May 24, 2010 (Washington D.C.) -  Congressman Duncan Hunter praised a not guilty verdict in the case of Navy SEAL Matthew McCabe, who faced court-martial for allegedly beating Iraqi detainee Ahmed Hashim Abed and lying to investigators.

Abed was arrested in September in Iraq for allegedly orchestrating the 2004 murders of four U.S. contractors working for Blackwater USA in Falluja. The contractors' burned bodies were later hung from a bridge, triggering the siege of Falluja.

May 23, 2010 (Descanso) – Three-year-old Noah Hale was found by his mother floating face-down and unresponsive in the family’s backyard pool on Friday. Following a 9-1-1 call, the toddler was air-lifted to Rady Children’s Hospital, but emergency room medical personnel were unable to save him.

May 22, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Two earthquakes measuring 5.3 and 4.8 in magnitude struck at 10:33 and 10:00 a.m. The temblors were centered 14 and 13 miles SSW of Seeley, California, according to the U.S. Geological Service.

The quakes caused significant shaking in East County and San Diego, causing windows to rattle on Mount Helix.  If you had damage from the quake, please post in the comments section below. Click here to see an enlarged map. 

No reports of damage have been received, said a dispatcher for Heartland Fire, which services much of East County.

May 21, 2010 (Valley Center) – Cal-Fire firefighters are dousing hot spots from a half-acre brush fire near 29902 Valley Center Road. The fire’s spread has been stopped. The blaze, which began at 3:46 this afternoon, was caused by youngsters playing with illegal fireworks.

Opponents call move a “golden opportunity” for public to weigh in and potentially halt project

May 16, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Yesterday, Cleveland National Forest issued a request for public comments on SDG&’E’s proposed Sunrise Powerlink project.

The public has 45 days to submit comments on the planned high-voltage line. As part of a national energy corridor, the line could ultimately a 1,000 foot-wide swatch of clearance through Cleveland National Forest in East County. Forest Services officials are preparing a Supplemental Information Report (SIR) to include new information received. The Union-Tribune reports that the Forest Service said Saturday that the massive power line “threatens views, creeks and roadless areas in the forest.”

By Richard Darvas
 

May 17, 2010 (Dehesa)--On a hilly downgrade that spills into Dehesa Valley, Vietnam veteran Joseph Diliberti built an earthen sanctuary on 3.7 acres. Over 31 years--shaped by ideals of Henry David Thoreau’s transcendentalism and principles of Jamaica’s Rastafarianism--the individualist hand-crafted mud houses, a lofty tree house and an Asiatic pagoda. But an unresolved weed abatement dating back to 2004 leaves Diliberti in danger of losing his land to a public auction on March 18, 2011. Compounded by penalties and interest levied by the County tax collector, a weed-cutting service billed at $25,500 has mushroomed to a $63,993 tab. On behalf of San Diego Rural Fire Protection District (RFD), Fire Prevention Services (FPS) cleared vegetation on the site for three days in 2004. FPS’ actions as a private contractor reflected new defensible-space regulations enacted after the 2003 Cedar Fire.
 

Since East County Magazine ran an investigative feature on Diliberti’s plight on May 3, 2010, new developments have emerged—including a grassroots effort to help Diliberti keep his land, complete with fundraising, a Facebook page, and a documentary filmmaker.

May 16, 2010 (Barrett Lake) -- Highway 94 is closed at Barrett Lake due to a collision between a car and a motorcycle, CHP reports.

Two passengers are injured, including one with a partial leg amputation, according to Incident Page Network. No further details are yet available.

May 18, 2010 (Campo) – At least ten children have been injured in a collision this morning between a school bus and a light pole in the parking lot at Golden Acorn Casino on the Campo Indian reservation. Patients with injuries ranging from mild to moderate have been transported to Grossmont and Alvarado hospitals.

Photovoltaic Facility Proposed by LS Power Could Deliver up to 130 Megawatts of Clean Energy to San Diego Across Planned Sunrise Powerlink

May 14, 2010 (San Diego)—San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) announced yesterday that it has signed a 20-year power-purchase agreement with an LS Power subsidiary to procure up to 130 megawatts (MW) of solar energy from the proposed Centinela Solar Energy facility in the Imperial Valley.

May 13, 2010  - A man who threatened a Santee homeowner with a tire iron has been arrested following a search by the Sheriff's Astrea helicopter, East County Magazine has learned. 

The had a small white dog with him and had fled through Woodglen Vista Park on Ironwood in Santee.

May 11, 2010 (Sacramento) -- The California Legislature recently approved a $10,000 tax credit for Californians purchasing qualified homes between May 1, 2010 and Dec. 31, 2010. The credit applies to people purchasing previously unoccupied homes and to first-time homebuyers purchasing re-sale homes.

May 11, 2010 (Santee) – At 9:48 this morning, a man believed to be the “geezer bandit” robbed the Bank of America at 9711 Mission Gorge Road in Santee.

“He had a blue baseball cap and blue sport coat,” said Sergeant Tom Poulin, detective with the Santee Sheriff’s Department. A witness said the robber also had an oxygen tank.

By Laura Cyphert

East County Community Action Coalition

At an April 2010 event at the East County Chamber of Commerce, Laura McDonald from SDG&E boldly stated that “there are not any fire risks with this project.”

It is not known if McDonald purposely intended to mislead San Diegans (or if she will someday be fined for misleading San Diegans), but what is known is that the “Fire and Fuels Management” section of the environmental impact report identifies numerous significant fire risks associated with the project, and even states that the project will “significantly increase the likelihood of catastrophic fires.”