimes unexpected power outages may occur, especially during storms and high winds.”

The utility reminds customers to follow the following storm safety tips:

Photo courtesy ECM news partner 10 News

February 27, 2014 (San Diego) – San Diego Police Department will soon be headed up by its first female Chief.  Assistant Chief Shelley Zimmerman will replace retiring Chief William Lansdowne, who steps down March 3.  Lansdowne leaves office following a series of scandals including allegations of sexual misconduct by officers, so the choice of a woman to head up the department can be viewed as sending a strong signal that the city is serious about cleaning up the department's tarnished image.

Zimmerman has the support of Mayor-Elect Kevin Faulconer as well as the San Diego Police Officers Association.

By Miriam Raftery

Updated February 27, 2014 (San Diego) – A powerful storm is set to sweep into the region Thursday through Sunday, bringing some of the most severe weather seen in decades, weather experts predict.

The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning and a flash flood watch from late Thursday through Saturday night.  Thunderstorms may bring waterspouts or even tornadoes, most likely in coastal areas.

 Sustained winds of 25 to 35 miles per hour with gusts of 60 miles per hour or higher are forecast for mountain and desert areas in East County.   Blowing sand and dust may reduce visibility.

By Nadin Abbott

Miriam Raftery also contributed to this report

February 22, 2014 (Deerhorn Valley) -- Deerhorn Valley residents  are reporting serious problems with new cell phone service in their area. These issues range from the very serious, including getting disconnected during a 911 call to recurring reception problems.