By Miriam Raftery

November 24, 2013 (San Diego's East County) -- This week, the hottest meeting in town will be the Boulevard Planning Group, which has a busy agendawith many major items slated for its meeting on Thursday, December 5 at 7 p.m. in the Boulevard Fire Training/Community Room, 39919 Ribbon Wood Road in Boulevard.  View full agenda.

Planners will hold a question and answer session on a new Boulevard Fire Station – and consider whether a moratorium should be requested for new large-scale commercial projects until Boulevard Fire Stations are verifiably staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The agenda also includes major energy projects and some controversial water issues.

By Miriam Raftery

November 22, 2013 (La Mesa) – Several directors of the Helix Water Board indicated a willingness to vote to close Lake Jennings permanently or at least remove camping facilities and end fish stocking to save funds. But in the end, after public testimony and a proposal by director Joel Scalzitti, the board unanimously voted to form a committee to see if an alternative can be found.

Carlos Lugo, General Manager, led off the hearing earlier this month by stating that a  September workshop on the issue did not have a high attendance.  The lake has been a financial drain on the district and a consultant’s analysis predicted that even investing in major upgrades would not result in a profit.

View speech on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhupT9o-nxk

Read full text of speech:http://library.sdsu.edu/sites/default/files/JFK-Transcript_0.pdf

By Miriam Raftery

November 21, 2013 (San Diego) – Tomorrow marks the 50^th anniversary of that fateful day in Dallas, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.   Like so many Americans, I remember the moment when I heard the news.  I was in second grade and the teacher started crying as she broke the news.  It hit me hard, since just a few months earlier, Mom had pulled me out of class and taken me to watch the young President’s motorcade downEl Cajon Boulevard in the College area. 

He had just delivered a commencement speech on June 6, 1963 at San Diego State University’s Aztec Bowl, after being the first to receive an honorary doctoral degree through a California state university.  Kennedy told SDSU graduates, "As a nation, we have no deeper concern, no older commitment and no higher interest than a strong, sound and free system of education for all...In fulfilling this obligation to ourselves and our children, we provide for the future of our nation—and for the future of freedom." He reflected on the educated founders of our nation, the importance of an educated populace for the future, and the disparities in educational opportunities across the nation.

Instructors blow whistle on safety concerns at U.S. flight schools

By Miriam Raftery

November 19, 2013 (El Cajon ) – An investigative report by an  NBC TV station in the Bay area adds fuel to concerns raised by East County residents over the safety of foreign pilot training at Gillespie Field.  The NBC investigation, titled “Foreign Airline Pilots, U.S. Flight Schools: Do they get enought raining time in cockpit?” has prompted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to announce tighter regulations of  training of foreign pilots at American flight schools.

In the U.S., pilots train for years in either the military of general aviation, or both, to gain at least 1,500 hours of flight time before being allowed into the cockpit of a commercial jetliner.  But the FAA gave out 4,820 license to foreign pilots last year alone – pilots who came here from Asia or other places to train, many with zero flight experience.

November 19, 2013 (San Diego) -– Construction crews will close eastbound State Route 52 (SR-52) on Tuesday and Wednesday nights and again on Saturday night for paving and striping, according to Caltrans.  The closures are part of an ongoing project to repair the dips in the pavement which is anticipated to be completed by winter 2014. The  Convoy ramp will also be impacted; for details click "read more" and scroll down.

Take the city’s survey (available in English, Spanish and Arabic)

November 18, 2013 (El Cajon) – The City of El Cajon receives approximately $1 million in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funds and $420,000 in HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Funds each year for housing and community development projects.  The City invites the public to have input in how the City programs this money over the next five years.

By Miriam Raftery

November 17, 2013 (San Diego) – A malfunctioning drone has struck the U.S.S. Chancellorsville on Saturday night off the Southern California coast near Point Magu, the Navy announced.

Two sailors sustained minor burns. The guided missile cruiser ship will return to San Diego for an assessment of damages. The Navy did not reveal what type of drone went awry. However the Los Angeles Times reports it was a 13-foot-long drone with a six foot wingspan that slammed into the port side of the ship.

The accident heightens concerns among East County residents who have voiced alarm over a proposal to test drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over San Diego’s backcountry.

November 14, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning for mountain and desert areas in East County from 10 p.m. tonight through 7 a.m. Sunday morning.

November 11, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – The past month has been deadly on East County roadways.  Accidents in Jamul, Spring Valley, San Diego, Lakeside, and Ramona have claimed the lives of several local residents.

Steven John Eastman, 24, of El Cajon died November 3 of injuries sustained when he was struck by a cement truck while walking along Mission Gorge Road and Cottonwood Avenue on November 1. Witnesses called 911 and paramedics found him unresponsive. He was transported to Sharp Memorial Hospital, where despite treatment, his health declined.

November 11, 2013 (San Diego)--During November, veterans and active duty military personnel can adopt a dog or cat at half price through County Animal Services.  This includes spaying or neutering, vaccinations, a microchip, and a free health examination.  The adoptions are limited to one dog or two cats per household.

Dawn Danielson, director of the County’s Department of Animal Services, says “This is truly a win-win situation for both the pets that deserve a loving home and our service members who will gain a loyal, forever companion.” Pets can often have healing effects on veterans and can help them transition back into their civilian lives, she added.

By Miriam Raftery

November 7, 2013 (Washington D.C.) –The Drone Aircraft Privacy and Transparency Act was introduce November 4 in the Senate.

“The FAA’s plan falls far short of putting in place the necessary privacy protections for the commercialization of drone use in U.S. airspace,” Senator Ed Markey (D-MA)said in a statement. “This disregard for the need for strong and comprehensive privacy safeguards underscores why we must pass federal legislation to protect innocent individuals from expanded use of commercial and government drones.”

Markey said that his legislation requires transparency on the domestic use of drones and adds privacy protections that will “ensure this technology cannot and will not be used to spy on Americans.” Markey’s bill would require law enforcement agencies to acquire warrants before they use drones to conduct surveillance.  A copy of his bill can be viewed here. 

By Miriam Raftery

Cary Hyatt also contributed to this report

November 5, 2013 (San Diego) – Nearly 270,000 San Diegans, including 136,000 children and 15,000 senior citizens, had their food stamp benefits cut effective November 1^st.   Nationwide, around 48 million people rely on food stamps, or nearly 14% of all Americans.

Meetings set in Julian on November 11 and December 4

By Miriam Raftery

November 1, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – Should unmanned drone aircraft testing be allowed over San Diego and East County?   

San Diego’s entire Congressional delegation thinks so. All five members have signed a letter supporting efforts by Inyokern to have the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) declare our region an unmanned aircraft systems test site,The Drone News reported on October 26. San Diego Supervisors have also voiced support for the proposal, directing staff to write a letter in support. Supervisor Dianne Jacob has said she supports the concept to provide jobs and fire monitoring.

But now a citizens action group called Back Country Voices has formed  to oppose drone testing here.  The  The group plans two meetings, one at the Julian Library on November 11 at 6 p.m. and the second on December 4 at 6 p.m. Objections include safety and privacy concerns over drone surveillance,  impacts of drones on the environment, bird migrations, and the deaths of innocent civilians including thousands of children worldwide inadvertently killed by drones.

November 2, 2013 (San Diego's East County) – Helix Water District will officially celebrate its 100th anniversary as a public district at the Administration Office Boardroom, 7811 University Avenue, La Mesa, California on Wednesday, November 6 at 5:00 p.m.

Helix Water District, which began as a private company called the San Diego Flume Company, went public as a result of a vote taken in the East County on November 1, 1913.   The La Mesa, Lemon Grove, Spring Valley Irrigation District was duly formed as a public special district under California's irrigation law.

By Miriam Raftery

October 31, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) –Nine East County Magazine team members combined to win 11 awards in the 40th annual “Excellence in Journalism Awards” presented by San Diego Press Club on October 29.  ECM has won a total of 58 journalism awards since our launch in September 2008.

Our winning news entries dealt primarily with compelling public health and safety issues(wildfires and industrial-scale energy projects), though we also picked up awards for photography, feature-writing and commentary.

Congratulations to our winners!  In alphabetical order, they are:  Nadin Abbott, Parke Ewing, Paul Kruze, Brian Lafferty, Ron Logan, Jim Pelley, Miriam Raftery, Sierra Robinson, and Darin Sefcik.