East County News Service

May 30, 2016 (Lakeside) – Lakeside resident Nicholas “Nic” Long will be representing the U.S. at the Olympics in Brazil.  The BMX cyclist qualified for Team USA on Sunday, finishing third in the UCI BMX World Championships in Colombia.

“Save Alpine High” GoFundMe site launched to pay for legal appeal

By Miriam Raftery

May 30, 2016 (Alpine) — The San Diego County Taxpayers Association is speaking out against the Grossmont Union-High School District for failing to honor the intent of voters who supported Proposition U.  The group’s new leader, Haney Hong, has also sharply criticized the GUHSD for spending taxpayer money on legal action while refusing to fund construction of an Alpine high school.

East County News Service

May 30, 2016 (Ramona) -- Travelers on State Route 67 in the community of Ramona are alerted that construction activities will begin Thursday at the intersection at Dye and Highland Valley roads, according to Caltrans.  Crews will begin placing construction signs and marking underground utilities.

By Liz Alper

Photo courtesy @Mariners on Twitter

 

May 30, 2016 (Seattle) - On this Memorial Day, the Padres traveled to Seattle, the land of Starbucks and where rain is the dominant weather pattern, to face the Mariners in a split four-game home-and-home series.  Andrew Cashner started on the mound for San Diego against Nathan Karns for Seattle.

Videos were reportedly seen by a male security guard and an attorney

East County News Service

May 30, 2016 (La Mesa) — A class action lawsuit has been filed against Sharp Healthcare alleging that videos taken during surgeries at Sharp Grossmont Surgery violated women’s privacy, including women filmed during childbirth as part of the hospital’s effort to catch a doctor suspected of stealing anesthesia drugs,  Courthouse News reports.

East County News Service

Photo: (from left to right) Grossmont Healthcare District board member Rancy Lenac and City of El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells

May 30, 2016 (La Mesa) - The San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce will host its upcoming First Friday Breakfast starting at 7:15 a.m., Friday, June 3, at Cottonwood Golf Club, 3121 Willow Glen Dr., El Cajon. It’s the Chamber’s annual breakfast featuring elected officials providing updates on East County cities. Confirmed speakers at press time include the mayors of El Cajon, Lemon Grove and Santee.

East County News Service

May 29, 2016 (Ramona) — In April 1862, the Battle of Shiloh was a key early victory for the Union Army during the Civil War.  On Memorial Day, May 30^th, Norm Case, co-owner of the Hatfield Creek Vineyards and Winery in Ramona, will be displaying the historic drum on which his great-great grandfather, Philo Case, played the long roll to begin the Battle of Shiloh.

By Liz Alper

Photo courtesy @Padres on Twitter

 

May 29, 2016 (Phoenix) - The Padres and Diamondbacks played game three, the final game of this weekend series today.  Drew Pomeranz started against Archie Bradley for the snakes.

East County News Service

May 29, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – This weekend, we honor the men and women who have sacrificed their lives to serve our country in the U.S. armed forces.

More than 1.1 million American soldiers have been killed in wars since our nation began, from the Revolutionary War to today. The U.S. currently has about 14 million living veterans from War World II to the present military conflicts.

Here in San Diego County:

Plutocrats United: Campaign Money, the Supreme Court, and the Distortion of American Elections, by Richard L. Hasen (Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut, 2016, 241 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

May 28, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) - Plutocrats United: Campaign Money, the Supreme Court, and the Distortion of American Elections, this scholarly and insightful book by Richard L. Hasen, a leading expert on election law, gives a compelling answer to the dilemmas of money in politics, and comes at a time when presidential candidates such as Bernie Sanders has as his mantra campaign finance and reform. Hasen, Chancellor’s Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine, has written this book in the midst of one of the most unusual presidential campaigns in memory, where the character and personas of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders seem to shape our political history and agendas.

By Greg Dunne

May 28, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- It’s a berry good time of the year.  The four main berries in the markets are strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and Blackberries. What comes to mind right away with berries is snack time. When I’m watching TV and wanting a bit of ice cream or piece of pie, but don’t want to eat something that is not healthy I go to a small bowl of berries or some Greek yogurt. And of course, the combination of the two is better than ice cream and much healthier.

By Liz Alper

Photo courtesy @Padres on Twitter

 

May 27, 2016 (Phoenix) - After that embarrassing sweep by the Giants, the Padres got a much-needed day off before they headed to Phoenix to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Arizona, as we all know, is Andy Green’s old stomping grounds and he was happy to be back.  Christian Friedrich started on the hill for San Diego against Robbie Ray for Arizona.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo from www.StopRandyVoepel.com, a site criticizing Voepel's  "insurgent" remarks suggesting he would be a political  hit man for the GOP in Sacramento

May 27, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Santee Mayor Randy Voepel is facing some formidable opposition in his run for the 71^st Assembly seat.  An anonymous hit site, www.StopRandyVoepel.com, has posted audio of inflammatory statements made by Voepel—along with past tax lien documents on the self-proclaimed fiscal conservative’s home.

Meanwhile his opponent, Tony Teora, a centrist Republican who leans Libertarian on some issues but green on climate change, has invested heavily in his campaign including freeway signs, newspaper ads and newsletters to voters.  (Leo Hamel, a third candidate listed on the ballot, has withdrawn from the race.)

By Miriam Raftery

May 26, 2016 (San Diego) – Today after clinching the number of delegates needed for the Republican nomination, billionaire Donald Trump gave a speech at a petroleum industry conference in North Dakota.  There he told oil executives he would eliminate regulations on the fossil fuel industry and also weaken clean water protections, the Bismark Tribune reports.

“We’re going to cancel the Paris Climate agreement,” he said of the United Nations Accord signed by over 195 nations.

Promising “complete American energy independence” he vowed to roll back Obama administration limits on coal power plant emissions, global climate accord reached in Paris, approve the Keystone XL pipeline and rescind protection of waterways from industrial pollution. He has also called for an increase in fracking and has said he believes climate change is a hoax, despite 97% of climate scientists worldwide agreeing that climate change is real and caused by the burning of fossil fuels.