June 1, 2011 (Spring Valley ) – A man has jumped to his death off a bridge over northbound State Route 125 just south of Highway 54, CHP reports. The victim has not been identified, however the CHP website indicates he had left the home he shared with his wife and has been missing for two days.

May 29, 2011 -- If you’re outdoors this spring, you may cross paths with one of our state’s most common predators, the coyote.

May 27, 2011 (San Diego) – A decomposed body of a white male was found Friday just off a pathway on Bernardo Bay Trail, San Diego Police report.

According to the San Diego Medical Examiner’s office, the body is believed to be a 46-year-old man who had been staying with his family and left without his medications. The family reported him missing. However identity has yet to be confirmed.

Push comes as major drug busts made at border involving Mexican trucks

By Jeremy Los

May 22, 2011- Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) is leading a bi-partisan push to end a cross-border trucking program that would allow Mexican trucks to use U.S. roadways. Hunter and Illinois Democrat Daniel Lipinski sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood protesting the agreement between the U.S. and Mexico. The letter has rare bipartisan agreement, signed by 42 lawmakers from both sides of the aisle including Rep. Bob Filner (D-San Diego).

The lawmakers claim that the program will tarnish border security as well as hurt the American economy and cost jobs. In addition, concerns have been raised over highway safety.

May 24, 2011 (Spring Valley)– The Otay Water District’s (the District) Board of Directors has approved its budget for fiscal year 2011-2012. The budget adopted by the District includes a rate increase of 7.7 percent for water service and a 7.5 percent rate increase for sewer effective January, 2012.

"The $78.1 million operating budget and $22.6 million Capital Improvements Projects (CIP) budget reflect the District’s ongoing efforts to lessen the impact of higher water costs on customers," a press release issued by the district stated.

By Miriam Raftery

May 24, 2011 (San Diego) –San Diego City Council has approved the biggest cost cutting move in San Diego’s history: reforming retiree health benefits, which is estimated to save the City $714,000,000 in coming years.

“With this agreement the City is keeping faith with retirees and taxpayers by creating a sustainable benefit and freeing up hundreds of millions of dollars needed for City services like public safety, libraries and parks,” said Councilmember Marti Emerald, who announced the pending agreement during her recent State of the District address.

May 21, 2011 (La Mesa)--The La Mesa Police Department, in a continuing effort to work in partnership with the community, is hosting a neighborhood forum on Monday, May 23, 2011, from 6:00-8:00 PM at La Mesa Dale Elementary School, 4370 Parks Avenue, La Mesa. This forum is part of a series of community forums to encourage public discussion and questions about issues specific to the individual neighborhoods within the City of La Mesa.

May 20, 2011(Washington D.C.) Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine), a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, announced that he will introduce legislation in the coming days directing the Secretary of the Navy to name the next available ship after Marine Corps Sergeant Rafael Peralta.

“Marine Corps Sgt. Rafael Peralta, a Hispanic-American who grew up in Southeast San Diego, was nominated for the Medal of Honor for smothering a grenade with his body, saving the lives of the other Marines in the room with him,” Hunter said. The incident occurred after Peralta led a team of Marines into a house during combat in Fallujah, Iraq.

Update May 22:  View an underwater video of the training session:  http://vimeo.com/24063472

29 cases confirmed in U.S. including 13 in CA

Local horse shows cancelled, state quarantines imposed to stop spread

May 19, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Horses from across the West were exposed to a deadly new form of Equine Herpes Virus at a Utah horse show. There is no vaccine for Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM), which is caused by Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1). The disease, which results in neuorological symptoms, is highly contagious and often fatal. 

So far, the virus has not been reported in San Diego. But local horse experts are concerned—and horse owners are advised to take precautions.

May 19, 2011 (San Diego) – San Diego County’s Health & Human Services Agency is looking for several community members to fill vacancies on its Community Action Board.

“We are looking for new members and the posts needed to be filled up are East County for the economically disadvantaged sector and three for the public sector for the 2rd, 3rd, and 5th (Supervisorial) District,” said board member Awichu Akwanya.

Investigation finds NRC cancelled safety regulations designed to prevent hydrogen explosions at U.S. nuclear reactors such as those that occurred in Fukushima, Japan

May 19, 2011—A scathing report critical of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission following the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown in Japan has been issued by Congressman Edward Markey’s office following an investigation into NRC procedures.

The report concludes that “flawed assumptions and under-estimation of safety risks are currently an inherent part of the NRC regulatory program, due to a long history of decisions made by prior Commissions or by the NRC staff that have all too often acquiesced to industry requests for a weakening of safety standards.”

Among the disturbing findings:

By Miriam Raftery

May 18, 2011 (La Mesa) – Ashley Charlton, a junior and AP student at West Hills High School, has been named the grand prize winner for her entry in the 3rd Annual Golden Artistry Jewelry Design Competition.

Other top entrants for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place were Cassandra Kingsbury from El Capitan, Scott Holcomb and Noraa Reeder from Santana.

May 14, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – The San Diego Sheriff’s department had planned a training exercise this weekend for Search and Rescue volunteers. The exercise was cancelled, however,  in order to enlist help from the SAR volunteers in a real-life search and rescue mission that has yielded a happy ending.

Patricia McGinn, 63, of La Mesa was found safely at 2:30 p.m. today in a canyon in the 5000 block of Mountainbrook Road in Santa Ysabel by SAR volunteers, after neighbors reported hearing her call for help.

May 13, 2011 (Alpine) - East County Magazine editor Miriam Raftery will once again be a guest on Billie Jo Jannen's "TGIF" radio program tonight. Listen live on 107.9 FM from 6-7 p.m. 

Hot topics will include fire victims asked to return  payments from FEMA, mlitary discrimination against graduates of online schools, legislative news, Rep. Duncan Hunter's effort to save the Mt. Soledad cross, and an ECM investigation into "lion walks" that resulted in an attack on an East County resident.