Update: Jerry Hooten has been found safely. After becoming separated on the trail from his friend, he tried to walk to a trolley stop but was unfamiliar with the area and became lost. He called another friend yesterday morning, who heard of the search and notified the Sheriff. Deputies located him a short time later, walking home in the Lake Murray area.

East County News Service

November 29, 2014 (Lakeside) – The Sheriff’s Department is asking help from the public to find Jerry Lee Hooten, who was last seen by a friend hiking toward the peak of El Capitan (El Cajon mountain) in Lakeside on Friday, November 28^th around 3 p.m.  He did not return to the vehicle he arrive at the mountain in and has not returned home.

Lakeside deputies responded to the call for help at 12777 Wildcat Canyon Road in Lakeside.  Hooten is 5 feet 9 inches tall with brown/gray hair.  He was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt, blue jeans, gray shoes, and carrying a yellow backpack.

By Miriam Raftery

November 27, 2014 (Washington D.C.) – The U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning due to the continued threat of protests and violent incidents in Mexico.  U.S. citizens are advised to avoid road travel within all areas of Guerrero including along the main toll road 95D to and from Mexico City and Acapulco. 

U.S. citizens are also warned not to participate in protests in Mexico, since the Mexican constitution prohibits political activities by foreigners.  Americans are urged to avoid areas of demonstrations, which could result in detention, deportation, or worse.

The region has been rocked by protests over the disappearance of 43 student protesters in Iguala. Burned bodies found in a mass grave may be those of the missing students. There are allegations that they were abducted by police on orders of a mayor and turned over to a gang that murdered them. Mexico’s  President Enrique Peña Nieto has called for constitutional reforms to allow the federal government to takeover local police departments, CNN reports. The Mayor of Iguala and dozens more have been arrested by federal police.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Black lung disease, a condition caused by coal mining, was the topic of a radio ad by Public Citizen that promoted Murray Energy to sue, claiming rights until now reserved for people

November 27, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – An energy corporation is suing Public Citizen, a nonprofit citizens’ watchdog group, claiming that radio ads run by the group caused the company to suffer “mental anguish and emotional distress.”

East County News Service

November 27, 2014 (Julian)—A body has been found about a half mile from Pinezanita Campground, where Sally Estabrook vanished on October 4^th.  Estabrook, who suffered from Alzheimer, triggered a massive search involving search and rescue teams from across Southern California. The Medical Examiner has confirmed that the deceased is Estabrook.

Yesterday afternoon, deputies responded to a radio call of a deceased person found in heavy shrubbery just off the roadway in the 200 block of Coulter Ridge Road in Julian.

East County News Service

November 26, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)—Grab the galoshes and fill up your sandbags—a deluge is set to soak our region early next week. Moderate to heavy rains are forecast—along with possible flash flooding and snow.

National Weather Service forecaster Alex Tardy predicts up to five inches of precipitation in some mountain locations, with heavy snowfall possible above 6,000 feet.

November 24, 2014 (La Mesa)--The La Mesa Police Department has been awarded a $38,000.00 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a year-long program of special enforcements and public awareness efforts to prevent traffic related deaths and injuries.  The La Mesa Police Department will use the funding as part of the city’s ongoing commitment to keep our roadways safe and improve the quality of life through both enforcement and education.

Photo: SDSU News Center

November 22, 2014 (Mt. Laguna)—At first, astronomer Robert Quimby almost deleted an e-mail which began,  “Congratulations, you have won $33,000.”  Then the director of San Diego State University’s Mount Laguna Observatory read further and learned that the money is real—his share of a $3 million prize for his research that helped prove expansion of the universe is accelerating.

November 23, 2014 (San Diego County)--Thanksgiving weekend is among the busiest travel times of the year  and Sheriff’s deputies will be working around the clock to keep you safe on San Diego's roadways.

By Miriam Raftery

Hear our interview on KNSJ radio with Art Neill, New Media Rights Executive Director and FCC Consumer Advisory Committee member: https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au...  (Sound file may take a minute to load.)

View video of President Barack Obama’s announcement on net neutrality: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKcjQPVwfDk

November 22, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) –President Barack Obama issued a statement on video on November 10 urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reclassify the internet under Title II.

“In plain language, the President came out in support of real net neutrality, the principle that says Internet Service Providers (ISPs) should treat all internet traffic equally,” says Art Neill, executive director of New Media Rights in San Diego and a member of the FCC’s consumer advisory committee, co-chair of the broadband working group.