Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

March 7, 2020 (Las Vegas) - Sam Merrill scored 17 of his 27 points in the second half, including a contested 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left to lift Utah State to a 59-56 victory over No. 5 San Diego State in the Mountain West Tournament championship on Saturday.

East County News Service

March 7, 2020 (El Cajon) – The Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors (PSAR), one of San Diego’s largest real estate trade associations for realtors, has announced it is planning to protest a proposal by the El Cajon City Council to add sewer charges to property taxes paid by El Cajon homeowners. PSAR members say they will voice their opposition at the next city council meeting at 3 p.m., Tuesday, March 10, at city hall, 200 Civic Center Way, El Cajon.

By Miriam Raftery

March 7, 2020 (San Diego) – Following light showers on Sunday, an “atmospheric river” is on track to drop heavy rainfall across our region Monday through Thursday including mountains, valleys, deserts and coastal regions of San Diego County.  There is also a chance of thunderstorms and risk of flash flooding.

Heaviest rains are forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday, the National Weather Service predicts.

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

March 6, 2020 (San Diego) -- We’ve had the driest January and February for quite some time. Usually its our wettest months of the year. We’ve had some rain, but not much. We did experience more than normal wind events and more are expected through this week with warm temperatures promoting fuel growth and drying out vegetation faster than normal!

The National Interagency Fire Center Issued this alert for Southern California: Significant large fire potential is expected across the region during the outlook into late March, April and May. 

East County News Service

March 5, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) -- Debbie Merrill snapped these photos of a pair of white-tailed kites nesting in East County.

March 5, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) - East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen on important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• Supreme Court will decide fate of Obamacare health law (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• U.S., Taliban Sign Deal (Time)
• Sanders, Biden face off in primary election (CBS)
• Sanders Will Drop Out if Biden Gets Plurality Coming Into Dem Convention (Newsweek)
• Judge demands unredacted Mueller report, questions Barr's 'credibility' (The Hill) 
• Health-care workers worry about whether they are adequately protected (Washington Post)

WORLD

• Five reasons why Canada’s shutdown is a big deal (BBC)
• Dubai's ruler abducted daughters and threatened former wife, UK judge rules (Reuters)
• ICC clears way for probe of alleged Afghanistan war crimes (Reuters)
• After Delhi Riots, Muslims in India Fear What's Next (Time)
• Nearly Half of Central American Asylum Seekers Say Relatives Were Killed (Newsweek)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.  

March 5, 2020 (San Diego) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media.  This week's round-up stories include:  

LOCAL

• Rose Canyon earthquake could have 'devastating' consequences for San Diego (10 News)
• Prosecutors, Hunter defense spar over how much detail to include in public sentencing record (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Supervisors OK spending $12 million to design, build Ramona Intergenerational Community Campus (Ramona Sentinel)
• East County health care district seeking local volunteers to honor (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Lemon Grove looking at ways to deal with homeless (San Diego Union-Tribune)

STATE

• Coronavirus plan for California prisons raises inmate and advocate concerns (Los Angeles Times)
• Quarantined workers would be protected from retaliation under proposed California law (Sacramento Bee)
• Lorena Gonzalez Proposes Changes To California's New Gig Economy Law (KPBS)
• California’s AB 5 kills off 40-year-old Lake Tahoe Music Festival (California Globe)
• L.A. County supervisors want answers to widespread voting problems (Los Angeles Times)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

March 5, 2020 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Why coronavirus could have slipped into U.S. long before screenings, travel restrictions (Sacramento Bee)
• How daily life in the U.S. will change as the coronavirus outbreak enters a new phase (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• New cases in three U.S. states raise prospect of local, person-to-person spread (New York Times)
• A dog in Hong Kong has a low-level infection of the new coronavirus (Science News)
• Immune cells in the gut may play a big role in peanut allergies (Science News)

SCIENCE & TECH

• Facebook takes down deceptive Trump campaign ads -- after first allowing them (Washington Post)
• State Department blames ‘swarms of online, false personas’ from Russia for wave of coronavirus misinformation online (Washington Post)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

By Miriam Raftery

March 5, 2020 (San Diego's East County) -- This week’s Destination East County features St. Patrick’s Day fun at Hooley’s Irish Pub, Irish teas in Julian, spring wildflower walks in the Anza-Borrego Desert, Agatha Christie’s the Hollow in La Mesa, and concerts at the Magnolia in El Cajon.

Plus we have a preview of coming attractions including a LatinX Film and Art Festival at San Diego State, Eggstravanza at Santee Lakes and Cajon Classic Cruises in El Cajon.

So scroll down for all of these events and many more!

By Miriam Raftery and Jonathan Goetz

Photos: East County News Service

March 4, 2020 (San Diego) --Congresswoman Susan Davis is retiring in order to spend more time in San Diego. 

In the 53^rd Congressional District, her shoes will be filled by a Democratic woman, as Sara Jacobs and Georgette Gomez, both captured the #1 and #2 slots, respectively to make the November run-off out of a 13-candidate field. The 53rd Congressional district includes the heart of the city of San Diego as well as La Mesa, Lemon Grove, part of El Cajon, Jamul, Chula Vista, and more.

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

March 5, 2020 (San Diego) Measure S, which was designed to raise sales taxes by ¾ of a cent and bring in an estimated $3 million to the financially strapped city of Lemon Grove, is failing.

According to the San Diego Registrar of Voters the primary had a 28% voter turn-out. With 100% precincts reporting, 59%,or 2,069 voted no on the measure and 41%, or 1,421 voted yes. There are 350,000 outstanding ballots to be counted as of early Wednesday.

Without more revenues to fund needed services, Lemon Grov could be pushed to seek disincorporation as a city, reverting back to county control.

ECM obtained reactions to the election outcome from the measure's leading advocate and staunchest opponent.

The Sounds Of Silence Are The Loudest, by Cortina Jackson (CoLAB Creative Group, LLC, 2018, 207 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

March 4, 2020 (San Diego) - Cortina Jackson, with a background in criminal justice and law enforcement, follows up her initial publication; On Earth As It Is In Hell, with her latest fiction novel of a similar genre; The Sounds Of Silence Are The Loudest. As a matter of fact, this latest book borders on the macabre. It is thought provoking and has elements that can have the reader on the edge of their seat.

The Sounds Of Silence Are The Loudest, admittedly by the author, has stories within it that are not scary, but this writer begs to differ! Jackson states that the reality of it is. Jackson says she decided to call the book The Sounds of Silence are the Loudest, because people’s silence about abductions, trafficking, mind-control, and organ-harvesting is deafening. She further states that it is time to make some actual noise, for these issues are no longer a secret for this fiction writer.

By Paul Kruze, Contributing Editor

Photo: Creative Commons NC-ND via Bing

March 4, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) -- El Cajon and Lakeside voters gave solid thumbs down on Tuesday night to school bond measures put on the ballot by the Cajon Valley Union School District (CVUSD) and by the Lakeside Union School District.

Cajon Valley

Cajon Valley’s ballot measure, which would have issued $220 million dollars in school bonds went down in a major defeat with 100 percent of precinct votes counted and only late mail-in ballots remaining. 12,301 votes were cast against the bond measure (55.65%) with 9,803 (44.35%) votes cast for it. The bond measure required 55% in favor to pass, but throughout the evening, never came close to gaining traction needed for passage.

The district said that the new bond issue was necessary to finance basic infrastructure improvements and to implement installation of advanced security technology at its schools as recommended last year by a County of San Diego Grand Jury report.